The BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Increases the Contractile Sensitivity to Histamine and Parasympathetic Activation in a Human Ex Vivo Model of Severe Eosinophilic Asthma

Development of Organ Targeting Lipid Nanoparticles with Low Immunogenicity and Their Application in the Treatment of Pulmonary Fibrosis

As the most advanced non-viral delivery system, lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) were approved by the FDA, propelling the advancements of gene therapy. However, their clinical applications are hampered by the potential immunogenicity of the lipid components that trigger immune-related adverse events, like inflammation and allergy. Herein, we formulate various dLNPs with diminished immunogenicity by incorporating dexamethasone (Dex) into liver-, spleen-, and lung-targeting LNPs formulations that exhibit excellent abilities to target specific organs and deliver various types of RNA, such as mRNA and siRNA. In vivo investigations demonstrate unparalleled advantages in safety as compared to conventional LNPs, showing promising potential in the development of RNA therapeutics. Intriguingly, the encapsulation of runt-related transcription factor-1 siRNA (siRUNX1) into lung-targeting dLNPs (dLNPs@siRUNX1) demonstrates remarkable advantages in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis through the synergy of gene therapy and drug therapy. This research establishes secure and universal platforms for the precise delivery of nucleic acid therapeutics, showcasing promising clinical applications in gene therapy.

Significant association between asthma and a lower risk of mortality among COVID-19 patients in Spain: A meta-analysis

Background

Various prevalences of asthma in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been reported in different regions, and the association between asthma and COVID-19 subsequent mortality has been in debate. Thus, this study aimed to investigate whether there was a significant association between asthma and COVID-19 mortality in Spain through a meta-analysis.

Methods

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were strictly complied with conducting this study. The pooled odds ratio (OR) with a corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated by a random-effects model. The I 2 statistics for heterogeneity, sensitivity analysis for robustness, Begg's test, and Egger's test for publication bias, along with subgroup analyses for confounding bias, were also performed to support the foundation of this study.

Results

The meta-analysis revealed that asthma was significantly associated with a lower risk of mortality among COVID-19 patients in Spain with a random-effects model (pooled OR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.69-0.88, I 2 = 35%). Further subgroup analyses by male proportion and sample size also indicated that a statistically significant negative correlation did exist between asthma and COVID-19 mortality. Robustness and no publication on-bias were evidenced by sensitivity analysis, Egger's test, and Begg's test, respectively.

Conclusion

In conclusion, patients with asthma were found to have a lower risk of mortality from COVID-19 in Spain, especially among elderly patients. In addition, asthmatic patients infected with COVID-19 may be at risk of death compared to non-asthmatic patients, which is not a cause for undue concern, thereby reducing the burden of medication.

Use of human airway smooth muscle in vitro and ex vivo to investigate drugs for the treatment of chronic obstructive respiratory disorders

Isolated airway smooth muscle has been extensively investigated since 1840 to understand the pharmacology of airway diseases. There has often been poor predictability from murine experiments to drugs evaluated in patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the use of isolated human airways represents a sensible strategy to optimise the development of innovative molecules for the treatment of respiratory diseases. This review aims to provide updated evidence on the current uses of isolated human airways in validated in vitro methods to investigate drugs in development for the treatment of chronic obstructive respiratory disorders. This review also provides historical notes on the pioneering pharmacological research on isolated human airway tissues, the key differences between human and animal airways, as well as the pivotal differences between human medium bronchi and small airways. Experiments carried out with isolated human bronchial tissues in vitro and ex vivo replicate many of the main anatomical, pathophysiological, mechanical and immunological characteristics of patients with asthma or COPD. In vitro models of asthma and COPD using isolated human airways can provide information that is directly translatable into humans with obstructive lung diseases. Regardless of the technique used to investigate drugs for the treatment of chronic obstructive respiratory disorders (i.e., isolated organ bath systems, videomicroscopy and wire myography), the most limiting factors to produce high-quality and repeatable data remain closely tied to the manual skills of the researcher conducting experiments and the availability of suitable tissue.