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The airway microbiome has an important role in asthma pathophysiology. However, little is known on the relationships between the airway microbiome of asthmatic children, loss of asthma control, and severe exacerbations. Here we report that the microbiota’s dynamic patterns and compositions are related to asthma exacerbations. We collected nasal blow samples (n = 319) longitudinally during a clinical trial at 2 time-points within one year: randomization when asthma is under control, and at time of early loss of asthma control (yellow zone (YZ)). We report that participants whose microbiota was dominated by the commensal Corynebacterium   +   Dolosigranulum cluster at RD experience the lowest rates of YZs (p = 0.005) and have longer time to develop at least 2 episodes of YZ (p = 0.03). The airway microbiota have changed from randomization to YZ. A switch from the Corynebacterium   +   Dolosigranulum cluster at randomization to the Moraxella- cluster at YZ poses the highest risk of severe asthma exacerbation (p = 0.04). Corynebacterium’s relative abundance at YZ is inversely associated with severe exacerbation (p = 0.002). How the airway microbiome influences asthma pathophysiology remains unclear. Here, the authors analyse nasal samples of cohort of school-age children with persistent asthma and find that the microbiota’s patterns and composition at time of early loss of asthma control associate with severe asthma exacerbations.

In patients with asthma who had elevated blood eosinophil levels and marginal asthma control despite treatment with high-dose inhaled or oral glucocorticoids, asthma exacerbations were reduced in those receiving a monoclonal antibody that binds to and inactivates interleukin-5. Severe asthma affects less than 10% of patients with asthma and is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality and a large fraction of the health care costs among patients with asthma. 1 – 3 Despite available care, recurrent asthma exacerbations are a major issue in a subgroup of patients with eosinophilic airway inflammation. 4 – 6 Mepolizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against interleukin-5, selectively inhibits eosinophilic inflammation 7 , 8 and reduces the number of eosinophils in both sputum and blood, resulting in a reduction in exacerbations and in the need for treatment with systemic glucocorticoids. 7 – 12 In the Dose Ranging Efficacy and Safety with Mepolizumab . . .

Treatment with tezepelumab, a human monoclonal antibody specific for thymic stromal lymphopoietin, reduced exacerbation frequency among patients whose asthma remained uncontrolled with long-acting beta-agonists and medium-to-high doses of inhaled glucocorticoids.

T-helper type 2 (Th2) inflammation, mediated by IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13, is considered the central molecular mechanism underlying asthma, and Th2 cytokines are emerging therapeutic targets. However, clinical studies increasingly suggest that asthma is heterogeneous. To determine whether this clinical heterogeneity reflects heterogeneity in underlying molecular mechanisms related to Th2 inflammation. Using microarray and polymerase chain reaction analyses of airway epithelial brushings from 42 patients with mild-to-moderate asthma and 28 healthy control subjects, we classified subjects with asthma based on high or low expression of IL-13-inducible genes. We then validated this classification and investigated its clinical implications through analyses of cytokine expression in bronchial biopsies, markers of inflammation and remodeling, responsiveness to inhaled corticosteroids, and reproducibility on repeat examination. Gene expression analyses identified two evenly sized and distinct subgroups, \"Th2-high\" and \"Th2-low\" asthma (the latter indistinguishable from control subjects). These subgroups differed significantly in expression of IL-5 and IL-13 in bronchial biopsies and in airway hyperresponsiveness, serum IgE, blood and airway eosinophilia, subepithelial fibrosis, and airway mucin gene expression (all P < 0.03). The lung function improvements expected with inhaled corticosteroids were restricted to Th2-high asthma, and Th2 markers were reproducible on repeat evaluation. Asthma can be divided into at least two distinct molecular phenotypes defined by degree of Th2 inflammation. Th2 cytokines are likely to be a relevant therapeutic target in only a subset of patients with asthma. Furthermore, current models do not adequately explain non-Th2-driven asthma, which represents a significant proportion of patients and responds poorly to current therapies.

Clinical benefits of fixed-dose 100-mg subcutaneous (SC) mepolizumab in prednisone-dependent patients are modest when sputum eosinophilia is not adequately controlled. This study compared treatment response of weight-adjusted intravenous (IV) reslizumab in patients previously treated with 100-mg SC mepolizumab. Ten prednisone-dependent patients with asthma (sputum eosinophils >3% and blood eosinophils >300 cells/μl), who had previously received mepolizumab (100 mg SC dosed every 4 wk [Q4W]) for at least 1 year, received two infusions of placebo (Q4W) followed by four infusions of 3.0 mg/kg reslizumab Q4W in a single-blind, placebo-controlled sequential trial. Primary outcomes were reduction of eosinophils in sputum and blood. Additional outcomes included FEV , asthma control questionnaire, eosinophil peroxidase, IL-5, sputum and blood innate lymphoid cells group 2, eosinophil progenitor cells, and autoimmune responses. IV reslizumab attenuated sputum eosinophils by 91.2% (P = 0.002), blood eosinophil counts by 87.4% (P = 0.004), and sputum eosinophil peroxidase levels by 65.5% (P = 0.03) compared with placebo. Attenuation of both local and systemic eosinophilia was associated with statistically significant improvements in FEV (P = 0.004) and asthma control questionnaire five-question instrument scores (P = 0.006). Decrease in percent sputum eosinophil was greater with reslizumab (by 42.7%) compared with mepolizumab (by 5.0%) and this was associated with greater improvement in asthma control questionnaire (P = 0.01; analysis of covariance of Δ between before and after treatment, mepolizumab vs. reslizumab, adjusted for baseline prednisone). Changes in sputum IL-5 and anti-eosinophil peroxidase IgG after anti-IL-5 therapy were predictors of response. Weight-adjusted IV reslizumab was superior to fixed-dose SC mepolizumab in attenuating airway eosinophilia in prednisone-dependent patients with asthma, with associated improvement in asthma control. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT 02559791).

Among patients with asthma who had elevated blood eosinophil levels and marginal asthma control despite glucocorticoid treatment, the glucocorticoid dose could be significantly reduced in patients receiving a monoclonal antibody that binds to and inactivates interleukin-5. Asthma is a common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways that affects 5 to 10% of adults and children. Although the disease is well controlled with inhaled therapy in most patients, approximately 10% have severe asthma that is associated with substantial morbidity, mortality, and economic effects. 1 Patients with severe asthma have complex treatment requirements, which in 30 to 40% of such patients include the regular use of oral glucocorticoids to control their asthma. 2 – 4 Such therapy can result in serious and often irreversible adverse effects. 5 , 6 Current treatments with glucocorticoid-sparing properties are not recommended in patients with severe asthma because . . .

Patients receiving a long-acting beta-agonist (LABA) and inhaled glucocorticoid for asthma were given dupilumab, a monoclonal antibody to part of the IL-4 receptor, with the LABA and inhaled glucocorticoid withdrawn. There were fewer exacerbations with dupilumab than with placebo. Recent estimates suggest that 24.6 million people in the United States, or 8.2% of the population, have received a diagnosis of asthma. 1 Despite therapy with inhaled glucocorticoids and long-acting beta-agonists (LABAs), the disease is not adequately controlled in 10 to 20% of patients 2 ; these patients are at risk for poor clinical outcomes, and the cost of their care contributes substantially to the economic burden of asthma. 3 – 5 The mechanisms underlying this inadequate control remain poorly understood. The clinical syndrome of persistent, moderate-to-severe asthma is increasingly recognized as comprising various phenotypes. 6 Data indicate that inflammatory processes associated with type 2 . . .

In this trial, patients with poorly controlled asthma despite inhaled glucocorticoid therapy were treated with lebrikizumab, an anti–IL-13 monoclonal antibody. Lebrikizumab was associated with improvement in FEV 1 overall, with greater improvements in patients with a positive IL-13 signature. Asthma is a complex disease with marked heterogeneity in the clinical course and in the response to treatment. 1 – 9 Variability in the type of airway inflammation may underlie this heterogeneity. 2 – 5 Despite treatment with inhaled glucocorticoids, many patients continue to have uncontrolled asthma that requires more intensive therapy. 10 Interleukin-13, a pleiotropic cytokine of type 2 helper T cells (Th2), has been thought to contribute to many key features of asthma. 11 Production of interleukin-13 is inhibited by inhaled glucocorticoids, but these agents also have many other effects on the airways. Some patients with uncontrolled asthma continue to have elevated levels of . . .

Serum chitinases may be novel biomarkers of airway inflammation and remodeling, but less is known about factors regulating their levels. To examine serum chitotriosidase activity and YKL-40 levels in patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and evaluate clinically relevant factors that may affect chitinase levels, including genetic variability, corticosteroid treatment, disease exacerbations, and allergen exposure. Serum chitotriosidase (CHIT1) activity and YKL-40 (CHI3L1) levels, as well as the CHIT1 rs3831317 and CHI3L1 rs4950928 genotypes, were examined in subsets of patients with mild to moderate asthma (n = 76), severe asthma (n = 93), and COPD (n = 64) taking part in the European multicenter BIOAIR (Longitudinal Assessment of Clinical Course and Biomarkers in Severe Chronic Airway Disease) study. Blood was obtained at baseline, before and after a 2-week oral steroid intervention, up to six times during a 1-year period, and during exacerbations. Baseline chitinase levels were also measured in 72 healthy control subjects. The effect of allergen inhalation on blood and sputum YKL-40 levels was measured in two separate groups of patients with mild atopic asthma; one group underwent repeated low-dose allergen challenge (n = 15), and the other underwent high-dose allergen challenge (n = 16). Serum chitotriosidase and YKL-40 were significantly elevated in patients with asthma and those with COPD compared with healthy control subjects. Genotype and age strongly affected both YKL-40 and chitotriosidase activity, but associations with disease remained following adjustment for these factors. Correlations were observed with lung function but not with other biomarkers, including exhaled nitric oxide, blood eosinophils, periostin, and IgE. Generally, acute exacerbations, allergen-induced airway obstruction, and corticosteroid treatment did not affect circulating chitinase levels. YKL-40 and chitotriosidase are increased in asthma and more so in COPD. The data in the present study support these substances as being relatively steroid-insensitive, non-T-helper cell type 2-type biomarkers distinctly related to chronic inflammatory disease processes.

In this trial involving patients with mild, persistent asthma, there was no significant difference in therapeutic effect between an inhaled glucocorticoid (mometasone) and placebo in patients with a low sputum eosinophil level (<2%), which was reported in nearly three quarters of the patients.