Prevalence of asthma symptoms based on the European Community Respiratory Health Survey questionnaire and FENO in university students: gender differences in symptoms and FENO

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The fractional concentration of nitric oxide in exhaled air (F<smcaps>E</smcaps>NO) is used as a biomarker of eosinophilic airway inflammation. F<smcaps>E</smcaps>NO is increased in patients with asthma. The relationship between subjective asthma symptoms and airway inflammation is an important issue. We expected that the subjective asthma symptoms in women might be different from those in men. Therefore, we investigated the gender differences of asthma symptoms and F<smcaps>E</smcaps>NO in a survey of asthma prevalence in university students.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The information about asthma symptoms was obtained from answers to the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) questionnaire, and F<smcaps>E</smcaps>NO was measured by an offline method in 640 students who were informed of this study and consented to participate.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The prevalence of asthma symptoms on the basis of data obtained from 584 students (266 men and 318 women), ranging in age from 18 to 24 years, was analyzed. Wheeze, chest tightness, an attack of shortness of breath, or an attack of cough within the last year was observed in 13.2% of 584 students. When 38.0 ppb was used as the cut-off value of F<smcaps>E</smcaps>NO to make the diagnosis of asthma, the sensitivity was 86.8% and the specificity was 74.0%. F<smcaps>E</smcaps>NO was ≥ 38.0 ppb in 32.7% of students. F<smcaps>E</smcaps>NO was higher in men than in women. The prevalence of asthma symptoms estimated by considering F<smcaps>E</smcaps>NO was 7.2%; the prevalence was greater in men (9.4%) than women (5.3%). A F<smcaps>E</smcaps>NO ≥ 38.0 ppb was common in students who reported wheeze, but not in students, especially women, who reported cough attacks.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The prevalence of asthma symptoms in university students age 18 to 24 years in Japan was estimated to be 7.2% on the basis of F<smcaps>E</smcaps>NO levels as well as subjective symptoms. Gender differences were observed in both F<smcaps>E</smcaps>NO levels and asthma symptoms reflecting the presence of eosinophilic airway inflammation.</p> <p>Trial registration number</p> <p>UMIN000003244</p

Secondary Metabolites of Marine Microbes: From Natural Products Chemistry to Chemical Ecology

Marine natural products (MNPs) exhibit a wide range of pharmaceutically relevant bioactivities, including antibiotic, antiviral, anticancer, or anti-inflammatory properties. Besides marine macroorganisms such as sponges, algae, or corals, specifically marine bacteria and fungi have shown to produce novel secondary metabolites (SMs) with unique and diverse chemical structures that may hold the key for the development of novel drugs or drug leads. Apart from highlighting their potential benefit to humankind, this review is focusing on the manifold functions of SMs in the marine ecosystem. For example, potent MNPs have the ability to exile predators and competing organisms, act as attractants for mating purposes, or serve as dye for the expulsion or attraction of other organisms. A large compilation of literature on the role of MNPs in marine ecology is available, and several reviews evaluated the function of MNPs for the aforementioned topics. Therefore, we focused the second part of this review on the importance of bioactive compounds from crustose coralline algae (CCA) and their role during coral settlement, a topic that has received less attention. It has been shown that certain SMs derived from CCA and their associated bacteria are able to induce attachment and/or metamorphosis of many benthic invertebrate larvae, including globally threatened reef-building scleractinian corals. This review provides an overview on bioactivities of MNPs from marine microbes and their potential use in medicine as well as on the latest findings of the chemical ecology and settlement process of scleractinian corals and other invertebrate larvae

Effect of natural seasonal pollen exposure and repeated nasal allergen provocations on elevation of exhaled nitric oxide

BACKGROUND: Exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) is a marker for allergic airway inflammation. We wondered whether in patients with intermittent allergic rhinitis only (i) natural pollen exposure and (ii) artificial pollen exposure by repeated nasal allergen provocations may lead to an elevation of FENO. METHODS: In two prospective studies, we compared the FENO of nonatopic controls with the FENO of nonasthmatic individuals with mild intermittent rhinitis to tree and/or grass pollen. Study I: 13 atopic individuals and seven controls had measurements of FENO, blood eosinophils and eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) before, during and after pollen season. Study II: 16 atopic individuals and 12 controls had nasal allergen provocations on four following days out of pollen season, with daily measurements of FENO before, 2 and 6 h after provocation, and determination of blood eosinophils, ECP and FEV1 at baseline, on days 5 and 10-12. RESULTS: Natural pollen exposure (study I) caused a significant elevation of FENO in allergic individuals. Nasal allergen provocations (study II) did not elicit a statistically significant rise neither of FENO nor of blood eosinophils between baseline and day 5. However, a subgroup of four individuals with a rise of blood eosinophils during nasal allergen provocations showed also a rise of FENO. CONCLUSIONS: We suppose that in allergic rhinitis a concomitant reaction of the bronchial system is dependent on a strong local inflammation leading to a generalized immune stimulation