Background: Cysteinyl leukotrienes (Cys-LTs) and isoprostanes are inflammatory metabolites derived from arachidonic acid whose levels are increased in the airways of asthmatic patients. Isoprostanes are relatively stable and specific for lipid peroxidation, which makes them potentially reliable biomarkers for oxidative stress. A study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of a course of oral steroids on Cys-LT and 8-isoprostane levels in exhaled breath condensate of children with an asthma exacerbation. Methods: Exhaled breath condensate was collected and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FE NO ) and spirometric parameters were measured before and after a 5 day course of oral prednisone (1 mg/kg/ day) in 15 asthmatic children with an asthma exacerbation. Cys-LT and 8-isoprostane concentrations were measured using an enzyme immunoassay. FE NO was measured using a chemiluminescence analyser. Exhaled breath condensate was also collected from 10 healthy children. Results: Before prednisone treatment both Cys-LT and 8-isoprostane concentrations were higher in asthmatic subjects (Cys-LTs, 12.7 pg/ml (IQR 5.4-15.6); 8-isoprostane, 12.0 pg/ml (9.4-29.5)) than in healthy children (Cys-LTs, 4.3 pg/ml (2.0-5.7), p=0.002; 8-isoprostane, 2.6 pg/ml (2.1-3.0), p<0.001). After prednisone treatment there was a significant decrease in both Cys-LT (5.2 pg/ml (3.9-8.8), p=0.005) and 8-isoprostane (8.4 pg/ml (5.4-11.6), p=0.04) concentrations, but 8-isoprostane levels remained higher than in controls (p<0.001). FE NO levels, which fell significantly after prednisone treatment (p<0.001), did not correlate significantly with either Cys-LT or 8-isoprostane concentrations. Conclusion: After a 5 day course of oral prednisone there is a reduction in Cys-LT and 8-isoprostane levels in EBC of children with an asthma exacerbation, although 8-isoprostane levels remain higher than in controls. This finding suggests that corticosteroids may not be fully effective in reducing oxidative stress in children with an exacerbation of asthma.

Oxidative stress is implicated in the pathogenesis of asthma, and clinical studies show an imbalance in the level of oxidants to the level of antioxidants in subjects with asthma. Aldehydes and glutathione are examples of biomarkers of oxidant-induced damage and antioxidant status in asthma, respectively. In the study, we applied analytical techniques based on liquid chromatography for the assessment of aldehydes and glutathione in the exhaled breath condensate of children with asthma and in control subjects without asthma. Twelve subjects with asthma were evaluated at exacerbation and after 5 days of therapy with prednisone. At exacerbation, malondialdehyde levels were higher in patients with asthma (30.2 +/- 2.4 nM) than in control subjects (19.4 +/- 1.9 nM, p = 0.002) and were reduced after steroid therapy (18.5 +/- 1.6 nM, p = 0.001). At exacerbation, glutathione levels were lower in subjects with asthma (5.96 +/- 0.6 nM) than in control subjects (14.1 +/- 0.8 nM, p < 0.0001) and were increased after the therapy (8.44 +/- 1.2 nM, p = 0.04). Malondialdehyde and glutathione both in subjects with asthma and control subjects were negatively correlated (r = -0.5, p = 0.001). The study shows that aldehydes and glutathione are detectable in the exhaled breath condensate of children with asthma and healthy children and that their levels are modified during asthma exacerbation and after a 5-day course of therapy with oral prednisone.

In the current period of global public health crisis due to the COVID-19, healthcare workers are more exposed to physical and mental exhaustion – burnout – for the torment of difficult decisions, the pain of losing patients and colleagues, and the risk of infection, for themselves and their families. The very high number of cases and deaths, and the probable future “waves” raise awareness of these challenging working conditions and the need to address burnout by identifying possible solutions. Measures have been suggested to prevent or reduce burnout at individual level (physical activity, balanced diet, good sleep hygiene, family support, meaningful relationships, reflective practices and small group discussions), organizational level (blame-free environments for sharing experiences and advices, broad involvement in management decisions, multi-disciplinary psychosocial support teams, safe areas to withdraw quickly from stressful situations, adequate time planning, social support), and cultural level (involvement of healthcare workers in the development, implementation, testing, and evaluation of measures against burnout). Although some progress has been made in removing the barrier to psychological support to cope with work-related stress, a cultural change is still needed for the stigma associated with mental illness. The key recommendation is to address the challenges that the emergency poses and to aggregate health, well-being and behavioral science expertise through long term researches with rigorous planning and reporting to drive the necessary cultural change and the improvement of public health systems.

Macrolide antibiotics have immunomodulatory effects that may be beneficial to patients with chronic inflammatory pulmonary conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of azithromycin on lung function, bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR), and airway inflammation in asthmatic children. Sixteen asthmatic children were treated with either azithromycin or placebo for 8 weeks. Lung function, BHR expressed as the dose-response slope (DRS) of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) fall after hypertonic saline inhalation (DRS), and induced sputum were evaluated at baseline and after treatment. No significant change was observed in lung function before and after treatment. DRS (percent fall of FEV1/mL) decreased from (X +/- SD) 2.75 +/- 2.12 to 1.42 +/- 1.54 (p = 0.02) in azithromycin-treated children but not in the placebo group, which was 1.48 +/- 1.75 at baseline and 1.01 +/- 1.38 at the end of the study period. Neutrophil leukocytes decreased significantly in the azithromycin-treated group from 10 +/- 5.3% to 2.2 +/- 2.4% (p < 0.01) but not in the placebo group, with 7.2 +/- 4.2% at baseline and 3.3 +/- 3.6% at the end of the study. A short course of azithromycin is associated with amelioration of BHR and reduction in airway neutrophil infiltration in some children with asthma.