Severe or therapy-resistant asthma is increasingly recognised as a major unmet need. A Task Force, supported by the European Respiratory Society and American Thoracic Society, reviewed the definition and provided recommendations and guidelines on the evaluation and treatment of severe asthma in children and adults.A literature review was performed, followed by discussion by an expert committee according to the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach for development of specific clinical recommendations.When the diagnosis of asthma is confirmed and comorbidities addressed, severe asthma is defined as asthma that requires treatment with high dose inhaled corticosteroids plus a second controller and/or systemic corticosteroids to prevent it from becoming “uncontrolled” or that remains “uncontrolled” despite this therapy. Severe asthma is a heterogeneous condition consisting of phenotypes such as eosinophilic asthma. Specific recommendations on the use of sputum eosinophil count and exhaled nitric oxide to guide therapy, as well as treatment with anti-IgE antibody, methotrexate, macrolide antibiotics, antifungal agents and bronchial thermoplasty are provided.Coordinated research efforts for improved phenotyping will provide safe and effective biomarker-driven approaches to severe asthma therapy.

Severe COVID-19 patients develop acute respiratory distress syndrome that may progress to cytokine storm syndrome, organ dysfunction, and death. Considering that neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) have been described as important mediators of tissue damage in inflammatory diseases, we investigated whether NETs would be involved in COVID-19 pathophysiology. A cohort of 32 hospitalized patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 and healthy controls were enrolled. The concentration of NETs was augmented in plasma, tracheal aspirate, and lung autopsies tissues from COVID-19 patients, and their neutrophils released higher levels of NETs. Notably, we found that viable SARS-CoV-2 can directly induce the release of NETs by healthy neutrophils. Mechanistically, NETs triggered by SARS-CoV-2 depend on angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, serine protease, virus replication, and PAD-4. Finally, NETs released by SARS-CoV-2–activated neutrophils promote lung epithelial cell death in vitro. These results unravel a possible detrimental role of NETs in the pathophysiology of COVID-19. Therefore, the inhibition of NETs represents a potential therapeutic target for COVID-19.

ARDIAC SURGERY IS ASSOCIATED with a high rate of allogeneic bloodtransfusion,varyingfrom 40% to 90% in most reports. 1-3 The rationale for perioperative red blood cell (RBC) transfusion is based on the observation that anemia is an independent risk factor for morbidity and mortality after cardiac operations. 4,5 However, transfusions have been associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients, 6 and some recent studies have shown worse outcomes, including increased occurrence of renal failure and infection, as well as respiratory, cardiac , and neurologic complications, in transfused compared with nontransfused patients after cardiac surgery. 7,8 There is a lack of evidence regarding optimal blood transfusion practice in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. 9 On See also pp 1568 and 1610.

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Autopsies have shown that the main pathological changes associated with S-OIV infection are localized to the lungs, where three distinct histological patterns can be identified. We also show evidence of ongoing pulmonary aberrant immune response. Our results reinforce the usefulness of autopsy in increasing the understanding of the novel human influenza A (H1N1) infection.