Asthma has long been a formidable foe for many people, causing symptoms that can range from mild discomfort to life-threatening attacks. While powerful biological drugs have significantly improved the lives of those with severe asthma, a recent study has shed light on why these symptoms often return despite treatment.

Biological drugs, or biologics, have become a crucial tool in managing severe asthma by helping patients keep their symptoms under control. However, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden discovered that certain immune cells, which play a significant role in asthma inflammation, do not disappear during treatment as previously thought. Instead, these inflammatory cells increase in number.

This finding suggests that biologics might not address the root cause of asthma, but rather manage its symptoms. As such, continued treatment may be necessary to keep the disease under control. This is particularly concerning considering that little is still known about the long-term effects of biologics like mepolizumab and dupilumab, which have been prescribed to asthmatics for less than ten years.

The study analyzed blood samples from 40 patients before and during treatment, using advanced methods such as flow cytometry and single-cell sequencing. Researchers were surprised to find that the levels of inflammatory cells in these patients increased rather than decreased. This could explain why inflammation of the airways often returns when the treatment is tapered or discontinued.

It is essential for researchers and medical professionals to understand the long-term immunological effects of biologics, as this knowledge can lead to more effective treatments and better outcomes for patients with severe asthma. The next stage of the study will involve analyzing samples from patients with a long treatment history and studying lung tissue to see how immune cells are affected in the airways.

The findings of this study have significant implications for the management and treatment of asthma, highlighting the need for continued research into the effects of biologics on the immune system.

Now, let me rewrite the article to make it more accessible and engaging for a general audience:

Breathe with Identity: The Surprising Link Between Your Breath and You

Imagine if your breath could reveal not only your health but also your identity. Sounds like science fiction? Think again! A recent study published in the journal Current Biology has shown that scientists can identify individuals based solely on their breathing patterns with an astonishing 96.8% accuracy.

The research was led by Noam Sobel and Timna Soroka from the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel. They were intrigued by the connection between our brain and breathing, which is processed during inhalation in mammals. Since every brain is unique, wouldn’t each person’s breathing pattern reflect that?

To test this idea, the team developed a lightweight wearable device that tracks nasal airflow continuously for 24 hours using soft tubes placed under the nostrils. This innovative approach revealed that people’s respiratory patterns are as distinctive as fingerprints – and just as reliable.

In an experiment with 100 healthy young adults, the researchers asked them to go about their daily lives while wearing the device. The collected data allowed them to identify individuals with high accuracy, rivaling the precision of some voice recognition technologies. What’s more, the study found that these respiratory “fingerprints” correlated with various aspects of a person’s life, such as:

* Body mass index (BMI)
* Sleep-wake cycle
* Levels of depression and anxiety
* Behavioral traits

For instance, participants who scored relatively higher on anxiety questionnaires had shorter inhales and more variability in the pauses between breaths during sleep. This suggests that long-term nasal airflow monitoring may serve as a window into physical and emotional well-being.

But here’s the really interesting part: what if the way we breathe affects our mental and emotional states? Could changing our breathing patterns actually change those conditions? The researchers are already investigating this possibility, aiming to develop a more discreet and comfortable version of the device for everyday use.

Sobel notes, “We intuitively assume that how depressed or anxious you are changes the way you breathe. But it might be the other way around. Perhaps the way you breathe makes you anxious or depressed. If that’s true, we might be able to change the way you breathe to change those conditions.”

This study opens up exciting possibilities for using respiratory monitoring as a tool for improving mental and emotional well-being. And who knows? Maybe one day, your breath will be the key to unlocking a healthier, happier you!

The article begins by introducing Werner syndrome (WS), a rare genetic disorder causing accelerated aging. Patients develop age-related conditions from their twenties, including gray hair, hair loss, cataracts, diabetes, severe skin ulcers, and early death from cardiovascular diseases or cancer. The condition affects approximately nine per million people in Japan and lacks effective treatment options.

Interestingly, a study found that patients with WS model systems and patients had decreased levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), crucial for cellular energy production, DNA repair, and various metabolic processes. This suggested that NAD+ depletion may contribute to the progression of the disease. While direct NAD+ supplementation isn’t feasible in mammals, using its precursor – nicotinamide riboside (NR) from Niagen Bioscience – has shown promising results in animal studies.

A recent study by a research team led by Associate Professor Masaya Koshizaka conducted the world’s first rigorous clinical trial of NR in patients with WS. The paper was co-authored by University President Koutaro Yokote, Assistant Professor Hisaya Kato, Associate Professor Yoshiro Maezawa, and Assistant Professor Mayumi Shoji, all from Chiba University, along with Affiliate Professor Vilhelm Bohr from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

The study involved a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of NR supplementation. Researchers tracked NAD+ blood levels, skin ulcer size, arterial stiffness, and kidney function. NR supplementation significantly increased NAD+ levels in patient blood compared to placebo, improved arterial stiffness, reduced skin ulcer area, and appeared to slow the progression of kidney dysfunction – all without any serious side effects.

The results suggest that NR may help protect kidney function, addressing another serious complication of WS. Dr. Yasmeen Nkrumah-Elie commented on the study, stating it represents a significant step forward in understanding how NAD+ restoration with NR may help address the underlying biology of WS.

Dr. Koshizaka concluded by saying that their findings suggest NR could serve as a valuable treatment option for two major symptoms – arteriosclerosis and skin ulcers – as well as for preventing kidney function decline. The results are particularly significant given that untreatable skin ulcers affect well over 70% of patients with WS, often leading to amputation, while cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of early mortality in this population.

Larger studies are needed to extend these findings, but the pioneering research offers new hope for patients with WS who have long lacked effective treatment options. Beyond its immediate implications for this rare condition, the study also provides valuable insights into the biology of aging and potential interventions to address age-related decline more broadly.