COPD immunopathology

The immunopathology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is based on the innate and adaptive inflammatory immune responses to the chronic inhalation of cigarette smoking. In the last quarter of the century, the analysis of specimens obtained from the lower airways of COPD patients compared with those from a control group of age-matched smokers with normal lung function has provided novel insights on the potential pathogenetic role of the different cells of the innate and acquired immune responses and their pro/anti-inflammatory mediators and intracellular signalling pathways, contributing to a better knowledge of the immunopathology of COPD both during its stable phase and during its exacerbations. This also has provided a scientific rationale for new drugs discovery and targeting to the lower airways. This review summarises and discusses the immunopathology of COPD patients, of different severity, compared with control smokers with normal lung function.     

Novel cardiovascular magnetic resonance oxygenation approaches in understanding pathophysiology of cardiac diseases

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) permits accurate phenotyping of many cardiac diseases. CMR’s inherent advantages are its non‐invasive nature, lack of ionizing radiation and high accuracy and reproducibility. Furthermore, it is able to assess many aspects of cardiac anatomy, structure and function. Specifically, it can characterize myocardial tissue, myocardial function, myocardial mass, myocardial blood flow/perfusion, irreversible and reversible injury, all with a high degree of accuracy and reproducibility. Hence, CMR is a powerful tool in clinical and pre‐clinical research. In recent years there have been novel advances in CMR myocardial tissue characterization. Oxygenation‐sensitive CMR (OS‐CMR) is a novel non‐invasive, contrast independent technique that permits direct quantification of myocardial tissue oxygenation, both at rest and during stress. In this review, we will address the principles of the OS‐CMR technique, its recent advances and summarize the studies in the effects of oxygenation on cardiac diseases.