IntroductionCell count in induced sputum is a noninvasive biomarker to assess airway inflammation phenotypes. Accordingly, sputum cell counts are extensively used in the treatment of asthma and COPD. Nevertheless, the clinical application of sputum cell counts in patients with asthma–COPD overlap (ACO) remains elusive. The aim of this study was to investigate sputum cell counts in patients with ACO which are different from those in patients with asthma and COPD and also to examine the relationship between sputum cell counts in bronchial reversibility and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR).Patients and methodsA total of 374 patients participated in the study, including 142 patients with asthma, 160 patients with COPD and 72 patients with ACO. All patients underwent the following tests on the same day: pulmonary function test (PFT), BHR test or bronchodilator reversibility test and inducing sputum. They were classified into the asthma group, COPD group or ACO group based on a clinical history, PFT values and BHR test or bronchodilator reversibility test.ResultsThe three groups had different PFT values (p<0.001) except for forced vital capacity (FVC) between the asthma and ACO groups (p=0.378). The sputum levels of eosinophil% were decreased in patients with COPD when compared with those in patients with asthma and ACO (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). There was a difference in sputum neutrophil% and macrophage% counts among the three groups (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively); there was no difference in sputum eosinophil% counts between patients with ACO and asthma (p=0.668) and there was no difference in the percentage of induced sputum cells between the stage of airway obstruction and the stage of BHR.ConclusionThe clinical relevance of this study provides evidence that sputum cell counts as an inflammatory biomarker could carry some information to distinguish ACO, asthma and COPD, and these biomarkers need more studies to provide diagnostic value in the differentiation between ACO, asthma and COPD.

Background: Measurement of sputum is frequently used to define airway inflammatory subtypes. The venous blood cell is a reliable and simple biomarker, may be used as an alternative procedure to reflect the subtypes. For the aim of verifying the hypothesis that venous blood cell can quantify sputum inflammatory cell to access the airway subtypes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease of acute exacerbations (AECOPD) and to ascertain the accuracy of the blood cell biomarker. Methods: This study evaluated 287 patients with COPD exacerbations and all four tests were performed on the same day, which are lung function test, bronchodilator reversibility test, sputum cell analysis and blood routine examination. Results: There was a correlation between sputum eosinophils and blood eosinophils, blood cells derived ratios. There was a weaker relationship to neutrophils between sputum and blood. Sputum neutrophils had not any association with neutrophil/macrophage ratio (NMR) and eosinophil/lymphocyte ratio (ELR) in blood. Blood eosinophils percentage was predictive for eosinophilic COPD exacerbations with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.672 (p = 0.012). The optimum cutpoint for blood eosinophils percentage was 0.55%. Blood eosinophils absolute count was also predictive sputum eosinophilia at 0.35 × 10 9 /L (AUC = 0.626, p = 0.025). ELR, eosinophil/monocyte ratio (EMR) and eosinophil/neutrophil ratio (ENR) in blood were higher in COPD exacerbations with mixed granulocytic and eosinophilic subtypes. Conclusion: Eosinophils/neutrophils count parameters were relationship between blood and sputum. Eosinophils in blood and the ratios (ENR, EMR and ELR) may be utilized to assess eosinophilic airway inflammation in COPD exacerbations. Due to weak relationship and poor predictive ability, more researches should be required.

Sn-xCu (x = 0.5, 0.7, 0.9, 1.1, 1.3) solders were prepared to investigate the in uence of trace Cu on the microstructure, the spreadability and the oxidation resistance property of Sn-xCu lead-free solder. Researches have shown that the Cu content had a signi cant impact on the microstructure, the microstructure of Sn-0.7Cu solder was almost ne dendrites and others were composed of coarser dendrites. The liquidus temperatures of Sn-xCu were around 227 C, the peak of solidi cation temperature had vast difference and the biggest difference was 8.8 C. The peak of solidi cation temperature of Sn-0.7Cu was the smallest, with 192 C. The spreading rate of Sn-xCu solders greatly improved, in which Sn-0.5Cu improves by nearly 4 percents, Sn-0.7Cu improves by nearly 3 percents and the others improve by 2 percents around from 260 C to 290 C. With the increase of Cu content, there were no obvious changes to solder with wetting power and wetting time, interfacial IMC thickness of Sn-xCu/Cu solders. The color of oxidation lm deepened due to the serious oxidation with the increase of the temperature. The oxide slag of Sn-xCu solders decreased and then increased with the increase of Cu content, in which the oxide slag of Sn-0.7Cu solder was the lowest, about 18.5% of Sn-0.5Cu and 38% of Sn-1.3Cu.