Objective To identify risk factors associated with intubation and time to extubation in hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Study Design Retrospective observational study. Setting Ten hospitals in the Chicago metropolitan area. Subjects and Methods Patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 admitted between March 1 and April 8, 2020, were included. We evaluated sociodemographic and clinical characteristics associated with intubation and prolonged intubation for acute respiratory failure secondary to COVID-19 infection. Results Of the 486 hospitalized patients included in the study, the median age was 59 years (interquartile range, 47-69); 271 (55.8%) were male; and the median body mass index was 30.6 (interquartile range, 26.5-35.6). During the hospitalization, 138 (28.4%) patients were intubated; 78 (56.5%) were eventually extubated; 21 (15.2%) died; and 39 (28.3%) remained intubated at a mean ± SD follow-up of 19.6 ± 6.7 days. Intubated patients had a significantly higher median age (65 vs 57 years, P < .001) and rate of diabetes (56 [40.6%] vs 104 [29.9%], P = .031) as compared with nonintubated patients. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified age, sex, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, history of diabetes, and shortness of breath as factors predictive of intubation. Age and body mass index were the only factors independently associated with time to extubation. Conclusion In addition to clinical signs of respiratory distress, patients with COVID-19 who are older, male, or diabetic are at higher risk of requiring intubation. Among intubated patients, older and more obese patients are at higher risk for prolonged intubation. Otolaryngologists consulted for airway management should consider these factors in their decision making.

Background & Aims It has been a challenge to confirm the association between laryngeal symptoms and physiologic reflux disease. We examined the ability of oropharyngeal pH tests (with the Restech Dx-pH system) and salivary pepsin tests (with Peptest) to discriminate between asymptomatic volunteers (controls) and subjects with a combination of laryngeal and reflux symptoms (laryngeal±reflux). Methods We performed a physician-blinded prospective cohort study of 59 subjects at a single academic institution. Adult volunteers were recruited and separated into 3 groups based on GerdQ and reflux symptom index scores: controls (n=20), laryngeal symptoms (n=20), or laryngeal+reflux symptoms (n=19). Subjects underwent laryngoscopy and oropharyngeal pH tests and submitted saliva samples for analysis of pepsin concentration. Primary outcomes included abnormal acid exposure and composite (RYAN) score for oropharyngeal pH tests and abnormal mean salivary pepsin concentration based on normative data. Results Complete oropharyngeal pH data were available from 53 subjects and complete salivary pepsin data from 35 subjects. We did not observe any significant differences between groups in percent time spent below pH 4.0, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0 or RYAN scores; or percent of subjects with positive results from tests for salivary pepsin (53% vs 40% vs 75%; P=.50, respectively). The laryngeal+reflux group had a significantly higher estimated mean concentration of salivary pepsin (117.9±147.4ng/mL) than the control group (32.4±41.9ng/mL) or laryngeal symptom group (7.5±11.2ng/mL) (P=.01 and P=.04, respectively). Conclusions Using current normative thresholds, oropharyngeal pH testing and salivary pepsin analysis are not able to distinguish between healthy volunteers and subjects with a combination of laryngeal and reflux symptoms.

Background Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is often characterized by tissue eosinophilia that is associated with poor prognosis. Recent findings that proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) directly modulate expression of eotaxin-3, an eosinophil chemoattractant, in eosinophilic diseases suggest therapeutic potential for PPIs in CRSwNP. Objective We assessed the effect of type-2 mediators, particularly IL-13 and eotaxin-3, on tissue eosinophilia and disease severity in CRS. Further investigation focused on PPI suppression of eotaxin-3 expression in vivo and in vitro with exploration of underlying mechanisms. Methods Type-2 mediator levels in nasal tissues and secretions were measured by multiplex immunoassay. Eotaxin-3 and other chemokines expressed in IL-13-stimulated human sinonasal epithelial cells (HNECs) and BEAS-2Bs with or without PPIs was assessed by using ELISA, Western blot, real-time PCR, and intracellular pH (pHi) imaging. Results Nasal tissues and secretions from CRSwNP patients had increased IL-13, eotaxin-2 and eotaxin-3 levels, and these were positively correlated with tissue ECP and radiographic scores in CRS (P<.05). IL-13-stimulation of HNECs and BEAS-2Bs dominantly induced eotaxin-3 expression, which was significantly inhibited by PPIs (P<.05). CRS patients taking PPIs also showed lower in vivo eotaxin-3 levels compared with those without PPIs (P<.05). Using pHi imaging and by altering extracellular [K+], we found that IL-13 enhanced H+,K+-exchange, which was blocked by PPIs and the mechanistically unrelated H,K-ATPase inhibitor, SCH-28080. Furthermore, knockdown of ATP12A (gene for the non-gastric H,K-ATPase [ngH,K-ATPase]) significantly attenuated IL-13-induced eotaxin-3 expression in HNECs. PPIs also had effects on accelerating IL-13-induced eotaxin-3 mRNA decay. Conclusion Our results demonstrated that PPIs reduce IL-13-induced eotaxin-3 expression by airway epithelial cells. Furthermore, mechanistic studies suggest that the ngH,K-ATPase is necessary for IL-13-mediated epithelial responses, and its inhibitors, including PPIs, may be of therapeutic value in CRSwNP by reducing epithelial production of eotaxin-3.

Background: Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) is characterized by asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), and an intolerance of medications that inhibit cyclooxygenase-1. Patients with AERD have more severe upper and lower respiratory tract disease than do aspirintolerant patients with CRSwNP. A dysregulation in arachidonic acid metabolism is thought to contribute to the enhanced sinonasal inflammation in AERD. Objective: Our aim was to utilize an unbiased approach investigating arachidonic acid metabolic pathways in AERD. Methods: Single-cell RNA sequencing (103 Genomics, Pleasanton, Calif) was utilized to compare the transcriptional profile of nasal polyp (NP) cells from patients with AERD and patients with CRSwNP and map differences in the expression of select genes among identified cell types. Findings were confirmed by traditional real-time PCR. Lipid mediators in sinonasal tissue were measured by mass spectrometry. Localization of various proteins within NPs was assessed by immunofluorescence. Results: The gene encoding for 15-lipooxygenase (15-LO), ALOX15, was significantly elevated in NPs of patients with AERD compared to NPs of patients with CRSwNP (P < .05) or controls (P < .001). ALOX15 was predominantly expressed by epithelial cells. Expression levels significantly correlated with radiographic sinus disease severity (r 5 0.56; P < .001) and were associated with asthma. The level of 15-oxo-eicosatetraenoic acid (15-Oxo-ETE), a downstream product of 15-LO, was significantly elevated in NPs from patients with CRSwNP (27.93 pg/mg of tissue) and NPs from patients with AERD (61.03 pg/mg of tissue) compared to inferior turbinate tissue from controls (7.17 pg/mg of tissue [P < .001]). Hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase, an enzyme required for 15-Oxo-ETE synthesis, was predominantly expressed in mast cells and localized near 15-LO 1 epithelium in NPs from patients with AERD. Conclusions: Epithelial and mast cell interactions, leading to the synthesis of 15-Oxo-ETE, may contribute to the dysregulation of arachidonic acid metabolism via the 15-LO pathway and to the enhanced sinonasal disease severity observed in AERD. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 2020;nnn:nnn-nnn.)

Background Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is strongly associated with comorbid asthma. This study compares early-onset and late-onset asthma in a CRS population using patient-reported and clinical characteristics. Methods At enrollment into a clinical registry, CRS patients completed the 22-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22), Asthma Control Test (ACT), mini-Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (miniAQLQ), the 29-item Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS-29), and medication use questionnaires. Patients also reported comorbid asthma and age at first asthma diagnosis. Early-onset (<18 years) and late-onset (>18 years) asthma groups were defined. Analysis of variance (ANOVA), chi-square, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare patient responses. Results A total of 199 non-asthmatic (56.1%), 71 early-onset asthmatic (20.0%), and 85 late-onset asthmatic (23.9%) CRS patients completed the survey. Body mass index (BMI) was significantly higher in late-onset asthmatic (p = 0.046) while age, gender, race, and smoking history did not differ with time of asthma onset. SNOT-22, ACT, and miniAQLQ were not different between asthma groups, but late-onset asthmatics had significantly lower physical function than non-asthmatics (p = 0.008). Compared to non-asthmatics, late-onset asthmatics showed increased rates of nasal polyps (p < 0.001), higher Lund-Mackay scores (p = 0.005), and had received more oral steroid courses (p < 0.001) and endoscopic surgeries (p = 0.008) for CRS management. Late-onset asthmatics compared to early-onset asthmatics showed increased nasal polyposis (p =0.011) and oral steroid courses for CRS (p = 0.003). Conclusion While CRS-specific and asthma-specific patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) were not significantly different among groups, CRS patients with late-onset asthma had poorer physical function, more frequent nasal polyposis, and required increased treatment for CRS. Late-onset asthma may predict more severe disease in CRS.

Introduction Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is likely a biologically heterogeneous disease process. Current guidelines propose subclassification using polyp status while others propose using mucosal eosinophilia. We hypothesized that appropriate CRS subclassification would increase homogeneity of baseline symptoms, and identify characteristic symptoms of each subtype. Methods 57 CRS patients undergoing surgery prospectively completed a preoperative battery of 73 questions relating to symptoms including the SNOT-22 and PROMIS-29 general quality of life (QOL) measures. Eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) levels were determined from ethmoid, uncinate, and polyp tissue homogenates using ELISA and normalized to total protein. Patients were classified as eosinophilic (eCRS) or non-eosinophilic (neCRS) using a 95-percentile threshold established from control tissue from 82 patients without CRS. Separate pairwise comparisons were performed on patient-reported symptoms using polyp and eosinophilic status. Results 28 of 57 patients had CRS with polyps (CRSwNP). 27 of 57 had eCRS (n=21 CRSwNP, n=6 CRSsNP). CRSwNP patients had increased need to blow nose, frequency of nasal congestion, more severe difficulty breathing through nose, more severe nasal discharge, but less cough (p<0.05). eCRS had more bothersome loss of taste/smell, ear pain, sneezing, severe difficulty breathing through nose, and severe nasal congestion compared to neCRS (p<0.05). Conclusion Subclassifying CRS with symptoms alone is difficult with neither polyp status nor eosinophilia giving a distinctive clinical symptom profile. However, certain symptoms may help otolaryngologists identify CRS subtypes, which may help guide future treatments. Further validation and evaluation of prognosis following treatment is required to evaluate appropriate means of subclassifying CRS.

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Background Immunoglobulin D (IgD) is an enigmatic antibody isotype best known when co-expressed with IgM on naïve B cells. However, elevated soluble IgD (sIgD) and increased IgD+IgM− B cell populations have been described in the human upper respiratory mucosa. Objective We assessed whether levels of sIgD and IgD+ B cells are altered in nasal tissue from patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). We further characterized IgD+ B cell populations and explored clinical and local inflammatory factors associated with tissue sIgD levels. Methods sIgD levels were measured by ELISA in nasal tissues, nasal lavages, serum, and supernatants of dissociated nasal tissues. IgD+ cells were identified by immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. Inflammatory mediator levels in tissues were assessed by real-time PCR and multiplex immunoassay. Bacterial cultures from the middle meatus were performed. Underlying medical history and medicine use were obtained from medical records. Results sIgD levels and the number of IgD+ cells were significantly increased in uncinate tissue (UT) of CRS without nasal polyps (CRSsNP) compared to control (4-fold, P<.05). IgD+ cells were densely scattered in the periglandular regions of CRSsNP UT. We also found that IgD+CD19+CD38bright plasmablasts were significantly elevated in CRSsNP tissues compared to control (P<.05). Among numerous factors tested, IL-2 levels were increased in CRSsNP UT and were positively correlated with tissue IgD levels. Additionally, the supernatants of IL-2-stimulated dissociated CRSsNP tissue had significantly increased sIgD levels compared to IL-2-stimulated dissociated control tissue ex vivo (P<.05). Tissue from CRS patients with preoperative antibiotic use or those with pathogenic bacteria presence showed higher IgD levels compared to tissue from patients absent these variables (P<.05). Conclusion sIgD levels and IgD+CD19+CD38bright plasmablasts were increased in nasal tissue of CRSsNP. IgD levels were associated with increased IL-2 and the presence of pathogenic bacteria. These findings suggest that IgD might contribute to enhance mucosal immunity, inflammation, or respond to bacterial infections in CRS, especially CRSsNP.