Serum periostin appears to be a useful biomarker for the development of airflow limitation in asthmatic patients on ICS.

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A GLCCI1 variant is a risk factor of pulmonary function decline in Japanese patients with asthma receiving long-term ICS treatment. Thus, GLCCI1 may be associated with response to ICS across ethnicities.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the utility of dynamic-ventilatory digital radiography (DR) for pulmonary function assessment in patients with airflow limitation. Methods: One hundred and eighteen patients with airflow limitation (72 patients with lung cancer before surgery, 35 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD], 6 patients with asthma, and 5 patients with asthma-COPD overlap syndrome) were assessed with dynamic-ventilatory DR. The patients were instructed to inhale and exhale slowly and maximally. Sequential chest X-ray images were captured in 15 frames per second using a dynamic flat-panel imaging system. The relationship between the lung area and the rate of change in the lung area due to respiratory motion with respect to pulmonary function was analyzed. Results:The rate of change in the lung area from maximum inspiration to maximum expiration (Rs ratio) was associated with the RV/TLC ratio (r = 0.48, p < 0.01) and the percentage of the predicted FEV 1 (r = -0.33, p < 0.01) in patients with airflow limitations. The Rs ratio also decreased in an FEV 1 -dependent manner. Conclusion: The rate of change in the lung area due to respiratory motion evaluated with dynamic DR reflects air trapping. Dynamic DR is a potential tool for the comprehensive assessment of pulmonary function in patients with COPD.