Spoken sessions

Objective Epithelial ciliary dysfunction is a feature of asthma and contributes to persistent symptoms and recurrent exacerbations. We sought to examine whether its cause is due to an altered airway environment or an intrinsic abnormality. Methods Primary epithelial cells were obtained from 46 subjects with asthma and 28 healthy controls for culture. Air-Liquid-Interface (ALI) cultures fully differentiated from human primary airway epithelial cells were stimulated with asthmatic sputum, with or without the presence of antibiotics. Ciliary function was assessed using video-microscopy. Bacterial 16S load in sputum and ALI culture before and after addition of sputum were assessed by qPCR. Oxidative stress was enumerated by 8-oxo-dG expression in bronchial biopsies using immunohistochemiatry in 27 asthmatics and 9 healthy controls, and in basal epithelial cells following hydro-gen peroxide (H2O2) stimulation assessed by the DCFDA assay