This Research Topic is the second volume of the "Inflammation in Respiratory and Neurological Diseases and the immune-interaction of the lung-brain axis" Community Series. Please see volume I
here.
Despite great advances in diagnosis and treatment that we have witnessed in the last decades, over a billion people suffer from both respiratory and neurological diseases each year, which poses great threats to public health and economic burden worldwide. In many instances, the underlying pathogenic mechanisms are still poorly understood, which significantly limits the efficacy of therapeutic methods. In this regard, lines of evidence pinpoint the important role of immunity and inflammation in both respiratory disorders (e.g., pulmonary hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, etc.) and neurological ones (e.g., neurodegenerative diseases, stroke, depression, etc.). The accumulation of inflammatory cells and an excess of cytokines and chemokines at the inflammatory site would result from the disturbance of the body's delicate balance between immunity and tolerance. Therefore, it gives rise to chronic inflammation and autoimmunity underlying the development of both lung and neurological diseases. Furthermore, the inflammation interaction between lung and brain has been identified, suggesting the existence and importance of the lung-brain axis in the regulation of immune responses in the lung and brain that contribute to the onset and progression of both respiratory and neurological diseases. Nevertheless, inflammatory or immunity related risk factors as well as novel targets and therapies against inflammation or immunity help early diagnosis and treatment of respiratory and neurological diseases.
At present, the full picture of the molecular mechanisms of how immuno-inflammatory activation and the immune cells orchestrate the tissue remodeling leading to respiratory and neurological diseases remains unclear. The identification of inflammatory molecules as therapeutic targets or biomarkers are worth further scrutiny to halt the disease progression and monitor the therapeutic interventions.
The goal of this Research Topic is to provide an overview of the immunomodulatory mechanisms, novel targets, and therapies against the inflammatory mediators, the inflammatory interaction between lung and brain as well as inflammation-related risk factors in respiratory and neurological diseases. It will enhance our comprehension of immunity as a crucial player in the crosstalk between the lung and brain under physiological and pathological conditions.
We welcome the submission of Review, Original Research articles, and Clinical Trial data that cover, but are not limited to, the following topics:
(1) Immunity and inflammation related mechanisms in respiratory and neurological diseases.
(2) Novel targets against inflammation or immunity in respiratory and neurological diseases.
(3) Novel therapies (e.g., exosomes, engineered immunomodulatory agents, nanomaterials) against inflammation or immunity in respiratory and neurological disorders.
(4) The inflammatory interactions of lung and brain under physiological and pathological conditions.
(5) The identification of inflammation- or immunity-related risk factors (traditional and genetic) contributing to respiratory and neurological diseases for the development of novel biomarkers for disease diagnosis and prognosis.