It is clear that leukotrienes mediate inflammatory response; new aspects of leukotriene function have recently been described. In this study, we demonstrate that leukotrienes are key chemical mediators in the control of parasite burdens in mice infected with Strongyloides venezuelensis. High leukotriene levels were detected in the lungs and small intestines of Swiss mice. In infected Swiss mice...

The circulating levels of leukotriene E4 in infants with congenital heart defects, increased pulmonary blood flow and pulmonary arterial hypertension, were determined and compared with infants with decreased pulmonary blood flow (Tetralogy of Fallot). There was no correlation (r=0.38) between the pulmonary arterial pressure (56+/-4 mmHg) and the leukotriene E4 levels (1.37+/-0.67 ng/ml blood) m...

OBJECTIVE To study the major eicosanoids implicated in the pathophysiology of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in order to estimate their relative prognostic values. METHODS We conducted a prospective study in a consecutive series of patients with ARDS admitted to a university hospital intensive care unit. We measured the plasma concentrations of 3 inflammatory mediators (thromboxan...

BACKGROUND Aspirin desensitization improves clinical outcomes in most patients with aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease. Most protocols for desensitization are time-consuming. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to use historical information about the course of aspirin desensitization to enhance the efficiency of the desensitization protocol. METHODS Four hundred twenty subjects with suspected ...

The study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Nursing care on patients with pressure urticaria. Delayed Pressure Urticaria is considered a rare disease,with clinical diagnosis different from classical urticaria, with possible systemic manifestations. Therefore, it is frequently underdiagnosed, even by specialists. In this article, the case of a patient with a typical history of press...

STUDY OBJECTIVE To compare asthma-related health care expenditures among patients newly prescribed fluticasone propionate 44 or 110 microg, montelukast 5 or 10 mg, or zafirlukast 20 mg. DESIGN Retrospective cohort analysis of medical and pharmacy claims. SETTING University-affiliated health outcomes research center. PATIENTS Seven hundred eighty-one patients (aged > or = 4 yrs) with asthm...

Mast cells, mastocytoma cells and basophil leukaemia cells are well-established producers of leukotrienes when grown and stimulated appropriately. I report that the cells' ability to produce leukotrienes is dependent on the cells' proliferative status or their provision with growth factors. Proliferating MC/9 and subconfluent RBL2H3 cells respond maximally to stimulation by 1 microM ionomycin w...

Cysteinyl-leukotrienes, i.e. leukotriene (LT) C4, D4 and E4, are inflammatory mediators and potent airway- and vasoconstrictors. Two different cysteinyl-leukotriene receptors have been cloned, CysLT1 and CysLT2. This report reviews recent data on CysLT receptor characterisation as well as studies of modulatory mechanisms involved in cysteinyl-leukotriene-induced responses. On the basis of funct...

Therapeutic doses of glucocorticoids are thought to inhibit prostaglandin and leukotriene formation in humans. Several studies in animals, however, have failed to demonstrate modulation of eicosanoid biosynthesis by steroids in vivo. We administered prednisone (60 mg/day) to eight healthy volunteers and measured eicosanoid formation by a variety of cell types in vivo and ex vivo, using sensitiv...