BACKGROUND Combination therapy with budesonide and formoterol reduces exacerbations of asthma, which are closely associated with human rhinovirus (RV) infections in both children and adults. These data suggest that budesonide and formoterol inhibit virus-induced inflammatory responses of airway epithelial cells. METHODS To test this hypothesis, bronchial epithelial (BE) cells were obtained fr...

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airways disease in which respiratory viral infections frequently trigger exacerbations. Current treatment of asthma with combinations of inhaled corticosteroids and long acting beta2 agonists improves asthma control and reduces exacerbations but what impact this might have on innate anti-viral immunity is unclear. We investigated the in vitro effects of asthma d...

BACKGROUND To compare the efficacy and safety of budesonide/formoterol (Symbicort) with formoterol (Oxis) in the treatment of patients with acute asthma who showed evidence of refractoriness to short-acting beta2-agonist therapy. METHODS In a 3 hour, randomized, double-blind study, a total of 115 patients with acute asthma (mean FEV1 40% of predicted normal) and a refractory response to salbu...

It is unknown whether formoterol and salmeterol, two long-acting beta(2)-adrenoreceptor agonists, have regulatory functions in the production of T-helper cell (Th) type 2- and Th1-related chemokines by monocytes and bronchial epithelial cells. In the present study, the effects of formoterol and salmeterol on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced expression of the Th2-related chemokine macrophage-der...

The persistent administration of β2‑adrenergic (β2AR) agonists has been demonstrated to increase the risk of severe asthma, partly due to the induction of tolerance to bronchoprotection via undefined mechanisms. The present study investigated the potential effect of the long‑acting β2‑adrenergic agonist, formoterol, on the expression of muscarinic M3 receptor (M3R) in rat airway smooth muscle c...

The onset of bronchoprotection as obtained by various beta2-agonists has not been examined in a comparitive study. In this study, the onset of bronchodilation and protection against exercise-induced bronchoconstriction in asthmatics after inhalation of the long-acting beta2-agonists formoterol and salmeterol and the short-acting beta2-agonist terbutaline were measured. Twenty-five subjects with...

The output and size distribution of aerosols from dry powder inhalers are dependent on the flow rate through the device. Therefore, in an in vivo study, we examined the flow-dependency of the effect of formoterol when delivered from a dry powder inhaler, the Aerolizer, in a flow range relevant to schoolchildren. In a preliminary study comprising 126 asthmatic children aged 3-10 yrs, the relatio...

To evaluate the functional status of neuronal α2-adrenoceptors (ARs) and β2-ARs on ACh release in horses with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), we examined the effects of the physiological agonists epinephrine (Epi) and norepinephrine (NE) and the β2-agonists RR- and RR/ SS-formoterol on ACh release from airway cholinergic nerves of horses with RAO. Because SS-formoterol, a distomer of the β2...

BACKGROUND Debate exists regarding which endpoints most sensitively reflect day-to-day variation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) symptoms and are most useful in clinical practice to predict COPD exacerbations. We hypothesized that short-acting β2-agonist (SABA) reliever use would predict short- and long-term exacerbation risk in COPD patients. METHODS We performed a retrospect...

The aim: to compare the efficacy and tolerability of leukotriene modifier inhaled corticosteroids in combination with long-acting β2-agonist formoterol steroid-naive patients asthma combined COPD neutrophilic inflammation. Materials methods. After obtaining written consent, 30 a number blood neutrophils >4000/μl were randomized (1:1): group I – received fixed budesonide/formoterol 160/4.5 μg...