Combination of low-dose budesonide and low-dose aminophylline may improve lung function in reduced adverse effects compared with high-dose monotherapy. Adult rabbits intratracheally received 4 ml/kg of saline or meconium (25 mg/ml). Meconium-injured rabbits were treated at 0.5 and 2.5 h after meconium instillation by intravenous aminophylline (1.0 mg/kg), by intratracheal budesonide (0.125 mg/k...

Pulmonary function tests are emerging as an essential tool in equine referral practice. Indications include intermittent cough, excess mucus, abnormal breathing pattern, presence of wheezes or crackles on auscultation, or exercise intolerance. Since non-infectious airway obstruction and inflammation are the most common problems encountered in the lower respiratory tract of horses, tests are lar...

Although Cryptococcus neoformans is recognized for its ability to cause meningoencephalitis and pneumonia among immunocompromised persons, subclinical pulmonary infection is also common among immunocompetent persons. The significance of this infection is unknown. Using a rat model, we explored the potential for pulmonary cryptococcosis to modify allergic responses and airway reactivity. Our fin...

BACKGROUND The effect of exposure to allergens not causing sensitisation in atopic asthmatic subjects has not previously been studied. A study was undertaken to assess the degree of asthma severity (measured by spirometry, airway reactivity and exhaled nitric oxide) in atopic asthmatic patients not sensitised to the domestic allergen to which they were exposed. METHODS Dust samples were colle...

Little is known about interstrain variations in baseline lung functions or smooth muscle contractility in murine lungs. We therefore examined basal lung mechanics and airway, as well as vascular reactivity to methacholine, thromboxane (using U-46619), and endothelin-1 (ET-1), A/J, AKR, BALB/c, C3H/HeN, C57BL/6, and SCID mice. All experiments were performed with isolated perfused mouse lungs. Ex...

BACKGROUND Little is known regarding mechanistic and phenotypic differences between cough variant asthma (CVA), presenting with a chronic cough as the sole symptom that responds to bronchodilators, and classic asthma with wheezing during methacholine inhalation. Here we reported airway sensitivity, airway reactivity, and as the main concern, the appearance of cough and wheezes during methacholi...

U-74006F, a non-glucocorticoid 21-aminosteroid, has been developed as an inhibitor of iron-dependent lipid peroxidation. This class of compounds has been shown to prevent antigen-induced eosinophil accumulation in the lungs. In this study, Ascaris-sensitive, "dual-respondent" sheep (showing both immediate (IAR) and late (LAR) asthmatic response) (n = 6) were used to assess the effect of U-74006...

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta has been implicated in immunosuppression. However, it remains obscure whether regulation of T cells by TGF-beta contributes to the immunosuppression in vivo. To address this issue, we developed transgenic mice expressing Smad7, an intracellular antagonist of TGF-beta/Smad signaling, selectively in mature T cells using a plasmid construct coding a promoter e...