In Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), progressive weakness of the respiratory muscles leads to a restrictive ventilatory defect contributing to early morbidity and mortality. We have recently shown by a longitudinal assessment of vital capacity and sniff nasal inspiratory pressure (SNIP) in young DMD children that SNIP was an earlier marker of decline in respiratory muscle strength than vital c...

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to determine whether forced expiration is correlated with abdominal muscle thickness. [Subjects] Twenty-three healthy male volunteers participated in this study. [Methods] The peak expiratory flow (PEF) was obtained using a peak flow meter with subjects in the sitting position. The thicknesses of the right rectus abdominis, external oblique, internal obli...

PURPOSE To investigate the effects of physiologic and mechanical aging on peak flowmeters. MATERIALS AND METHODS Eight each of MiniWright (MW; Clement Clark; Harlow, UK), Personal-Best (PB; HealthScan Products; Cedar Grove, NJ), Vitalograph (V; Vitalograph Ltd; Buckingham, UK), and Breath-Taker (BT; Medical Development Australia; Melbourne, Australia) peak flowmeters were assessed for accurac...

Implantation of endobronchial stents for treatment of dynamic airway collapse represents a suitable therapeutic option to alleviate distressing symptoms. We report the case of a 43 year old patient suffering from progressive respiratory distress 2 weeks after insertion of a balloon-expandable radial noncompliant Palmaz stent in an unstable segment of the left main bronchus, with the aim of prev...

Outdoor fungi are important components of airborne particulate matter (PM). However, the associations between pulmonary function and outdoor fungi are less well known compared to other airborne PM constituents. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between outdoor fungi and pulmonary function in children. Morning peak expiratory flow (PEF) rates were measured daily in 3...

The relevance of increased methacholine airway responsiveness detected in children with no current or past symptoms of asthma is not known. We wished to determine whether the presence of airway hyperresponsiveness in asymptomatic children is also associated with abnormal variability of peak expiratory flow (PEF). In 12 asymptomatic children with methacholine hyperresponsiveness, we examined the...

Little is known about the linearity of portable peak flow meters, or about physical gas factors affecting peak expiratory flow (PEF) readings. We therefore tested five portable peak flow meters of three types in an altitude chamber (sea level to 5,500 m) and in a climate chamber at sea level (7-37 degrees C) to determine the influence of the physical conditions of the gas on the reading of the ...

During the winter of 1994, the association between daily changes in air pollution and in the respiratory health of children 7 to 12 yr of age were studied in Kuopio, Finland. Seventy-four children with asthmatic symptoms and 95 children with cough only, living either in urban or suburban areas, were followed for 3 mo. During the study period, the mean daily concentration of particulate air poll...

The asthma treatment and control might be associated with significant burden on family and community' thus exploring other therapeutic plans could be desirable. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of salt space on clinical findings and peak expiratory flow rate among children with asthma. In this randomized crossover trial, 34 patients aged 6-14 years old with mild to moderate a...

STUDY OBJECTIVE To determine if peak expiratory flow (PEF) is higher using incorrect technique versus correct technique with five marketed peak flowmeters. DESIGN Randomized, nonblinded study. SETTING University pulmonary medicine clinic. PATIENTS Twenty adults with clinically stable asthma. INTERVENTIONS After inhaling 2 puffs of albuterol via a valved aerosol holding chamber (Aerocham...