Studies have indicated that females are more vulnerable to the deleterious effect of tobacco smoking than males. The current study aimed to investigate the associations between tobacco smoking and reported respiratory symptoms, self-rated health, and lung function by sex. In 1995-1997 65,225 subjects aged > or = 20 yrs (71% of invited) attended for screening within the Nord-Trøndelag Health Stu...

STUDY OBJECTIVES In a 2-year longitudinal study of boilermaker construction workers, we found a significant association between working at oil-fired, coal-fired, and gas-fired industries during the past year and reduced lung function. In the present study, we investigated whether chronic bronchitis, asthma, or baseline methacholine airway responsiveness can explain the heterogeneity in lung fun...

BACKGROUND While some studies suggest that poor fetal growth rate, as indicated by lower birth weight, is associated with poor respiratory function in childhood, findings among adults remain inconsistent. A study was undertaken to determine the association between early growth and adult respiratory function. METHODS A longitudinal birth cohort study was performed of 5390 men and women born fu...

OBJECTIVE Reduced lung function has been linked to poorer cognitive ability later in life. In the present study, the authors examined the converse: whether there was a prospective association between cognitive ability in early adulthood and lung function in middle age. METHODS Participants were 4256 male Vietnam-era US veterans. Cognitive ability was assessed by the Army General Technical Tes...

cromolyn sodium, a mast cell stabilizing agent, provides an immediate protective effect against the exercise-induced bronchoconstriction while being used before the exercise. however, cromolyn is ineffective in reversing asthmatic bronchospasm; it is used as a maintenance therapy and has a prophylactic role in chronic asthma.    the purpose of this study was to determine the extent of change in...

Commentary on: Poor airway function in early infancy and lung function by age 22 years: a non-selective longitudinal cohort study. Stern and co-authors, in this issue of the Lancet

BACKGROUND In order to study the impact on the lung function of patients with cystic fibrosis of the avidity of antipseudomonal antibodies, the avidity of antibodies against the chromosomal beta-lactamase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (a beta ab) and against the 60-65 kDa heat shock protein of P aeruginosa (anti-GroEL) were measured in serum samples collected longitudinally during chronic infection...

The prevalence of byssinosis in a sample of cotton ginnery workers in Greece was investigated. The respiratory symptoms, F.E.V.1.0, and V.C. of 70 male ginnery workers were recorded. No case of clinical byssinosis was found, but a statistically significant relationship exists between years of exposure to cotton dust and impairment of lung function. On the contrary no significant relationship ex...