The evolution of prehospital treatment of decompensated congestive heart failure has in some ways come full circle: rather than emphasizing a battery of new pharmacotherapies, out-of-hospital providers have a renewed focus on aggressive use of nitrates, optimization of airway support, and rapid transport. The use of furosemide and morphine has become de-emphasized, and a flurry of research acti...

Rebound increase in bronchial responsiveness after treatment with inhaled terbutaline. Lancet 1988;1:554–8. 24 Bhagat R, Swystun VA, Cockcroft DW. Salbutamol-induced increased airways responsiveness to allergen and reduced protection versus methacholine: dose response. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1996;97:47–52. 25 Israel E, Drazen JM, Liggett SB, et al. The effect of polymorphisms of the b2 adrenerg...

BACKGROUND A study was undertaken to estimate the prevalence of untreated asthma in older adults. METHODS A cross sectional population based survey of 6000 men and women aged 65 years and over was performed in 21 general practices in north Bristol, south west England. The main outcome measure was untreated asthma as defined by a two stage process comprising a respiratory questionnaire (sympto...

Objective. To determine whether a program incorporating smoking intervention and use of an inhaled bronchodilator can slow the rate of decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV') in smokers aged 35 to 60 years who have mild obstructive pulmonary disease. Design. Randomized clinical trial. Participants randomized with equal probability to one of the following groups: (1) smoking inter...

Wheezing is a relatively common symptom or sign in patients with fibrocystic disease of the pancreas and the obstructive nature of their breathing is frequently obvious. Nevertheless, bronchodilator therapy is often not dramatic in its effect and its role has not been clearly defined despite the increasing use of aerosol therapy for the pulmonary aspects of this disease. The aerosol usually con...

BACKGROUND Small non-coding RNAs (microRNAs) have been evolved to master numerous cellular processes. Genetic variants within microRNA seed region might influence microRNA biogenesis and function. The study aimed at determining the role of microRNA-499 (MIR-499) gene family polymorphism as a marker for susceptibility and progression of bronchial asthma and to analyze the structural and function...

Bronchodilators are among the most commonly employed drugs in the intensive care unit. Inhaled bronchodilator therapy is preferred in modern practice because of many advantages over systemic therapy.1 In patients with airflow obstruction, inhaled bronchodilators improve wheezing2 and hemodynamics3 and reduce airway resistance and intrinsic positive end-expiratory pressure.4,5 Bronchodilators al...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) symptoms in the morning, including dyspnea and sputum production, affect patients' quality of life and limit their ability to carry out even simple morning activities. It is now emerging that these symptoms are associated with increased risk of exacerbations and work absenteeism, suggesting that they have a more profound impact on patients than previ...

The present study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of International Asthma Guidelines in low-income asthmatic children in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Fifty children with moderate or severe asthma were evaluated. Patients were evaluated before and after a 1 yr follow-up period using a pre- and post-education design with patients acting as their own controls. Parents were interviewed...

The case is reported of a yoga practitioner who, during an exacerbation of asthma, developed a substantial increase in serum muscle enzymes. This was related to his yoga breathing exercises, which he used to enhance the delivery of aerosolised bronchodilators. As his condition improved and the use of these yoga manoeuvres diminished, the muscle enzyme levels fell to normal.