The environmental disaster following flooding by red sludge in the Ajka region in Hungary poses a seriouspublic health threat with particular concern regarding the potentially adverse respiratory effects of theinhalation of red sludge dust (RSD). The respiratory consequences of the inhalation of RSD obtained fromfield samples were investigated in rats. Rats were either exposed to RS...

INTRODUCTION Bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) is a factor in predicting bronchial asthma independently of inflammation markers. OBJECTIVE The aims were to determine the frequency and important predictive facts of BHR and the effect of prophylaxis by Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) and National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) on BHR in asthmatic children. METHODS BHR i...

Intermittent airflow limitation, bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR), airway inflammation and remodelling are key pathophysiological components of bronchial asthma [1]. BHR, an abnormal increase in airflow limitation following exposure to a stimulus, is present in almost all patients with clinically current asthma. Furthermore, patients with more severe asthma have more responsive airways than ...

3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins), are effective serum cholesterol-lowering agents which also have anti-inflammatory properties. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of atorvastatin on bronchial hyperresponsiveness. Adult patients (age 14 to 65 years) with bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) diagnosis based on the spirometry with methacholine challe...

BACKGROUND Endothelin is a potent bronchoconstrictor which appears to be important in asthma. To ascertain whether cigarette smoking is associated with any alteration in the proportion of bronchiolar epithelial cells which express endothelin immunoreactivity, the airways in the lungs of non-smokers and smokers were analysed. Since an increase in immunoreactivity has been found in the bronchial ...

BACKGROUND Specific bronchial reactivity to occupational agents may decline after exposure in the workplace ceases leading to falsely negative specific inhalation challenges. A study was carried out to assess prospectively whether increases in nonspecific bronchial hyperresponsiveness could be useful in detecting the bronchial response to occupational agents during specific inhalation challenge...

Airway inflammation is one of the pathophysiological characteristics of asthma, which is mediated through infiltration of inflammatory cells, including mast cells, and eosinophilic and neutrophilic granulocytes in the airway wall. This cell infiltration subsequently leads to bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) and, in the case of chronic inflammation, persistent changes of the airways, i.e. air...