BACKGROUND The Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) has defined chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as a post-bronchodilator ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 second to forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) of <0.7. In the first general population based study to apply post-bronchodilator values, the prevalence and predictors of GOLD defined COPD were assessed and the i...

Objectives: Arformoterol is the (R, R) enantiomer of formoterol, a short and long acting β-2 agonist bronchodilator and is distinguishable from the racemic (R, R/S,S) diasteriomer of formoterol, which is most commonly used. Some in vitro data show significant bronchodilatation, inhibition of inflammation and marked baseline airway reversibility with arformoterol. Yet, there is a dearth of study...

BACKGROUND In children with asthma little is known about the direct effect of the bronchoconstrictor and bronchodilator response on the cough threshold, or the relationship between bronchial responsiveness and the cough threshold. A study was undertaken to determine the effect of histamine-induced bronchoconstriction and salbutamol-induced bronchodilatation on the cough threshold in response to...

The dose-response relationships of the anticholinergic bronchodilator drug ipratropium bromide were studied. Cumulative doses totalling 288 micrograms ipratropium were given by inhalation of a liquid aerosol from a Wright nebuliser to each of 10 patients with stable, moderately severe airflow obstruction. Up to 80% of the maximum achievable bronchodilator response, as assessed by a rise in the ...

TO THE EDITOR: Lincoln Ford (1) has added two more excuses for airway smooth muscle action. The alarm system makes sense, and the postulate of salvation by peristalsis is intriguing. As for the last sentence in his remarks, I offer a further possible contribution of airway smooth muscle. Consider an obstructed bronchus. Its peripheral tree and its central extent to the next branch mouthward hav...

Bronchial reactivity to agonists such as histamine is seen in both chronic bronchitis and asthma, two conditions with different pathological changes in the airways. Salbutamol, when given acutely, reduces bronchial reactivity in patients with asthma, but the mechanism has not been clarified. To determine whether the effect of salbutamol depends on the pathological changes underlying the increas...

ABSTRACr Eight patients with exercise-induced asthma participated in a single-blind trial comparing the protective effects of inhaled lignocaine (estimated dose 48 mg), sodium cromoglycate (estimated dose 12 mg), and ipratropium bromide (estimated dose 120 ,g). Saline was used as control. Effects were assessed from the mean maximal percentage fall in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEVI...

STUDY OBJECTIVES Salmeterol (S) and montelukast (M) individually inhibit the obstructive consequences of thermal stimuli such as exercise and hyperventilation (HV), but there is no information on whether these drugs can interact positively. DESIGN Randomized trial. SETTING University teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS Atopic asthmatic patients with sensitivity to thermal provocations. INTE...

Discussion This study had investigated the dual role of parasympathetic efferent activity and plasma adrenaline in the pathogenesis ofnocturnal asthma. Parasympathetic blockade in this study caused a significant reversal ofthe nocturnal fall in peak flow rate as shown in our previous work.3 In the first arm of the study parasympathetic blockade reversed completely the nocturnal fall in peak flo...

OBJECTIVE Leukotrienes (LTs) are involved in airway eosinophilic inflammation in patients with asthma. We examined the effects of a cysteinyl LT 1-receptor antagonist, montelukast, on sputum eosinophil levels, and the correlation between sputum eosinophils and bronchodilatation in patients with asthma. DESIGN Double-blind, randomized, crossover study. SETTING University hospital and private...