BACKGROUND There is evidence that the bronchial microcirculation has the potential to contribute to the pathophysiological mechanisms of exercise induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) in asthmatic subjects. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is highly expressed in asthmatic airways, increases vascular permeability. The relationship between VEGF levels in induced sputum and the severit...

The bronchodilator activity in nebulised salbutamol, ipratropium bromide, clemastine, and a placebo was studied in 14 asthmatic children aged between 3 and 5 years. Changes in lung function were monitored by measuring peak expiratory flow rate and total respiratory resistance using a modification of the forced oscillation technique. Ipratropium bromide produced a degree of bronchodilation simil...

Rationale: Convincing evidence of epithelial damage and aberrant repair exists in adult asthmatic airways even in the absence of inflammation. However, comparable studies in children have been limited by access and availability of clinical samples. Objectives: To determine whether bronchial epithelial cells from asthmatic children are inherently distinct from those obtained from non-asthmatic c...

OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship between asthmatic pregnancies and selected maternal and neonatal outcomes in a representative cohort. METHODS A retrospective cohort study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital during the year 2004. A random selection was made of 65 asthmatic and 63 non-asthmatic singleton births. The neonatal outcomes studied were birth weight, premature birt...

Kininogenase activity was detected by cleavage of radiolabeled substrate (125I-high molecular weight kininogen [HMWK]) in 22 of 24 bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid samples from 17 asthmatics who either responded to aerosolized allergen challenge or had symptoms of active asthma. In contrast, six of seven normal controls lacked enzymatic activity. Levels of free immunoreactive kinin found in B...

We describe a patient with McArdle disease who developed rhabdomyolysis triggered by a bronchial asthmatic attack. A 64-year-old man had chronic pulmonary emphysema with asthma, and an asthmatic attack led to severe rhabdomyolysis that required continuous hemodiafiltration. After 2 years, a physical examination revealed atrophy of the extremities compared with previous examinations, especially ...