Pulsed electric field (PEF) processing uses short, high-voltage electrical pulses and a specially designed treatment chamber to permeabilize cellular membranes. There are at least two distinct applications of PEF to algal growth and processing – extraction of intracellular material and microalgae predator population control. PEF processing has the potential to provide lower costs and higher pro...

BACKGROUND In a country such as India that covers several latitudes, climatic zones, ethnic groups, and dietary habits lung function within the normal population would be expected to vary. Several studies have looked at normal values of peak expiratory flow (PEF) in different regions of urban India but none has looked at rural South India. A study of PEF has now been carried out in a rural popu...

BACKGROUND Current guidelines for the correct peak expiratory flow (PEF) maneuver include standing. In the hospital setting, PEF values are often ordered to assess response to asthma therapy for exacerbations. We have observed that the PEF is sometimes performed with the patient in bed. METHODS Healthy adults performed the PEF maneuver in random order, standing, lying back at an ~45° angle on...

BACKGROUND Assessing bronchial hyper-responsiveness (BHR) is a main diagnostic criterion of asthma. Provocation testing is not readily available in general practice, but peak expiratory flow (PEF) is. Several guidelines promote the use of PEF variability as a diagnostic tool for BHR. This study tested the agreement between histamine challenge testing and PEF variability, and the consequences fo...

In this issue of Thorax Kamps et al point out that current guidelines for the management of asthma in children frequently advocate the use of home monitoring of lung function. This is supposed to provide an objective measurement of the status of the child’s asthma that can be used to guide therapy. This situation has come about partly as a “trickle down” from guidelines for managing asthma in a...

introduction: ramadan is the 9th  islamic lunar month during which muslims avoid eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset.  the effect of ramadan intermittent fasting on asthma control is controversial.  the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ramadan fasting on the spirometric variables and clinical symptoms on well-controlled asthmatic patients during ramadan. material and m...

Pulsed electric field (PEF) is an innovative non-thermal technology which could be used as an alternative to the traditional thermal process to inactivate the microorganisms and enzymes in liquid foods such as milk. Compared to thermal processing, the PEF process is considered more energy efficient as the microbial or enzymatic inactivation is achieved at ambient or mild temperatures by the app...

The value of home monitoring of peak expiratory flow (PEF) as part of an action plan for asthma management in children and young adults is uncertain. We sought to determine whether home recording of PEF benefited asthma management and whether any contribution was affected by the severity of the asthma. Twenty-eight children and young adults with asthma of different severity (mean age 14 yrs; 95...

still controversial points. However, there were some topics that should have some coincidences, such as the optimal peak expiratory flow (PEF) used when deciding a patient's discharge from the emergency room (ER). It was amazing to realize that the percent predicted PEF value recommended to decide discharge from the ER varied from 50 to 75% (Argentinean 60%, British 75%, Canadian 50%, American ...

BACKGROUND Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB), which describes acute airway narrowing that occurs as a result of exercise, is associated with eosinophilic airway inflammation, bronchial hyperresponsiveness. The forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) is the most commonly used spirometric test in the diagnosis of EIB in exercise challenge in asthma. Other parameters such as forced ...