We report the cases of three subjects who developed asthma after being exposed to formaldehyde dust or gas. For two subjects, specific bronchial provocation tests with formaldehyde gas did not cause significant bronchoconstriction, whereas exposure to formaldehyde resin dust did. One subject experienced asthmatic reaction after being exposed to formaldehyde resin dust and gas. These findings su...

This study aimed to determine the effects of different acute creatine loadings (ACRL) on repeated cycle sprints. Twenty-eight active subjects divided into the control (n=7) and the experimental (n=21) group. The exercise protocol comprised three 30s Anaerobic Wingate Tests (AWT) interspersed with six minutes recovery, without any supplements ingested and following placebo and creatine ingestion...

This report describes the case of a 26-year-old woman working in a fish-processing factory who developed bronchial asthma when transferred to the packing department. Various tests, including a specific bronchial challenge test, confirmed a diagnosis of occupational asthma. While polyvinyl chloride (PVC) appeared to be the causal agent in this case, the possible role of other etiological agents ...

A new inhalation synchronised dosimeter triggered by low inspiratory flow rates has been assessed. The methacholine challenge test using dosimeter nebulisation with controlled tidal breathing was compared with continuous nebulisation using De Vilbiss No 40 nebulisers with deep inhalations in 11 asthmatic subjects. Within subject PD20 FEV1 values were lower with the dosimeter method than with th...

BACKGROUND Within a study on respiratory symptoms in rural areas, we used the European Community Respiratory Health Survey methacholine challenge protocol. For quicker and more reliable handling, we had to change the nebulizer in the bronchial challenge system from Mefar model MB3 (Bovezzo, Italy) to Jaeger APS Sidestream (similar to Mefar; Würzburg, Germany). Therefore, we compared the physica...

Pneumonitis due to hypersensitivity to wood fiber is mainly associated with the fungus that colonizes it. We present the case of a male affected with hypersensitivity pneumonitis in which the agent implicated was medium-density fiberboard, an engineered product whose main component is pine wood fiber. The causal agent was identified by means of a specific bronchial provocation test.

BACKGROUND Ipe is a resistant hardwood that contains naphtoquinones. It is easily found and frequently used in South and Central America. Naphtoquinones are skin sensitizers. OBJECTIVE To describe a case of occupational asthma related to Ipe wood dust. METHODS The patient was submitted to a clinical evaluation consisting of a respiratory symptom questionnaire, occupational history, serial m...

The value of determining the slope of the histamine dose-response curve, in addition to the histamine provocation concentration producing a 20% reduction in FEV1 (PC20-FEV1), was assessed by analysis of histamine dose-response curves in 40 patients selected as having a wide range of increased non-specific bronchial responsiveness to inhaled histamine. The histamine dose-response curves were fou...

Exposure to indoor allergens is associated with asthma, but there is no standardized sampling method for measuring allergens. We compared the association of measured allergen exposure and serum-specific IgE levels and the precision of three sampling methods (Cyclone, Mighty Mite, and Readivac II) to identify a standardized sampling method for indoor allergens. A random sample of 72 children, 5 ...

A 48 year old male farmer had recurrent episodes of dyspnoea, shortness of breath, and wheezing after being in his plastic greenhouse when the fungicide tetrachloroisophthalonitrile had been sprayed. A bronchial provocation test with a control challenge and a patch skin test confirmed that his asthma was induced by tetrachloroisophthalonitrile.