although current guidelines place single leukotriene receptor antagonists use as a therapeutic option in mild persistent asthma, there is still uncertainty about its place. in this study efficiency of montelukast monotherapy in children with moderate persistent asthma was evaluated. children (age 6 to 16) with persistent moderate asthma were treated prospectively with budesonide combined with m...

Asthma treatment guidelines were introduced in Japan in the 1990s, insisting as elsewhere, on the importance of anti-inflammatory therapy. The present study assessed whether use of anti-inflammatory medications was associated with a decrease in asthma mortality in Japan, the first country to use leukotriene receptor antagonists. A population-based ecological study was conducted, spanning the pe...

Cysteinyl leukotrienes, synthesized de novo from cell membrane phospholipids, are proinflammatory mediators that play an important role in the pathophysiology of asthma. These mediators are among the most potent of bronchoconstrictors and cause vasodilation, increased microvascular permeability, exudation of macromolecules and edema. The cysteinyl leukotrienes also have potent chemoattractant p...

In guinea pig airways, contractions induced by leukotriene D4 or antigen are thought to be mediated primarily by an action of the agonist or of released mast cell-derived mediators directly on the airway smooth muscle cell. An indirect contractile action mediated by endogenous tachykinins also has been described for both of these stimuli. The present study evaluated the contribution of endogeno...