Nitric oxide is endogenously released in the airways by nitric oxide synthase. Functionally, two isoforms of this enzyme exist: constitutive and inducible. The former seems to protect airways from excessive bronchoconstriction while the latter has a modulatory role in inflammatory disorders of the airways such as asthma. This review explores the physiological and pathophysiological role of endo...

Highly intense and chronic physical activity may cause an inflammatory process in the airways. The respiratory system can be measured either by spirometry test exhaled nitric oxide. aim of this study was to assess effect different levels on fractional oxide (FeNO) parameters. Fifty healthy students (volunteers) who were participating classes (low level activity) attending sports training (high ...

Patients with clinically stable asthma may show ventilation-perfusion (V'A/Q') mismatch. Nitric oxide (NO), a potent endogenous vasodilator, is increased in exhaled air of asthmatics. Such an increased NO production may be detrimental for optimal V'A/Q' balance owing to the potential inhibition of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction. This study was undertaken to investigate the relationship betw...

OBJECTIVE To assess the difference in exhaled nitric oxide levels in atopic and nonatopic asthmatic patients treated with anti-inflammatory drugs, and to compare exhaled nitric oxide measurement with lung function tests. METHODS Cross-sectional study with 45 consecutively selected patients with moderate and severe persistent asthma, aged between 6 and 17 years, and treated with anti-inflammat...

Elevated levels of exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) and airway hyperresponsiveness are intermediate phenotypes of asthma. Using population-based data collected from a sample of twins, the present authors estimated the relative contribution of genes, family environment and nonshared environmental influences to variations in eNO and airway responsiveness (AR). In addition, the genetic and environmental...

BACKGROUND Exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) has been proposed as a noninvasive measure of airway inflammation. However, its value in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is still controversial. The authors aim to assess the difference in eNO levels between patients with OSA and controls by a meta-analysis. METHODS A systematic search was performed in the PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library,...

The concentration of nitric oxide (NO) is increased in the exhaled air of patients with inflammatory lung diseases, including asthma, possibly reflecting cytokine-mediated chronic airway inflammation. Endogenous NO is generated from L-arginine by the action of several types of NO synthase (NOS). NOS have structural similarities with cytochrome P450 reductases. Alcohol decreases exhaled NO in an...

Endogenous production of nitric oxide can be detected and monitored in exhaled air of men and animals. The main objective of this review was to discuss if nitric oxide in exhaled breath condensate is a useful tool when investigating respiratory dysfunctions in intensive care units. Specialized literature reveals an increasing interest in the use of exhaled breath condensate as a non-invasive me...

BACKGROUND Nitric oxide (NO) is present in the exhaled air of animals and humans. In isolated animal lungs the amount of exhaled NO is decreased during hypoxia. A study was undertaken to determine whether changes in arterial oxygen tension affect levels of exhaled NO in humans. METHODS Sixteen healthy subjects were randomised to inhale different gas mixtures of oxygen and nitrogen in a double...