Although basic mechanisms of bronchial hyper-responsiveness (BHR) are still incompletely understood, inflammation of airways is likely to play a fundamental role in modulating BHR in patients with asthma. The involvement of several inflammatory cells (eosinophils, mast cells, lymphocytes, neutrophils, macrophages and platelets) and of bioactive mediators secreted by these cells in the pathogene...

Disodium cromoglycate (I; DSCG) was introduced in 1968 for the treatment of bronchial asthma. Evidence concerning its principal effects and possible mode of action has been described at some length in the recent literature (Cox, 1971 ; Cox & Altoanyan, 1970). Crystals of the compound exhibit a remarkable reversible water absorption (Cox, Woodard & McCrone, 1971), the number of water molecules p...

Nocturnal asthma is potentially dangerous' 2 and may be difficult to treat. Slow release oral preparations of methylxanthines3 or high dose aerosol treatment with /2 stimulants4 have been advocated. In our experience, however, both of these groups of drugs may be quite ineffective in some patients and many patients cannot tolerate methylxanthines in effective doses. The dose of sympathomimetic ...