T he Wright peak expiratory flow meter was introduced in 1959 and provided a portable piece of equipment for assessing some aspects of lung function in the ambulatory care setting. The original device has been supplanted by the mini Wright peak flow meter (and a range of other devices) which have become relatively cheap but are reasonably reliable for home monitoring. So, with an available devi...

It is still unknown whether peak expiratory flow (PEF) is determined by "wave speed" flow limitation in the airways. To investigate the influences of airway mechanical properties on PEF, five healthy adults performed maximal forced expiratory effort (MFEE) manoeuvres, in the standard manner and following breathholds at total lung capacity (TLC) of 2 s and 10 s. Oesophageal pressure (Poes) was m...

1. Arterial plasma histamine concentrations, forced expiratory volume in 1.0 s (FEV1.0) and peak expiratory flow rate were determined in nine patients with exercise-induced asthma and in five control subjects before and after 8 min of cycle-ergometer exercise. 2. In the controls neither FEV1.0 nor peak expiratory flow rate fell by more than 5% in any individual during the 30 min postexercise pe...

OBJECTIVE Evaluation of the efficacy of nebulized magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) alone and in combination with salbutamol in acute asthma. METHODS A double-blind randomized controlled study was conducted in Chest and Emergency Departments. Thirty patients of acute attack of bronchial asthma were randomized into three groups: MgSO4 nebulization (group A), salbutamol nebulization (group B), and thei...

The responses of right nostril breathing (RNB) and left nostril breathing (LNB) on cardio-respiratory and autonomic functions were investigated in healthy student volunteers of both sexes. The RNB and LNB groups comprised of 10 males and 10 females in each in age range of 17-22 years. Initially, in both groups control values of respiratory rate (RR), heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SB...

We conducted a study to measure the peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) in a group of normal Malay primary school children aged 7 to 12 years. PEFR was measured in 920 children (482 boys and 438 girls) while FVC and FEV1 were measured in 292 of them (168 boys and 124 girls). In agreement with previous studies, we found th...

Peak flow rate is used in young children to assess bronchodilator response and monitor asthma status at home. Frequently the best of only three peak flow manoeuvres is reported. The aim of this study was to assess if this was sufficient to give the maximum peak flow rate and to determine the reproducibility of the measurement. Thirty nine children aged between three and ten years were recruited...

A randomized, double-blind, crossover trial was designed to compare the acute effects of Combivent and salbutamol on spirometric parameters in patients with moderate to severe asthma. Nineteen patients with a mean baseline forced expiratory volume in 1 sec. (FEV]) less than 65% predicted, were randomized on two separate days to receive two puffs of salbutamol (200 µg) or two puffs of Combiv...

Raman measurements in the 1.5-20 cm(-1) energy range were performed on single crystals of Sr14-xCaxCu24O41. A quasielastic scattering peak (QEP) which softens with cooling is observed only in the polarization parallel to the ladder direction for samples with x=0, 8, and 12. The QEP is a Raman fingerprint of pinned collective density wave excitations screened by uncondensed carriers in the ladde...