The effects of long-term use and of cleaning on the output of 30 specimens of DeVilbiss 646 nebulizers were investigated in order to assess their influence on outcome and interpretation of inhalation provocation tests. Output was assessed in a standardized manner based on weight loss on four occasions one year apart. Output was highly reproducible (intraclass correlation greater than or equal t...

BACKGROUND Inflammatory and structural changes of the airway mucosa are chronic features of asthma. The mechanisms underlying these changes and their modulation by steroid prophylaxis have not been clarified. OBJECTIVE We postulated that asymptomatic ongoing allergen exposure could drive airway inflammation as well as changes in the extracellular matrix (ECM), and that inhaled steroids could ...

A 34-year-old chemical manufacturing worker had new onset of work-related asthma after several years of exposure to the fungicide, captafol. On specific bronchial challenge testing, he demonstrated a marked and persistent fall in FEV1. Cessation of exposure resulted in improved symptoms and pulmonary function. The delay in symptoms after several years of workplace exposure and the dual reaction...

The prevalence of asthma and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) tends to decrease in male children but increase in female children in the transition from childhood to adolescence. Hormonal factors may be involved in the natural history of asthma during this period. In a prospective study of Montreal school children, the authors examined the determinants of BHR according to the child's pubertal...

BACKGROUND Serum chitinase-like proteins such as YKL-40 in asthmatic patients are known to positively correlate with disease severity but controversy remains regarding their role. The allergen bronchial provocation test (ABPT) can induce allergic airway inflammation in individuals with atopic asthma. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the induction and kinetics of YKL-40 during allergen-induced airway inf...

OBJECTIVES 22 workers, exposed to potassium aluminium tetrafluoride used as flux for soldering aluminium, were studied as clinical outpatients for symptoms of irritation of the nose, eye, skin, and airways. METHODS 16 volunteered for spirometry with methacholine provocation test including a test for small airways function by volume of trapped gas (VTG). RESULTS Median (range) latency time b...

BACKGROUND Wheezing occurs in both atopic and non-atopic children. The characteristics of atopic and non-atopic wheeze in children at 10 years of age were assessed and attempts made to identify whether different mechanisms underlie these states. METHODS Children were seen at birth and at 1, 2, 4 and 10 years of age in a whole population birth cohort study (n = 1456; 1373 seen at 10 years). In...