The discovery of a horizontal gene transfer (HGT) revolutionized the evolutionary biology. Suddenly, a long developed concept of a phylogenetic tree, where all organisms share a common ancestor, could not describe the outcome of gene transfer between perceived unrelated organisms [1]. Consequently, a new concept – net of life – is emerging [1]. In the “net of life”, each organisms is a combinat...

BACKGROUND Although leukotriene receptor antagonists have an established role in the management of patients with chronic asthma, their efficacy in an acute asthma exacerbation is not fully known. METHODS 87 adults with acute asthma requiring hospitalisation were randomly assigned to receive either montelukast 10 mg or placebo on admission and every evening thereafter for 4 weeks (when they we...

Mango nectar is a commercially familiar and preferred product. The traditional processing of mango nectar has been by thermal processing which resulted in the alteration of the flavour of the product due to the effect of high temperature. The thermal processing of the nectar also resulted in the production of byproducts of non-enzymatic browning such as 5hydroxy methyl furfural (HMF). These pro...

BACKGROUND A study was carried out to determine whether subjects with respiratory symptoms are more likely to have impaired lung function or increased airway lability, and to quantify these relationships in a population of adults. METHODS Data were collected from 511 participants (aged 20-70 years) from the Dutch part of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS). The symptoms a...

This study aimed to compare strategies for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) case finding using data from the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease study. Population-based samples of adults aged ≥40 yrs (n = 9,390) from 14 countries completed a questionnaire and spirometry. We compared the screening efficiency of differently staged algorithms that used questionnaire data and/or peak exp...

[Purpose] The objective of this study was to determine the effect of thoracic joint mobilization and self-stretching exercise on the pulmonary functions of patients with chronic neck pain. [Subjects] The present study was performed with 34 patients with chronic neck pain featuring thoracic kyphosis; we divided them into a thoracic joint mobilization group (TJMG, n = 11), self-stretching exercis...

The effect of some pulsed electric field (PEF) processing parameters (electric field strength, pulse frequency and treatment time), on a mixture of microorganisms (Kloeckera apiculata, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus hilgardii and Gluconobacter oxydans) typically present in grape juice and wine were evaluated. An experimental design based on response surface met...

AIMS To study the role of treatment compliance and parents' smoking on asthma control in children with recently diagnosed mild or moderate persistent asthma who were prescribed inhaled anti-inflammatory treatment. METHODS Prospective cohort study of 167 children aged 6-12 years (64% boys). Patients were examined at inclusion and followed up for three years with a visit every four months. Peak...

Pulsed electric field (PEF) technology has been used for the inactivation of microorganisms and to prevent flavor loss in liquid foods and beverages in place of thermal pasteurization. When used to pasteurize orange juice, PEF may prevent loss of volatile sensory attributes. Enterohemorrhagic E. coli O157:H7 (EHEC), two strains of Salmonella Typhimurium, and twenty strains of non-pathogenic bac...

BACKGROUND Variability in peak expiratory flow (PEF) has been proposed as a simple method of screening for asthma in epidemiological studies. This study was designed to assess whether the bronchial response to exercise and the diurnal variation in PEF identified the same subjects. METHODS Bronchial response to a free running exercise test was assessed in a cohort of 918 seven year old childre...