Transient airways obstruction associated with reduction in the transfer factor (diffusing capacity) of the lungs is reported in a patient with a clinical syndrome in keeping with extrinsic allergic alveolitis after exposure to Ramin dust (Gonystylus bancanus). The alterations in pulmonary function were consistently demonstrated on testing the patient in his working environment and were reproduc...

Burkholderia mallei and Burkholderia pseudomallei are potentially lethal pathogens categorized as biothreat agents due, in part, to their ability to be disseminated via aerosol. There are no protective vaccines against these pathogens and treatment options are limited and cumbersome. Since disease severity is greatest when these agents are inhaled, efforts to develop pre- or post-exposure proph...

background: workers in wastewater treatment plants are exposed to a wide range of chemicals as well as biological contaminants. objective: to ascertain whether exposure to bio-aerosols under the normal working conditions in wastewater treatment plants is associated with any significant changes in the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and lung function capacities. methods: 198 employees of wast...

A 23-year-old spray painter developed contact dermatitis and respiratory difficulty characterized by small airways obstruction shortly after the polyfunctional aziridine cross-linker CX-100 began to be used in his workplace as a paint activator. The symptoms resolved after he was removed from the workplace and was treated with inhaled and topical steroids. Painters may have an increased risk of...

BACKGROUND Active smoking increases asthma severity and is related to diminished treatment efficacy. Animal models in which inhalation of both allergen and mainstream cigarette smoke are combined can help us to understand the complex interaction between both agents. We have recently shown that, in allergic mice, the airway inflammation can be cleared by repeated allergen challenge, resulting in...

Cerebral ischemic stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability and cognitive dysfunction. The high mortality and disability of cerebral ischemic stroke is urging the health providers, including anesthesiologists and other perioperative professioners, to seek effective protective strategies, which are extremely limited, especially for those perioperative patients. Intriguingly, seve...

BACKGROUND We introduce a new, simple portable inhalational induction device (PD) that provides co-operative inhalational induction of anaesthesia using N(2)O and subsequent sevoflurane in the preanaesthetic induction area in children. METHODS Forty-five children (30 to 94 months old age, <35 kg) who were scheduled to undergo simple operations were assigned randomly to one of three regimens. ...