Eosinophil infiltration of the mucosa is a feature of asthmatic airways. Their adhesion to bronchial epithelial cells has been proposed to lead to the generation of inflammation mediators which may contribute to asthma pathology. Bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B cell line) and peripheral blood eosinophils were cultured alone or in combination and the production of an inflammatory cytokine, IL-6, was measured. IL-6 was produced principally by epithelial cells and the production was enhanced more than 10-fold in the presence of eosinophils. Significant augmentation of epithelial IL-6 production persisted even when eosinophils were fixed with paraformaldehyde. The eosinophil-induced IL-6 production was extensively inhibited by inhibitors of p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase or nuclear factor ??B (NF??B). (more…)
Exacerbations of asthma are frequently associated with rhinoviral infection. Rhinoviruses infect respiratory epithelial cells, ...
Toll-like receptors (TLRs) act as receptors for numerous stimuli of immune cells, including bacterial cell wall constituents (l ...
Airway hyper-responsiveness in asthma may involve smooth muscle growth, a manifestation of airway remodelling. The involvement ...
Contact of pathogens with the innate immune system will most frequently occur at epithelia, and the biology of the airway epitheliu ...
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), originally described as a vascular permeability factor generating tissue oedema, has be ...
The prevalence of aspirin-sensitive asthma is uncertain although it may exist in up to 20% of all asthmatics patients. The characteristic features include profound bronchoconstriction asthma following aspirin ingestion, rhinosinusitis, nasal polyps, and abdominal cramps. Aspirin and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs selectively inhibit COX-1, which in turn shunts arachidonic acid down the 5-lipoxygenase activating protein pathway, causing overproduction of cysteinyl leukotrienes. As a consequence, elevated levels of cysteinyl leukotrienes can be found in bronchial asthma and nasal aspirates, and in urine following aspirin challenge. (more…)
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) as one of the popular pain reliever is among regular aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil a ...
Leukotrienes can be found in the airway and urine following both spontaneous exacerbations of asthma and acute exposure to bron ...
Despite optimum drug delivery and good compliance with inhaled corticosteroids, many patients experience symptoms and exacerbat ...
The cross-sensitivity between aspirin and Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs in patients who manifest pseudo-allergic reacti ...
Current internationally recognized guidelines indicate that symptomatic asthmatics using a low to medium inhaled corticosteroid ...
A role for Leukotriene B4 in the induction of airway hyper-responsiveness was explored through the use of transgenic mice deficient in the BLT1 receptor for LTB4 . Ovalbumin challenge of sensitized wild-type mice resulted in the usual features of experimental asthma, including goblet cell hyperplasia, hyper-responsiveness to inhaled methacholine and elevated BAL fluid concentrations of the Th2 cytokine IL-13. In contrast, BLT1 –/– mice (i.e. genetically modified mice lacking the gene coding for the BLT1 receptor) exhibited significantly lower responses. BLT1 –/– mice also exhibited lower numbers of IL-13-positive T lymphocytes of both the helper (CD4 T Cells) and cytotoxic/suppressor (CD8 + ) types. (more…)
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), originally described as a vascular permeability factor generating tissue oedema, has be ...
Airway hyper-responsiveness in asthma may involve smooth muscle growth, a manifestation of airway remodelling. The involvement ...
IgE plays an important role in allergic asthma. Reducing IgE in the airway mucosa should reduce airway inflammation. Omalizumab has ...
Some features seem to be common to severe asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with reversibility of airflow limita ...
Antihistamines have been shown to be effective in seasonal allergic rhinitis and chronic idiopathic urticaria. They improve qua ...
Despite optimum drug delivery and good compliance with inhaled corticosteroids, many patients experience symptoms and exacerbations. Dose–response studies using inhaled corticosteroids have generally been unable to demonstrate any significant difference between individual doses of inhaled corticosteroids. For example, a metaanalysis evaluated eight studies (2324 asthmatics) where the effects of at least two doses of inhaled fluticasone were measured. (more…)
Current internationally recognized guidelines indicate that symptomatic asthmatics using a low to medium inhaled corticosteroid ...
Leukotrienes can be found in the airway and urine following both spontaneous exacerbations of asthma and acute exposure to bron ...
Treating allergic rhinitis may have a downstream effect on concomitant asthma and this may be due to attenuation of the underlying ...
The guidelines for asthma management recommend the use of regular inhaled corticosteroid in patients with mild persistent asthma, b ...
This study was similar to the study of Harrison and colleagues, which looked at doubling the dose of inhaled corticosteroid dur ...
Two main strategies have been developed to block the effects of cysteinyl leukotrienes in the airway. One method is to use drugs that prevent their synthesis (using a 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor) and the other involves interfering with the binding of cysteinyl leukotrienes to their cellular receptor using a leukotriene receptor antagonist (LTRA). (more…)
Leukotrienes can be found in the airway and urine following both spontaneous exacerbations of asthma and acute exposure to bron ...
Antihistamines have been shown to be effective in seasonal allergic rhinitis and chronic idiopathic urticaria. They improve qua ...
The cysteinyl leukotrienes (LTC 4 , LTD 4 and LTE 4 ) are lipid mediators produced from an arachidonic acid precursor following ...
A variety of proinflammatory cells, mediators, and cytokines orchestrate the development of airway hyperresponsiveness, which r ...
The prevalence of aspirin-sensitive asthma is uncertain although it may exist in up to 20% of all asthmatics patients. The char ...
A variety of proinflammatory cells, mediators, and cytokines orchestrate the development of airway hyperresponsiveness, which results in the episodic airflow obstruction characteristic of asthma. As a consequence, modulation of the underlying disease process with antii-nflammatory agents is firmly established as being the cornerstone of successful management. Inhaled corticosteroids are the most potent antiinflammatory agents available and satisfactorily suppress underlying airway inflammation in most individuals. (more…)
The cysteinyl leukotrienes (LTC 4 , LTD 4 and LTE 4 ) are lipid mediators produced from an arachidonic acid precursor following ...
Antihistamines have been shown to be effective in seasonal allergic rhinitis and chronic idiopathic urticaria. They improve qua ...
In the UK, Europe and the USA, montelukast is licensed for once-daily oral administration in adults and is also available as a ...
Leukotrienes can be found in the airway and urine following both spontaneous exacerbations of asthma and acute exposure to bron ...
Despite optimum drug delivery and good compliance with inhaled corticosteroids, many patients experience symptoms and exacerbat ...
With the exception of complement protein C3, most soluble mediators of innate immunity are found in relatively small amounts in the serum under normal conditions. The concentrations of several of these proteins, however, can increase as much as 1000-fold during serious infections or other crises, as part of a coordinated protective reaction called the acute-phase response. In this response, the liver temporarily increases its synthesis of more than 30 different serum proteins, often called acute-phase proteins (Table bellow). Many of these, such as complement factors C3 and B, MBL, LBP, C-reactive protein, and serum amyloid protein P, participate in antimicrobial defense. (more…)
Acute phase proteins are plasma proteins, the synthesis and the circulating concentrations of which are adaptively regulated in res ...
Most acute phase proteins are synthesized in the liver, although the genes for some are also expressed in cells and tissues els ...
There is considerable diversity among acute phase proteins with respect to the concentrations attained, their structures, and their ...
Acute phase proteins and the acute phase response in general arc stably conserved in evolution and are universal within each specie ...
An especially elaborate and important type of innate antimicrobial enzymes defense is provided by a group of serum proteins tha ...
The pharmacokinetics of pimecrolimus cream 1% and tacrolimus ointment 0.1% in adults with extensive, moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, including systemic absorption, has relevance to patient safety and drug efficacy. Past pharmacokinetic studies have demonstrated that most patients with atopic dermatitis treated with topical calcineurin inhibitors experience negligible systemic absorption, resulting in low or undetectable blood concentrations of the active compound, but have not compared these two agents directly. (more…)
Topical corticosteroids are the usual therapy for patients with atopic dermatitis, but prolonged use can result in skin atrophy ...
Topical corticosteroids are the usual therapy for patients with atopic dermatitis, but prolonged use can result in skin atrophy ...
Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory condition of the skin which usually starts in infancy. It is sometimes called ‘atop ...
Atopic Dermatitis is a chronic relapsing skin disease. Several investigations concerning the long-term prognosis of Atopic Derm ...
This study evaluated budesonide formoterol efficacy and safety of a novel asthma management strategy for both maintenance and s ...
Some features seem to be common to severe asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with reversibility of airflow limitation. The neutrophil chemoattractant leukotriene B 4 (LTB 4) may play a role in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and in some forms of asthma. In this study, 55 smokers with no disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (with or without bronchodilator reversibility of airflow limitation) or asthma underwent measurement of LTB 4 in sputum supernatants and exhaled breath condensate asthma (EBC). Both Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and asthma patients had higher levels of LTB 4 than control subjects; patients with asthma or reversible Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease exhibited significantly higher levels of LTB 4 than those with irreversible Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. (more…)
Leukotrienes are present in increased amounts in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) in patients with asthma. So far, no data have ...
The cysteinyl leukotrienes (LTC 4 , LTD 4 and LTE 4 ) are lipid mediators produced from an arachidonic acid precursor following ...
A role for Leukotriene B4 in the induction of airway hyper-responsiveness was explored through the use of transgenic mice defic ...
Adjusting the inhaled glucocorticoid dose based on indices of airway inflammation has been proposed as a means of achieving more ef ...
With the help of well-trained and experienced pulmonary function technicians, children as young as 4 to 5 years of age should b ...
Acute phase proteins are plasma proteins, the synthesis and the circulating concentrations of which are adaptively regulated in response to most forms of acute inflammation, infection and tissue injury. The name arises from the fact that the first such protein, C-reactive protein (CRP), was originally discovered in serum sickness of patients in the acute phase of pneumococcal pneumonia. (more…)
There is considerable diversity among acute phase proteins with respect to the concentrations attained, their structures, and their ...
Acute phase proteins and the acute phase response in general arc stably conserved in evolution and are universal within each specie ...
Most acute phase proteins are synthesized in the liver, although the genes for some are also expressed in cells and tissues els ...
With the exception of complement protein C3, most soluble mediators of innate immunity are found in relatively small amounts in ...
Some of the immediate sequelae of injury are uncomfortably familiar: Soon after an injury occurs, the affected site and its sur ...