Rapid effect of inhaled ciclesonide in asthma: a randomized, placebo-controlled study.

Background: Ciclesonide is a novel inhaled corticosteroid for the treatment of asthma, and it is important to measure the onset of effect of this therapy on airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), exhaled nitric oxide (NO), and levels of eosinophils in induced sputum.

Methods: In a randomized, double-blind, crossover study, 21 patients with mild asthma inhaled ciclesonide 320 microg (ex-actuator) qd, ciclesonide 640 microg (ex-actuator) bid, and placebo for 7 days. Exhaled NO and AHR to adenosine monophosphate (AMP), measured as the provocative concentration of AMP producing a 20% reduction in FEV1 (PC20FEV1), were assessed after inhalation on days 1, 3 and 7.

Optimized dialysis and protease inhibition of sputum dithiothreitol supernatants.

Rationale: Dithiothreitol (DTT) is commonly used to liquefy induced sputum samples before assessment of cytology, but causes reduction of disulfide bonds and denaturation of proteins.

Objectives: To process sputum supernatants containing DTT to enable quantification of cytokines and chemokines.

Methods: A standard solution of 22 pooled chemokines and cytokines was incubated with DTT at the concentrations used during sputum liquefaction and then dialyzed under 20 different denaturant and redox conditions.

The effects of a monoclonal antibody directed against tumor necrosis factor-alpha in asthma.

Rationale: Neutralization of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is an effective antiinflammatory therapy for several chronic inflammatory diseases.

Methods And Objectives: We undertook a double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group design study in 38 patients with moderate asthma treated with inhaled corticosteroids but symptomatic during a run-in phase. Infliximab (5 mg/kg) or placebo was administered by intravenous infusion at Weeks 0, 2, and 6.