Corticosteroid administration reduces the concentration of hyaluronan in bronchoalveolar lavage in a murine model of eosinophilic airway inflammation.

Objective: To analyze the effect of corticosteroid administration on the concentration of hyaluronan (HA) in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in a murine model of eosinophilic airway inflammation and to study the mechanisms involved.

Materials And Methods: Untreated-mice or mice treated with 1 μg/g/day betamethasone (Bm) or 0.25 μg/g/day(-1) budesonide (Bd) were sensitized and challenged with Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dp) or saline (control group).

Reliability of a 25-item low-stakes multiple-choice assessment of bronchoscopic knowledge.

Background: A need for improved patient safety, quality of care, and accountability has prompted the development of competency-based educational processes. Assessment tools related to bronchoscopy training, however, have not yet been developed or validated.

Purposes: To determine whether 25 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) extracted from the free, Web-based Essential Bronchoscopist (EB) learning guide qualify in their original form as a preliminary pool of questions for a low-stakes assessment of bronchoscopic knowledge.

[Normograms of spirometric values for the city of Buenos Aires].

There is a large variability between the different normograms of spirometric values, so that we designed our normogram for Buenos Aires and Gran Buenos Aires. We performed forced spirometry, under American Thoracic Society standardization, in 237 normal subjects (105 females) between 18 to 86 years old, and 144 to 194 cm. We measured Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), forced Expiratory Volume in one second (FEV1), and forced expiratory flow during the middle half of the Forced vital capacity (FEF25-75), in previously calibrated by the explosive decompressor spirometers.

Relationship between supramaximal flows and flow-limiting mechanisms.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between supramaximal flows (SF) and indices of airway mechanics. We studied 26 asymptomatic young subjects (13 smokers, mean +/- SD 15.9 +/- 6.