Small airways dysfunction is associated with increased exacerbations in patients with asthma.

There is a poor understanding of why some patients with asthma experience recurrent exacerbations despite high levels of treatment. We compared measurements of peripheral ventilation heterogeneity and respiratory system mechanics in participants with asthma who were differentiated according to exacerbation history, to ascertain whether peripheral airway dysfunction was related to exacerbations. Three asthmatic groups: "stable" (no exacerbations for >12 mo, = 18), "exacerbation-prone" (≥1 exacerbation requiring systemic corticosteroids within the last 12 mo, but stable for ≥1-mo, = 9), and "treated-exacerbation" (exacerbation requiring systemic corticosteroids within the last 1 mo, = 12) were studied.

Effect of Panax Ginseng (G115) Capsules versus Placebo on Acute Exacerbations in Patients with Moderate to Very Severe COPD: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Purpose: Herbal medicines are commonly used by people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) but high quality randomized controlled trials are limited. This study evaluated the therapeutic value of ginseng capsules in reducing acute exacerbations and improving the quality of life in people with COPD.

Patients And Methods: This randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled trial assessed ginseng's effects on 200 patients with moderate to very severe COPD.

Understanding the mechanism of bronchial thermoplasty using airway volume assessed by computed tomography.

http://bit.ly/2WPHY6y.

Utility of a thin bronchoscope in facilitating bronchial thermoplasty.

Background: A significant correlation has been previously demonstrated between the quantum of radiofrequency treatment delivered at bronchial thermoplasty and the degree of improvement in an asthmatic patient's symptoms. The standard bronchoscope used for bronchial thermoplasty has an outer diameter of 4.8 mm at the distal tip.

Irritable bowel syndrome - An inflammatory disease involving mast cells.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is traditionally defined as a functional disorder - that is the presence of symptoms in the absence of demonstrable pathological abnormalities. In recent times, low grade inflammatory infiltrates in both the small and large bowel of some patients with IBS - often rich in mast cells, along with serological markers of low grade inflammation have focussed attention on IBS as an inflammatory disease. The observation that mast cells often lie in close association to enteric neurons, and in-vitro and in-vivo animal studies demonstrating that mast cell mediators may influence enteric motility provides a biologically plausible causal mechanism in IBS.

Acupuncture for persistent allergic rhinitis: a randomised, sham-controlled trial.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in persistent allergic rhinitis (PAR) DESIGN: Randomised, single-blind, sham-controlled trial conducted from May 2004 to February 2005.

Participants And Intervention: 80 patients with PAR (age, 16-70 years) were randomly assigned to receive real or sham acupuncture. After a 1-week baseline period, participants were treated twice weekly for 8 weeks and followed up for another 12 weeks.

Inhibition of release of inflammatory mediators in primary and cultured cells by a Chinese herbal medicine formula for allergic rhinitis.

Background: We demonstrated that a Chinese herbal formula, which we refer to as RCM-101, developed from a traditional Chinese medicine formula, reduced nasal and non-nasal symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR). The present study in primary and cultured cells was undertaken to investigate the effects of RCM-101 on the production/release of inflammatory mediators known to be involved in SAR.

Methods: Compound 48/80-induced histamine release was studied in rat peritoneal mast cells.

Revised nomenclature for allergy for global use: Report of the Nomenclature Review Committee of the World Allergy Organization, October 2003.

The nomenclature proposed in the October 2003 report of the Nomenclature Review Committee of the World Allergy Organization is an update of the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology Revised Nomenclature for Allergy Position Statement published in 2001. The nomenclature can be used independently of target organ or patient age group and is based on the mechanisms that initiate and mediate allergic reactions. It is assumed that as knowledge about basic causes and mechanisms improves, the nomenclature will need further review.

Food and nutrient intakes and asthma risk in young adults.

Background: Some aspects of diet are relatively newly recognized potential risk factors for asthma, but the evidence to date is conflicting.

Objective: The goal was to determine whether the food and nutrient intakes of adults with asthma differ from those of adults without asthma.

Design: This was a community-based, cross-sectional study of 1601 young adults ( +/- SD age: 34.

A qualitative study of action plans for asthma.

Objectives: To investigate the perspectives of patients with asthma on the use of an action plan and the implementation of this plan during an asthma attack that culminated in a visit to an emergency department.

Design: Qualitative study.

Setting: Tertiary teaching hospital, suburban hospital, and rural hospital.

A valid food frequency questionnaire for measuring dietary fish intake.

There is considerable interest in the potentially protective effects of high fish consumption on many chronic diseases. Many epidemiological studies use food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) to quantify usual dietary fish intake, so it is important to validate this assessment against objective markers. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between plasma percentage fatty acids and dietary fish intake as assessed by a FFQ.

Prevalence of food allergies in young adults and their relationship to asthma, nasal allergies, and eczema.

Background: The true prevalence of food allergy in adults is generally thought to be uncommon. It is unknown whether there are any relationships between food allergy and atopic diseases.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of probable immunoglobulin (Ig)E-mediated food allergy to peanut, shrimp, cow's milk, wheat, and egg as defined by a positive skin prick test result and relevant clinical history to the same food, and to explore the relationship with atopic diseases.