Inhaled albuterol/salbutamol and ipratropium bromide and their combination in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Importance Of The Field: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Combination therapy with albuterol and ipratropium bromide was approved > 15 years ago for the treatment of COPD. We review the mechanism of action, clinical efficacy, and safety of albuterol, ipratropium and combined albuterol-ipratropium therapy.

Neuroimmune interaction in inflammatory diseases.

The inflammatory response is modulated through interactions among the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems. Intercommunication between immune cells and the autonomic nervous system is a growing area of interest. Spatial and temporal information about inflammatory processes is relayed to the central nervous system (CNS) where neuroimmune modulation serves to control the extent and intensity of the inflammation.