[Criteria for determining the degree of handicap in bronchial asthma in childhood].

Patients history, clinical findings, pulmonary function and necessary therapy are combined for a diagram, which should easily allow to grade childhood asthma for general practitioners, pediatricians and consultants of the health insurance. The grading system is based on the cited literature, dealing in part with the matter, and on the international consensus report on asthma.

Ease-of-use study of pirbuterol acetate in the Autohaler actuator in three countries: the United States, Germany, and France.

The preferred form of acute bronchodilator therapy is to administer aerosolized beta-agonist by a metered-dose inhaler. Many patients cannot use this device efficiently, the major problem being coordination of dose release with inspiration. A new breath-actuated inhaler (the Autohaler actuator) has been developed to overcome this problem.

[Prevention of recurrent infection of the upper and lower airways. Multicenter, open study over three months].

In a multicenter open study involving 620 patients suffering from recurrent infections of the upper and lower respiratory tract aged between 12 and 89 years, the tolerability of an oral bacterial lysate was investigated. On the basis of the nature and frequency (1.9%) of adverse effects, and an analysis of the laboratory investigations over an observation period of three months, overall tolerability was adjudged to be excellent.

Protection against histamine-induced bronchoconstriction by loratadine.

In a simple blind pilot study we have examined the protective effect of loratadine, a new H1 histamine receptor antagonist, against bronchoconstriction induced by histamine inhalation. Six patients with an episodic or continuing obstructive bronchial disease and proven bronchial hyperreactivity were submitted to two identical histamine challenges, first without premedication and then after three days' treatment with 10 mg loratadine daily. The mean FEV1 fall in the first test after histamine inhalation was 33% and in the second test after pretreatment with loratadine only 3.

Immunology and allergy--the twins.

The sciences of immunology and allergology have common roots and could be considered as twins. Historical highlights in discoveries of allergic and immunologic phenomena are mentioned and the IgE-mediated allergic reaction is described as a form of immunologic processes. The knowledge in basic and clinical immunology as well as in experimental and applied allergology has grown enormously in the last two decades and the possibilities of making the best of the immense amount of new information are discussed (basic and post-graduate training, journals on immunology and allergology, attendance at congresses).