The future is now: our experience starting a remote clinical trial during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The World Health Organization declared the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 a pandemic on February 11, 2020. This organism causes COVID-19 disease and the rapid rise in cases and geographic spread strained healthcare systems. Clinical research trials were hindered by infection control measures discouraging physical contact and diversion of resources to meet emergent requirements.

Testing the feasibility of operationalizing a prospective, randomized trial with remote cardiac safety EKG monitoring during a pandemic.

Background: The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is highly contagious. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has in vitro activity against SARS-CoV-2. The FDA authorized emergency use of HCQ against COVID-19.

Asthma in the elderly: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the effect of montelukast.

Background: Little is known about asthma in the elderly as most studies of this condition have not included this patient group. It is unclear whether leukotriene antagonists benefit older asthmatics. We studied the effect of adding montelukast to the asthma treatment of elderly subjects.

Asthma in the elderly: the effect of choline supplementation.

Background: Asthma in the elderly is poorly understood as very few studies have included these patients. DNA methylation can affect the expression of asthma susceptibility genes. Methyl groups can be produced through a choline dependent pathway.

Asthma in the elderly: a study of the role of vitamin D.

Background: Asthma in the elderly is poorly understood and vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency are very common in older individuals. We studied the role of vitamin D in elderly asthmatics.

Methods: Asthmatics subjects, age 65 and older, were followed every 4 weeks for 12 weeks in the late fall and winter.

The effect of multiple allergen immunotherapy on exhaled nitric oxide in adults with allergic rhinitis.

Background: There is a lack of objective measures of the clinical efficacy of allergen immunotherapy which relies on patients' perception about the effect of this treatment. We studied whether the fraction of exhaled nitric oxide is affected by multiple allergen immunotherapy in polysensitized adult subjects with allergic rhinitis. We also looked for associations between exhaled nitric oxide and subjects' demographics, symptom scores, and pulmonary function tests.

Asthma in the elderly: the role of exhaled nitric oxide measurements.

Asthma in the elderly is poorly understood because only a small minority of asthma studies have investigated this patients group. Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) has been extensively studied in children and adults with asthma, but little is known about FENO in elderly asthmatics. We studied the role of serial measurements of FENO in elderly subjects with asthma.

Modulation of Human Lung Mast Cell Function by the c-kit Receptor Ligand.

The gene product of the steel locus is a growth factor for mast cells and a ligand for the c-kit proto-oncogene receptor, a member of the tyrosine kinase receptor class of oncogenes. We studied the effect of recombinant human c-kit receptor ligand stem cell factor (rhSCF) on the release of preformed (histamine) and de novo synthesized mediators [prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) and peptide leukotriene C4 (LTC4)] from mast cells purified from human lung parenchyma (HLMC). rhSCF (0.

Effect of Recombinant Human c-kit Receptor Ligand on Mediator Release from Human Skin Mast Cells.

We studied the activity of recombinant human stem cell factor (rhSCF) on the release of mediators from human skin mast cells. High concentrations of rhSCF (1 ng/ml-1 μg/ml) induced a rapid and sustained rise in intracellular Ca2+ levels that was accompanied by release of histamine and prostaglandin D2 (PGD2). A brief incubation (10 min) with lower concentrations of rhSCF (0.