Publications by authors named "Philip Fireman"
Elevations of local leukotriene C4 levels during viral upper respiratory tract infections.
Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol
September 2003
Background: One potential mechanism by which respiratory viruses trigger illness and complications is via the local elaboration of inflammatory mediators.
Objective: To determine whether there is an increase in local leukotriene C4 (LTC4) levels during experimental infection with influenza A virus (FLU), rhinovirus (RV), or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Methods: Healthy adults were intranasally inoculated with a safety-tested strain of FLU (n = 29), RV (n = 16), or RSV (n = 21).
Asthma is best described as a chronic disease that involves inflammation of the pulmonary airways and bronchial hyperresponsiveness that results in the clinical expression of a lower airway obstruction that usually is reversible. Physiologically, bronchial hyperresponsiveness is documented by decreased bronchial airflow after bronchoprovocation with methacholine or histamine. Other triggers that provoke airway obstruction include cold air, exercise, viral upper respiratory infection, cigarette smoke, and respiratory allergens.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To determine the efficacy of a short course of an adrenocorticosteroid agent (prednisolone) given with amoxicillin as compared with that of amoxicillin alone for the treatment of chronic middle ear effusion (MEE). The efficacy of 2 weeks versus 4 weeks of amoxicillin with and without steroid was also assessed.
Methods: In a double-blind, randomized trial, children who were 1 to 9 years of age and had MEE of at least 2 months' duration were assigned to 1 of 4 treatment arms: 1) steroid + amoxicillin for 14 days, then amoxicillin for 14 more days; 2) steroid + amoxicillin for 14 days, then placebo for amoxicillin for 14 more days; 3) placebo (for steroid) + amoxicillin for 14 days, then amoxicillin for 14 more days; or 4) placebo (for steroid) + amoxicillin for 14 days, then placebo for amoxicillin for 14 more days.
Purpose: Adherence to peak expiratory flow rate monitoring by children with asthma was evaluated, and a behavioral strategy to enhance adherence to daily monitoring was tested.
Design And Methods: Forty-two 7- through 11-year-old children with persistent asthma were recruited into a 5-week randomized, controlled clinical trial. Adherence data were collected electronically by PeakLog and the self-report Asthma Diary.
Clinically important improvements in asthma-specific quality of life, but no difference in conventional clinical indexes in patients changed from conventional beclomethasone dipropionate to approximately half the dose of extrafine beclomethasone dipropionate.
Chest
June 2002
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to evaluate the impact of switching asthma patients from a conventional treatment (CFC-BDP) to a newer option (HFA-BDP) on their health-related quality of life over 12 months.
- In a trial with 473 participants across multiple countries, those on HFA-BDP experienced significant improvements in asthma-specific quality of life compared to those continuing with CFC-BDP, as measured by the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ).
- Despite the benefits in quality of life, there were no significant differences between the two treatment groups in terms of lung function, asthma symptoms, or the use of rescue medication, indicating that both treatments were similarly effective in clinical terms.
The most common illnesses in humans are the respiratory tract infections caused by viruses. When limited to the upper respiratory region, these infections often are designated as "a common cold." Viruses commonly associated with these upper respiratory infections (URI) include rhinoviruses (RVs), respiratory syncytial virus, influenza virus, parainfluenza virus, corona virus, and adenoviruses.
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