Effects of pranlukast hydrate on airway hyperresponsiveness in non-asthmatic patients with Japanese cedar pollinosis.

Background: Recent studies have suggested that allergic rhinitis is closely related to bronchial asthma, reflecting the "one airway-one disease" hypothesis. It is unclear if the effects of pranlukast, a leukotriene-receptor antagonist, are consistent with this hypothesis.

Objective: The goal of the study was to determine if pranlukast has effects on the upper and lower airways through a comparison of the effects of fexofenadine and pranlukast on airway hyperresponsiveness in non-asthmatic patients with cedar pollinosis before the Japanese cedar pollen season and during the peak pollen season.

A case of vertebral artery dissection associated with morning blood pressure surge.

We report a case of a middle-aged man who suffered a cerebral infarction resulting from dissection of a vertebral artery associated with morning blood pressure surge. A 56-year-old man was transferred to our hospital with dizziness and vomiting in the early morning on a cold day in winter. He reported that he had been standing in front of the sink after bathing when he suddenly felt dizzy and fell down.