Background: Methacholine challenge test is used to identify airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). Total eosinophil counts in peripheral blood reflect asthmatic activity and are useful for early detection of exacerbations. Correlation between the two is poorly defined, particularly in asymptomatic subjects.
Objective: The aim is to define correlation between methacholine challenge test and peripheral blood eosinophilia.
Methods: All flight academy candidates evaluated in the Israeli Air Force Aero Medical Center between the years 2010 and 2011 were included. Candidates were referred to methacholine challenge test based on a personal history of asthma or wheezing in childhood, a first-degree relative with the diagnosis of asthma, or an abnormal spirometry. All methacholine tests were analyzed retrospectively.
Results: Asymptomatic subjects with a positive methacholine challenge test demonstrated significantly (p < .002) higher levels of absolute eosinophil count compared with the group with a negative methacholine test (0.46 ± 0.21 vs. 0.21 ± 0.01 K/μL). Total white blood cell and neutrophil counts were higher in the group with a positive methacholine test compared with the group with a negative methacholine test, but to a lesser extent (7.1 ± 0.25 vs. 6.6 ± 0.09 K/μL, p = .04 and 3.9 ± 0.24 vs. 3.5 ± 0.07 K/μL, p = .04, respectively). No association was demonstrated between eosinophil count and severity of AHR expressed by the methacholine concentration evoking a response.
Conclusion: There is a strong association between eosinophil count and AHR in asymptomatic subjects.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/02770903.2012.672613 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
PM exposure during pregnancy affects childhood asthma via placental epigenetic changes: Neuronal differentiation and proliferation and Notch signaling pathways.
Environ Pollut
December 2024
Department of Pediatrics, Childhood Asthma Atopy Center, Humidifier Disinfectant Health Center, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:
Particulate matter (PM) exposure during pregnancy increases the risk of developing asthma in children. However, the placental mechanisms have yet to be elucidated. This study aims to evaluate the mechanisms associated with PM exposure during pregnancy and asthma susceptibility via placental epigenetic dysregulation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMycophenolate Mofetil, an Inhibitor of Inosine Monophosphate Dehydrogenase, and Tofacitinib, a Janus Kinase Inhibitor, Attenuate Airway Inflammation and Hyperresponsiveness in a Mouse Model of Allergic Asthma.
Molecules
November 2024
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego Street 13, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland.
Treatment-resistant asthma remains an unresolved clinical problem and a challenge for current medical science. Consequently, there is a growing and urgent need to develop novel or alternative therapeutic options for the treatment of asthma. The research problem raised in this study was to assess and compare mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), an inhibitor of inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase, and tofacitinib (TFB), a Janus kinase inhibitor, for anti-asthmatic properties, and consequently to determine whether these agents may have potential as alternative options for treatment of allergic asthma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLong-term clinical follow-up of irritant-induced occupational asthma.
Occup Environ Med
December 2024
Occupational Medicine, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland.
Article Synopsis
- Occupational exposure to irritants leads to poor asthma control, but the long-term effects on irritant-induced occupational asthma (IIA) patients are not well understood.
- A study evaluated 28 IIA patients years after diagnosis, measuring lung function, bronchial responsiveness, inflammation, and exercise capacity, revealing that many still had poor asthma control despite normal lung function.
- While most participants showed a slight improvement in asthma control over time, reduced physical capacity was prevalent and linked to inadequate symptom management and heavy medication use.*
Evaluating serum periostin and YKL-40 as biomarkers for airway remodeling and hyperresponsiveness in pediatric asthma.
World Allergy Organ J
November 2024
Department of Pediatrics, Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
Background: Periostin and human chitinase-3-like protein 1 (YKL-40) have been suggested to be involved in the development of airway fibrosis and remodeling. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between serum periostin levels and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and between serum YKL-40 levels and AHR in children with asthma, comparing periostin as a marker for Th2 inflammation and atopy with YKL-40.
Methods: The study involved children aged 6-15 years, comprising 75 with asthma and 29 healthy controls.
Release of sputum neutrophil granules is associated with pulmonary function and disease severity in childhood asthma.
BMC Pulm Med
October 2024
Department of Pediatrics, Severance Hospital, Institute of Allergy, Brain Korea 21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-Ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Korea.
Background: Myeloperoxidase (MPO) and human neutrophil lipocalin or neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (HNL/NGAL) are stored in neutrophil granulocytes and secreted upon activation of the cells. They have been proposed to reflect the degree of inflammation in the airways. However, their role as potential markers of disease severity in childhood asthma remains unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!