The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · May 2008
Acute respiratory health effects of air pollution on children with asthma in US inner cities.
Children with asthma in inner-city communities may be particularly vulnerable to adverse effects of air pollution because of their airways disease and exposure to relatively high levels of motor vehicle emissions. ⋯ Among inner-city children with asthma, short-term increases in air pollutant concentrations below the National Ambient Air Quality Standards were associated with adverse respiratory health effects. The associations with NO2 suggest that motor vehicle emissions may be causing excess morbidity in this population.
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · May 2008
Review Historical ArticleClinical research: protection of the "vulnerable"?
In this age of evidence-based medicine, clinical research is critical for developing new therapeutics and determining the best way to use these therapies. To perform appropriate clinical research, researchers must adhere to ethical standards. These standards have developed in large part as a response to egregious violations of ethically appropriate behavior. ⋯ Current ethical guidelines prohibit or severely limit what types of research can be performed involving these "vulnerable" populations. Although this might protect these populations, the lack of research on them might actually do harm in limiting their access to life-saving therapies. We explore the historical underpinnings of protecting the vulnerable populations and whether a newer ethical paradigm that would allow for protected research on these populations should be adopted by society.
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · May 2008
Expression of smooth muscle and extracellular matrix proteins in relation to airway function in asthma.
Smooth muscle content is increased within the airway wall in patients with asthma and is likely to play a role in airway hyperresponsiveness. However, smooth muscle cells express several contractile and structural proteins, and each of these proteins may influence airway function distinctly. ⋯ Airway hyperresponsiveness, FEV(1)% predicted, and airway responses to deep inspiration are associated with selective expression of airway smooth muscle proteins and components of the extracellular matrix.