The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Apr 1997
Comparative StudyMeasuring airway inflammation in asthma: eosinophils and eosinophilic cationic protein in induced sputum compared with peripheral blood.
Airway eosinophilic inflammation is a characteristic feature of asthma. This can be assessed directly by measurement of eosinophils and eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) in sputum or indirectly by measurement of the same markers in blood. We investigated the performance of these markers of airway eosinophilic inflammation in a population of patients with asthma compared with control subjects and the extent to which the markers differed. ⋯ We conclude that the proportion of eosinophils in sputum is a more accurate marker of asthmatic airway inflammation than the proportions of blood eosinophils or serum ECP.
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Mar 1997
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialTime course of changes in adenosine 5'-monophosphate airway responsiveness with inhaled heparin in allergic asthma.
Recent studies have shown that inhaled heparin exerts a protective effect against various bronchoconstrictor stimuli in asthma, possible through an inhibition of mast cell activation. ⋯ Heparin administered by inhalation is effective in attenuating the airway response to AMP but not to methacholine. The time course of change in bronchial reactivity to AMP has a peak effect at 15 minutes and lasts up to 60 minutes. It is possible that the mechanism(s) underlying the protective effects of inhaled heparin in asthma may be related to an inhibitory modulation of mast cell activation.
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Feb 1997
ReviewAppraisal of the validity of histamine-induced wheal and flare to predict the clinical efficacy of antihistamines.
Antihistaminic drugs have been used successfully for many years in the treatment of allergic diseases. Second-generation antihistamines have fewer sedating side effects than first-generation agents, and the number of newer drugs available for clinical use is growing. Various methods have been used to assess antihistaminic activity, the most popular of which is the epicutaneous histamine-induced wheal and flare. ⋯ Studies with antihistamines have shown that certain drugs, such as cetirizine, are more suppressive than others (loratadine, terfenadine) in controlling the histamine-induced wheal and flare reaction in the skin. When the clinical efficacy of these medications is compared in clinical trials in seasonal allergic rhinitis and chronic idiopathic urticaria, all are equally efficacious in controlling symptoms. Although the histamine-induced wheal and flare reaction can serve as a useful clinical pharmacologic test to assess dose-response relations for an antihistamine, its lack of correlation with clinical responses among antihistamines indicates that this model should not be used to predict or compare clinical efficacies of antihistamines in seasonal allergic rhinitis and chronic idiopathic urticaria.
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Feb 1997
Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialComparative efficacy of inhaled furosemide and disodium cromoglycate in the treatment of exercise-induced asthma in children.
Inhaled furosemide has been shown, in patients with asthma, to have prophylactic properties similar to those of disodium cromoglycate. ⋯ The results of this study suggest that furosemide and disodium cromoglycate provide comparable efficacy in preventing exercise-induced asthma in children, with no side effects.