The Journal of asthma : official journal of the Association for the Care of Asthma
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The American Thoracic Society (ATS) and European Union (EU) have precise and accurate Mini Wright peak flow meters. The purpose of this investigation was to compare both 1) for accuracy using a pneumotachometer, 2) in volunteers to determine whether they are interchangeable, and 3) to spirometrically predicted peak flows. ⋯ The ATS peak flow meter reads 2.8% higher than the EU peak flow meter across a range of flows. Both meters have similar accuracy with a different bias compared with a pneumotachometer. Finally, both peak flow meters read slightly and significantly higher than spirometrically derived peak flows. Therefore, the peak flow meters are not interchangeable and both may obtain slightly higher values than those determined using current spirometrically derived prediction equations.
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Time trends in the number of publications of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in asthma research have never been evaluated. ⋯ Despite an increase in total publications of asthma research, time trends in the number of publications of RCTs in asthma research per year show an almost unchanged number in the period 1990-2009. Evidence-based medicine within the field of asthma still faces many challenges.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Multicenter study of chronic asthma severity among emergency department patients with acute asthma.
The initiation of controller therapy for asthma depends on chronic asthma severity. To facilitate initiation of inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs), the preferred controller therapy, in the emergency department (ED), the objective of the study was to describe chronic asthma severity, as defined by the national asthma guidelines, among children presenting to the ED with acute asthma. ⋯ The high prevalence of persistent asthma among ED patients exceeds the prevalence reported previously, and supports ED initiation of ICS, as recommended by national guidelines.
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Specific airway resistance (sRaw) is virtually independent of lung growth, height, and gender, thus facilitating longitudinal follow-up. ⋯ This retrospective study identifies a specific phenotype of asthmatic children that develops an impairment of lung function, confirming the results of a post hoc analysis of the Childhood Asthma Management Program study.
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An annual time frame for risk assessment may not account for the variable course of asthma. The purpose of this study was to determine whether excessive short-acting beta(2)-adrenergic agonist (SABA) dispensed quarterly was associated with asthma exacerbations in the subsequent quarter. ⋯ The risk of an asthma exacerbation was associated with excessive SABA use in the previous quarter. Assessment of excessive SABA dispensed during a calendar quarter can be used to identify patients at increased exacerbation risk in the subsequent quarter.