Lipoxygenase-derived arachidonic acid metabolites in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background and Objective. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by a persistence of inflammation in large and small airways. We hypothesized that this could be caused by the inability of an inflammatory process to resolve. In the resolution of inflammation, a switching of arachidonic acid metabolism from the production of proinflammatory leukotriene B4 (LtB4) to the synthesis of anti-inflammatory lipoxins plays an important role. The aim of our study was to determine the content of lipoxin A4 (LXA4) and LtB4 in induced sputum of patients with exacerbated COPD and to compare it to healthy controls, as well as to analyze the relationship between proinflammatory and ant…

Dažādu inhalējamo kortikosteroīdu devu pretiekaisuma darbība un kombinētās terapijas efektivitātes salīdzinājums pacientiem ar vidēji smagu persistējošu bronhiālo astmu

Detection of lung cancer in exhaled breath with an electronic nose using support vector machine analysis

Lung cancer is one of the most common malignancies and has a low 5-year survival rate. There are no cheap, simple and widely available screening methods for the early diagnostics of lung cancer. The aim of this study was to determine whether analysis of exhaled breath with an artificial olfactory sensor using support vector analysis can differentiate patients with lung cancer from healthy individuals and patients with other lung diseases, regardless of the stage of lung cancer and the most common comorbidities. Patients with histologically or cytologically verified lung cancer, healthy volunteers and patients with other lung diseases (e.g. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthm…

H1-antihistamines suppress wheal-and-flare reaction and skin blood perfusion measured by Laser Dopppler flowmetry: randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design study

H1-antihistamines suppress wheal-and-flare reaction and skin blood perfusion measured by Laser Dopppler flowmetry: randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design study The aim of our study was to compare the influence of pre-treatment with H1-antihistamines (levocetirizine, desloratadine, clemastine, quifenadine, and sequifenadine) and a placebo on the histamine-induced weal and flare reaction, increase of skin blood perfusion and sedation. Thirty healthy volunteers were enrolled in the study. The study design was a prospective, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover, balanced clinical trial. Volunteers in randomised and double-blind order were treated with …

Detection of lung cancer with electronic nose and logistic regression analysis.

Lung cancer is a very common malignancy with a low five-year survival rate. Artificial olfactory sensor (electronic nose) is a tool that recently has been studied as a probable optimal screening tool for early detection of lung cancer, but still no statistical method has been put forward as the preferable one. The aim of the study was to explore the use of logistic regression analysis (LRA) to analyse patients' exhaled breath samples with electronic nose in order to differentiate lung cancer patients (regardless of the stage of the cancer) from patients with other lung diseases and healthy individuals. Patients with histologically or cytologically verified, untreated lung cancer, patients w…