Search results for " test"

Non-contact breath sampling for sensor-based breath analysis

2019

Breath analysis holds great promise for real-time and non-invasive medical diagnosis. Thus, there is a considerable need for simple-in-use and portable analyzers for rapid detection of breath indicators for different diseases in their early stages. Sensor technology meets all of these demands. However, miniaturized breath analyzers require adequate breath sampling methods. In this context, we propose non-contact sampling; namely the collection of breath samples by exhalation from a distance into a miniaturized collector without bringing the mouth into direct contact with the analyzing device. To evaluate this approach different breathing maneuvers have been tested in a real-time regime on a…

Exhaled Nitric Oxide Measurement Is Not Useful for Predicting the Response to Inhaled Corticosteroids in Subjects With Chronic Cough

2009

Background Increased concentrations of exhaled nitric oxide (ENO) are identified predominantly in subjects with chronic cough due to conditions that habitually respond well to therapy with inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs). The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of ENO in predicting the response to ICS therapy in subjects with chronic cough and to determine the relationship between either methacholine or adenosine 5′-monophosphate (AMP) responsiveness and the response to ICS therapy. Methods A total of 43 patients with chronic cough were studied. During the baseline period, ENO measurement, spirometry, and concentration-response studies with both methacholine and AMP were performed…

The Lack of the Bronchoprotective and Not the Bronchodilatory Ability of Deep Inspiration Is Associated with Airway Hyperresponsiveness

2001

In healthy subjects, deep inspiration (DI) acts both as a bronchodilator and a bronchoprotector. The latter is impaired in asthmatics. We have now evaluated whether the lack of bronchoprotection is related to bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR), and whether the bronchodilatory effect is also lost in asthmatics. Ten healthy subjects (PC20 > 75 mg/ml), 12 asthmatics with moderate to severe BHR (PC20 < 1 mg/ml), 14 asthmatics with mild to borderline BHR (1 < PC20 < 25 mg/ml), and 10 rhinitics with mild to borderline BHR (1 < PC20 < 25 mg/ml) underwent single-dose methacholine provocations inducing at least 20% reduction in FEV1 after 20 min of DI inhibition. To measure the bronchodilatory effe…

Effect of Salmeterol on Seasonal Changes in Airway Responsiveness and Exhaled Nitric Oxide in Pollen-Sensitive Asthmatic Subjects

2002

Objective Using a model of natural allergen exposure, we examined the effect of regular treatment with salmeterol on allergen-induced changes in airway responsiveness and exhaled nitric oxide (ENO). Design Double-blind, randomized, parallel-group study. Setting Specialist allergy unit in a university hospital. Patients Asthmatic patients sensitized to pollen allergens were randomly allocated to monotherapy with salmeterol (n = 14) or placebo (n = 13). Interventions Salmeterol, 25 μg, and placebo inhalers, two puffs bid, for 6 weeks. Measurements Spirometry, the level of a provocative concentration of a substance (methacholine) causing a 20% fall in FEV 1 (PC 20 ), the PC 20 level for adenos…

Airway Responsiveness to Histamine in Patients Refractory to Repeated Exercise

1988

To investigate the mechanisms contributing to refractoriness in exercise-induced asthma (EIA), airway responsiveness to histamine was studied in eight asthmatic patients. Patients were included in the study on the basis of their refractory response to multiple exercise challenges. Incremental challenges with inhaled histamine were performed at rest and 40 minutes after single and paired exercise tests. The geometric mean histamine concentration required to produce a 20 percent fall in FEV1 (PC20) for the challenge after paired exercise test (4.34 mg/ml) was significantly higher (p greater than 0.001) than those for the challenges after a single exercise (1.05 mg/ml) and for the challenge at…

Depression is associated with poor control of symptoms in asthma and rhinitis: A population-based study

2019

Abstract Background Although many studies have highlighted the link between asthma/rhinitis and depression, it is still unclear which characteristics of these diseases are associated with the risk of depression. We aimed to explore the relationship between depression and asthma or rhinitis in a representative sample of the Italian general population. Methods The data were collected in GEIRD, an Italian multicenter, population-based, multicase-control study. 2227 participants (age 21–86 years, female 50%) underwent standardized interviews, skin prick and lung function tests, and were divided into cases of current asthma (n = 528), rhinitis without asthma (n = 972), and controls (n = 727). Tw…

Gender Differences in Health‐Related Quality of Life Among Patients with Asthma

2004

This study has a twofold objective: 1) to explore to what extent suffering from asthma affects the HRQL of men and women differently at several stages of disease severity and 2) to analyze whether the informed poorer HRQL of asthmatic women is related to their higher scores on instruments measuring emotionally disordered symptoms. One hundred fifty-one outpatient asthmatics (84 women and 67 men) completed the Spanish versions of the Asthma Quality of Life questionnaire (AQL), as well as anxiety and depression inventories. A full history, physical examination, and pulmonary function test were performed on all subjects. Patients were classified into one of four asthma severity categories foll…

Does angioedema influence the quality of life in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria?

2019

Differences in sensitivity, maximal response and position of the concentration-response curve to methacholine between asthmatics, patients with aller…

1998

The aim of this study was to detect differences in maximal response and position of the concentration-response curves to methacholine between asthmatics and subjects with allergic rhinitis. A total of 228 adults (107 mild asthmatics, 96 allergic rhinitics and 25 healthy control subjects) were challenged with methacholine. The test was interrupted when FEV1 dropped by more than 40% or when the highest concentration of methacholine (200 mg ml-1) had been administered. Concentration-response curves were characterized by their PC20 (concentration of methacholine that produced 20% fall in FEV1 = airway sensitivity), and if possible, by their EC50 (concentration of methacholine that produced 50% …

Asthma control in severe asthmatics under treatment with omalizumab: A cross-sectional observational study in Italy

2015

Few data are available on the proportion of asthmatics achieving a good asthma control (according GINA guidelines) and on the level of airway inflammation during omalizumab treatment. The aim of this cross-sectional national observational study was to assess the level of control (according to GINA guidelines) achieved in a group of asthmatics on omalizumab treatment, and to characterize the factors that influence the lack of control. We studied 306 asthmatics under omalizumab treatment for a median of 32 months (range 4-120). The level of control according to GINA was good in 25.2%, partial in 47.1% and poor in 24.5% of patients (data were missing for the remaining 3.2%). Comparison between…