Asthma defined

Asthma is a common cause of mild increase of eosinophils in peripheral blood and BAL differential cell counts (usually <5%), in the absence of eosinophilic pneumonia. Eosinophilia may also be found in induced sputum, a finding that may help in adapting the treatment and reduce asthma exacerbations and hospital admissions. Eosinophilic inflammation of the bronchial walls is very common at histopathology in asthmatics (45) and has been correlated with the severity of asthma, defining the eosinophilic variant of asthma (as opposed to the neutrophilic and pauci-leukocytic variants of asthma). The eosinophilic variant of asthma often begins late in adulthood, may be associated with aspirin intolerance, and may respond poorly to inhaled corticosteroids. 

Iwamura and Ueda [386] described compound (611) as a CB2 selective inverse agonist in a patent application. The potential therapeutic roles of CB2 antagonists are not clearly defined at the moment, although roles in regulation of the immune system and inflammation have been widely proposed. This patent application describes that activity of compound (611) in a mouse model of asthma, in which the compound suppressed immediate and late-phase asthmatic response and airway hyper-responsiveness. 

Airway hyperresponsiveness is defined as the exaggerated ability of the airways to narrow in response to a variety of stimuli. Although AHR exists in patients without asthma, it is a characteristic feature of asthma and appears to be directly related to airway inflammation and the severity of asthma.1,3 Treatment of airway inflammation with inhaled corticosteroids attenuates AHR in asthma but does not eliminate it.1 Clinically, AHR manifests as increased variability of airway function. Although not commonly used to diagnose asthma, AHR can be evaluated clinically using a methacholine or histamine bronchoprovocation test. 

If you look in the medical literature, you will often see the term placebo defined as a non-specific treatment. What does it mean to say that a treatment is not specific It could mean that the treatment is effective for many different disorders, rather than for only one particular condition. In this sense, placebos are indeed non-specific. Besides depression, placebos have been shown to affect anxiety, pain, ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, Parkinson s disease, angina, autoimmune diseases, Alzheimer s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, gastric function, sexual dysfunction and skin conditions. We know this from the thousands of studies in which placebos have been used as control conditions, against which the effects of medication have been evaluated, and from studies that were specifically designed to assess the placebo effect. 

Bronchial asthma is defined as a chronic inflammatory disease of the lungs it affects an estimated 9 to 12 million individuals in the U.S. Furthermore, its prevalence has been increasing in recent years. Asthma is characterized by reversible airway obstruction (in particular, bronchospasm), airway inflammation, and increased airway responsiveness to a variety of bronchoactive stimuli. Many factors may induce an asthmatic attack, including allergens respiratory infections hyperventilation cold air exercise various drugs and chemicals emotional upset and airborne pollutants (smog, cigarette smoke). 

The National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) defines asthma as a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways in which many cells and cellular elements play a role. In susceptible individuals, inflammation causes recurrent episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing. These episodes are usually associated with airflow obstruction that is often reversible either spontaneously or with treatment. The inflammation also causes an increase in bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) to a variety of stimuli. 

Control of asthma is defined as reducing both impairment and risk domains. Regular follow-up is essential (at 1- to 6-month intervals, depending on control). 

Certain LMW agents will cause OA via a poorly defined mechanism. Only about 20% of workers with OA to toluene diisocyanate (TDI) have IgE detectable to TDI indicating that IgE antibody may be more an indicator of exposure rather than a mediator of the disease [10], Similar data exist for workers with asthma caused by plicatic acid from western red cedar [11], The inability to detect IgE antibody in the majority of these workers may be based in technical issues such as the nature of the chemical-protein... 

Koppelman GH, Meijer GG, Postma DS. (1999) Defining asthma in genetic studies. Clin Exp Allergy. 29(suppl. 4), l-A. 

There are two main types of quantitative data discrete and continuous. Discrete quantitative data usually come about by the counting of numbers of events. Examples of this form of data are the number of asthma attacks, the numbers of rescue tablets taken, the number of relapse events, etc. There are two types of continuous quantitative data defined by, whether there is a true zero point of the scale or not. If there is such a zero point the scale is a ratio scale, otherwise it is an interval scale. Examples of the former are height, weight or volume, etc, while a typical example of the latter is temperature in which the origin is essentially arbitrary - 0°F is... 

Extensive studies have been done on a clearly defined asthma syndrome produced by exposure to western red cedar. ° Plicatic acid has been identified as the etiologic agent. The western red cedar asthma syndrome includes rhinitis, conjunctivitis, wheezing, cough, and nocturnal attacks of breathlessness characterized by a precipitous decline in FEVi. There is no apparent relation between skin sensitivity and respiratory changes. No precipitating IgG antibodies are found in the serum of sensitized individuals, and circulating IgE antibodies are present in about one-third of affected individuals. 

Asthma is defined as reversible airway disease. It affects more than 10% of children and a good number of adults. The drugs... 

The role of neurotrophins in the pathogenesis of allergic disease and asthma has been appreciated only recently. Neurotrophins are a family of growth factors that have common receptors and physiologic effects and are the principal regulators of neuronal activity, differentiation and maintenance. In humans, there are at least four defined neurotrophins also termed NGFs. These polypeptides include NGF, neurotrophin 3 (NT-3), neurotrophin 4/5 (NT-4/5) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). They all act on a common group of tropomyosin-related tyrosine kinase (Trk) receptors. Neurotrophin receptors are expressed in the neurons of both the central and peripheral nervous systems. 

Cromones such as cromolyn sodium (Intal, Nasal-crom) and nedocromil sodium (Tilade) can help prevent bronchospasm in people with asthma. These drugs are not bronchodilators and will not reverse bronchoconstriction during an asthmatic attack. Hence, these agents must be taken prior to the onset of bronchoconstriction, and they must typically be administered prophylactically to prevent asthma attacks that are initiated by specific, well-defined activities (e.g., exercise, exposure to a friend s pet, pollen).107 Likewise, the regular use of these drugs several times each day for several months may decrease airway hyperresponsiveness so that the incidence of asthmatic attacks decreases.102,113... 

Another important distinction between diseases such as diabetes and asthma as opposed to ADHD is that the two former conditions are malfunctions of the body. As such, they do not define the personality of the individual who suffers from them the way ADHD, a malfunction of the brain, does. Perhaps that is why most children under the age of 10 do not like to take Ritalin. These children do not like the way it makes them feel and are worried about being teased by their peers or perceived as crazy. The fact that they have to go to the nurse s office to receive a second dose... 

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