Researchers have been able to uncover a potential new treatment approach for helping patients suffering from asthma by blocking a powerful immune system chemical, which is present in large quantities in patients as per a small study in Thorax.
Severe asthma, which is rare, can be noticed in 1 out of every 10 asthmatics and progressively high doses of steroidsare needed to control the disease symptoms.
Seventeen people with severe asthma who still had symptoms, despite being treated with a range of drugs, were also given 25 mg of a drug that blocks TNF alpha production (etanercept) twice weekly, injected below the skin for 12 weeks. Fifteen completed the course.
At the end of the study period, these patients experienced a significant improvement in symptoms and lung function. Two patients were able to discontinue one of their drugs.
The treatment also curbed the inflammatory reaction in the lungs, known as bronchial hyperresponsiveness. And there were few side effects.
The authors caution that further research will be required before this approach can be recommended, but they say that it offers a potentially new avenue of treatment for severe asthma.
Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha), which is noticed in many chronic inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and psoriasis, was investigated by the research team.
Low levels of vitamin D were found to be linked with minimized lung function and medication use in children with asthma, as per researchers at National Jewish Health.
This finding was revealed in a paper published online this week in the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology.
“Our findings suggest two possible explanations,” said senior author Donald Leung, MD, PhD. “It could be that lower vitamin D levels contribute to increasing asthma severity, which requires more corticosteroid therapy. Or, it may be that vitamin D directly affects steroidactivity, and that low levels of vitamin D make the steroidsless effective, thus requiring more medication for the same effect.”
The researchers performed a series of laboratory experiments that indicated vitamin D enhances the action of corticosteroids. They cultured some immune cells with the corticosteroid dexamethasone alone and others with vitamin D first, then dexamethasone. The vitamin D significantly increased the effectiveness of dexamethasone. In one experiment vitamin D and dexamethasone together were more effective than 10 times as much dexamethasone alone.
The researchers also incubated immune-system cells for 72 hours with a staphylococcal toxin to induce corticosteroid resistance. Vitamin D restored the activity of dexamethasone.
“Our work suggests that vitamin D enhances the anti-inflammatory function of corticosteroids,’ said Dr. Leung. “If future studies confirm these findings vitamin D may help asthma patients achieve better control of their respiratory symptoms with less medication.”
Daniel Searing, MD, and his colleagues reported that ability of Vitamin D for enhancing the activity of the most effective controller medication for asthma, corticosteroids.
According to a new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine and other institutions, asthmaticchildren who do not show much improvement with symptoms while using low-dose inhaled corticosteroids can expect benefit with doses of steroids are increased or one of two asthma drugs is added.
The study called BADGER (Best ADd-on therapy Giving Effective Responses) can help physicians in predicting which of their patients will be benefiting the most and from which of the available options.
To treat children whose asthma is not well controlled while using low-dose inhaled corticosteroids, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) guides physicians to try one of three additional, or step-up, treatments: doubling the dosage of the inhaled corticosteroid or adding a long-acting beta antagonist (LABA) or a leukotriene receptor antagonist (LTRA) to the inhaledcorticosteroid treatment.
However, physicians often find it difficult to predict which step-up treatment might work best for a particular child. So the researchers in the five-center, NHLBI-fundedChildhood Asthma Research andEducation (CARE) Network used a novel triple-crossover, double-blind approach to determine if the treatments improved asthma symptoms, and if so, which treatment might work best.
Robert C. Strunk, M.D., and Leonard B. Bacharier, M.D., both Washington University pediatric asthma specialists at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, were coauthors on the study, published online March 2, 2010, by the New England Journal of Medicine and presented the same day at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology’s annual meeting in New Orleans.
A recently concluded study of senior citizens at John Hopkins found that most of the elderly people have either moderate or severe asthma, which is either under-diagnosed or unattended.
Karen Huss, DNSc, RN, a nurse researcher and associate professor at The Johns Hopkins University Schoolof Nursing, remarked that asthma can lead to reduced quality of life for elderly people.
The study indicates that asthma in the elderly also contributes to a decreased quality of life. Those with more severe asthma reported more negative feelings about life in general, described their health as being poor, and had a greater degree of impairment during daily activities. This finding implies that senior citizens with severe asthma are less likely to engage in domestic activities such as dusting and vacuuming, leading to higher allergen levels and ultimately exacerbating severe asthma.
Despite the high levels of allergy Huss found among the elderly, few were taking proper medication to treat it. One third of the elderly in the study were not taking inhaledsteroids, the preferred method of treatingasthma. Many were using short-acting inhalant medications on a regular basis rather than the recommended way, which is as-needed only.
“It is critical that we first identify and control allergens in an elderly person’s environment in order to avoid asthma attacks,” says Huss. “Skin tests need to be done on elderly patients with asthma so they will know what to avoid. Once allergens in the home are reduced and medications that combat inflammation in the airways are introduced, then asthma severity in the elderly should decrease and the quality of life should improve.”
The study was supported by the Fund for Geriatric Medicine and Nursing of The JohnsHopkins University and by Greer Laboratories, Inc. Other authors were P.L. Naumann, MSN; P.J. Mason, MSN; P.P. Nanda, MPH; R.W. Huss, M.D., C.M. Smith, BS; and R.G. Hamilton, PhD.
According to a recently concluded study, inhaled corticosteroids are superior to sodium cromoglycate for asthma control in an easy, effective manner. The study results suggested that inhaled corticosteroids are also effective on helping the lung to function in a normal way.
Dr James Guevara, Department of Pediatrics at the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine in Philadelphia and lead review author of this study, said that corticosteroids are better when administered in moderate low doses when compared to low doses.
Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and sodium cromoglycate (SCG) are both used to help people with asthma. SCG is believed to have a low risk of causing long-term side effects, but despite anxieties relating to routine use of steroids, the use of ICS has steadily increased since the 1990s.
While they are both known to work, there has previously been a debate as to whether one is superior to the other.
By pooling data from randomized controlled trials that directly compared the effects of ICS and SCG the Cochrane Review Authors could assess the relative benefits of each. They considered measures of lung function, asthma control and the use of general healthcare services such as GPs and hospitals.
Their conclusion was that ICS controls asthma better than SCG and that it also leads to improved lung function. They were, however, unable to decide whether there were differences in side-effects as most of the trials ran for too short a time to assess long-term outcomes.
“The superiority of ICS over SCG appears to increase when patients use moderate doses of ICS, compared with when low doses of ICS are used,” says lead Review Author Dr James Guevara, who works in the department of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia.
It was concluded by Dr Guevara that steroids are effective options for people fighting against asthma.
Children whose asthma improved while taking steroid drugs for many years cannot expect the same benefits after stopping the use, as per new results from a comprehensive childhood asthma study.
The study, which was published in advance online publication of the Journal of Pediatrics, revealed that children using steroids during the trial and now in their late teens showed no differences in terms of asthma control when compared with the children who received the placebo.
Inhaled corticosteroids such as budesonide have been shown to be the most effective form of anti-inflammatory treatment for asthma by controlling symptoms and improving pulmonary function. Results from the original CAMP trial showed that using budesonide twice daily led to fewer hospitalizations and urgent care visits, fewer days in which additional asthma medications were needed and a reduced need for albuterol, a fast-acting drug for relief of acute asthma symptoms. Using nedocromil twice daily reduced urgent care visits and courses of oral steroids for severe symptoms, but did not affect the number of hospitalizations, symptoms or airway responsiveness.
Although the patients had fewer symptoms five years after stopping the daily medication, Strunk cautions that doesn’t mean that they can stop using asthma medications altogether or that their asthma is cured.
Robert C. Strunk, M.D., a Washington University pediatrician at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and lead author of the study, remarked that kids with asthma can experience better control as they grow older.
When it comes to asthma management, Albuterol sulfate is one of the most trusted and recommended names. It is used as a rescue inhaler for reducing cardiovascular side effects and also used by sportsmen for enhancing performance. Read on!
Albuterol sulfate or Albuterol can be best described as a selective beta-2 adrenergic agonist, which resembles Clenbuterol in action and structure.
In the world of professional sports including bodybuilding, Albuterol sulfate is an exceptional fat burning product besides promoting performance and physical appearance.
The fact that this miracle drug is effective for reducing appetite and increasing basal metabolic rate besides increasing lypolysis and stimulating fat cells means that it can be of more than just a single benefit for sportsmen. In addition to that, the use of Albuterol can also lead to dramatically improving athletic performance and facilitating anabolism.
Recommended Dose
The recommended dose of Albuterol in tablet form is 4-8 mg per day for a maximum period of 2-3 weeks at a stretch followed by a cooling period of 2-3 weeks and then restarting the use. This drug is not meant for pregnant or nursing women and is also not recommended for individuals with diabetes, coronary insufficiency, abnormal heartbeat, and hypertension.
Albuterol is required to be stored at a controlled room temperature of 15°-25°C (59°-77°F).
Albuterol Abuse
When abused or of a low grade quality, Albuterol sulfate use can lead to possible side effects such as dry mouth, dizziness, nervousness, tremor, and sweating.
During a recent study, it was found that Telithromycin can promote a significant drop in asthma symptoms when used for 10 days.
The drug is presently sold by Sanofi-Aventis under the name Ketek. The involved researchers believe that this drugs’s positive effects can be a result of impact on two bacteria, Chlamydophila pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae, which were found in 61 percent of the patients involved in this study.
Asthma is an incurable condition which affects 300 m people worldwide but its symptoms are eased using steroids.
By using a 7-point scale that measured symptoms such as wheezing, coughing and chest tightness with 7 the most severe, most patients rated their symptoms at about 3 before treatment.
Those receiving the drug eventually had their score drop an average of 1.3 points and the placebo recipients had a drop of 1.0 point said the researchers.
Ketek has previously come under scrutiny because it may, in rare cases, cause liver poisoning.
In three such instances reported in January, one patient died, another required a transplant, and the third recovered.
If you have been suffering from breathing disorders or exercise-induced bronchospasm, Albuterol is one trusted name to provide significant relief.
Albuterol, placed under the category of bronchodilators, is a highly effective drug for offering relief to individuals suffering from exercise-induced bronchospasm and breathing disorders including asthma.
This drug has an appearance of white to off-white crystalline solid and is slightly soluble in ethanol and soluble in water. The chemical name of Albuterol is 4-[2-(tert-butylamino)-1-hydroxyethyl]-2-(hydroxymethyl) phenol; sulfuric acid.
Recommended Dose of Albuterol
The recommended dose of Albuterol is two puffs or inhalations after every 4-6 hours for adults and children over the age of 4 years. To treat asthma, the recommended dose is two puffs every 15-30 minutes before exercise sessions. If one dose is missed, it should not be taken along with the next dose.
When abused or of a low-grade quality, Albuterol use can lead to possible side effects such as dry mouth, dizziness, nervousness, tremor, and sweating.
Albuterol is required to be kept at a controlled room temperature of 25° C (77° F) with excursions permitted up to 15-30°C (59-86°F). It must be kept at a good distance away from children, unauthorized usage, heat, moisture, and sunlight. It is worth nothing that exposure to a temperature above 120°F may result in bursting of Albuterol. Moreover, Albuterol must be kept at a fair distance from the eyes during usage and should never be punctured or incinerated.
We hope that this information on Albuterol was useful to you in more than just a way.
A chemical used in inhalers such as salbutamol or salbuterol belonging to a leading brand may actually worsen the allergy, as per findings disclosed in a meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in San Francisco.
Fears were expressed about the possible reaction between the inhaler compound and steroids, which are used to prevent asthma attacks.
Millions of asthma sufferers use the inhalers also known as salbutamol or salbuterol to provide relief from wheeziness, as well as inhaled steroids to prevent the condition occuring. But the chemical byproduct in Ventolin inhalers may weaken the steroids‘ anti-inflammatory effect.
The findings were revealed to a meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in San Francisco yesterday.
Dr Mark Aronica, of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, said: ‘The concern is that this chemical could build up in patients who take the drug frequently. ‘We need clinical studies to find out whether this is the case.’
This finding is expected to encourage clinical studies in the near term for eliminating the possible risk due to the presence of inhaler compound.
Researchers have been able to uncover a potential new treatment approach for helping patients suffering from asthma by blocking a powerful immune system chemical, which is present in large quantities in patients as per a small study in Thorax.
Low levels of vitamin D were found to be linked with minimized lung function and medication use in children with asthma, as per researchers at 
According to a new study by researchers at 
A recently concluded study of senior citizens at John Hopkins found that most of the elderly people have either moderate or severe asthma, which is either under-diagnosed or unattended.
According to a recently concluded study, inhaled corticosteroids are superior to sodium cromoglycate for asthma control in an easy, effective manner. The study results suggested that inhaled corticosteroids are also effective on helping the lung to function in a normal way.
Children whose asthma improved while taking steroid drugs for many years cannot expect the same benefits after stopping the use, as per new results from a comprehensive childhood asthma study.
When it comes to asthma management, Albuterol sulfate is one of the most trusted and recommended names. It is used as a rescue inhaler for reducing cardiovascular 
During a recent study, it was found that Telithromycin can promote a significant drop in asthma symptoms when used for 10 days.
If you have been suffering from breathing disorders or exercise-induced bronchospasm, Albuterol is one trusted name to provide significant relief.
A chemical used in inhalers such as salbutamol or salbuterol belonging to a leading brand may actually worsen the allergy, as per findings disclosed in a meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in San Francisco.