View clinical trials related to Asthma.
Filter by:This research aims to find out how the inflammation in patients suffering from severe asthma is different from that in non−severe asthma, and how it may prevent corticosteroids from working efficiently in severe asthma. It will look,in particular, at a protein enzyme called p38 mitogen−activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK for short)which controls the activation of several important pathways in the cell. We wish to find out whether this enzyme is more active in cells obtained from patients with severe asthma compared to those with non−severe asthma. We would like to understand how this enzyme can cause the cell to respond less well to the anti−inflammatory effects of corticosteroids. We also wish to find out whether any specific inhibitors of p38 MAPK can improve severe asthma by improving the effects of corticosteroids on these cells. We hypothesise that activation of the intracellular MAPK signalling pathway underlies the inflammatory processes of severe asthma, and leads to the diminution of the anti-inflammatory actions of CS through histone modification.
Combining fish oil supplementation and Montelukast [a commonly used cyst LT1 receptor antagonist to treat exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB)] will provide a greater antiinflammatory effect against developing EIB that either agent alone
The change of airway responsiveness and alveolar macrophage (AM) immunity occurs during the pathogenesis of asthma. Macrophage-associated airway protection in patients with asthma is affected positively or negatively by propofol general anesthesia. The investigators hypothesized that the effects of propofol on asthmatic AMs and corresponding airway reactivity in vivo is different from the in vitro research. Through in vivo airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) observation and clinical investigation of AM immune functions from asthma patients undergoing propofol general anesthesia to clarify the precise effects of propofol on AM immunity, and to provide theoretical basis for the clinical administration of propofol in asthmatic patients. This would optimize the practice of clinical anesthesia, especially for those with the tendency of AHR.
Asthma affects about 4 million children in the United States and is a leading cause of hospitalizations and school absenteeism. Continuous wheezing in very young children may develop into asthma. Low doses of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are commonly prescribed to treat children with particularly bad wheezing episodes. This study will compare the safety and effectiveness of low doses of ICS taken daily versus higher doses of ICS taken only during respiratory tract illnesses for toddlers with continuous wheezing or coughing illnesses.
Leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs) reduce fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) concentrations in children with asthma, but the effect of LTRA withdrawal on FENO and lung function is unknown. We will aim to study the effect of treatment and withdrawal of montelukast, a LTRA, on airway inflammation as reflected by FENO and lung function in children with asthma. A double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled, parallel group study will be undertaken in 18 atopic children with mild persistent asthma who will be treated with oral montelukast (5 mg/day for 4 weeks) and 18 atopic children with mild persistent asthma who will receive matching placebo. A follow-up visit will be performed 2 weeks after montelukast or placebo withdrawal.
This study will compare the rate and extent of absorption of TI Inhalation Powder in subjects with asthma and subjects with normal lung function. 24 eligible subjects will be enrolled into the treatment phase of the trial.
The overall goal of this project is to identify genes that are involved in the development of airflow obstruction and airway inflammation in asthmatics, and to determine whether polymorphisms in these differentially expressed genes predispose individuals to develop asthma. In this project, we hypothesize that polymorphisms of genes expressed by the airway epithelia in asthmatics following specific airway challenges predispose individuals to the development of asthma.
The purpose of the study is to determine the role of nitric oxide (NO) in asthma. We determine the effect of promoter polymorphisms in the gene for the NO producing enzyme, nitric oxide synthase (NOS2), on exhaled NO in healthy African Americans and Caucasians. We compare exhaled NO levels between African Americans and Caucasians. Information on race or ethnicity, serum samples, blood pressure, exhaled breath condensate and health questionnaires will be collected.
This study aims to investigate the effect of omalizumab on the number of tissue eosinophils and other markers of airway inflammation and remodeling, including thickness of the lamina reticularis, in moderate to severe asthmatics with persistent symptoms and evidence of airway inflammation despite treatment with inhaled corticosteroids and long acting beta-agonists. This study will also investigate the correlation between systemic and pulmonary inflammation, and the correlation between clinical outcomes and changes within the tissue, to assist in the future identification of patients with tissue eosinophilia and their response to treatment, without the need for invasive bronchoscopy.
The purpose of this study is to confirm previous observations in asthmatics that chronic nadolol treatment reduces asthmatic airway hyper-responsiveness.