The efficacy of theopek in bronchial asthma and chronic bronchitis

The clinical efficacy of the new Soviet long-acting drug theophylline (theopec) was studied in 126 patients with bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive bronchitis. Theopec turned out to be an effective means of the basic antirelapsing and rehabilitation therapy. The drug has a high broncholytic activity and good tolerance, decreasing the requirement for the use of the beta-adrenomimetics and glucocorticosteroids. In patients with bronchial asthma, the drug produced a more pronounced effect. Theopec can be widely used in the treatment and rehabilitation of chronic broncho-obstructive diseases.     

Histamine content of sputum from patients with asthma and chronic bronchitis

Studies using the guinea pig ileum bioassay technique have previously shown that patients with either asthma or chronic bronchitis have increased amounts of histamine in their sputum. Because of the limitations of this assay technique, a spectrofluorometric method for measuring the histamine content of sputum was developed. Using this technique it was found that the mean histamine concentration of sputum from patients with bronchogenic carcinoma or pneumonia was not significantly different from the mean value for sputum collected during a remission phase from patients with either chronic bronchitis or asthma. However, the mean values in patients with asthma or chronic bronchitis during an exacerbation were significantly higher and returned to basal values as the airways obstruction improved. There was no significant difference in sputum histamine concentration between those patients with extrinsic atopic asthma and those with late onset cryptogenic asthma during as exacerbation although the value in patients with an exacerbation of chronic bronchitis was significantly less. These results indicate that mediators of immediate hypersensitivity may be implicated in the pathogenesis of airways obstruction in disorders other than extrinsic atopic asthma and suggest that histamine release may occur in non-atropic subjects in response to non-antigenic stimuli.     

Expiration of endogenous aerosol in chronic bronchitis and bronchial asthma patients

The amount of expired endogenous aerosol in liquid drop and solid phases, 0.1-10.0 micron in diameter, in patients exceeded the normal indices. The nature of solid aerosol particle distribution by sizes was related to a degree of bronchial obstruction. The amount of both types of aerosols showed correlation with the amount of expectorated sputum.     

Metabolic aspects of the differential diagnosis of chronic asthmatic bronchitis and bronchial asthma

The authors have presented an analysis of the results of a study of patients with chronic asthmatic bronchitis and bronchial asthma to detect possible qualitative differences in changes of indices that characterize the intensity of free radical oxidation and antioxidant activity. With this aim in view the level of lipid peroxidation (LPO), alpha-tocopherol content and SOD activity were determined. In patients with bronchial asthma a raised LPO level was noted in parallel with a decrease in alpha-tocopherol content and SOD activity up to the values below the normal ones. A degree of deviation of the indices from those in health depended on the gravity of a course of bronchial asthma. In patients with asthmatic bronchitis in exacerbation and remission with a raised LPO level alpha-tocopherol content and SOD activity remained within normal. These differences can be used for differential diagnosis.     

间羟胺激发试验对鉴别哮喘与慢性支气管炎的临床价值

目的：探讨间羟胺激发试验区别哮喘和慢性支气管炎（慢支）气道高反应性的应用价值,方法：组胺激发试验阳性的哮喘和慢支患者吸入浓度递增（0．08－10g/L）的间羟胺,阳性者吸入酚妥拉明溶液后,再次行间羟胺激发试验,结果：73％哮喘间羟胺激发试验阳性,慢支患者均阴性,酚妥拉明不能阻断间羟胺激发试验阳性者,结论：哮喘和慢支的气道高反应性的机制不同,间羟胺可有效地别气道反应性是哮喘抑或慢支引起的。     

Effectiveness of lasolvan in patients with chronic obstructive bronchitis and non-atopic bronchial asthma]

AIM: To define efficiency and mechanisms of action of mucoregulator lasolvan. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Lasolvan treatment was given to 50 patients with chronic nonspecific pulmonary diseases (CNPD). External respiration function (ERF) and viscosity of sputum were examined on Bodyscreen II and viscosimeter Reotest 2, respectively. RESULTS: Maximum effect was achieved on day 2-3 of lasolvan treatment: resistance of airways decreased 1.5-fold, forced pulmonary capacity and peak expiration flow increased. ERF improvement was associated with subjective improvement. Mean sputum viscosity remained unchanged. Reduction of minimal viscosity was found after the first intake of lasolvan. Later, maximal viscosity was higher in most of the patients. By day 7-10 amount of the sputum discharged forn 24 hours rose while maximal viscosity fell. CONCLUSION: Lasolvan is an effective mucoregulator which perfectly improves rheologic properties of bronchial secretion. Its ability to eliminate pathological bronchial secretion from small bronchi is of special importance. This allows to use lasolvan for prevention of cor pulmonale in CNPD patients.     

Acute and chronic bronchitis

Formation of a fistula between the gallbladder and bowel may allow a gallstone to enter the intestinal tract. In the two cases described here, the colon was involved. The authors describe diagnosis and management of these cases and make treatment recommendations based on their experience.     

Results of outpatient clinic care of children with bronchial asthma and chronic recurring bronchitis

More than 4000 children with chronic and recurrent bronchopulmonary diseases have been cared for in the Dresden district, GDR (just under 2 million inhabitants) in 28 out-patient clinics over the past 7 years. The prevalence of this disease group is thus around 1.2%. There was a marked increase in children with bronchial asthma from initially 1000 to 1600, corresponding to 26 and 40%, respectively, within the disease group. By contrast, there was a continuous decrease in children requiring bronchological investigations (24 to 13%). Bronchiectasis was also encountered with diminished frequency. One third and one quarter of the patients dropped out of care over two three-year periods, respectively. Of these 70 to 75% were discharged symptom-free. The remaining patients were referred to adult out-patient clinics for continued care. Whereas nearly 80% of the discharged children with chronic or recurrent bronchitis became symptom-free, only 30% of the asthmatics showed this satisfactory result. The analysis of this large group of patients confirms the clear-cut success of out-patient clinic treatment of children with chronic and recurrent bronchopulmonary disease.     

Acute asthma compared with exacerbations of chronic bronchitis: changes in complement.

Complement levels were measured on admission and at 1 and 7 days following admission in twenty patients with acute severe asthma and ten patients with an acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis. Although no evidence of hypocomplementaemia was found in any patient, there was a mean fall within the normal range of the individual complement components, C4, C3 and factor B in both groups. The mean fall occurred earlier in the bronchitics than in the asthmatics and this may be related to infection or the administration of corticosteroids. There was a significant fall in C3 (P greater than 0.05) in the bronchitics compared with the asthmatics at 24 hr. From our study, however, we could find no evidence of excessive utilization of complement in acute asthma.