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Introduction Asthma is a common chronic respiratory disease characterized by reversible and intermittent airflow obstruction, airway hyperresponsiveness, airway remodeling, and chronic inflammation (Barcik et al. 2020; Schoettler and Strek 2020). [...], Asthma is characterized by airway inflammation and remodeling. 2-Undecanone (methyl nonyl ketone), a volatile organic compound originating from Houttuynia cordata, has the potential to ameliorate inflammatory diseases. This study aimed to explore potential benefits of 2-undecanone in asthma. 2-Undecanone (100, 200, or 400 mg/kg) was administered intragastrically to ovalbumin (OVA)-challenged BALB/c mice. Lung tissues were collected to observe histopathological changes, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was collected for the detection of inflammatory cells and cytokine production. The results showed that 2-undecanone ameliorated OVA-induced pathologic changes of lungs, including reducing inflammatory cell infiltration, goblet cell hyperplasia, and airway smooth muscle thickness. The number of inflammatory cells and the levels of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, and IgE in BALF were decreased by 2-undecanone in asthmatic mice. Furthermore, abnormal activation of NF-[kappa]B pathway in lung tissues of asthmatic mice was impeded by 2-undecanone. In vitro, 2-undecanone (12.5, 25, or 50 [micro]M) suppressed platelet-derived growth factor-BB-induced proliferation and migration of primary airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs), and inhibited the switching of ASMCs from contractile phenotype to synthetic phenotype. Consistently, 2-undecanone blocked NF-[kappa]B activation in ASMCs. Collectively, 2-undecanone relieves asthma through alleviating airway inflammation and remodeling, and this beneficial effect is achieved by inhibiting NF-[kappa]B pathway. Key words: asthma, 2-undecanone, NF-[kappa]B pathway, airway inflammation, airway remodeling

Ivy leaves dry extract is registered as an expectorant in patients with respiratory diseases associated with productive cough. Next to its secretolytical properties, bronchospasmolytical effects are described. However only limited [...]

Plants of the genus Croton have been used extensively in the northeast of Brazil for treating various clinical conditions. Previous studies have demonstrated that the essential oil of some specimens [...]

As biomedicine turns increasingly toward chronic diseases, compliance of adherente with pharmaceutical regimens has become a major focus. This article explores the specters created by the diagnostics of non-compliance, focusing on asthma in the eastern Caribbean country of Barbados. I argue that the rubric of compliance in biomedicine today medicalizes 'culture' as a gendered irrational use of medications; and such a focus has created a counterdiscourse among families and medical practitioners that posits a biomedicine obsessed with 'compliance.' I suggest that these reciprocal reactions comprise a medical schismogenics that exceed the diagnostics of noncompliance, whether biomedical or anthropological. [Keywords: compliance, schismogenesis, pharmaceutical, Barbados], In medicine today, talk of compliance to pharmaceutical prescriptions is everywhere. As biomedical researchers and practitioners increasingly turn toward chronic diseases--asthma, heart disease, cancer, diabetes--the daily taking of medications has [...]

A 6-year-old boy suffered from uncontrolled asthma despite receiving daily oral doses of corticosteroids and was often absent from school, threatening his mother's ability to keep her job. During a [...], Pediatricians recognize that social and nonmedical factors influence child health and that there are many government programs and laws designed to provide for children's basic needs. However, gaps in implementation result in denials of services, leading to preventable poor health outcomes. Physician advocacy in these arenas is often limited by lack of knowledge, experience, and resources to intervene. The incorporation of on-site lawyers into the health care team facilitates the provision of crucial legal services to vulnerable families. Although social workers and case managers play a critical role in assessing family stability and finding appropriate resources for families, lawyers are trained to identify violations of rights and to take the appropriate legal steps to hold agencies, landlords, schools, and others accountable on behalf of families. The incorporation of lawyers in the clinical setting originated at an urban academic medical center and is being replicated at >30 sites across the country. Lawyers can help enhance a culture of advocacy in pediatrics by providing direct legal assistance and case consultation for providers, as well as jointly addressing systemic issues affecting children and families. Until laws to promote health and safety are consistently applied and enforced, pediatricians will need lawyers to effectively care for vulnerable children. Pediatrics 2004;114:224-228; advocacy, health disparities, prevention. ABBREVIATIONS. FAP, Family Advocacy Program; BMC, Boston Medical Center.

In the United States, minority groups with diverse racial and ethnic heritages experience disparities in asthma care that result in differentially high morbidity and mortality rates. (1) African American patients [...], Background. Low-income African Americans exhibit disproportionate prevalences, morbidity rates, and mortality rates for asthma. Objective. To determine whether a community-based intervention, the Neighborhood Asthma Coalition (NAC), conducted through a well-established neighborhood organization in St. Louis could improve awareness of asthma, change attitudes about its care, improve asthma management practices, and reduce the need for acute care for asthma. Methods. The NAC included educational programs for parents and children, promotional activities, and individualized support provided by trained neighborhood residents. African American children, 5 to 14 years of age, with at least 1 incident of acute care (emergency department visit or hospitalization) within the previous year were enrolled from 8 zip code areas with low-income residents and high proportions of Medicaid-eligible children, ie, 4 NAC neighborhoods and 4 comparable control neighborhoods. Evaluations included quarterly telephone interviews to assess asthma attitudes and management and sites of care. Audits of acute care sites covered 12 months before initiation of the NAC through 3 years of the program. Results. A total of 371 patients were contacted and determined to be eligible for the study, and 345 agreed to participate, representing a recruitment rate of 93%. Of those, 15 withdrew and 24 were lost to follow-up monitoring after the initial contact. In addition, 57 were excluded from analysis because of relocation or for other reasons. Utilization data to determine rates of acute care (emergency department visits and hospitalizations) were collected for 249 patients (100 NAC subjects and 149 control subjects). Acute care rates decreased for both the NAC and control groups from the year before intervention to the last year of intervention, with no significant differences between the NAC and control groups. Participation in NAC programming affected the acute care outcome; the NAC-low participation and control groups did not differ but the NAC-high participation group differed significantly from the pooled control and NAC-low participation groups in reductions in acute care rates. Both contacts with NAC staff members and attendance at educational events were associated with changes toward stronger views that asthma can be managed (partial correlation = .27 and partial correlation = .24, respectively). Structural equation modeling demonstrated that participation in the NAC was associated with positive changes on the Index of Asthma Attitudes scale and lower rates of acute care. Social isolation was associated with greater participation in the program and thus reduced care rates. Conclusions. The NAC reached its intended audience, including those who were socially isolated, brought about changes in management practices, and was associated with promising reductions in acute care rates among active participants in the program. Pediatrics 2004;114: 116-123; childhood asthma, acute care, community-based intervention, asthma attitudes, social isolation, participation in programming. ABBREVIATIONS. NAC, Neighborhood Asthma Coalition; ED, emergency department; CASS, Change Asthma With Social Support.

Keywords: asthma, competence threshold, dementia, inhaler use Introduction Asthma is a common condition in old age, and elderly patients can benefit from appropriate therapy [1-4]. Some elderly subjects have difficulty [...]

Asthma, a common chronic illness among children and youth, affects one school-aged child in 11, or two to three students in a class of 30. (1) Asthma accounts for 14 [...]