Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 27 in total

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  1. Abdulamir AS, Hafidh RR, Abubakar F, Abbas KA
    BMC Immunol, 2008;9:73.
    PMID: 19087256 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2172-9-73
    BACKGROUND: Asthma is a complicated network of inflammatory reactions. It is classified into mild, moderate, and severe persistent asthma. The success of asthma therapy relies much on understanding the underlying mechanisms of inflammation at each stage of asthma severity. The aim of this study was to explore the differences in apoptotic potential, CD4/CD8 ratio, memory compartment, and T- helper (Th) 1 and 2 profile of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) in patients with mild intermittent asthma and severe persistent asthma during exacerbation periods.
    RESULTS: Four research lines were investigated and compared among mild asthmatics, severe asthmatics, and healthy groups by applying immunocytochemical staining of PBL. Antiapoptotic and proapoptotic proteins with Bcl-2/Bax ratio, CD4, CD8 markers with CD4+/CD8+ ratio, CD45RO+, CD45RA+ markers with memory/naive ratio (CD45RO+/CD45RA+). Th2/Th1 cytokines balance represented by IL-4/IFN-gamma ratio was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for in vitro PBL cytokine synthesis. It was found that Bcl-2/Bax ratio was higher in severe than in mild asthmatics which in turn was higher than in healthy group. And memory/naive ratio of PBL was higher in severe than in mild asthmatics. Moreover, memory cells, CD45RO+ and CD45RO+/CD45RA+ ratio were correlated directly with Bcl-2/Bax, in severe and mild asthma patients. In contrast, CD4+/CD8+ ratio was not changed significantly among healthy group, mild and severe asthmatics. However, CD8+ cells were correlated directly with memory cells, CD45RO+, in severe asthmatics only. Interestingly, the dominant profile of cytokines appeared to change from T helper 2 (Th2) in mild asthmatics to T helper 1 (Th1) in severe asthmatics where the lowest in vitro IL-4/IFN-gamma ratio and highest IFN-gamma were found.
    CONCLUSION: It was concluded that the underlying mechanisms of inflammation might vary greatly with asthma stage of severity. Mild intermittent asthma is mainly Th2 allergen-oriented reaction during exacerbations with good level of apoptosis making the inflammation as self-limiting, while in severe persistent asthma, the inflammatory reaction mediated mainly by Th1 cytokines with progressive loss of apoptosis leading to longer exacerbations, largely expanded memory cells, CD45RO+, leading to persistent baseline inflammation.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asthma/physiopathology
  2. Abdulamir AS, Hafidh RR, Abubakar F
    Scand J Clin Lab Invest, 2009;69(4):487-95.
    PMID: 19347746 DOI: 10.1080/00365510902749131
    To examine differences in the apoptotic, inflammatory, allergic and immunological features in the lungs of adults with asthma.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asthma/physiopathology*
  3. Kazemi M, Bala Krishnan M, Aik Howe T
    Iran J Allergy Asthma Immunol, 2013 Sep;12(3):236-46.
    PMID: 23893807
    In this paper, the method of differentiating asthmatic and non-asthmatic patients using the frequency analysis of capnogram signals is presented. Previously, manual study on capnogram signal has been conducted by several researchers. All past researches showed significant correlation between capnogram signals and asthmatic patients. However all of them are just manual study conducted through the conventional time domain method. In this study, the power spectral density (PSD) of capnogram signals is estimated by using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and Autoregressive (AR) modelling. The results show the non-asthmatic capnograms have one component in their PSD estimation, in contrast to asthmatic capnograms that have two components. Furthermore, there is a significant difference between the magnitude of the first component for both asthmatic and non-asthmatic capnograms. The effectiveness and performance of manipulating the characteristics of the first frequency component, mainly its magnitude and bandwidth, to differentiate between asthmatic and non-asthmatic conditions by means of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and radial basis function (RBF) neural network were shown. The output of this network is an integer prognostic index from 1 to 10 (depends on the severity of asthma) with an average good detection rate of 95.65% and an error rate of 4.34%. This developed algorithm is aspired to provide a fast and low-cost diagnostic system to help healthcare professional involved in respiratory care as it would be possible to monitor severity of asthma automatically and instantaneously.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asthma/physiopathology*
  4. Lai CK, De Guia TS, Kim YY, Kuo SH, Mukhopadhyay A, Soriano JB, et al.
    J Allergy Clin Immunol, 2003 Feb;111(2):263-8.
    PMID: 12589343
    Few data on asthma management are available for the Asia-Pacific region.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asthma/physiopathology
  5. Tan SB, Liam CK, Pang YK, Leh-Ching Ng D, Wong TS, Wei-Shen Khoo K, et al.
    J Pain Symptom Manage, 2019 04;57(4):802-808.
    PMID: 30684635 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2019.01.009
    CONTEXT: Dyspnea is a common and distressing symptom in respiratory diseases. Despite advances in the treatment of various lung diseases, the treatment modalities for dyspnea remain limited.

    OBJECTIVES: This study aims to examine the effect of 20-minute mindful breathing on the rapid reduction of dyspnea at rest in patients with lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma.

    METHODS: We conducted a parallel-group, nonblinded, randomized controlled trial of standard care plus 20-minute mindful breathing vs. standard care alone for patients with moderate to severe dyspnea due to lung disease, named previously, at the respiratory unit of University Malaya Medical Centre in Malaysia, from August 1, 2017, to March 31, 2018.

    RESULTS: Sixty-three participants were randomly assigned to standard care plus a 20-minute mindful breathing session (n = 32) or standard care alone (n = 31), with no difference in their demographic and clinical characteristics. There was statistically significant reduction in dyspnea in the mindful breathing group compared with the control group at minute 5 (U = 233.5, n1 = 32, n2 = 31, mean rank1 = 23.28, mean rank2 = 37.72, z = -3.574, P asthma.

    Matched MeSH terms: Asthma/physiopathology*
  6. Thavagnanam S, Parker JC, McBrien ME, Skibinski G, Shields MD, Heaney LG
    PLoS One, 2014;9(1):e85802.
    PMID: 24475053 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0085802
    Differentiated paediatric epithelial cells can be used to study the role of epithelial cells in asthma. Nasal epithelial cells are easier to obtain and may act as a surrogate for bronchial epithelium in asthma studies. We assessed the suitability of nasal epithelium from asthmatic children to be a surrogate for bronchial epithelium using air-liquid interface cultures.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asthma/physiopathology*
  7. Hooi LN
    Med J Malaysia, 2003 Oct;58(4):506-15.
    PMID: 15190625
    A study was conducted to determine the clinical factors that affect the quality of life in adult asthmatics. As part of their routine follow-up visit, 399 patients completed the SF-36 quality of life questionnaire, had peak expiratory flow rate readings (PEFR) taken and were interviewed to determine current symptom severity. The grade of severity of asthma was verified by the consultant physician in-charge. The mean age of the patients was 41.8 years and 31.8% of the patients were men. Most of the patients were Malay (64.7%), 89% had at least secondary level education and the mean duration of asthma was 17.6 years. The majority of patients had moderate or severe disease (43.6% and 55.9% respectively). For asthmatics with moderate or severe symptoms of chest tightness and/or shortness of breath, all domains of SF-36 scored significantly lower than those with mild symptoms, with the exception of the domain bodily pain. Patients with moderate/severe cough recorded significantly lower scores than those with mild cough for all domains except for bodily pain and social functioning. Only the physical functioning, role physical, general health and role emotional scores were significantly worse in those with a consultant grade of severe asthma compared to those with mild/moderate asthma. Patients with PEFR < 80% predicted had lower scores for the domains physical functioning, role physical and general health than those with PEFR > or = 80% predicted, but the scores for the other domains were similar in both groups. Quality of life is significantly impaired in adult asthmatics with current respiratory symptoms. However, consultant grade of severity of asthma and PEFR readings do not affect quality of life scores as much.
    Study site: Asthma clinics, hospitals, Malaysia
    Matched MeSH terms: Asthma/physiopathology*
  8. Siew BTT, Wong JL, Beniyamin A, Ho A, Kannan SKK, Jamalul Azizi AR
    Med J Malaysia, 2012 Apr;67(2):204-6.
    PMID: 22822644 MyJurnal
    INTRODUCTION: Patients with asthma-like symptoms pose a diagnostic dilemma when physical examination is normal. The usual practice in Malaysia would be to give empirical asthma treatment. Bronchial challenge test (BCT) is widely used in many countries to diagnose asthma objectively but it is not widely available in Malaysia.
    OBJECTIVE: To describe our experience with BCT using methacholine at Queen Elizabeth Hospital as a supporting tool in the investigation of patients with asthma-like symptoms.
    METHODOLOGY: Review of case notes of patients who underwent BCT from July 2008 till April 2009. BCT was performed via dosimeter technique. Results were classified as high hyper responsiveness if the provocative dose of methacholine required to achieve 20% fall in FEV1 (PD20) was less than or equal to 0.125 micromol, moderate hyper responsiveness if PD20 was between 0.125 to 1.99 micromol or mild hyper responsiveness if PD20 was between 2.00 to 6.6 micromol. PD20 of more than 6.6 micromol constitutes a negative MCT.
    RESULTS: 29 patients had BCT during the study period. 19 cases were included in this review. The age ranged from 13 to 70 years old. There were 12 males and 7 females. Duration of symptoms ranged from 2 weeks to 23 years. BCT was positive (mild or moderate hyper responsiveness) in 10 out of 19 patients. No patient had high bronchial hyper responsiveness.
    CONCLUSIONS: BCT is a useful adjunctive tool in the investigation of patients presenting with asthma-like symptoms. This test obviates empirical asthma treatment. BCT should be made available in all major hospitals in Malaysia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asthma/physiopathology
  9. Ahmad NS, Chan MY, Hiew FL, Sharif SA, Vijayasingham P, Thayaparan T, et al.
    Med J Malaysia, 2003 Oct;58(4):526-32.
    PMID: 15190628
    The cornerstone of asthma management is achieving adequate symptom control and patient education. We studied in our local population of asthmatic patients how well their symptoms were controlled with currently prescribed treatment and their insight into the disease and its management. Over a 6-month period, 93 asthmatics recruited from two local government health clinics and a state hospital were interviewed using a standard questionnaire. Patients were classified into 4 groups based on the treatment they were on according to Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) treatment guidelines. The number of patients in Step 1 (rescue medication alone), Step 2 (1 controller medication), Step 3 (2 controller medications) and Step 4 (at least 3 controller medications) were 8, 39, 34 and 12, respectively. Except for day symptoms in Step 1 group, fewer than 50% achieved minimum day or night symptoms and no restriction of daily activities. Questions on patient insight were only available for 50 patients. Weather change (74%), air pollution (66%) and physical stress (46%) were the three highest ranked common asthma triggers. More than half correctly recognized the important symptoms of a serious asthma attack but fewer than 15% were familiar with the peak flow meter and its use or with the asthma self-management plan. Most patients perceived that their treatment had helped reduce disease severity and exacerbations. We conclude that symptom control and some aspect of patient education are still lacking in our local asthmatics.
    Study site: Hospital Tuanku Jaafar, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan; Klinik Kesihatan Seremban; Klinik Kesihatan Ampangan, Malaysia
    Matched MeSH terms: Asthma/physiopathology*
  10. Sararaks S, Rugayah B, Azman AB, Karuthan C, Low LL
    Med J Malaysia, 2001 Sep;56(3):350-8.
    PMID: 11732082
    Asthma can place considerable restrictions on the physical, emotional and social aspects of the lives of patients. The assessment of quality of life aims to provide a means of measuring the impact of this disease on patients' lives, from the patients' perspective. A cross sectional multi-centre study was conducted in six government hospitals throughout the country. Self-administered SF-36 was used, and clinical information obtained through interviews and examination. 1612 asthmatics responded. Females constituted 63% of the respondents; mean age was 40.9 years; Malays were the majority ethnic group, while 70.8% had secondary level education and 53.7% were employed. Half had suffered from asthma for at least 13 years, while 46.8% and 23.6% have moderate and severe disease respectively. Quality of life was affected by severity of disease. Asthmatics, had a significantly poorer quality of life than the general US population. Severe asthma disease was associated with a compromised quality of life, similar to that of COPD.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asthma/physiopathology*
  11. Singh OP, Ahmed IB, Malarvili MB
    Technol Health Care, 2018;26(5):785-794.
    PMID: 30124456 DOI: 10.3233/THC-181288
    BACKGROUND: Assessment of asthma outside of the hospital using a patient independent device is highly in demand due to the limitation of existing devices, which are manual and unreliable if patients are not cooperative.

    OBJECTIVE: The study aims to verify the use of newly developed human respiration, carbon dioxide (CO2) measurement device for the management of asthma outside of the hospital.

    METHOD: The data were collected from 60 subjects aged between 18-35 years via convenience sampling method reported in UTM Health Center using the device. Furthermore, the data were normalized and analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, and area (Az) under receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC).

    RESULT: Findings revealed that the normalized mean values of end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2), Hjorth Activity (HA), and respiratory rate (RR) were lower in asthmatic compared with healthy subjects with minimum deviation from the mean. In addition, each parameter was found to significantly differ statistically for asthma and non-asthma with p< 0.05. Furthermore, the Az shows the strong association for the screening of asthma and non-asthma with an average of 0.71 (95% CI: 0.57-0.83), 0.77 (95% CI: 0.64-0.90), and 0.83 (95% CI: 0.73-0.94) for RR, EtCO2, and HA, respectively.

    CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the newly developed handheld human respiration CO2 measurement device may possibly be used as an effort-independent asthma management method outside of the hospital.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asthma/physiopathology*
  12. Yaacob I, Mohammad M
    Singapore Med J, 1993 Dec;34(6):522-3.
    PMID: 8153715
    Seventy-five adult asthmatic patients with clinical remission underwent spirometry. Only 8.3% of the subjects demonstrated normal spirometry. The others had reduced vital capacity (VC), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), maximum mid-expiratory flow rate (MMF) and peak flow rate (PEFR). This study demonstrates that asthma can cause irreversible airflow obstruction and there is a poor relationship between symptoms in asthmatics and their respiratory function test results.
    Study site: Chest clinic, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM), Kelantan, Malaysia
    Matched MeSH terms: Asthma/physiopathology*
  13. Yusoff NA, Hampton SM, Dickerson JW, Morgan JB
    J R Soc Promot Health, 2004 Mar;124(2):74-80.
    PMID: 15067979 DOI: 10.1177/146642400412400211
    Current understanding of the use of exclusion diets in the management of asthma in children is limited and controversial. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of excluding eggs and milk on the occurrence of symptoms in children with asthma and involved 22 children aged between three and 14 years clinically diagnosed as having mild to moderate disease. The investigation was single blind and prospective, and parents were given the option of volunteering to join the 'experiment' group, avoiding eggs, milk and their products for eight weeks, or the 'control' group, who consumed their customary food. Thirteen children were recruited to the experimental group and nine to the control group. A trained paediatrician at the beginning and end of the study period assessed the children. A seven-day assessment of food intake was made before, during and immediately after the period of dietary intervention in both groups. A blood sample was taken from each child for determination of food specific antibodies and in those children who could do so, the peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) was measured. Based on the recommended nutrient intake (RNI), the mean percentage energy intake of the children in the experimental group was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in the experimental group. After the eight-week study period and compared with baseline values, the mean serum anti-ovalbumin IgG and anti-beta lactoglobulin IgG concentrations were statistically significantly reduced (p < 0.05) for both in the experimental group. In contrast, the values for anti-ovalbumin IgG in the control group were significantly increased and those for anti-beta lactoglobulin IgG were practically unchanged. The total IgE values were unchanged in both groups. Over the study period, the PEFR in those children in the experimental group able to perform the test was significantly increased, but no such change was noted in the children in the control group who could do the test. These results suggest that even over the short time period of eight weeks, an egg- and milk-free diet can reduce atopic symptoms and improve lung function in asthmatic children.
    Study site: Outpatient Department, Royal County Hospital and the Frimley Children’s Centre, United Kingdom
    Matched MeSH terms: Asthma/physiopathology
  14. Price D, David-Wang A, Cho SH, Ho JC, Jeong JW, Liam CK, et al.
    J Asthma, 2016 09;53(7):761-9.
    PMID: 27096388 DOI: 10.3109/02770903.2016.1141951
    OBJECTIVE: We examined the physician perspectives on asthma management in Asia.

    METHODS: An online/face-to-face, questionnaire-based survey of respiratory specialists and primary care physicians from eight Asian countries/region was carried out. The survey explored asthma control, inhaler selection, technique and use; physician-patient communications and asthma education. Inclusion criteria were >50% of practice time spent on direct patient care; and treated >30 patients with asthma per month, of which >60% were aged >12 years.

    RESULTS: REALISE Asia (Phase 2) involved 375 physicians with average 15.9(±6.8) years of clinical experience. 89.1% of physicians reporting use of guidelines estimated that 53.2% of their patients have well-controlled (GINA-defined) asthma. Top consideration for inhaler choice was asthma severity (82.4%) and lowest, socio-economic status (32.5%). Then 54.7% of physicians checked their patients' inhaler techniques during consultations but 28.2(±19.1)% of patients were using their inhalers incorrectly; 21.1-57.9% of physicians could spot improper inhaler techniques in video demonstrations. And 79.6% of physicians believed combination inhalers could increase adherence because of convenience (53.7%), efficacy (52.7%) and usability (18.9%). Initial and follow-up consultations took 16.8(±8.4) and 9.2(±5.3) minutes, respectively. Most (85.1%) physicians used verbal conversations and least (24.5%), video demonstrations of inhaler use; 56.8% agreed that patient attitudes influenced their treatment approach.

    CONCLUSION: Physicians and patients have different views of 'well-controlled' asthma. Although physicians informed patients about asthma and inhaler usage, they overestimated actual usage and patients' knowledge was sub-optimal. Physician-patient interactions can be augmented with understanding of patient attitudes, visual aids and ancillary support to perform physical demonstrations to improve treatment outcomes.

    Matched MeSH terms: Asthma/physiopathology
  15. Howe TA, Jaalam K, Ahmad R, Sheng CK, Nik Ab Rahman NH
    J Emerg Med, 2011 Dec;41(6):581-9.
    PMID: 19272745 DOI: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2008.10.017
    STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine if the slope of Phase II and Phase III, and the alpha angle of the expiratory capnographic waveform, as measured via computer-recognizable algorithms, can reflect changes in bronchospasm in acute asthmatic non-intubated patients presenting to the emergency department (ED).
    METHODS: In this prospective study carried out in a university hospital ED, 30 patients with acute asthma were monitored with clinical severity scoring and peak flow measurements, and then had a nasal cannula attached for sidestream sampling of expired carbon dioxide. The capnographic waveform was recorded onto a personal computer card for analysis. The patients were treated according to departmental protocols. After treatment, when they had improved enough for discharge, a second set of results was obtained for capnographic waveform recording. The pre-treatment and post-treatment results were then compared with paired-samples t-test analysis.
    RESULTS: On the capnographic waveform pre- and post-treatment, there was a significant difference in the slope of Phase III (p < 0.001) and alpha angle (p < 0.001), but not in the Phase II slope (p = 0.35). There was significant change in peak flow meter reading, but it was poorly correlated with all the capnographic indices.
    CONCLUSION: The study provides some preliminary data showing that capnographic waveform indices can indicate improvement in airway diameter in acute asthmatics in the ED. Capnographic waveform analysis presents several advantages in that it is effort-independent, and provides continuous monitoring of normal tidal respiration. With further refined studies, it may serve as a new method of monitoring non-intubated asthmatics in the ED.
    Study site: Emergency department, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM), Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia
    Matched MeSH terms: Asthma/physiopathology
  16. Cai GH, Hashim JH, Hashim Z, Ali F, Bloom E, Larsson L, et al.
    Pediatr Allergy Immunol, 2011 May;22(3):290-7.
    PMID: 21457336 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-3038.2010.01127.x
    While there is a large variation of prevalence of asthma symptoms worldwide, what we do know is that it is on the rise in developing countries. However, there are few studies on allergens, moulds and mycotoxin exposure in schools in tropical countries. The aims were to measure selected fungal DNA, furry pet allergens and mycotoxins in dust samples from schools in Malaysia and to study associations with pupils' respiratory health effects. Eight secondary schools and 32 classrooms in Johor Bahru, Malaysia were randomly selected. A questionnaire with standardized questions was used for health assessment in 15 randomly selected pupils from each class. The school buildings were inspected and both indoor and outdoor climate were measured. Dust samples were collected by cotton swabs and Petri dishes for fungal DNA, mycotoxins and allergens analysis. The participation rate was 96% (462/480 invited pupils), with a mean age of 14 yr (range 14-16). The pupils mostly reported daytime breathlessness (41%), parental asthma or allergy (22%), pollen or pet allergy (21%) and doctor-diagnosed asthma (13%) but rarely reported night-time breathlessness (7%), asthma in the last 12 months (3%), medication for asthma (4%) or smoking (5%). The inspection showed that no school had any mechanical ventilation system, but all classrooms had openable windows that were kept open during lectures. The mean building age was 16 yr (range 3-40) and the mean indoor and outdoor CO(2) levels were 492 ppm and 408 ppm, respectively. The mean values of indoor and outdoor temperature and relative humidity were the same, 29°C and 70% respectively. In cotton swab dust samples, the Geometric Mean (GM) value for total fungal DNA and Aspergillus/Penicillium (Asp/Pen) DNA in swab samples (Cell Equivalents (CE)/m(2)) was 5.7*10(8) and 0.5*10(8), respectively. The arithmetic mean (CE/m(2)) for Aspergillus versicolor DNA was 8780, Stachybotrys chartarum DNA was 26 and Streptomyces DNA was 893. The arithmetic means (pg/m(2)) for the mycotoxins sterigmatocystin and verrucarol were 2547 and 17, respectively. In Petri dish dust samples, the GM value for total fungal DNA and Asp/Pen DNA (CE/m(2) per day) was 9.2*10(6) and 1.6*10(6), respectively. The arithmetic mean (CE/m(2) per day) for A. versicolor DNA was 1478, S. chartarum DNA was 105 and Streptomyces DNA was 1271, respectively. The GM value for cat (Fel d1) allergen was 5.9 ng/m(2) per day. There were positive associations between A. versicolor DNA, wheeze and daytime breathlessness and between Streptomyces DNA and doctor-diagnosed asthma. However, the associations were inverse between S. chartarum DNA and daytime breathlessness and between verrucarol and daytime breathlessness. In conclusion, fungal DNA and cat allergen contamination were common in schools from Malaysia and there was a high prevalence of respiratory symptoms among pupils. Moreover, there were associations between levels of some fungal DNA and reported respiratory health in the pupils.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asthma/physiopathology*
  17. Loh LC, Kanabar V, D'Amato M, Barnes NC, O'Connor BJ
    Asian Pac J Allergy Immunol, 2005 Dec;23(4):189-96.
    PMID: 16572738
    Sputum induction with nebulized hypertonic saline is increasingly being used to evaluate airway inflammation. We investigated the procedure-associated risk in 16 asthmatics that were still symptomatic despite on high doses of regular corticosteroid (CS) therapy (7 on daily inhaled CS > or = 800 microg budesonide or equivalent; 9 on additional daily oral CS) and their sputum cellular profile. For comparison, 12 mild stable asthmatics and 10 normal healthy subjects were included. All subjects inhaled 3%, 4% and 5% hypertonic saline sequentially via ultrasonic nebulizer as a means to induce sputum. Maximal percentage fall of Forced Expiratory Volume on One Second (FEV1) during sputum induction was significantly greater in CS-dependent asthmatics (median % [IQR]: 16.0 [11.0-32.3]) than in mild asthmatics (5.3 [4.2-10.8], p = 0.002] and in normal subjects (4.6 [3.4-6.4]), p = 0.0001). The maximal percentage FEV1 fall was inversely correlated with baseline FEV1 (Rs= -0.69; p < 0.0001). Compared to mild asthmatics, induced sputum from CS-dependant asthmatics had proportionately fewer eosinophils (2.2 [0.8-7.0] versus 23.3% [10.7-46.3], p = 0.003) and greater neutrophils (64.2 [43.9-81.2] versus 28.7 [19.0-42.6], p = 0.009). Sputum neutrophils showed a significant inverse correlation to FEV1 (Rs = -0.51, p = 0.01). We concluded that sputum induction using nebulized hypertonic saline should be performed with caution in CS-dependant asthmatics. The airway cellular profile observed suggests that the immunopathology underlying CS-dependant asthmatics may be different or a consequence of CS therapy.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asthma/physiopathology
  18. Nabi FG, Sundaraj K, Lam CK, Palaniappan R
    Comput Biol Med, 2019 01;104:52-61.
    PMID: 30439599 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2018.10.035
    OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate and classify wheeze sounds of asthmatic patients according to their severity level (mild, moderate and severe) using spectral integrated (SI) features.

    METHOD: Segmented and validated wheeze sounds were obtained from auscultation recordings of the trachea and lower lung base of 55 asthmatic patients during tidal breathing manoeuvres. The segments were multi-labelled into 9 groups based on the auscultation location and/or breath phases. Bandwidths were selected based on the physiology, and a corresponding SI feature was computed for each segment. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were then performed to investigate the discriminatory behaviour of the features with respect to the severity levels in the various groups. The asthmatic severity levels in the groups were then classified using the ensemble (ENS), support vector machine (SVM) and k-nearest neighbour (KNN) methods.

    RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: All statistical comparisons exhibited a significant difference (p asthma severity levels. In addition, the classification performances of the inspiratory and expiratory related groups were comparable, suggesting that the samples from these locations are equally informative.

    Matched MeSH terms: Asthma/physiopathology*
  19. Nabi FG, Sundaraj K, Lam CK, Palaniappan R
    J Asthma, 2020 04;57(4):353-365.
    PMID: 30810448 DOI: 10.1080/02770903.2019.1576193
    Objective: This study aimed to statistically analyze the behavior of time-frequency features in digital recordings of wheeze sounds obtained from patients with various levels of asthma severity (mild, moderate, and severe), and this analysis was based on the auscultation location and/or breath phase. Method: Segmented and validated wheeze sounds were collected from the trachea and lower lung base (LLB) of 55 asthmatic patients during tidal breathing maneuvers and grouped into nine different datasets. The quartile frequencies F25, F50, F75, F90 and F99, mean frequency (MF) and average power (AP) were computed as features, and a univariate statistical analysis was then performed to analyze the behavior of the time-frequency features. Results: All features generally showed statistical significance in most of the datasets for all severity levels [χ2 = 6.021-71.65, p asthma severity levels of patients can be identified through a set of selected features with tidal breathing, (2) tracheal wheeze sounds are more sensitive and specific predictors of severity levels and (3) inspiratory and expiratory wheeze sounds are almost equally informative.
    Matched MeSH terms: Asthma/physiopathology
  20. Chellappan DK, Hansbro PM, Dua K, Hsu A, Gupta G, Ng ZY, et al.
    Pharm Nanotechnol, 2017;5(4):250-254.
    PMID: 28786351 DOI: 10.2174/2211738505666170808094635
    BACKGROUND: Vesicular systems like nanotechnology and liposomes are gaining tremendous attention lately in the field of respiratory diseases. These formulations enhance bioavailability of the drug candidate, which could be achieved through a novel drug delivery mechanism. Moreover, the therapeutic potential achieved through these systems is highly controllable over long durations of time providing better efficacy and patient compliance.

    OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper is to review the recent literature on vesicular drug delivery systems containing curcumin.

    METHODS: We have collated and summarized various recent attempts made to develop different controlled release drug delivery systems containing curcumin which would be of great interest for herbal, formulation and biological scientists. There are several vesicular nanotechnological techniques involving curcumin which have been studied recently, targeting pulmonary diseases.

    RESULTS: Different vesicular systems containing curcumin are being studied for their therapeutic potential in different respiratory diseases. There has been a renewed interest in formulations containing curcumin recently, primarily owing to the broad spectrum therapeutic potential of this miracle substance. Various types of formulations, containing curcumin, targeting different bodily systems have recently emerged and, nevertheless, the search for newer frontiers with this drug goes on.

    CONCLUSION: This mini review, in this direction, tries to highlight the key research interventions employing vesicular systems of drug delivery with curcumin.

    Matched MeSH terms: Asthma/physiopathology
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