Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Randomized placebo-controlled trial comparing fluticasone aqueous nasal spray in mono-therapy, fluticasone plus cetirizine, fluticasone plus montelukast and cetirizine plus montelukast for seasonal allergic rhinitis.
Corticosteroids are considered to be particularly effective in reducing nasal congestion and are therefore recommended as first-line treatment in allergic rhinitis patients with moderate to severe and/or persistent symptoms. ⋯ The results of this comparative study demonstrate that FPANS is highly effective for treating patients affected by allergic rhinitis, with efficacy exceeding that of CTZ plus MSK in combined therapy. In addition, the regular combined therapy of FPANS plus CTZ or plus MSK would not seem to offer substantial advantage with respect to FPANS in mono-therapy in patients affected by seasonal allergic rhinitis.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Pets and vermin are associated with high endotoxin levels in house dust.
Previous studies have shown that the risk for allergic sensitization is lower in children who grew up on farms and in young adults who were exposed to dogs in early childhood. A higher microbial exposure in general and in particular to endotoxin in early childhood might contribute to this lower risk of atopy. ⋯ Keeping a dog or a cat in the home is consistent with higher exposure to endotoxin and might therefore contribute to the lower risk of atopy in later life.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Effect of a 4-week treatment with theophylline on sputum eosinophilia and sputum eosinophil chemotactic activity in steroid-naive asthmatics.
The precise mechanism of action of theophylline in asthma is not fully understood but recent data have drawn attention to its potential anti-inflammatory effect. ⋯ Theophylline decreases the natural sputum eosinophil chemotactic activity present in asthmatics. However, when using a small sample size, the 35% reduction in sputum eosinophilia achieved by theophylline failed to reach statistical significance when compared to that seen after placebo.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Comparison of the efficacy, safety and quality of life provided by fexofenadine hydrochloride 120 mg, loratadine 10 mg and placebo administered once daily for the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis.
As there have been no previously published studies, this multinational, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel group study compared the efficacy, safety and impact on quality of life (QoL) in seasonal allergic rhinitis patients (SAR) of fexofenadine and loratadine (with placebo), when administered once daily. ⋯ Fexofenadine HCl and loratadine administered once daily are effective and well tolerated in SAR. In this study, fexofenadine HCl was significantly more effective than loratadine in relieving eye symptoms and nasal congestion. Furthermore, fexofenadine was significantly better than loratadine in improving QoL.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Exposure to systemic prednisolone for 4 hours reduces ex vivo synthesis of GM-CSF by bronchoalveolar lavage cells and blood mononuclear cells of mild allergic asthmatics.
In acute severe asthma, the earliest clinical effects of glucocorticosteroids occur from 4 to 5 h after systemic administration, but the mechanisms are unclear. In persistent asthma, corticosteroids are thought to suppress airway inflammation by modulating the expression of adhesion molecules, enzymes, and leucotactic cytokines, including granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). GM-CSF is also overexpressed in the airways of symptomatic asthmatics. ⋯ LPS-stimulated GM-CSF synthesis ex vivo is abolished in BAL cells of mild asthmatic and normal subjects, and in PBMCs of asthmatics, obtained 4 h after a single intravenous dose of prednisolone. Suppression of GM-CSF synthesis in airway and blood leucocytes may contribute to the early clinical efficacy of systemic glucocorticoids in acute allergic asthma.