23 research outputs found
Not so Classical Mechanics - Unexpected Symmetries of Classical Motion
A survey of topics of recent interest in Hamiltonian and Lagrangian dynamical
systems, including accessible discussions of regularization of the central
force problem; inequivalent Lagrangians and Hamiltonians; constants of central
force motion; a general discussion of higher-order Lagrangians and Hamiltonians
with examples from Bohmian quantum mechanics, the Korteweg-de Vries equation
and the logistic equation; gauge theories of Newtonian mechanics; classical
spin, Grassmann numbers, and pseudomechanics.Comment: Einstein Centennial Review Article, 48 page
Young People’s Perspectives in Developing a Survey Item on Factors That Influence Body Image
Analysis of Elderly Travel Patterns in Seoul Metropolitan Area, South Korea, through Sequence Alignment and Motif Search
Montelukast and bronchial inflammation in asthma: a randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled trial.
BACKGROUND: Examination of bronchoalveolar lavage, induced sputum, and peripheral blood indicate that cysteinyl leukotriene receptor blockers decrease inflammatory cells in asthma but these do not examine airway tissue per se. OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to determine the effect of montelukast, a leukotriene receptor antagonist, on airway tissue inflammatory cells by direct bronchoscopic examination of the bronchial mucosa. METHODS: Adult subjects with mild asthma (pre-bronchodilator FEV(1)> or =70% predicted; PC(20) of < or =4 mg/mL) were given 10mg/day oral montelukast (N=38) or placebo (N=37) for 6 weeks. Bronchial mucosal eosinophils and mast cells were identified and counted. RESULTS: Change from baseline in numbers of biopsy EG2+ ("activated") eosinophils was the primary endpoint; numbers of total (chromotrope 2R+) eosinophils and (tryptase+) mast cells were secondary. Unexpectedly, there were many patients with zero EG2+ eosinophils at baseline. There was a within-group decrease in EG2+ cells, from 13.54 cells/mm (at baseline) to 0.79 cells/mm at 6 weeks in the montelukast group (LS mean change; 95% confidence interval=-13.59 [-25.45, -1.74]cells/mm; P<0.05), a change not observed in the placebo group (-1.17 [-13.26, 10.91]cells/mm; NS). The zero-inflated Poisson statistical model demonstrated that montelukast significantly reduced post-treatment EG2+ cells by 80% compared with placebo (95% CI [70.6-86.8%]; P<0.0001). The data for total eosinophils showed similar changes. The reduction in mast cell numbers was 12% (95% CI [7.9, 16.0]; P<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Direct examination of airway tissue confirms that montelukast decreases the number of eosinophils and mast cells in asthma