Allergens, germs and asthma

Objective To explore asthma pathogenesis using data from upper and lower airways. Data Source English-language papers on human asthma and nasal polyp subjects from 1990 onwards. Study Selection High-quality studies in established journals. Results The recognition of its inflammatory nature led to a quantum leap in the understanding and treatment of asthma, with lives saved by inhaled corticosteroids. Further work at genetic, molecular, histological and clinical levels has shown that asthma is polymorphic and rarely involves isolated Th2 bronchial inflammation. Viral infections may act as an initiating event in children and adults, showing synergy with atopy. Chronic staphylococcal colonization of the mucosa may act as a promoter, as in atopic dermatitis. These two observations may be linked, with viruses providing an entry for bacteria into the mucosal epithelium. Conclusions Most asthma begins in the nose and involves allergy and infection: both viral and bacterial. The combination of atopy and infection suggests new possibilities for therapy

The nature of GNP revisions

An examination of the provisional estimates of real GNP growth, concluding that these early estimates are not efficient forecasts of the final GNP numbers.Gross national product

Getting the noise out: filtering early GNP estimates

An analysis of the U.S. Department of Commerce's provisional estimates of GNP as estimates that are contaminated with measurement error; investigates a means of adjusting the numbers to remove the error and to produce more accurate predictions of the final GNP growth estimates.Gross national product

Estimating the underlying inflation rate

Inflation (Finance)

Monetary policy and velocity

Velocity of money ; Demand for money ; Monetary policy - United States

Are we saving enough?

Saving and investment ; Crowding out (Economics) ; Budget deficits

Liability management, bank loans and deposit "market" disequilibrium

Bank loans ; Asset-liability management ; Monetary policy - United States ; Money supply ; Federal Reserve banks ; Credit control

Insurance and managing bank risk-taking

Deposit insurance ; Bank supervision ; Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ; Risk

Short-run monetary control under alternative reserve accounting rules

Bank reserves ; Monetary policy - United States

Volatility in money and interest

Monetary policy - United States ; Money supply ; Interest rates ; Supply-side economics