The purpose of our pilot study was to investigate the association between Pro198Leu polymorphism in the glutathione peroxidase-1 gene (GPX1) and susceptibility to atopic and non-atopic asthma in Russian residents of the Central region of Russia. Blood samples from 213 asthmatics and 205 healthy controls matched on gender and age were analyzed for P198L polymorphism of the GPX1 gene using PCR-RFLP methods. The association of 198Pro/Leu GPX1 genotype (OR = 1,53; p = 0,05) with susceptibility to atopic BA was found. However, the 198Pro/Leu genotype of the glutathione peroxidase-1 gene was found to be associated with atopic BA in males only (OR = 2,21; p = 0,01).

This prospective randomized trial involved 150 outpatients receiving Symbicort Turbuhaler and 150 patients who continued treatment administered before they entered the trial (the typical practice group). The administration of Symbicort was more beneficial according to 4 criteria of clinical efficacy (physical activity limitation, rate of daytime and nighttime symptoms, need in short-acting β₂-agonists which were assessed with 5-point scales) and to FEV₁. Therapy with Symbicort was slightly more expensive but its cost-effectiveness ratio was more beneficial compared with that of typical therapy with cromones or inhaled steroids alone or when combined with long-acting β₂ -agonists.

The objective of the study was to evaluate right and left heart hemodynamics, right (RV) and left (LV) ventricular dyastolic function and effectiveness of nebulized bronchodilators. The study involved 86 elderly patients with bronchial asthma (BA). The control group included 22 elderly patients without lung or heart diseases. The results found remodeling RV and LV, RV and LV dyastolic dysfunction that worsened as asthma severity increased. These parameters correlated to a level of pulmonary hypertension which was mostly moderate (35.0 ± 7.9 mmHg). Nebulized bronchodilators improved the heart hemodynamics: pulmonary hypertension reduced, time and velocity parameters of RV and LV improved. The most effective medication in elderly patients with BA was Berodual.

Influence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Мр) infection on asthma course and quality of life (QoL) of asthmatic patients was studied. Mp infection was diagnosed using specific immunoglobulins and PCR. The 6-week course of antibacterial therapy with azithromycin (Zitrolidum) was administered followed by analysis of clinical features and QoL. The latter was done using the AQLQ questionnaire with consideration of gender, asthma severity, contamination with and Мp eradication. Negative influence of Мp on clinical course of asthma and QoL was found. Therapy with Zitrolidum led to Мp eradication in 43 % of the cases, clinical improvement and increasing QoL in successfully treated patients. The results allow recommendation of azithromycin as a possible addition to the basic therapy of patients with severe asthma and laboratory signs of Mp infection.

The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of compliance to basic therapy for asthma on rate of exacerbations. The asthma patients were interviewed with a specialized questionnaire before and after their studying at asthma-school. The authors revealed that only 12.7 % of the patients were fully compliant with a physician's recommendations on basic therapy and 23.1 % were not before studying; after that the proportion was 69.6 % and 0.7 %, respectively. Before attending the asthma-school, 61.8 % of the patients had 2 or more admissions to a hospital for a year, this number reduced to 4.4 % after school. Therefore, the results highlight a direct relationship between compliance to the basic therapy for asthma and the rate of hospitalizations. This allows significant reduction in hospital admission due to thorough keeping to the physician's recommendations on basic therapy for asthma.

It is well known that efficacy of asthma treatment depends on a choice of a basic medication as well as on a delivery system. The aim of this study was a comparison of clinical efficacy of equal doses of beclomethasone dipropionate (Beclasone Eco Easi Breathe) and fluticasone propionate (Flixotide) via MDI. The study was designed as a randomized open prospective comparative trial. Findings of 26 patients with moderate and severe asthma of > 18 yrs old were analyzed, such as medical history, physical findings, spirometric and bronchodilating test results, heart beat rate and blood pressure, quality of life (QoL) using Russian version of AQLQ questionnaire. After the run-in period the patients randomly received Beclasone Eco Easi Breathe 500 to 1000 μg daily or Flixotide at the same doses for 4 weeks followed the cross-over change of the drugs for the next 4 weeks. After 1 month of the treatment, significant improvements in airflow parameters, need in short-acting β2 -agonists and QoL have been reported. After changing the drugs these effects have been maintained with no further reliable improvement. Thus, the study demonstrated similar efficacy and safety of these inhaled steroids that could be considered as being clinically equal in treatment of moderate and severe asthma.

The work was aimed to investigate the erythrocyte cation transport in patients with asthma with respect to bronchial hyperreactivity on anisosmotic solutions and its correction using inhaled furosemide. Rubidium uptake by and Na+ loss from erythrocytes incubated in Rb-Mg2+ solution were determined with flame emission using Perkin-Elmer АА 306 spectrophotometer. Bronchial hyperreactivity was studied using challenge tests with inhaled distilled water and hypertonic saline solution (3.6 %). In a day after the challenge test the patients inhaled 1 % solution of furosemide (60 mg, 4 ml) followed by the repeated bronchial challenge test which was performed twice at 30-min interval. The 10 to 15 % increase in erythrocyte Na+ concentration was found. Na⁺ -K⁺ pump activity in the erythrocytes increased by 34–38 %. Na⁺-K⁺-2Cl-co-transport in erythrocytes was 60-65 % higher than in healthy donors and was significantly higher in patients with bronchial hyperreactivity compared with that of patients without bronchi hyperreactivity. Inhaled furosemide inhalation was found to improve bronchial airflow parameters such as FEV₁ and FEF₅₀. The data obtained revealed alteration of erythrocyte cation transport in asthma patients as well as bronchodilating and protective effects of inhaled furosemide.

Efficacy of combination of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) and tiotropium bromide (TB) was studied in the open prospective randomized comparative trial in 87 patients with moderate and severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the mean FEV₁ , 1.70 ± 0.43 L (49.1 ± 10.7 %_pred. ). Of them, 46 patients received TB (Spiriva) 18 μg daily plus 8-wk PR course (the PR+TB group) and 41 patients received the PR alone (the PR group). Physical tolerability was assessed using 6-minute walk distance (6-MWD), dyspnea was evaluated with the baseline (BDI) and transitional (TDI) dyspnea indices, quality of life (QoL) was assessed using St.George's Respiratory Questionnaire. We also assessed rate and length of exacerbations of COPD. The TB+PR group had FEV₁ higher compared with the PR group after the 92nd day of the study. The 6-MWD increased by 24.6 % (60.2 ± 9.5 m, р = 0.03) and by 19.8 % (50.4 ± 9.1 m), respectively, to the end of the study. In a year, the total dyspnea score was 0.75 ± 0.25 in the TB + PR group and 0.44 in the PR group (р < 0.05). The exacerbation rate reduced by 22.5 %, the number of exacerbations per one patient per a year decreased by 31.6 %, and the number of days of exacerbation per one patient per a year decreased by 25.3 % (p < 0.05) in the TB + PR group compared with the PR group. To the end of the study clinically significant improvement in QoL was found in 49 % of the TB + PR patients and in 27 % of the PR patients (р = 0.001). Therefore, the results have demonstrated the combinations of TB+PR to be superior to the PR alone in moderate and severe COPD patients that was as better lung function, higher physical tolerance, clinically significant improvement of dyspnea, less use of salbutamol as-needed, higher QoL, longer (up to 6 months) maintenance of the rehabilitation success.

A retrospective epidemiological study of morbidity of trachea, bronchi, and lung neoplasms during 1995–2005 and their qualitative and quantitative analysis have been performed. A role of environmental pollution for structure and dynamics of morbidity of these malignancies was evaluated. As a result, the morbidity of trachea, bronchi, and lung malignancies in 1995–2005 was 246.19 ± 15.86 cases per 100,000 of Magnitogorsk population with a stable growing tendency (R = 0.94). The primary morbidity of trachea, bronchi, and lung carcinomas at this population was 59.02 ± 7.05 cases per a year per 100,000 of population and also tended to growth (R₂ = 0.92). There were high relative, probable, and attributive risks of occurrence of trachea, bronchi, and lung carcinomas (RR = 1.18; RT = 0.84; RA = 0.96). These risks were shown to be ecologically induced (80.9 % of the RR, RA = 0.96) due to air (formaldehyde, benzol, lead) and soil (nickel) carcinogens.

Asthma control in clinical trials achieves 25 to 68 %; it is significantly lower in real-life clinical practice. This study was designed as a prospective open study for evaluating asthma control in 104 asthmatic adults in primary care settings of Omsk city. The efficacy of treatment has being assessed during 6 months using the validated Russian version of ACT questionnaire; score < 20 was considered as uncontrolled asthma, 20–24 as a good control, and 25 as the full control. The patients received budesonide (Benacort), beclomethasone dipropionate (Beclasone ECO Ease Breathe), budesonide/formoterol (Symbicort), or fluticasone (Flixotide) as the basic therapy; 4 patients were treated with symptomatic therapy alone. Asthma control improved by 3 to 8 points in average while using inhaled steroids and by 1.25 points under the symptomatic treatment. Severe asthma patients failed to reach the control. Improvement in asthma control was similar for all basic medications. Abilities to further improvement in asthma control are thought to improve quality of management of asthma patients in primary care settings.

There is information on efficacy of immunostimulating agents as a part of therapy of lung tuberculosis. Nucleotide biocorrector is a mixture of nucleotides and nucleosides derived from baking yeast of the Saccharomyces cerevis genus and presenting wide immunomodulating properties. The aim of this study was to investigate efficacy of this agent along with combined chemotherapy in 52 patients with destructive lung tuberculosis. Of them, 27 patients were treated with nucleotide biocorrector (3 g per day orally during 1 month) and conventional chemotherapeutic medication (the study group) and 25 patients (the control group) received equal chemotherapy alone. All the patients were MBT-positive. Immunological examination (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, СD16+, and CD20+ lymphocytes and their functional activity, anti-MBT-antibodies) was done before and 1 month after starting the treatment; clinical, radiological and laboratory investigations were performed at the same time and additionally in 3 month. Addition of biocorrector to the standard chemotherapy of lung tuberculosis allowed faster normalization of CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes, enhanced functional activity of T-cell immunity and increased number of CD20+ B-lymphocytes. Moreover, this therapy has facilitated resolution of lung infiltration, eradication of MBT and recovery of tuberculous cavities by the 3rd month of the treatment. Tolerability of biocorrector was good.