Effect of training of bicycle ergometer on ventilatory functions for asthmatic children

Children with bronchial asthma, having obstructive ventilatory functions, may benefit from physical therapy besides the standard medical management they receive. Eighty-four asthmatic children were originally enrolled in this study to assess the value of such hypothesis. Children of the experimental group used bicycle ergometer. They practiced training three times/week for eight weeks. Also, they received medical management. A control group received only medical treatment. Only 31 children in both groups could be traced and analyzed to achieve the objective of the study; 20 of them from the experimental group with a mean age of 7.3 +/- 2.1 years and 11 children in the control groups with a mean age of 7 +/- 2.5 years. For both groups, initial ventilatory functions were done, as feasible, immediately after an asthmatic attack finished, then after the end of the scheduled management. The results showed a significant improvement at the end of physical therapy training program when compared with the group with no physical therapy. In spite of a follow up rate of 64.6% of the cases of asthmatic children, physical therapy training proved to be an effective as well as a safe modality, adjuvant to medical management

Pneumocystis carinii in bronchogenic carcinoma compared to other immunocompromised cancer patients using immunofluorescence and immunoperoxidase techniques

Indirect immunofluorescence [IFL] assay was used concomitantly with immunoperoxidase stain for the diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii in 54 cancer patients with respiratory illness. The specimen analyzed was bronchoalveolar lavage fluid [BALF] in 27 patients complaining mainly of blood-tinged sputum for a period of 3-6 months with cough [group one]. Of these patients, 20 were documented by bronchoscopy and histopathology to be bronchogenic carcinoma [subgroup 1A]. Induced sputum was the test specimen in another 27 cancer patients with cough and expectoration for more than one month during receiving their chemotherapy [group two]. In subgroup 1A, eight BALF specimens showed positivity for P. carinii by both techniques. All positive cases for P. Carinii were belonging to subgroup 1A, i.e. proved bronchogenic carcinoma. The immunoperoxidase technique was slightly more specific and as sensitive as IFL. The IFL gave two false positive results as P. carinii cysts were similar to fungi under the fluorescent microscope. On the other hand, only one patient in group two was positive for P. carinii