Bronchial Response Study of Asthmatic Patients Using an Atmosphere-Changing Chamber.

We studied the bronchial response to low-pressure conditions by using an atmosphere-controlling chamber. When asthmatic patients were put in a chamber in which the pressure was reduced gradually, their small airways did not change until an estimated 1,000-meter level and from an estimated 1,500 m asthmatic patients' lung function crossed to that of normal subjects. For astmatics there was a remarkable change in saturation of oxygen under low-pressure conditions. Many patients complained of typanophonia under negative-pressure conditions. From these, data we must consider the barometric pressure influence on asthmatic patients.

Changes in Histamine/Tryptase Levels in Skin Chambers: Application for Clinical Evaluation of Atopic Dermatitis.

We measured changes in histamine and tryptase levels in fluid of children with atopic dermatitis using skin chamber methods and evaluated the correlation with clinical symptoms. Skin chambers were applied to forearm skin which had been scratched with a needle, and an extract of Dermatophagoides farinae (mite antigen) at 50 µg/ml in saline was added through 0.3-µm filters as a challenge. We measured the concentrations of tryptase and histamine 2, 6, 12, and 24 h after challenge. The skin chamber test was done before and after hospitalization therapy or beach camp therapy. We also tested patients with atopic dermatitis of varying severity, asthmatic patients without dermatitis, and normal volunteers. The histamine levels dramatically increased 24 h after challenge with mite antigen in patients with severe atopic dermatitis, whereas this was not observed in patients with mild atopic dermatitis or asthma and in normal volunteers. The levels of histamine in the chambers 24 h after challenge decreased along with improvement of skin condition after various kinds of treatment and beach camp therapy. These results indicate that the skin chamber test will be a useful objective tool to evaluate the skin conditions of patients with atopic dermatitis. The increase of histamine level was not accompanied by an increase in tryptase level, suggesting the importance of basophil activation in this disease.