This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing theresources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject andinvestigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source,and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed isfor the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator.Asthma is a disease that affects the airways (tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs). In an asthma attack, muscles around the airways constrict (tighten up), making the airway openings narrower and limiting the air flow to the lung tissues. Inflammation (swelling) increases and the airways become narrower, making breathing difficult. Studies have shown that nitric oxide (NO), a marker of airway inflammation, is increased in the breath of people experiencing an asthma attack. We hypothesize that asthma treatment administered during an attack may cause a decrease in the exhaled NO concentration of asthmatics by reducing the amount of inflammation in the lungs and that these changes in exhaled NO levels may be useful indicators in assessing the effectiveness of the asthma treatment. The purpose of this research study is to determine the effects of asthma treatment on the exhaled NO concentration of patients who are receiving treatment in the emergency room (ER) for an asthma attack and whether measuring these changes in exhaled NO levels may be used to monitor their response to the treatment. By better defining this relationship, exhaled NO levels may be used as a potential noninvasive clinical index for discharging asthma patients from the ER.Exhaled nitric oxide will be measured using a fast-response chemiluminescence analyzer (Sievers Model 280 Nitric Oxide Analyzer). The analyzer will be connected by a breathing tube to a mouthpiece which will be used to collect exhaled breath samples from subjects. As subjects slowly exhale into the mouthpiece, their exhaled breath will travel through the breathing tube and into the analyzer, which will measure the concentration of NO in the exhaled air by analyzing the light emitted from the chemical reaction of the exhaled air with ozone. The device, currently located at UCIMC's General Clinical Research Center, sits on a wheeled cart and is portable. When in use during the study, it will be kept in the ED.
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