Author Archives: Joy Helmal


Macrolides for the Treatment of Chronic Sinusitis, Asthma, and COPD. Part 3

Following treatment with clarithromycin, 400 mg daily for 4 weeks, significant improvements in mucociliary clearance, volume of secretions, cough frequency, and dyspnea-on-exertion were documented in 32 patients with sinobron-chial syndrome. Low-dose roxithromycin (Rulid; Albert-Roussel Pharma GmbH; Wiesbaden, Germany) was shown to significantly improve the aeration of all four sinuses and to significantly reduce neutrophil and IL-8 levels in the nasal […]


Macrolides for the Treatment of Chronic Sinusitis, Asthma, and COPD. Part 2

Between 1990 and 1992, sinusitis-associated symptoms resulted in > 70 million days of restricted activity. The economic impact of the disease is also staggering, with health-care expenditures in the United States attributable to sinusitis estimated to be about $5.8 billion annually. Nasal congestion, increased quantity and tenacity of secretions, facial pain, and fatigue are common among patients with chronic sinusitis. […]


Macrolides for the Treatment of Chronic Sinusitis, Asthma, and COPD. Part 1

Preliminary data from studies of patients with COPD have shown improvements in symptom scores and FEV1 after macrolide treatment. As biological response modifiers, macrolides have the potential to improve the outcomes of patients with inflammatory airway diseases. Large scale, placebo-controlled clinical trials designed to assess long-term efficacy and safety in these diseases are warranted. Key words: anti-inflammatory activity; asthma; […]


DNA Transfection and Luciferase Assay

DNA Transfection and Luciferase Assay The plasmid NF-kB containing the luciferase coding sequence under the control of NF-kB was kindly supplied by Dr. S. Roman. Cells were seeded at a cell density of 104 cells per well in 96-well plates and were transfected on the following day with plasmid NF-kB (Lipofectamine 2000; Invitrogen SA; Izasa Barcelona, Spain). To […]


In Vitro Model of LPS-induced Inflammation

We hypothesized that the antiinflammatory activity would be an important component of the therapeutic effect of TEL on respiratory infections. Thus, we designed the present study to test the antiinflammatory activity of TEL in an in vitro model of LPS-induced airway inflammation, and to determine whether this antiinflammatory activity occurs in vivo, in a mouse model of acute, LPS-induced […]


Airway inflammation is a common feature of infectious pulmonary diseases

Conclusions: We have provided evidence that TEL exerts potent antiinflammatory effects in LPS-induced airways injury. We propose that TEL acts in the early phase of inflammation by reducing the release of inflammatory mediators through NF-kB inhibition, and in the later phase through enhancement of inflammatory cell apoptosis. Key words: airway inflammation; antiinflammatory activity; apoptosis; macrophage inflammatory protein-2; […]


Type of Diabetes and Erectile Dysfunction

Men with Type 2 diabetes will run the increased risk of developing certain complications including erectile dysfunction. In fact, diabetes is sometimes an early indicator of erectile dysfunction in men of all ages. Diabetes and erectile dysfunction often go hand in hand, even though they are two separate health malfunctions. Men with diabetes are two […]


Levitra Australia: Safety Information

Levitra 20 mg comes in the form of film-coated tablets. Each pack contains 2, 4, 8 or 12 tablets. Levitra is a drug used for treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED) in men – the medical name itself, vardenafil, suggests that it is used against difficulties in getting or maintaining an erection. At least one in […]


Viagra vs. Levitra Australia – Drug Comparison

Every day, thousands of men are frustrated at intimacy with a woman because of problems with potency. Their number reaches 100 million! Not so long ago, to fight this disease there was formulated the world’s most celebrated drug, Viagra, successfully coping with erectile dysfunction, which now became known as impotence. It was used and is […]