Maximal mouth pressure may be used to evaluate respiratory muscle strength and follow the progress in patients with neuromuscular disorders, dyspnoea and respiratory failure. For any meaningful interpretation of these values, one needs to know the previous normal values of the person. An alternative method is to compare the values with those predicted for the particular individual based on physical parameters. Two hundred clinically healthy medical students between 18-25 years (100 males and 100 females) without any respiratory, neuromuscular, cardiac and endocrinal disorders were included. Maximal expiratory pressure at total lung capacity and maximal inspiratory pressure at residual volume were measured using Pmax Morgan mouth pressure monitor. Predictive equation have been drawn based on coefficients of chest expansion, weight and body surface area. There was a significant relationship between chest expansion and weight. The inspiratory and expiratory pressures recorded in males and females were lower when compared to Western literature.

In a placebo-controlled study; forty patients of acute asthma were randomly allocated to two groups of 20 patients each. The treatment group received aminophylline bolus injection followed by infusion, in addition to intravenous hydrocortisone and nebulised salbutamol. The control group received placebo instead of aminophylline. Rest of the treatment remained the same. Both the groups were followed up for 13 hours during which their clinical response in the form of Wood’s asthma score and objective response by Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR) were monitored at 0, 1, 5, 9 and 13 hours. Aminophylline levels were estimated at 2 and 8 hours. Wood's asthma score and PEFR showed significant improvement in both the groups as compared to 0 hour (p< 0.001) but the two groups did not differ from each other at any point of time (p > 0.05). The mean serum theophylline concentration in the treatment group was 14.93 ± 4.33 µg/dl at 2 hours and 14.64 ± 4.7 µg/dl at 8 hours, both of which were within the therapeutic range. The adverse drug reactions were more frequent in the treatment group as compared to the control group. Our study showed that theophylline adds to the toxicity and cost of treatment of acute asthma with no additional benefit.

A Pilot study of 10 patients each of COPD in Study group and control group was carried out to find comfort, compliance and complications during bronchoscopy. The results indicate that ipratropium bromide can be considered as another agent for premedication in patients of COPD undergoing bronchocopy.

Resistance to anti cancer drugs is not so uncommon and often limits the efficacy of given regimen with the consequences of loss of precious time, money and untoward drug reactions. Among the known mechanisms for drug resistance with cytotoxic agents, some are relevant to lung cancer cell lines. These includes reduced drug accumulation as a result of genetic alteration in drug transportation (carrier proteins), enhanced drug inactivation, target enzyme alteration, enhanced DNA repair and apoptosis. Interventions to circumvent resistance are still under evaluation. Use of verapamil to block P-170 glycoprotein, amphotericin-B and dipyridamole to enhance cellular transport of cisplatin, ethacrynic acid to decrease thiotepa inactivation, pentoxyphylline to retard DNA rapair process, ceftriaxone to reduce multidrug resistance and paclitaxel as a biological response modifier are some examples which hold promise for regular clinical utility.

A 30 year old housewife presenting with cor pulmonale was diagnosed as having pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis. Exponential analysis of static pressure-volume data obtained through whole body plethysmography revealed decreased compliance, normal shape constant and reduced extrapolated lung volume at infinite distending pressures. These changes were consistent with a restrictive ventilatory defect due to alveolar filling process, and closely correlate with the lung histology seen in this disease.