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This study examines the question whether young healthy nonsmokers show differences in parameters of lung function after having been exposed to exercise in city air and to the same exercise in air-conditioned room air. For this purpose 16 young nonsmokers of age 20-39 years (10 men: 26.6 +/- 5.2, 6 women: 22.2 +/- 1.4) exercised maximally once on a bicycle ergometer in city air for 8 minutes and 48 hours later in air-conditioned room air on the same ergometer also for 8 minutes. The forced vital capacity, the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and peak expiratory flow rates were determined before exercise, immediately after, and after the rest of 10, 30, 60, and 120 minutes. The following results were obtained: 1. In city air the continuously recorded concentrations of NO2 showed a mean value (+/- 1 SD) of 71.6 micrograms/m3 (+/- 23.2) and thus about 10 times higher than in air-conditioned room air, where the mean value of NO2 was 7.5 micrograms/m3 (+/- 3.5). 2. 10, 30, 60, and 120 minutes after exercise in city air the mean FEV1 values were about 2.5-3% lower than in room air. Even though these differences were small, they were significant (10 minutes after exercise p = 0.006, 30 minutes p = 0.011, 60 minutes p = 0.025, and 120 minutes p = 0.016). 3. The FEV1 differences were more pronounced in males. The males were, due to conditions beyond our control, exposed to higher NO2 and NO concentrations in city air than females.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A 71 year old patient with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis developed rapidly progressive pneumonitis with bilateral pulmonary infiltrations and severe hypoxemia. At this time the patient was treated with cyclosporin A, indomethacin, chlorthalidone, amitriptyline and chlordiazepoxide. After these medicaments were discontinued and prednisone therapy was initiated a rapid remission of the pneumopathy was observed. It is probable that the reversible pneumopathy was induced by the treatment with cyclosporin A. Among the other medicaments which were stopped at the same time as cyclosporin A no comparable side effects are known.

The alveolar pressure was measured in 15 healthy men at different flow rates breathing without and with additional resistance from a stenosis (diameter 7 mm). Ventilation, breathing frequency, pulse rate, O2-uptake, and CO2-elimination were also measured during rest and during bicycle exercise. At rest, FRC and gas exchange were unaltered, while ventilation and breathing frequency little with the additional resistance. During work, however, the stenosis, caused increased O2-uptake and CO2-elimination and decreased ventilation and breathing frequency. The mean O2-consumption by the respiratory musculature necessary to overcome the airway resistance is 0.00042 ml/gcm.

Nonspecific bronchial reactivity was investigated during and out of the pollen season in 28 pollen-allergic asthmatics and 25 hay fever patients without bronchial asthma. The degree of the reactivity was measured by the decrease of inspiratory specific airway conductance (sGI) after voluntary hyperventilation. Before hyperventilation the mean values for the sGI in both groups of patients were within the low normal range and revealed no seasonal fluctuations. During the pollen season 26 (93%) asthmatics and 14 (56%) hay fever patients showed bronchial hyperreactivity. Out of season 22 (79%) asthmatics and only 8 (32%) hay fever patients were hyperreactive. Thus, in the absence of the relevant allergens, most of the pollen sensitive asthmatics showed a significant increase in unspecific bronchial reactivity which was somewhat higher during the pollen season. The seasonal increase of bronchial reactivity in hay fever patients suggests a relationship with pollen asthma. 12 pollen-allergic asthmatics, who were examined again in the next pollen season after one period of preseasonal specific hyposensitization with pollen extracts, displayed a significant decrease in nonspecific bronchial reactivity.

We report on a 33-year-old male Turkish patient with primarily nonsuspect sexual behavior who presented with panuveitis unresponsive to therapy. HIV infection and secondary syphilis was diagnosed. The uveitis was the only manifestation of syphilis. Because of isosporiasis, an HIV infection of CDC class IV C1 was diagnosed. This is the second published case of acquired syphilitic uveitis in a patient with HIV infection. The diagnosis was delayed by a prozone phenomenon. Treatment with high doses of penicillin i.v. for 14 days led to complete recovery. Because the HIV infection may obscure the diagnosis of syphilis, this constellation will assume increasing importance with the growing number of HIV-infected patients.