
Using Computers to Assist in the Treatment of Asthma in a Pediatric Setting
AsthmaThis study seeks to improve physician adherence to four recommendations of the NHLBI asthma treatment guidelines: Improve case detection of asthma among patients with pulmonary symptoms, Grade all asthma patients asthma, identifying those with persistent versus intermittent asthma, Improve rates of use of controller medications - particularly inhaled steroids - among patients with persistent asthma, Provide an asthma treatment plan for all asthma patients.

Characterization of Adult Subjects for Asthmatic Research Studies
AsthmaThis study is designed to characterize subjects in terms of the nature and severity of their asthma and in terms of conditions that may alter the clinical expression of asthma. Some features will be obtained in all subjects. These include a medical history and baseline lung function tests. This characterization forms the basis for our database that facilitates research protocols.

Utility of Versican and Hyaluronan Measurement in Induced Sputum as Biomarkers of Asthma
Allergic AsthmaThe purpose of this study is to determine the role of versican and hyaluronan measurements in induced sputum as biomarkers of asthma. Enroll 10 subjects with mild persistent asthma who are not receiving treatment with a controller therapy.

Effect of Omalizumab (Xolair) in Treatment of Patients With AERD and Allergy Asthma
AsthmaAllergic RhinitisDouble blind protocol treatment of 2/3 of the patients with omalizumab and 1/3 placebo administer for 4 months. Patients selected for the study must have both aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease and allergic asthma and rhinitis. They must also have completed aspirin desensitization and be taking aspirin on a daily basis for the treatment of AERD.

Development and Validation of a Serum Biomarker for the Diagnostic Work-up of Asthma
AsthmaBiomarkersSerum samples of asthmatic patients will be screened for serum biomarkers

Virtual Care In Pediatric Asthma
Asthma in ChildrenThe purpose of this study was to determine the impact of virtual care for children with asthma on the disease management and quality of life of children with asthma.

Piloting a Dietary Vitamin E Intervention During Pregnancy
AsthmaIn the last forty years the prevalence of asthma has increased in westernised countries. We have hypothesised that this increase may be a consequence of changing diet. Several birth cohort studies have now reported an association between reduced maternal vitamin E intake during pregnancy and childhood asthma. However, it remains to be seen whether increasing maternal vitamin E intake during pregnancy reduces the risk of childhood asthma. We are planning a large placebo controlled trial in pregnant women, to investigate whether optimisation of dietary vitamin E intake to the recommended 15mg/day reduces the likelihood of childhood asthma. We believe that a dietary intervention using vitamin E in its natural form of food is more likely to be successful and acceptable than a vitamin E supplement. We have previously demonstrated than pregnant women can optimise their vitamin E intake using a personalised dietary plan with the help of a dietitian however this intervention was complex and could not be translated into everyday use. With commercial support we have developed a range of soups containing foods naturally rich in vitamin E designed to optimise maternal vitamin E intake to 15mg/day. A range of similar tasting and looking placebo soups has also been developed. In this study we will pilot a randomised controlled trial of the active and placebo soups to ascertain whether pregnant women are willing and able to optimise their vitamin E intake during pregnancy using the soups in order to reduce the risk of their child developing asthma. optimising maternal vitamin E intake during pregnancy.

Low-dose Methotrexate for Change in Global Initiative for Asthma Step 5 Medications in Chronic Severe...
Low Dose Methotrexate in Severe Chronic AsthmaPatients with chronic severe asthma (CSA) have a crippling disease and current available treatments are not satisfactory. Thus, management of CSA remains a major unmet need. Although the evidence from existing randomized controlled trials fails to support a definite role for immunomodulatory drugs in these patients due to major methodologic drawbacks, findings with low-dose methotrexate (MTX) are encouraging. However, larger and well designed clinical trials are required to establish the beneficial role of MTX in CSA and for the detection of the key characteristics of those who are going to respond to this drug. This study will be the first multi-centre RCT investigating the role of an add-on immunological modifier as a clinically useful therapeutic strategy in patients with well-phenotyped chronic severe asthma. As such, this study does not overlap with any other research currently ongoing.

Thyroid Hormones Treatment in Asthma Exacerbation
AsthmaThis study will explore whether supplementation with thyroid hormones in the set-up of asthma exacerbation could improve the clinical outcomes. The study will include adults admitted to Rambam health care campus for moderate to severe Asthma exacerbation. The study is a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial. Patients will be randomized on admission to receive treatment with intra-venous thyroxine (100mcg once on admission and additional 100mcg after 12 hours) or placebo. The study treatment will be given only after the initial bronchodilator therapy, oxygen and informed consent are given. The primary endpoint is the time to return of the peak expiratory flow (PEF) rate to normal values or personal base line.

Efficacy and Safety of Beta-adrenoceptor Inverse Agonist, Nadolol, in Mild Asthma
Mild Persistent AsthmaUncomplicatedThe purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that 18-22 week treatment with the inverse agonist nadolol will improve airway hyperresponsiveness in patients with mild asthma, compared to placebo.