Methodology: To answer the question, Emanuele Crimi and his colleagues in the Dipartimenti di Scienze Motorie e Riabilitative di Medicina Interna e di Oncologia Biolgica e Genentica, at the Universita di Genova, Genoa, Italy, examined nine subjects with mild asthma and eight with only rhinitis (allergy). Each individual underwent methacholine challenges. They were also exposed to allergen inhalation challenges, which were preceded and followed by bronchoalveolar lavage and bronchial biopsy.

Results: The response to methacholine was positive in all asthmatic vs. two rhinitic subjects. The response to allergens was positive in all asthmatic vs. five rhinitic subjects. No significant differences between groups were found in airway inflammatory cells or basement membrane thickness either at baseline or after allergen exposure. However, the ability of deep inhalation to dilate methacholine-constricted airways was greater among allergy sufferers than asthmatic individuals, but it progressively reduced in rhinitis during exposure to allergens.

Conclusions: The researchers concluded that the allergy subjects may develop similar airway inflammation and remodeling as do asthmatic subjects. They also conclude that the difference in bronchial response to allergens between asthmatic individuals and allergy sufferers is associated with different airway mechanics.

Source: Journal of Applied Physiology, September 2001

EXERCISE
Evidence of LPL Gene-Exercise Interaction for Body Fat and LPL Activity: The HERITAGE Family Study

Summary: Evidence of a gene-exercise interaction for traits related to body composition is limited. As part of the HERITAGE Family Study, researchers examined the association between the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) S447X polymorphism, and changes in body mass index, fat mass, percent body fat, abdominal visceral fat (
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Contact: Donna Krupa
KrupaCo1@aol.com
703-527-7357
American Physiological Society
21-Sep-2001