Treatment Of Respiratory Tract Diseases Research Articles

Experience of flexible bronchoscopy in the pediatric pulmonary diseases clinic.

Flexible bronchoscopy is a valuable method in the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory tract diseases in children. This study aimed to examine the indications for and results of flexible bronchoscopy in children. The study included patients aged 0-18 years who underwent flexible bronchoscopy between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2022. The patients were evaluated for demographic characteristics, indications for bronchoscopy, comorbidities, bronchoscopy findings, and the results of bronchoalveolar lavage. During the defined study period, a total of 410 flexible bronchoscopy procedures were performed. 51.9% of the patient population were male, and 48.1% were female, with a mean age of 96.93 ± 63.45 months. The most common indication for flexible bronchoscopy was recurrent lower respiratory tract infection (26.8%), followed by chronic cough (19.1%). The bronchoalveolar lavage culture results showed that the most commonly isolated microorganisms were H. influenzae non-type b (7.8%) followed by M. catarrhalis (7.3%). Mucus obstruction and secretion (33.0%) constituted the most common bronchoscopic findings, while the flexible bronchoscopy examination was normal in 27% of patients. No serious complications occurred in any patient during or after the procedure. The results of this study demonstrated that the most common indication for flexible bronchoscopy was recurrent lower respiratory tract infection and the most common bronchoscopy finding was purulent secretion with mucus obstruction. Flexible bronchoscopy is an important diagnostic and treatment tool for patients with recurrent respiratory symptoms. It is a highly valuable method as it enables direct visualization of the airways and facilitates the collection of bronchoalveolar lavage samples.

REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF IASP – PAIN 164 (2023) 3–13: Ambroxol for neuropathic pain: hiding in plain sight?

Ambroxol is a multifaceted drug with primarily mucoactive and secretolytic actions, along with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and local anaesthetic properties. It has a long history of use in the treatment of respiratory tract diseases and has shown to be efficacious in relieving sore throat. In more recent years, ambroxol has gained interest for its potential usefulness in treating neuropathic pain. Research into this area has been slow, despite clear preclinical evidence to support its primary analgesic mechanism of action—blockade of voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channels in sensory neurons. Ambroxol is a commercially available inhibitor of Nav1.8, a crucial player in the pathophysiology of neuropathic pain, and Nav1.7, a particularly exciting target for the treatment of chronic pain. In this review, we discuss the analgesic mechanisms of action of ambroxol, as well as proposed synergistic properties, followed by the preclinical and clinical results of its use in the treatment of persistent pain and neuropathic pain symptoms, including trigeminal neuralgia, fibromyalgia, and complex regional pain syndrome. With its well-established safety profile, extensive preclinical and clinical drug data, and early evidence of clinical effectiveness, ambroxol is an old drug worthy of further investigation for repurposing. As a patent-expired drug, a push is needed to progress the drug to clinical trials for neuropathic pain. We encourage the pharmaceutical industry to look at patented drug formulations and take an active role in bringing an optimized version for neuropathic pain to market.

The Effects of Propolis on Viral Respiratory Diseases.

Propolis remains an interesting source of natural chemical compounds that show, among others, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities. Due to the growing incidence of respiratory tract infections caused by various pathogenic viruses, complementary methods of prevention and therapy supporting pharmacotherapy are constantly being sought out. The properties of propolis may be important in the prevention and treatment of respiratory tract diseases caused by viruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, influenza viruses, the parainfluenza virus and rhinoviruses. One of the main challenges in recent years has been severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), causing COVID-19. Recently, an increasing number of studies are focusing on the activity of various propolis preparations against SARS-CoV-2 as an adjuvant treatment for this infection. Propolis has shown a few key mechanisms of anti-SARS-CoV-2 action such as: the inhibition of the interaction of the S1 spike protein and ACE-2 protein; decreasing the replication of viruses by diminishing the synthesis of RNA transcripts in cells; decreasing the particles of coronaviruses. The anti-viral effect is observed not only with extracts but also with the single biologically active compounds found in propolis (e.g., apigenin, caffeic acid, chrysin, kaempferol, quercetin). Moreover, propolis is effective in the treatment of hyperglycemia, which increases the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infections. The aim of the literature review was to summarize recent studies from the PubMed database evaluating the antiviral activity of propolis extracts in terms of prevention and the therapy of respiratory tract diseases (in vitro, in vivo, clinical trials). Based upon this review, it was found that in recent years studies have focused mainly on the assessment of the effectiveness of propolis and its chemical components against COVID-19. Propolis exerts wide-spectrum antimicrobial activities; thus, propolis extracts can be an effective option in the prevention and treatment of co-infections associated with diseases of the respiratory tract.

Meta analysis of rock salt aerosol therapy for respiratory tract diseases

Objective: To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of rock salt aerosol in the treatment of respiratory tract diseases. Methods: In June 2021, the clinical randomized controlled trial literatures of rock salt aerosol therapy for respiratory tract diseases were searched from CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, Cochrane Library, PubMed database and EMBASE database. Cochrane risk bias evaluation tool was used to evaluate risk bias, Revman 5.4 and Stata16 were used to conduct meta-analysis, TSA 0.9 was used to conduct sequential analysis of trials, and gradepro was used to evaluate evidence quality. Results: A total of 21 literatures were included. According to whether the subjects received rock salt aerosol therapy, they were divided into the experimental group (1125 people) and the control group (973 people) . Compared with the control group, the total clinical effective rate (RR=1.22, 95%CI: 1.15~1.29, P<0.001) , forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV(1)) (WMD=0.20, 95%CI: 0.09~0.31, P<0.001) , percentage of FEV(1) in the predicted value (FEV(1)%) (WMD=5.06, 95%CI: 3.47~6.65, P<0.001) , forced vital capacity (FVC) (WMD=0.22, 95% CI: 0.16~0.27, P<0.001) , maximum expiratory flow (PEF) (WMD=21.312, 95%CI: 9.189~33.435, P=0.004) of experimental group were higher. TSA test shows that the difference conclusions of total effective rate, FEV(1), FEV(1)%, FVC and PEF were reliable, but the conclusion of FEV(1)% needs to be treated with caution; Three literatures reported the adverse reactions in the experimental group; GRADE evidence quality evaluation showed 3 very low-quality evidences and 2 low-quality evidences. Conclusion: Rock salt aerosol therapy combined with conventional therapy has a certain effect on the treatment of respiratory tract diseases, which needs to be further confirmed by high-quality evidence.

Multifaceted properties of erdostein and its place in the treatment of respiratory tract diseases

Mucoactive drugs are commonly used in the treatment of respiratory diseases such as chronic bronchitis (CB) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), in which hypercrinia is one of the main clinical features. Erdostein is one of the most commonly used mucoactive agents for the treatment of respiratory diseases. Erdostein is a drug approved for the treatment of acute and chronic lung diseases, originally developed as a mucolytic agent. It belongs to a family of thiol-based drugs, which, in addition to mucolytic action, also have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and exhibit antibacterial activity against various types of bacteria. Erdosteine is a prodrug that is converted to the active metabolite M1 (MET 1), which has mucolytic properties. Experimental studies have confirmed that erdosteine prevents or reduces damage to lung tissue caused by oxidative stress, and also regulates the production of reactive oxygen species. The RESTORE study, the only study that examined the effect of a thiol-based drug in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with frequent exacerbations, confirmed that erdosteine significantly reduces the risk of acute exacerbations of COPD, reduces their duration, and also reduces the risk of hospitalization for COPD. The preventive effect of erdosteine against exacerbations of COPD was not affected by the presence or absence of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) or the number of eosinophils in the blood. Recent studies on the pharmacological effects of erdosteine have shown promising results, which paves the way for the use of additional pharmacological effects of erdosteine as promising therapeutic strategies in patients with pulmonary diseases.

A Numerical Simulation of the Airflow and Aerosol Particle Deposition in a Realistic Airway Model of a Healthy Adult

Determining the behavior of aerosol drug particles is of vital importance in the treatment of respiratory tract diseases. Despite the development of imaging techniques in the pulmonary region in recent years, current imaging techniques are insufficient to detect particle deposition. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods can fill the gap in this field as they take into account the very different physical processes that occur during aerosol transport. This study aims to numerically investigate the airflow and the aerosol particle dynamics on a realistic human respiratory tract model during multiple breathing cycles. The simulations were conducted on the different breathing conditions for people under light, normal, and heavy physical activities, and the aerosol particles with different aerodynamic diameters (i.e., dp=2, 5, and 7 µm). The numerical results were validated by comparing extensively with experimental and numerical results. The results indicated that the airflow during inspiration and expiration was characteristically different from each other and changed with the inspiration flow rate. It was determined that small-sized particles followed the streamlines and moved towards the distal of the lung under low respiratory conditions. On the other hand, larger particles tended to deposit in higher generations due to the higher inertia. It was found that with the increase of inspiration flow rate the deposition of particles increased for all particles during multiple breaths. For light breathing conditions, low deposition efficiencies were obtained because the particles followed the streamlines and moved towards the distal part of the lung. The particle deposition efficiency under heavy breathing conditions was 28.2% for 2 µm, 33.05% for 5 µm, and 38.4% for 7 µm particles. The results showed that inertial impaction plays an active role in particle deposition.

Plants used in complementary medicine in the treatment of respiratory tract diseases in Türkiye

In this study, the plants used in complementary medicine for the treatment of respiratory tract diseases in Türkiye have been researched. The study was carried out in two stages: literature study and fieldwork. As a result of the study, it was determined that 73 plant species have been used as complementary medicine in the treatment of respiratory tract diseases. The genera which have the most species are Salvia L., Thymus L., Origanum L., Alcea L., Datura L., Lavandula L., Malva L., Pinus L. and Verbascum L. The rest of the genera are represented with one species. The most commonly used plant species are Salvia sp., Thymus sp., Tilia L. sp., Mentha L. sp., Lavandula sp., Origanum sp., Thymbra spicata L., Mrytus communis L., Rosmarinus officinalis L. Bioactive compounds found in many of these plants; carvacrol, alkaloids, saponins, steroids, tannins, glycosides, anthocyanins, terpenes and other secondary metabolites. According to the results of the literature and field studies it has been determined that these plants are used effectively within the scope of complementary medicine against asthma, bronchitis, chronic cough, influenza, flu, sinusitis, pharyngitis, shortness of breath and tuberculosis. Most of these plants are used in the treatment of all respiratory tract infections without distinguishing the type of infection among the public. As a result; it was determined that 73 plant species researched in this study have the potential to be used in the treatment of respiratory tract diseases. With further studies, there are possibilities to develop phytochemicals for use in the treatment of respiratory tract diseases from these plants.

Microbiome Analysis and Pharmacovigilance After Inhaled Glucocorticoid: Oral Dysbiosis With the Isolation of Three Rothia Species and Subsequent Sjögren's Syndrome.

Background: Treatment of respiratory tract diseases with inhaled glucocorticoids is a form of therapy that has been used for many years. It shows lower potency of side effects; nevertheless, microbiome change, sinopulmonary dysbiosis, secondary immunodeficiency, and immunomodulatory effects are underestimated. The latest guideline recommendations introduce the use of empirical antibiotic and/or multiplying inhaled glucocorticoids in therapeutic intervention of asthma and chronic pulmonary obstructive disease. Aims and objectives: The aim of the study was to describe a simple, universal, and cost-effective method of microbiome analysis for clinical trials. Such a general method for monitoring pharmacovigilance should be widely available and reliable. Methods: The study material included two kinds of swabs, taken from the same mouth ulcerations of patients with asthma treated with a temporary quadruple dose of fluticasone. The microbiological investigation was performed, and identification of the isolates was carried out using the matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) Biotyper. Results: The analysis of dry swab demonstrated the presence of typical oral bacteria (Neisseria spp. and Streptococcus spp.), alongside with the potentially pathogenic Actinomyces spp. and three different Rothia species, identified simultaneously: R. aeria, R. dentocariosa, and R. mucilaginosa. Although quadrupled dose of corticoids was discontinued and ulcer healing was observed, the patients required topical therapy for maintained xerostomia. Progressive systemic autoimmunity (seronegative Sjögren’s syndrome with major organ involvement) was observed later. Conclusion: Topical steroids (especially in quadruple dose) require attention to safety, immunomodulation, and microbiological outcome. They showed systemic side effects: microbiome alteration, humoral (IgG) immunodeficiency, and systemic autoimmunity. Isolation of three species of Rothia from a patient with mouth ulcers after steroid therapy suggests their participation in infectious and inflammatory processes. The proposed a methodology using MALDI-TOF-MS may be a prototype approach for microbial diagnostics in clinical trials of immunomodulatory drugs.

Non-antimicrobial effects of macrolides: literature review

The aim of this work is to review current publications on the non-antibacterial effects of macrolides. Macrolides are among the most widely prescribed broad-spectrum antibacterial drugs, especially in patients with respiratory infections. It is now recognized that drugs of this group, in particular azithromycin, also have an immunomodulatory effect, which leads to their therapeutic effect not only in infectious but in other chronic inflammatory diseases also. However, the frequent and prolonged use of macrolides in the treatment of respiratory tract diseases, and recently azithromycin in the treatment of COVID-19, has led to an increase in bacterial resistance to antibiotics of this group. Results: it was shown that one of the key aspects of the development of chronic inflammation of the respiratory tract (for instance, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is the loss of the protective epithelial barrier due to the effects of pathogens and pollutants. Azithromycin has been shown to enhance the barrier properties of airway epithelial cells over time, which makes an important contribution to its therapeutic effectiveness. The main non-antibacterial effects of macrolides are considered, which in the future can be applied in treatment of inflammatory diseases associated with airway epithelium damage.

Phytoneering drugs for the treatment of cough: ways to provide the rational herbal medicine

Diseases of the respiratory system occupy an important place in the structure of morbidity in the population of Ukraine, being only second to diseases of the cardiovascular system in prevalence. Patients with a respiratory pathology make up a significant part of the pharmacy visitors. In most cases, at the first symptoms of such diseases, patients begin to be treated on their own with the help of non-prescription drugs, and quite often the first person they turn to is a pharmacist. A striking example of the effectiveness and safety of herbal medicine is the symptomatic treatment of cough as one of the most characteristic symptoms of the respiratory tract pathology. The use of herbal products with the antitussive, expectorant, mucolytic action has a long history, and currently it does not lose its significance. The clinical efficacy of herbal products is determined by the mechanism of their specific action, and the rational choice of the optimal drug taking into account the cause of the cough, its nature and the characteristics of the course of the inflammatory process in the respiratory organs, allows eliminating cough or effectively managing it. Bronchipret® is a herbal product of “Bionorica SE” company, which is one of the most studied and widely used in medical practice. The drug is indicated for the treatment of respiratory tract diseases accompanied by cough and sputum formation, including acute and chronic bronchitis. The main and well-studied pharmacological effects of Bronchipret® are secretolytic/mucolytic, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antimicrobial and bronchospasmolytic ones. The pharmacological effects listed are due to a complex of biologically active substances (BAS) of such plants as the root of spring primrose, thyme herb, ivy leaf. All medicinal plants that make up the “active core” of the drug have a long history of their use in folk medicine. Moreover, their various beneficial effects on the human body in different diseases and conditions have been confirmed by empirical experience. The drug is produced in three dosage forms (drops, syrup, tablets), and it determines the targeting of its prescription to different categories of patients. The drug has a high evidence base and has been studied at the cellular and molecular levels. Conclusions. In the case of choosing a herbal medicine for responsible self-medication, drug consumers can rely on their own experience, but most of them trust the knowledge of a pharmaceutical professional, and this fact increases the pharmacist’s responsibility for the treatment prescribed. Therefore, it should be the choice of a drug with an optimal efficacy/safety ratio, which is determined from the standpoint of evidence-based medicine. It is precisely these requirements that the phytoneering drug Bronchipret® meets.

Peruvian Medicinal Plants and Cosmopolitan Plants with Potential use in the Treatment of Respiratory Diseases and COVID-19

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, responsible for COVID-19, has caused more than 157 million infections and more than 3.2 million deaths. A short-term solution is the production of vaccines that confer temporary or permanent immunity. However, the genetic variants of the virus, with greater contagion and lethality capacity, the economic limitations of many countries in the world to acquire vaccines, the limited and controversial effectiveness of the drugs tested, the logistical problems of conservation and distribution of vaccines, among others, lead to proposing and developing other alternatives. One of these alternatives is the use of medicinal plants, especially those plants traditionally used in the treatment of respiratory tract diseases, both in Peru and the world, without risks or collateral problems for the human being and validated with phytochemical and ethnopharmacological studies. The flora of Peru is particularly rich in these species and even more so in endemic species, potentially useful against SARS-CoV-2. The aim of this review is to highlight some Peruvian medicinal plants and species introduced and commercialized in Peru (Cosmopolitan species) potentially useful in the treatment of respiratory diseases and COVID-19.

The impact of functional food on the prevention and treatment of respiratory diseases

Abstract Globally, diseases of the lung are one of the main causes of death, and conventional therapies are often ineffective in dealing with this serious medical and sociological problem. Since ancient times, medicinal plants have been used in the treatment of respiratory tract diseases. Such plants show antitussive, muscle relaxing, bronchi dilation or cillary movement effects. Their usefulness has been confirmed by modern and current research. A medicinal plant that is also a functional food can open new areas in the prevention and treatment of respiratory tract diseases. In this review, information about the influence of functional food on preventing and treating asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) and high-altitude sickness are presented.

ELOM-080 as Add-On Treatment for Respiratory Tract Diseases - A Review of Clinical Studies Conducted in China.

ELOM-080, also known as Myrtol, represents a distillate of a mixture of 4 rectified essential oils: eucalyptus oil, sweet orange oil, myrtle oil, and lemon oil. ELOM-080 is an approved herbal medicinal product for the secretolytic therapy and facilitation of expectoration in acute and chronic bronchitis and for the secretolytic therapy of sinusitis. Its clinical efficacy has been reported by several randomized control trials. Interestingly, in the recent past, a considerable number of clinical studies on the use of ELOM-080 as add-on treatment of different respiratory tract diseases has been conducted and published in China. As these publications were only available in Chinese, the international attention in the literature was limited. Based on the translation of these studies into English, this review aims to provide a brief overview of the studies' major results, which contribute to the knowledge on the efficacy of ELOM-080 in the treatment of respiratory tract diseases: ELOM-080 was shown to be of great value as add-on treatment not only for the well-established indications bronchitis and sinusitis, but also for pharyngitis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and, most importantly, otitis media. Besides this clinical evidence, this review also summarizes the great progress in deciphering the mode of action of ELOM-080 that has been made by Chinese publications.

Glucosaminylmuramyl dipeptide in treatment of respiratory tract diseases

Immunomodulators are used as part of a comprehensive therapy of respiratory tract diseases. The systematization of the accumulated data on the use of glucosaminylmuramyldipeptide (GMDP) has great scientific and practical interest. To study the data on the effectiveness and safety of GMDP in the treatment of infectious diseases of the respiratory tract. Literature search was carried out in Scientific Electronic Library (elibrary.ru), Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, Cochrane library, Pubmed/MEDLINE and search engines. The level of evidence reliability and methodological quality of researches were assessed. 17 full-text publications were selected based on the results of 13 prospective clinical trials with acceptable methodological quality (including one blind placebo-controlled trial). The effectiveness of GMDP in acute respiratory viral infections, influenza, recurrent respiratory tract infections, rhinosinusitis and chronic tonsillitis was demonstrated. An important advantage is that a significant part of the studies was performed with the participation of the child population. Since the use of GMDP in multiple therapy significantly reduces antibiotic consumption (often unjustified). It seems reasonable to estimate the pharmacoeconomic costs of managing adult patients with respiratory tract diseases. Further research can improve understanding of the role of GMDP in the treatment of various medical conditions. The use of GMDP in the treatment of respiratory tract diseases makes it possible to faster achieve a clinical effect, reduce the number of relapses, lengthen the relapse-free period, as well as to potentiate the effect of antibacterial therapy (if necessary), reducing the need for antibiotics.

The mechanism of the pulmoprotective action of carboxytherapy

The problem of finding new ways for pharmacological prophylaxis and treatment of respiratory tract diseases is very relevant in public health. To eliminate hypoxia, many European and American clinics use carboxytherapy as an additional or alternative treatment. Carbon dioxide administration eliminates the sequels of oxygen starvation, by producing artificial tissue hypercapnia, which causes an increase in oxygen delivery and carbon dioxide removal from the tissues and then from the body. The main mechanism of action of carboxytherapy is associated with enhanced tissue oxygenation and is due to the Verigo-Bohr effect: the effect of CO2 concentration and pH on the binding of hemoglobin to oxygen and release of the latter from hemoglobin. By affecting the chemoreceptors of the respiratory center, carboxytherapy contributes to increased pulmonary ventilation and reduces bronchial smooth muscle tone and bronchial mucous secretion, as well as inflammation; all this improves breathing. By exerting a direct and reflex effect on the respiratory center, carboxytherapy induces hurried and deeper breathing, which increases pulmonary ventilation, speeds up perfusion and gas exchange in the lung, eliminates dyspnea and bronchospasm; therefore, it is widely used for lung diseases (asthma, pneumosclerosis, and silicosis). Carboxytherapy improves lung function in case of bronchopulmonary diseases, performance, and quality of life and it is used as an additional method in the pharmacotherapy of many diseases in pulmonology.

Experience of the use of combined phytopreparations in the treatment of respiratory tract diseases

The article showed the problem of integrated management of children different age groups with upper respiratory tract viral infection. It reflected modern approach of using multicomponent herbal medicine for cough therapy in children in the practice of pediatrician. We evaluated necessity of the prescription and effect of the herbal drug in syrup type Gamma in case of acute respiratory diseases in 50 children, from the age of 2 up to 15 years of life, that were treated at infectious-diagnostic department of Vinnytsya regional children’s hospital and had cough symptom. Analysis of the results of the use of herbal multicomponent Gamma syrup in children with cough was provided. The duration of the cough period, qualitative changes in the cough symptom, such as frequency and expectoration of sputum were analyzed. In every case we estimated time of cough originating, changes of its characteristics from the dry to productive, decreasing of the intensity and time of the clinical recovering. The effectiveness of Gamma syrup was evaluated by comparing the main group of patients and the control group. In 92% of patients in the main group on day 7 cough completely stopped, comparing to the control group –cough stopped in 52%. This is the evidence of positive effect on cough, sputum discharge, it`s viscosity and common improvement of drainage function respiratory tract. Using of herbal multicomponent Gamma syrup shows high clinical effectiveness as mucolytic, broncholytic, expectorant and anti-inflammatory drug in children with cough in complex treatment of upper respiratory tract viral infection.

Antibacterial activity evaluation of selected essential oils in liquid and vapor phase on respiratory tract pathogens

BackgroundThe increasing number of multidrug-resistant bacteria and the fact of antibiotic resistance is leading to a continuous need for discovering alternative treatments against infections, e.g. in the case of respiratory tract diseases. Essential oils (EOs), because of their volatility, can easily reach both the upper and lower parts of the respiratory tract via inhalation. Therefore, the aim of the present study was the antibacterial evaluation of clove, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus, thyme, scots pine, peppermint, and citronella EOs against respiratory tract pathogens such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, S. mutans, S. pyogenes, Haemophilus influenzae, H. parainfluenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis. Furthermore, we wanted to compare the antibacterial effect of these EOs in two different test systems to provide data for the development of an appropriate product formulation.MethodsMinimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined with in vitro vapor phase test (VPT) and broth macrodilution test (BDT). The chemical and percentage compositions of the EOs were determined by GC-MS and GC-FID analysis.ResultsAmong the EOs, thyme was the most effective against S. mutans (MIC: 0.04 mg/mL in BDT, but cinnamon bark and clove oils also presented high inhibition in liquid medium with MIC values of 0.06 mg/mL and 0.1 mg/mL against S. pneumoniae and S. pyogenes, respectively. M. catarrhalis was the most sensitive to thyme EO (MIC: 0.09 mg/mL). Cinnamon bark EO was the most effective against Haemophilus spp. (MIC: 0.06 mg/mL). In the VPT, cinnamon bark was the most effective oil against all investigated pathogens with MIC values in the range of 15.62–90 μl/L. Surprisingly, the eucalyptus and scots pine showed weak activity against the test bacteria in both test systems.ConclusionsThe EO of thyme, clove and cinnamon bark may provide promising antibacterial activity against respiratory tract pathogens either in liquid medium or in vapor phase. However, their effect is lower than that of the reference antibiotics. The combination of EOs and antibiotics may be beneficial in the alternative treatment of respiratory tract diseases. In vivo studies are necessary to calculate the effective dose of EOs in patients and determine their possible side effects and toxicity.

A Comparative Evaluation of Antimicrobial Effect of Thymus capitatus Ethanolic Extract on the Different Respiratory Tract Infections Isolates

Natural components, particularly those derived from medicinal plants, provide a promising source of new antimicrobial agents for the treatment of respiratory infections. In this work, we studied the antimicrobial potency of Thymus capitatus ethanolic extract against nine microorganisms isolated from clinical material obtained from patients admitted to hospitals in Egypt and Germany with infections of the respiratory tract (bacterial sinusitis, laryngitis, pharyngitis and bronchitis) using the disc diffusion assay and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values. All isolates obtained from the Giessen University Clinic (Germany) exhibit susceptibility of different extent to the plant extract tested. The growth inhibition zone diameters for nine strains were in the range of 13–15.5 mm at a concentration of 5 mg/disc. The extract produced large inhibition zones of 14–17 mm diameters for seven microbial strains obtained in Egypt although it failed to inhibit the growth of isolates of Staphylococcus epidermidis and Enterococcus faecalis. In fact, most of the respiratory tract infections isolates from Egypt were generally more susceptible to the ethanolic extract of Thymus capitatus at lower MIC values than those obtained from Giessen University Clinic MIC values. The results of this study suggest that further delineation of bioactive phytomolecules of Thymus capitatus ethanolic extract will improve their potential application for the treatment of respiratory tract diseases.

Antimicrobial use Guidelines for Treatment of Respiratory Tract Disease in Dogs and Cats: Antimicrobial Guidelines Working Group of the International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Diseases.

Respiratory tract disease can be associated with primary or secondary bacterial infections in dogs and cats and is a common reason for use and potential misuse, improper use, and overuse of antimicrobials. There is a lack of comprehensive treatment guidelines such as those that are available for human medicine. Accordingly, the International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Diseases convened a Working Group of clinical microbiologists, pharmacologists, and internists to share experiences, examine scientific data, review clinical trials, and develop these guidelines to assist veterinarians in making antimicrobial treatment choices for use in the management of bacterial respiratory diseases in dogs and cats.

Essential oils in the treatment of respiratory tract diseases highlighting their role in bacterial infections and their anti-inflammatory action: a review.

The appearance of multidrug resistant bacteria and growing antibiotic resistance is leading to a continuous need for discovering new drugs and alternative treatments against infections. The investigation of the antibacterial effect of essential oils (EOs), which are commonly used nowadays in cosmetics, health care, traditional medicine and food industry, could be one of the promising solutions for this worldwide problem. EOs have a complex mode of action due to their multiple composition. Respiratory tract diseases (RTDs) associated with bacterial infection and inflammation affect a large number of people from every age group worldwide. Because of volatility, EOs can easily reach the upper and lower parts of the respiratory tract via inhalation. Moreover, due to their antimicrobial and anti‐inflammatory potency, they offer an effective treatment in respiratory tract infections (RTIs). The purpose of this review is to describe the most frequently developing infections of the upper and lower respiratory tract and to show methods used for the determination of the antibacterial activity of EOs by gaseous contact. The mode of action of EOs on bacterial cells and their anti‐inflammatory action are also discussed. Results coming from recently performed in vivo animal studies as well as human trials are also reported. Patents deal with the role of EOs and their volatile constituents in the treatment of RTIs are also introduced. On the whole, this review aimed at showing EOs as potential antimicrobials and as anti‐inflammatory agents to alleviate symptoms and signs of RTDs including RTIs. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.