human
***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: BACKGROUND The role of aminophylline ( ethylene diamine salt of theophylline ) in the treatment of acute exacerbation of asthma has not been well established in children . OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to determine the additional therapeutic benefit of intravenous aminophylline in the treatment of children hospitalized for acute asthmatic exacerbation and treated with inhaled bronchodilators and glucocorticoid therapy . METHODS Thirty-eight children aged from 2 to 16 years ( mean age 5.64 + /- 3.31 ) , admitted for acute exacerbation of asthma , participated in a prospect i ve , r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled study . All the subjects received methylprednisolone , administered intravenously , and nebulized salbutamol . The treatment group received intravenous aminophylline therapy and the placebo group received 0.9 % saline solution for 24 hours . RESULTS The number of salbutamol nebulizations needed and the clinical asthma scoring were recorded both at onset and at the end of 24 hours . There was no significant difference in either the mean number of nebulizations or the clinical asthma scores between the two groups ( P = .7843 , P = .8452 ) . CONCLUSION Intravenous aminophylline ( ethylene diamine salt of theophylline ) demonstrated no additional beneficial effect to the combination of beta adrenergic agonists and glucocorticoid treatment in acute asthma attack in children OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of aminophylline ( Am ) in children hospitalized with asthma . METHODS Prospect i ve , r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled trial . Subjects were children between the ages of 5 and 18 years admitted for asthma exacerbation to either a tertiary care children 's hospital or an inner-city general hospital in New York . Exclusion criteria were admission to the intensive care unit , initial theophylline level > 5 micrograms/dL , or the presence of other systemic disorders . All patients received nebulized albuterol therapy and intravenous glucocorticosteroids in st and ardized doses . Thirty-one patients were r and omized to receive either an Am bolus followed by continuous Am infusion or placebo ( P ) bolus and infusion . The outcome variables were : duration of hospitalization , percent of predicted peak expiratory flow rates recorded at 12-hour intervals , number of albuterol treatments required , and adverse effects . RESULTS There were no significant differences at study entry in age , sex , race , number of previous hospital admissions , prior medications used , clinical symptom scores , or initial peak flow rates for the two groups . For 26 patients who completed this study , 15 patients in the P group were hospitalized for a mean duration of 2.33 + /- 1.3 days , whereas 11 patients in the Am group required 2.58 + /- 1.5 days . There were no significant differences between the two groups for hospital days , peak flow rates at any time interval , or amount of albuterol therapy required ( P > .2 ) . In the Am group , 6 of the 14 patients who entered the study experienced significant adverse effects consisting of nausea , emesis , headache , abdominal pain , and palpitations . Only 1 of 17 patients in the P group had an adverse effect ( P < .05 ) . CONCLUSIONS There is no benefit and considerable risk of adverse effects associated with the use of Am in hospitalized asthmatic children OBJECTIVES To determine whether children with severe acute asthma treated with large doses of inhaled salbutamol , inhaled ipratropium , and intravenous steroids are conferred any further benefits by the addition of aminophylline given intravenously . STUDY DESIGN R and omised , double blind , placebo controlled trial of 163 children admitted to hospital with asthma who were unresponsive to nebulised salbutamol .  RESULTS The placebo and treatment groups of children were similar at baseline . The 48 children in the aminophylline group had a greater improvement in spirometry at six hours and a higher oxygen saturation in the first 30 hours . Five subjects in the placebo group were intubated and ventilated after enrolment compared with none in the aminophylline group . CONCLUSIONS Aminophylline continues to have a place in the management of severe acute asthma in children unresponsive to initial treatment PURPOSE To determine whether intravenously administered theophylline , when added to frequently nebulized albuterol and intravenously administered methylprednisolone , benefits children hospitalized with severe asthma . DESIGN Prospect i ve , r and omized , placebo-controlled , parallel-group , double-blind study . SETTING Inpatient pediatric service at a tertiary-care teaching hospital . PATIENTS Twenty-one children 5 to 18 years of age . INTERVENTIONS All patients received 2.5 to 5.0 mg of nebulized albuterol every 20 minutes to every 6 hours , intravenously administered methylprednisolone ( 1 mg/kg every 6 hours ) , and either intravenously administered theophylline ( as aminophylline ) or placebo for 36 hours . Serum theophylline concentrations were maintained between 55 and 110 mumol/L ( between 10 and 20 micrograms/ml ) by adjusting loading doses and continuous infusion rates . MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Forced expired volume in 1 second ( FEV1 ) and clinical score were measured at 0 , 1 , 3 , 6 , 12 , 24 , and 36 hours after the start of each individual study . The total number of nebulizations , total albuterol dosage , adverse effects , and duration of hospital stay were recorded . Twelve children received theophylline and nine received placebo . The two groups did not differ significantly in age , sex , or baseline FEV1 . In both groups , clinical score significantly improved from baseline by 12 hours , and FEV1 by 24 hours ( p < 0.05 ) . There were no significant differences between the groups in FEV1 or clinical score at any of the measured time points . There were no significant differences in rate of improvement in FEV1 , total number of nebulizations , total albuterol dosage , or duration of hospital stay . Adverse effects were mild and infrequent and did not differ significantly between the two groups . CONCLUSIONS Theophylline , at therapeutic concentrations , did not additionally benefit children hospitalized with severe asthma who were being treated frequently with nebulized albuterol and with methylprednisolone intravenously OBJECTIVES Evaluate the efficacy of adding two intravenous bolus of aminophylline to the st and ard treatment of acute asthma episode in children admitted to the pediatric emergency room ( PER ) . METHODS Between March 2001 and February 2002 , 60 children ( 2 - 5 years old ) , admitted to the PER at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre ( Brazil ) , due to an episode of acute asthma , refractory to conventional therapy ( an oral dose of steroids and at least three doses of inhaled albuterol , associated or not with oxygen ) were enrolled in a r and omized , double blind , placebo controlled clinical trial . The r and omization was performed in blocks of 10 patients , who received a " bronchodilator solution " ( either saline or aminophylline ) , in two doses : on arrival at the PER and again 6h later . The intervention group received aminophylline 5mg/kg/dose diluted in normal saline ( NS ) solution up to a 20 mL volume , while the placebo group received plain NS , both in an infusion rate of 1 cc/min . The main outcomes were total length of hospital stay , length of supplemental oxygen use , number of bronchodilator nebulizations and /or aerosol inhalations performed and patient destination . The groups were compared using the Students t-test , Mann-Whitney test and Chi-Square test , accepting p<0.05 as significant . RESULTS Comparing the main outcomes , we did not find differences between the placebo and aminophylline groups : 29.0+/-14.7 versus 26.2+/-13.4 beta-agonist nebulizations per patient ( p=0.46 ) ; 2.4+/-10.6 versus 5.6+/-14.2 aerosol inhalations per patient ( p=0.32 ) ; 24.7+/-30.0 versus 26.0+/-25.2h for oxygen supplement ( p=0.86 ) ; 43.2+/-30.0 versus 43.6+/-23.7h for length of hospital stay ( p=0.95 ) . We also did not find differences between the two groups related to the blood pressure , heart rate , respiratory rate and oxygen saturation . CONCLUSION In children aged 2 - 5 years admitted to a PER with asthma , two intravenous doses of 5mg/kg of aminophylline given 6h apart did not change the length of stay in hospital , the number of nebulizations given or the duration of oxygen therapy required . We are unable to tell whether there would be benefit with higher doses of aminophylline design ed to give levels in the usual therapeutic range During a prospect i ve 10-week assessment period , 3238 children aged 1–16 years presented with acute wheeze to Paediatric Emergency Research in the UK and Irel and centres . 110 ( 3.3 % ) received intravenous bronchodilators . Intravenous magnesium sulfate ( MgSO4 ) was used in 67 ( 60.9 % ) , salbutamol in 61 ( 55.5 % ) and aminophylline in 52 ( 47.3 % ) of cases . In 35 cases ( 31.8 % ) , two drugs were used together , and in 18 cases ( 16.4 % ) , all three drugs were administered . When used sequentially the most common order was salbutamol , then MgSO4 , then aminophylline . Overall , 30 different intravenous treatment regimens were used varying in drugs , dose , rate and duration This study was conducted to determine whether intravenous theophylline , added to inhaled albuterol and intravenous methylprednisolone , provides a clinical ly significant benefit in the treatment of pediatric status asthmaticus . Patients aged 2 to 10 years were r and omized to receive either intravenous theophylline or placebo . All patients received aerosolized albuterol and intravenous methylprednisolone . There was no difference between groups in the improvement of a clinical asthma score over time , in oxygen requirement , or in the number of albuterol treatments required . Theophylline group patients experienced more nausea , emesis , and insomnia . We conclude that there is no benefit in adding theophylline to treatment with methylprednisolone and albuterol for pediatric status asthmaticus . Furthermore , there are significantly more adverse effects associated with the use of theophylline STUDY OBJECTIVE To determine the efficacy of theophylline when given in addition to nebulized albuterol and intravenously administered corticosteroid to children hospitalized with mild to moderate asthma . DESIGN R and omized , prospect i ve , placebo-controlled , double-blind trial . SETTING Tertiary-care children 's hospital . PATIENTS Twenty-nine patients with asthma between the ages of 2 and 16 years completed the study . The treatment and placebo groups were similar in age , gender , race , illness severity , and emergency department treatment . INTERVENTIONS All patients received intravenously administered methylprednisolone and nebulized albuterol . The treatment group received intravenous theophylline therapy and the placebo group dextrose in water . When intravenously administered medications were discontinued , therapy continued with oral administration of theophylline ( or placebo ) and of prednisone . MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Twice-daily assessment s of clinical asthma symptoms were made by using a scoring system consisting of respiratory rate , inspiratory/expiratory ratio , wheeze , and accessory muscle use . Time required to reach study discharge criteria ( asthma score < or = 2 ) ( 30.4 + /- 16.8 vs 27.0 + /- 10.3 hours ; p = 0.51 ) and the rate of improvement of the clinical asthma score ( -0.10 + /- 0.05 unit/hr vs -0.11 + /- 0.09 unit/hr ; p = 0.88 ) were not significantly different between the theophylline and placebo groups . The number of albuterol aerosol treatments required and the adverse effects experienced were not significantly different between groups . CONCLUSION When the combination of systemically administered corticosteroid and inhaled albuterol is used in the treatment of children hospitalized with mild to moderate asthma , addition of theophylline may not be justified OBJECTIVE To determine if the use of intravenous theophylline , in the form of aminophylline , when added to systemic corticosteroids and aerosolized beta 2-agonists , enhances the improvement of children with acute asthma exacerbations . DESIGN A double-blind , placebo-controlled , r and omized , clinical trial . SETTING The University of Maryl and Medical Center , Baltimore , an urban primary - and tertiary-care pediatric medical center . P 
    Output:
    
agent
***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: BACKGROUND The role of aminophylline ( ethylene diamine salt of theophylline ) in the treatment of acute exacerbation of asthma has not been well established in children . OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to determine the additional therapeutic benefit of intravenous aminophylline in the treatment of children hospitalized for acute asthmatic exacerbation and treated with inhaled bronchodilators and glucocorticoid therapy . METHODS Thirty-eight children aged from 2 to 16 years ( mean age 5.64 + /- 3.31 ) , admitted for acute exacerbation of asthma , participated in a prospect i ve , r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled study . All the subjects received methylprednisolone , administered intravenously , and nebulized salbutamol . The treatment group received intravenous aminophylline therapy and the placebo group received 0.9 % saline solution for 24 hours . RESULTS The number of salbutamol nebulizations needed and the clinical asthma scoring were recorded both at onset and at the end of 24 hours . There was no significant difference in either the mean number of nebulizations or the clinical asthma scores between the two groups ( P = .7843 , P = .8452 ) . CONCLUSION Intravenous aminophylline ( ethylene diamine salt of theophylline ) demonstrated no additional beneficial effect to the combination of beta adrenergic agonists and glucocorticoid treatment in acute asthma attack in children OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of aminophylline ( Am ) in children hospitalized with asthma . METHODS Prospect i ve , r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled trial . Subjects were children between the ages of 5 and 18 years admitted for asthma exacerbation to either a tertiary care children 's hospital or an inner-city general hospital in New York . Exclusion criteria were admission to the intensive care unit , initial theophylline level > 5 micrograms/dL , or the presence of other systemic disorders . All patients received nebulized albuterol therapy and intravenous glucocorticosteroids in st and ardized doses . Thirty-one patients were r and omized to receive either an Am bolus followed by continuous Am infusion or placebo ( P ) bolus and infusion . The outcome variables were : duration of hospitalization , percent of predicted peak expiratory flow rates recorded at 12-hour intervals , number of albuterol treatments required , and adverse effects . RESULTS There were no significant differences at study entry in age , sex , race , number of previous hospital admissions , prior medications used , clinical symptom scores , or initial peak flow rates for the two groups . For 26 patients who completed this study , 15 patients in the P group were hospitalized for a mean duration of 2.33 + /- 1.3 days , whereas 11 patients in the Am group required 2.58 + /- 1.5 days . There were no significant differences between the two groups for hospital days , peak flow rates at any time interval , or amount of albuterol therapy required ( P > .2 ) . In the Am group , 6 of the 14 patients who entered the study experienced significant adverse effects consisting of nausea , emesis , headache , abdominal pain , and palpitations . Only 1 of 17 patients in the P group had an adverse effect ( P < .05 ) . CONCLUSIONS There is no benefit and considerable risk of adverse effects associated with the use of Am in hospitalized asthmatic children OBJECTIVES To determine whether children with severe acute asthma treated with large doses of inhaled salbutamol , inhaled ipratropium , and intravenous steroids are conferred any further benefits by the addition of aminophylline given intravenously . STUDY DESIGN R and omised , double blind , placebo controlled trial of 163 children admitted to hospital with asthma who were unresponsive to nebulised salbutamol .  RESULTS The placebo and treatment groups of children were similar at baseline . The 48 children in the aminophylline group had a greater improvement in spirometry at six hours and a higher oxygen saturation in the first 30 hours . Five subjects in the placebo group were intubated and ventilated after enrolment compared with none in the aminophylline group . CONCLUSIONS Aminophylline continues to have a place in the management of severe acute asthma in children unresponsive to initial treatment PURPOSE To determine whether intravenously administered theophylline , when added to frequently nebulized albuterol and intravenously administered methylprednisolone , benefits children hospitalized with severe asthma . DESIGN Prospect i ve , r and omized , placebo-controlled , parallel-group , double-blind study . SETTING Inpatient pediatric service at a tertiary-care teaching hospital . PATIENTS Twenty-one children 5 to 18 years of age . INTERVENTIONS All patients received 2.5 to 5.0 mg of nebulized albuterol every 20 minutes to every 6 hours , intravenously administered methylprednisolone ( 1 mg/kg every 6 hours ) , and either intravenously administered theophylline ( as aminophylline ) or placebo for 36 hours . Serum theophylline concentrations were maintained between 55 and 110 mumol/L ( between 10 and 20 micrograms/ml ) by adjusting loading doses and continuous infusion rates . MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Forced expired volume in 1 second ( FEV1 ) and clinical score were measured at 0 , 1 , 3 , 6 , 12 , 24 , and 36 hours after the start of each individual study . The total number of nebulizations , total albuterol dosage , adverse effects , and duration of hospital stay were recorded . Twelve children received theophylline and nine received placebo . The two groups did not differ significantly in age , sex , or baseline FEV1 . In both groups , clinical score significantly improved from baseline by 12 hours , and FEV1 by 24 hours ( p < 0.05 ) . There were no significant differences between the groups in FEV1 or clinical score at any of the measured time points . There were no significant differences in rate of improvement in FEV1 , total number of nebulizations , total albuterol dosage , or duration of hospital stay . Adverse effects were mild and infrequent and did not differ significantly between the two groups . CONCLUSIONS Theophylline , at therapeutic concentrations , did not additionally benefit children hospitalized with severe asthma who were being treated frequently with nebulized albuterol and with methylprednisolone intravenously OBJECTIVES Evaluate the efficacy of adding two intravenous bolus of aminophylline to the st and ard treatment of acute asthma episode in children admitted to the pediatric emergency room ( PER ) . METHODS Between March 2001 and February 2002 , 60 children ( 2 - 5 years old ) , admitted to the PER at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre ( Brazil ) , due to an episode of acute asthma , refractory to conventional therapy ( an oral dose of steroids and at least three doses of inhaled albuterol , associated or not with oxygen ) were enrolled in a r and omized , double blind , placebo controlled clinical trial . The r and omization was performed in blocks of 10 patients , who received a " bronchodilator solution " ( either saline or aminophylline ) , in two doses : on arrival at the PER and again 6h later . The intervention group received aminophylline 5mg/kg/dose diluted in normal saline ( NS ) solution up to a 20 mL volume , while the placebo group received plain NS , both in an infusion rate of 1 cc/min . The main outcomes were total length of hospital stay , length of supplemental oxygen use , number of bronchodilator nebulizations and /or aerosol inhalations performed and patient destination . The groups were compared using the Students t-test , Mann-Whitney test and Chi-Square test , accepting p<0.05 as significant . RESULTS Comparing the main outcomes , we did not find differences between the placebo and aminophylline groups : 29.0+/-14.7 versus 26.2+/-13.4 beta-agonist nebulizations per patient ( p=0.46 ) ; 2.4+/-10.6 versus 5.6+/-14.2 aerosol inhalations per patient ( p=0.32 ) ; 24.7+/-30.0 versus 26.0+/-25.2h for oxygen supplement ( p=0.86 ) ; 43.2+/-30.0 versus 43.6+/-23.7h for length of hospital stay ( p=0.95 ) . We also did not find differences between the two groups related to the blood pressure , heart rate , respiratory rate and oxygen saturation . CONCLUSION In children aged 2 - 5 years admitted to a PER with asthma , two intravenous doses of 5mg/kg of aminophylline given 6h apart did not change the length of stay in hospital , the number of nebulizations given or the duration of oxygen therapy required . We are unable to tell whether there would be benefit with higher doses of aminophylline design ed to give levels in the usual therapeutic range During a prospect i ve 10-week assessment period , 3238 children aged 1–16 years presented with acute wheeze to Paediatric Emergency Research in the UK and Irel and centres . 110 ( 3.3 % ) received intravenous bronchodilators . Intravenous magnesium sulfate ( MgSO4 ) was used in 67 ( 60.9 % ) , salbutamol in 61 ( 55.5 % ) and aminophylline in 52 ( 47.3 % ) of cases . In 35 cases ( 31.8 % ) , two drugs were used together , and in 18 cases ( 16.4 % ) , all three drugs were administered . When used sequentially the most common order was salbutamol , then MgSO4 , then aminophylline . Overall , 30 different intravenous treatment regimens were used varying in drugs , dose , rate and duration This study was conducted to determine whether intravenous theophylline , added to inhaled albuterol and intravenous methylprednisolone , provides a clinical ly significant benefit in the treatment of pediatric status asthmaticus . Patients aged 2 to 10 years were r and omized to receive either intravenous theophylline or placebo . All patients received aerosolized albuterol and intravenous methylprednisolone . There was no difference between groups in the improvement of a clinical asthma score over time , in oxygen requirement , or in the number of albuterol treatments required . Theophylline group patients experienced more nausea , emesis , and insomnia . We conclude that there is no benefit in adding theophylline to treatment with methylprednisolone and albuterol for pediatric status asthmaticus . Furthermore , there are significantly more adverse effects associated with the use of theophylline STUDY OBJECTIVE To determine the efficacy of theophylline when given in addition to nebulized albuterol and intravenously administered corticosteroid to children hospitalized with mild to moderate asthma . DESIGN R and omized , prospect i ve , placebo-controlled , double-blind trial . SETTING Tertiary-care children 's hospital . PATIENTS Twenty-nine patients with asthma between the ages of 2 and 16 years completed the study . The treatment and placebo groups were similar in age , gender , race , illness severity , and emergency department treatment . INTERVENTIONS All patients received intravenously administered methylprednisolone and nebulized albuterol . The treatment group received intravenous theophylline therapy and the placebo group dextrose in water . When intravenously administered medications were discontinued , therapy continued with oral administration of theophylline ( or placebo ) and of prednisone . MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Twice-daily assessment s of clinical asthma symptoms were made by using a scoring system consisting of respiratory rate , inspiratory/expiratory ratio , wheeze , and accessory muscle use . Time required to reach study discharge criteria ( asthma score < or = 2 ) ( 30.4 + /- 16.8 vs 27.0 + /- 10.3 hours ; p = 0.51 ) and the rate of improvement of the clinical asthma score ( -0.10 + /- 0.05 unit/hr vs -0.11 + /- 0.09 unit/hr ; p = 0.88 ) were not significantly different between the theophylline and placebo groups . The number of albuterol aerosol treatments required and the adverse effects experienced were not significantly different between groups . CONCLUSION When the combination of systemically administered corticosteroid and inhaled albuterol is used in the treatment of children hospitalized with mild to moderate asthma , addition of theophylline may not be justified OBJECTIVE To determine if the use of intravenous theophylline , in the form of aminophylline , when added to systemic corticosteroids and aerosolized beta 2-agonists , enhances the improvement of children with acute asthma exacerbations . DESIGN A double-blind , placebo-controlled , r and omized , clinical trial . SETTING The University of Maryl and Medical Center , Baltimore , an urban primary - and tertiary-care pediatric medical center . P 
    Output:
    