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Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / The purpose of this study is to explore the social factors which are present in the children and adults with a diagnosis of bronchial asthma and to learn the role of the social worker in the treatment of these cases. The writer hopes to find out the ways in which the medical social worker can help the asthmatic patient benefit from the medical treatment he is receiving. The writer sets forth the following questions to be answered: 1) What are the reasons for referral to the socia~ service department? 2) What are the factors in the environment which seem to be impeding treatment? 3) What methods are ; used by the social worker in trying to remove the obstacles? 4) To what extent is it possible to achieve these objectives?

60 children with bronchial asthma were investigated of the age of 11-15. Children, who were investigated, were divided into 2 groups: the first group consisted of 30 children, who did exercises in the sport hall; the second group consisted of 30 children, who did exercises in the water. Physical therapy for both groups was provided for 30 minutes 6 days a week 1 time per day. Physical therapy included active gymnastic exercises using various physical therapy tools. It was provided two lung ventilation tests with spirometer “Spiromed 250”: the first test was taken before starting to do physical therapy, the second one was taken in the end of physical therapy. We examined the forced expiratory vital capacity (FVC), volume of forced expiration within the first second (FEVı), Gaensler index (FEVı/FVC), peak expiratory flow (PEF), maximum expiratory flow, when 50% of the forced vital capacity has been exhaled (MEF50%). The results of our investigation showed that gymnastic exercises in the water have more positive effect than gymnastic exercises in the sport hall for children with bronchial asthma.

The aim of this thesis was to contribute to the standardization and validation of expiratory flow parameters independent of NO testing, particularly alveolar concentration (CANO) and bronchial NO flux (JawNO) in children and adolescents with allergic respiratory diseases. The thesis was created in the time of increased interest of medicine professionals in non-invasive examination methods and targeted therapeutic influence of inflammation in small airways in asthmatics. After the standardization and validation of clinical benefits, the measurement of concentrations of nitric oxide (FENO) in the air exhaled through the mouth with the speed of 50 ml/s was validated for the evaluation of eosinophilic airway inflammation in patients with asthma and started to be widely used in clinical practice. Currently, there is an ongoing research focused on a new method for FENO measurement at several flow rates, which uses physiological models of NO transfer in exhaled air, allowing to quantify the amount of NO in an indirect way and to monitor the intensity of the inflammatory processes in distal and proximal airways non- invasively. In groups of children and adolescents with allergic rhinitis and / or bronchial asthma and their healthy peers (aged 6 -19 years), the concentration of FENO was examined using online...