Part 1 Genetics of asthma: understanding the genetic basis of asthma and allergy; cytokines, genes and asthma. Part 2 Environmental epidemiology: Northern vs. Southern hemispheres; epidemiology of asthma mortality; the role of air pollution on allergic airway disease. Part 3 Asthma and wheezing in infants -can they come from the uterus?: candidate genes and paediatric asthma; asthma epidemiology - old and new issues; what is new in causal factors of asthma?; what is new in molecular aspects of inflammation?; the pros and cons of evidence based guidelines for childhood asthma management; immunotherapy in asthma. Part 4 Respiratory physiology in infants and children: leukotriene assessment in childhood asthma; bronchoalveolar lavage and biopsy in children; exhaled nitric oxide as a marker of airway inflammation in children. Part 5 Risk factors in paediatric asthma: particular aspects in the tropics; involuntary smoking and asthma; risk factors associated with persistent wheeze and asthma. Part 6 Other respiratory problems: sinusitis in children; bronchopulmonary dysplasia; pulmonary manifestations of immunodeficiency syndrome. Part 7 What do you need to know about childhood asthma?. Part 8 Treatment of paediatric asthma: diagnosis and treatment of exercise induced asthma; improved aerosol delivery systems for children; asthma self-management plan system of care; environmental risk factor - indoor pollution, consequence of ecologic disaster on respiratory tract; challenges issues in asthma - rhinitis and asthma - systemic vs. local disease, heterogeneity of response to treatment. Part 9 From difficult asthma to future: severe persistant and steroid resistant asthma; clamydia and bronchial asthma; future perspectives on asthma treatment. Part 10 Asthma in the elderly: lung function deterioration in normal and asthma elderly; is it asthma or COPD?; the global burden of asthma - the challenge of a worldwide epidemic, trends in the epidemiology of asthma in children, delivery of care to those with asthma. Part 11 Asthma and inflammation: inflammation and remodelling; role of dendritic cells. Part 12 Aetiology of asthma: occupational agents in asthma; virus induced asthma; tobacco smoking and asthma. Part 13 Hot topics in asthma: nocturnal asthma; asthma mortality in Latin America; occupational asthma; new technology, research vs. clinical diagnosis; measuring the outcomes of asthma; future perspectives in diagnosis of asthma; intercellular adhesion molecules and clinical perspectives; experimental studies on steroid effects.
