Food industry, textile industry and agriculture were the most risky occupational environments. Workers in these sectors require preventive intervention. In case of showing rhinitis symptoms it is necessary to confirm the occupational aetiology of the disease by the objective diagnostic methods. Since occupational rhinitis mostly precedes the occupational asthma, the elimination from the workplace is necessary.

The basic features of bronchial asthma are dyspnea with wheezing and objectively confirmed obstructive respiratory disorder reversible after inhalation of bronchodilators. In stable intermittent bronchial asthma, these features are not present; therefore confirmation of asthma consists of the presence of bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR). In the present study, there were 902 bronchoprovocation tests performed for the verification of BHR. A significant criterium for BHR is a decrease of FEV(1) of 20% from the baseline level. Every test either positive or negative was finished with inhalation of four doses of salbutamol through a spacer. We obtained 675 bronchoprovocation tests negative and 227 positive. Among the 675 subjects with a negative test there were 49 subjects who after inhalation of salbutamol had an increase in FEV(1) of ≥20% above baseline. The bronchodilatatory response of these 49 subjects, makes one think about the so-called latent bronchospasm present already at baseline, limiting further constriction during bronchoprovocation tests. The detection of such latent bronchospasm in BHR increases the number of patients with an objectively confirmed bronchial asthma from 25.0% to 30.5%. Our results suggest that bronchodilation test be performed in all patients with suspected bronchial asthma to allow detecting latent bronchospasm as an initial stage of the disease.

A major symptom of hand-arm vibration syndrome is a secondary Raynaud’s phenomenon—vibration white finger (VWF)—which results from a vasospasm of the digital arteries caused by work with vibration devices leading to occupational disease. Pharmacotherapy of VWF is often ineffective or has adverse effects. The aim of this work was to verify the influence of inhalation of partially ionized oxygen (O2•−) on peripheral blood vessels in the hands of patients with VWF. Ninety one (91)patients with VWF underwent four-finger adsorption plethysmography, and the pulse wave amplitude was recorded expressed in numeric parameters—called the native record. Next, a cold water test was conducted following with second plethysmography. The patients were divided in to the three groups. First and second inhaled 20-min of ionized oxygen O2•− or oxygen O2 respectively. Thirth group was control without treatment. All three groups a follow-up third plethysmography—the post-therapy record. Changes in the pulse wave amplitudes were evaluated. Inpatients group inhaling O2•− a modest increase of pulse wave amplitude was observed compared to the native record; patients inhaling medical oxygen O2 and the control showed a undesirable decline of pulse wave amplitude in VWF fingers. Strong vasodilatation were more frequent in the group inhaling O2•− compare to O2 (p < 0.05). Peripheral vasodilatation achieved by inhalation of O2•− could be used for VWF treatment without undesirable side effect in hospital as well as at home environment.

Letter to the editor Dear Editors, we read with interest the recent report by Rowen and Robins regarding the effective treatment for "novel coronavirus" SARS-CoV with ozone therapy [1]. The authors explained the effect of ozone therapy through oxidation of the membrane glycoproteins, where thiol groups in reduced form (R-S-H) are changed to disulphide (R-S-S-H). Then, viral enzymes can become inactive when reduced thiols are oxidized. Coronavirus structure has regions rich in cysteine, which are vulnerable to oxidation. The COVID-19 is real worldwide pandemic with significant morbidity and mortality, so there is an emergency to find many other treatment methods. We fully agree with the authors that in some conditions, in which there are limitations in conventional treatment, oxidation therapy could be useful; however, we would like to share our thoughts and contributions to this report. Another type of oxidation therapy is administration of partially ionized oxygen. Although it is not a frequently used method, its success was proven. Therapy with ionized oxygen (Ionized Oxygen Therapy-IO2Th/Engler) is a physical, adjuvant, short-term medical administration of partially ionized oxygen. This method was developed in 1980 by Assoc. Prof.