The prevalence, characteristics of and early life risk factors for eczema in 10-year-old children

Eczema is a common infantile disease but its nature and extent during later childhood remains unclear. In a whole-population birth cohort study (n = 1456) we examined prevalence and characteristics of eczema amongst 10-year-old children. At this age 1373 (94%) children completed ISAAC questionnaires, 1043 (72%) skin prick testing and 953 (65%) serum inhalant IgE antibody screening. At 10 years of age prevalence of eczema ever was 41.0% and for current eczema was 13.7% (combined current itchy rash and eczema ever). Most current eczema (71.0%) began before 4 years of age, but was associated with low morbidity at 10 years. Amongst children with diagnosed eczema at 4 years of age, 56.3% had current eczema at 10 years. Atopy (positive skin test) and other allergic states were associated with current eczema (p &lt; 0.001). Risk factor analysis for current eczema identified independent significance for atopy (p = 0.01), rhinitis (p = 0.04) and food allergy (p = 0.01) at 4 years, plus maternal asthma (p = 0.03). Diagnosed rhinitis at 4 years emerged as a significant predictor of persistent disease. Eczema is not simply a transient infantile condition but a common problem at 10 years of age, often reflecting persistent disease from early childhood. Inherited predisposition towards atopy is the predominant risk factor for this state.</p

Early life risk factors for current wheeze, asthma, and bronchial hyperresponsiveness at 10 years of age

STUDY OBJECTIVES: We sought to identify early life factors (ie, first 4 years) associated with wheeze, asthma, and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) at age 10 years, comparing their relative influence for these conditions.METHODS: Children were seen at birth, and at 1, 2, 4, and 10 years of age in a whole-population birth cohort study (1,456 subjects). Information was collected prospectively on genetic and environmental risk factors. Skin-prick testing was performed at 4 years of age. Current wheeze (in the last 12 months) and currently diagnosed asthma (CDA) [ie, current wheeze and ever-diagnosed asthmatic subject] were recorded at 10 years of age when BHR was measured at bronchial challenge. Independent significant risk factors for these outcomes were identified by logistic regression.RESULTS: Independent significance for current wheeze occurred with maternal asthma (odds ratio [OR], 2.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.27 to 3.41) and paternal asthma (OR, 2.12; 95% CI 1.29 to 3.51), recurrent chest infections at 2 years (OR, 3.98; 95% CI, 2.36 to 6.70), atopy at 4 years of age (OR, 3.69; 95% CI, 2.36 to 5.76), eczema at 4 years of age (OR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.24 to 3.73), and parental smoking at 4 years of age (OR, 2.18; 95% CI, 1.25 to 3.81). For CDA, significant factors were maternal asthma (OR, 2.26; 95% CI, 1.24 to 3.73), paternal asthma (OR, 2.30; 95% CI, 1.17 to 4.52), and sibling asthma (OR, 2.00; 95% CI, 1.16 to 3.43), recurrent chest infections at 1 year of age (OR, 2.67; 95% CI, 1.12 to 6.40) and 2 years of age (OR, 4.11; 95% CI, 2.06 to 8.18), atopy at 4 years of age (OR, 7.22; 95% CI, 4.13 to 12.62), parental smoking at 1 year of age (OR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.15 to 3.45), and male gender (OR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.01 to 2.95). For BHR, atopy at 4 years of age (OR, 5.38; 95% CI, 3.06 to 9.47) and high social class at birth (OR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.16 to 3.53) proved to be significant.CONCLUSIONS: Asthmatic heredity, predisposition to early life atopy, plus early passive smoke exposure and recurrent chest infections are important influences for the occurrence of wheeze and asthma at 10 years of age. BHR at 10 years of age has a narrower risk profile, suggesting that factors influencing wheezing symptom expression may differ from those predisposing the patient to BHR.</p

Roman glass across the Empire: an elemental and isotopic characterization

This study focuses on natron glass, dated from the 1st to 5th century AD, excavated in different areas of the Roman Empire. The eastern side of the Roman Empire is accounted for by three archaeological sites, Petra and Barsinia, both in Jordan, and Gonio, in Georgia. The Italian peninsula is represented by the Iulia Felix and Embiez shipwrecks, and by samples from Augusta Praetoria. Samples from Barcino in Spain are examples of the western side of the Empire, and the sites of Tienen and Oudenburg represent the northern provinces. No clear distinctions in glass composition and origin between the different regions of the Roman Empire can be made based on the major elemental compositions. However, the western, central and eastern Roman Empire samples can be divided into two groups, coloured and colourless, which also are reflected in the K2O contents. Sr-Nd isotopes, used for provenancing geological raw materials in primary glass production, indicate an eastern Mediterranean origin (epsilon Nd between 2.5 and 6.0) for most of the samples. Conversely, samples with more negative epsilon Nd, between - 7.02 and - 10.8, indicate a western Mediterranean origin. By applying this technique on samples from well known archaeological contexts, this study demonstrates that several primary glass factories were located throughout the Roman Empire. This is in contrast with current interpretations of late Roman to early Byzantine data.status: publishe