Problems of Pediatrics Atopic and Nonatopic Asthma in Children: Two Di erent Diseases?

Abstract e majority of the studies in the eld of childhood asthma lie within the scope of allergy/atopic asthma; however, airway hyperresponsiveness is considered a marker of asthma, independent of the atopic status and should be regarded as a parallel pathological process that can lead to subsequent symptoms and clinical evidence of asthma in children, without the evidence of atopy. e aim of this study is to estimate the possible di erences in clinical and lung functions, and the immunological status of children with atopic and nonatopic asthma phenotypes. In a prospective study design, 54 children (age 3-18 years) in Germany were monitored via active surveillance, by twice-a-week phone calls. All the children were divided into two groups, based on their atopic status, clinical date and lung function tests. e rst 27 patients had atopic asthma (AA), whereas the second set of 27 patients had nonatopic asthma (NA). All patients underwent IgE and RAST tests for the most common inhalant allergens, and a quantitative measurement of Eosinophil Cationic Protein (ECP) by CAP-radioallergosorbent test-uorescence enzyme immunoassay (UniCAP, Pharmacia Diagnostics, Germany). Further, the IgA, IgM, IgG subclasses, IL-6 and CRP levels in the serum were tested. e resultant data showed signi cant di erences in the prevailing IgE level 317.5±58 g/l in AA versus 83±21 in NA. However, there was no signi cant distinction either in the ECP serum level in children with atopic and nonatopic asthma or in the IL-6 serum level. An unexpected result was the signi cant drop in the level of serum CRP in group NA -0.68±0.37 g/l; while in group AA this result was 1.5±0.38 g/l. No signi cant di erences were noted between the mean values of the IgM and IgG levels in patients of all groups; however, the IgG levels increased only in the children with nonatopic asthma. Our study did not reveal any type of immunoglobulin de ciency. e IgA level was relatively decreased in children with nonatopic asthma compared with those with the atopic form. Patients from group NA had signi cantly higher IgG4 subclass levels than patients from group AA. e results of our study show that both atopic and nonatopic asthma are diseases, with similar in ammatory changes, however having probably di erent pathogenetic immunological mechanisms. IJBM 2012; 2(3):214-221

St. John's Daily Star, 1919-03-29

The St. John's Daily Star was published daily except Sunday between 17 April 1915 - 23 July 1921

Fecal Lactoferrin: Reliable Biomarker for Intestinal Inflammation in Pediatric IBD

Background. Optimal management of pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) requires early diagnosis. Aim of the study is to compare fecal lactoferrin (FL) as biomarker of intestinal inflammation to CRP in pediatric patients with new-onset IBD. Methods. FL was measured by ELISA in stool specimens collected prior to endoscopy for IBD (IBD-SCAN; TechLab, Blacksburg; normal < 7.3 µg/g feces). CRP was detected in serum (normal < 5 mg/L). Three patient groups were determined: n=21 (mean age 13.2) with Crohn’s disease (CD), n=15 (mean age 10.9) with ulcerative colitis (UC), and n=20 (mean age 11.9) in whom IBD was ruled out. In CD patients the endoscopic severity score SES-CD was correlated with the FL levels. Results. (Mean ± SEM). CRP levels were 27.18 ± 4.2 for CD-cases, 20.8 ± 9.5 for UC, and 0.24 ± 0.06 for non-IBD patients. FL levels were 313.6 ± 46.4 in CD, 370.7 ± 46.9 in UC, and 1.3 ± 0.5 in non-IBD patients. Sensitivity of CRP to detect IBD was 75% with specificity of 100%, positive predictive value of 100%, and negative predictive value of 69%. Sensitivity of FL was 100% with specificity of 95%, positive predictive value of 97.3%, and negative predictive value of 100%. In CD, FL levels correlated positively (R2=0.42) with disease severity as judged by the SES-CD. Conclusions. Elevated FL corresponds to intestinal inflammation, even in patients with normal CRP. With high probability, normal FL excludes intestinal inflammation

Atopic and Nonatopic Asthma in Children: two Different Diseases?

The majority of the studies in the field of childhood asthma lie within the scope of allergy/atopic asthma; however, airway hyperresponsiveness is considered a marker of asthma, independent of the atopic status and should be regarded as a parallel pathological process that can lead to subsequent symptoms and clinical evidence of asthma in children, without the evidence of atopy. The aim of this study is to estimate the possible differences in clinical and lung functions, and the immunological status of children with atopic and nonatopic asthma phenotypes. In a prospective study design, 54 children (age 3-18 years) in Germany were monitored via active surveillance, by twice-a-week phone calls. All the children were divided into two groups, based on their atopic status, clinical date and lung function tests. The first 27 patients had atopic asthma (AA), whereas the second set of 27 patients had nonatopic asthma (NA). All patients underwent IgE and RAST tests for the most common inhalant allergens, and a quantitative measurement of Eosinophil Cationic Protein (ECP) by CAP-radioallergosorbent test-fluorescence enzyme immunoassay (UniCAP, Pharmacia Diagnostics, Germany). Further, the IgA, IgM, IgG subclasses, IL-6 and CRP levels in the serum were tested. The resultant data showed significant differences in the prevailing IgE level 317.5±58 g/l in AA versus 83±21 in NA. However, there was no significant distinction either in the ECP serum level in children with atopic and nonatopic asthma or in the IL-6 serum level. An unexpected result was the significant drop in the level of serum CRP in group NA – 0.68±0.37 g/l; while in group AA this result was 1.5±0.38 g/l. No significant differences were noted between the mean values of the IgM and IgG levels in patients of all groups; however, the IgG levels increased only in the children with nonatopic asthma. Our study did not reveal any type of immunoglobulin deficiency. The IgA level was relatively decreased in children with nonatopic asthma compared with those with the atopic form. Patients from group NA had significantly higher IgG4 subclass levels than patients from group AA. The results of our study show that both atopic and nonatopic asthma are diseases, with similar inflammatory changes, however having probably different pathogenetic immunological mechanisms

Genotype-phenotype correlations of cystic fibrosis in siblings compound heterozygotes for rare variant combinations: Review of literature and case report

Here, we describe a cystic fibrosis (CF) family with affected siblings, two of whom have a combination of I1234V and 1677delTA variants with classic CF features, the third child with a combination of I1234V and L997F variants with atypical CF, and the apparently healthy mother with a combination of 1677delTA and L997F alleles. Interestingly, the sibling with I1234V and L997F variants had normal sweat test results and had a much milder phenotype than the other two siblings with I1234V and 1677delTA variants, suggesting that this combination is causative for atypical CF. The fact that their mother with the combination of 1677delTA and L997F appears to be healthy suggests that the L997F variant causes different phenotypes in different allele combinations. The current cases show that there is a genotype-phenotype correlation in this disease and underline the importance of genotyping individuals with suspected CF to allow prediction of disease severity and effective treatment

Malnutrition and diarrhea: Working Group Report of the First World Congress of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition.

Journal Articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe