Sensitization of Children to Storage Mites in Kutahya, Turkey

Specific IgE against Acarus siro, Glycphagus domesticus, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, and Lepidoglyphus destructor have been investigated by ELISA in sera of 92 children. Of them, 41 were found to be specific IgE positive (≥ 0.35 IU/ml) against at least one of house dust mite species, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae, by an immunoblot. In 65.9% of the dust mite-sensitized children, specific IgE against at least one of these mite species was found. Sensitization levels, including co-sensitization cases were found to be 35.7% against A. siro, 24.4% against T. putrescentiae, 31.7% against L. destructor, and 26.8% against G. domesticus. In non-sensitized children, dust mite sensitization level was found to be 25.5%. Breakdown of sensitization by individual species in this group was; against A. siro and T. putrescentiae at 7.8%, against L. destructor at 13.7%, and against G. domesticus at 9.8%. When all children were reckoned, 43.5% was found to be sensitized against at least one storage mite species, with sensitizations against A. siro at 18.5%, T. putrescentiae at 26.1%, L. destructor at 21.7%, and G. domesticus at 17.4%. In dust samples collected from the dwellings of children, distribution of species was found to be A. siro (17%), G. domesticus (23%), T. putrescentiae (29%), L. destructor (25%), and unidentified (6%). In Fisher's chi-square test on SPSS program, there was a relationship between dust mite sensitization and storage mite sensitization (P < 0.05), but no meaningful relationship was found on the basis of individual mite species

Benign joint hypermobility syndrome: A cause of childhood asthma?

Benign joint hypermobility syndrome (BJHS) is a hereditable disorder of connective tissue, which is characterized by the occurrence of multiple musculoskeletal problems in hypermobile individuals who do not have a systemic rheumatological disease. Rectal, uterine and mitral prolapses, varicose veins, myopia and recurrent urinary tract infections are more common in patients with BJHS, which indicates a diffuse anomaly in the structure of connective tissue rather than a limited involvement of the musculoskeletal system. Asthma, as a complex trait disease, develops after environmental exposure to innocuous allergens, infectious agents and air pollutants in susceptible individuals on the basis of their genetics. However, genetic factors cannot explain the recent rise in the prevalence, morbidity, or mortality of asthma. Asthma may also be caused by a connective tissue defect. Changes in the mechanical properties of the bronchial airways and lung parenchyma may underlie the increased tendency of the airways to collapse in asthmatic children. In this paper, we postulate that BJHS may lead to persistent childhood wheezing by causing airway collapse through a connective tissue defect that affects the structure of the airways. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Outpatient Treatment of Propionic Acidemia-Associated Hyperammonemia With N-Carbamoyl-L-Glutamate in an Infant

Objective: The aim of this research letter was to describe the use of N-carbamoyl-L-glutamate as first-line treatment of hyperammonemia in a 4-month-old female patient with propionic acidemia (PA)

MicroRNA profiling in lymphocytes and serum of tyrosinemia type-I patients

Tyrosinemia type-I results from lack of fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase (FAH), which is a liver enzyme and also shown to be present in lymphocytes, fibroblasts, and cultured amniotic fluid cells. In young infants, symptoms of untreated Tyrosinemia type-I are restricted to severe liver involvement. Later in the first year; however, it is known to be present with liver and renal tubular dysfunction associated with growth failure and rickets. MicroRNAs are small regulatory RNAs that function post-transcriptionally. They target commonly 3'-UTR of the mRNAs and inhibit protein expression by either blocking the synthesis or causing degradation of the mRNAs. MiRNA deregulation was observed in a variety of pathologic conditions but their roles in metabolic diseases were remained unsolved. We studied 6 patients with classical phenotypes of Tyrosinemia type-I. To identify possible miRNAs targeting FAH transcripts, microarray profiling of 961 miRNAs for lymphocytes and serum is performed. Computational algorithms are used for prediction of putative mRNA-miRNA interactions. A number of deregulated miRNAs, targeting the non-conserved sites on FAH transcripts were found. Besides, there are some miRNAs that are similarly altered both in lymphocytes and serum, possibly contributing to the disease phenotype. Since miRNAs may have an active role in the enzymatic pathway of tyrosine catabolism, characterizing miRNA profile in fibroblasts of tyrosinemia patients is also important because miRNAs would have distinctive role in disease pathogenesis and they are promising for future therapeutic studies

GLUTARIC ACIDURIA TYPE I ASSOCIATED WITH HEMIHYPERTROPHY IN AN INFANT

WOS: 000281735000119