Background Obesity in children is associated with increased asthma and atopy. Objective We sought to determine whether obesity in childhood or adolescence increases the risk of atopic dermatitis. ...Methods This retrospective, practice-based, case-control study randomly sampled 414 children and adolescents (age, 1-21 years) with atopic dermatitis between January 2000 and December 2007 and 828 randomly sampled healthy control subjects. Information was obtained from an electronic medical record. Observations were made before the a priori hypothesis. Results Obesity in children is associated with increased atopic dermatitis (conditional logistic regression: odds ratio, 2.00; 95% CI, 1.22-3.26; P = .006). These atopic dermatitis–predisposing effects are found when obesity started by less than 2 years of age (adjusted odds ratio aOR, 15.10; 95% CI, 1.51-151.21; P = .02) and 2 to 5 years (aOR, 2.58; 95% CI, 1.24-5.41; P = .01) but not greater than 5 years (aOR, 1.32; 95% CI, 0.66-2.64; P = .43) and when obesity was prolonged for 2.5 to 5 years (aOR, 2.64; 95% CI, 1.13-6.18; P = .03) and greater than 5 years (aOR, 3.40; 95% CI, 1.34-8.63; P = 0.01). Obesity is associated with more severe atopic dermatitis (ordinal logistic regression: aOR, 2.37; 95% CI, 1.24-5.37; P = .01). Obese children who eventually have atopic dermatitis require more frequent pediatrician visits for the management of atopic dermatitis (ordinal logistic regression: aOR, 2.22; 95% CI, 1.12-4.50; P = .03). Conclusion Prolonged obesity in early childhood is a risk factor for atopic dermatitis. Weight loss might be an important approach for the prevention and treatment of atopic dermatitis in children.
Conclusions Increased duration of sleep is associated with lower airway levels of nitric oxide, both in the morning and afternoon, for both adults with asthma as well as healthy controls.
Previous studies have found associations between region of birth and asthma prevalence.
To study the association among birthplace, US prevalence, age of onset, and disease course of adult asthma.
...Data from 447,801 adults from the 1997 to 2011 National Health Interview Survey were reviewed. History of asthma was compared with birthplace using Rao-Scott χ(2) tests, survey logistic, propensity score, and Cox regression. Trends of asthma prevalence were analyzed using logistic regression. Multivariate models controlled for sociodemographics, health care access, smoking history, and body mass index.
Adults born outside the United States had lower odds of ever asthma (adjusted odds ratio OR 0.52, 95% confidence interval CI 0.49-0.55) or current asthma (OR 0.50, 95% CI, 0.46-0.54). The inverse association between foreign birthplace and asthma prevalence was significant in all regions of birth (P < .0001). Adults born outside the United States who resided in the United States for longer than 10 years compared with only 0 to 4 years had higher odds of ever asthma (OR 1.28, 95% CI, 1.18-1.38) and current asthma (OR 1.70, 95% CI, .31-2.19). Foreign-born compared with US-born adults also had delayed onset of asthma (adjusted hazard ratio 0.27, 95% CI, 0.27-0.28). The US prevalence of asthma increased in a linear manner from 1997 (9.1%, 8.77%-9.37%) to 2011 (12.5%, 12.1%-12.8%, P < .0001), which paralleled the trend for US-born adults. However, the prevalence of asthma in foreign-born adults was consistently lower and increased to a lesser extent (P < .0001).
Foreign-born American adults from all regions of birth have a lower prevalence of asthma, which increases after prolonged US residency. Foreign-born Americans may have a higher risk of adult-onset asthma.
Methods Immigrants to Brooklyn (Chinese and Hispanic, n=401) with self-reported asthma and/or seasonal allergies (n=212) and controls (n=189) completed a survey regarding history of cancer in their ...mothers and fathers, personal history of cancer, and development of allergic disease.
Background Wild-type varicella zoster virus infection (WTVZV) early in childhood has been shown to protect against the development of asthma and atopy. Objective To determine whether WTVZV in ...childhood protects against atopic dermatitis (AD). Methods This retrospective, practice-based, case-control study randomly sampled 256 children and adolescents (age 1-18 years) with AD and 422 age-matched healthy controls from 2005 to 2007. Observations were made before the a priori hypothesis. Results (1) A single episode of WTVZV in childhood is associated with decreased odds ratio (OR) of developing AD (conditional logistic regression; OR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.34-0.89; P = .01). (2) When using intervals for age corresponding to bimodal distribution of age of WTVZV infection, the effects of WTVZV infection are significant when occurring at age 0 to 8 years (OR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.35-0.90; P = .02), but not at 8 to 18 years (OR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.19-1.31; P = .16). Considering 5-year intervals has similar findings. (3) WTVZV is associated with decreased odds of moderate AD (multinomial logistic regression; OR, 0.08, 95% CI, 0.04-0.15; P < .0001) or severe AD (OR, 0.04; 95% CI, 0.01-0.13; P < .0001). (4) WTVZV in children is associated with prolonged AD-free survival (Kaplan-Meier; median, 15.3 years; 95% CI, 10.9-18.0) compared with controls (median, 7.5 years; 95% CI, 4.8-11.9; log-rank test, P < .0001). (5) Children with WTVZV, compared with vaccine, who eventually develop AD require fewer pediatrician sick visits for management of AD (logistic regression; OR, 0.17; 95% CI, 0.06-0.51; P = .001). Conclusion WTVZV in childhood protects up to 10 years of age against AD, delays onset of AD symptoms, and decreases AD severity and office visits.
Rationale Complement split products C5a and C3a levels increase in airways after allergen provocation in asthmatic humans We reported plasma C5a levels relate to asthma severity and QOL scores and ...that C5a and its receptor (CD88) are increased in blood of adult asthmatic humans requiring acute care in emergency rooms.
Methods We determined the numbers of (l) CD4+IL-4+ and CD8+CD60±IL-4+ T cells and subP receptor+ (NK-1R) leukocyte subsets in blood of ragweed sensitized humans (n=6); (2) CD45+, CD4+CD3+, CD8+CD60±, ...CD19+, CD16/56+, and CD14+ cells expressing p38MAPK in PBMC ± 15-30 min incubation with PMA ± subP; and (3) the effect of subP on specific memory IgE responses by PBMC cultured for 0-12 days ± ragweed antigen ± subP ± antibodies to subP receptors (flow cytometry; ELISA) (data expressed as % T cell subsets, % total lymphocytes or monocytes, ng/ml) Results SubP did not affect CD4+IL-4+ or CD8+CD60+IL-4+ T cells but suppressed CD45+p38MAPK+ lymphocytes (70%) (including CD4+, CD8+, CD19+, CD16/56+ p38MAPK+ cells), and specific memory IgE responses, with antibodies to subP receptors reversing this effect.
Methods Blood/serum was obtained from ragweed sensitized humans (n=6) and CD4+ and CD8+CD60+ T cell expression of p38MAPK (MESF), CD4+IL-4+ and CD8+CD60+IL-4+ T cell numbers and IgE levels (IU/ml) ...were determined (flow cytometery, fluoroenzymeimmunoassay).
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