[Incidence of wheezing and chronic cough in children aged 3-14 years in rural and urban areas of Zhongshan, China: a questionnaire survey].

Objective: To investigate the incidence of wheezing and chronic cough in children aged 3-14 years in different living areas of Zhongshan, China.

Methods: According to the unified program of the 2010 national epidemiological survey of asthmatic children aged 0-14 years, a questionnaire survey of the children aged 3-14 years in rural and urban areas of Zhongshan was conducted.

Results: A total of 15 763 children were included in the survey.

[Study of genetic susceptibility in 198 children with asthma].

Objective: To analyze the frequency distribution of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of four asthma-related gene loci (ACE I/D; ADRB2 Arg16Gly; TNF-α G-308A; MS4A2 Glu237Gly) in 198 asthmatic children, and to investigate its association with genetic susceptibility to childhood asthma and some clinical phenotypes of asthma.

Methods: Polymerase chain reaction product electrophoresis identification and real-time quantitative PCR detecting system were used to determine the frequency distributions of the SNPs of the four asthma-related gene loci in 198 asthmatic children and 110 healthy controls. The serum total IgE (TIgE) levels and blood eosinophil proportion (%EOS) of the asthmatic children were measured.

[Efficacy of specific sublingual immunotherapy with dermatophagoides farinae drops in the treatment of cough variant asthma in children].

Objective: To study the efficacy and safety of specific sublingual immunotherapy with dermatophagoides farinae drops in the treatment of cough variant asthma in children.

Methods: A total of 106 children aged 4-14 years old with cough variant asthma and positive skin prick test responses to dermatophagoides farinae allergens were randomly divided into two groups: SLIT group (n=53), which received specific sublingual immunotherapy with dermatophagoides farinae drops as well as standardized treatment and conventional treatment group (n=53), which received standardized treatment alone. Improvement in cough/asthma symptom scores and the time taken for symptoms to improve were observed after treatment.