Safety of bronchoalveolar lavage in young children with cystic fibrosis.

Objective: Our aim was to determine the safety of BAL in young children <6 years with CF.

Methods: As part of a multi-center study of BAL-directed therapy, children with CF < 6 years had one or more BALs between September 1999 and December 2005. Adverse events were recorded intraoperatively and for 24 hr thereafter.

Breastfeeding does not increase the risk of asthma at 14 years.

Objectives: There are conflicting data regarding the impact of breastfeeding on the development of asthma in late childhood. Our aim with this study was to investigate the relationship between breastfeeding and the prevalence of asthma in children at 14 years.

Methods: The Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy is a birth cohort of 7223 women and their infants recruited from a public antenatal clinic in Brisbane, Australia, between 1981 and 1984.

Relationship between sputum inflammatory markers, lung function, and lung pathology on high-resolution computed tomography in children with cystic fibrosis.

High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is a sensitive technique for early visualisation and location of cystic fibrosis (CF) bronchopathology, and has been shown to detect acute reversible and chronic changes. It would be expected to correlate with markers of the underlying pathological processes, such as sputum cytokines and cytology, as well as with pulmonary function tests (PFTs). Our aim was to study the relationship between PFTs, sputum cytology, and sputum cytokine interleukin-8 (IL-8) and HRCT in CF patients.

Inflammation, infection, and pulmonary function in infants and young children with cystic fibrosis.

Our aim was to study the effect of lower airway infection on clinical parameters, pulmonary function tests, and inflammation in clinically stable infants and young children with cystic fibrosis (CF). To accomplish this goal, a prospective cohort of screened CF patients under 4 years of age were studied, using elective anesthesia and intubation for: passive respiratory mechanics (single breath occlusion passive deflation) and lung volumes (nitrogen washout), under neuromuscular blockade; and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) of 3 main bronchi for cytology, cytokine interleukin (IL)-8, and quantitative microbiology. There were 22 children studied, with a mean age of 23.