Transforming growth factor-beta1 and IL-13 response to allergen predict steroid needs in asthmatic children.

Background: The remission of asthma, which is induced during specific immunotherapy (SIT) or appears spontaneously in children is not completely understood and predictors of this phenomenon are still undefined.

Objective: To assess CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) Treg cells and cytokine/proliferation response to allergen-specific stimulation of PBMC as predictors of steroid sparing effect of SIT and steroid dosage needs without SIT during 5 years of follow-up in asthmatic children.

Methods: This is a 5-year long study of 32 asthmatic children, sensitive only to house dust mite (HDM).

[Two cases of cystic fibrosis treated as bronchial asthma in children].

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most frequent genetic disorder occurring in Caucasian, followed to preterm death. Clinical diagnosis of CF is set in infant or early childhood. Late diagnosis of CF is most often caused by non-typical course of the disease, rarely by misdiagnosis and not taken CF into account in differential diagnosis.

The ECP/Eo count ratio in children with asthma.

We hypothesized that the serum eosinophil eationic protein (ECP) concentration to peripheral blood eosinophil count ratio (ECP/Eo ratio), reflecting active eosinophils, could better correlate with asthma severity in asthmatic patients, than each of these parameters alone. One hundred twenty children with mild to moderate persistent stable asthma were included into the study. At the first visit, previous asthma medications were withheld and patients were administered beta-2 agonists "as needed.

[Analysis of possible causes of recurrent respiratory tract infections in children from Lodz, Poland].

Recurrent respiratory tract infections are responsible for about 85% of all diseases in childhood. Early diagnosis helps to prevent infections and start the appropriate treatment, what in turn prevents lungs from irreversible damage. The aim of this study was the analysis of possible causes of recurrent respiratory tract infections in children in Lodz region.