A serological biomarker of type I collagen degradation is related to a more severe, high neutrophilic, obese asthma subtype.

Background: Asthma is a heterogeneous disease; therefore, biomarkers that can assist in the identification of subtypes and direct therapy are highly desirable. Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that leads to changes in the extracellular matrix (ECM) by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) degradation causing fragments of type I collagen that is released into circulation.

Objective: Here, we asked if MMP-generated type I collagen (C1M) was associated with subtypes of asthma.

Rhinovirus infections change DNA methylation and mRNA expression in children with asthma.

Human rhinovirus infection (HRVI) plays an important role in asthma exacerbations and is thought to be involved in asthma development during early childhood. We hypothesized that HRVI causes differential DNA methylation and subsequently differential mRNA expression in epithelial cells of children with asthma. Primary nasal epithelial cells from children with (n = 10) and without (n = 10) asthma were cultivated up to passage two and infected with Rhinovirus-16 (RV-16).

The protective effect of cheese consumption at 18 months on allergic diseases in the first 6 years.

Background: The effect of exposure to microorganisms on allergic diseases has been well studied. The protective effect of early food diversity against allergic diseases was previously shown in the PASTURE cohort study. The consumption of cheese, a food potentially rich in microbial diversity, deserves further examination.

Functional phenotypes determined by fluctuation-based clustering of lung function measurements in healthy and asthmatic cohort participants.

Rationale: Asthma is characterised by inflammation and reversible airway obstruction. However, these features are not always closely related. Fluctuations of daily lung function contain information on asthma phenotypes, exacerbation risk and response to long-acting β-agonists.

Association of household cleaning agents and disinfectants with asthma in young German adults.

Objectives: We scrutinised the association of private use of household sprays and disinfectants with asthma incidence in young adults in the transition from school to working life.

Methods: Between 2007 and 2009,2051 young adults aged 19-24 years living in two major German cities took part in the Study on Occupational Allergy Risks II. Self-reported exposure to household sprays and disinfectants was characterised according to a composite score for frequency of use as no use (score=0), low use (score between 1 and the median), medium use (score between the median and the 90th percentile) and high use (score above the 90th percentile).