Indoor allergen exposure, sensitization, and development of asthma in a high-risk birth cohort.

Contradictory findings have been observed for the association of house dust mite (HDM), cat, and dog allergen exposure with sensitization and asthma. We sought to determine the relationship between exposures to these allergens, at various points during early childhood, and specific sensitization and asthma at age 7 in a high-risk birth cohort. As part of a multi-faceted Canadian intervention program for the primary prevention of asthma in high-risk infants, children were assessed by pediatric allergists at age 7 for asthma and underwent allergy skin prick testing.

Polymorphisms in the IL-4, IL-4 receptor alpha chain, TNF-alpha, and lymphotoxin-alpha genes and risk of asthma in Hong Kong Chinese adults.

Background: Susceptibility to the development of asthma and other atopic diseases is known to be associated with genetic components. However, association studies with interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-4 receptor alpha subunit (IL-4R alpha), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and lymphotoxin-alpha (LT-alpha) genes were inconclusive, as both positive and negative results were obtained in several populations studied. We aimed to investigate the association of the polymorphisms for IL-4 (C-589T), IL-4R alpha (Gln576Arg), TNF-alpha (G-308A) and LT-alpha (A252G) genes as candidates and asthma in adult Hong Kong Chinese population.