Safety of live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) in children and adults with asthma: a systematic literature review and narrative synthesis.

Introduction: Asthma is one of the most common chronic respiratory conditions worldwide and can be exacerbated by influenza. Findings from early trials demonstrated a higher risk of medically significant wheezing in otherwise healthy young children (aged 6 - 23 months) following administration of the Ann Arbor-backbone live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV-AA). In more recent years, several additional studies have investigated the safety of LAIV-AA in older children (2 - 17 years of age) and adults with asthma or prior wheezing, but these findings have not yet been systematically evaluated.

Pulmonary epithelioid hemangioendothelioma in a patient with Crohn's disease.

Pulmonary epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (PEH) is a rare neoplasm, largely unresponsive to chemotherapeutic medications, and with varied prognosis. Imaging on computerized tomography may demonstrate perivascular nodules, but diagnosis is ultimately made on biopsy with immunohistochemical analysis. Here we describe a case of PEH in a 14-year-old male with Crohn's disease, which, to our knowledge, has not previously been described in the literature.

Novel CFTR variants identified during the first 3 years of cystic fibrosis newborn screening in California.

California uses a unique method to screen newborns for cystic fibrosis (CF) that includes gene scanning and DNA sequencing after only one California-40 cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) panel mutation has been identified in hypertrypsinogenemic specimens. Newborns found by sequencing to have one or more additional mutations or variants (including novel variants) in the CFTR gene are systematically followed, allowing for prospective assessment of the pathogenic potential of these variants. During the first 3 years of screening, 55 novel variants were identified.

Understanding the relationship among pharmacoadherence measures, asthma control test scores, and office-based spirometry.

Background: This study used accepted asthma metrics and pharmaceutical claim data to develop a new asthma metric as a possible surrogate for spirometry and to better assess asthma control.

Objective: To develop and validate a new asthma metric called the Rescue Index (RI) based on β(2)-agonist dispensings and to test the feasibility of a multivariate model to construct a global asthma metric called the Asthma Control Index (ACI).

Methods: This prospective, observational, multicenter cohort study was conducted at the Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) and at the Phoenix VA Health Care System (PVAHCS).

Congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation and bronchogenic cyst in a 4-month-old infant.

Congenital cystic disease of the lung and mediastinum encompasses a continuum of entities, and a histological overlap of many of these anomalies is acknowledged. Moreover, it is possible for different lesions to coexist in the same patient. Careful evaluation prior to surgical resection will alert the surgeon to the possible presence of multiple lesions in one patient.

Vocal cord abnormalities in Williams syndrome: a further manifestation of elastin deficiency.

Williams syndrome (WS) is due to a deletion in the WS critical region at 7q11.23 which includes the elastin gene (ELN). One of the most characteristic features of this disorder is a harsh, brassy, or hoarse voice but the etiology of the vocal characteristics are unknown.

Chronic inspiratory stridor secondary to a retained penetrating radiolucent esophageal foreign body.

Although foreign body ingestions are common in infants and young children, penetration of the esophagus is a relatively rare event. Timely diagnosis is impeded by the absence of classical symptoms and by the ingestion of radiolucent foreign bodies. The authors present a 17-month-old girl with a 6-month history of inspiratory stridor.