Disease severity, mental health, and quality of life of children and adolescents with asthma.

Asthma has been found related to a higher risk of psychological problems. Inconsistent results have been reported with respect to the quality of life of children with asthma. So there may be a complex relationship between asthma severity, quality of life, and psychological factors.

Effects of ursodeoxycholic acid on synthesis of cholesterol and bile acids in healthy subjects.

Background/aims: Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) decreases biliary secretion of cholesterol and is therefore used for the dissolution of cholesterol gallstones. It remains unclear whether these changes in biliary cholesterol excretion are associated with changes in cholesterol synthesis and bile acid synthesis. We therefore studied the activities of rate-limiting enzymes of cholesterol synthesis and bile acid synthesis, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase and cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase, respectively, in normal subjects during UDCA feeding.