Oxygenation Index in the First 24 Hours after the Diagnosis of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome as a Surrogate Metric for Risk Stratification in Children.

Background: The diagnosis of pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (PARDS) is a pragmatic decision based on the degree of hypoxia at the time of onset. We aimed to determine whether reclassification using oxygenation metrics 24 hours after diagnosis could provide prognostic ability for outcomes in PARDS.

Methods: Two hundred and eighty-eight pediatric patients admitted between January 1, 2010 and January 30, 2017, who met the inclusion criteria for PARDS were retrospectively analyzed.

German Cockroach Extract Induces Matrix Metalloproteinase-1 Expression, Leading to Tight Junction Disruption in Human Airway Epithelial Cells.

Purpose: Cockroach exposure is a pivotal cause of asthma. Tight junctions are intercellular structures required for maintenance of the barrier function of the airway epithelium, which is impaired in this disease. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) digest extracellular matrix components and are involved in asthma pathogenesis: MMP1 is a collagenase with a direct influence on airway obstruction in asthmatics.

Age-Based Causes and Clinical Characteristics of Immediate-Type Food Allergy in Korean Children.

Purpose: Age-based causes and clinical characteristics of immediate-type food allergy (FA) have not been sufficiently studied. Therefore, we investigated age-dependent clinical profiles of FA in Korean children through an extensive multicenter investigation.

Methods: Using a case report form developed by the authors, a retrospective medical record review was performed of patients (0-18 years old) diagnosed with immediate-type FA between September 2014 and August 2015 in 14 tertiary hospitals in Korea.

Association of extended nitric oxide parameters with bronchial hyperresponsiveness and bronchodilator response in children with asthma.

Theoretical non-linear modeling of exhaled nitric oxide has revealed extended flow-independent parameters that could explain where or how nitric oxide is produced in the lung and transferred to the airway gas stream. We aimed to evaluate the associations of bronchial hyperresponsiveness and bronchodilator response with extended flow-independent nitric oxide parameters. Nitric oxide (30, 50, 100, 200 ml s) was measured in 432 children with asthma on the same day with either a methacholine challenge test (n = 156) or spirometry with bronchodilator (n = 276; 96 previously diagnosed with asthma and treated with inhaled corticosteroid, 37 with acute exacerbation treated with systemic corticosteroid).

Serum anion gap at admission as a predictor of mortality in the pediatric intensive care unit.

An accurate method to predict the mortality in the intensive care unit (ICU) patients has been required, especially in children. The aim of this study is to evaluate the value of serum anion gap (AG) for predicting mortality in pediatric ICU (PICU). We reviewed a data of 461 pediatric patients were collected on PICU admission.

Airway hyperresponsiveness to mannitol and methacholine and exhaled nitric oxide in children with asthma.

Objective: Asthma is characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), inflammation, and obstruction. AHR to stimuli that indirectly cause bronchial smooth muscle (BSM) contractions via release of endogenous mediators is thought to better reflect airway inflammation than AHR to stimuli that act directly on BSM. Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) is a useful parameter for noninvasive clinical airway inflammation assessments.

Sputum pentraxin 3 as a candidate to assess airway inflammation and remodeling in childhood asthma.

Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is a soluble pattern recognition receptor and an acute-phase protein. It has gained attention as a new biomarker reflecting tissue inflammation and damage in a variety of diseases. Aim of this study is to investigate the role of PTX3 in childhood asthma.

Antibody to FcεRIα Suppresses Immunoglobulin E Binding to High-Affinity Receptor I in Allergic Inflammation.

Purpose: High-affinity receptor I (FcεRI) on mast cells and basophils plays a key role in the immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated type I hypersensitivity mediated by allergen cross-linking of the specific IgE-FcεRI complex. Thus, prevention of IgE binding to FcεRI on these cells is an effective therapy for allergic disease. We have developed a strategy to disrupt IgE binding to FcεRI using an antibody targeting FcεRIα.

A Multicenter Retrospective Case Study of Anaphylaxis Triggers by Age in Korean Children.

Purpose: Although anaphylaxis is recognized as an important, life-threatening condition, data are limited regarding its triggers in different age groups. We aimed to identify anaphylaxis triggers by age in Korean children.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of medical records for children diagnosed with anaphylaxis between 2009 and 2013 in 23 secondary or tertiary hospitals in South Korea.

Serum clusterin level in children with atopic dermatitis.

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease. Clusterin is a sensitive cellular biosensor of oxidative stress and has been studied as a marker to assess inflammatory diseases. The clusterin levels in AD have not been evaluated thus far.

Vitamin D levels in allergic rhinitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: We aimed to systematically review observational studies investigating the relationship between vitamin D levels and allergic rhinitis (AR).

Methods: Studies were selected if they evaluated the relationship between vitamin D levels and AR, and included studies that evaluated other allergic conditions if those studies also contained data on AR. We assessed the incidence and prevalence of AR according to vitamin D levels and compared vitamin D levels in patients with AR to levels in controls.

High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Can Reflect Small Airway Obstruction in Childhood Asthma.

Purpose: High-sensitivity assays enabled the identification of C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) at levels that were previously undetectable. We aimed to determine if hs-CRP could reflect airway inflammation in children, by comparing hs-CRP with spirometry and impulse oscillometry (IOS) parameters and symptomatic severities.

Materials And Methods: A total of 276 asthmatic children who visited Severance Children's Hospital from 2012-2014 were enrolled.

Food allergen sensitization in young children with typical signs and symptoms of immediate-type food allergies: a comparison between monosensitized and polysensitized children.

Purpose: The clinical interpretation of children sensitized to allergens is challenging, particularly in children with food allergies. We aimed to examine clinical differences between children with monosensitization and those with polysensitization to common food allergens and to determine risk factors for polysensitization in young children <10 years of age with immediate-type food allergies.

Methods: The study included children <10 years of age with signs and symptoms indicative of immediate-type food allergies.

Attitudes and preferences of consumers toward food allergy labeling practices by diagnosis of food allergies.

Background/objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate food allergens and prevalence rates of food allergies, followed by comparison of consumer attitudes and preferences regarding food allergy labeling by diagnosis of food allergies.

Subjects/methods: A total of 543 individuals living in Seoul and Gyeonggi area participated in the survey from October 15 to 22 in 2013.

Results: The results show that the prevalence of doctor-diagnosed food allergies was 17.

Roles of Bcl-2 and caspase-9 and -3 in CD30-induced human eosinophil apoptosis.

Background/purpose: Activation of cell surface CD30 by immobilized anti-CD30 monoclonal antibodies (mAb) induces strong apoptosis in human eosinophils. This anti-CD30 mAb-induced eosinophil apoptosis is inhibited by the addition of inhibitors of p38, ERK1/2 mitogen-activated protein kinases, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. However, there is little data investigating the role of Bcl-2 and caspases in eosinophil apoptosis induced by anti-CD30 mAb.

Relationship Between Serum Interleukin-17F Level and Severity of Atopic Dermatitis in Children.

Recent discovery of the Th17 pathway is providing new opportunities for understanding chronic immune-mediated diseases. The Th17 pathway has been historically associated with chronic inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Among Th17 cytokines, pathogenic roles of IL-17A and IL-17F in asthma have been well described.

Transforming growth factor-beta 1 in humidifier disinfectant-associated children's interstitial lung disease.

Background: Humidifier disinfectant-associated children's interstitial lung disease has an unpredictable clinical course with a high morbidity and mortality.

Objectives: To evaluate the differences in clinical findings between survivors and non-survivors of humidifier disinfectant-associated children's interstitial lung disease. To evaluate dynamic changes in serum cytokines related to inflammation and fibrosis in lung injury, and to determine whether these changes are predictive of survival in this disease.

IgE reactivity to carbohydrate moieties of glycoproteins in wheat allergy.

Carbohydrate moieties of different glycoproteins, such as cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants (CCDs) and galactose α-1,3-galactose, can induce IgE reactivity with varied clinical significance. In this study, the possible participation of glycan from wheat gliadin, with respect to its IgE-binding capacity, was investigated in children with food allergies to wheat. Total IgE and wheat-specific IgE quantification, documentation of history, and/or oral food challenge (OFC) were performed for 52 children.

Genome-wide association study of recalcitrant atopic dermatitis in Korean children.

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a heterogeneous chronic inflammatory skin disease. Most AD during infancy resolves during childhood, but moderate-to-severe AD with allergic sensitization is more likely to persist into adulthood and more often occurs with other allergic diseases.

Objective: We sought to find susceptibility loci by performing the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) of AD in Korean children with recalcitrant AD, which was defined as moderate-to-severe AD with allergic sensitization.

Effect of breastfeeding on lung function in asthmatic children.

Effect of breastfeeding on the protective effect on asthma has been studied extensively but remains controversial. Studies regarding the effect of breastfeeding on lung function have also been conflicting. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of breastfeeding on lung function in asthmatic children.

Relationship between serum γ-glutamyltransferase level and leukocyte count in Korean children and adolescents.

Background: Elevated γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT) is an important risk factor for cardiometabolic diseases, which may result from chronic low-grade inflammation. Leukocyte count is widely considered a marker of inflammation and is also an independent predictor of cardiometabolic diseases. This study aimed to determine the relationship between GGT and leukocyte count in a representative sample of Korean children and adolescents.

The association between platelet count and metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents.

Unlabelled: The goal of this study was to evaluate the association between platelet count and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in children and adolescents in Korea. This study included data from 2228 subjects (1201 boys and 1027 girls) who participated in the 2010-2012 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES-V). We used the modified National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III) criteria to define MetS.

Production of egg yolk antibodies specific to house dust mite proteins.

Purpose: House dust mites (HDMs) are an important source of indoor allergens associated with asthma, rhinitis and atopic dermatitis. Chicken immunoglobulin (Ig) Y is known to be a good alternative to mice and rabbit antibody production. In this study, we produced IgYs specific to HDMs and investigated their IgE immunoreactivities.

A case of eosinophilic fasciitis presenting as pitting edema of the lower extremities.

Eosinophilic fasciitis is a rare disease characterized by diffuse fasciitis with peripheral eosinophilia and progressive induration and thickening of the skin and soft tissues. We report a 19-year-old female who presented with pitting edema in both lower extremities. She had a history of excessive physical activity before her symptoms developed.