Combined Integrative RNA-Seq and Serological sIgE Analysis Enhances Understanding of Fish Allergen Profiles and Diagnostic Strategy for Fish Allergy.

Fish allergy is a significant health concern, with diagnosis and management complicated by diverse fish species and allergens. We conducted a comprehensive RNA-seq analysis of eight fish species to identify allergen profiles, integrating ImmunoCAP sIgE data to explore associations with allergen expression and diagnostic performance. Over 30 putative fish allergens were identified, with varying sequence similarities and expression levels, roughly classifying fish into two groups based on parvalbumin (PV) expression.

Polymorphic markers of several immune regulatory genes modulate the susceptibility for eczema and related phenotypes in children.

Background: Eczema is associated with multiple genes regulating epidermal barrier functions and immunological pathways. However, their epistatic interactions are not well studied. This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between childhood eczema phenotypes and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of immune regulatory genes.

Potential Interaction between and Vitamin D on Bone Qualities in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Patients and Healthy Controls.

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a three-dimensional spinal deformity that is associated with low bone mineral density (BMD). Vitamin D (Vit-D) supplementation has been suggested to improve BMD in AIS, and its outcomes may be related to genetic factors. The present study aimed to (a) investigate the synergistic effect between a low BMD-related gene (wingless-related integration site 16, ) and two important Vit-D pathway genes (Vit-D receptor, and Vit-D binding protein, ) on serum Vit-D and bone qualities in Chinese AIS patients and healthy adolescents, and (b) to further investigate the effect of ablating on the cortical bone quality and whether diets with different dosages of Vit-D would further influence bone quality during the rapid growth phase in mice in the absence of .

Temporal Dynamics of the Nasopharyngeal Microbiome and its Relationship with Childhood Asthma Exacerbation.

Despite distinct nasopharyngeal microbiome (NPM) profiles between asthmatics and healthy subjects, little is known about the NPM dynamics and its relation to childhood asthma exacerbation (AE). We investigated NPM changes by longitudinally collecting 135 flocked nasopharyngeal swabs (FNPSs) from 33 school-age asthmatic children at six time points (2 to 4-week intervals) from September to December 2017 in Hong Kong. Subjects were categorized into AE and stable asthma (AS) groups according to whether they experienced any exacerbation during follow-up.

Whole-Genome Shotgun Sequencing for Nasopharyngeal Microbiome in Pre-school Children With Recurrent Wheezing.

Microbiome mediates early life immune deviation in asthma development. Recurrent wheeze (RW) in pre-school years is a risk factor for asthma diagnosis in school-age children. Dysbiosis exists in asthmatic airways, while its origin in pre-school years and relationship to RW is not clearly defined.

Prospective study of disease persistence and lung function trajectories of childhood asthma.

Background: A proportion of asthmatic children outgrow their disease by adulthood, but there are limited data on predictors for asthma persistence. This prospective study characterized the trajectory of spirometric indices and identified predictors for the persistence of childhood asthma.

Methods: Chinese asthmatic children aged 6-15 years from pediatric allergy clinic underwent annual visits for ≥5 years and until their adulthood.

Reference intervals of spot urine copper excretion in preschool children and potential application in pre-symptomatic screening of Wilson disease.

The objectives were to determine the reference intervals of spot urine copper excretion indexes in pre-school children and to evaluate their utility in screening for Wilson disease (WD). With spot urine collected from a control sample of preschool children (aged 3-7 years, n=153), the reference intervals of spot urine copper excretion indexes and their biological variation were defined. In order to investigate their utility performance in screening for WD in this age group, multiple spot urine samples from six WD patients who were diagnosed at presymptomatic stage were also analysed and compared.

Cadherin-related family member 3 gene impacts childhood asthma in Chinese children.

Background: A missense variant (rs6967330) of the gene encoding cadherin-related family member 3 (CDHR3) was associated with recurrent severe exacerbations in pre-schoolers. However, there were limited data on its relationship with pre-school lung function and school-age asthma. This study replicated the association between polymorphic markers at the region of CDHR3 around rs6967330 and wheezing phenotypes in two independent cohorts of Chinese children.

Childhood asthma and spirometric indices are associated with polymorphic markers of two vitamin D 25-hydroxylase genes.

Background: Polymorphic markers of vitamin D pathway genes have been associated with asthma traits in different White populations. This study investigated the relationship between asthma phenotypes and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of vitamin D receptor (VDR), vitamin D binding protein (GC), two 25-hydroxylases (CYP2R1 and CYP27A1), and 1α-hydroxylase (CYP27B1) in Hong Kong Chinese children.

Methods: 23 SNPs of the five vitamin D pathway genes were successfully genotyped in 914 asthmatic children and 1231 non-allergic controls.