[Effects of inhaled corticosteroids on bone age and growth in children with asthma].

Objective: Long-term inhaled corticosteroids are the preferred treatment for asthma, but their safety still controversial. The aim of the present study was to explore the effects of inhaled corticosteroids on bone age and growth in children with asthma.

Methods: Seventy-three children with asthma received inhaled fluticasone treatment at a starting dosage of 250 μg/d for 3 months, when the dosage was reduced by a third.

A mutation in TGF beta1 gene encoding the latency-associated peptide in a Chinese patient with Camurati-Engelmann disease.

Objective: To identify the mutation in transforming growth factor-beta1 gene (TGF beta1) in a Chinese patient with Camurati-Engelmann disease(CED).

Methods: Denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) analysis was performed on the whole seven coding exons and exon-intron boundaries, then the mutation was identified by direct sequencing.

Results: Mutation screening of TGF beta1 in this patient revealed a heterozygous missense mutation R218H in exon 4.