RECURRENT WHEEZING HIGHER IN INFANTS WHO SHOW REDUCED INTERFERON, PLUS LESS SENTINEL MOLECULE
Among a study population of 238 infants, investigators found that impaired production of a major interferon, IFNγ, at age 3 months, plus reduced plasma levels of a sentinel molecule of the immune system, soluble CD14, at birth, increased significantly an infant's chances of developing recurrent wheezing in the first year of life. Out of the study group, 94 infants (39.5 percent) experienced wheezing episodes in their first year. Of these, 41 babies (17.21 percent) had recurrent wheezing. The investigators said that the odds of developing recurrent wheezing were 4.5 times higher in those in the lowest quartile of interferon gamma production at 3 months of age. It was 3.2 times higher for children in the lowest quartile of soluble CD14 levels at birth. (Interferon is a protein produced by cells that induces immunity to viral infection. CD14 is a sentinel molecule of the constitutive innate immune system that acts as a recognition agent for endotoxins.) Although about one-third of all children wheeze in the first year of their life, many of these conditions are transient in nature. However, for a subgroup that wheezes repeatedly, the condition is associated with subsequent development of asthma, and could result in a permanent reduction in lung function, according to the authors. The study appears in the first issue for January 2004 of the American Thoracic Society's peer-reviewed American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
CHRONIC COUGH IS DUE TO ABNORMAL RELEASE OF INFLAMMATORY MEDIATORS WITHIN THE AIRWAY
Based on a study of persons with chronic cough, investigators believe that the problem is due to the abnormal release of inflammatory and potentially cough-producing substances within the airway. British investigators measured the concentration of various proinflammatory and tussive (cough-related) mediators in induced sputum from 62 persons with various types of chronic cough, along with those from 18 normal control subjects. They said that their findings were consistent with the hypothesis that chronic cough is associated with abnormal release of inflammatory mediators within the airway. All of the subjects were non-smokers. The age of the controls was approximately 48 and that of the coughers averaged 53 to 55 years. Among the subjects with cough, the duration of their problem had ranged from 2 to 5 years. The authors noted that this investigation was the first study of its type. The results appeared in the first issue for January 2004 of the American Thoracic Society's peer-reviewed American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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Journal
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine