Identifying Mutations of the Tetratricopeptide Repeat Domain 37 (TTC37) Gene in Infants With Intractable Diarrhea and a Comparison of Asian and Non-Asian Phenotype and Genotype: A Global Case-report Study of a Well-Defined Syndrome With Immunodeficiency.

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Identifying Mutations of the Tetratricopeptide Repeat Domain 37 (TTC37) Gene in Infants With Intractable Diarrhea and a Comparison of Asian and Non-Asian Phenotype and Genotype: A Global Case-report Study of a Well-Defined Syndrome With Immunodeficiency.

Medicine (Baltimore). 2016 Mar;95(9):e2918

Authors: Lee WI, Huang JL, Chen CC, Lin JL, Wu RC, Jaing TH, Ou LS

Abstract
Syndromic diarrhea/tricho-hepato-enteric syndrome (SD/THE) is a rare, autosomal recessive and severe bowel disorder mainly caused by mutations in the tetratricopeptide repeat domain 37 (TTC37) gene which act as heterotetrameric cofactors to enhance aberrant mRNAs decay. The phenotype and immune profiles of SD/THE overlap those of primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs).Neonates with intractable diarrhea underwent immunologic assessments including immunoglobulin levels, lymphocyte subsets, lymphocyte proliferation, superoxide production, and IL-10 signaling function. Candidate genes for PIDs predisposing to inflammatory bowel disease were sequencing in this study.Two neonates, born to nonconsanguineous parents, suffered from intractable diarrhea, recurrent infections, and massive hematemesis from esopharyngeal varices due to liver cirrhosis or accompanying Trichorrhexis nodosa that developed with age and thus guided the diagnosis of SD/THE compatible to TTC37 mutations (homozygous DelK1155H, Fs*2; heterozygous Y1169Ter and InsA1143, Fs*3). Their immunologic evaluation showed normal mitogen-stimulated lymphocyte proliferation, superoxide production, and IL-10 signaling, but low IgG levels, undetectable antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen and decreased antigen-stimulated lymphocyte proliferation. A PubMed search for bi-allelic TTC37 mutations and phenotypes were recorded in 14 Asian and 12 non-Asian cases. They had similar presentations of infantile onset refractory diarrhea, facial dysmorphism, hair anomalies, low IgG, low birth weight, and consanguinity. A higher incidence of heart anomalies (8/14 vs 2/12; P?=?0.0344, Chi-square), nonsense mutations (19 in 28 alleles), and hot-spot mutations (W936Ter, 2779-2G>A, and Y1169Ter) were found in the Asian compared with the non-Asian patients. Despite immunoglobulin therapy in 20 of the patients, 4 died from liver cirrhosis and 1 died from sepsis.Patients of all ethnicities with SD/THE with the characteristic triad of T nodosa, hepatic cirrhosis, and intractable enteropathy have low IgG, poor vaccine response and/or decreased antigen-stimulated lymphocyte proliferation. This is now better classified into the subgroup of “well-defined syndromes with immunodeficiency” (the update termed as “combined immunodeficiencies with associated or syndromic features”) than “predominantly antibody deficiencies” in the update PIDs classification, and requires optimal interventions.

PMID: 26945392 [PubMed – in process]

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Comparison of Breath-Enhanced and T-Piece Nebulizers in Children With Acute Asthma

Condition:   Asthma
Interventions:   Device: T-Piece Nebulizer;   Device: Breath-Enhanced Nebulizer;   Drug: Albuterol;   Procedure: Pre-Treatment Spirometry Measurement;   Procedure: Post-Treatment Spirometry Measurement
Sponsors:   Seton Healthcare Family;   University of Texas
Not yet recruiting – verified September 2015

View full post on ClinicalTrials.gov: asthma | received in the last 14 days

Effect of Common Comparators in Indirect Comparison Analysis of the Effectiveness of Different Inhaled Corticosteroids in the Treatment of Asthma.

Effect of Common Comparators in Indirect Comparison Analysis of the Effectiveness of Different Inhaled Corticosteroids in the Treatment of Asthma.

PLoS One. 2015;10(3):e0120836

Authors: Kunitomi T, Hashiguchi M, Mochizuki M

Abstract
PURPOSE: Indirect comparison (IC) and direct comparison (DC) of four inhaled corticosteroid (CS) treatments for asthma were conducted, and the factors that may influence the results of IC were investigated. Among those factors, we focused on the effect of common comparator selection in the treatment of asthma, where little control group bias or placebo effect is expected.
METHOD: IC and DC were conducted using the change from baseline in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1(L)) as an outcome parameter. Differences between inhaled CS were evaluated to compare the results of IC and DC. As a common comparator for IC, placebo (PLB) or mometasone (MOM) was selected. Whether the results of IC are affected by the selection of a common comparator and whether the results of IC and DC are consistent were examined.
RESULTS: 23 articles were identified by a literature search. Our results showed that ICs yielded results similar to DCs in the change from baseline of FEV1(L). No statistically significant difference was observed in inconsistency analysis between ICs and DCs. It was clinically and statistically confirmed that ICs with PLB and those with MOM did not differ in terms of the results of FEV1(L) analysis in this dataset.
CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that ICs among inhaled CS can deliver results consistent with those of DCs when using the change from baseline in FEV1(L) as an outcome parameter in asthma patients. It was also shown that using an active comparator has similar results if there is no effect of control group bias. It should be emphasized that the investigation of control group bias is a key factor in conducting relevant ICs so that an appropriate common comparator can be selected.

PMID: 25793900 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

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Comparison of temporal transcriptomic profiles from immature lungs of two rat strains reveals a viral response signature associated with chronic lung dysfunction.

Comparison of temporal transcriptomic profiles from immature lungs of two rat strains reveals a viral response signature associated with chronic lung dysfunction.

PLoS One. 2014;9(12):e112997

Authors: Hines EA, Szakaly RJ, Leng N, Webster AT, Verheyden JM, Lashua AJ, Kendziorski C, Rosenthal LA, Gern JE, Sorkness RL, Sun X, Lemanske RF

Abstract
Early life respiratory viral infections and atopic characteristics are significant risk factors for the development of childhood asthma. It is hypothesized that repeated respiratory viral infections might induce structural remodeling by interfering with the normal process of lung maturation; however, the specific molecular processes that underlie these pathological changes are not understood. To investigate the molecular basis for these changes, we used an established Sendai virus infection model in weanling rats to compare the post-infection transcriptomes of an atopic asthma susceptible strain, Brown Norway, and a non-atopic asthma resistant strain, Fischer 344. Specific to this weanling infection model and not described in adult infection models, Sendai virus in the susceptible, but not the resistant strain, results in morphological abnormalities in distal airways that persist into adulthood. Gene expression data from infected and control lungs across five time points indicated that specific features of the immune response following viral infection were heightened and prolonged in lungs from Brown Norway rats compared with Fischer 344 rats. These features included an increase in macrophage cell number and related gene expression, which then transitioned to an increase in mast cell number and related gene expression. In contrast, infected Fischer F344 lungs exhibited more efficient restoration of the airway epithelial morphology, with transient appearance of basal cell pods near distal airways. Together, these findings indicate that the pronounced macrophage and mast cell responses and abnormal re-epithelialization precede the structural defects that developed and persisted in Brown Norway, but not Fischer 344 lungs.

PMID: 25437859 [PubMed – in process]

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Comparison of clinical features in patients with eosinophilic esophagitis living in an urban and rural environment.

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Comparison of clinical features in patients with eosinophilic esophagitis living in an urban and rural environment.

Dis Esophagus. 2014 Jan 2;

Authors: Lee YJ, Redd M, Bayman L, Frederickson N, Valestin J, Schey R

Abstract
Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) has been associated with exposure to aeroallergens. Living in different locations (urban vs. rural) could potentially expose individuals to different environmental factors. Currently, there is limited data on the matter, and all was based on small population studies that did not exclude proton pump inhibitor (PPI)-responsive esophageal eosinophilia in their cohort. The primary aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of EoE in an urban versus rural population and compare demographic and clinical characteristics in patients that had been treated with high-dose PPI prior to diagnosis. Esophageal biopsies were obtained from a cohort of patients who presented with symptoms of dysphagia, odynophagia, globus sensation, and heartburn during a 10-year period. Only patients who had biopsies from the mid and distal esophagus with ?20 eosinophils per high-power field while on high-dose PPI treatment during endoscopy were included. Urban population was defined as >1000 people/square mile, and rural population was defined as ?1000 people/square mile (U.S. Census Bureau). Demographic data from each group was analyzed for age, sex, body mass index, duration of symptoms, and tobacco use. Chi-square analysis was used for frequencies with statistical significance defined as P???0.05. A total of 20?718 patients were identified and their records evaluated. From this cohort, 57 (0.28%) symptomatic patients (male/female: 39/18, mean age = 29.5 years) had biopsy-proven EoE (?20 eosinophils/hpf) while on PPI treatment. Of those EoE patients, 29 (50.9%) reported living in rural area versus 28 (49.1%) living in the urban area. The most common medical history components included asthma (12.3%), and the most common presenting symptoms included dysphagia (50.9%), heartburn (26.3%), and nausea/vomiting (22.8%). The average duration of symptoms, body mass index, and smoking habits did not differ between the groups. Dysphagia was significantly more prevalent in the urban population (37.9% vs. 64.3% P = 0.047), while heartburn and reflux were more prevalent in the rural population (37.9% vs. 14.3 P = 0.043). Asthma was prevalent in both populations without a significant difference (P = not significant). There is no residential variation in the incidence of EoE among patients with non-PPI-responsive esophageal eosinophilia. Dysphagia was more prevalent in the urban population, while heartburn and reflux symptoms were more prevalent in the rural environment. Further exploration of environmental factors and specific allergens may help explain the varying symptoms and causes of EoE.

PMID: 24382218 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

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