Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) is a proinflammatory cytokine that increases human airway tissue responsiveness and is considered a candidate gene for asthma. Two common polymorphisms (LTáNcoI and TNFá-308) in the TNF gene complex were studied in 600 subjects from 131 Italian families with atopic asthmatic children. Skin prick test (SPT), total IgE levels, atopy (defined as increased IgE levels or...

BACKGROUND The fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) is a quantitative, noninvasive and safe measure of airways inflammation that may complement the assessment of asthma. Elevations of FeNO have recently been found to correlate with allergic sensitization. Therefore, FeNO may be a useful predictor of atopy in the general population. We sought to determine the diagnostic accuracy of FeNO in pre...

A survey was carried out on respiratory symptoms and skin prick test response to common allergens (atopy), storage mites, and occupational allergens among 226 bakers and pastry makers from 105 small businesses in northern Italy. Atopy was present in 54 workers (23.4%); 40 workers (17.7%) were skin positive to at least one storage mite, 27 (11.9%) to wheat flour and 17 (7.5%) to alpha-amylase. W...

BACKGROUND The toll-like receptor (TLR)-related pathway is important in host defence and may be crucial in the development of asthma and atopy. Numerous studies have shown associations of TLR-related pathway genes with asthma and atopy phenotypes. So far it has not been investigated whether gene-gene interactions in this pathway contribute to atopy and asthma development. METHODS One hundred ...

OBJECTIVE In patients with cystic fibrosis, bronchial hyperreactivity is a common finding that has not been conclusively associated with atopy. The objective of the present study was to determine the relationship between chronic colonization or infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and bronchial hyperreactivity in a group of patients with cystic fibrosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS A nonspecific hi...

Cough associated with exertion is often used as a surrogate marker of asthma. However, to date there are no studies that have objectively measured cough in association with exercise in children. Our primary aim was to examine whether children with a pre-existing cough have an increase in cough frequency during and post-exercise. We hypothesized that children with any coughing illness will have ...

BACKGROUND The standardized protocol for performing the strip patch test has proven to be valid, but evidence on its reliability is still missing. OBJECTIVE To estimate the parallel-test reliability of the strip patch test as compared with the conventional patch test. METHODS In this multicentre, prospective, randomized, investigator-blinded reliability study, 132 subjects were enrolled. Si...