INTRODUCTION Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a proinflammatory cytokine that plays an important role in the pathogenesis of asthma. Polymorphisms associated with inflammatory diseases exist in the promoter region of MIF, which alter its expression. We aimed to study the association of MIF promoter polymorphism -173G/C with childhood asthma. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this case-co...

BACKGROUND Pediatric bronchial asthma is associated with considerable morbidity. The study was carried out to examine the association of Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA)-Class II with the disease as we found no similar study on Asian Indian population. OBJECTIVE To define the HLA-Class II antigens in Asian Indian pediatric patients with asthma. METHODS A total of 103 children with asthma and 1...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether aligning design characteristics of a pay-for-performance program with objectives of an asthma improvement collaborative builds improvement capability and accelerates improvement. DESIGN Interrupted time series analysis of the impact of pay for performance on results of an asthma improvement collaborative. SETTING Forty-four pediatric practices within greater C...

INTRODUCTION Severe acute asthma in children is associated with substantial morbidity and may require pediatric ICU (PICU) admission. The aim of the study was to determine risk factors for PICU admission. METHODS The study used a retrospective multicenter case-control design. The cases included children admitted to the PICU because of severe acute asthma and a history of out-patient treatmen...

Abstract Introduction Insufficient nocturnal sleep is the most common reason of excessive daytime sleepiness. Children with asthma are at increased risk for disruption secondary to respiratory symptoms and medication effects, as well more behavioral pediatric challenges. Not yet clear relative contribution severity versus factors sleepiness in a sample children (8-17 years) asthma. Methods This...

Asthma affects many people across the United States and consumes millions of dollars in healthcare expenditures each year. The Division of Medical Assistance (DMA) has noted a steady increase in asthma prevalence in the North Carolina Medicaid population and has taken steps to improve care for persons with asthma. This study is an evaluation of a primary care provider-based intervention support...

BACKGROUND Previous studies suggest a relationship between air pollutants, aeroallergens, and asthma exacerbations. OBJECTIVE To simultaneously examine the role of seasonality, air quality, aeroallergens, and climate on asthma-related pediatric emergency department (ED) visits. METHODS A retrospective 4-year study of asthma-related ED visits was conducted. RESULTS September had the highes...

Background: The prevalence of pediatric asthma in China is approximately 3%, and remains poorly controlled many these patients. This study assessed the rate adherence to home nebulizer treatment paediatric patients China. Methods: CARE was a 12-week, multicentre, prospective, observational across 12 tertiary hospitals Patients were aged 0–14 years, clinically diagnosed with prescribed inhaled c...

A web-based interactive multimedia pediatric asthma computer tutorial (IMPACT) is being tested in a randomized controlled clinical trial. Two hundred and twenty asthmatic children under the age of 18 and their caregivers were randomly assigned to a control group or an intervention group. All children enrolled into the study received printed asthma education materials. In addition, the intervent...

Bradykinin has been suggested as one of the key mediators of bronchial asthma. Polymorphisms with a potential functional relevance have been described in the B2 bradykinin receptor gene. Study of these polymorphisms in 77 children with asthma and 73 controls revealed no association. However, when comparing the asthmatics according to their age at onset (before and after age 4), the exon 1 allel...