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Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is primarily a progressive lung disease, characterized by chronic pulmonary infections with opportunistic pathogens. Such infections typically commence early in life, producing an inflammatory response marked by IL‐8 chemokine production and neutrophilic infiltration, major contributory factors in CF progression. Studying this inflammation, especially early in life, is critical for developing new strategies for preventing or slowing disruption to the structural integrity of the CF airways. However, evaluating the immune responses of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells from children with CF faces technical challenges, including contamination carried from the lung due to pre‐existing infections and low cell number availability. Here, we describe a technique for preparing BAL cells from young children with CF and using those cells in a bacterial stimulation assay. Initial antibiotic treatment proved essential for preventing resident bacteria from overgrowing BAL cell cultures, or non‐specifically activating the cells. ACTB, identified as an optimal reference gene, was validated for accurate analysis of gene expression in these cells. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus were used as bacterial stimulants to evaluate the immune response of BAL cells from young children with CF. Addition of gentamicin prevented bacterial overgrowth, although if added after 3 hours of culture an extremely variable response resulted, with the bacteria causing a suppressive effect in some cultures. Addition of gentamicin after 1 hour of culture completely prevented this suppressive effect. This technique was then able to reproducibly measure the IL‐8 response to stimulation with S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, including co‐stimulation with both bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Wheezing is common in younger children and often related to viral infection. It is lack of reliable indicators for asthma prediction.Objective: To evaluate the relationship between circulation CD4+CCR6+CRTh2+ memory Th2 cells and asthma diagnosis in wheezing children.Methods: A prospective study was performed in children under 5 years old presented with wheezing or at last one episode of documented wheezing history. After inclusion, the level of serum allergen-specific serum IgE (sIgE) and circulating CD4+CCR6+CRTh2+cells were detected. The patients' personal and family histories of allergic disease were acquired by questionnaire. The children were followed up over 2 years. Diagnosis of asthma was assessed at the end follow-up. The risk factors in predicting asthma diagnosis were evaluated.Results: A total of 43 children completed follow-up. Higher wheezing frequency were found in children with asthma diagnosis. The mean of circulating CD4+CCR6+CRTh2+cells in children diagnosed with or without asthma was 1.6 %±0.8 and 0.8 %±0.6 %, respectively, and was significantly higher in children diagnosed with asthma (p < 0.01). There was no significant difference between children with and without allergic diseases history or family allergic diseases in level of circulating CD4+CCR6+CRTh2+ cells. Logistic regression analysis indicated that circulating CD4+CCR6+CRTh2+ cells (EXP, 8.986; 95 % CI,1.886-42.816) and wheezing frequency(EXP, 0.127; 95 % CI, 0.023-0.703)were high risk factors for asthma.Conclusions: Our exploratory study shown that circulating CD4+CCR6+CRTh2+ memory Th2 cells increased in asthma diagnosed children and it was a high-risk factor for asthma. Detection of this type of cells could be helpful in predicting the risk of asthma in wheezing children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Our previous study has developed a four‐gene model involving IL13 rs20541, IL4 rs2243250, ADRB2 rs1042713, and FCER1B rs569108 associated with asthma and atopy in Chinese Han children. However, whether the gene model is associated with allergies in early life has yet to be determined. This study aimed to apply the gene model in a birth cohort to investigate its associations with the development of allergic diseases in Chinese Han toddlers. Methods: Five hundred and ninety‐seven children from a birth cohort completing 2‐year follow‐up were included. Epidemiologic information and cord blood were collected. Children were genotyped for the above polymorphisms and divided into high or low genetic risk groups based on the genotypes. Subjects were followed at 6, 12, and 24 months, with information on allergic diseases collected via standard questionnaires and assessed by specialists. Results: Two hundred and eighty‐four children were divided into a high‐risk group and 313 into a low‐risk group. Between the two groups, a significant difference was only found in delivery mode among all the subject characteristics (p =.025). After stratification for delivery mode, children at high risk were more likely to develop eczema (relative risk [RR] = 1.46, p =.040) over 2 years of follow‐up compared with those at low risk. No significant associations were found between genetic risk and food allergy, wheezing and allergic rhinitis (p >.05). Conclusion: The gene model was significantly associated with the development of eczema in Chinese Han toddlers. Long‐term follow‐up along with functional and replication studies on the gene model are still needed in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]