Influence of environment on residence and selected demographic and clinical parameters of preschool children with IgE-dependent asthma.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: An important role in the pathogenesis of asthma in children is played by individual parameters and environmental factors, in particular, those related to the place of residence. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the living environment on the basic demographic and clinical parameters of preschool children with IgE-dependent asthma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 176 children (126 from urban and 52 from rural areas) aged 5.22±0.34 years, with newly-diagnosed IgE-dependent asthma, hospitalised at the Clinic for Lung Diseases and Paediatric Rheumatology of the Prof. Antoni Gebala Children's Hospital of Lublin, were qualified for the study. Medical documentation of the children was analysed, including the implementation of vaccinations. Due to the clinical form of the disease, patients were separated into groups with mild, moderate and severe asthma. RESULTS: No statistically significant differentiation was observed between age and current body weight and height of the children. Similarly, gender and the clinical form of asthma were not significantly correlated with the place of residence. Children with asthma, at the time of exacerbation symptoms of the disease, living in a city, significantly more often (p <0.05) were treated with antibiotics in the hospital during hospitalization, while the value of OR (5.08) indicated that the rural environment enforces more frequent use of OGCs during asthma exacerbation therapy. In children from the urban environment, there was a significant correlation between the current body weight and serum calcium concentration, as well as a negative statistically significant correlation between the current body weight and serum selenium concentration. CONCLUSIONS: Residence does not determine the clinical course of IgE-dependent asthma in preschool children.

Skeletal developmental effects of selective and nonselective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors administered through organogenesis and fetogenesis in Wistar CRL:(WI)WUBR rats.

Cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors are the most commonly ingested drugs. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prenatal skeletal effect of selective (DFU) and nonselective (tolmetin, ibuprofen, piroxicam) COX-2 inhibitors. All the tested compounds were administered intragastrically to pregnant Wistar rats from 7 to 21 gestation day. The initial dose was set at 8.5mg/kg/dose for tolmetin and ibuprofen, 0.3 and 0.2mg/kg/dose for piroxicam and DFU. The middle dose was increased 10-times. The highest dose, except for ibuprofen, was elevated 100-times. The highest dose for ibuprofen was set at 200mg/kg/dose. Tolmetin and ibuprofen were administered three times a day. Piroxicam and DFU were dosed once daily. After routine teratological examinations, extremities of randomly selected 21-day-old fetuses were taken for histological, immunohistochemical and molecular studies. The proximal femoral epiphyses were separated and their ultrastructure evaluated. The expression of genes coding cytokines (IL-1alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, TNF-alpha, TNF-beta) and proteins (COX-1, COX-2, cathepsin K, collagen types I, II and X; osteocalcin, osteopontin) was evaluated in femoral epiphyses by RNase Protection Assay and/or immunohistochemically. The articulate development was checked histologically and found undisturbed in any of the experimental groups. The epiphysis of the 21-day-old fetuses, presented physiological expression of COX-1 and COX-2, as well as cathepsin K, collagen types I, II and X; osteopontin, osteocalcin and TNF-alpha. Increased developmental skeletal variation was noted in groups exposed to the highest dose of nonselective drugs. Unlike the increased number of skeletal variations observed in fetuses exposed to highest doses of nonselective compounds, both groups of COX inhibitors did not disturb joint formation and morphology of femoral epiphyses when administered even in high maternal toxic doses.