American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Feb 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialVitamin D levels and risk of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a prospective cohort study.
Low blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) have been associated with a higher risk of respiratory infections in general populations and higher risk of exacerbations of lung disease in people with asthma. We hypothesized that low blood levels of 25(OH)D in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) would be associated with an increased risk of acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD). ⋯ In patients with severe COPD, baseline 25(OH)D levels are not predictive of subsequent AECOPD. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00119860).
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Feb 2012
DNA methylation in inflammatory genes among children with obstructive sleep apnea.
Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) leads to multiple end-organ morbidities that are mediated by the cumulative burden of oxidative stress and inflammation. Because not all children with OSA exhibit increased systemic inflammation, genetic and environmental factors may be affecting patterns of DNA methylation in genes subserving inflammatory functions. ⋯ The FOXP3 gene, which regulates expression of T regulatory lymphocytes, is more likely to display increased methylation among children with OSA who exhibit increased systemic inflammatory responses. Thus, epigenetic modifications may constitute an important determinant of inflammatory phenotype in OSA, and FOXP3 DNA methylation levels may provide a potential biomarker for end-organ vulnerability.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Feb 2012
Neonatal cytokine profile in the airway mucosal lining fluid is skewed by maternal atopy.
Heredity from mother or father may impact differently in complex diseases, such as atopy. Maternal atopy is a stronger risk factor than paternal atopy for the development of atopy in the offspring. We hypothesized that mother's and father's atopy would have a differential imprinting on the cytokines and chemokines in the upper airway mucosal lining fluid of healthy neonates. ⋯ Maternal atopy, but not paternal atopy, showed a strong linkage with a suppressed mucosal cytokine and chemokine signature in asymptomatic neonates, suggesting imprinting by the maternal milieu in utero or perinatal life.