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Purpose: Asthma is a clinical syndrome with various underlying pathomechanisms and clinical phenotypes. Genetic, ethnic, and geographic factors may influence the differences in clinical presentation, severity, and prognosis. We compared the characteristics of asthma based on the geographical background by analyzing representative cohorts from the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia using the Severe Asthma Research Program (SARP), Unbiased Biomarkers for the Prediction of Respiratory Disease Outcomes (U-BIOPRED), Program for Control of Asthma in Bahia (ProAR), and Cohort for Reality and Evolution of Adult Asthma in Korea (COREA), respectively., Methods: The clinical characteristics and medications for the SARP (n = 669), U-BIOPRED (n = 509), ProAR (n = 996), and COREA (n = 3,748) were analyzed. Subgroup analysis was performed for severe asthma., Results: The mean age was highest and lowest in the COREA and SARP, respectively. The asthma onset age was lowest in the ProAR. The mean body mass index was highest and lowest in the SARP and COREA, respectively. Baseline pulmonary function was lowest and highest in the U-BIOPRED and COREA, respectively. The number of patients with acute exacerbation in the previous year was highest in U-BIOPRED. The mean blood eosinophil count was highest in COREA. The total immunoglobulin E was highest in the ProAR. The frequency of atopy was highest in the SARP. The principal component analysis plot revealed differences among all cohorts., Conclusions: The cohorts from 4 different continents exhibited different clinical and physiological characteristics, probably resulting from the interplay between genetic susceptibility and geographical factors., Competing Interests: There are no financial or other issues that might lead to conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Korean Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology • The Korean Academy of Pediatric Allergy and Respiratory Disease.)

There are two main complementary feeding (CF) approaches: traditional spoon-feeding (TSF) and baby-led weaning (BLW). Many parents and healthcare professionals have concerns about the risk of choking associated with BLW. Since asphyxia is one of infants' main causes of death, this study aims to understand the influence of the CF approach adopted by caregivers on infants' risk of choking. A systematic review was performed. The search was conducted through PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. We included randomized controlled trials or observational studies published between January 2010 and November 2023, with a clear definition of the intervention and directly assessing the risk of choking. After the selection procedure, 7 of the 165 studies initially identified were included. No study reported statistically significant differences in the risk of choking between babies following BLW, baby-led introduction to solids (BLISS), and TSF. In five studies, although not statistically significant, infants in the TSF group had more choking episodes than those in the BLW or BLISS groups. The risk of choking does not seem to be associated with the CF approach. Instead, it may be related to the familiarity of the baby with each texture and the parent's understanding of the information about how to minimize the risk of choking. Recall bias may be present in all included studies. Advice on how to modify foods to make them safer needs to be clearer and reinforced to all parents., (© 2024 European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition and North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition.)