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Objective: Although breastfeeding has been suggested as a candidate for the prevention of obesity and allergies, recent studies have reported mixed results. The aim of the study was (1) to assess breastfeeding length in obese children or children with allergic diseases compared to healthy children; (2) to evaluate the impact of the duration of breastfeeding on the incidence of obesity, allergy rhinitis and asthma., Patients and Methods: 408 children were evaluated (mean age 11.9±3.7 years; M/F 220/188) and divided into three groups (Obesity, n=103; Allergy, n=163; and Healthy, n=142). Breastfeeding history was collected during an interview. Physical examination, anthropometry, allergy (skin prick test with aeroallergens; Allergopharma) and a spirometry (Jaeger) assessment were performed in each participant., Results: Most of the children (75%) were breastfed with a mean duration of 7.5 months (range 0-36; SD=7.9 months). The time of breastfeeding was longer in the healthy compared to the obese and allergic groups (p=0.003) and was correlated with BMI centile in all groups of subjects (R Spearman = -0.2, p<0.05). There was a higher number of subjects with hypersensitivity to the allergen of house dust mites and animals in the non-breastfed compared to the breastfed children (p<0.003, p<0.000, respectively). Non-breastfed children compared to the breastfed presented more often asthma (chi2=3.6 df=1 p=0.05), but not allergic rhinitis (chi2=9.0 df=1 p=0.002). Non-breastfed asthmatics, compared to the breastfed asthmatics, presented a significantly higher severity of asthma (OR=0.43; p=0.008). In multivariate regression models, a short breastfeeding time was associated with a higher risk of both obesity and asthma., Conclusions: School-age children with obesity and asthma were breastfed less often and for a shorter duration than their healthy peers. Longer breastfeeding may result in a reduced number of children with obesity, asthma, and allergy to house dust mites, but further investigation is needed on a larger population of school-age children.

Background and objective : Allergy belongs to a group of mast cell-related disorders and is one of the most common diseases of childhood. It was shown that asthma and allergic rhinitis diminish the risk of various cancers, including colon cancer and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. On the other hand, asthma augments the risk of lung cancer and an increased risk of breast cancer in patients with allergy has been observed. Thus, the relation between allergy and cancer is not straightforward and furthermore, its biological mechanism is unknown. The HTRA (high temperature requirement A) proteases promote apoptosis, may function as tumor suppressors and HTRA1 is known to be released by mast cells. Interleukin-12 (Il-12) is an important cytokine that induces antitumor immune responses and is produced mainly by dendritic cells that co-localize with mast cells in superficial organs. Material and methods : In the present study we have assessed with ELISA plasma levels of the HTRA proteins, Il-12, and of the anti-HTRA autoantibodies in children with allergy (40) and in age matched controls (39). Children are a special population, since they usually do not have comorbidities and take not many drugs the processes we want to observe are not influenced by many other factors. Results : We have found a significant increase of HTRA1, 2 and 3, and of the Il-12 levels in the children with atopy (asthma and allergic rhinitis) compared to controls. Conclusion : Our results suggest that the HTRA1-3 and Il-12 levels might be useful in analyzing the pro- and antioncogenic potential in young atopic patients.

Methods: In the study, we included 86 children diagnosed with atopic asthma ( n = 25), allergic rhinitis ( n = 20), and atopic dermatitis ( n = 20) and healthy control subjects ( n = 21) of Caucasian origin from the Polish population. The blood leukocyte expression of 31 genes involved in neuroinflammatory response (neurotrophins, their receptors, neuropeptides, and histamine signaling pathway) was analysed using TaqMan low-density arrays. The relative expression of selected proteins from plasma was done using TaqMan Protein Assays. Statistical analysis was done using Statistica., Results: Blood expression of 31 genes related to neuroimmune interactions showed significant increase in both allergic diseases, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis, in comparison to the control group. We found 12 genes significantly increased in allergic rhinitis and 9 genes in which the expression was elevated in atopic dermatitis. Moreover, 9 genes with changed expression in atopic dermatitis overlapped with those in allergic rhinitis. Atopic asthma showed 5 genes with altered expression. The peripheral expression of neuroinflammatory genes in the human study was verified in target tissues (nasal epithelium and skin) in a rat model of allergic inflammation., Conclusions: A common pattern of neuroinflammatory gene expression between allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis may reflect similar changes in sensory nerve function during chronic allergic inflammation., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Paulina Sobkowiak et al.)

Background and Aim: Interleukin-1 is a pro-inflammatory cytokine found in two forms (α and β). The α form is mainly cell-bound, whereas IL-1β is primarily secreted by macrophages in response to immune system stimulation. We hypothesized that polymorphic variants of interleukin 1 genes may play a role in childhood asthma risk. The aim of this study was to investigate if IL-1α and β polymorphism is associated with asthma in a pediatric population and if the genotype affects its serum level., Methods: The studied population included 310 children aged 6-18 years old (152 with asthma and 158 healthy children). Genotypes were determined with real-time PCR method using TaqMan Genotyping Assays. Serum level was measured with ELISA Set. Statistical analysis was done in Statistica v.12.0. Linkage disequilibrium and haplotype analysis was done in Haploview v. 4.2., Results: We found that three IL-1β polymorphisms rs1143634, rs1143633, and rs1143643 were associated with allergic asthma risk (P = 0.034; OR = 1.523; P = 0.024, OR = 1.477; 0.044, OR = 1.420, respectively). We also found a strong linkage disequilibrium between these polymorphisms and CAC haplotype was associated significantly with asthma risk (P = 0.023). For IL1α, we did not observe association with asthma. We then analyzed if IL-1β expression was altered in serum and we found that asthmatic children showed significantly higher IL-1β levels than healthy controls (P = 0.047). No association with asthma was observed for IL-1 α variants., Conclusions: This study indicates that IL-1β gene polymorphism may affect allergic asthma risk in children., (© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)