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Maria Luz Garcia-Garcia,1 Ersilia Gonzalez-Carrasco,2 Teresa Bracamonte,1 Mar Molinero,3 Francisco Pozo,3 Inmaculada Casas,3 Cristina Calvo4 1Pediatrics Department, Severo Ochoa University Hospital, Fundación IDIPHISA, Alfonso X El Sabio University Madrid, Spain. Translational Research Network in Pediatric Infectious Diseases (RITIP), Madrid, Spain; 2Department, Severo Ochoa University Hospital, Fundación IDIPHISA. Alfonso X El Sabio University, Madrid, Spain; 3Respiratory Virus and Influenza Unit, National Microbiology Center (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain; 4Pediatric Infectious Diseases Department, Fundación IdiPaz, Translational Research Network in Pediatric Infectious Diseases (RITIP), Madrid, Spain. TEDDY Network (European Network of Excellence for Pediatric Clinical Research), Italy. La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, SpainCorrespondence: Maria Luz Garcia-Garcia Email marialuz.hso@gmail.comBackground: Premature birth is associated with increased susceptibility for viral infections and chronic airway morbidity. Preterm children, even moderate and late, may be at risk for short- and long-term respiratory morbidities.Objective: Our main goal was to compare the burden of two conditions, severe bronchiolitis and prematurity (early and moderate-late), on asthma development at 6– 9 years.Patients and Methods: A retrospective cohort of all preterm (< 37weeks gestational age) and full-term children hospitalized for bronchiolitis, with current age between 6 and 9 years, was created. A second cohort was made up of preterm children, without admission for bronchiolitis, randomly chosen from the hospital premature births database. Prevalence and risk factors for asthma were analysed. Parents completed the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) Questionnaire for asthma symptoms for children 6– 7 years. Lung function and aeroallergen sensitization were evaluated.Results: Of the 480 selected children, 399 could be contacted and agreed to participate: 133 preterm and 114 full-term cases with admission for bronchiolitis and 146 preterm control children without admission for bronchiolitis. The frequency of current asthma at 6– 9 years was higher in preterm cases (27%) compared with full-term-cases (15%) and preterm controls (14%) (p=0.04). Among hospitalized-bronchiolitis children, prematurity (p=0.04), rhinovirus infection (p=0.03), viral coinfection (p=0.04) and paternal asthma (p=0.003) were risk factors for asthma at 6– 9 years. Among premature children, with and without bronchiolitis admission, the risk factors for asthma at 6– 9 years were admission for bronchiolitis (p=0.03) and aeroallergen sensitisation (p=0.01). Moderate and late preterm children without admission for bronchiolitis showed similar prevalence of current asthma than full-term ones, previously admitted for bronchiolitis.Conclusion: Preterm birth is an important early life risk factor for asthma in childhood. The addition of other risk factors, such as severe bronchiolitis, especially by rhinovirus or viral coinfections, are associated with even higher risk for subsequent asthma.Keywords: asthma, wheezing, prematurity, bronchiolitis, rhinovirus, respiratory syncytial virus

Background: Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) is a food allergy primarily affecting infants, often leading to vomiting and shock. Due to its poorly understood pathophysiology and lack of specific biomarkers, diagnosis is frequently delayed. Understanding FPIES genetics can shed light on disease susceptibility and pathophysiology-key to developing diagnostic, prognostic, preventive and therapeutic strategies. Using a well-characterised cohort of patients we explored the potential genome-wide susceptibility factors underlying FPIES., Methods: Blood samples from 41 patients with oral food challenge-proven FPIES were collected for a comprehensive whole exome sequencing association study., Results: Notable genetic variants, including rs872786 (RBM8A), rs2241880 (ATG16L1) and rs2289477 (ATG16L1), were identified as significant findings in FPIES. A weighted SKAT model identified six other associated genes including DGKZ and SIRPA. DGKZ induces TGF-β signalling, crucial for epithelial barrier integrity and IgA production; RBM8A is associated with thrombocytopenia absent radius syndrome, frequently associated with cow's milk allergy; SIRPA is associated with increased neutrophils/monocytes in inflamed tissues as often observed in FPIES; ATG16L1 is associated with inflammatory bowel disease. Coexpression correlation analysis revealed a functional correlation between RBM8A and filaggrin gene (FLG) in stomach and intestine tissue, with filaggrin being a known key pathogenic and risk factor for IgE-mediated food allergy. A transcriptome-wide association study suggested genetic variability in patients impacted gene expression of RBM8A (stomach and pancreas) and ATG16L1 (transverse colon)., Conclusions: This study represents the first case-control exome association study of FPIES patients and marks a crucial step towards unravelling genetic susceptibility factors underpinning the syndrome. Our findings highlight potential factors and pathways contributing to FPIES, including epithelial barrier dysfunction and immune dysregulation. While these results are novel, they are preliminary and need further validation in a second cohort of patients., (© 2024 The Author(s). Clinical & Experimental Allergy published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objectives: Proton-pump inhibitor-responsive esophageal eosinophilia is a newly recognized entity with an unclear prevalence in children, as only retrospective data are available. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and clinical features of proton-pump inhibitor-responsive esophageal eosinophilia in children., Methods: This prospective study enrolled patients with esophageal symptoms and esophageal eosinophilic counts as 15 or more than 15 eos/hpf (eosinophils per high-power field). Children received treatment with esomeprazole 1 mg · kg per dose twice daily for 8 weeks and the endoscopy was repeated. Complete response to proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) was defined as 5 or less than 5 eos/hpf, and a partial response as >5 and <15 eos/hpf in post-treatment biopsies., Results: Fifty-one children (74.5% boys) were included. Histological response was observed in 35 children (68.6%): 24 children (47%) had a complete response and 11 children (21.6%) had a partial response. Only 16 children (31.4%) were diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). There were no differences in history of atopy, allergy tests, pH study results, and endoscopic scores. Clinical symptoms were similar, with the exception of food impaction, which was more frequent in children with EoE (56.2% vs 20%, P = 0.01). The mean pretreatment peak eosinophil count was higher in patients with EoE (74.8 ± 36.2 vs 46.3 ± 30.7, P = 0.007). Eleven of the 14 patients (78.6%) on a lower PPI treatment maintenance dose remained in clinicopathologic remission at 1-year follow-up., Conclusions: A significant proportion of children with esophageal eosinophilia responded to high dose PPI treatment. Clinical, endoscopic, and pH study results were similar, with exception of patients with EoE, who were more likely to experience food impaction and have higher esophageal eosinophil counts.

The main objective of our study was to determine the frequency of human bocavirus (HBoV) detection in asymptomatic children and to compare it with that in children hospitalized because of respiratory infection. HBoV was detected in 5% of 116 healthy children versus 17% of 908 hospitalized children. HBoV can be detected in healthy children but with a significantly lower frequency than in ill children.

Background and Objective: Salmeterol and fluticasone propionate are well established in the treatment of childhood asthma, and their combination is effective in children aged 4-11 years. Asthma guidelines recommend that the inhaler device best suited to the individual should be used to administer asthma treatment. The aim of this study was to further evaluate the efficacy of salmeterol/fluticasone propionate combination (SFC) delivered by the Diskustrade mark (50/100mug, one inhalation twice daily) and compare it with that observed when SFC is delivered by a chlorofluorocarbon-free pressurised metered-dose inhaler (pMDI) [25/50mug, two inhalations twice daily] in children aged 4-11 years with persistent asthma., Patients and Methods: This equivalence study had a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, double-dummy, parallel-group design and comprised asthmatic children aged 4-11 years who required beclometasone (beclomethasone dipropionate)