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Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, relapsing inflammatory skin disease that manifests in skin dryness, severe itching, and eczema, and can significantly impact a patient’s quality of life. Current treatment regimens do not prevent the recurrence of the disease and are associated with adverse effects. Here, we report two cases of moderate-to-severe AD in children that were treated with dupilumab, a dual inhibitor of IL-4 and IL-13 signaling, in combination with mite allergen-specific immunotherapy. Case summary: Both patients presented with the diagnosis of AD that was not adequately controlled by the conventional treatment regimen, including topical corticosteroids (TCS), topical calcineurin inhibitors, emollients, and the traditional Chinese medicine treatments. In both patients, AD-associated skin irritation impacted the quality of life, disturbed sleep patterns, and caused stress and anxiety. Patients received treatment with dupilumab and mite allergen-specific immunotherapy in addition to the baseline treatment regimen of external glucocorticoids (TCS) and oral antihistamines. Nine months after beginning of treatment, clinical symptoms, signs, medication scores, and evaluation scale scores of both children significantly improved, and the treatment was associated with an overall good tolerance. Conclusion: A combination of dupilumab and mite allergen-specific immunotherapy in addition to the standard anti-AD treatment improves clinical symptoms and is not associated with increased incidence of adverse effects.

Objective: To develop a questionnaire and a scoring system for evaluating physicians’ knowledge of allergen immunotherapy (AIT). Methods: Questionnaire was designed using the Questionnaire Star tool. A total of 1024 physicians were assessed, and based on the score divided into accurate judgment and inaccurate judgment groups. Statistical analysis was done, and counting data were expressed as frequen-cies and percentage values. Chi-square test and multi-factor logistic analysis were used to determine influencing factors on the indications for AIT. Results: Physician’s age, grade of the hospital, and pediatric specialty influenced the accurate judgment of AIT indication after adjustment for independent variables (P < 0.05). In all, 80.5% physicians exercised accurate assessment for allergic rhinitis. Allergic conjunctivitis was judged accurately by 47.0% physicians. Bronchial asthma was judged accurately by 71.0% physicians, and atopic dermatitis by 61.3% physicians, with a higher accuracy rate for pediatricians than non-pediatricians for all the mentioned conditions (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the accuracy of judgment between pediatricians and non-pediatricians in terms of AIT for food allergy and dust mite sensitization (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The results of our study demonstrated a high accuracy judgment rate among clinicians for rhinitis, asthma, and dermatitis, and a low accuracy rate for desensitization of healthy people with allergic conjunctivitis, food allergies, and allergen sensitization.

The 3’ terminal oligo-uridylation, a post-transcriptional mRNA modification, is conserved among eukaryotes and drives mRNA degradation, thereby affecting several key biological processes such as animal development and viral infection. Our TAIL-seq experiment of mouse liver mRNA collected from six zeitgeber times reveals transcripts with rhythmic poly(A) tail lengths and demonstrates that overall 3’ terminal uridylation frequencies at mRNA poly(A) tail very-ends undergo rhythmic change. Consistently, major terminal uridylyl transferases, TUT4 and TUT7, have cycling protein expression in mouse liver corresponding to 3’ terminal uridylation rhythms, indicating that the cycling expression of TUTases correlates with the rhythmic pattern of uridylation. Furthermore, the double knockdown of TUT4 and TUT7 in U2OS cells lengthens the circadian period and decreases the rhythmic amplitude of clock gene expression. Our work thoroughly profiles the dynamic changes in poly(A) tail lengths and terminal modifications and uncovers uridylation as a post-transcriptional modulator in the mammalian circadian clock.

2 nm Sb2S3 particles embedded in a mesoporous carbon framework by an adsorption method to construct a high performance anode material.

Background: Poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors have emerged as maintenance therapy for advanced ovarian cancer. However, due to the development of drug resistance, combination of PARP inhibitors with other chemotherapeutic agents has become a contemporary research hotspot. Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis of phase II or III randomized controlled trials to analyze the efficacy and safety of combinations of PARP inhibitors with various chemotherapeutic agents on the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of patients with ovarian cancer. Results: A total of eight trials that contained the combination of PARP inhibitors and chemotherapeutic agents were included. Combination of PARP inhibitors with bevacizumab benefited patients with BRCA mutations and HRD-positive status(HR=0.34 (95% Cl: 0.23–0.5; P

BACKGROUND: Paxlovid is recognized as an effective medication in preventing the progression of coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) to severe form in adults; however, its efficacy has remained unknown in pediatric cases. This study aimed to analyze the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of Paxlovid treatment in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-infected children aged 6–14 years. METHODS: We conducted a cohort study based on prospectively collected clinical data. We recruited 5 pediatric cases with underlying diseases treated with Paxlovid from 7 April 2022 to 26 May 2022 and 30 age-matched patients with underlying diseases who were not treated with Paxlovid as controls. The safety and efficacy of Paxlovid were primarily assessed by inter-group comparisons. RESULTS: Of the 5 Paxlovid-treated cases, including 1 male and 4 females, 3 and 2 cases were mildly and moderately ill, respectively. The underlying diseases included congenital heart defects, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and leukemia. Only 1 patient had received 1 dose of an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Paxlovid was initiated within 5 days after the onset of symptoms in all cases. Comedications were used in 2 cases. In the safety analyses, after Paxlovid initiation, 1 patient had transient diarrhea, and 1 patient had transiently elevated liver enzymes [alanine transaminase (ALT), 125 U/L; aspartate transaminase (AST), 83 U/L; normal range

Predicting omalizumab treatment response has been a challenge and significant aspect for selecting suitable severe allergic asthma patients for omalizumab use. To determine which domains of pretreatment baseline characteristics predict omalizumab treatment response among asthmatic patients. Electronic bases were searched for eligible studies that reported potential biomarkers that could predict omalizumab responsiveness and efficacy. Patients who accepted omalizumab treatment were stratified into responders and non-responders. WMD, OR, and their 95%CI were used to access the differences between those omalizumab receivers. Sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis were conducted for potential heterogeneity. A total of 41 studies evaluating efficacy predictors of omalizumab were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled results showed that omalizumab responders had significantly younger age in the adult subgroup, higher pretreatment total serum IgE level, percent predicted FEV1 and FeNO than that non-responder. We further confirmed that higher blood eosinophil counts and total serum IgE levels are useful markers for selecting asthma patients who may benefit more from omalizumab. Pre-treatment blood eosinophil counts and total serum IgE level can be a useful efficacy predictor in selecting allergic asthma patients for omalizumab treatment.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between parental breakfast consumption literacy and their children's home breakfast consumption. Methods: This study, employing a cross-sectional design, conducted in September 2021, consisted of a total of 275 children aged 6–7 years and 275 parents. One-way analysis of variance and independent-sample t-test were applied to compare children's home breakfast consumption amongst sub-groups. The relationship between parental breakfast consumption literacy and children's home breakfast consumption was assessed utilising multiple linear regression models controlling for socio-demographic factors. All data were analysed by the software of R Commander. Results: Parents with inadequate breakfast consumption literacy had less children's home breakfast consumption ( p = 0.006), such relationship ( p = 0.002, 95% CI: 4.76–7.65) had significance controlling for socio-demographic factors. Living in urban areas ( p = 0.006, 95% CI: 6.43–9.92), parental unemployment ( p = 0.004, 95% CI: 5.47–9.43), and low parental educational level ( p = 0.005, 95% CI: 2.34–4.76) were significantly associated with less children's home breakfast consumption. Conclusion: Adequate parental breakfast consumption literacy was associated with more children's home breakfast consumption. Parental-based health education interventions show promise in promoting home breakfast consumption in the family setting. Residential status, parental level of education, and parental employment were associated with children's home breakfast consumption. Future research should understand more about the experiences and contexts of children's home breakfast consumption within the family environments, with a focus on employing qualitative approaches.

Asthma is the most common chronic disease in childhood. In Western countries, the prevalence of asthma is estimated at up to 10% in children aged ≤5 years.1 Although approximately 50% of children will experience wheezing, shortness of breath, and other asthma-like symptoms at least once before the age of 3 years, only approximately 30% of children will have recurrent symptoms by school age.2,3 The occurrence of wheezing episodes in children is related to multiple allergens, such as dust mites, pets, cockroaches, mice, mold, tobacco smoke, endotoxins, and air pollution.4–6 Additionally, a family history of asthma, age, family smoking habits, and total immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels are significantly associated with wheezing episodes in children.5–7 Unfortunately, for many reasons, detection of pulmonary function in infants is not reliable. Currently, there is no exact diagnostic method for wheezing episodes. Therefore, new factors for reliable wheezing episodes and prediction of asthma during infancy are required. One important diagnostic tool for asthma in children is the asthma predictive index (API), but its clinical value remains controversial. In 2010, Castro-Rodriguez first proposed the API as a simple and convenient clinical indicator of asthma in infants and preschool children.2 The API is increasingly used in clinical practice and is approved by various international guidelines.5,6 However, the accuracy of the API for prediction is affected by genetic polymorphism, environmental and socioeconomic factors, sex, race, and family health beliefs.8–11 Moreover, a follow-up study of 1954 children with asthma (aged 7–10 years) showed that the ability of API to predict asthma was relatively weak9 and that it requires improvement.12,13 To be reliable, such improvements require a better understanding of the underlying pathophysiology. The orosomucoid 1-like 3 (ORMDL3) gene, known as ORMDL sphingolipid biosynthesis regulator 3, was found to be a candidate gene for asthma in a genome-wide association study.14 ORMDL3 expression is stimulated by allergens and cytokines, and mainly occurs in airway epithelial cells.15 ORMDL3 expression is positively associated with recurrent wheezing in children.16 However, the diagnostic value of ORMDL3 in children requires further investigation. Wheezing in children aged ≤5 years is not diagnostic of asthma. Therefore, a reliable test for determining the risk of developing asthma in this population is necessary. This study aimed to assess whether ORMDL3 expression and environmental and clinical factors are associated with asthma in preschool wheezing children. We detected ORMDL3 expression levels in children (

Objective: The addition of omalizumab to standard therapy has proven to be efficacious in children with severe allergic asthma. The goal of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of adding omalizumab to standard treatment for asthma in Chinese pediatric patients.Methods: A Markov model was constructed to project the health and economic outcomes in pediatric patients with severe allergic asthma. Model inputs were obtained from the literature. Cost and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) were measured over a five-year time horizon. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted.Results: For the base-case analysis, the addition of omalizumab to standard therapy yielded an incremental cost of $49,047 for 0.232 incremental QALY, led to an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $211,217/QALY. Sensitivity analyses were robust for these results.Conclusions: This study found that the addition of omalizumab is not a cost-effective strategy compared with standard therapy for children with severe allergic asthma in China due to its high cost.

Background Although ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been associated with adverse respiratory outcomes in children, few studies have examined PM2.5 constituents with respiratory diseases in children in China. Objectives To investigate the associations of short-term exposure to PM2.5 and its constituents with pediatric emergency room visits (ERVs) for respiratory diseases in Shanghai, China. Methods We collected daily concentrations of PM2.5 and its constituents in urban Shanghai from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2018. Daily pediatric ERVs for four major respiratory diseases, including upper respiratory tract infection, bronchitis, pneumonia, and asthma, were obtained from 66 hospitals in Shanghai during the same period. Associations of exposure to daily PM2.5 and constituents with respiratory ERVs were estimated using the over-dispersed generalized additive models. Result Short-term exposure to PM2.5 and its constituents were associated with increased pediatric ERVs for respiratory diseases. Specifically, an interquartile range increase in the 3-day average PM2.5 level (31 μg/m3) was associated with 1.86% (95%CI: 0.52, 3.22), 1.53% (95%CI: 0.01, 3.08), 1.90% (95%CI: 0.30, 3.52), and 2.67% (95%CI: 0.70, 4.68) increase of upper respiratory tract infection, bronchitis, pneumonia, and asthma ERVs, respectively. As for PM2.5 constituents, we found organic carbon, ammonium, nitrate, selenium, and zinc were associated with higher risk of respiratory ERVs in the single constituent and the constituent-PM2.5 models. Conclusion Short-term exposure to PM2.5 was associated with increased pediatric ERVs for respiratory diseases. Constituents related to anthropogenic combustion and traffic might be the dominant contributors of the observed associations.

Background The prevalence of allergic diseases (ADs), such as asthma and allergic rhinitis (AR), is increasing worldwide in both adults and children. Although ADs are common and frequently coexist in outpatient care, city-level data regarding the characteristics of childhood AD remain limited in China. This study aimed to assess the profile and characteristics of ADs in the city of Shanghai. Methods A multicenter retrospective study was designed to collect routine administrative data from outpatient and emergency departments from 66 hospitals in Shanghai, China, from 2016 to 2018. Children with asthma, AR, allergic conjunctivitis (AC), and allergic skin diseases were investigated. Demographic characteristics, patients visit pattern, spectrum of diagnosis, and comorbidities were analyzed. Results A total of 2,376,150 outpatient and emergency visits for ADs were included in the period from 2016 to 2018. Allergic skin diseases accounted for 38.9%, followed by asthma (34.8%), AR (22.9%), and AC (3.3%), with a male predominance in all four diseases. Asthma and allergic skin diseases were most frequent in the 1 to Conclusions Asthma and allergic skin diseases were the most common ADs in outpatient and emergency departments in the study period. Respiratory tract infection was the most common comorbidity of asthma in children. More attention should be devoted to the treatment of comorbidities to improve childhood AD outcomes with a better understanding of the characteristics of ADs in outpatient care.

Background Few studies have explored the short-term effects of ultrafine particles (UFPs, particles Objectives We aimed to evaluate short-term association between UFP and emergency-department visits (EDVs) for main pediatric respiratory diseases. Methods We collected daily data on UFP and pediatric EDVs for main respiratory diseases [asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis and upper respiratory tract infections (URTI)] from 66 hospitals in Shanghai, China from 2016 to 2018. Generalized additive models combined with polynomial distributed lag models were applied to explore the associations between UFP level and pediatric EDVs for respiratory diseases. We fitted two-pollutant models with criteria air pollutants and performed stratified analyses by gender and age. Results UFP was associated with increased EDVs for all respiratory diseases in cumulative lags up to 2 d and 3 d. The greatest risk was found at cumulative lags (0–2 d) for all respiratory diseases. At cumulative lags (0–2 d), an interquartile range increase in concentrations of UFP (1800 particles/cm3) was associated with relative risks of EDVs due to asthma [1.35, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.14–1.59], pneumonia (1.20, 95% CI: 1.04–1.38), bronchitis (1.17, 95% CI: 1.03–1.33) and URTI (1.14, 95% CI: 1.02–1.28). These associations were almost unchanged when controlling for criteria air pollutants, and there was no threshold below which the associations were not present. There were stronger associations in children aged 0–13 years. Conclusions Short-term exposure to UFP may independently increase the risks of EDVs for asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis and URTI exacerbations among children.

Background Novel oral regimes have been approved for treating hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in adolescents due to their superior effectiveness and safety. However, its economic outcome is still unclear in this population. The current analysis investigates the cost-effectiveness of novel oral regimens compared with that of pegylated interferon α with ribavirin (PR) therapies in adolescents in the context of the United States and China. Methods A Markov model was developed to measure the economic and health outcomes of ledipasvir/sofosbuvir (LS) for genotypes 1 and 4, sofosbuvir/ribavirin (SR) for genotype 2, and ledipasvir/sofosbuvir/ribavirin (LSR) for genotype 3 HCV infection compared with the outcomes of PR treatment. Clinical costs and utility inputs were gathered from published sources. Lifetime discounted quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), costs, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were measured. The uncertainty was facilitated by 1-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. Results In the United States, the ICERs of LS strategy were $14,699 and $14,946/QALY for genotypes 1 and 4 HCV infection, respectively; the ICER of SR strategy for genotype 2 was $42,472/QALY; and the ICER of LSR for genotype 3 was $49,409/QALY in comparison with the PR strategy. In Chinese adolescents, LS for genotypes 1 and 4, SR for genotype 2, and LSR for genotype 3 were the dominant alternatives to the PR strategy. The results were robust to sensitivity analyses. Conclusions Novel oral regimes for adolescents with HCV infection are likely to be cost-effective in the context of the United States and China.

In this paper, the voltage fluctuation issue of the train body caused by the discharge phenomenon between the wheel-set and rail when the CRH2 electric multiple units (EMUs) runs through the rail insulation section is studied. Firstly, the working grounding and protection grounding systems of CRH2 EMUs are introduced, and then, we established the equivalent model of CRH2 EMUs grounding system and confirmed its parameters. Meanwhile, insulating section discharge model is also established. Secondly, the simulation results show all the car body voltages as wheel-rail discharge phenomenon occurs, and we analyze CRH2 EMUs grounding system structure itself. Finally, we come to the conclusion that the change of value of the grounding resistor shall make CRH2 EMUs train body electric potential difference at the time of isolated rail joint discharge phenomenon lower than before.

Yuan Zhou,1,* Yanming Lu,1,* Haojin Zhu,2 Yanhan Zhang,1 Yaqin Li,1 Qing Yu1 1Department of Pediatrics, South Campus, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 201112, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Electronic Information and Electrical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 201112, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Objective: To explore the effect of a smart nebulizing device on the rate of adherence to inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) in children with positive Asthma Predictive Index. Methods: In total, 65 children with positive Asthma Predictive Index and under the age of 5 years who visited our hospital from October 2015 through October 2016, were randomly assigned to receive conventional nebulization or smart nebulization. The smart nebulizer was connected to smart phones via an App. The following information was collected: rate of adherence to ICS, frequency of emergency visits or hospitalizations, application of antibiotics or oral steroids, and wheezing progression or improvement. Results: The rate of adherence to ICS was 86.67% (26/30), 76.67% (23/30), and 67.33% (20/30) in the smart nebulization group, and 62.86% (22/35), 51.42% (18/35), and 40.00% (14/35) in the conventional nebulization group after 4-, 8-, and 12-week therapy, respectively. There were significant differences between the 2 groups at all of the time points (P

One-third of the children who suffer from first-time wheezing are estimated to experience recurrences; however, no standard therapeutic strategy with which to prevent these recurrences currently exists. A few studies have compared the three drugs commonly used for the treatment of persistent asthma in children to identify the most effective one for preventing recurrent wheezing. In this study, in an aim to determine the most effective of these drugs, we recruited patients

There is limited evidence regarding the relationship between air pollution and pediatric asthma in developing countries. This study aimed to investigate the association between short-term exposure to ambient air pollutants and pediatric asthma emergency department (ED) visits in Shanghai, China. We collected data on six criteria air pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, NO2, SO2, CO, and O3) and daily ED visits for pediatric asthma patients from 66 hospitals in Shanghai from 2016 to 2018. The generalized additive model combined with polynomial distributed lag model was applied to explore the associations. We fitted two-pollutant models and stratified the analyses by sex, age, and season. In total, we identified 108,817 emergency department visits for pediatric asthma. A 10 μg/m3 increase in the concentrations of PM2.5, NO2, SO2, and O3 was significantly associated with increased risks of pediatric asthma ED visits, with relative risk of pediatric asthma of 1.011 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.002, 1.021], 1.030 (95%CI: 1.017, 1.043), 1.106 (95%CI: 1.041, 1.174), and 1.009 (95%CI: 1.001, 1.017), respectively. The associations of NO2 remained robust in the two-pollutant models. There were stronger associations for older children (6–18 years) and in warm seasons. The concentration-response curves for pediatric asthma and PM2.5, NO2, SO2, and O3 were steeper at lower and moderate concentrations but became flatter at higher concentrations. This analysis provided evidence that short-term exposure to air pollutants (PM2.5, NO2, SO2, and O3) could increase the risk of asthma exacerbations among children, and health benefits would be gained from improved air quality.

Natural killer T cells (NKT cells) and regulatory T cells (Treg cells) are two important immune regulatory cells which both play critical roles in asthma. Our previous experiments revealed that activation of Treg cells suppressed NKT cells in asthma. However, the possible regulatory effects and the mechanisms linking Treg cells and NKT cells remain poorly understood. The current study was designed to further investigate the regulatory effect and its possible mechanisms of Treg cells on NKT cells function, especially the distribution of NKT cells. Regulatory T cell (Treg), responder T cell (Teff) and Natural killer T cell (NKT) were isolated and purified. After Lentivirus carrying CD39 (Le-CD39) was transfected into Treg cells, the immune phenotype of Treg cells was changed and the suppressive effect of Treg cells on Teff cells with an activation of Treg cells was enhanced, marking with a high expression level of interleukin 10 (IL-10) and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β). Up-regulation of CD39 expression led to lower ATP level in cell culture supernatant. To further explore its function in asthma, we introduced an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced mice model of asthma. And the data showed that up-regulation of CD39 remarkably alleviated OVA-induced hallmarks of the asthma and increased NKT cells in the spleen and peripheral blood; however, decreased NKT cells in the lung. Furthermore, up-regulation of CD39 decreased the levels of interleukin 4 (IL-4) and interferon γ (IFN-γ) in the lung of OVA-treated mice. Our results strongly suggest that Treg cells could be activated by CD39 signal transduction and then affected the distribution of NKT cells in the OVA-induced mice model of asthma.

Background/Aims: Even though the blood and lymphatic vascular systems are both involved in the occurrence of cancer metastases, it is believed that lymphatic system is primarily responsible for the initial metastasis. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanisms underlying lymphangiogenesis of multiple myeloma (MM), especially in pediatric period, have not been clarified. Methods: Here we studied vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) and matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP13) in pediatric MM patients. We overexpressed or inhibited VEGF-C in MM cells to study their effects on MMP13, and vice versa. A specific inhibitor for PI3k/Akt signaling pathway was used to examine the role of PI3k/Akt signaling in this regulatory axis. Results: Both VEGF-C and MMP13 significantly upregulated in MM with lymph-node metastases. A strong correlation between VEGF-C and MMP13 were detected in MM specimen. Using a human MM line 8226, we found that VEGF-C was regulated by MMP13 in MM cells, but not vice versa. Moreover, a specific PI3k/Akt inhibitor significantly abolished the effect of MMP13 on VEGF-C activation. Conclusion: Since VEGF-C is a well-known growth factor for lymphatic vessels, our data suggest that MMP13 may activate VEGF-C to promote cancer cell metastasis through lymphatic vascular systems in pediatric MM.

BACKGROUND: Subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) is widely used in the management of allergic diseases such as allergic asthma. We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SCIT in mite-sensitized subjects with asthma. METHODS: Literature from January 1990 to February 2013 on the efficacy and safety of SCIT for mite-sensitized asthma patients was searched in electronic databases, including the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database, Wanfang, and Vendor Information Pages. Data were extracted from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) according to the selection criteria by 2 investigators independently. The quality of included trials was evaluated according to the Jadad scale standard. RESULTS: A total of 796 subjects from 19 different RCTs were included in this analysis. SCIT significantly reduced the asthma symptom scores (standardized mean difference of −0.94, 95% CI −1.58 to −0.29, P = .004) and the asthma medication scores (standardized mean difference of −1.06, 95% CI −1.70 to −0.42, P = .001) compared with the control group. However, there were no significant differences between subjects receiving SCIT and the control group in lung function (peak expiratory flow, percent-of-predicted FEV1, percent-of-predicted FVC) and specific antibody (allergen-specific immunoglobulin E) levels of blood serum ( P > .05). In the studies containing data on safety, the incidences of systemic and local adverse reactions were 9.1% (8/88) and 17.2% (23/134), respectively, in subjects treated with SCIT, and no severe adverse events were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that SCIT is helpful in alleviating symptoms and reducing medication used in mite-sensitive asthma subjects, but with no improvement in lung function. The safety of SCIT is acceptable.

The aberrant expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2) has been detected in ovarian cancer. However, the role of HER-2 in the development of ovarian cancer has not been sufficiently elucidated. The objective of this study was to determine the role of HER-2 in the apoptosis and metastasis of SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cells. SKOV-3 cells were transfected with three double‑stranded small interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules that target HER-2. Various sequences were synthesized by T7 transcription in vitro to select the most effective HER-2‑silencing siRNA. SKOV-3 cells were examined for growth inhibition using the MTT proliferation assay and apoptosis was assessed using flow cytometry and TUNEL assay. The Matrigel basement memebrane matrix was used to assess invasion and chemotactic mobility, as a model of tumor cell metastasis. Western blot analysis was used to detect the expression of matrix metallopeptidase-9 (MMP-9), E-cadherin, N-cadherin and vimentin. siRNA interference in HER-2 resulted in decreased cell proliferation and invasion and increased apoptosis. Western blot analysis demonstrated a marked increase in E-cadherin and MMP-9 and a reduction in N-cadherin and vimentin protein levels in the SKOV-3 cells. The suppression of HER-2 expression resulted in apoptosis and the inhibition of metastasis of SKOV-3 cells. Therefore, the overexpression of the HER-2 gene can enhance the metastatic potential of SKOV-3 cells by increasing the protein levels of MMP-9. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition may be involved in the HER-2 siRNA-induced invasion and migration of SKOV-3 cells. Taken together, these results suggest that HER-2 functions as an oncogene and may thus be an attractive therapeutic target in SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cells.

Numerous studies have evaluated the association between regulated upon activation, normal T cells expressed and secreted (RANTES) gene polymorphisms (−403G/A and −28C/G) and risk of pediatric asthma. However, the results have been inconsistent. A meta-analysis of the association between RANTES gene polymorphisms and pediatric asthma risk was performed in the current study. A search for published literature was conducted in the Google Scholar, PubMed and the CNKI databases (January 2000 to April 2012) and seven studies were retrieved. The associations between RANTES gene polymorphisms and pediatric asthma risk were estimated by pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) using a fixed- or random-effects model. Meta-analysis results revealed no significant association between the −403G/A polymorphism and risk of pediatric asthma. In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, no association was identified between the −403G/A polymorphism and pediatric asthma risk in Caucasian and Asian populations. In the −28C/G group, the meta-analysis indicated a significant association between the −28C/G polymorphism and pediatric asthma susceptibility among the total population (recessive model: OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.04–1.72). However, when the subgroup analysis was performed by ethnicity, no significant associations were identified in Asians and Europeans. This result suggests that the −28C/G polymorphism may not be associated with pediatric asthma risk, while the observed increase in the risk of pediatric asthma may be due to racial differences. Additional large-scale studies are required to provide conclusive evidence on the effects of RANTES gene polymorphisms on the risk of pediatric asthma.