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Anaphylaxis is a serious life-threatening allergic disease in children. This study is aimed at determining the characteristics of pediatric patients who experienced anaphylaxis along with treatments administered in order to determine the usefulness of tryptase level assessment as a marker of anaphylaxis in Korean children. A total of 107 patients who were diagnosed with anaphylaxis in a single pediatric emergency center over a 3-year period were included in the study. Patient clinical characteristics, symptoms, signs, allergy history, trigger factors, treatments, and laboratory findings, including serum tryptase levels, were included in the analysis. Food allergies (39.3%) were the most commonly reported patient allergic history, and 58 patients (54.2%) were triggered by food. Among this group, nuts and milk exposure were the most common, affecting 15 patients (25.9%). History of anaphylaxis and asthma were more common in severe anaphylaxis compared to mild or moderate anaphylaxis cases. Epinephrine intramuscular injection was administrated to 76 patients (71.0%), and a self-injectable epinephrine was prescribed to 18 patients (16.8%). The median tryptase level was 4.80 ng/mL (range: 2.70–10.40) which was lower than the 11.4 ng/mL value commonly documented for standard evaluation in adults with anaphylaxis. The most common cause of pediatric anaphylaxis was food including nuts and milk. The rate of epinephrine injection was relatively high in our pediatric emergency department. The median tryptase level associated with anaphylaxis reactions in children was lower than 11.4 ng/mL. Further studies are needed to help improve diagnostic times and treatment accuracy in pediatric patients who develop anaphylaxis.

Epidemiological studies have shown that exposure to tobacco smoke causing irritation and inflammation in the airways tends to reduce serum periostin concentrations in adults. We now investigate prospective cross-sectional study on 135 Korean students aged 7 years in the first grade who were participating in the Seongnam Atopy Project for Children's Happiness 2016 (SAP2016) cohort. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to show significant inverse correlations between serum periostin concentration and exposure to xylene and formaldehyde in children. Our findings suggested the need for caution in using the serum periostin level as a marker for allergic diseases, since exposure to volatile organic compounds and formaldehyde may confound the interpretation of these results.

PurposeBronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is characterized by inflammation with proteolytic damage to the lung extracellular matrix. The results from previous studies are inconsistent regarding the role of proteinases and antiproteinases in the development of BPD. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-8, MMP-9, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-2, and TIMP-1 levels in the serum of preterm infants at birth are related to the development of BPD.MethodsSerum was collected from 62 preterm infants at birth and analyzed for MMP-8, MMP-9, TIMP-2, and TIMP-1 by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. MMPs and TIMPs were compared in BPD (n=24) and no BPD groups (n=38). Clinical predictors of BPD (sex, birth weight, gestational age, etc.) were assessed for both groups. The association between predictors and outcome, BPD, was assessed by using multivariate logistic regression.ResultsSex, birth weight, and mean gestational age were similar between the groups. BPD preterm infants had significantly lower TIMP-2 levels at birth compared with no BPD preterm infants (138.1±23.0 ng/mL vs. 171.8±44.1 ng/mL, P=0.027). No significant difference was observed in MMP-8, MMP-9, and TIMP-1 levels between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that the TIMP-2 levels were predictive of BPD after adjusting for sex, birth weight, gestational age, proteinuric preeclampsia, and intraventricular hemorrhage (β=-0.063, P=0.041).ConclusionLow TIMP-2 serum levels at birth may be associated with the subsequent development of BPD in preterm infants.

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Selenium (Se) is an essential trace mineral that plays an important role in physiological processes by regulating the antioxidant defense system and enhancing immunity. Chromium is an essential mineral involved in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism and also plays a role in maintaining normal insulin function. Based on these advantages, we hypothesized that the addition of selenomethionine (SeMet) and organic chromium (OC) to broiler diets would increase selenium deposition, antioxidant capacity and immune response in meat. Therefore, this study analyzed the effects of OC and SeMet on growh performance, nutrients digestibility, blood profiles, intestinal morphology, meat quality characteristics, and taxonomic analysis of broilers. A total of 168 one-day-old broiler chicken (Arbor Acres) were randomly allotted to 3 groups based on the initial body weight of 37.33 ± 0.24 g with 7 replicate per 8 birds (mixed sex). The experiments period was 28 days. Dietary treatments were folloewd: Basal diets based on corn-soybean meal (CON), basal diet supplemented with 0.2 ppm OC and 0.2 ppm SeMet (CS4), and basal diet supplemented with 0.4 ppm OC and 0.4 ppm SeMet (CS8). Supplementation of OC and SeMet did not affect on growth performance, nutrient digestibility. However, CS8 supplementation increased in duodenum villus height and villus height : crypt depth, and increased in breast meat Se deposition. In addition, CS8 group showed higher uric acid and total antioxidant status than CON group.Taxonomic analysis at phylum level revealed that Proteobacteria and Firmicutes of CS4 and CS8 were lower than CON group. In genus level, the relative abundance of fecal Lactobacillus and Enterococcus of CS4 and CS8 groups were higher than CON group. In short, 0.4 ppm OC and 0.4 ppm SeMet supplementation to broiler diet supporitng positive gut microbime change, also enhancing antioxidant capacity, and Se deposition in breast meat.

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