Long-term clinical outcomes of [177Lu]Lu-DOTATATE in patients with metastatic neuroendocrine tumors.

The incidence of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors has been rising and these tumors are usually only diagnosed at a metastatic stage. Present first line treatments include somatostatin analogs, targeted therapies and peptide receptor radionuclide therapy. The Lutetium-177 [177Lu] based radiotracer [177Lu]Lu-DOTATATE has only been approved as first-line treatment of metastatic midgut NETs however its efficacy as a third line or above treatment in patients with non ileal primaries has not been tested. In our study, we identified 25 patients with histologically confirmed well-differentiated metastatic neuroendocrine tumors and administered [177Lu]Lu-DOTATATE as a second line, third line and fourth line treatment. Our study demonstrated a notable response in patients with non-ileal primaries and heavily pretreated disease, warranting further studies for additional cycles of treatment.

Incidental diagnosis of a rare pancreatic plasmacytoma with plasmablastic features.

Multiple myeloma is a plasma cell neoplasm that accounts for 10% of all hematologic malignancies, characterized by malignant proliferation of monoclonal plasma cells in the bone marrow. It predominantly affects men 60 to 70 years of age. Plasmacytoma is a discrete mass of neoplastic monoclonal plasma cells that may be osseous or extramedullary. Though extramedullary plasmacytomas are uncommon, they can involve any tissue or organ. Only a few cases of pancreatic involvement have been reported. We report a case of a 78-year-old woman with a long-standing history of multiple myeloma noted to have pancreatic tail involvement with plasmacytoma with plasmablastic features. Multiple myeloma with plasmablastic transformation has a poor prognosis; hence, a multidisciplinary team approach is crucial to identify and initiate appropriate management in these cases.

Video education about side effects of chemotherapy and immunotherapy and its impact on the anxiety, depression, and distress level of cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Patients diagnosed with cancer are at higher risk of anxiety, depression, and overall distress. These mood disturbances are risk factors for non-adherence to cancer treatment, increased length of stay during hospital admissions, increased number of visits to the emergency department, and also impact survival. Although paper handouts about the potential side effects are widely used in the oncology practice studies have shown that digital educational material is known to work better when compared to traditional methods. However, the impact of video education on anxiety, depression, and distress have not been previously evaluated. Our study aimed to assess whether video education about potential chemotherapy and immunotherapy can reduce anxiety, depression, and distress levels. METHODS: After IRB approval, we enrolled patients who were fluent in English, younger than 80 years of age, and who were able to provide informed consent. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Distress Thermometer were used to assess distress, as well as depression and anxiety before and after watching video educational material. Paired t-test was used to compare the differences between the scores before and after watching educational videos. The statistical software GraphPad Prism 9, San Diego, California, was used to perform the statistical analysis. RESULTS: We enrolled 29 patients, of whom 20 completed the study, six withdrew, two were lost to follow-up, and one did not complete the initial questionnaire. Of all patients that completed the study 85% of the patient found videos helpful, and they were 7/10 likely to recommend them to other patients who may experience symptoms. The mean depression score changed from 4.75 before to 4.9 after watching the videos (p 0.77), distress score from 2.3 to 2.65 (p 0.52), and anxiety scores changed from 4.85 to 6.15 (p 0.03). The feedback provided by the patients indicated that they were more willing to watch the videos related to the side effects they experienced at their free time and convenience. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that patients were open to video education and found it helpful and worth watching. However, the exposure of the patients to the videos about potential side effects of cancer treatment, including those patients do not experience, may lead to increased anxiety.

Epidemiology of 30,000 Pediatric Urgent Care Telemedicine Visits in the Era of COVID-19.

Background: To describe the epidemiology of patients accessing a pediatric urgent care telemedicine platform during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study Design: We conducted a cross-sectional study of the first 30,000 pediatric patients who accessed our pediatric urgent care telemedicine platform during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study population came from 15 states and included the dates May 15 through September 16, 2020. We also described the groups of patients referred for in-person evaluation in urgent care or emergency department (ED) settings. Results: Mean patient age was 7.6 ± 5.4 years and 51% of patients were male. Twenty-one percent were publicly insured. More than 60% of patients sought care between 12 and 7 p.m. The most common reasons for seeking care were concerns for COVID-19 (50.5%) and fever (6.8%). Antibiotics were prescribed in 4.3% of visits. Children had an in-person visit to our urgent care offices on the same day in 9% of visits. Less than 1% of children were referred to the ED. Conclusions: In this large series of telemedicine visits during the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer than 10% required escalation to an in-person office visit and fewer than 1% required escalation to an ED.

Sociodemographic Factors and Outcomes by Intent of Firearm Injury.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Firearm injuries are a leading and preventable cause of morbidity and mortality among youth. We sought to explore differences in sociodemographic factors and youth firearm injury outcomes by injury intent (unintentional, assault, and self-harm). METHODS: We conducted a repeated cross-sectional analysis of emergency department (ED) visits among youth aged 21 and younger presenting to an ED with a firearm injury between 2009 and 2016 using the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample. We performed multivariable logistic regression to measure the strength of association between (1) patient-level factors, (2) visit-level characteristics, and (3) clinical outcomes and intent of firearm injury. RESULTS: We identified 178 299 weighted visits for firearm injuries. The mean age was 17.9 (95% confidence interval 17.8-18.0) years; 89.0% of patients were male, 43.0% were publicly insured, 28.8% were admitted, and 6.0% died. Approximately one-third of the injuries were categorized as unintentional (39.4%), another third as assault (37.7%), and a small proportion as self-harm (1.7%). Unintentional firearm injuries were associated with younger age, rural hospital location, Southern region, ED discharge, and extremity injury. Self-harm firearm injuries were associated with older age, higher socioeconomic status, rural hospital location, transfer or death, and brain, back, or spinal cord injury. Firearm injuries by assault were associated with lower socioeconomic status, urban hospital location, and requiring admission. CONCLUSIONS: We identified distinct risk profiles for youth with unintentional, self-harm-, and assault-related firearm injuries. Sociodemographic factors related to intent may be useful in guiding policy and informing tailored interventions for the prevention of firearm injuries in at-risk youth.

Regional Differences in Pediatric Firearm-Related Emergency Department Visits and the Association With Firearm Legislation.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe regional and temporal trends in pediatric firearm-related emergency department (ED) visits and investigate association with regional firearm legislation. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample from 2009 to 2013 for children aged 21 years or younger. We calculated national estimates of firearm-related visits using annual census data and measured trends. We used state-level gun law scores to derive regional scores to measure strictness of firearm legislation. We used multivariable logistic and linear regression to measure regional differences in visits and their association with regional gun law scores, respectively. RESULTS: There were 111,839 (95% confidence interval, 101,248-122,431) ED visits for pediatric firearm-related injuries. Rates of visits varied by region, with the lowest rate in the Northeast and highest rate in the South (40.0 [34-45]; 70.8 [63.7-76.9] per 100,000 ED visits, respectively). Compared with the Northeast, odds of firearm-related ED visits were higher in the Midwest (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.8; 1.4-2.3), West (aOR, 2.5; 2.0-3.2), and South (aOR, 1.9; 1.5-2.4). Firearm-related visits remained consistent over time. A higher (stricter) regional median Brady gun law score was associated with a lower rate of firearm-related visits (ß = -0.8; R2 = 0.9; P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Rates of pediatric firearm-related ED visits vary by region. Stricter regional gun laws were associated with lower rates of ED visits for pediatric firearm-related injuries. Further study of the social and cultural regional differences in gun ownership and the role of legislation in the prevention of pediatric firearm-related morbidity and mortality is warranted.

Quality of life in at-risk school-aged children with asthma.

INTRODUCTION: Asthma is the most common chronic condition of childhood. Urban, minority children from families of lower socioeconomic status have disproportionately higher rates of asthma and worse outcomes. We investigated the association between the presence of asthma and asthma severity among American, urban, minority children and reported quality of life (QOL) of children and their families. METHODS: We performed a prospective, cross-sectional study comparing QOL of urban, minority elementary school-age children with and without asthma. A convenience sample of children was enrolled from the pediatric emergency department (ED) and a specialized asthma clinic, at a large urban children's hospital. We measured child and parent QOL using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Version 4 (PEDSQL4), and evaluated associations with asthma, parental educational attainment, and frequency of ED visits. RESULTS: We enrolled 66 children, 76% were African American, and 61% were female. Overall child QOL was higher for those without asthma (p = 0.017, d = 0.59). Children with asthma also visited the ED almost twice as frequently (t [64] = -3.505, p < 0.001, d = 0.8), and parents of children with asthma reported a lower overall QOL (p = 0.04, d = 0.53) than those without asthma. Among children with asthma, a higher overall child QOL was associated with decreased asthma severity, more ED visits, and higher parental educational attainment. CONCLUSIONS: Urban, minority elementary school-age children with asthma report a lower QOL than those children without asthma, and decreased asthma severity was associated with higher QOL.

Validation of the 2019 European League Against Rheumatism/American College of Rheumatology Criteria Compared to the 1997 American College of Rheumatology Criteria and the 2012 Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics Criteria in Pediatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE: Different classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have been proposed for many years. The most widely used and accepted criteria has been the 1997 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria. In 2012, the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) criteria were published in an attempt to improve the clinical relevance of SLE criteria. In 2017, weighted criteria were proposed that included entry criteria, something the 1997 ACR and the 2012 SLICC criteria did not identify. The aim of the present study was to validate the 2017 weighted criteria, the 1997 ACR criteria, and the 2012 SLICC criteria and compare the sensitivities and specificities in pediatric SLE. METHODS: For the past 15 years, retrospective chart review of patients diagnosed with SLE before age 19 years was conducted. The controls were patients referred for serologies positive for antinuclear antibodies but did not fulfill criteria for diagnosis of SLE at the initial visit or were diagnosed with another autoimmune disease. The 3 classification criteria sets were applied to these patients and compared against a gold standard of physician diagnosis. RESULTS: A total of 156 patients were diagnosed with SLE. The sensitivity for the 2017 weighted criteria was 0.974 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.936-0.993) and the specificity was 0.984 (95% CI 0.966-0.994). The sensitivity for the 1997 ACR criteria was 0.872 (95% CI 0.809-0.920) and the specificity was 1.00 (95% CI 0.990-1.000). The sensitivity for the 2012 SLICC criteria was 0.974 (95% CI 0.936-0.993) and the specificity was 0.997 (95% CI 0.985-1.000). CONCLUSION: The 2017 weighted criteria and the 2012 SLICC criteria were more sensitive than the 1997 ACR criteria. There were no significant differences in sensitivity and specificity between the 2012 SLICC and the 2017 weighted criteria.

State Gun Laws and Pediatric Firearm-Related Mortality.

BACKGROUND: Firearms are the second leading cause of pediatric death in the United States. There is significant variation in firearm legislation at the state level. Recently, 3 state laws were associated with a reduction in overall deaths from firearms: universal background checks for firearm purchases, universal background checks for ammunition purchases, and identification requirement for firearms. We sought to determine if stricter firearm legislation at the state level is associated with lower pediatric firearm-related mortality. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study in which we used 2011-2015 Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System and Census data. We measured the association of the (1) strictness of firearm legislation (gun law score) and (2) presence of the 3 aforementioned gun laws with pediatric firearm-related mortality. We performed negative binomial regression accounting for differences in state-level characteristics (population-based race and ethnicity, education, income, and gun ownership) to derive mortality rate ratios associated with a 10-point change in each predictor and predicted mortality rates. RESULTS: A total of 21 241 children died of firearm-related injuries during the 5-year period. States with stricter gun laws had lower rates of firearm-related pediatric mortality (adjusted incident rate ratio 0.96 [0.93-0.99]). States with laws requiring universal background checks for firearm purchase in effect for ≥5 years had lower pediatric firearm-related mortality rates (adjusted incident rate ratio 0.65 [0.46-0.90]). CONCLUSIONS: In this 5-year analysis, states with stricter gun laws and laws requiring universal background checks for firearm purchase had lower firearm-related pediatric mortality rates. These findings support the need for further investigation to understand the impact of firearm legislation on pediatric mortality.

Pediatric Firearm-Related Injuries in the United States.

Pediatric firearm-related deaths and injuries are a national public health crisis. In this Special Review Article, we characterize the epidemiology of firearm-related injuries in the United States and discuss public health programs, the role of pediatricians, and legislative efforts to address this health crisis. Firearm-related injuries are leading causes of unintentional injury deaths in children and adolescents. Children are more likely to be victims of unintentional injuries, the majority of which occur in the home, and adolescents are more likely to suffer from intentional injuries due to either assault or suicide attempts. Guns are present in 18% to 64% of US households, with significant variability by geographic region. Almost 40% of parents erroneously believe their children are unaware of the storage location of household guns, and 22% of parents wrongly believe that their children have never handled household guns. Public health interventions to increase firearm safety have demonstrated varying results, but the most effective programs have provided free gun safety devices to families. Pediatricians should continue working to reduce gun violence by asking patients and their families about firearm access, encouraging safe storage, and supporting firearm-related injury prevention research. Pediatricians should also play a role in educating trainees about gun violence. From a legislative perspective, universal background checks have been shown to decrease firearm homicides across all ages, and child safety laws have been shown to decrease unintentional firearm deaths and suicide deaths in youth. A collective, data-driven public health approach is crucial to halt the epidemic of pediatric firearm-related injury.

Increased identification of the primary care provider as the main source of asthma care among urban minority children.

OBJECTIVE: Urban, minority, and disadvantaged youth with asthma frequently use emergency departments (EDs) for episodic asthma care instead of their primary care providers (PCPs). We sought to increase the rate of guardians' identification of the PCP as the source of asthma care for their children through integrated electronic health records and care coordination. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, we implemented an electronic communication process between an asthma specialty clinic and PCPs coupled with short-term care coordination in sample of youth aged 2-12 years with asthma and surveyed their guardians at baseline and 3 and 6 months after the intervention. RESULTS: Guardians of 50 children (median age 5.8 years, 64% male, 98% African American, 94% public insurance) were enrolled. Compared to baseline, at 3 and 6 months after the intervention, significantly more guardians reported that the PCP was their child's primary asthma health care provider [70% at baseline, 85% at 3 months, 83% at 6 months (time averaged adjusted OR 77.4, 95% CI 3.0, 2027.1]. Further, significantly more guardians reported that they took their child to the PCP when the child experienced problems with his/her asthma [16% at baseline, 35% at 3 months, 41% at 6 months (time averaged adjusted odds ratio (OR) 10.6, 95% CI 2.7, 41.7]. CONCLUSION: Care in a subspecialty asthma clinic augmented by electronic communication with PCPs and short term care coordination was associated with significantly improved identification of PCPs as the primary source of asthma care in a cohort of urban minority youth.

Improving timeliness for acute asthma care for paediatric ED patients using a nurse driven intervention: an interrupted time series analysis.

Asthma is the most common chronic paediatric disease treated in the emergency department (ED). Rapid corticosteroid administration is associated with improved outcomes, but our busy ED setting has made it challenging to achieve this goal. Our primary aim was to decrease the time to corticosteroid administration in a large, academic paediatric ED. We conducted an interrupted time series analysis for moderate to severe asthma exacerbations of one to 18 year old patients. A multidisciplinary team designed the intervention of a bedside nurse initiated administration of oral dexamethasone, to replace the prior system of a physician initiated order for oral prednisone. Our baseline and intervention periods were 12 month intervals. Our primary process measure was the time to corticosteroid administration. Other process measures included ED length of stay, admission rate, and rate of emesis. The balance measures included rate of return visits to the ED or clinic within five days, as well as the proportion of discharged patients who were admitted within five days. No special cause variation occurred in the baseline period. The mean time to corticosteroid administration decreased significantly, from 98 minutes in the baseline period to 59 minutes in the intervention period (p < 0.01), and showed special cause variation improvement within two months after the intervention using statistical process control methodology. We sustained the improvement and demonstrated a stable process. The intervention period had a significantly lower admission rate (p<0.01) and emesis rate (p<0.01), with no unforeseen harm to patients found with any of our balance measures. In summary, the introduction of a nurse initiated, standardized protocol for corticosteroid therapy for asthma exacerbations in a paediatric ED was associated with decreased time to corticosteroid administration, admission rates, and post-corticosteroid emesis.

Factors Associated With Orthopedic Aftercare in a Publicly Insured Pediatric Emergency Department Population.

OBJECTIVES: Children with public insurance are less likely than children with private insurance to obtain follow-up care after emergency department (ED) care. This study aimed to determine if specific demographic and clinical factors are associated with aftercare compliance in a population of publicly insured pediatric ED patients with orthopedic injuries. METHODS: This was a retrospective case-control study of Washington, DC, children aged 0 to 17 years with public insurance discharged with isolated forearm fractures from the Children's National Medical Center ED from 2003 to 2006. Bivariable analyses and multivariable logistic regression were performed to measure the association between sociodemographic variables and failure to follow up. RESULTS: Six hundred children met the inclusion criteria. The overall cohort was 63.7% male and 81.7% African American, with a mean age of 8.8 (SE, 0.2) years. Overall, 85.7% of patients went to a follow-up orthopedic appointment, and 68.2% of patients had timely orthopedic follow-up, defined as 14 days or less after discharge from the ED. Treatment with orthopedic reduction (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 2.0 [1.33-2.93]) was positively associated with timely orthopedic follow-up, whereas older age (adjusted OR, 0.9 [0.88-0.97]) was significantly associated with failure to follow up. In the subset of patients who required orthopedic reduction in the ED, older age was significantly associated with failure to follow up (adjusted OR, 0.80 [0.74-0.94]). CONCLUSIONS: Mild fracture severity is associated with lack of orthopedic follow-up for patients with public insurance. Older age was associated with lack of follow-up, even in the subgroup with severe fractures. Targeted interventions to improve orthopedic aftercare compliance should focus on older patients with severe forearm fractures.

Vitamin d in pediatric inpatients with respiratory illnesses.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels have been associated with increased susceptibility to and severity of respiratory viral infections. Hypovitaminosis D may be a modifiable risk factor in the severity of viral respiratory illnesses. The hypothesis for this study was that children hospitalized for respiratory illnesses would have lower serum 25(OH)D levels than controls and that 25(OH)D levels would be associated with illness severity among cases. METHODS: A case-control study of a sample of patients aged 6 months through 12 years hospitalized from January to May 2010 at an urban pediatric referral hospital was performed. Cases were children hospitalized for acute respiratory illnesses, and controls were children hospitalized for nonrespiratory illnesses. Illness severity among cases was assessed according to hospital length of stay, ICU admission, peripheral oxygen saturation, and pediatric risk of admission II score. Associations between serum 25(OH)D levels and dependent variables were tested for by using binary logistic and multivariable linear regression while controlling for admission diagnosis, age, gender, and race/ethnicity. RESULTS: The majority of cases (n = 38) and controls (n = 83) were African American (65.8% and 59.0%, respectively). Of the entire cohort (N = 121), 64.8% had vitamin D insufficiency (25[OH]D level ≤30 ng/mL) and 31.1% had vitamin D deficiency (25[OH]D level ≤20 ng/mL). Mean ± SD 25(OH)D levels did not differ between cases and controls (26.8 ± 11.5 vs 26.1 ± 10.6 ng/mL, respectively; P = .73). CONCLUSIONS: Hypovitaminosis D was common among cases and controls, but it was not significantly associated with the presence or severity of respiratory illnesses.

Mechanism of action of vitamin D in the asthmatic lung.

Vitamin D, or 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D (1,25[OH]D), in its activated form, has long been recognized as a critical mediator in bone health. New research has identified 1,25(OH)D as also vital for respiratory health. Owing to its intrinsic anti-inflammatory properties, 1,25(OH)D may be very important in people with asthma. This review article seeks to evaluate the current literature to delineate the potential mechanisms of action by which 1,25(OH)D affects asthma. We summarize the evidence that 1,25(OH)D has receptors in multiple lung cell types and acts to abrogate asthma by several mechanisms: promoting lung immunity, decreasing inflammation, slowing cell cycling, reducing hyperplasia, and enhancing the effects of exogenous steroids. Put together, there is compelling evidence for the role of vitamin D in asthma.

Associations between genetic variants in vitamin D metabolism and asthma characteristics in young African Americans: a pilot study.

INTRODUCTION: Low vitamin D levels have been associated with asthma severity in children. Young, urban African Americans (AAs) have high rates of hypovitaminosis D and asthma. Our objective was to determine associations between variants in vitamin D metabolism genes and asthma characteristics in a pilot study of young urban AAs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two urban AA cohorts of subjects aged 6 to 20 years (139 subjects with asthma and 74 subjects without asthma) were genotyped for 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 3 vitamin D metabolism genes: VDR (vitamin D receptor), CYP24A1 (cytochrome P450 vitamin D 24-hydroxylase), and CYP2R1 (cytochrome P450 vitamin D 25-hydroxylase). In a case-control analysis, SNPs were studied for associations with an asthma diagnosis. Within the asthmatic cohort, SNPs were analyzed for associations with quantitative asthma characteristics. All analyses were adjusted for age, sex, and body mass index percentile. RESULTS: Only the CYP2R1 SNP rs10766197 homozygous minor genotype was associated with asthma (P = 0.044). CYP24A1 SNP rs2248137 was associated with lower vitamin D levels (P = 0.006). Within the asthma cohort, multiple significant associations between SNPs and asthma characteristics were identified; VDR SNP rs2228570 was associated with the higher nighttime asthma morbidity scores (P = 0.04), lower baseline spirometric measures (P < 0.05), 1 or more positive aeroallergen skin test (P = 0.003), and increased immunoglobulin E levels (P < 0.001). DISCUSSION: This pilot study demonstrates that variants in vitamin D metabolism genes are associated with quantitative asthma characteristics in young, urban AAs. The collection of these associations provides evidence for the need for a large population-based study of vitamin D-relevant SNPs in this cohort.

Asthmatic airway epithelium is intrinsically inflammatory and mitotically dyssynchronous.

Asthma is an inflammatory condition for which anti-inflammatory glucocorticoids are the standard of care. However, similar efficacy has not been shown for agents targeting inflammatory cells and pathways. This suggests a noninflammatory cell contributor (e.g., epithelium) to asthmatic inflammation. Herein, we sought to define the intrinsic and glucocorticoid-affected properties of asthmatic airway epithelium compared with normal epithelium. Human primary differentiated normal and asthmatic airway epithelia were cultured in glucocorticoid-free medium beginning at -48 hours. They were pulsed with dexamethasone (20 nM) or vehicle for 2 hours at -26, -2, +22, and +46 hours. Cultures were mechanically scrape-wounded at 0 hours and exposed continuously to bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU). Cytokine secretions were analyzed using cytometric bead assays. Wound regeneration/mitosis was analyzed by microscopy and flow cytometry. Quiescent normal (n = 3) and asthmatic (n = 6) epithelia showed similar minimal inflammatory cytokine secretion and mitotic indices. After wounding, asthmatic epithelia secreted more basolateral TGF-ß1, IL-10, IL-13, and IL-1ß (P < 0.05) and regenerated less efficiently than normal epithelia (+48 h wound area reduction = [mean ± SEM] 50.2 ± 7.5% versus 78.6 ± 7.7%; P = 0.02). Asthmatic epithelia showed 40% fewer BrdU(+) cells at +48 hours (0.32 ± 0.05% versus 0.56 ± 0.07% of total cells; P = 0.03), and those cells were more dyssynchronously distributed along the cell cycle (52 ± 10, 25 ± 4, 23 ± 7% for G1/G0, S, and G2/M, respectively) than normal epithelia (71 ± 1, 12 ± 2, and 17 ± 2% for G1/G0, S, and G2/M, respectively). Dexamethasone pulses improved asthmatic epithelial inflammation and regeneration/mitosis. In summary, we show that inflammatory/fibrogenic cytokine secretions are correlated with dyssynchronous mitosis upon injury. Intermittent glucocorticoids simultaneously decreased epithelial cytokine secretions and resynchronized mitosis. These data, generated in an airway model lacking inflammatory cells, support the concept that epithelium contributes to asthmatic inflammation.

High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among inner-city African American youth with asthma in Washington, DC.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to examine the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency among urban African-American (AA) youth with asthma compared with control subjects without asthma. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional case-control study was conducted at an urban pediatric medical center. Total 25-hydroxyvitamin D insufficiency (<30 ng/mL) and deficiency (<20 ng/mL) were assessed in urban self-reported AA patients, aged 6 to 20 years, with (n = 92) and without (n = 21) physician-diagnosed asthma. RESULTS: Blood samples were available for 85 (92%) cases. The prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency were significantly greater among cases than control subjects (73/85 [86%] vs 4/21 [19%], adjusted odds ratio = 42 [95% confidence interval: 4.4 to 399] for insufficiency and 46/85 [54%] vs 1/21 [5%], adjusted odds ratio = 20 [95% confidence interval: 1.4 to 272] for deficiency). CONCLUSIONS: Most of this sample of urban AA youth with persistent asthma were vitamin D deficient or insufficient. Given the emerging associations between low vitamin D levels and asthma, strong consideration should be given to routine vitamin D testing in urban AA youth, particularly those with asthma.