B2 adrenergic receptor gene polymorphism effect on childhood asthma severity and response to treatment.

BackgroundAlterations of B2 adrenergic receptor (ß2AR) can modulate the severity of asthma and the response to treatment. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate ß2AR gene polymorphism at codons 16 and 27 and their effect on asthma severity and response to treatment in asthmatic children.MethodsCase-control study was conducted on 156 children; 104 of them had bronchial asthma and 52 were healthy children (control group). Subjects of the study underwent history taking, clinical examination, pulmonary function tests, serum IgE level assessment, and identification of ß2AR-16 A46G and ß2AR-27 C79G polymorphism using PCR-Restriction Fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) test.ResultsThere was a higher frequency of Arg-Gly genotypes (odds ratio (OR)=6.57; confidence interval (CI): 2.42-18.81, P<0.001) and lower frequency of Arg-Arg (OR=4.7; CI: 2.05-10.95, P<0.001) among asthmatic children compared with that among controls at codon 16. The presence or absence of Gly16 or Glu27 either homozygous or heterozygous for both correlated with the grade of asthma severity. The presence of heterozygous Arg-Gly and Gln-Glu gives a better response to drug therapy than the presence of Gly-Gly and Glu-Glu genotypes at codons 16 and 27.ConclusionPolymorphism of ß2AR at codons 16 and 27 correlates with asthma severity and response to treatment in asthmatic children.

Plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin as a marker for the prediction of worsening renal function in children hospitalized for acute heart failure.

Acute heart failure (AHF) is frequently associated with worsening renal function in adult patients. Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) serves as an early marker for acute renal tubular injury. To assess the role of plasma NGAL in predicting worsening renal function (WRF) in children with AHF, we studied 30 children hospitalized for AHF; children with history of chronic renal disease or on nephrotoxic drugs were excluded. Twenty age- and sex-matched healthy children were included in the study as a control group. Echocardiographic examination was performed on admission. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and plasma NGAL levels were measured on admission and 72 h later. Seventeen (56.6%) patients developed WRF within the three-day follow-up period. At presentation, plasma NGAL level was significantly elevated in children who developed WRF. Admission plasma NGAL level correlated with renal parameters (BUN, creatinine and eGFR) as well as with left ventricular systolic parameters (ejection fraction and fractional shortening). For prediction of WRF, admission plasma, NGAL level>27.5 µg/L had sensitivity and specificity of 90% and 68%, respectively. The area under the receiver-operator curve was higher for NGAL (0.869) than for BUN (0.569) or eGFR (0.684). We conclude that admission plasma NGAL level can predict WRF in children hospitalized for AHF.