Genetic ancestry differences in pediatric asthma readmission mediated by socio-environmental factors

Introduction. The evidence about the association between asthma and outdoor environmental factors has been inadequate for certain allergens. Even less is known about how these associations vary across seasons and climate regions. We reviewed recent literature from North America for research related to outdoor environmental factors and pediatric asthma, with attention to spatial-temporal variations of these associations. Method. We included indexed literature between years 2010 and 2015 on outdoor environmental factors and pediatric asthma, by searching PubMed. Results. Our search resulted in 33 manuscripts. Studies about the link between pediatric asthma and traffic-related air pollutants (TRAP) consistently confirmed the correlation between TRAP and asthma. For general air pollution, the roles of PM2.5 and CO were consistent across studies. The link between asthma and O3 varied across seasons. Regional variation exists in the role of SO2. The impact of pollen was consistent across seasons, whereas the role of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon was less consistent. Discussion. Recent studies strengthened the evidence about the roles of PM2.5, TRAP, CO, and pollen in asthma, while the evidence for roles of PM10-2.5, PM10, O3, NO2, SO2, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in asthma was less consistent. Spatial-temporal details of the environment are needed in future studies of asthma and environment.

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Genetic ancestry and population differences in levels of inflammatory cytokines in women: Role for evolutionary selection and environmental factors

PLoS Genetics ◽

10.1371/journal.pgen.1007368 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 14 (6) ◽

pp. e1007368 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Song Yao ◽

Chi-Chen Hong ◽

Edward A. Ruiz-Narváez ◽

Sharon S. Evans ◽

Qianqian Zhu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Inflammatory Cytokines ◽

Genetic Ancestry ◽

Population Differences ◽

Evolutionary Selection

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Application of Metabolomics in Pediatric Asthma: Prediction, Diagnosis and Personalized Treatment

Metabolites ◽

10.3390/metabo11040251 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 251

Author(s):

Maria Michelle Papamichael ◽

Charis Katsardis ◽

Evangelia Sarandi ◽

Spyridoula Georgaki ◽

Eirini-Sofia Frima ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Asthma Management ◽

Clinical Manifestations ◽

Pediatric Asthma ◽

Respiratory Disorder ◽

Systematic Analysis ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Asthma Incidence ◽

Intermediate Metabolites ◽

Significant Public Health

Asthma in children remains a significant public health challenge affecting 5–20% of children in Europe and is associated with increased morbidity and societal healthcare costs. The high variation in asthma incidence among countries may be attributed to differences in genetic susceptibility and environmental factors. This respiratory disorder is described as a heterogeneous syndrome of multiple clinical manifestations (phenotypes) with varying degrees of severity and airway hyper-responsiveness, which is based on patient symptoms, lung function and response to pharmacotherapy. However, an accurate diagnosis is often difficult due to diversities in clinical presentation. Therefore, identifying early diagnostic biomarkers and improving the monitoring of airway dysfunction and inflammatory through non-invasive methods are key goals in successful pediatric asthma management. Given that asthma is caused by the interaction between genes and environmental factors, an emerging approach, metabolomics—the systematic analysis of small molecules—can provide more insight into asthma pathophysiological mechanisms, enable the identification of early biomarkers and targeted personalized therapies, thus reducing disease burden and societal cost. The purpose of this review is to present evidence on the utility of metabolomics in pediatric asthma through the analysis of intermediate metabolites of biochemical pathways that involve carbohydrates, amino acids, lipids, organic acids and nucleotides and discuss their potential application in clinical practice. Also, current challenges on the integration of metabolomics in pediatric asthma management and needed next steps are critically discussed.

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