Exploring the potential mediating role of systemic antibiotics in the association between early-life lower respiratory tract infections and asthma at age 5 in the CHILD study.

Objective: Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in early life are one of the strongest risk factors for childhood asthma and are often treated with systemic antibiotics (IV or oral). We aimed to explore the association between early-life LRTIs and systemic antibiotics on asthma development and the potential mediating role of antibiotics in this relationship.

Methods: Data were collected as part of the longitudinal, general Canadian population CHILD Study.

Antibiotics taken within the first year of life are linked to infant gut microbiome disruption and elevated atopic dermatitis risk.

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common chronic inflammatory skin disease in both pediatric and adult populations. The development of AD has been linked to antibiotic usage, which causes perturbation of the microbiome and has been associated with abnormal immune system function. However, imbalances in the gut microbiome itself associated with antibiotic usage have been inconsistently linked to AD.

Cohort profile: investigating SARS-CoV-2 infection and the health and psychosocial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Canadian CHILD Cohort.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected all Canadian families, with some impacted differently than others. Our study aims to: (1) determine the prevalence and transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among Canadian families, (2) identify predictors of infection susceptibility and severity of SARS-CoV-2, and (3) identify health and psychosocial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study builds upon the CHILD Cohort Study, an ongoing multi-ethnic general population prospective cohort consisting of 3,454 Canadian families with children born in Vancouver, Edmonton, Manitoba, and Toronto between 2009 and 2012.

Early-immune development in asthma: A review of the literature.

This review presents a comprehensive examination of the various factors contributing to the immunopathogenesis of asthma from the prenatal to preschool period. We focus on the contributions of genetic and environmental components as well as the role of the nasal and gut microbiome on immune development. Predisposing genetic factors, including inherited genes associated with increased susceptibility to asthma, are discussed alongside environmental factors such as respiratory viruses and pollutant exposure, which can trigger or exacerbate asthma symptoms.

Development of a Symptom-Based Tool for Screening of Children at High Risk of Preschool Asthma.

Importance: Despite advances in asthma therapeutics, the burden remains highest in preschool children; therefore, it is critical to identify primary care tools that distinguish preschool children at high risk for burdensome disease for further evaluation. Current asthma prediction tools, such as the modified Asthma Predictive Index (mAPI), require invasive tests, limiting their applicability in primary care and low-resource settings.

Objective: To develop and evaluate the use of a symptom-based screening tool to detect children at high risk of asthma, persistent wheeze symptoms, and health care burden.

Moderate-to-severe lower respiratory tract infection in early life is associated with increased risk of polysensitization and atopic dermatitis: Findings from the CHILD Study.

Background: Respiratory infections in infancy are associated with the development of allergic asthma and atopy. Delineating whether symptomatic infections are a marker of atopic predisposition or contribute to atopic development is important for preventive strategies. We hypothesized that early, severe lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) may be a risk factor for the development of atopic disease.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of pediatric normative peripheral quantitative computed tomography data.

Background: Peripheral-quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) provides an intriguing diagnostic alternative to dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) since it can measure 3D bone geometry and differentiate between the cortical and trabecular bone compartments.

Objective: To investigate and summarize the methods of pQCT image acquisition of in children, adolescents and/or young adults (up to age 20) and to aggregate the published normative pQCT data.

Evidence Acquisition: A literature search was conducted in MEDLINE and EMBASE from 1947 to December 2020.