Diseases Commons^™

Airway Secretory Micrornaome Changes During Rhinovirus Infection In Early Childhood., M. Gutierrez, J. Gomez, Geovanny Perez, Krishna Pancham, Dinesh K. Pillai, M. Giri, S. Ferrante, Robert J. Freishtat, Mary C. Rose, Diego A. Preciado, Gustavo Nino

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND:

Innate immune responses are fine-tuned by small noncoding RNA molecules termed microRNAs (miRs) that modify gene expression in response to the environment. During acute infections, miRs can be secreted in extracellular vesicles (EV) to facilitate cell-to-cell genetic communication. The purpose of this study was to characterize the baseline population of miRs secreted in EVs in the airways of young children (airway secretory microRNAome) and examine the changes during rhinovirus (RV) infection, the most common cause of asthma exacerbations and the most important early risk factor for the development of asthma beyond childhood.

METHODS:

Nasal airway secretions were obtained from …

Two Sampling Methods Yield Distinct Microbial Signatures In The Nasopharynges Of Asthmatic Children., Marcos Pérez-Losada, Keith A. Crandall, Robert J. Freishtat

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Background

The nasopharynx is a reservoir for pathogens associated with respiratory illnesses, such as asthma. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has been used to characterize the nasopharyngeal microbiome during health and disease. Most studies so far have surveyed the nasopharynx as a whole; however, less is known about spatial variation (biogeography) in nasal microenvironments and how sampling techniques may capture that microbial diversity.

Findings

We used targeted 16S rRNA MiSeq sequencing and two different sampling strategies [nasal washes (NW) and nasal brushes (NB)] to characterize the nasopharyngeal microbiota in 30 asthmatic children. Nasal brushing is more abrasive than nasal washing and targeted …

Age-Related Effect Of Viral-Induced Wheezing In Severe Prematurity, Geovanny F. Perez, Amisha Jain, Bassem Kurdi, Rosemary Megalaa, Krishna Pancham, Shehlanoor Huseni, Natalia Isaza, Carlos E. Rodriguez-Martinez, Mary C. Rose, Dinesh Pillai, Gustavo Nino

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Premature children are prone to severe viral respiratory infections in early life, but the age at which susceptibility peaks and disappears for each pathogen is unclear.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed of the age distribution and clinical features of acute viral respiratory infections in full-term and premature children, aged zero to seven years.

Results: The study comprised of a total of 630 hospitalizations (n = 580 children). Sixty-seven percent of these hospitalizations occurred in children born full-term (>37 weeks), 12% in preterm (32–37 weeks) and 21% in severely premature children (<32 weeks). The most common viruses identified were rhinovirus (RV; 60%) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV; 17%). Age-distribution analysis of each virus identified that severely premature children had a higher relative frequency of RV and RSV in their first three years, relative to preterm or full-term children. Additionally, the probability of RV- or RSV-induced wheezing was higher overall in severely premature children less than three years old.

Conclusions: Our results indicate that the vulnerability …