title: Serum levels of lipoxin A(4) do not predict the development of subsequent asthma among young children with acute bronchiolitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acute bronchiolitis frequently causes wheezing in infants and young children, although its relationship to asthma remains unclear. We hypothesized that serum lipoxin A(4) levels may be used as an early predictive biomarker of subsequent asthma in young children with acute bronchiolitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 69 children who were divided into 3 groups: 47 children younger than 24 months with acute bronchiolitis as an experimental group (Group 1); 11 children aged 2-24 months with viral acute gastroenteritis as a non-allergic control group (Group 2); and 11 children older than 24 months with physician-diagnosed asthma exacerbations as an asthma control group (Group 3). We determined white blood cell counts, eosinophil counts, and serum levels of C-reactive protein, interleukin-4, interleukin-5, prostaglandin E(2), tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and lipoxin A(4).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean serum levels of lipoxin A(4) in the groups with acute bronchiolitis (1), acute gastroenteritis (2), and asthma (3) were 0.0430.028, 0.0540.015, and 0.0510.031 ng/ml, respectively. When compared by t-tests, there were no significant differences between Groups 1 and 2, or Groups 1 and 3 (p0.05), despite a significant difference between Groups 2 and 3 (p=0.0392). In a final regression model, serum lipoxin A(4) levels were positively correlated with age, female gender, white blood cell counts, and interleukin-5 levels in all patients, while asthma patients had lower serum lipoxin A(4) levels compared to the other two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum levels of lipoxin A(4) cannot be used as an early predictive diagnostic marker for asthma in young children with acute bronchiolitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Taipei City Hospital, Yangming Branch, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chung-Mei
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.forename: Winnie
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Kong-Sang
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Wan
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001249:Asthma / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001831:Body Temperature; D001988:Bronchiolitis / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000097:blood; D047150:Eosinophil Cationic Protein / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D007223:Infant; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000097:blood; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000097:blood; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D044045:Lipoxins / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C508598:IL4 protein, human; C508599:IL5 protein, human; D015848:Interleukin-5; D044045:Lipoxins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; C040527:lipoxin A4; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D047150:Eosinophil Cationic Protein; D015232:Dinoprostone