clair088

Mechanisms such as social, behavioral, and environmental factors during pregnancy that may affect the risk of childhood asthma have been studied, but only few studies have assessed the relationship between maternal psychological distress and childhood wheezing.  Guxens et al performed a population-based study among children from birth to 6 years of age while assessing maternal and paternal psychological distress during pregnancy ( J Allergy Clin Immunol 2014; 133(1): 59-67 ) .  This large study of 4,848 children was embedded within the Generation R study, a population-based prospective cohort from fetal life onwards in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.  Maternal and paternal distress data was collected at 20 weeks gestation and again at 2 and 6 months, and 3 years after delivery by using the Brief Symptom Inventory questionnaire. Wheezing was annually assessed in the children up to 4 years of age. Physician diagnosed ever asthma was reported by parents at age 6 years.  The...

It is well known that frequencies and severity of disease can differ among races.  The mixing of African, European, and Native American ancestries has resulted in a variety of different ethnic groups with varied diversity. There is robust evidence from various clinical trials that different ethnic groups have variable responses to specific therapeutic agents.  The study of pharmacogenetics is used to personalize therapies specific to individuals from different ethnic or racial groups and it has historically been composed of mostly non-Hispanic whites of European descent.  Ortega and Meyers summarize the genetic and epidemiologic basis for the variable genetic backgrounds observed between different, recently admixed ethnic groups such as African American or Hispanic ( J Allergy Clin Immunol 2014; 133(1): 16-26 ). Rare genetic variants appear to be more frequent among individuals of African ancestry and could account for inter-ethnic differences in drug responses especially...