Research Interests:
Recent studies have yielded heterogeneous results regarding the relationship between vitamin D and atopic conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between serum vitamin D level and the prevalence of eczema in... more
Recent studies have yielded heterogeneous results regarding the relationship between vitamin D and atopic conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between serum vitamin D level and the prevalence of eczema in German children and adolescents. Data were drawn for children aged 1-17 from the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS), a nationwide cross-sectional representative survey. 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) serum concentration was measured in 9838 individuals with eczema and categorized into quartiles. We investigated the association of vitamin D level and eczema by means of logistic regression models. Weighted prevalence of eczema was 13.5% (95% confidence interval (CI) 12.6-14.4%). Mean vitamin D level was significantly higher in those with eczema compared with those without (P < 0.0001). Logistic regression revealed an inverse association between low levels of vitamin D and eczema (multivariate OR for quartile 1 vs quartile 2: 0.76 (95% CI 0.61-0.94)). This study suggests that low serum vitamin D level is inversely associated with eczema in German children and adolescents. Prospective studies are required to confirm this result, to discuss a potential opportunity for prevention of eczema.
Research Interests:
Small sputum macrophages represent highly active cells that increase in the airways of patients with inflammatory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It has been reported often that levels of cytokines,... more
Small sputum macrophages represent highly active cells that increase in the airways of patients with inflammatory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It has been reported often that levels of cytokines, chemokines and pro-teases are increased in sputum supernatants of these patients. In COPD, the small sputum macrophages may contribute to these supernatant proteins and recruit additional cells via specific chemokine expression patterns. We therefore investigated the expression profile of chemokines in sputum macrophages obtained from COPD patients in comparison to cells from healthy donors and cells isolated after inhalation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We used the minimally invasive procedure of sputum induction and have purified macrophages with the RosetteSep technology. Using macrophage purification and flow cytometry we show that in COPD small sputum macrophages account for 85.9% ± 8.3% compared with 12.9% ± 7.1% of total macrophages in control donors...