Grantee Research Project Results
2005 Progress Report: Environmental Tobacco Smoke, Biomarkers, and Childhood Asthma
EPA Grant Number: R830826Title: Environmental Tobacco Smoke, Biomarkers, and Childhood Asthma
Investigators: Klonoff-Cohen, Hillary , Thomas, Ronald G. , Park, Sung Min , Platzker, Arnold , Pickering, Bretten , Woo, Heide , Natarajan, Loki , Jacobs, Robert
Current Investigators: Klonoff-Cohen, Hillary
Institution: University of California - San Diego
EPA Project Officer: Aja, Hayley
Project Period: July 1, 2003 through June 30, 2009 (Extended to June 30, 2010)
Project Period Covered by this Report: July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2005
Project Amount: $750,000
RFA: Biomarkers for the Assessment of Exposure and Toxicity in Children (2002) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Children's Health , Human Health
Objective:
The objectives of this research project are as follows:
Objective #1 : The use of biomarkers may have important implications for the detection, prevention, and treatment of environmentally induced diseases in children. This research will identify and evaluate two biomarkers, urine eosinophil protein X (uEPX) and serum eosinophil cationic protein (sECP), which may play a role in predicting childhood asthma.
Hypothesis . ECP and EPX will be useful biomarkers in predicting the presence of disease, clinical severity, and treatment efficacy in children diagnosed with asthma.
Objective #2 : Infants exposed to in utero and postnatal ETS will have smaller lungs and reduced airflow, possibly predisposing them to asthma. Childhood asthma results in chronic airway inflammation with mucosal edema and chronic increased airway muscle tone in genetically predisposed children.
Hypothesis. In utero and postnatal ETS exposure (based on infant’s urine cotinine measurements) will result in higher levels of biomarkers (sECP and uEPX). The highest ECP and EPX values will be in asthmatic children exposed to ETS.
Progress Summary:
The aims of the project have remained unchanged since submission of the initial grant. Furthermore, none of the specific aims have been modified, nor has a specific aim been added. We anticipated recruiting approximately 66 cases and controls per year for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the same total for the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program, which equates to two to three cases and controls per month for EPA; however, this process is not going as rapidly as expected. Currently, we have recruited 65 cases and 18 controls.
This project has extremely strict exclusion criteria, which greatly limit the number of eligible subjects. The majority (60%) of children attending the pulmonary clinics are older than 4 years (the age range for this study is birth to 4 years). As well, another 15 percent of infants were not eligible for the study because they were intubated at birth, hospitalized for respiratory syncytial virus, or had other existing comorbidities. Finally, approximately 15 percent of wheezing children attending the pediatric clinics have upper respiratory infections, which is an exclusion criterion.
To combat this, we are in the process of approaching additional viable clinic sites in California to increase our patients here. Fortunately, we have a large carry forward to achieve our specific aims and make this project a success. This topic is of the highest priority to the Principal Investigator, and she intends to bring this project to fruition.
Future Activities:
During the next year, we will locate new clinical sites in San Diego County, Orange County, and Northern California (if necessary), hire new staff, and actively recruit eligible patients to fulfill the desired final sample size. The laboratory assay for urinary cotinine and the inflammatory markers (urinary EPX and serum ECP) are perfected and will yield valid and reproducible results. Blood and urine collection has been uneventful, although some infants require a fair amount of time to provide urine samples.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 3 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
asthma, infants, children, children’s health, inflammatory markers, biomarkers, epidemiology, environmental tobacco smoke, urine EPX, serum ECP, diagnosis, prevention,Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.
Project Research Results
- Final
- 2009
- 2008 Progress Report
- 2007 Progress Report
- 2006 Progress Report
- 2004 Progress Report
- Original Abstract
1 journal articles for this project