GENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY OF RSV BRONCHIOLITIS AND ASTHMA

本提案旨在为主要研究者（PI）提供一个机会，使其在由高素质申办者和合作研究者组成的咨询委员会的监督下，获得设计和开展遗传流行病学研究的知识和技能。 这个K23奖与PI在儿科，重症监护，结局研究，临床流行病学和医学信息学方面的背景相结合，为成功的独立研究事业的发展提供了极好的潜力，该事业专注于以患者为导向的复杂炎症性肺病遗传流行病学研究。 该提案的总体科学目标是确定由呼吸道合胞病毒（RSV）引起的先前健康婴儿严重细支气管炎与儿童哮喘后期发展之间的遗传关联。 采用前瞻性队列设计，我们建议随访1990年至2000年在波士顿儿童医院婴儿期因确诊的RSV细支气管炎住院的大量患者，当他们达到3至13岁时，以确定那些持续或新发喘息的患者。我们将使用访谈者管理的问卷，评估哮喘和特应性诊断和症状以及亲生父母和索引儿童的环境暴露。在2至5年的时间内，每三个月对父母进行一次调查，以评估他们孩子喘息的持续性。问卷调查结果将纳入多元逻辑回归模型，以预测婴儿期RSV毛细支气管炎后儿童哮喘的发展。 将从父母和索引儿童抽取血液进行DNA分析，以测试一氧化氮合酶基因等位基因分布的传递不平衡。 我们假设遗传机制赋予婴儿期RSV毛细支气管炎后持续喘息的易感性，并且这种易感性存在于调节一氧化氮合酶的基因中。这项建议对美国超过600万儿童哮喘患者的护理至关重要。 确定与儿童哮喘发作相关的基因可能会导致有针对性的干预措施，旨在预防和治疗这种以每年5%的速度增加的疾病。

This proposal is designed to provide an opportunity for the Principal Investigator (PI) to gain knowledge and skills in designing and conducting genetic epidemiology research under the supervision of an advisory committee comprised of highly qualified sponsors and co-investigators. This K23 award in combination with the PI's background in pediatrics, critical care, outcomes research, clinical epidemiology and medical informatics, provides excellent potential for development of a successful independent research career focused on patient-oriented research in the genetic epidemiology of complex inflammatory lung diseases. The overall scientific goal of this proposal is to determine the genetic association between severe bronchiolitis in previously healthy infants caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and the later development of childhood asthma. Using a prospective cohort design, we propose to follow the large population of patients who were hospitalized for confirmed RSV bronchiolitis during infancy at Children's Hospital, Boston from 1990 to 2000 when they reach 3 to 13 years of age to identify those with persistent or new onset wheezing. Using an interviewer-administered questionnaire, we will assess asthma and atopy diagnoses and symptoms and environmental exposures in both biological parents and the index child. Parents will be surveyed every three months over a 2 to 5 year period to assess the persistence of wheezing in their child. Questionnaire findings will be incorporated into a multiple logistic regression model to predict the development of childhood asthma after RSV bronchiolitis in infancy. Blood will be drawn from both parents and the index child for DNA analysis to test for transmission disequilibrium in the distribution of alleles of nitric oxide synthase genes. We hypothesize that genetic mechanisms confer susceptibility to persistent wheezing after RSV bronchiolitis in infancy and that this susceptibility is found in genes regulating nitric oxide synthase. This proposal is vital to the care of the greater than 6 million childhood asthmatics in the United States. Identifying the genes associated with the onset of childhood asthma could lead to targeted interventions aimed at prevention and treatment of this disorder that is increasing at a rate of 5 percent per year.