My research focuses on identifying factors that cause or provoke asthma. We have been interested especially in air pollutants (particulate matter, NO2, secondhand smoke) and allergens (including mouse) that are especially problematic in inner city homes. We are studying the effects of these pollutants and allergens on inflammation and oxidative stress. More recently, we have begun examing how dietary patterns, especially a Western style diet may increase susceptibility to inhalable pollutants and allergens.

epidemiology of lung diseases, asthma, COPD, outcomes; environmental; particulate matter, allergens, health disparities

1. Sharma HP, Hansel NN, Matsui EC, Diette GB, Eggleston PA, Breysee PN. Indoor Environmental Influences on Children’s Asthma. Pediatr Clin N Am. 2007;54:103-120

2. Hansel NN and Diette GB. Gene Expression Profiling in Human Asthma. Proc Am Thorac Soc. 2007; 4(1):32-6.

3. Matsui EC, Eggleston PA, Breysse PN, Rand CS, Diette GB. Mouse allergen-specific antibody responses in inner-city children with asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007;119(4):910-5.

4. Schmier JK, Manjunath R, Halpern MT, Jones ML, Thompson K, Diette GB. The impact of inadequately controlled asthma in urban children on quality of life and productivity. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2007;98(3):245-251.

5. Okelo SO, Wu AW, Merriman B, Krishnan JA, Diette GB. Are Physician Estimates of Asthma Severity Less Accurate in Black than in White Patients? J Gen Intern Med. 2007;22(7):976-81.

6. Han M, Gayles Kim M, Mardon R, Renner P, Sullivan S, Diette GB, Martinez F. Spirometry utilization for COPD? How do we measure up? Chest. 2007;132(2):403-9.

7. Diette GB, Patino CM, Merriman B, Paulin L, Okelo S, Thompson K, Krishnan JA, Quartey R, Perez-Williams D, Rand C. Patient Factors that Physicians Use to Assign Asthma Treatment. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2007;167(13):1360-6.

8. Diette GB, Rand C. The Contributing Role of Health-Care Communication to Health Disparities for Minority Patients with Asthma. Chest. 2007 Nov;132(5 Suppl):802S-9S.

9. Sharma HP, Matsui EC, Eggleston PA, Hansel NN, Curtin-Brosnan J, Diette GB. Does current asthma control predict future health care use among black preschool-aged inner-city

children? Pediatrics. 2007 Nov;120(5):e1174-81.

10. Diette GB, Hansel NN, Buckley TJ, Curtin-Brosnan J, Eggleston PA, Matsui EC, McCormack MC, Williams DL, Breysee PN. Home indoor pollutant exposures among inner- city children with and without asthma. Environ health Perspect. 2007 Nov;115(11):1665-9.

11. Hansel NN, Cheadle C, Diette GB, Wright J, Thompson KM, Barnes KC, Georas SN. Analysis of CD4 T cell gene expression in allergic subjects using two different microarray platforms. Allergy. 2008;63:366-369.

12. Okelo SO, Patino CM, Hansel NN, Eggleston PA, Krishnan JA, Rand CS, Diette GB. Low Use of Asthma Specialist Care in High-Risk Inner-City Black Children. Pediatric Asthma Allergy & Immun. 2007;20(4):255-262.

13. Diette GB, McCormack MC, Hansel NN, Breysee PN, Matsui EC. Environmental issues in

managing asthma. Respiratory Care. 2008;53(5):602-15; discussion 616-7.

14. Matsui EC, Hansel NN, McCormack MC, Rusher R, Breysse P, Diette GB. Asthma in the Inner City and the Indoor Environment. Immunol Allergy Clin N Am. 2008;28:665-686.

15. Okelo SO, Patino CM, Riekert K, Merriman B, Bilderback BS, Hansel NN, Thompson K, Thompson J, Quartey R Rand CS, Diette GB. Patient Factors that Pediatricians Use to Assign Asthma Treatment. Pediatrics, 2008;122(1):e195-201.

16. Tonorezos WS, Breysse PN, Matsui EC, McCormack MC, Curtin-Brosnan J, Williams D’Ann, Hansel NN, Eggleston PA, Diette GB. Does neighborhood violence lead to depression among caregivers of children with asthma? Soc Sci Med. 2008;67(10):31-7.

17. Hansel NN, Breysse PN, McCormack MC, Matsui EC, Curtin-Brosnan J, Williams DL, Moore, JL, Cuhran JL, Diette GB. A longitudinal study of indoor nitrogen dioxide levels and respiratory symptoms in inner-city children with asthma. Environ Health Perspec. 2008;116(10):1428-32.

18. Kim S, Aung T, Berkeley E, Diette GB, Breysse P. Measurement of Nicotine in Household Dust. Environmental Research. 2008;108(3):289-93.

19. Curtin-Brosnan J, Matsui EC, Breysse PN, McCormack MC, Hansel NN, Tonorezos ES,

Eggleston PA, Williams D’Ann, Diette GB. Parent Report of Pests and Pets and Indoor Allergen Levels in Inner City Homes. Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. 2008;101(5):517-23.

20. Patino, CM, Okelo SO, Rand CS, Riekert KA, Krishnan JA, Thompson K, Quartey RI, Perez-Williams D, Bilderback A, Merriman B, Paulin L, Hansel N, Diette GB. The Asthma Control and Communication Instrument: a clinical tool developed for ethnically diverse populations. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2008;122(5):936-943.e6.

21. McCormack MC, Breysse PN, Matsui EC, Hansel NN, Williams D, Curtin-Brosnan J, Eggleston P, Diette GB. In-home particle concentrations and childhood asthma morbidity. Environ Health Perspect. 2009;117(1):294-8.

22. McCormack MC, Breysse PN, Hansel NN, Matsui EC, Tonorezos E, Curtin-Brosnan J, Eggleston PA, Diette GB. Common Household Activities are Associated with Elevated Particulate Matter Concentrations in Bedrooms of Inner-City Baltimore Preschool Children. Environmental Research, 2008;106(2):148-55.

23. Clerisme-Beaty E, Karam S, Rand C, Patino CM, Bilderback A, Riekert KA, Okelo SO, Diette GB. Does higher body mass index contribute to worse asthma control in an urban population? J Allergy Clin Immunol, 2009;124(2):207-12.

24. Diette GB, Sajjan Shiva G, Skinner EA, Weiss TW, Wu Albert W, Markson LE. Using the pediatric Asthma Therapy Assessment Questionnaire to measure asthma control and health care utilization in children. [In press, The Patient: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research]

25. Diette GB, Orr P, McCormack MC, Gandy W, Hamar N. Is Pharmacologic Care of COPD Consistent with Guidelines? [In press, Population Health Management]