Nejman-Gryz P, Górska K, Krenke K, et al. - In this study performed on 23 children with asthma and 23 healthy controls, researchers evaluated exhaled breath condensate (EBC) periostin level in children with mild asthma, as well as examined the potential utility of EBC periostin level as a biomarker for the disease. Among participants, measurements of EBC and serum periostin levels were obtained using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. They found that not only in serum but also in EBC, periostin may be measured in children with mild asthma. They detected 250- to 780-fold lower EBC periostin level as compared with that found in serum. An inverse correlation of serum periostin level with BMI and age was observed not only in asthma patients but also in controls. The finding of low periostin level in patients with mild asthma and absence of disparity between asthmatic patients and controls suggested that EBC periostin may not have utility as an asthma biomarker in this group.