July 27, 2014

Helicobacter pylori infection and skin disorders

Hong Kong Med J 2014;20:Epub 18 July 2014

DOI: 10.12809/hkmj134174

REVIEW ARTICLE

Zekayi Kutlubay, MD¹; Tuba Zara, MD¹; Burhan Engin, MD¹; Server Serdaroğlu, MD¹; Yalçın Tüzün, MD¹; Erkan Yilmaz, MD²; Bülent Eren, MD³

¹ Dermatology Department, Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Cerrahpaşa, 34099 Istanbul, Turkey

² Blood Bank, Tissue Typing Laboratory, Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Cerrahpaşa, 34099 Istanbul, Turkey

³ Council of Forensic Medicine of Turkey, Bursa Morgue Department, 16010, Bursa, Turkey

Corresponding author: Dr Bülent Eren (drbulenteren@gmail.com)

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori is a Gram-negative bacterium that has been linked to peptic ulcer disease, gastric lymphoma, and gastric carcinoma. Apart from its well-demonstrated role in gastroduodenal diseases, some authors have suggested a potential role of Helicobacter pylori infection in several extra-intestinal pathologies including haematological, cardiovascular, neurological, metabolic, autoimmune, and dermatological diseases. Some studies suggest an association betweenHelicobacter pylori infection and skin diseases such as chronic idiopathic urticaria and rosacea. There have also been few case reports documenting association between Helicobacter pylori and psoriasis vulgaris, Behçet’s disease, alopecia areata, Henoch-Schönlein purpura, and Sweet’s syndrome. However, more systematic studies are required to clarify the proposed association between Helicobacter pylori and skin diseases; most of the studies do not show relevant relationships of these diseases with Helicobacter pylori infections. This review discusses skin diseases that are believed to be associated with Helicobacter pylori.

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Immunomodulation by Gut Microbiota: Role of Toll-Like Receptor Expressed by T Cells

Journal of Immunology Research
Volume 2014 (2014), Article ID 586939, 8 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/586939

Mariagrazia Valentini,¹ Alessia Piermattei,¹ Gabriele Di Sante,¹ Giuseppe Migliara,¹ Giovanni Delogu,² and Francesco Ria¹

¹Institute of General Pathology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo F. Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy
²Institute of Microbiology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo F. Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy

Received 30 April 2014; Revised 1 July 2014; Accepted 2 July 2014; Published 24 July 2014

Academic Editor: Rossella Cianci

Copyright © 2014 Mariagrazia Valentini et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

A close relationship exists between gut microbiota and immune responses. An imbalance of this relationship can determine local and systemic immune diseases. In fact the immune system plays an essential role in maintaining the homeostasis with the microbiota that normally resides in the gut, while, at the same time, the gut microbiota influences the immune system, modulating number and function of effector and regulatory T cells. To achieve this aim, mutual regulation between immune system and microbiota is achieved through several mechanisms, including the engagement of toll-like receptors (TLRs), pathogen-specific receptors expressed on numerous cell types. TLRs are able to recognize ligands from commensal or pathogen microbiota to maintain the tolerance or trigger the immune response. In this review, we summarize the latest evidences about the role of TLRs expressed in adaptive T cells, to understand how the immune system promotes intestinal homeostasis, fights invasion by pathogens, and is modulated by the intestinal microbiota.

Every breath you take: the impact of environment on resident memory CD8 T cells in the lung

REVIEW ARTICLE

Front. Immunol., 07 July 2014 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2014.00320

Hillary L. Shane and

Kimberly D. Klonowski*

Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA

Resident memory T cells (TRM) are broadly defined as a population of T cells, which persist in non-lymphoid sites long-term, do not re-enter the circulation, and are distinct from central memory T cells (TCM) and circulating effector memory T cells (TEM). Recent studies have described populations of TRM cells in the skin, gut, lungs, and nervous tissue. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that the specific environment in which the TRM reside can further refine their phenotypical and functional properties. Here, we focus on the TRM cells that develop following respiratory infection and reside in the lungs and the lung airways. Specifically, we will review recent studies that have described some of the requirements for establishment of TRM cells in these tissues, and the defining characteristics of TRM in the lungs and lung airways. With continual bombardment of the respiratory tract by both pathogenic and environmental antigens, dynamic fluctuations in the local milieu including homeostatic resources and niche restrictions can impact TRM longevity. Beyond a comprehensive characterization of lung TRM cells, special attention will be placed on studies, which have defined how the microenvironment of the lung influences memory T cell survival at this site. As memory T cell populations in the lung airways are requisite for protection yet wane numerically over time, developing a comprehensive picture of factors which may influence TRM development and persistence at these sites is important for improving T cell-based vaccine design.

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July 23, 2014

Fighting respiratory diseases: divided efforts lead to weakness

J. bras. pneumol. vol.40 no.3 São Paulo May/June 2014

http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1806-37132014000300001

EDITORIAL

Rogelio Pérez-Padilla ^I , Rafael Stelmach ^II , Manuel Soto-Quiroz ^III , Álvaro Augusto Cruz ^IV

^IInvestigator, National Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Mexico City, Mexico

^IIAssociate Professor, Pulmonary Division, Heart Institute, University of São Paulo Hospital das Clínicas, São Paulo, Brazil

^IIIChief of Pulmonary Medicine, Hospital Nacional de Niños, San José, Costa Rica

^IVHead, Center of Excellence in Asthma, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil

Various respiratory diseases have been leading causes of death and morbidity over time, and that could be expected considering the huge interface between the respiratory system and the often hostile environment. The respiratory system filters almost 100,000 liters of air in an adult every day. The relevance of the burden of respiratory diseases has been recently emphasized by publications of the major respiratory societies in the world...

Article

Meeting abstracts 6th Drug Hypersensitivity Meeting (DHM 6) Bern, Switzerland 9-12 April 2014

Clinical and Translational Allergy publishes selected collections of research articles, conference proceedings, reviews and reports as supplements, which are free to access online. All articles published in supplements are subject to peer review; meeting abstracts undergo review and selection by the conference. Find out more about publishing a supplement with BioMed Central.

Volume 4 Supplement 3

6th Drug Hypersensitivity Meeting (DHM 6)

Meeting abstracts

Bern, Switzerland

9-12 April 201

Publication of this supplement was funded by the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI).

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July 21, 2014

Allergic diseases in subjects under 18 years living with HIV

Research

Leandro S Linhar, Jefferson Traebert, Dayani Galato, Rosemeri M da Silva, Fabiana Schuelter-Trevisol, Natália S Rovaris and Jane da Silva

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Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology 2014, 10:35 doi:10.1186/1710-1492-10-35

Published: 7 July 2014

Abstract (provisional)

Background

In recent decades there has been an increase in the prevalence of allergic disease. Manifestations of these diseases have allegedly been observed in people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), however, few studies have been directed at patients under 18 years old. In this context, the aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence of allergic disease in patients under 18 years old, living with HIV, and to investigate the relationship between clinico-immunological characteristics of the HIV infection and atopy.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional epidemiological study involving patients under 18 years of age who were followed up by specialized HIV services in the Southern Region of the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil, from February to October 2012. Data collection tools included a questionnaire established by the International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Childhood (ISAAC), socio-demographic data, as well as laboratory test results obtained from the medical records. Blood samples were taken to measure total serum Immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels and a Radioallergosorbent Test (RAST) for the main aeroallergens. Analysis was performed using Student's t test, chi-squared, Fisher's exact and Mann-Whitney tests, wherever indicated, with p - 0.05.

Results

29 individuals were evaluated. The prevalence of symptoms of allergic disease was 65.5% (95%CI 56.1-74.8), the most frequent being rhinitis 44.8% (95%CI 35.0-54.5), followed by asthma 37.9% (95%CI 28.3-47.4) and eczema 27.6%% (95%CI 18.8-36.3). RAST was positive in 20.7% of the individuals. There was no significant difference in terms of total serum IgE between individuals with and without symptoms of allergic disease. Nevertheless, a high frequency of raised levels of total serum IgE (40.7%) and an association between raised IgE and clinical staging of disease were observed. A further association between CD8+ cell count and prevalence of symptomatic allergic disease (p = 0.014) was observed.

Conclusion

There was a high prevalence of reported allergic disease, as well as a high frequency of raised levels of total serum IgE. The association between CD8+ cell count and the prevalence of symptomatic allergic disease corroborates studies that demonstrated the role of such cells in the development of allergic disease.

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Trends in Specific Immunotherapy for Allergic Rhinitis: A Survey of Chinese ENT Specialists

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Original Article

Open Access


Allergy Asthma Immunol Res. 2014 Jul;6(4):296-303. English. Published online 2014 February 13. http://dx.doi.org/10.4168/aair.2014.6.4.296
Copyright © 2014 The Korean Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology • The Korean Academy of Pediatric Allergy and Respiratory Disease

Han Zhou,¹ Qi-Lei Tao,¹^,² Jun-Min Wei,³ Geng Xu,⁴ and Lei Cheng¹^,⁵
¹Department of Otorhinolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
²Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Changzheng Hospital, The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.
³Editorial Office, Chinese Journal of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Chinese Medical Association, Beijing, China.
⁴Institute of Otorhinolaryngology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
⁵International Centre for Allergy Research, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Correspondence to: Lei Cheng, MD, PhD, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, China. Tel: +86-(0)25-6813-6031; Fax: +86-(0)25-8378-0934; Email: jspent@126.com

Received June 24, 2013; Revised August 13, 2013; Accepted September 24, 2013.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
This article has been cited by 1 article in This article has been cited by Google Scholar.
Abstract
Purpose Specific immunotherapy (SIT) is a suitable but uncommon treatment option for allergic rhinitis (AR) in China. The current understanding and attitude of Chinese ENT (ear, nose, and throat) specialists in regards to SIT is unclear. This study investigates current trends in the awareness and application status of SIT among Chinese ENT specialists. Methods We performed a nationwide, cross-sectional survey with a specially designed questionnaire given to 800 ENT specialists in China. A member of the trained research group conducted face-to-face interviews with each respondent. Results Most of the respondents considered AR (96.0%) and allergic asthma (96.0%) the most suitable indications for SIT. Of all respondents, 77.0% recommended the application of SIT as early as possible; in addition, SIT was considered 'relatively controllable and safe' by most respondents (80.6%). The highest allergen-positive rate in AR was associated with house dust mite (47.7%) and obvious differences existed among geographical regions. Conventional subcutaneous immunotherapy was the most highly recommended treatment option (96.2%). 'The high cost of SIT' (86.6%) and 'lack of patient knowledge of SIT' (85.2%) were probably the main reasons for the lower clinical use of SIT in China. Conclusions Most cases showed that the opinions of Chinese ENT specialists appeared to be in agreement with recent SIT progress and international guidelines; however, many areas still need to enhance the standardization and use of SIT in China. Clinical guidelines for SIT require improvement; in addition, Chinese ENT specialists need continuing medical education on SIT.


Keywords: Allergic rhinitis, specific immunotherapy, data collection, Chinese otolaryngologists. Formats: Article PubReader PDF Figures + Tables References Supplementary Materials

Epidemiology of allergic rhinitis in Quebec: from a 2008 population-based survey

M. Canuel, MSc; G. Lebel, MSc

Author references:

Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ), Québec, Quebec, Canada

Correspondence: Magalie Canuel, INSPQ, 945, avenue Wolfe, 4^eétage, Québec, QC G1V 5B3; Tel.: 418-650-5115, ext. 5224; Fax: 418-654-3144; Email: magalie.canuel@inspq.qc.ca