August 22, 2015

Emerging therapeutic options for the treatment of patients with symptomatic asthma

Abstract

Objective

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways with increasing worldwide prevalence. Despite treatment according to guidelines, a considerable proportion of patients with asthma remain symptomatic. Different potential therapeutic options for the treatment of these patients are currently in development and undergoing clinical trials, and it is important to regularly review their status.

August 21, 2015

Pimecrolimus in atopic dermatitis: Consensus on safety and the need to allow use in infants


  1. Thomas Luger1,*
  2. Mark Boguniewicz2,
  3. Warner Carr3
  4. Michael Cork4
  5. Mette Deleuran5
  6. Lawrence Eichenfield6
  7. Philippe Eigenmann7
  8. Regina Fölster-Holst8
  9. Carlo Gelmetti9
  10. Harald Gollnick10
  11. Eckard Hamelmann11
  12. Adelaide A. Hebert12,
  13. Antonella Muraro13
  14. Arnold P. Oranje14,15,16
  15. Amy S. Paller17
  16. Carle Paul18
  17. Luis Puig19
  18. Johannes Ring20
  19. Elaine Siegfried21,
  20. Jonathan M. Spergel22
  21. Georg Stingl23,
  22. Alain Taieb24
  23. Antonio Torrelo25
  24. Thomas Werfel26 and
  25. Ulrich Wahn27
Abstract
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a distressing dermatological disease, which is highly prevalent during infancy, can persist into later life and requires long-term management with anti-inflammatory compounds. The introduction of the topical calcineurin inhibitors (TCIs), tacrolimus and pimecrolimus, more than 10 yr ago was a major breakthrough for the topical anti-inflammatory treatment of AD. Pimecrolimus 1% is approved for second-line use in children (+ or = 2 yr old) and adults with mild-to-moderate AD.

August 19, 2015

Can Twitter Be a Source of Information on Allergy? Correlation of Pollen Counts with Tweets Reporting Symptoms of Allergic Rhinoconjunctivitis and Names of Antihistamine Drugs



Published online 2015 Jul 21. doi:  10.1371/journal.pone.0133706
Tobias Preis, Editor
Abstract
Pollen forecasts are in use everywhere to inform therapeutic decisions for patients with allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (ARC). We exploited data derived from Twitter in order to identify tweets reporting a combination of symptoms consistent with a case definition of ARC and those reporting the name of an antihistamine drug.

Allergens in Veterinary Medicine


Allergy Accepted Article (Accepted, unedited articles published online and citable. The final edited and typeset version of record will appear in future.)


Abstract

Allergic diseases in animals are increasingly gaining importance in veterinary practice and as research models. For intradermal testing and allergen immunotherapy, a good knowledge of relevant allergens for the individual species is of great importance.

Atopic dermatitis: current treatment guidelines. Statement of the experts of the Dermatological Section, Polish Society of Allergology, and the Allergology Section, Polish Society of Dermatology

Special paper

Roman Nowicki, Magdalena Trzeciak, Aleksandra Wilkowska, Małgorzata Sokołowska-Wojdyło, Hanna Ługowska-Umer, Wioletta Barańska-Rybak, Maciej Kaczmarski, Cezary Kowalewski, Jerzy Kruszewski, Joanna Maj, Wojciech Silny, Radosław Śpiewak, Andriy Petranyuk

DOI (digital object identifier): 10.5114/pdia.2015.53319

Abstract: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a condition frequently encountered in medical practices across the country. More than 60% of children with AD are at risk to develop allergic rhinitis or asthma (the atopic march). Patients with AD have a unique predisposition to colonization or infection by Staphylococcus aureus.

IgE-mediated 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15-HETE) generation by peripheral blood leukocytes: its association with basophil activation

Anna Michalak, Anna Lewandowska-Polak, Sylwia Moskwa, Marek L. Kowalski, Janina Ł. Grzegorczyk

DOI (digital object identifier): 10.5114/pdia.2015.52741
Introduction: Allergen-induced basophil activation has been associated with the release of several mediators and with an increased expression of CD203c molecules on basophils.
Aim: To assess the influence of specific allergens on the generation of 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic (15-HETE) from peripheral blood leukocytes in relation to basophil activation, on the basis of CD203c molecule expression and histamine release.

Material and methods: The study included 15 patients with clinical symptoms of birch pollen allergy confirmed by a positive skin prick test with the birch allergen, and 6 healthy controls. Leukocytes isolated from peripheral blood were incubated with 3 concentrations of the birch pollen allergen (Bet v 1), anti-IgE or with ionophore A23187.

August 18, 2015

The Clinical Utility of Basophil Activation Testing in Diagnosis and Monitoring of Allergic Disease


Abstract

The basophil activation test (BAT) has become a pervasive test for allergic response through development of flow cytometry, discovery of activation markers such as CD63 and unique markers identifying basophil granulocytes. BAT measures basophil response to allergen crosslinking IgE on between 150 and 2000 basophil granulocytes in less than 0.1 ml fresh blood. Dichotomous activation is assessed as the fraction of reacting basophils.

August 17, 2015

ASSURE-CSU: a real-world study of burden of disease in patients with symptomatic chronic spontaneous urticaria

Study protocol

Open Access

Karsten Weller1*Marcus Maurer1Clive Grattan2Alla Nakonechna3Mohamed Abuzakouk3Frédéric Bérard4Gordon Sussman5Ana M. Giménez-Arnau6Javier Ortiz de Frutos7André Knulst8G. Walter Canonica9Kelly Hollis10Doreen McBride11 and Maria-Magdalena Balp12
Clinical and Translational Allergy 2015, 5:29  doi:10.1186/s13601-015-0072-9
Abstract
Background
Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) formerly known as chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) is a severe and distressing skin condition that remains uncontrolled in approximately one half of patients, despite the use of licensed, recommended doses of modern, second-generation H 1 -antihistamines. So far, the humanistic, societal and economic burden of CSU/CIU has not been well quantified. Therefore it is important to broaden our understanding of how CSU/CIU impacts patients, society, and healthcare systems, by determining the disease burden of CSU/CIU and the associated unmet need; as well as to further guide the use of new treatments in an efficient and cost-effective manner.