CME: Differentiating EGPA from Other Eosinophilic Disorders

CME: Differentiating EGPA from Other Eosinophilic Disorders

This activity is supported by an educational grant from GlaxoSmithKline. 

CREDITS: 0.25 CME EXPIRES: 3/29/2021 | MINS: 15 | FEE: $0

Activity Description

In this case-based video, Leonard Calabrese, DO, and Curry Koening, MD, MS, discuss the immunopathology and clinical features of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), providing guidance on differentiating EGPA from related vasculitides or eosinophilic conditions.

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The influence of chlorine in indoor swimming pools on the composition of breathing phase of professional swimmers

• Research
• Open Access
• 
  

• Andrzej S. Swinarew, 
• Arkadiusz J. Stanula, 
• Jadwiga Gabor, 
• Paweł Raif, 
• Jarosław Paluch, 
• Jakub Karpiński, 
• Klaudia Kubik, 
• Hubert Okła, 
• Andrzej Ostrowski, 
• Ewaryst Tkacz, 
• Szymon Skoczyński, 
• Zbigniew Waśkiewicz, 
• Thomas Rosemann, 
• Pantelis T. Nikolaidis & 
• Beat Knechtle 

Respiratory Research volume 21, Article number: 88 (2020)

• details

Abstract

Objectives

Swimming is one of the most popular forms of physical activity. Pool water is cleaned with chlorine, which - in combination with compounds contained in water - could form chloramines and trichloromethane in the swimmer’s lungs. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of swimming training in an indoor pool on the composition of swimmers’ respiratory phase metabolomics, and develop a system to provide basic information about its impact on the swimmer’s airway mucosa metabolism, which could help to assess the risk of secondary respiratory tract diseases i.e. sport results, condition, and health including lung acute and chronic diseases).

Effectiveness of convalescent plasma therapy in severe COVID-19 patients

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Kai Duan, Bende Liu, Cesheng Li, Huajun Zhang, Ting Yu, Jieming Qu, Min Zhou, Li Chen, Shengli Meng, Yong Hu, Cheng Peng, Mingchao Yuan, Jinyan Huang, Zejun Wang, Jianhong Yu, Xiaoxiao Gao, Dan Wang, Xiaoqi Yu, Li Li, Jiayou Zhang, Xiao Wu, Bei Li, Yanping Xu, Wei Chen, Yan Peng, Yeqin Hu, Lianzhen Lin, Xuefei Liu, Shihe Huang, Zhijun Zhou, Lianghao Zhang, Yue Wang, Zhi Zhang, Kun Deng, Zhiwu Xia, Qin Gong, Wei Zhang, Xiaobei Zheng, Ying Liu, Huichuan Yang, Dongbo Zhou, Ding Yu, Jifeng Hou, Zhengli Shi, Saijuan Chen, Zhu Chen, Xinxin Zhang, and Xiaoming Yang

PNAS first published April 6, 2020 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2004168117

• Article
 
• Figures & SI
 
• Info & Metrics
•  PDF

Significance

COVID-19 is currently a big threat to global health. However, no specific antiviral agents are available for its treatment. In this work, we explore the feasibility of convalescent plasma (CP) transfusion to rescue severe patients. The results from 10 severe adult cases showed that one dose (200 mL) of CP was well tolerated and could significantly increase or maintain the neutralizing antibodies at a high level, leading to disappearance of viremia in 7 d. Meanwhile, clinical symptoms and paraclinical criteria rapidly improved within 3 d. Radiological examination showed varying degrees of absorption of lung lesions within 7 d. These results indicate that CP can serve as a promising rescue option for severe COVID-19, while the randomized trial is warranted.

Abstract

Currently, there are no approved specific antiviral agents for novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this study, 10 severe patients confirmed by real-time viral RNA test were enrolled prospectively. One dose of 200 mL of convalescent plasma (CP) derived from recently recovered donors with the neutralizing antibody titers above 1:640 was transfused to the patients as an addition to maximal supportive care and antiviral agents. The primary endpoint was the safety of CP transfusion. The second endpoints were the improvement of clinical symptoms and laboratory parameters within 3 d after CP transfusion. The median time from onset of illness to CP transfusion was 16.5 d. After CP transfusion, the level of neutralizing antibody increased rapidly up to 1:640 in five cases, while that of the other four cases maintained at a high level (1:640). The clinical symptoms were significantly improved along with increase of oxyhemoglobin saturation within 3 d. Several parameters tended to improve as compared to pretransfusion, including increased lymphocyte counts (0.65 × 109/L vs. 0.76 × 109/L) and decreased C-reactive protein (55.98 mg/L vs. 18.13 mg/L). Radiological examinations showed varying degrees of absorption of lung lesions within 7 d. The viral load was undetectable after transfusion in seven patients who had previous viremia. No severe adverse effects were observed. This study showed CP therapy was well tolerated and could potentially improve the clinical outcomes through neutralizing viremia in severe COVID-19 cases. The optimal dose and time point, as well as the clinical benefit of CP therapy, needs further investigation in larger well-controlled trials.

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Last updates and advances of the ALLERGY in ICD-11 initiative + support the community with new coding on COVID-19

We would like to share the last updates and advances of the ALLERGY in ICD-11 initiative + support the community with new coding on COVID-19. As members of the WHO-FIC concild we have received new of coding due to the pandemic and we would like to share with you. 

The ALLERGY in ICD-11 has achieved a lot and we are looking for more advances for our specialty. We thank very much for all the support so far, but now we ask for fast dissemination of the info presented in the attached newsletter in order to provide help to professionals dealing the COVID-19. 

Please find here the Twelfth edition of the ALLERGY in ICD-11 newsletter. We kindly ask you for your support to cascade-down and disseminate the document.

Please stay safe.

With our best wishes,

Luciana & Pascal

World Allergy Organization Journal Volume 13, Issue 2 , February 2020

Alert: World Allergy Organization Journal New Articles available on ScienceDirect

World Allergy Organization Journal Volume 13, Issue 2 , February 2020

Ligustrum pollen: New insights into allergic disease Article Number 100104 Tania Robledo-Retana, Blessy M. Mani, Luis M. Teran

IgE allergy diagnostics and other relevant tests in allergy, a World Allergy Organization position paper Article Number 100080 Ignacio J. Ansotegui, Giovanni Melioli, Giorgio Walter Canonica, Luis Caraballo, ... Pascal M. Demoly

IgE responses to multiple allergen components among school-aged children in a general population birth cohort in Tokyo Article Number 100105 Kiwako Yamamoto-Hanada, Magnus P. Borres, Magnus K. Åberg, Limin Yang, ... Yukihiro Ohya

JAMA Livestream Q&A (Monday, March 16) Coronavirus (COVID-19) Testing – How To Interpret PCR Results

Coronavirus testing will help countries manage COVID-19 but will raise questions about how to counsel patients about their test results. The CDC’s Deputy Director for Infectious Diseases Jay Butler talks with JAMA Editor Howard Bauchner about what to advise healthy patients with positive tests, sick patients with negative test results, and more.

Optimizing Care For Your Patients With Atopic Dermatitis

This education from the AAAAI and The France Foundation offers 2 highly interactive cases—one focused on adults, the other on infants and children.

Diagnosis and Management in Adults BEGIN ACTIVITY Diagnosis and Management in Infants and Children BEGIN ACTIVITY

Both cases are immersive, practical, reflective of typical patients, and designed to boost your confidence and skills when it comes to the care of your patients with atopic dermatitis.

Allergen immunotherapy: what is the added value of real-world evidence from retrospective claims database studies?

Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine, DOI: 10.1080/17476348.2020.1733417

Philippe Devillier, Pascal Demoly & Mathieu Molimard

ABSTRACT

Key study periods examined in the retrospective, longitudinal,
real-world analysis of prescription records for grass pollen-associated
allergic rhinitis and asthma from the IMS Lifelink™
 Treatment Dynamics database

Introduction: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) show that allergen immunotherapy (AIT) has proven long-term efficacy in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). However, RCTs have limited generalizability and there is growing recognition that real-world evidence (RWE) is necessary to provide complementary data to those of RCTs, and corroborate their findings.