Allergy, Asthma and Immunology

July 17, 2014

Transcription factor IRF4 drives dendritic cells to promote Th2 differentiation

NIHPA Author Manuscripts
PMC4003872

Nat Commun. Author manuscript; available in PMC Apr 29, 2014.

Published in final edited form as:

Nat Commun. 2013; 4: 2990.

doi: 10.1038/ncomms3990

PMCID: PMC4003872

NIHMSID: NIHMS565877

Jesse W. Williams,1 Melissa Y. Tjota,2,3 Bryan S. Clay,2 Bryan Vander Lugt,4 Hozefa S. Bandukwala,2 Cara L. Hrusch,6 Donna C. Decker,6 Kelly M. Blaine,6 Bethany R. Fixsen,6 Harinder Singh,4 Roger Sciammas,5 and Anne I. Sperling1,2,6

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Abstract

Atopic asthma is an inflammatory pulmonary disease associated with Th2 adaptive immune responses triggered by innocuous antigens. While dendritic cells (DCs) are known to shape the adaptive immune response, the mechanisms by which DCs promote Th2 differentiation remain elusive. Herein we demonstrate that Th2-promoting stimuli induce DC expression of IRF4. Mice with conditional deletion of Irf4 in DCs show a dramatic defect in Th2-type lung inflammation, yet retain the ability to elicit pulmonary Th1 anti-viral responses. Using loss- and gain-of-function analysis, we demonstrate that Th2 differentiation is dependent on IRF4 expression in DCs. Finally, IRF4 directly targets and activates the Il10 and Il33 genes in DCs. Reconstitution with exogenous IL-10 and IL-33 recovers the ability of Irf4 deficient DCs to promote Th2 differentiation. These findings reveal a regulatory module in DCs by which IRF4 modulates IL-10 and IL-33 cytokine production to specifically promote Th2 differentiation and inflammation.

An Overview of Parabens and Allergic Contact Dermatitis

Skin Therapy Letter .com

Farhaan Hafeez, BA, MS and Howard Maibach, MD

Dermatology of Department, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

ABSTRACT

Esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid (parabens) are the most widely used preservatives in cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and industrial products. However, since the 1960s, controversy has surrounded its use and safety as a potential cause of allergic contact dermatitis. Despite the cloud of suspicion that has hovered over parabens ever since, these ubiquitous compounds have withstood four decades of extensive skin testing conducted by a variety of organizations, both North American and European, and now, it seems parabens have shown to be one of the least sensitizing preservatives in commercial use. Of the very limited reports of paraben-induced allergic contact dermatitis, these cases are often attributable to the application of parabens on damaged skin.

Key Words: parabens, allergic contact dermatitis, sensitization, allergen, patch test

Full text

Food Hypersensitivity in Mexican Adults at 18 to 50 Years of Age: A Questionnaire Survey

Original Article

Open Access


Allergy Asthma Immunol Res. 2014 Jul;6:e269. English. Published online 2014 July 09.
Copyright © 2014 The Korean Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology • The Korean Academy of Pediatric Allergy and Respiratory Disease

Martín Bedolla-Barajas,¹ Tonatiuh Ramses Bedolla-Pulido,² Alan Salvador Camacho-Peña,² Estefanía González-García,³ and Jaime Morales-Romero⁴
¹Allergy and Clinical Immunology Service, The "Dr. Juan I. Menchaca" Civil Hospital of Guadalajara, Guadalajara, México.
²Guadalajara Lamar University. Guadalajara, Jalisco, México.
³UTEG University. Guadalajara, Jalisco, México.
⁴Public Health Institute, University of Veracruz. Xalapa, Veracruz, México.
Correspondence to: Martín Bedolla-Barajas MD, Allergy and Clinical Immunology Service, Division of Internal Medicine, The "Dr. Juan I. Menchaca" Civil Hospital of Guadalajara, 2330-301 Eulogio Parra, Las Américas, Guadalajara, Jalisco 44650, México. Tel: (+52) (33) 33-42-89-16; Fax: (+52) (33) 33-42-89-16;Email: drmbedbar@gmail.com

Received September 28, 2013; Revised January 13, 2014; Accepted January 29, 2014.
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.
Abstract
Purpose There is limited epidemiological evidence of food hypersensitivity (FH) in the adult population. We aimed to determine the prevalence of FH in Mexican adults, their clinical features and to establish common food involved in its appearance. Methods We designed a cross-sectional study using a fixed quota sampling; 1,126 subjects answered a structured survey to gather information related to FH. Results The prevalence of FH in adults was 16.7% (95% CI, 14.5% to 18.8%), without statistical significant differences related to gender (women, 17.5% and men, 15.9%) or residential location. The most common clinical manifestations in adults with FH were oral allergy syndrome (70 of 1,126) and urticaria (55 of 1,126). According to category, fruits and vegetables were the most frequent foods to trigger FH (6.12%) and were individually related to shrimp (4.0%), and cow milk (1.5%). Adults under age 25 had a higher frequency of FH (OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.91, P -0.001). Personal history of any atopic disease was significantly associated with FH (P -0.0001). Conclusions The prevalence of FH is relatively high in Mexican adults, and FH is significantly associated with atopic diseases.


Keywords: Food hypersensitivity, prevalence, adult, epidemiology, questionnaire. Formats: Abstract Article PubReader PDF Figures + Tables References

July 16, 2014

Current Specific Immunotherapy for Allergic Rhinitis: Perspectives from Otorhinolaryngologists

Allergy Asthma Immunol Res

v.6(4); Jul 2014

PMC4077952

Allergy Asthma Immunol Res. Jul 2014; 6(4): 273–275.

Published online Jun 19, 2014. doi: 10.4168/aair.2014.6.4.273

PMCID: PMC4077952

Chae-Seo Rhee corresponding author

1,2,3,4,5

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Occupational asthma from exposure to rye flour in a Japanese baker

Case Report

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Chiyako Oshikata¹,
Naomi Tsurikisawa^1,*,
Akemi Saito²,
Hiroshi Yasueda²and
Kazuo Akiyama¹

Article first published online: 14 JUL 2014

DOI: 10.1002/rcr2.63

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Keywords:

Baker's asthma;
bronchial provocation test;
occupational asthma;
rye flour;
wheat flour

Abstract

Three years after beginning employment at a bakery, a 32-year-old Japanese man began experiencing acute asthma exacerbations after exposure to rye flour. Antigen-specific serum IgE antibodies were detected to the albumin and globulin, gliadin, prolamin, and glutenin protein fractions of rye flour purified from the crude antigen, but only to the albumin and globulin fraction of wheat flour. The histamine concentration producing one-half maximal effect was lower for all four rye flour fractions than for the wheat flour fractions. After inhalation of the albumin and globulin fraction of rye flour, forced expiratory volume in 1 sec decreased to 77.7% of that pre-provocation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of baker's asthma due to rye flour in Japan.

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