Policing of gut microbiota by the adaptive immune system

• Laurent Dollé,
• Hao Q. Tran,
• Lucie Etienne-Mesmin and
• Benoit ChassaingEmail author

BMC Medicine201614:27

DOI: 10.1186/s12916-016-0573-y

©  Dollé et al. 2016

Open Peer Review reports

Abstract

The intestinal microbiota is a large and diverse microbial community that inhabits the intestine, containing about 100 trillion bacteria of 500-1000 distinct species that, collectively, provide benefits to the host. The human gut microbiota composition is determined by a myriad of factors, among them genetic and environmental, including diet and medication.

Recent Trends in Prescription Drug Costs

AMA Infographic | April 5, 2016VISUALIZING HEALTH POLICY

 FREE

Cynthia Cox, MPH; Rabah Kamal; Anne Jankiewicz; David Rousseau, MPH ; for the Kaiser Family Foundation

JAMA. 2016;315(13):1326. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.2646.

This Visualizing Health Policy infographic spotlights national spending on prescription drugs and the public’s views on pharmaceutical prices. Prescription drug spending rose sharply in 2014, driven by growth in expenditures on specialty drugs, including medications to treat cancer and hepatitis C. Medicare’s spending on prescription pharmaceuticals also has risen: between 2004 and 2014, the program’s share of US drug expenditures increased from 2% of $193 billion to 29% percent of $298 billion. Prices for many specialty drugs are higher in the United States than other developed countries, and about 1 in 4 people in the United States who take prescription drugs report difficulty affording them. The majority of the public favors 4 policy actions to hold drug prices in check: requiring pharmaceutical companies to publicly release information on how they set prices; allowing Medicare to negotiate medication prices; limiting charges for high-cost drugs; and allowing people in the United States to buy drugs imported from Canada.

Preconceptional exposure to oral contraceptive pills and the risk of wheeze, asthma and rhinitis in children

Kiwako Yamamoto-Hanada

,

 Masaki Futamura

,

 Limin Yang

,

 Tetsuo Shoda

,

 Masami Narita

,

 Fumio Kobayashi

,

 Hirohisa Saito

,

 Yukihiro Ohya

Open Access

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.alit.2016.02.01

• Abstract
• Full Text
• References

Abstract

Background

The prevalence of maternal oral contraceptive pills (OCP) use and that of childhood asthma are high in western countries. The aim of this study is to examine the association of OCP use with childhood wheeze and allergic diseases in Japan.

Persisting Long Term Benefits of Smoking Abstinence and Reduction in Asthmatic Smokers Who Have Switched to Electronic Cigarettes

Current Issue, Vol 21, No 114, Feb. 2016 

Polosa R, Morjaria JB, Caponnetto P, Caruso M, Campagna D, Amaradio MD, Ciampi G, Russo C, Fisichella A.

Abstract: Background. Improvements in asthma outcomes have been recently reported in asthmatic smokers who have substantially reduced their tobacco consumption by switching to ECs. Confirmation of these preliminary findings is necessary to reassure patients, healthcare professionals and policy makers. Here, we present findings from long term prospective assessment of objective and subjective asthma outcomes as well as safety and tolerability in this group of EC users with asthma.Methods. We prospectively re-evaluated respiratory symptoms, lung function, airway hyperresponsiveness, asthma control, asthma exacerbations and tobacco consumption in adult daily ECs users with asthma who were previously studied in a retrospective study. Measurements recorded at baseline prior to switching were compared with those at the follow-up visits at 6, 12, and 24 months.

The cytokine interleukin-26 as a biomarker in pediatric asthma

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

OPEN ACCESS

• Jon R. Konradsen,
• Björn Nordlund,
• Bettina Levänen,
• Gunilla Hedlin and
• Anders LindenEmail author

Respiratory Research201617:32

DOI: 10.1186/s12931-016-0351-6

©  Konradsen et al. 2016

Abstract

In this pilot study, we examined associations between local interleukin (IL)-26, disease severity and biomarkers of Th2-mediated inflammation in a well-defined cohort of pediatric patients (14 years median age, 41 % females) with controlled (n = 28) or uncontrolled (n = 48) asthma.

High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Can Reflect Small Airway Obstruction in Childhood Asthma

Yonsei Med J. 2016 May;57(3):690-697. English

. A Ra Ko, Yoon Hee Kim, In Suk Sol, Min Jung Kim, Seo Hee Yoon, Kyung Won Kim and Kyu-Earn Kim

Department of Pediatrics, Severance Hospital, Institute of Allergy, Brain Korea 21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Original Article  Open Access

Abstract

Purpose High-sensitivity assays enabled the identification of C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) at levels that were previously undetectable. We aimed to determine if hs-CRP could reflect airway inflammation in children, by comparing hs-CRP with spirometry and impulse oscillometry (IOS) parameters and symptomatic severities.

Update on paediatric obstructive sleep apnoea.

J Thorac Dis. 2016 Feb;8(2):224-35. doi: 10.3978/j.issn.2072-1439.2015.12.04.

Dehlink E1, Tan HL1.

Author information

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is one of the most common causes of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in children. It is associated with significant morbidity, potentially impacting on long-term neurocognitive and behavioural development, as well as cardiovascular outcomes and metabolic homeostasis. The low grade systemic inflammation and increased oxidative stress seen in this condition are believed to underpin the development of these OSA-related morbidities.

Allergic Patients with Long-Term Asthma Display Low Levels of Bifidobacterium adolescentis

PLoS One. 2016 Feb 3;11(2):e0147809. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147809. eCollection 2016.

Hevia A1, Milani C2, López P3, Donado CD4, Cuervo A5, González S5, Suárez A3, Turroni F2, Gueimonde M1, Ventura M2, Sánchez B1, Margolles A1.

Abstract

Accumulated evidence suggests a relationship between specific allergic processes, such as atopic eczema in children, and an aberrant fecal microbiota. However, little is known about the complete microbiota profile of adult individuals suffering from asthma. We determined the fecal microbiota in 21 adult patients suffering allergic asthma (age 39.43 ± 10.98 years old) and compare it with the fecal microbiota of 22 healthy controls (age 39.29 ± 9.21 years old) using culture independent techniques. An Ion-Torrent 16S rRNA gene-based amplification and sequencing protocol was used to determine the fecal microbiota profile of the individuals.