Autoimmune bullous skin diseases, such as pemphigus and pemphigoid, may enable clarification of the mechanisms of immune regulation in the skin. Pemphigus and pemphigoid are mediated by essentially IgG autoantibodies against structural proteins of the desmosomes at cell-cell junctions and hemidesmosomes at epidermal-dermal junctions, respectively, and are characterized by blisters and erosions in the

Epigenetics has been discussed as a potential factor influencing the pathophysiology and severity of inflammatory skin diseases. In recent years, emerging evidence suggests that epigenetic mechanisms are involved in the pathophysiology of not only atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis (PSO) but also lupus erythematosus and oral lichen. A systematic review of the literature was undertaken to provide

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is considered to be primarily a mast cell-driven disease. However, recent evidence suggests that eosinophils may also have an axial role in symptomology. Histological studies have demonstrated the presence of both eosinophils and eosinophil granules, indicative of activation, in CSU lesions. While many allergic and inflammatory conditions are associated with a peripheral

Background The cause of severe nasal polyposis in aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) is unknown. Elevated antibody levels have been associated with disease severity in nasal polyps (NPs), but upstream drivers of local antibody production in NPs are undetermined. Objective We sought to identify upstream drivers and phenotypic properties of local antibody-expressing cells (AECs) in NPs from

Background Sparse data address the effects of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposure in inner-city schools on obese students with asthma. Objective To evaluate relationships between classroom NO2 exposure and asthma symptoms and morbidity by body mass index (BMI) category. Methods The School Inner-City Asthma Study enrolled students aged 4-13 years with asthma from 37 inner-city schools. Students had baseline

Background Patients with eosinophilic esophagitis have increased numbers of mucosal mast cells. Administration of the proton pump inhibitor omeprazole can reduce both esophageal mast cell and eosinophil numbers and attenuate type 2 inflammation in these subjects. Objective Given that maintenance of an acidic environment within granules is important for mast cell homeostasis, we sought to evaluate the

Background Poultry meat can induce severe allergic reactions. So far, the molecules causing poultry meat allergy are largely unknown. Objective To identify and characterize poultry meat allergens. Methods Patients’ IgE reactivity profiles to chicken muscle were analyzed in immunoblots and proteins recognized by the majority of patients were subjected to peptide mass fingerprinting. A 25 kDa IgE-reactive

Background Allergic sensitization is associated with severe asthma, but assessment of sensitization is not recommended by most guidelines. Objective We hypothesized that patterns of IgE responses to multiple allergenic proteins differ between sensitized participants with mild/moderate and severe asthma. Methods IgE to 112 allergenic molecules (components, c-sIgE) was measured using multiplex array

Background Bcl6 is required for the development of T follicular helper and regulatory (Tfh, Tfr) cells that regulate germinal center responses. Bcl6 also impacts the function of regulatory T (Treg) cells. Objective The goal of this study is to define the functions of Bcl6 in Treg cells including Tfr cells in the context of allergic airway inflammation (AAI). Methods We employed a model of house dust

The thymus is critical for central tolerance and diverse T-lymphocyte repertoire development, to provide lifelong defence against pathogens, whilst maintaining self-tolerance. Peak thymic output occurs in-utero, infancy and early childhood, diminishing throughout life. Infants with congenital heart disease requiring sternotomy, often undergo thymectomy to clear the surgical field. Longterm effects

Background The direct-instillation nasal allergen challenge (NAC) and the environmental exposure chamber (EEC) are two methods of conducting controlled allergen provocations. The clinical and biological comparability of these methods has not been thoroughly investigated. Objective To compare clinical and immunologic responses to cat allergen in NAC versus EEC. Methods Twenty-four participants were

Background X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) is the prototype of primary humoral immunodeficiencies. Long-term follow-up studies regarding disease-related complications and outcome are scarse. Objective To describe the natural history of X-linked agammaglobulinemia. Methods A nationwide multicenter study based on the IPINet registry was established in 2000 in Italy. Affected patients were enrolled

With the increasing recognition of the role of type 2 immune responses in chronic rhinosinusitis, its severity, recurrence, and comorbidities, several biologics targeting IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 as well as IgE have been administered in small proof-of-concept studies. Recently, the first phase 3 trials have been reported with dupilumab, an IL-4 receptor antagonist, demonstrating a significant and clinically

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide. It is a heterogeneous disease, and geographical or ethnic differences in inflammatory pattern in nasal mucosa are major issues. Tissue eosinophilia in CRS is highly associated with extensive sinus disease, recalcitrance, and a higher nasal polyp (NP) recurrence rate after surgery. The prevalence of eosinophilic CRS (ECRS)

BACKGROUND IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a fibroinflammatory condition marked by rapid clinical improvement after selective depletion of B lymphocytes with rituximab. This feature suggests that B cells might participate in fibrogenesis and wound healing. OBJECTIVE In the present work we aimed to demonstrate that B lymphocytes contribute directly to tissue fibrosis in patients with IgG4-RD. METHODS

BACKGROUND Emerging evidence suggests that disease vulnerability is expressed throughout the airways; the so-called "unified airway hypothesis" but the evidence to support this is predominantly indirect. OBJECTIVES To establish the transcriptomic profiles of the upper and lower airway and determine their level of similarity irrespective of airway symptoms (wheeze) and allergy. METHODS We performed

Asthma is a severe and chronic disabling disease affecting more than 300 million people world-wide. While in the past few drugs for treatment of asthma were available, new treatment options are currently emerging which appear to be highly effective in certain subgroups of patients. Accordingly there is a need for biomarkers which allow selection of patients for refined and personalized treatment strategies

The mammalian meat allergy known as the "α-Gal syndrome" relates to IgE specific for galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-Gal), an oligosaccharide that is present in cells and tissues of nonprimate mammals. The recognition of delayed reactions to food derived from mammals in patients with IgE to α-Gal and also the association with tick bites have been increasing worldwide. In 2018, the National Institute of

Telemedicine (TM) has become a popular method of accessing medical services between providers and patients and is viewed as a cost-effective alternative to more traditional episodic face-to-face encounters. TM overcomes 2 barriers that patients face when seeking health care: distance and time. It is as effective as in-person visits for outpatient treatment of asthma, and it is a convenient way to provide

BACKGROUND The Observational Study of the Use and Safety of Xolair (omalizumab) during Pregnancy (EXPECT) pregnancy registry was a prospective observational study established in 2006 to evaluate perinatal outcomes in pregnant women exposed to omalizumab and their infants. OBJECTIVE This analysis compares EXPECT outcomes with those from a disease-matched population of pregnant women not treated with

BACKGROUND How TH2-mediated allergic immune responses are induced is still under investigation. OBJECTIVE In an in vitro system we compared the effect of lipocalin allergens and nonallergenic homologues on human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs) to investigate how they polarize naive CD4+ TH cells. Microarray data gained with these DCs showed a significant difference in expression of formyl peptide

BACKGROUND Decreased tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α production in whole blood following ex vivo lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation indicates suppression of the toll-like receptor (TLR)4 pathway. This is associated with increased mortality in pediatric influenza critical illness. Whether anti-viral immune signaling pathways are also suppressed in these patients is unclear. OBJECTIVES We evaluated suppression

BACKGROUND Human type-2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are identified by coupled-detection of CRTH2 and IL7Rα on lineage-negative cells. Type-2 cytokine production by CRTH2-IL7Rα- ILCs is unknown. OBJECTIVE To identify CRTH2-IL7Rα- type-2 cytokine producing ILCs and their disease relevance. METHODS We studied human blood and lung ILCs from asthmatic and control subjects by flow cytometry, ELISA, RNA-seq

BACKGROUND Rhinovirus (RV) frequently causes asthma exacerbations among children and young adults who are allergic. The interaction between allergen and RV-induced symptoms and inflammation over time is unclear. OBJECTIVE To compare the response to an experimental inoculation with RV-16 in allergic asthmatics and healthy controls, and evaluate the effects of administrating omalizumab before and during

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Following the trend in asthma, endotypes for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) have been established, with Type 2 immune reactions representing 80-100% of nasal polyp cases in Europe and the US. Endotyping is without doubt useful to predict the natural course of disease, to determine pharmacotherapy and the extent of surgery, and lately also to select patients for Type 2 biologics.

BACKGROUND Very few studies have examined the association between long-term outdoor air pollution and rhinitis severity in adults. OBJECTIVE We sought to assess the cross-sectional association between individual long-term exposure to air pollution and severity of rhinitis. METHODS Participants with rhinitis from 2 multicenter European cohorts (Epidemiological Study on the Genetics and Environment on

BACKGROUND Asthma is a complex chronic inflammatory disease of the airways. Association studies between HLA and asthma were first reported in the 1970's, and yet, the precise role of HLA alleles in asthma is not fully understood. Numerous genome-wide association studies were recently conducted on asthma, but were always limited to simple genetic markers (SNPs) and not complex HLA gene polymorphisms

BACKGROUND Grass pollen allergy is one of the most common allergies worldwide. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of grass pollen allergen molecules for prediction of grass pollen allergy during childhood and up to adolescence. METHOD Questionnaire data and sera obtained from the study subjects at the ages of 4, 8, and 16 years from the population-based Barn/Children Allergy

Airway sensory neuron-produced Substance P heightens allergy-induced goblet cell hyperplasia and hypersecretion of Muc5AC, electrically silencing these overreactive neurons reduced these components of lung type 2 allergic inflammatory response.

CRISPR-Cas9 engineered CYBBko THP-1 cell lines display an inflammatory profile with increased IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α secretion as consequence of NADPH-induced ROS deficiency. This phenotype is reminiscent of the one observed in phagocytes from CGD patients.

BACKGROUND Epigenetic signatures in the nasal epithelium, which is a primary interface with the environment and an accessible proxy for the bronchial epithelium, might provide insights into mechanisms of allergic disease. OBJECTIVE We aimed to identify and interpret methylation signatures in nasal epithelial brushes associated with rhinitis and asthma. METHODS Nasal epithelial brushes were obtained

BACKGROUND Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) is a form of non-IgE-mediated gastrointestinal food allergy. Insufficient data exist in regard to gastrointestinal history and outcome, particularly comorbidity, family history, food aversion, and poor body weight gain. OBJECTIVE We sought to identify the gastrointestinal outcomes and related risk factors in FPIES. METHODS We analyzed the

BACKGROUND Laryngeal or vocal cord dysfunction has long been regarded as a mimic of asthma; however, recent evidence indicates that it may be a significant comorbid condition in patients with asthma. OBJECTIVE We aimed to systematically estimate the prevalence of comorbid laryngeal dysfunction (LD) in adults with asthma and characterize its clinical impact on asthma. METHODS Electronic databases were

BACKGROUND IL-32 is a novel cytokine involved in many inflammatory diseases. However, the role of IL-32γ, an isotype of IL-32, in atopic dermatitis (AD) has not been reported. OBJECTIVE We investigated the effects of IL-32γ on development of AD and its action mechanisms. METHODS We used phthalic anhydride (PA) and an MC903-induced AD model using wild-type and IL-32γ transgenic mice. We conducted the

Over the past decade, there have been substantial advances in our understanding about how viral infections regulate asthma. Important lessons have been learned from birth cohort studies examining viral infections and subsequent asthma and from understanding the relationships between host genetics and viral infections, the contributions of respiratory viral infections to patterns of immune development

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an eosinophil-rich, TH2 antigen-mediated disease of increasing pediatric and adult worldwide prevalence. Diagnosis requires greater than or equal to 15 eosinophils per high-power field on light microscopy. Symptoms reflect esophageal dysfunction, and typical endoscopic features include linear furrows, white plaques, and concentric rings. Progressive disease leads to

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic allergic disease associated with marked mucosal eosinophil accumulation. Multiple studies have reported a strong familial component to EoE, with the presence of EoE increasing the risk for other family members with EoE. Epidemiologic studies support an important role for environmental risk factors as modulators of genetic risk. In a small percentage of cases

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic immune-mediated disease affecting the gastrointestinal tract. IBD consists of 2 subtypes: ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease. IBD is thought to develop as a result of interactions between environmental, microbial, and immune-mediated factors in a genetically susceptible host. Of late, the potential role of the microbiome in the development, progression