Allergy
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Benefits of omalizumab as add-on therapy in patients with severe persistent asthma who are inadequately controlled despite best available therapy (GINA 2002 step 4 treatment): INNOVATE.
Patients with severe persistent asthma who are inadequately controlled despite Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) 2002 step 4 therapy are a challenging population with significant unmet medical need. We determined the effect of omalizumab on clinically significant asthma exacerbations (requiring systemic corticosteroids) in the first omalizumab study to exclusively enrol patients from this difficult-to-treat patient population. ⋯ In patients with inadequately controlled severe persistent asthma, despite high-dose ICS and LABA therapy, and often additional therapy, omalizumab significantly reduced the rate of clinically significant asthma exacerbations, severe exacerbations and emergency visits. Omalizumab is effective and should be considered as add-on therapy for patients with inadequately controlled severe persistent asthma who have a significant unmet need despite best available therapy.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Maintenance of asthma control by once-daily inhaled ciclesonide in adults with persistent asthma.
Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are recommended therapy for persistent asthma, although side effects can limit appropriate use. Ciclesonide, a novel ICS, is activated in the lung, thereby reducing systemic activity and side effects. This 12-week, double-blind, randomized, parallel-group, placebo-controlled study evaluated the efficacy and safety of ciclesonide in adults with persistent asthma. ⋯ Ciclesonide (160 or 640 microg) once daily in the morning effectively maintains asthma control, does not affect cortisol levels, and has an adverse event profile comparable with placebo in adults with primarily mild to moderate asthma.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Efficacy and tolerability of anti-immunoglobulin E therapy with omalizumab in patients with poorly controlled (moderate-to-severe) allergic asthma.
Patients with poorly controlled asthma have greater morbidity and mortality. This study evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of omalizumab in patients with poorly controlled, moderate-to-severe allergic asthma. ⋯ Omalizumab administered as add-on therapy to BSC benefits patients with poorly controlled, moderate-to-severe allergic asthma.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
The atopy patch test (APT)-- a useful tool for the diagnosis of food allergy in children with atopic dermatitis.
While immediate-type clinical reactions to food can quite easily be identified by history or measurement of specific IgE in combination with positive oral food challenges, the evaluation of food allergy in the absence of immediate clinical reactions still presents diagnostic difficulties--particularly in children with atopic dermatitis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of the atopy patch test (APT) with regard to late-phase reactions observed in double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenges with cow's milk, hen's egg, wheat, and soybean. ⋯ The APT seems to be a valuable additional tool in the diagnostic work-up of food allergy in children with atopic dermatitis - especially with regard to late-phase clinical reactions. The APT may help to prevent unnecessary restrictive diets which may be the consequence of misjudging late reactions by clinical assessment alone.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Reproducibility of skin prick test results in epidemiologic studies: a comparison of two devices.
The reproducibility of skin prick tests under field conditions is essential for comparing prevalences between centers in epidemiologic multicenter studies. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the reproducibility of two widely used skin prick test devices: the Multi-Test and the ALK lancet. The subjects were 28 children, aged 6-14 years, with known sensitivities to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (D. pter.). ⋯ The coefficients of variation for the allergen D. pter. amounted to 47.4% for the Multi-Test and to 24.6% for the ALK lancet. The percentage of concordant test results was 92.6% for the Multi-Test and 100.0% for the ALK lancet for a cutoff point of wheal size equal to or greater than 1 mm. The results of this study suggest that the single ALK lancet performs slightly better than the Multi-Test device with respect to reproducibility under conditions of epidemiologic field studies.