Allergology international : official journal of the Japanese Society of Allergology
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Allergen-specific sublingual immunotherapy is a potential disease-modifying treatment for allergic asthma. Galectin-9 (Gal-9), a β-galactoside-binding protein with various biologic effects, acts as an immunomodulator in excessive immunologic reactions by expanding regulatory T cells (Treg) and enhancing transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling. We investigated the efficacy of sublingually administered Gal-9 as an adjuvant to a specific allergen in a Dermatophagoides farinae (Df)-induced mouse model of chronic asthma. ⋯ Gal-9 exhibited beneficial effects of sublingual Df allergen-specific immunotherapy in a Df-induced mouse model of chronic asthma, possibly by Gal-9-induced TGF-β1 production in the lung.
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Hypersensitivity to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are frequently encountered in daily clinical practice. The aim of this study was to determine the confirmation rates, risk factors of NSAID hypersensitivity in children and to try to classify them with a standardized diagnostic protocol. ⋯ This study suggests the presence of different phenotypes which do not fit into the current classifications in children with NSAID hypersensitivity.
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In 2013, a guideline for occupational allergic diseases was published for the first time in Japan. Occupational allergic diseases are likely to worsen or become intractable as a result of continuous exposure to high concentrations of causative antigens, and are socioeconomically important diseases with which the patients might sometimes lose jobs due to work interruptions. ⋯ This guideline consists of six chapters about occupational asthma, occupational allergic rhinitis, occupational skin diseases, hypersensitivity pneumonitis and occupational anaphylaxis shock, and legal aspects of these diseases. The guideline is characterized with the following basic structure: Clinical Questions (CQs) are set with reference to Minds (Medical Information Network Distribution Service), statements by the committee are correspondingly listed, recommended grades and evidence levels are defined, and then descriptions and references are indicated.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
A panel study of airborne particulate matter composition versus concentration: Potential for inflammatory response and impaired pulmonary function in children.
The relationship between airborne particulate matter (PM) and pulmonary function in children has not been consistent among studies, potentially owing to differences in the inflammatory response to PM, based on PM types and sources. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of airborne PM on pulmonary function in schoolchildren and its potential for an inflammatory response. ⋯ These findings suggest that the effects of airborne PM on pulmonary function in schoolchildren might depend more on the pro-inflammatory response than the mass concentration of the PM.
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Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) has received attention as a method for allergen immunotherapy. However, the mechanism of SLIT has not yet been fully investigated. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of SLIT in a murine asthma model, sensitized by intranasal administration of house dust mite (HDM) extracts. ⋯ These data suggest that earlier induction of SLIT in HDM-sensitized mice provides superior suppression of AHR and goblet cell metaplasia. The modulation of allergen specific IgG2a and local IgA might play a role in the amelioration of AHR and airway inflammation.