Allergy Asthma Immun
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Allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT), although in clinical use for more than a century, is still the only causal treatment of allergic diseases. The safety and efficacy of AIT has been demonstrated in a large number of clinical trials. In addition to allergy symptom reduction AIT plays an essential role in preventing new allergies and asthma and shows long-term effects after discontinuation of treatment. ⋯ Still there is a strong need for research in the field of new AIT modalities to increase its effectiveness and safety. Growing evidence on immunological effects of AIT, especially new T cell subsets involved in antigen/allergen tolerance, provides novel concepts for safer and more effective vaccination. Pharmacoeconomic studies have demonstrated a clear advantage of AIT over pharmacologic therapies.
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Allergy Asthma Immun · May 2016
IgG Sensitization to Extracellular Vesicles in Indoor Dust Is Closely Associated With the Prevalence of Non-Eosinophilic Asthma, COPD, and Lung Cancer.
Recent experimental evidence shows that extracellular vesicles (EVs) in indoor dust induce neurtrophilic pulmonary inflammation, which is a characteristic pathology in patients with severe asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In addition, COPD is known to be an important risk factor for lung cancer, irrespective of cigarette smoking. Here, we evaluated whether sensitization to indoor dust EVs is a risk for the development of asthma, COPD, or lung cancer. ⋯ IgG sensitization to indoor dust EVs appears to be a major risk for the development of asthma, COPD, and lung cancer.
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Allergy Asthma Immun · May 2016
Seasonal Patterns of Asthma in Children and Adolescents Presenting at Emergency Departments in Korea.
Seasonal variations in asthma-related hospitalizations and emergency department visits have long been recognized. This study aimed to investigate the seasonal patterns of asthma in children and adolescents who presented at emergency departments in Korea. ⋯ Important differences in the seasonal patterns of emergency department visits for asthma were evident in children and adolescents. Identifying seasonal trends in asthma-related emergency department visits may help determine the causes and reduce the likelihood of asthma exacerbation.
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Allergy Asthma Immun · Nov 2015
Performance of the PROTIA™ Allergy-Q® System in the Detection of Allergen-specific IgE: A Comparison With the ImmunoCAP® System.
The PROTIA™ Allergy-Q® enzyme immunoassay (EIA) is a recently developed screening assay for specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) for multiple allergens. The ImmunoCAP® fluorescent EIA (FEIA) system is the most widely used method for sIgE detection. In this study, we evaluated the performance of the Allergy-Q® system compared to the ImmunoCAP® system. ⋯ The PROTIA™ Allergy-Q® EIA system exhibited good detection performance compared to the ImmunoCAP® FEIA system in Korean allergic patients. However, because of methodological differences between the 2 assays, careful clinical implication is required for the interpretation of Allergy-Q® EIA results.
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Allergy Asthma Immun · Sep 2015
Altered microRNA Expression Profiles of Extracellular Vesicles in Nasal Mucus From Patients With Allergic Rhinitis.
Allergic rhinitis (AR) is an inflammatory disorder of the upper airway. Exosomes or extracellular vesicles are nanosized vesicles of endosomal origin released from inflammatory and epithelial cells that have been implicated in allergic diseases. In this study, we characterized the microRNA (miRNA) content of exosomes in AR. ⋯ This study demonstrated that vesicle miRNA may be a regulator for the development of AR.