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Egypt J Immunol 2022 Jul;29(3):9-18

Department of Internal Medicine, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

Work related asthma (WRA) refers to asthma induced by exposure to sensitizing agents and/or irritants in the workplace leaving health and economic consequences. Early diagnosis can improve the prognosis of WRA permitting sometimes full recovery. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of WRA among Egyptian adult agriculture workers. Read More

Front Immunol 2022 10;13:902318. Epub 2022 Jun 10.

Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Center for Biomedical Research, NHC Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Tongji Hospital Research Building, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.

Asthma is a multifactorial disorder characterized by the airway chronic inflammation, hyper-responsiveness (AHR), remodeling, and reversible obstruction. Although asthma is known as a heterogeneous group of diseases with various clinical manifestations, recent studies suggest that more than half of the clinical cases are ''T helper type 2 (Th2)-high'' type, whose pathogenesis is driven by Th2 responses to an inhaled allergen from the environmental exposures. The intensity and duration of inflammatory responses to inhaled allergens largely depend on the balance between effector and regulatory cells, but many questions regarding the mechanisms by which the relative magnitudes of these opposing forces are remained unanswered. Read More

Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2022 Jun;33(6):e13810

Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.

Background: Children born to larger households have less allergic disease. T regulatory cell (Treg) development may be a relevant mechanism, but this has not been studied longitudinally.

Objective: We aim to (i) describe how prenatal and postnatal environmental factors are associated with Treg development and (ii) investigate whether serial Treg measures predict allergic outcomes at 1 year of age. Read More

Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2022 Jun;33(6)

EPIUnit, Institute of Public Health, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.

Introduction: Whether you benefit from high-quality urban environments, such as those rich in green and blue spaces, that may offer benefits to allergic and respiratory health depends on where you live and work. Environmental inequality, therefore, results from the unequal distribution of the risks and benefits that stem from interactions with our environment.

Methods: Within this perspective, this article reviews the evidence for an association between air pollution caused by industrial activities, traffic, disinfection-by-products, and tobacco/e-cigarettes, and asthma in children. Read More

Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2022 Jun;33(6):e13807

Christine Kühne-Center for Allergy Research and Education (CK-CARE), Davos, Switzerland.

Asthma and allergies are major health problems and exert an enormous socioeconomic burden. Besides genetic predisposition, environmental factors play a crucial role in the development of these diseases in childhood. Multiple worldwide epidemiological studies have shown that children growing up on farms are immune to allergic diseases and asthma. Read More

Ann Rheum Dis 2022 Jun 26. Epub 2022 Jun 26.

Department of Statistical Genetics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan

Objectives: Autoimmune and allergic diseases are outcomes of the dysregulation of the immune system. Our study aimed to elucidate differences or shared components in genetic backgrounds between autoimmune and allergic diseases.

Methods: We estimated genetic correlation and performed multi-trait and cross-population genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis of six immune-related diseases: rheumatoid arthritis, Graves' disease, type 1 diabetes for autoimmune diseases and asthma, atopic dermatitis and pollinosis for allergic diseases. Read More

J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2022 Jun 21. Epub 2022 Jun 21.

Department of Internal Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Electronic address:

The environmental microbiome represents the entirety of the microbes and their metabolites that we encounter in our environments. A growing body of evidence supports the role of the environmental microbiome in risk for and severity of allergic diseases and asthma. The environmental microbiome represents a ubiquitous, lifelong exposure to non-self antigens. Read More

ERJ Open Res 2022 Apr 20;8(2). Epub 2022 Jun 20.

Dept of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.

Background: There are phenotypic differences in asthma in males and females. Differences in lung function between the sexes at the peak lung function level in young adulthood are so far not directly addressed. The aim of the present study was to assess lung function in early adulthood in males and females depending on asthma onset and remission. Read More

Nutrients 2022 Jun 16;14(12). Epub 2022 Jun 16.

Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Institute of Reproduction and Development, Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, China.

Maternal improper nutrition has been reported to trigger respiratory disorders in offspring. Here, we characterized the effects of high-fat environment in the fetal period on mice and human cord blood CD4 T-lymphocytes, and investigated their roles in susceptibility to asthma. Mice born to mothers that consumed a high-fat diet (HFD) throughout the gestation period were sensitized by ovalbumin to establish an experimental asthma model. Read More

Children (Basel) 2022 May 24;9(6). Epub 2022 May 24.

Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta 10430, Indonesia.

Air pollution is an unseen threat to children's health because it may increase the risk of respiratory infection, atopy, and asthma, and also alter gut microbiota compositions. The impact of air pollution on children's health has not been firmly established. A literature review followed by a series of discussions among experts were performed to develop a theoretical framework on how air pollution could affect various bodily organs and functions in children. Read More

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2022 Jun 20;241:113786. Epub 2022 Jun 20.

Xianning Engineering Research Center for Healthy Environment, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning 437100, China; Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali university, Dali 671003, China.

In respiratory diseases, the induction of allergic asthma is one of the hottest issues of international concern. The adjuvant effect of air pollutants including nanoparticles (NPs) has be pointed out to facilitate the occurrence and development of allergic asthma. This work studied the development of allergic asthma upon exposures of carbon black nanoparticles (CB NPs, 30-50 nm) and/or high environmental humidity (90% relative humidity). Read More

Allergol Immunopathol (Madr) 2022 20;50(S Pt 1):30-36. Epub 2022 May 20.

Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Brazil.

The association between symptoms of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis (RC) and allergic conjunctivitis (AC) is frequent, and AC is considered a comorbidity of asthma and allergic rhinitis (AR). Ocular symptoms are often underestimated and undertreated.Differences according to gender were reported, because girls present symptoms more frequently. Read More

Front Immunol 2022 26;13:912529. Epub 2022 May 26.

Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.

Over the past decades, atopic diseases, including allergic rhinitis, asthma, atopic dermatitis, and food allergy, increased strongly worldwide, reaching up to 50% in industrialized countries. These diseases are characterized by a dominating type 2 immune response and reduced numbers of allergen-specific regulatory T (Treg) cells. Conventional allergen-specific immunotherapy is able to tip the balance towards immunoregulation. Read More

J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2022 Jun 16. Epub 2022 Jun 16.

Department of Health Security, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Kuopio, Finland; Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.

Allergic diseases exclusively affect tissues that face environmental challenges and harbor endogenous bacterial microbiota. The microbes inhabiting the affected tissues may not be mere bystanders in this process but actively affect the risk of allergic sensitization, disease development and exacerbation or abatement of symptoms. Experimental evidence provides several plausible means by which the human microbiota could influence the development of allergic diseases including, but not limited to, effects on antigen presentation and induction of tolerance and allergen permeation by endorsing or disrupting epithelial barrier integrity. Read More

J Allergy Clin Immunol 2022 Jun 15. Epub 2022 Jun 15.

Divisions of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colo.

Asthma is a common complex respiratory disease characterized by chronic airway inflammation and partially reversible airflow obstruction resulting from genetic and environmental determinants. Because epigenetic marks influence gene expression and can be modified by both environmental exposures and genetic variation, they are increasingly recognized as relevant to the pathogenesis of asthma and may be a key link between environmental exposures and asthma susceptibility. Unlike changes to DNA sequence, epigenetic signatures are dynamic and reversible, creating an opportunity for not only therapeutic targets but may serve as biomarkers to follow disease course and identify molecular subtypes in heterogeneous diseases such as asthma. Read More

Allergy 2022 Jun 17. Epub 2022 Jun 17.

Institute of Applied Molecular Medicine (IMMA), Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad San Pablo CEU, CEU Universities, Madrid, Spain.

Allergic diseases and asthma are heterogenous chronic inflammatory conditions with several distinct complex endotypes. Both environmental and genetic factors can influence the development and progression of allergy. Complex pathogenetic pathways observed in allergic disorders present a challenge in patient management and successful targeted treatment strategies. Read More

Hum Vaccin Immunother 2022 Jun 15:1-10. Epub 2022 Jun 15.

Global Medical Affairs Department, Stallergenes Greer, Antony, France.

Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is a well-tolerated, safe, and effective approach to treating allergic rhinitis (AR). Oralair® is a five-grass pollen SLIT tablet containing natural pollen allergens from five of the major grass species responsible for seasonal AR due to grass pollen allergy. Recommended use is in a pre-coseasonal regimen, starting daily treatment approximately 4 months before the start of the pollen season, with treatment then continued daily throughout the season; treatment should continue for 3-5 y. Read More

Inhal Toxicol 2022 Jun 13:1-13. Epub 2022 Jun 13.

Environmental Standards Section, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Ibaraki, Japan.

Aims: Asian sand dust (ASD) comprises soil particles, microorganisms, and various chemical components. We examined whether peptidoglycan (PGN), a structural cell wall component of Gram-positive bacteria, exacerbates ASD-induced allergic airway inflammation in mice.

Methods: The ASD (median diameter ∼4 µm) used was a certified reference material from the National Institute for Environmental Studies in Japan, derived from Gobi Desert surface soil collected in 2011. Read More

Front Immunol 2022 25;13:822324. Epub 2022 May 25.

Laboratory of Immunoregulation, Systems Biology and Immunology Department, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar.

Asthma is ranked among the most common chronic conditions and has become a significant public health issue due to the recent and rapid increase in its prevalence. Investigations into the underlying genetic factors predict a heritable component for its incidence, estimated between 35% and 90% of causation. Despite the application of large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and admixture mapping approaches, the proportion of variants identified accounts for less than 15% of the observed heritability of the disease. Read More

J Thorac Dis 2022 May;14(5):1725-1737

Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan, China.

Background: The prevalence of asthma and allergic diseases has increased rapidly in Chinese cities over the past decades. Few studies have examined the potential role of household mold in asthma and allergies in Chinese cities.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey in 4,691 school-age children was performed in Lanzhou and Wuhan. Read More

Allergo J Int 2022 8;31(4):114-120. Epub 2022 Jun 8.

Environmental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany.

The climate crisis poses a major challenge to human health as well as the healthcare system and threatens to jeopardize the medical progress made in recent decades. However, addressing climate change may also be the greatest opportunity for global health in the 21st century. The climate crisis and its consequences, such as rising temperatures, forest fires, floods, droughts, and changes in the quality and quantity of food and water, directly and indirectly affect human physical and mental health. Read More

Arerugi 2022 ;71(4):321-327

Department of Infectious Diseases and Respiratory Medicine, Fukushima Medical University Aizu Medical Center.

A-55-year-old man who have been working in a Sake (Japanese rice wine) brewer for 27 years, came to the outpatient clinic because cough, dyspnea, and wheeze gradually worsen. These symptoms occurred immediately after exposure to Aspergillus oryzae in the brewing process since age 43. A dust mask was required to reduce these symptoms, but that work was interrupted by exacerbation of these symptoms. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2022 Sep 7;838(Pt 4):156540. Epub 2022 Jun 7.

University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain; Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB), Murcia, Spain; "Virgen de la Arrixaca" University Clinical Hospital, Murcia, Spain; Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) set a public health risk through disruption of normal physiological processes. The toxicoepigenetic mechanisms of developmental exposure to common EDCs, such as bisphenol A (BPA), are poorly known. The present study aimed to evaluate associations between perinatal maternal urinary concentrations of BPA, bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF) and LINE-1 (long interspersed nuclear elements) and Alu (short interspersed nuclear elements, SINEs) DNA methylation levels in newborns, as surrogate markers of global DNA methylation. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022 May 25;19(11). Epub 2022 May 25.

Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.

Seasonal pollen is a common cause of allergic respiratory disease. In the United States, pollen monitoring occurs via manual counting, a method which is both labor-intensive and has a considerable time delay. In this paper, we report the field-testing results of a new, automated, real-time pollen imaging sensor in Atlanta, GA. Read More

J Allergy Clin Immunol 2022 Jun 4. Epub 2022 Jun 4.

Université Paris Cité, INSERM, UMR 1124, Group of Genomic Epidemiology and Multifactorial Diseases, Paris, France. Electronic address:

Background: Eosinophils play a key role in the asthma allergic response by releasing cytotoxic molecules such as eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN) that generate epithelium damages.

Objective: To identify genetic variants influencing ECP and EDN levels in asthma-ascertained families.

Methods: We performed univariate and bivariate genome-wide association analyses of ECP and EDN levels in 1,018 subjects from EGEA study with follow-up in 153 subjects from SLSJ study and combined the results of these two studies through meta-analysis. Read More

J Environ Health Sci Eng 2022 Jun 15;20(1):251-264. Epub 2022 Jan 15.

Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Student Research Committee, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.

After the early rainfall in the autumn of 2013, respiratory syndromes spread in the Khuzestan province of Iran with the most severity in Ahvaz. There have been recurring outbreaks in recent years. Considering that pollen-derived airborne allergens are regarded as key aeroallergens and the main cause of allergic rhinitis and asthma, this work aimed to forecast total pollen concentration in Ahvaz through an artificial neural network (ANN), followed by evaluating the pollen spatial distribution across the city and the association between pollen concentrations and environmental parameters. Read More

World J Gastroenterol 2022 May;28(18):1875-1901

Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta 31511, Egypt.

Gut microbiota has a significant role in gut development, maturation, and immune system differentiation. It exerts considerable effects on the child's physical and mental development. The gut microbiota composition and structure depend on many host and microbial factors. Read More

Front Immunol 2022 19;13:581854. Epub 2022 May 19.

Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), a common plasticizer, is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant that can disrupt endocrine function. Epidemiological studies suggest that chronic exposure to DEHP in the environment is associated with the prevalence of childhood allergic diseases; however, the underlying causal relationship and immunological mechanism remain unclear. This study explored the immunomodulatory effect of DEHP on allergic lung inflammation, while particularly focusing on the impact of DEHP and its metabolite on dendritic cell differentiation and activity of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ). Read More

J Allergy Clin Immunol 2022 Jun 1. Epub 2022 Jun 1.

University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisc.

Background: Whether children and people with asthma and allergic diseases are at increased risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is unknown.

Objective: Our aims were to determine the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in households with children and to also determine whether self-reported asthma and/or other allergic diseases are associated with infection and household transmission.

Methods: For 6 months, biweekly nasal swabs and weekly surveys were conducted within 1394 households (N = 4142 participants) to identify incident SARS-CoV-2 infections from May 2020 to February 2021, which was the pandemic period largely before a vaccine and before the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants. Read More

Cutis 2022 Mar;109(3):152-156

Department of Dermatology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an inflammatory skin condition characterized by skin barrier disruption and inflammation that has been associated with the development of food allergies, asthma, and allergic rhinitis, known as the atopic march. The prevalence of AD has been increasing globally, with a marked increase in developed countries. Although many studies have examined environmental factors contributing to the development of AD in infancy and childhood, less is understood about the influence of prenatal factors. Read More