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Dtsch Med Wochenschr 2020 Jun 3;145(11):767-771. Epub 2020 Jun 3.

Abteilung für Pneumologie/Interdisziplinäre Internistische Intensivstation, Medizinische Klinik I, Zentrum für Innere Medizin, Universitätsmedizin Rostock.

Accumulating evidence suggests that a symptom-driven therapy with fixed combinations of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and formoterol is safer and more feasible in patients with mild asthma than a treatment with short-acting beta-2-agonists (SABA) alone. Therefore, the new international GINA asthma guideline (2019) recommends, for the first time, as needed low dose ICS-formoterol as the preferred controller in treatment step 1. This radical paradigm shift will have a major impact on asthma care in the future. Read More

Respir Med Res 2020 May 12;78:100761. Epub 2020 May 12.

Epicene Inserm Bordeaux, Laboratory - work health Environment, Institute of Public Health, Epidemiology and Development, University Bordeaux Segalen, 33076 Bordeaux, France. Electronic address:

Background: Allergic diseases are recognized as a burden on the public health. They stand as one of the most common chronic diseases, especially in developed countries. Therefore, the objective of this study is to evaluate the association between the development of atopic allergy and the presence of food allergy in children, and food consumption. Read More

Minerva Med 2020 Jun 2. Epub 2020 Jun 2.

Hospital Universitario de la Princesa, Madrid, Spain -

Background: To date the European experience with COVID-19 mortality has been different to the observed in China and Asia. We aimed to forecast mortality trends in the 27 countries of the European Union (EU), plus Switzerland and the United Kingdom (UK), where lockdown dates and confinement interventions have been heterogeneous, and to explore its determinants.

Methods: We have adapted our predictive model of COVID-19-related mortality, which rested on the observed mortality within the first weeks of the outbreak and the date of the respective lockdown in each country. Read More

Clin Physiol Funct Imaging 2020 Jun 3. Epub 2020 Jun 3.

Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland.

Backround And Aim: The eucapnic voluntary hyperventilation (EVH) testing is a diagnostic tool for diagnostics of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction; while the testing has become more common among children, data on the test's feasibility among children remains limited. Our aim was to investigate EVH testing feasibility among children, diagnostic testing cutoff values, and which factors affect testing outcomes.

Methods: We recruited 134 patients aged 10-16 years with a history of exercise-induced dyspnea and 100 healthy control children to undergo 6-minute EVH testing. Read More

J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol 2020 Jun 3. Epub 2020 Jun 3.

Allergy Department, Hospital La Paz Institute for Health Research (IdiPAZ). Madrid, Spain.

J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol 2020 Jun 3. Epub 2020 Jun 3.

ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), chemicals that can interfere with endogenous hormones and that are present in many consumer products, can affect the development and functions of the immune system. The prenatal period is critical because exposure to EDCs can induce irreversible changes in the immune system and increase the susceptibility of asthma and allergies later in life. Non-persistent EDCs are of most concern due to their high annual production and potential toxicity. Read More

Mycoses 2020 Jun 3. Epub 2020 Jun 3.

Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India.

Background: The diagnosis of Aspergillus-sensitized asthma (ASA) and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is made using IgE against crude antigens of A.fumigatus (cAsp). However, the IgE against cAsp has limitations due to cross-reactivity with other fungi. Read More

Allergy Rhinol (Providence) 2020 Jan-Dec;11:2152656720927703. Epub 2020 May 20.

Department of Pulmonary & Critical Care, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio.

Introduction: Atopic dermatitis (AD, eczema) is familial chronic inflammatory skin disease of complex etiology and increasing prevalence. Dupilumab is an IL-4 receptor subunit alpha (IL-4Rα) antagonist that is the first Food and Drug Administration-approved biological therapy for moderate-to-severe adult AD inadequately controlled with topical therapies. Adverse effects reported in the literature include injection site reactions, conjunctivitis, headache, and nasopharyngitis. Read More

Iran J Basic Med Sci 2020 Apr;23(4):507-514

Immunology, Asthma and Allergy Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Objectives: Blocking of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a pivotal role in inhibition of metastasis and is a target for development of anti-angiogenic agents. In this study, a peptide-based vaccine was designed and its potential for induction of humoral immune responses, generation of neutralizing antibodies, inhibition of tumor growth and metastasis was determined.

Materials And Methods: With online bioinformatics tools, a fragment of the VEGF-A was selected for a peptide-based vaccine. Read More

Postepy Dermatol Alergol 2020 Apr 6;37(2):255-261. Epub 2020 May 6.

Department of Paediatrics and Allergy, Medical University of Lodz, Copernicus Memorial Hospital, Lodz, Poland.

Introduction: The relationship between allergen exposure to animals in pregnancy and the development of allergic symptoms is not clear.

Aim: To evaluate the association between prenatal and postnatal exposure to pet ownership and development of atopic dermatitis, food allergy and wheezing in children at the age of 1 and 2.

Material And Methods: The mother-child pairs included in this study were part of the Polish Mother and Child Cohort. Read More

Postepy Dermatol Alergol 2020 Apr 6;37(2):240-249. Epub 2020 May 6.

Institute of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, University Hospital in Hradec Králové, Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic.

Introduction: The serum periostin level is a promising biomarker of type 2- high inflammation pattern of bronchial asthma. It has been proven that serum periostin levels decrease in response to systemic and inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) therapy. However, we have only limited knowledge about changes in serum periostin levels reflecting omalizumab (OMA) treatment and other variables, such as chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). Read More

Immunotherapy 2020 Jun 3. Epub 2020 Jun 3.

Department of Pediatric Health & Diseases, Faculty of Health Sciences, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, Muğla, Turkey.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways where exaggerated T helper 2 immune responses and inflammatory mediators play a role. Current asthma treatment options can effectively suppress symptoms and control the inflammatory process; however, cannot modulate the dysregulated immune response. Allergen-specific immunotherapy is one of the effective treatments capable of disease modification. Read More

Sci Rep 2020 Jun 2;10(1):8960. Epub 2020 Jun 2.

University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Pathology & Medical Biology, Experimental Pulmonary and Inflammatory Research (EXPIRE), Groningen, The Netherlands.

Allergen specific immunotherapy (AIT) can provide long-term alleviation of symptoms for allergic disease but is hampered by suboptimal efficiency. We and others have previously shown that 1,25(OH)2-VitaminD3 (VitD3) can improve therapeutic efficacy of AIT. However, it is unknown whether VitD3 supplementation has similar effects in sublingual and subcutaneous immunotherapy. Read More

Crit Care 2020 Jun 1;24(1):278. Epub 2020 Jun 1.

Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.

The gut microbiome regulates a number of homeostatic mechanisms in the healthy host including immune function and gut barrier protection. Loss of normal gut microbial structure and function has been associated with diseases as diverse as Clostridioides difficile infection, asthma, and epilepsy. Recent evidence has also demonstrated a link between the gut microbiome and sepsis. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2020 May 30;21(11). Epub 2020 May 30.

School of Respiratory Therapy, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan.

The activation of capsaicin-sensitive lung vagal (CSLV) afferents can elicit airway reflexes. Hypersensitivity of these afferents is known to contribute to the airway hypersensitivity during airway inflammation. Hydrogen sulfide (HS) has been suggested as a potential therapeutic agent for airway hypersensitivity diseases, such as asthma, because of its relaxing effect on airway smooth muscle and anti-inflammatory effect. Read More

J Fungi (Basel) 2020 May 29;6(2). Epub 2020 May 29.

Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.

Filamentous fungi of the Aspergillus genus and others have long been linked to the induction of type 2 immunity that underlies IgE-mediated hypersensitivity responses. This unique immune response is characterized by the production of the allergy-associated T helper cell type 2 (Th2) and Th17 cytokines interleukin 4 (IL-4), IL-13, and IL-17 that drive IgE, eosinophilia, airway hyperresponsiveness and other manifestations of asthma. Proteinases secreted by filamentous fungi promote type 2 immunity, but the mechanism by which this occurs has long remained obscure. Read More

J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2020 May 30. Epub 2020 May 30.

Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida, Morsani College of Medicine and James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, Tampa, FL, USA. Electronic address:

Background: Asthma prevalence decreases post-puberty in males. Testosterone inhibits airway smooth muscle contraction and attenuates type 2 inflammation.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between serum testosterone and current asthma prevalence and lung function in a nationally-representative dataset. Read More

Allergy 2020 Jun 2. Epub 2020 Jun 2.

University of Wroclaw, Department of Clinical Immunology, Wroclaw, Poland.

Severe asthma imposes a significant burden on patients, families and healthcare systems. Management is difficult, due to disease heterogeneity, comorbidities, complexity in care pathways and differences between national or regional healthcare systems. Better understanding of the mechanisms has enabled a stratified approach to the management of severe asthma, supporting the use of targeted treatments with biologicals. Read More

Allergy 2020 Jun 2. Epub 2020 Jun 2.

Asociación Española de Personas con Alergia a Alimentos y Látex, Madrid, Spain.

Adolescence is a challenging time for both patients and healthcare providers. Adolescent patients need to learn all the knowledge and skills required to competently and confidently self-manage their allergy and asthma. They have to negotiate the challenging transition from being children, whose medical care is supervised by their parents, to independent expert adult patients. Read More

PLoS One 2020 2;15(6):e0233707. Epub 2020 Jun 2.

Nagaragawa Research Center, API Co., Ltd., Gifu, Japan.

Royal jelly (RJ), a creamy substance secreted by honeybees, is the exclusive diet for queen bee differentiation and life maintenance. RJ has been used in cosmetics, beverages, medicines, and supplements worldwide. However, allergy is a concerning issue for RJ, especially in atopic dermatitis (AD) and asthma patients. Read More

Nat Energy 2020 May 13;5(5):398-408. Epub 2020 Apr 13.

Propeller Health, San Francisco, California, USA 94108.

Coal-fired power plants release substantial air pollution, including over 60% of U.S. sulfur dioxide (SO) emissions in 2014. Read More

Allergy 2020 Jun 1. Epub 2020 Jun 1.

SOS Allergy and Clinical Immunology, USL Toscana Centro, Prato, Italy.

Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2020 Jun 1. Epub 2020 Jun 1.

University of Wisconsin, Medicine-Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Madison, Wisconsin, United States.

Background: Cross-sectional studies suggest an exacerbation-prone asthma (EPA) phenotype and the utility of blood eosinophils and plasma interleukin 6 (IL-6) as predictive biomarkers.

Objective: To prospectively test for EPA phenotype and utility of baseline blood measures of eosinophils and IL6 as predictive biomarkers.

Methods: Three-year asthma exacerbation data were analyzed in 406 adults in the Severe Asthma Research Program-3. Read More

Clin Exp Allergy 2020 Jun;50(6):650-651

Clinical and Experimental Sciences and Human Development and Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, UK.

Allergy 2020 Jun 1. Epub 2020 Jun 1.

Institute of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiochemistry, Philipps University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL) and the Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung School (UGMLC), Marburg, Germany.

Front Pediatr 2020 12;8:240. Epub 2020 May 12.

Clinica Pediatrica, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.

Wheezing is very common in infancy affecting one in three children during the first 3 years of life. Several wheeze phenotypes have been identified and most rely on temporal pattern of symptoms. Assessing the risk of asthma development is difficult. Read More

Clin Transl Allergy 2020 20;10:14. Epub 2020 May 20.

6Food Allergy Referral Centre Veneto Region, Department of Women and Child Health, Padua General University Hospital, Padua, Italy.

Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol 2020 20;16:38. Epub 2020 May 20.

1Department of Allergy and Immunology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, Montreal, QC Canada.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13223-020-00419-z.]. Read More

Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol 2020 20;16:37. Epub 2020 May 20.

2Department of Gastroenterology, The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 300001 China.

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, non-specific inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with unknown etiology. The lack of specific clinical manifestations, standard diagnostic criteria, objective and accurate indicators to the severity of the disease and the efficacy of the treatment, often results in difficulties in diagnosis and timely treatment of UC. Therefore, there is a need to develop a clinically suitable serum biomarker assay with high specificity and sensitivity. Read More

Psychol Med 2020 Jun 1:1-11. Epub 2020 Jun 1.

Autism Clinic for Translational Research, Child Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Team, Brain and Mind Centre, Children's Hospital Westmead Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

Background: Emerging research suggests that maternal immune activation (MIA) may be associated with an increased risk of adverse neurodevelopmental and mental health outcomes in offspring. Using data from the Raine Study, we investigated whether MIA during pregnancy was associated with increased behavioral and emotional problems in offspring longitudinally across development.

Methods: Mothers (Generation 1; N = 1905) were classified into the following categories: AAAE (Asthma/Allergy/Atopy/Eczema; N = 1267); infection (during pregnancy; N = 1082); no AAAE or infection (N = 301). Read More

Adv Med Sci 2020 May 28;65(2):304-309. Epub 2020 May 28.

Center of Excellence in Vaccine Research and Development, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.

Purpose: Recognition of individual allergens by IgE is crucial for triggering symptoms in allergic rhinitis (AR) or asthmatic (AA) patients. House dust mite (HDM) allergy is frequent around the world, the sensitization profile to individual HDM allergens varies in individual HDM-allergic patients (APs). The aim of this study was to evaluate the pattern of IgE sensitization to three major Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dp) allergens among patients from North Eastern Poland suffering from HDM-AR and/or AA. Read More

Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2020 May 28. Epub 2020 May 28.

The ORIGINS Project, Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth Children's Hospital, Nedlands WA 6009, Australia; President, inVIVO Planetary Health of the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN), West New York, NJ 10704, USA. Electronic address:

Objective: The grand global challenges of the Anthropocene are interdependent with ample evidence that reduced early-life 'experience' of biodiversity primes for immune dysregulation and a higher propensity low-grade inflammation, increasing the risk of allergy many other later-onset NCDs -also now implicated in the susceptibility to acute inflammation in COVID-19 infection. The objective of this review is to explore links between biodiversity on all scales and allergic disease as a measure of immune dysregulation.

Data Sources: Were identified from PubMed and Web of Science using search terms pertaining to biodiversity, nature-relatedness, allergic disease, microbiome, NCDs, COVID-19 and associated terms. Read More

Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2020 May 28. Epub 2020 May 28.

Global Medical Respiratory, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Barcelona, Spain.

Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2020 May 28. Epub 2020 May 28.

Nationwide Children's Hospital, Division of Allergy and Immunology, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio.

Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2020 May 28. Epub 2020 May 28.

Division of Allergy/Immunology, Internal Medicine Department, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois. Electronic address:

Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2020 May 28. Epub 2020 May 28.

Sanofi, Bridgewater, NJ, USA.

Background: Comorbid perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR), or year-round aeroallergen sensitivity, significantly contributes to disease burden in asthma patients. Dupilumab blocks the shared receptor for interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13, key drivers of type 2 inflammation that play important roles in asthma and PAR. In LIBERTY ASTHMA QUEST (NCT02414854), dupilumab reduced severe asthma exacerbations and improved forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) in patients with uncontrolled, moderate-to-severe asthma, with greater efficacy observed in patients with elevated type 2 inflammatory biomarkers at baseline (blood eosinophils and fractional exhaled nitric oxide [FeNO]). Read More

J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2020 May 28. Epub 2020 May 28.

Lake Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, Tavares, FL.

Pulmonology 2020 May 27. Epub 2020 May 27.

Pulmonology Department, Centro Hospitalar de São João, Porto, Portugal; Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Portugal.

Allergol Int 2020 May 27. Epub 2020 May 27.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Suwa Central Hospital, Nagano, Japan.

Like asthma and atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis is an allergic disease, but of the three, it is the only type I allergic disease. Allergic rhinitis includes pollinosis, which is intractable and reduces quality of life (QOL) when it becomes severe. A guideline is needed to understand allergic rhinitis and to use this knowledge to develop a treatment plan. Read More

J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2020 May 27. Epub 2020 May 27.

Department of Pediatrics, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206. Electronic address:

Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2020 May 27. Epub 2020 May 27.

Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, University of South Florida. Electronic address:

Clin Exp Allergy 2020 May 29. Epub 2020 May 29.

Baylor University, Institute for Biomedical Studies, Waco, TX, USA.

Background: Anti-IgE (omalizumab) has been used for the treatment of moderate-to-severe asthma that is not controlled by inhaled steroids. Despite its success, it does not always provide patients with significant clinical benefits.

Objective: To investigate transcriptional variations between omalizumab responders and non-responders and to study the mechanisms of action of omalizumab. Read More

Allergol Int 2020 May 26. Epub 2020 May 26.

Division of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Department of Medicine, Teikyo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

Occupational allergic diseases are likely to worsen or become intractable as a result of continuous exposure to high concentrations of causative allergens. These are socioeconomically important diseases that can lead to work interruptions for patients and potentially job loss. We published the first guideline for managing occupational allergic diseases in Japan. Read More

Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2020 May 26. Epub 2020 May 26.

Section of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Children's Mercy Hospital. Kansas City, MO. Electronic address:

Background: Peanut allergy (PA) is associated with an economic and psychologic burden on patients and families. Its diagnosis includes tests for peanut specific IgE (sIgE), the values of which usually are categorized as positive or negative using a predefined cutoff (usually 0.35kU/L). Read More

Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2020 May 26. Epub 2020 May 26.

Pneumology & Allergy, Outpatient Clinic, Bergamo, Italy.

J Allergy Clin Immunol 2020 May 26. Epub 2020 May 26.

Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo; Japan.

Allergy 2020 Jun;75(6):1527-1528

Ferring Pharmaceuticals, San Diego, CA, USA.

Allergy 2020 Jun;75(6):1529-1530

Department of Pediatric Pneumonology and Allergy, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.

Allergy 2020 Jun;75(6):1525-1526

Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Allergy 2020 Jun;75(6):1531-1532

Women's and Children's Health Department, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.