BACKGROUND Despite increasing evidence for an association between allergy and psychological disorders in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR), the relationship between comorbid AR and asthma is not clear. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of concomitant asthma, gender, and sensitization to a particular aeroallergen category on the psychological status of AR patients. M...

BACKGROUND The murine polyp model was developed previously using ovalbumin and Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin B (SEB). Here, we established a model mimicking key aspects of chronic eosinophilic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps using the house dust mite (HDM), a clinically relevant aeroallergen, co-administered with SEB. We assessed the inflammatory response and formation of nasal polypoid le...

Question: Does systemic sensitization and chronic aeroallergen challenge in macaques replicate classical and emerging immunology and molecular pathology of human asthma? Methods: Macaques were immunized and periodically challenged over 2 years with house dust mite allergen (HDM). At key times, serum, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and bronchial biopsies were assayed for genes, proteins, and lymph...

BACKGROUND Maintenance inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) therapy in preschool children with recurrent wheezing at high-risk for development of asthma produces multiple clinical benefits. However, determination of baseline features associated with ICS responsiveness may identify children most likely to benefit from ICS treatment. OBJECTIVE To determine if demographic and atopic features predict res...

The degree to which aeroallergens are contributing to the global increase in pediatric allergic disease is incompletely understood. We review the evidence that links climate change to changes in aeroallergens such as pollen and outdoor mold concentrations and, subsequently, aeroallergen association with pediatric allergic disease. We specifically explore the evidence on both the exacerbation an...

BACKGROUND Atopic eczema is a common and distressing disease. This study aimed to review the age-dependent pattern of atopic sensitization to food and aeroallergens in patients with eczema by skin prick testing. METHODS The results of skin prick test (SPT), serum IgE, bronchial challenge test, and family history of atopy in eczema patients seen at a pediatric dermatology clinic were reviewed....

BACKGROUND Factors affecting fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) in early childhood are incompletely understood. OBJECTIVE To examine the relationships between FeNO and allergic sensitization, total IgE, atopic dermatitis, rhinitis, asthma, and lung function (spirometry) in children. METHODS Children at high risk of asthma and other allergic diseases because of parental history were enro...

In this investigation, we have examined the integrated relationship between IL-13, IL-4, and IL-5 for the development of airways hyperreactivity (AHR) in a model of asthma in BALB/c mice. Sensitization and aeroallergen challenge of both wild-type (WT) and IL-13 gene-targeted (IL-13-/-) mice induced allergic disease that was characterized by pulmonary eosinophilia and AHR to beta-methacholine. A...

The immunoregulatory functions of IL-4 and IL-5 have identified these cytokines as primary targets for the resolution of airways inflammation and bronchial hyperreactivity in asthma. However, the individual contribution of each of these cytokines and of IL-5-regulated eosinophilia to the induction of airways hyperreactivity in mouse models of asthma remains highly controversial. In this investi...

Atopy is defined as the genetic propensity to develop immunoglobulin E antibodies in response to exposure to allergens and assessed by skin prick test (SPT) responses to common allergens, which may contribute to the development of the clinical disorders (phenotype). Although it is generally agreed that atopy is an important risk factor for allergic diseases such as asthma, rhinitis, and eczema,...