The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology
-
J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Sep 2011
Review Case ReportsEvaluation of the child with recurrent wheezing.
-
J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Sep 2011
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyA randomized, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study of single-dose omalizumab in patients with H1-antihistamine-refractory chronic idiopathic urticaria.
Proof-of-concept studies with omalizumab in patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) have shown significant decreases in mean urticaria activity scores (UASs). ⋯ This study demonstrated that a fixed dose of 300 or 600 mg of omalizumab provides rapid and effective treatment of CIU in patients who are symptomatic despite treatment with H(1)-antihistamines.
-
J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Sep 2011
Effects of obesity and bariatric surgery on airway hyperresponsiveness, asthma control, and inflammation.
Asthma in obese subjects is poorly understood, and these patients are often refractory to standard therapy. ⋯ Bariatric surgery improves AHR in obese asthmatic patients with normal serum IgE levels. Weight loss has dichotomous effects on airway physiology and T-cell function typically involved in the pathogenesis of asthma, suggesting that obesity produces a unique phenotype of asthma that will require a distinct therapeutic approach.
-
J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Sep 2011
Decreased lung function after preschool wheezing rhinovirus illnesses in children at risk to develop asthma.
Preschool rhinovirus (RV) wheezing illnesses predict an increased risk of childhood asthma; however, it is not clear how specific viral illnesses in early life relate to lung function later on in childhood. ⋯ Among outpatient viral wheezing illnesses in early childhood, those caused by RV infections are the most significant predictors of decreased lung function up to age 8 years in a high-risk birth cohort. Whether low lung function is a cause and/or effect of RV wheezing illnesses is yet to be determined.
-
J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Sep 2011
ReviewEvidence of a genetic contribution to lung function decline in asthma.
There has been great progress in identifying new asthma susceptibility genes. In asthmatic subjects there is variable airway remodeling that includes features such as smooth muscle hypertrophy/hyperplasia, basement membrane thickening, and increased extracellular matrix deposition. Does airway remodeling have a genetic contribution in asthma? Data from different murine strains suggest there is a genetic contribution to the development and progression of airway remodeling. ⋯ To date, single nucleotide polymorphisms spanning ADAM33, ESR1, PLAUR, and VEGF have been associated with an excess decline in lung function in asthmatic subjects carrying the rare alleles (FEV(1), -13.0 to 55.2 mL/y excess). Interestingly these genes have overlapping functions in proteolytic pathways in the airways. There is accumulating evidence that genetic factors are important in the development of airway remodeling in asthmatic subjects, and further longitudinal studies with additional remodeling phenotypes and genome-wide association studies will identify novel susceptibility genes, leading to new approaches to target remodeling in asthmatic subjects.