The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Mar 2006
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative StudyAsthma control can be maintained when fluticasone propionate/salmeterol in a single inhaler is stepped down.
Asthma control is the goal of treatment, but little data exist to support treatment strategies for stepping down treatment once control has been achieved. ⋯ In patients achieving asthma control with FSC 250/50 microg twice daily, stepping treatment down to a lower dose of FSC 100/50 microg twice daily is more effective than switching to an inhaled corticosteroid alone.
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Mar 2006
IPEADAM study: indoor endotoxin exposure, family status, and some housing characteristics in English children.
Many environmental factors have been investigated to determine their involvement in the asthma epidemic. ⋯ There are no direct clinical implications of this research, although it needs interpreting with other clinical data on endotoxin exposure in epidemiologic settings.
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Cytokines and chemokines are secreted proteins with growth, differentiation, and activation functions that regulate the nature of immune responses. Cytokines are involved in nearly every facet of immunity and inflammation, from induction of the innate immune response to the generation of cytotoxic T cells and the development of antibodies by the humoral immune system. The combination of cytokines that are produced in response to an immune insult determines which arm of the immune system will be activated. For this update, recent advances in our understanding of cytokines will be discussed, which includes the IL-10, IL-17, and IL-27 families.
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Feb 2006
Immediate allergic reactions to cephalosporins: evaluation of cross-reactivity with a panel of penicillins and cephalosporins.
Allergy to cephalosporins has mainly been evaluated in the context of patients with confirmed penicillin allergy. The problem of studying cross-reactivity in subjects primarily sensitized to cephalosporins and potentially allergic to penicillins has not been sufficiently addressed. ⋯ The R1 side chain rather than the betalactam structure, shared by penicillins and cephalosporins, seems to play a dominant role in determining the specificity of immunologic reactions to cephalosporins. Thus, penicillin can be administered safely to patients allergic to cephalosporins and with a negative skin test result to penicillin determinants.
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Feb 2006
Second symposium on the definition and management of anaphylaxis: summary report--Second National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease/Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network symposium.
There is no universal agreement on the definition of anaphylaxis or the criteria for diagnosis. In July 2005, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network convened a second meeting on anaphylaxis, which included representatives from 16 different organizations or government bodies, including representatives from North America, Europe, and Australia, to continue working toward a universally accepted definition of anaphylaxis, establish clinical criteria that would accurately identify cases of anaphylaxis with high precision, further review the evidence on the most appropriate management of anaphylaxis, and outline the research needs in this area.