Asian Pac J Allergy
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Asian Pac J Allergy · Jun 2016
Minimal clinical important difference (MCID) of the Thai Chronic Urticaria Quality of Life Questionnaire (CU-Q2oL).
Chronic urticaria (CU) has negative impacts on patients' daily lives. The Chronic Urticaria Quality of Life Questionnaire (CU-Q2oL) evaluates quality of life impairment attitudes among chronic urticaria patients. Although the CU-Q2oL has been validated in several languages, the minimal clinical important difference (MCID) of the CU-Q2oL has never been determined. ⋯ The Thai CU-Q2oL is a valid and reliable instrument. We propose that a difference in the Thai CU-Q2oL score of 15 (MCID) is the smallest change patients perceive as a meaningful improvement.
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Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are innate-like T cells that recognize microbial infection via vitamin metabolites. The discovery of MAIT cells in the past two decades and the recent discovery of MR1 ligands has opened a new field and potential area for cellular immunotherapy using these unique cells. Their evolutionary conservation in mammals underscore their biological role in the host. In the past two years, we have been involved in the generation of MR1 tetramers as a tool for identification of these cells. Many groups have studied the role of these cells in clinical diseases. ⋯ MAIT cells are potential candidates for future cellular immunotherapy. However, more understanding of the biological role of MAIT cells need to be elucidated first.
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Exposure to indoor pollutants and allergens has been speculated to cause asthma symptoms and exacerbations and influence the risk of developing asthma. The aim of this article is to review the medical literature regarding the role of the indoor environment on inner-city childhood asthma. ⋯ Inner-city children are exposed to various indoor allergens and pollutants that may lead to asthma development and exacerbation of existing asthma. Multifaceted environmental controls are beneficial in improving asthma symptom and maybe a viable prevention strategy. Further prospective studies of environmental intervention are needed to further identify effective strategies to improve and prevent asthma symptoms in inner-city children.
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Asian Pac J Allergy · Mar 2014
An unexpected role for serum uric acid as a biomarker for severity of asthma exacerbation.
Although the increased uric acid (UA) levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and pulmonary tissue homogenate in asthmatic patients or animal models are well established, changes in serum UA(sUA) levels during asthma exacerbation are uncertain. ⋯ sUA levels increased at onset of asthma exacerbation, subsided during the course of exacerbation, and had a negative association with lung function. sUA may be a valuable biomarker for the severity of asthma exacerbation.
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Acute asthmatic attack in children commonly occurs despite the introduction of effective controllers such as inhaled corticosteroids and leukotriene modifiers. Treatment of acute asthmatic attack requires proper evaluation of attack severity and appropriate selection of medical therapy. In children, measurement of lung function is difficult during acute attack and thus clinical asthma scoring may aid physician in making further decision regarding treatment and admission. ⋯ A Clinical Asthma Score that is simple, relatively easy to administer and with good validity and variability is essential for treatment of acute asthma in children. Several good candidate scores have been introduced in the past. We described the development of the Siriraj Clinical Asthma Score (SCAS) in this report and reviewed the literature on the development of clinical asthma score for use in children.