BACKGROUND Airway wall remodeling in allergic asthma is reduced after treatment with humanized anti-IgE-antibodies. We reported earlier that purified IgE, without the presence of allergens, is sufficient to induce airway wall remodeling due to airway smooth muscle cell (ASMC) activity deposing extracellular matrix. OBJECTIVE We postulate that IgE contained in serum of allergic asthma patients...

INTRODUCTION AND RATIONALE Previous studies have shown that delayed neutrophil apoptosis is associated with chronic airway diseases. Leptin is an adipocyte-derived hormone that acts as a regulator of energy homeostasis and food intake. Emerging evidence suggests that leptin can regulate immune responses including the release of proinflammatory cytokines and protection of inflammatory cells from...

Background: Allergic rhinitis is one of the most common forms of allergic disorders affecting children. The prevalence rate of allergic rhinitis differs among countries and even among regions within the same country.   Objectives: To determine the prevalence of childhood allergic rhinitis and the presence and significance of eosinophilia in nasal secretions.   Method: 4584 children aged 11-15 y...

BACKGROUND A close relation between asthma and allergic rhinitis has been reported by several epidemiological and clinical studies. However, the nature of this relation remains unclear. We used the follow-up data from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey to investigate the onset of asthma in patients with allergic and non-allergic rhinitis during an 8.8-year period. METHODS We did...

Nasal cytology is a very useful diagnostic tool in nasal disorders, being able to detect both the cellular modifications of the nasal epithelium caused by either allergen exposure or irritative stimuli (that may be physical or chemical, acute or chronic), or inflammation. Over these past few years, nasal cytology has allowed to identify new disorders, such as the non-allergic rhinitis with eosi...

BACKGROUND Several null-mutations in the FLG gene that produce a decrease or absence of filaggrin in the skin and predispose to atopic dermatitis and ichthyosis vulgaris have been described. The relationship with asthma is less clear and may be due to the influence of atopy in patients with associated asthma. METHODS Four hundred individuals were included, 300 patients diagnosed with asthma d...

Nasal cytology is a very useful diagnostic tool in nasal disorders, being able to detect both the cellular modifications of the nasal epithelium caused by either allergen exposure or irritative stimuli (that may be physical or chemical, acute or chronic), or inflammation. Over these past few years, nasal cytology has allowed to identify new disorders, such as the non-allergic rhinitis with eosi...

many patients with atopic eczema (ae) would “march” to develop allergic rhinitis (ar) and asthma. physicians, patients and their families often do not appreciate the significance of these diseases as co-morbidities of atopy. the aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and severity of airway atopies in patients with ae. ar and asthma severity were assessed in consecutive ae patients see...

INTRODUCTION MicroRNAs (miRNAs) contribute to the regulation of dendritic cell (DC) polarization, thereby influencing the balance of adaptive immune responses. Herein, we studied the expression of miRNAs in polarized DCs and analyzed whether expression of these miRNAs could be associated with allergic rhinitis and allergen immunotherapy (AIT) outcome. METHOD Using specific culture conditions,...