Articles

Pleiotropic microRNA-21 in pulmonary remodeling: novel insights for molecular mechanism and present advancements

MicroRNA-21 (miR-21), probably one of the most studied miRNAs to date, is found pleiotropic in various biological events. Its emerging role in pulmonary remodeling has attracted extensive attention. This revie...

Authors: Congshan Jiang, Yuanxu Guo, Hongchuan Yu, Shemin Lu and Liesu Meng

Genotype-first analysis of a generally healthy population cohort supports genetic testing for diagnosis of hereditary angioedema of unknown cause

Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a potentially life-threatening group of conditions that is often underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed. As HAE is typically diagnosed by detecting C1 inhibitor deficiency, there is a cr...

Authors: Dale L. Bodian, Thierry Vilboux and Natalie S. Hauser

Health effects of diesel engine exhaust emissions exposure (DEEE) can mimic allergic asthma and rhinitis

Patients presenting to Accident and Emergency (A&E) facilities with dyspnoea, coughing, wheezing and nasal blockage are presumed to have allergic asthma and/or rhinitis. Occupational asthma (OA), which has sim...

Authors: Elopy Sibanda and Nancy Makaza

Stability of peripheral blood immune markers in patients with asthma

Asthma is a complex disease with variable course. Efforts to identify biomarkers to predict asthma severity, the course of disease and response to treatment have not been very successful so far. We have previo...

Authors: Nami Shrestha Palikhe, Ana-Maria Bosonea, Cheryl Laratta, Vivek Dipak Gandhi, Drew Nahirney, Angela Hillaby, Miranda Bowen, Mohit Bhutani, Irvin Mayers, Lisa Cameron and Harissios Vliagoftis

Association of molds and metrological parameters to frequency of severe asthma exacerbation

Sensitization to airborne molds may be a risk factor for severe asthma and direct cause of asthma exacerbation (AE).

Authors: Mona Al-Ahmad, Edin Jusufovic, Nermina Arifhodzic, Tito Rodriguez and Jasmina Nurkic

Variants in the IL17 pathway genes are associated with atopic asthma and atopy makers in a South American population

Asthma is a complex disorder with multiple phenotypes which can influence its severity and response to treatment. The T_H17 lymphocytes producing IL-17A and IL17-F cytokines, may have a role on asthma inflammation...

Authors: Milca de J. Silva, Maria B. R. de Santana, Bruna R. Tosta, Roberta P. Espinheira, Neuza Maria Alcantara-Neves, Maurício L. Barreto, Camila Alexandrina Figueiredo and Ryan dos S. Costa

Sublingual immunotherapy tablet for the treatment of house dust mite allergic rhinitis in Canada: an alternative to minimize treatment costs?

A cost-minimization analysis (CMA) was performed to estimate the economic impact of introducing the SQ house dust mite sublingual immunotherapy (SQ HDM SLIT)-tablet marketed as ACARIZAX™ (regulatory approval M...

Authors: Anne K. Ellis, Rémi Gagnon, Eva Hammerby and Andrea Lau

Evaluation of eczema, asthma, allergic rhinitis and allergies among the grade-7 children of Iqaluit

Little is known about the prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinitis, eczema and allergies among Canadian Inuit children, especially those living in the arctic and subarctic areas.

Authors: Ahmed Ahmed and Allan Becker

Autoimmune thyroid disease and urticarial vasculitis: is there a significant association?

Little is known about the association of urticarial vasculitis (UV) with thyroid autoimmunity. The latter has been mostly described in the setting of patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). In this ...

Authors: Ivan Cherrez-Ojeda, Emanuel Vanegas, Valeria L. Mata, Miguel Felix, German D. Ramon, Sofia Cherrez and Annia Cherrez

The complex pathophysiology of allergic rhinitis: scientific rationale for the development of an alternative treatment option

Allergic rhinitis (AR) poses a global health problem and can be challenging to treat. Many of the current symptomatic treatments for AR have been available for decades, yet there has been little improvement in...

Authors: Leif Bjermer, Marit Westman, Mats Holmström and Magnus C. Wickman

Enhanced interleukin-8 production in mononuclear cells in severe pediatric obstructive sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, and cognitive dysfunction. Current thinking links chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) with oxidative stress and sy...

Authors: Danbing Ke, Yuji Kitamura, Duncan Lejtenyi, Bruce Mazer, Robert T. Brouillette and Karen Brown

Correction to: Eosinophilic esophagitis

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an atopic condition of the esophagus that has become increasingly recognized over the last 15 years. Diagnosis of the disorder is dependent on the patient’s clinical manifesta...

Authors: Stuart Carr, Edmond S. Chan and Wade Watson

Proceedings of AllerGen 2019 Research Conference

Authors:

Omalizumab in patients with severe asthma and persistent sputum eosinophilia

Omalizumab, a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the IgE molecule, is the first biologic approved for moderate-to-severe allergic asthmatics, who remain uncontrolled despite high dose inhaled ...

Authors: Manali Mukherjee, Melanie Kjarsgaard, Katherine Radford, Chynna Huang, Richard Leigh, Delbert R. Dorscheid, Catherine Lemiere, Louis-Philippe Boulet, Susan Waserman, James Martin and Parameswaran Nair

Variability in total serum IgE over 1 year in severe asthmatics

Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is the treatment target of omalizumab, a monoclonal antibody indicated in the treatment of severe allergic asthma. Long-term variability of serum total IgE (sIgE_tot) in asthmatics remains p...

Authors: Renaud Louis, Charles Pilette, Olivier Michel, Alain Michils, Guy Brusselle, Antoine Poskin, Jan Van Schoor, Kris Denhaerynck, Stefaan Vancayzeele, Ivo Abraham and Sandra Gurdain

Severe anaphylaxis after pelvic examination: a case report of dual latex and chlorhexidine allergies

Natural rubber latex and chlorhexidine have previously been identified as causative substances in perioperative anaphylaxis. A pelvic examinations is generally considered noninvasive, however, this procedure i...

Authors: Mongkhon Sompornrattanaphan, Piyawut Kreetapirom, Yuttana Srinoulprasert, Duangjit Kanistanon, Anchalika Klinniyom, Chamard Wongsa and Torpong Thongngarm

Pruritus in patients with amyopathic dermatomyositis

Amyopathic dermatomyositis has been associated with the exposure to several drugs: the article by Jeimy et al. described the onset of this uncommon disease in a patient treated with omalizumab. Paradoxically, ...

Authors: Dimitri Poddighe, Zaure Mukusheva and Maikesh Assylbekova

Association between abdominal obesity and asthma: a meta-analysis

Studies evaluating the association between abdominal obesity and asthma yielded conflict results. Whether abdominal obesity is positively associated with asthma remains unclear.

Authors: Di Jiang, Liwen Wang, Chenxiao Bai and Ou Chen

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha and Fas/Fas ligand signaling pathways in chronic spontaneous urticaria

There is increasing evidence pointing to the important role of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), a key inflammatory and apoptotic mediator in urticarial inflammation. However, the role of the TNF-α system a...

Authors: R. Grzanka, A. Damasiewicz-Bodzek and A. Kasperska-Zajac

Availability and affordability of medicines and diagnostic tests recommended for management of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review

Early accurate diagnosis and sustainable availability of affordable medicines and diagnostic tests is fundamental in optimal management of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We systematic...

Authors: Davis Kibirige, Richard E. Sanya, Rebecca Nantanda, William Worodria and Bruce Kirenga

Indirect comparison of intravenous vs. subcutaneous C1-inhibitor placebo-controlled trials for routine prevention of hereditary angioedema attacks

For prophylaxis of hereditary angioedema (HAE) attacks, replacement therapy with human C1-inhibitor (C1-INH) treatment is approved and available as intravenous [C1-INH(IV)] (Cinryze^®) and subcutaneous [C1-INH(SC)...

Authors: Jonathan A. Bernstein, Huamin Henry Li, Timothy J. Craig, Michael E. Manning, John-Philip Lawo, Thomas Machnig, Girishanthy Krishnarajah and Moshe Fridman

Proceedings of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting 2018

Authors:

Mediastinal abscess, an unusual way of presentation of eosinophilic esophagitis

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is one of the most prevalent esophageal diseases and the leading cause of dysphagia and food impaction in children and young adults. EoE represents a chronic, local immune-mediat...

Authors: Paul Gisasola, Ainara Iriarte, Martha Rosa Larez, Laura Casanova and Luis Bujanda

Acquired cow’s milk sensitization after liver transplant in an adult: “clinical implications” and future strategies

Identifying the mechanisms responsible for the development of food allergy in liver transplant recipients is more complex as there are several different clinical scenarios related to the immunological function...

Authors: C. Caruso, E. Pinter, E. Poli, F. Ferri, M. Merli, S. Colantuono, G. Mennini, F. Melandro, G. Rumi, R. Galandrini and S. Ginanni Corradini

A systematic review of epinephrine stability and sterility with storage in a syringe

Epinephrine is a lifesaving medication in the treatment of anaphylaxis. Epinephrine auto-injectors are the preferred method of epinephrine administration, but are not universally available or affordable. Littl...

Authors: Hannah G. Parish, Jacquelyn R. Morton and Julie C. Brown

Immediate hypersensitivity to polyethylene glycols in unrelated products: when standardization in the nomenclature of the components of drugs, cosmetics, and food becomes necessary

Polyethylene glycols (PEGs) and their derivatives are non-ionic polymers of ethylene oxide commercially available with numerous synonyms, such as macrogol, oxyethylene polymer, and laureth-9. Although these po...

Authors: Vicente Jover Cerdá, Ramón Rodríguez Pacheco, Joan Doménech Witek, Francisco Manuel Marco de la Calle and María Luz de la Sen Fernández

Changing the culture is a marathon not a sprint

Integrated knowledge translation (IKT) is built upon the premise that involving knowledge users as partners in the research process will result in science that is more relevant to the public and therefore will...

Authors: Jenna Dixon and Susan J. Elliott

Retrospective analysis of aeroallergen’s sensitization patterns in Edmonton, Canada

Sensitization to common environmental aeroallergens plays a significant role in the pathogenesis and severity of respiratory allergic disorders, specifically asthma and allergic rhinitis. Understanding sensiti...

Authors: Hanan Ahmed, Maria B. Ospina, Kyriaki Sideri and Harissios Vliagoftis

West Nile virus encephalitis in GATA2 deficiency

We report a male with longstanding warts who presented with severe West Nile virus encephalitis (WNVE) and recovered after interferon alfa-2b and intravenous immunoglobulin. He was later found to have GATA2 de...

Authors: Jaime S. Rosa, Shanthi Kappagoda, Amy P. Hsu, Joie Davis, Steven M. Holland and Anne Y. Liu

Dermatomyositis associated with omalizumab therapy for severe asthma: a case report

Omalizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody widely used for treatment of persistent allergic asthma and antihistamine-refractory chronic urticaria. Immediate adverse events to omalizumab are well characteriz...

Authors: Samira Jeimy, Pari Basharat and Fiona Lovegrove

A retrospective study of clinical features of cough variant asthma in Chinese adults

Clinical features of cough variant asthma (CVA) in Chinese adults are largely uncertain.

Authors: Weiping Liu, Huaping Chen, Dehua Zhang, Feng Wu and Liqin Zhou

IL2RG hypomorphic mutation: identification of a novel pathogenic mutation in exon 8 and a review of the literature

Atypical X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (X-SCID) is a variant of cellular immunodeficiency due to hypomorphic mutations in the interleukin 2 receptor gamma (IL2RG) gene. Due to a leaky clinical phenoty...

Authors: Che Kang Lim, Hassan Abolhassani, Sofia K. Appelberg, Mikael Sundin and Lennart Hammarström

Melkersson–Rosenthal syndrome: a case report of a rare disease with overlapping features

Melkersson–Rosenthal syndrome (MRS) is a rare, neuro-mucocutaneous disease which presents as orofacial swelling, facial palsy and fissured tongue. These symptoms may occur simultaneously or, more frequently, w...

Authors: Mauro Cancian, Stefano Giovannini, Annalisa Angelini, Marny Fedrigo, Raffaele Bendo, Riccardo Senter and Stefano Sivolella

Airway reversibility in asthma and phenotypes of Th2-biomarkers, lung function and disease control

High bronchodilator reversibility in adult asthma is associated with distinct clinical characteristics. In this study, we aim to make a comparison with T-helper 2 (Th2)-related biomarkers, lung function and as...

Authors: Jianghong Wei, Libing Ma, Jiying Wang, Qing Xu, Meixi Chen, Ming Jiang, Miao Luo, Jingjie Wu, Weiwei She, Shuyuan Chu and Biwen Mo

Dose omission to shorten methacholine challenge testing: clinical consequences of the use of a 10% fall in FEV₁ threshold

In methacholine challenge testing (MCT), skipping a methacholine dose is suggested if FEV₁ falls by < 5%. Using a larger threshold may further shorten test duration, but data supporting this hypothesis is lacking...

Authors: Valérie Lévesque, Claude Poirier and Bruno-Pierre Dubé

Serum periostin levels in adults of Chinese descent: an observational study

Periostin has been shown to be a marker of Type 2 airway inflammation, associated with airway eosinophilia. It has a potential role in identifying asthmatics who may be responsive to treatment with monoclonal ...

Authors: Evan Tan, Rachel Varughese, Ruth Semprini, Barney Montgomery, Cecile Holweg, Julie Olsson, Rachel Caswell-Smith, James Fingleton, Mark Weatherall, Richard Beasley and Irene Braithwaite

Superior effect of MP-AzeFlu than azelastine or fluticasone propionate alone on reducing inflammatory markers

MP-AzeFlu, intranasal formulation of azelastine hydrochloride (AZE) and fluticasone propionate (FP), is superior to AZE or FP alone for treatment of allergic rhinitis (AR). However, the precise anti-inflammato...

Authors: Jordi Roca-Ferrer, Laura Pujols, Maria Pérez-González, Isam Alobid, Borja Callejas, Sònia Vicens-Artés, Mireya Fuentes, Antonio Valero, César Picado, Dennis Castor, DucTung Nguyen and Joaquim Mullol

Review of cold-induced urticaria characteristics, diagnosis and management in a Western Canadian allergy practice

Cold-induced urticaria is a significant condition, especially among young females. Despite the morbidity of this disease, studies that fully characterize the disease are limited.

Authors: Peter Stepaniuk, Kateryna Vostretsova and Amin Kanani

Environmental exposure to agrochemicals and allergic diseases in preschool children in high grown tea plantations of Sri Lanka

Exposure to agrochemicals is one of the many aetiological agents, postulated to cause allergic diseases. In this study, we have compared the prevalence of allergic diseases among preschool children growing in ...

Authors: Sanath Thushara Kudagammana and Keerthi Mohotti

Eligibility of monoclonal antibody-based therapy for patients with severe asthma: a Canadian cross-sectional perspective

Based on immunologic phenotypes underlying asthma, use of monoclonal antibody based therapies is becoming the new standard of care for severe, corticosteroid refractory clinical symptoms. Patients may qualify ...

Authors: Samira Jeimy, Michael William Tsoulis, Julie Hachey and Harold Kim

The diagnosis of hereditary angioedema with C1 inhibitor deficiency: a survey of Canadian physicians and laboratories

Hereditary angioedema due to C1 inhibitor deficiency (C1-INH-HAE) is an autosomal dominant disease resulting in random and unpredictable attacks of swelling. The swelling in C1-INH-HAE is a result of impaired ...

Authors: Xavier Charest-Morin, Stephen Betschel, Rozita Borici-Mazi, Amin Kanani, Gina Lacuesta, Georges-Étienne Rivard, Eric Wagner, Susan Wasserman, Bill Yang and Christian Drouet

Prevalence of allergic and nonallergic rhinitis in a rural area of northern China based on sensitization to specific aeroallergens

Most epidemiologic studies reporting prevalence of allergic rhinitis (AR) and nonallergic rhinitis (NAR) have assessed solely self-reported prevalence, without confirmation by objective measures. Furthermore, ...

Authors: Yanran Huang, Yuan Zhang and Luo Zhang

Characterization of tenascin-C as a novel biomarker for asthma: utility of tenascin-C in combination with periostin or immunoglobulin E

Extracellular matrix proteins tenascin-C (TNC) and periostin, which were identified as T-helper cell type 2 cytokine-induced genes in human bronchial epithelial cells, accumulate in the airway basement membran...

Authors: Mina Yasuda, Norihiro Harada, Sonoko Harada, Ayako Ishimori, Yoko Katsura, Yukinari Itoigawa, Kei Matsuno, Fumihiko Makino, Jun Ito, Junya Ono, Kazunori Tobino, Hisaya Akiba, Ryo Atsuta, Kenji Izuhara and Kazuhisa Takahashi

Fetal cord blood and tissue immune responses to chronic placental inflammation and chorioamnionitis

Chorioamnionitis is a risk factor for future asthma development. Animal models of chorioamnionitis demonstrate increased T_H17-to-T_reg ratios associated with proinflammatory cytokine elevations. The association of...

Authors: Anne Marie Singh, Michael G. Sherenian, Kwang-Youn Kim, Kristin A. Erickson, Amy Yang, Karen Mestan, Linda M. Ernst and Rajesh Kumar

The clinical burden of allergic rhinitis in five Middle Eastern countries: results of the SNAPSHOT program

The SNAPSHOT program provides current data on the allergic rhinitis burden in the adult general population of five Middle Eastern countries (Egypt, Turkey, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, th...

Authors: Ahmed Al-Digheari, Bassam Mahboub, Hesham Tarraf, Taskin Yucel, Isabella Annesi-Maesano, Adam Doble, Aaicha Lahlou, Luqman Tariq, Fayaz Aziz and Abdelkader El Hasnaoui

Subcutaneous immunotherapy induces alterations in monocytes and dendritic cells homeostasis in allergic rhinitis patients

Specific subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) can achieve long-term remission in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) through complex and still unknown mechanisms. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect ...

Authors: Letícia Sousa, Carmen Martín-Sierra, Celso Pereira, Graça Loureiro, Beatriz Tavares, Susana Pedreiro, António Martinho and Artur Paiva

Hematopoietic cell transplantation for asymptomatic X-linked lymphoproliferative syndrome type 1

X-linked lymphoproliferative disease type 1 (XLP1) is a rare primary immune deficiency, which is caused by SH2D1A gene mutations. XLP1 is commonly associated with Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-associated hemophagocyti...

Authors: Akihiro Tamura, Suguru Uemura, Nobuyuki Yamamoto, Atsuro Saito, Aiko Kozaki, Kenji Kishimoto, Toshiaki Ishida, Daiichiro Hasegawa, Haruka Hiroki, Tsubasa Okano, Kohsuke Imai, Tomohiro Morio, Hirokazu Kanegane and Yoshiyuki Kosaka

Aberrant localization of FOXJ1 correlates with the disease severity and comorbidities in patients with nasal polyps

Upper airway inflammatory diseases are associated with abnormal expression of nasal epithelial forkhead-box J1 (FOXJ1) which regulates motile cilia formation. We sought to investigate whether aberrant FOXJ1 lo...

Authors: Yang Peng, Wei-jie Guan, Kai Sen Tan, Zhenchao Zhu, Zhuo Chen, Haiyu Hong, Zhaoni Wang, Tengfei Tian, Xiaoxue Zi, Yew Kwang Ong, Mark Thong, Li Shi, Qintai Yang, Qianhui Qiu and De-Yun Wang

Aetiology of anaphylaxis in patients referred to an immunology clinic in Colombo, Sri Lanka

The aetiology of anaphylaxis differs according to types of foods consumed, fauna and foliage and cultural practices. Although the aetiology of anaphylaxis in Western countries are well known, the causes in Sou...

Authors: Nilhan Rajiva de Silva, W. M. D. K. Dasanayake, Chandima Karunatilake, Geethani Devika Wickramasingha, B. D. De Silva and Gathsauri Neelika Malavige

Sweet syndrome: a rare feature of ANCA-associated vasculitis or unusual consequence of azathioprine-induced treatment

Sweet syndrome is a rare skin condition characterised by fever, neutrophilia, and tender erythematous skin lesions and has been reported to occur in association with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANC...

Authors: A. U. Arun Kumar, Mohamed E. Elsayed, Ahmed Alghali, Alaa A. Ali, Husham Mohamed, Wael Hussein, Catriona Hackett, Niamh Leonard and Austin G. Stack