Oral immunotherapy: The answer to peanut allergy?

Peanut and tree-nut allergies have increased dramatically in prevalence, especially in children. Historically, children with food allergies have been treated through strict avoidance of the allergen. Recently, an oral preparation of peanut allergen (Palforzia) was approved for immunotherapy (ie, desensitization) in children 4 to 17 years old.

The Exposome and Asthma.

This article on exposome and asthma focuses on the interaction of patients and their environments in various parts of their growth, development, and stages of life. Indoor and outdoor environments play a role in pathogenesis via levels and duration of exposure, with genetic susceptibility as a crucial factor that alters the initiation and trajectory of common conditions such as asthma. Knowledge of environmental exposures globally and changes that are occurring is necessary to function effectively as medical professionals and health advocates.

Intrasubject Variability in Total IgE Levels in Patients with Moderate to Severe Persistent Allergic Asthma Over 1 Year.

Background: Longitudinal variability in serum IgE levels has not been prospectively studied in people with moderate to severe allergic asthma.

Objective: We investigated change in serum IgE concentrations over 1 year, and its relationship with lung function, asthma control, asthma pharmacotherapy, allergy season, asthma exacerbations, body mass index, and demographic factors.

Methods: Seventeen patients with moderate to severe persistent allergic asthma were followed for 1 year.

Hyaluronan and Its Heavy Chain Modification in Asthma Severity and Experimental Asthma Exacerbation.

Hyaluronan (HA) is a large (>1500 kDa) polysaccharide of the extracellular matrix that has been linked to severity and inflammation in asthma. During inflammation, HA becomes covalently modified with heavy chains (HC-HA) from inter-α-inhibitor (IαI), which functions to increase its avidity for leukocytes. Our murine model of allergic pulmonary inflammation suggested that HC-HA may contribute to inflammation, adversely effecting lower airway remodeling and asthma severity.