Patterns of topical corticosteroids prescriptions in children with asthma.

Objectives: To study topical corticosteroid use in Dutch asthmatic children using pharmacy dispensing data and to assess whether Dutch physicians prescribe topical corticosteroids in this population according to clinical guidelines.

Methods: Medication histories of children using asthma medication were extracted from the pharmacy dispensing system in 100 Dutch community pharmacies. The incidence rate and the potency of topical corticosteroid prescriptions per age were assessed.

Barriers and Facilitators to eHealth Use in Daily Practice: Perspectives of Patients and Professionals in Dermatology.

Background: The number of eHealth interventions in the management of chronic diseases such as atopic dermatitis (AD) is growing. Despite promising results, the implementation and use of these interventions is limited.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess opinions of the most important stakeholders influencing the implementation and use of eHealth services in daily dermatology practice.

Risk of Non-melanoma Skin Cancer in Patients with Atopic Dermatitis Treated with Oral Immunosuppressive Drugs.

There is uncertainty about the risk of developing non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), including basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) treated with oral immunosuppressive drugs. A total of 557 patients with AD treated with these drugs in the University Medical Center Utrecht and Groningen, the Netherlands, were analysed. NMSC after oral immunosuppressive treatment was reported in 18 patients (3.

Allergenicity and safety of recombinant human C1 esterase inhibitor in patients with allergy to rabbit or cow's milk.

Background: Recombinant human C1 inhibitor (rhC1INH) for on-demand treatment of hereditary angioedema is purified from milk of transgenic rabbits. It contains low amounts (<0.002%) of host-related impurities, which could trigger hypersensitivity reactions in patients with rabbit allergy (RA) and/or cow's milk allergy (CMA).

Is There an Additional Value of Inpatient Treatment for Patients with Atopic Dermatitis?

An inpatient treatment and education programme has been developed for patients with difficult to control atopic dermatitis (AD), with the aim of achieving adequate self-management and long-term disease control. This observational study included adult patients diagnosed with difficult to control AD, admitted for a structured inpatient treatment and education programme. The primary outcome was the Six Area, Six Sign Atopic Dermatitis (SASSAD) score.

Combinatorial Screening Identifies Novel Promiscuous Matrix Metalloproteinase Activities that Lead to Inhibition of the Therapeutic Target IL-13.

The practical realization of disease modulation by catalytic degradation of a therapeutic target protein suffers from the difficulty to identify candidate proteases, or to engineer their specificity. We identified 23 measurable, specific, and new protease activities using combinatorial screening of 27 human proteases against 24 therapeutic protein targets. We investigate the cleavage of monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-13 by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and serine proteases, and demonstrate that cleavage of IL-13 leads to potent inhibition of its biological activity in vitro.

Serum creatinine levels during and after long-term treatment with cyclosporine A in patients with severe atopic dermatitis.

Safety data with respect to kidney function during long-term treatment with cyclosporine A (CsA) in patients with atopic dermatitis is limited. Data on serum creatinine levels before, during and after CsA treatment were collected in a retrospective cohort of adult patients with atopic dermatitis. The median duration of treatment of 150 patients was 280 days (interquartile range 203-528 days).

Food allergy in the Netherlands: differences in clinical severity, causative foods, sensitization and DBPCFC between community and outpatients.

Background: It is unknown whether food allergy (FA) in an unselected population is comparable to those from an outpatient clinic population.

Objective: To discover if FA in a random sample from the Dutch community is comparable to that of outpatients.

Methods: This study was part of the Europrevall-project.

Specific IgE to fish extracts does not predict allergy to specific species within an adult fish allergic population.

Background: Fish is an important cause of food allergy. Studies on fish allergy are scarce and in most cases limited to serological evaluation. Our objective was to study patterns of self-reported allergy and tolerance to different commonly consumed fish species and its correlation to IgE sensitization to the same species.

Characterization of T cell epitopes in bovine α-lactalbumin.

Background: Recent studies have indicated that peptides containing T cell epitopes may be used for immunotherapy. While for several cow's milk allergens the T cell epitopes have been described, the T cell epitopes in the major allergen α-lactalbumin (α-LAC) are unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the T cell epitopes in α-LAC.

Food allergen sensitization pattern in adults in relation to severity of atopic dermatitis.

Background: Limited data are available on the frequency of IgE mediated food sensitization and food allergy (FA) in adults with atopic dermatitis (AD).

Objective: We investigated the pattern of food sensitization in adults with AD in relation to AD severity using multiplexed allergen microarray.

Methods: 211 adult patients referred between January 2010-July 2011 for evaluation of AD were unselectively included.

Comparing high altitude treatment with current best care in Dutch children with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (and asthma): study protocol for a pragmatic randomized controlled trial (DAVOS trial).

Background: About 10 to 20% of children in West European countries have atopic dermatitis (AD), often as part of the atopic syndrome. The full atopic syndrome also consists of allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis and food allergy. Treatment approaches for atopic dermatitis and asthma include intermittent anti-inflammatory therapy with corticosteroids, health education and self-management training.

Ara h 2 is the best predictor for peanut allergy in adults.

Background: Specific IgE (sIgE) to Ara h 2 as a clinical predictor for peanut allergy in children has a diagnostic value comparable with a prediction model that contains sex, skin prick test (SPT), sIgE to peanut extract, and total IgE minus sIgE. In adults, the diagnostic value of peanut components has not yet been studied.

Objective: To validate a pediatric prediction model in an adult population; to define the diagnostic value of sIgE to peanut components.

Quality of life is more impaired in patients seeking medical care for food allergy.

Background: Food allergy (FA) affects 2-4% of adults, but only a small percentage visit an outpatient clinic for a thorough evaluation.

Methods: A matched case-control study was used to compare health-related quality of life (HRQL) of the Dutch general population that did not seek medical care for their FA with outpatients who did seek medical care. All participants were diagnosed as food allergic (i.

Oral treatment with β-lactoglobulin peptides prevents clinical symptoms in a mouse model for cow's milk allergy.

Background: Prior exposure to partial whey hydrolysates has been shown to reduce the allergic response to whey in mice. This effect was more pronounced in combination with a diet containing non-digestible oligosaccharides (scGOS/lcFOS/pAOS). It is unknown which fractions/epitopes are responsible for this effect.

IgG antibodies in food allergy influence allergen-antibody complex formation and binding to B cells: a role for complement receptors.

Allergen-IgE complexes are more efficiently internalized and presented by B cells than allergens alone. It has been suggested that IgG Abs induced by immunotherapy inhibit these processes. Food-allergic patients have high allergen-specific IgG levels.

Tolerance to alternative cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors in nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug hypersensitive patients.

Background: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) frequently cause adverse drug reactions. Many studies have shown that drugs which selectively inhibit the cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme (COX-2) are safe alternatives in the majority of patients. However, hypersensitivity reactions to COX-2 inhibitors have been published.

[Allergy testing in atopic dermatitis: often unnecessary].

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease from which many children and adults suffer. In the Netherlands, the majority of patients with AD are treated in the primary health care setting. There is no clear consensus about whether or not to conduct allergy testing in patients with AD.