Upper airway comorbidities of asthma.

Asthma, characterized as a chronic heterogeneous airway disease, often presents with common comorbid conditions. The concept of "one airway, one disease" was coined more than 20 years ago, emphasizing the connection between asthma and upper airway comorbidities (UACs) such as allergic or nonallergic rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis with or without nasal polyps, and aspirin/nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-exacerbated respiratory disease. Since then, numerous studies have demonstrated that UACs are closely related and affect asthma phenotypes.

Role of club cell 16-kDa secretory protein in asthmatic airways.

Background: Club cell 16-kDa secretory protein (CC16) is a pneumoprotein and functions as an anti-inflammatory or antioxidant protein. However, altered levels of serum CC16 as well as their effect on airways inflammation have not been fully evaluated.

Methods: We recruited 63 adult asthmatics on maintenance medications and 61 healthy controls (HCs).

Emerging Hop Japanese Pollinosis in Asia.

Hop Japanese (Hop J) pollen has been considered one of the major causative pollen allergens in Far East Asia in the autumn season. The sensitization rate, pollen count, and allergenicity of Hop J pollens are increasing in this region because of increased air pollution and global warming. However, commercial skin test agents for the diagnosis and allergen extracts for the allergen immunotherapy are not available.

Etiologies of altered level of consciousness in the emergency room.

Altered levels of consciousness (ALCs) is a challenging issue; however, data describing its etiology and frequency are lacking. This study aimed to clarify and classify the etiologies of ALCs in the emergency room (ER) and to evaluate their destinations and the form of discharge. This retrospective study included patients with an ALC who visited the ER of a university hospital between January 2018 and December 2020.

The HLA-B*13:01 and the dapsone hypersensitivity syndrome in Korean and Asian populations: genotype- and meta-analyses.

Background: The human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B*13:01 was reported as an important risk factor for dapsone hypersensitivity syndrome (DHS) in Chinese and Thai populations.

Research Design And Methods: From the Korean nationwide registry, seven subjects with previous DHS were included. Their HLA allele/phenotype frequencies were compared with 8 dapsone-tolerant subjects recruited from a single institution, and general population (n = 485) in Korea.

Serum Levels of Eosinophil-Derived Neurotoxin: A Biomarker for Asthma Severity in Adult Asthmatics.

Purpose: Eosinophilic inflammation is a key component of severe asthma (SA). However, there has been no reliable serum biomarker for the eosinophilic inflammation of SA. We hypothesized that serum eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN) could predict the eosinophilic inflammation of SA in adult asthmatics.

Therapeutic Effect of Omalizumab in Severe Asthma: A Real-World Study in Korea.

Purpose: Omalizumab, an anti-immunoglobulin E (IgE) monoclonal antibody, has proved to be effective for the treatment of severe asthma. However, there is no direct evidence of effectiveness of omalizumab in Korean patients with severe asthma. We sought to evaluate the real-world effectiveness of omalizumab in Korean adult patients suffering from severe asthma and to identify predictors of favorable response.

An update on the management of aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease.

Clinical features of aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) consist of moderate to severe asthma associated with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), which are derived from overproduction of cysteinyl leukotrienes along with chronic type 2 mediated inflammation in the upper and lower airway mucosa. Area covered: This review provides recent up-to-date information regarding phenotypes of AERD and encompasses comprehensive diagnostic methods and treatment options. To confirm the diagnosis of AERD, provocation testing via nasal, inhalation or the oral route of aspirin remains the gold standard; in vitro diagnostic methods are still not available.

A Retrospective Study of Clinical Response Predictors in Subcutaneous Allergen Immunotherapy With House Dust Mites for Allergic Rhinitis.

Purpose: House dust mites (HDM) are major allergens that cause allergic rhinitis (AR). Allergen-specific subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) has been shown to be clinically beneficial in many clinical trials. Such trials, however, are not reflective of all patient populations.

Detection of circulating IgG autoantibody to FcεRIα in sera from chronic spontaneous urticaria patients.

Backgrounds: Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is a common skin disorder characterized by itchy wheals of at least 6 weeks in duration, wherein the autoimmune mechanism is involved to activate IgE receptors (FcεRIα) on mast cells. We aimed to assess levels of IgG autoantibody against FcεRIα in sera from CSU patients using dot-blot immunoassay.

Methods: We performed a hospital-based cross-sectional study of 125 CSU patients (64 ASST-positive, 61 ASST-negative) and 64 age-and sex-matched healthy controls.

Prevalence and clinical characteristics of local allergic rhinitis to house dust mites.

Purpose Of Review: Local allergic rhinitis (LAR) is a recently classified subtype of rhinitis defined by a nasal allergic response in patients without systemic evidence of atopy. Recent studies have reported the prevalence, clinical course, culprit allergens, diagnostic methods and treatment outcomes of LAR. The purpose of this review is to summarize the most relevant and updated scientific evidence for LAR, especially focusing on its prevalence and clinical characteristics.

Potential Biomarkers for NSAID-Exacerbated Respiratory Disease.

Asthma is a common chronic disease with several variant phenotypes and endotypes. NSAID-exacerbated respiratory disease (NERD) is one such endotype characterized by asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with nasal polyps, and hypersensitivity to aspirin/cyclooxygenase-1 inhibitors. NERD is more associated with severe asthma than other asthma phenotypes.

Prevalence and Clinical Characteristics of Local Allergic Rhinitis to House Dust Mites.

Local allergic rhinitis (LAR) is a localized nasal allergic response in the absence of systemic atopy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and clinical characteristics of LAR in Korean rhinitis patients compared to allergic rhinitis (AR) and non-allergic rhinitis (NAR). A total of 304 rhinitis patients were enrolled from November 2014 to March 2016.

Subcutaneous Immunotherapy for Allergic Asthma in a Single Center of Korea: Efficacy, Safety, and Clinical Response Predictors.

Allergen-specific immunotherapy is the only causal treatment for allergic diseases. However, the efficacy of immunotherapy may vary around the world due to differences in climate, the nature of aero-allergens and their distribution. The aim of this study was to describe the effects of subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) in Korean adults with allergic asthma (AA).

Sleep quality in rheumatoid arthritis, and its association with disease activity in a Korean population.

Background/aims: The aim of this study was to compare the sleep quality between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and healthy controls; and to evaluate the relationship between RA disease activity and sleep quality in Korea.

Methods: A total of 130 RA patients and 67 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled in a comparative study of sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Age, gender, concomitant medication, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, serum C-reactive protein, Beck Depression Inventory second edition (BDI-II), 28 joints disease activity score (DAS28), pain visual analog scale (VAS), and PSQI were analyzed as covariates.