Atopic dermatitis: Correlation of distinct risk factors with age of onset in adulthood compared to childhood.

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) has long been regarded as a primarily pediatric disease. However, there is growing evidence for a high rate of adult-onset AD. We aimed to characterize factors associated with adult-onset versus childhood-onset AD and controls.

The abundance of Ruminococcus bromii is associated with faecal butyrate levels and atopic dermatitis in infancy.

Background: Impaired microbial development and decreased levels of short chain fatty acids, particularly butyrate, is suggested to have a role in the development of atopic dermatitis (AD).

Methods: Faecal microbiota composition, abundance of selected bacterial groups and fermentation metabolites were compared at 90, 180 and 360 days of life between 27 children who developed AD by age one (AD group), and 39 controls (non-AD group) among the CARE (Childhood AlleRgy, nutrition and Environment) study cohort.

Results: Diversity within the Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes phylum in the faecal microbiota was lower in the AD group compared to the non-AD group.

Electrical impedance spectroscopy for the characterization of skin barrier in atopic dermatitis.

Background: Allergic disorders such as atopic dermatitis (AD) are strongly associated with an impairment of the epithelial barrier, in which tight junctions and/or filaggrin expression can be defective. Skin barrier assessment shows potential to be clinically useful for prediction of disease development, improved and earlier diagnosis, lesion follow-up, and therapy evaluation. This study aimed to establish a method to directly assess the in vivo status of epithelial barrier using electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).

[Allergy assessment: when and how?].

Allergy assessment: when and how? Allergies are common in the clinical practice. The most important allergens are pollen, house dust mites, animal dander, mold and allergens attributable to a particular work environment. The medical history is a very important part for diagnosing an allergy, because sensitizations detected by skin prick tests and laboratory tests are common but not always symptomatic and therefore without clinical relevance.

Impact of high-altitude therapy on type-2 immune responses in asthma patients.

Background: Asthma patients present with distinct immunological profiles, with a predominance of type 2 endotype. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of high-altitude treatment on the clinical and immunological response in asthma.

Methods: Twenty-six hospitalized asthma patients (nine eosinophilic allergic; EA, nine noneosinophilic allergic; NEA and eight noneosinophilic nonallergic; NN) and nine healthy controls in high altitude for 21 days were enrolled in the study.

Lung function improvement and airways inflammation reduction in asthmatic children after a rehabilitation program at moderate altitude.

Background: Rehabilitational programs at moderate altitude (1500-2500 m) showed improvement of lung function and reduction in airways inflammation in asthmatic adults. Allergen avoidance was postulated as the major cause of these improvements.

Methods: Spirometries of 344 and fractional exhaled nitric oxide measurements (FeNO) of 124 asthmatic children and adolescents, staying in a rehabilitation hospital in Davos (1590 m) with at least 14 days between admission and discharge, were analyzed in association with atopic sensitization (skin-prick testing and/or specific IgE), level of asthma control, and inhalative corticosteroid (ICS) dose.