Impact of changed legislation on skin tests: the present and future.

Purpose Of Review: To discuss the impact of current European Union regulations on the availability of commercially available skin test allergens in European member states.

Recent Findings: European Union legislations now define diagnostic allergens to be medicine requiring market authorization of every individual diagnostic allergen with obligations including clinical trials, application dossiers, a regular update of the dossiers, handling of variation processes and ongoing stability testing of the source material and periodic safety update reporting. The financial expenses of the initiation and maintenance of approvals for diagnostic allergens far exceed their related revenues.

Capsaicin for Rhinitis.

Rhinitis is a multifactorial disease characterized by symptoms of sneezing, rhinorrhea, postnasal drip, and nasal congestion. Non-allergic rhinitis is characterized by rhinitis symptoms without systemic sensitization of infectious etiology. Based on endotypes, we can categorize non-allergic rhinitis into an inflammatory endotype with usually eosinophilic inflammation encompassing at least NARES and LAR and part of the drug induced rhinitis (e.

Scaling up strategies of the chronic respiratory disease programme of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (Action Plan B3: Area 5).

Action Plan B3 of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) focuses on the integrated care of chronic diseases. Area 5 (Care Pathways) was initiated using chronic respiratory diseases as a model. The chronic respiratory disease action plan includes (1) AIRWAYS integrated care pathways (ICPs), (2) the joint initiative between the Reference site MACVIA-LR (Contre les MAladies Chroniques pour un VIeillissement Actif) and ARIA (Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma), (3) Commitments for Action to the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing and the AIRWAYS ICPs network.

Draf III frontal sinusotomy: influence of patient characteristics on outcome.

Unlabelled: Draf III frontal sinusotomy: influence of patient characteristics on outcome.

Objective: To identify positive and negative predictive outcome factors for the Draf III procedure based on the experience of a single center.

Methods: Seventy-two patients who underwent a Draf III procedure between 2005 and 2011 at the ENT department of University Hospitals Leuven were included.

Real-life study showing uncontrolled rhinosinusitis after sinus surgery in a tertiary referral centre.

Rationale: The European Position Paper on Sinusitis (EPOS) guidelines provide composite criteria to evaluate chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) control, taking into consideration the severity of patients' symptoms, aspect of nasal mucosa and medical intake as parameters of CRS control.

Objectives: To study the degree of CRS control using novel EPOS control criteria at 3-5 years after a functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) and correlate these data to symptoms scores.

Methods: Adult CRS patients (n = 560) who had undergone bilateral FESS for chronic inflammatory sinonasal disease 3-5 years prior to the study were included.

Restoring airway epithelial barrier dysfunction: a new therapeutic challenge in allergic airway disease.

An intact functional mucosal barrier is considered to be crucial for the maintenance of airway homeostasis as it protects the host immune system from exposure to allergens and noxious environmental triggers. Recent data provided evidence for the contribution of barrier dysfunction to the development of inflammatory diseases in the airways, skin and gut. A defective barrier has been documented in chronic rhinosinusitis, allergic rhinitis, asthma, atopic dermatitis and inflammatory bowel diseases.

A new framework for the interpretation of IgE sensitization tests.

IgE sensitization tests, such as skin prick testing and serum-specific IgE, have been used to diagnose IgE-mediated clinical allergy for many years. Their prime drawback is that they detect sensitization which is only loosely related to clinical allergy. Many patients therefore require provocation tests to make a definitive diagnosis; these are often expensive and potentially associated with severe reactions.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder in aesthetic rhinoplasty: Validating a new screening tool.

Objectives/hypothesis: To validate a new screening tool for body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) in patients seeking aesthetic rhinoplasty.

Study Design: We performed a prospective instrument validation study in an academic rhinology clinic.

Methods: The Body Dysmorphic Disorder Questionnaire-Aesthetic Surgery (BDDQ-AS) is a seven-item short questionnaire validated in 116 patients undergoing aesthetic rhinoplasty.

Regulation of melanocortin 1 receptor in allergic rhinitis in vitro and in vivo.

Background: α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) was shown to inhibit allergic airway inflammation and exert suppressive effects on human basophils.

Objective: This study aims to extend our current knowledge on the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) expression in nasal tissue of patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) and functional effects of α-MSH in human basophils especially from patients with allergic rhinitis.

Methods: MC1R expression before and after nasal allergen provocation was studied in nasal mucosal tissue of AR patients and in a mouse model of allergic airway inflammation using immunofluorescence.

Precision medicine in patients with allergic diseases: Airway diseases and atopic dermatitis-PRACTALL document of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

In this consensus document we summarize the current knowledge on major asthma, rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis endotypes under the auspices of the PRACTALL collaboration platform. PRACTALL is an initiative of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology aiming to harmonize the European and American approaches to best allergy practice and science. Precision medicine is of broad relevance for the management of asthma, rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis in the context of a better selection of treatment responders, risk prediction, and design of disease-modifying strategies.

Real-life study showing better control of allergic rhinitis by immunotherapy than regular pharmacotherapy.

Background: Treatment for allergic rhinitis (AR) aims at reducing the burden of allergic inflammation, either by suppression of the nasal inflammation with pharmacotherapy or by inducing tolerance via immunotherapy (IT). At present, we lack information on the comparison between the degree of symptom control in AR patients treated with IT and those on pharmacotherapy.

Aims: An observational study was conducted evaluating the degree of symptom control, the total and individual nasal symptom severity and current medication use at 3 years after starting either pharmacotherapy or subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) for AR.

Allergen immunotherapy for allergic rhinoconjunctivitis: protocol for a systematic review.

Background: The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) is in the process of developing the EAACI Guidelines for Allergen Immunotherapy (AIT) for the Management of Allergic Rhinoconjunctivitis. We seek to critically assess the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and safety of AIT in the management of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis.

Methods: We will undertake a systematic review, which will involve searching international biomedical databases for published, in progress and unpublished evidence.

Inflammatory endotypes of chronic rhinosinusitis based on cluster analysis of biomarkers.

Background: Current phenotyping of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) into chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps (CRSsNP) might not adequately reflect the pathophysiologic diversity within patients with CRS.

Objective: We sought to identify inflammatory endotypes of CRS. Therefore we aimed to cluster patients with CRS based solely on immune markers in a phenotype-free approach.

International Consensus Statement on Allergy and Rhinology: Rhinosinusitis.

Background: The body of knowledge regarding rhinosinusitis(RS) continues to expand, with rapid growth in number of publications, yet substantial variability in the quality of those presentations. In an effort to both consolidate and critically appraise this information, rhinologic experts from around the world have produced the International Consensus Statement on Allergy and Rhinology: Rhinosinusitis (ICAR:RS).

Methods: Evidence-based reviews with recommendations(EBRRs) were developed for scores of topics, using previously reported methodology.

Three-Dimensional Surface Imaging and the Continuous Evolution of Preoperative and Postoperative Assessment in Rhinoplasty.

During the preoperative assessment in rhinoplasty, the surgeon takes a thorough history, performs a complete examination by assessing functional and aesthetic aspects of the nose, obtains a clear understanding of the patient's wishes, conducts facial analysis based on standardized photography, and communicates to the patient the goals and pitfalls of surgery. Computer imaging or morphing of the preoperative pictures of the nose has drawn a lot of interest in the last decade, and it is a sign of evolution of the preoperative consultation. Technological advances, also in the context of rhinoplasty, have led to the development of three-dimensional (3D) imaging techniques, and have completely revolutionized the way that surgeons manage their patients preoperatively and evaluate postoperative results today.

Evolution of Preoperative Rhinoplasty Consult by Computer Imaging.

The preoperative consultation in rhinoplasty involves a multitude of actions that are mandatory for the decision-making process: history taking with attention to the symptoms and specific requests of the patient, clinical evaluation of the aesthetics, the functional status of the nose and the patients' motivation for surgery, and acquisition of standardized preoperative photographs. During the last decade, computer imaging or morphing of the preoperative pictures of the nose has become much more common. This part of the consultation allows the surgeon and patient to reach a mutually agreeable set of expectations by demonstrating the planned outcome of rhinoplasty and describing the objectives of surgery.

Impaired barrier function in patients with house dust mite-induced allergic rhinitis is accompanied by decreased occludin and zonula occludens-1 expression.

Background: Tight junction (TJ) defects have recently been associated with asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis. The expression, function, and regulation of nasal epithelial TJs remain unknown in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR).

Objective: We investigated the expression, function, and regulation of TJs in the nasal epithelium of patients with house dust mite (HDM)-induced AR and in an HDM-induced murine model of allergic airway disease.

Effect of Subcutaneous Dupilumab on Nasal Polyp Burden in Patients With Chronic Sinusitis and Nasal Polyposis: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Dupilumab has demonstrated efficacy in patients with asthma and atopic dermatitis, which are both type 2 helper T-cell-mediated diseases.

Objective: To assess inhibition of interleukins 4 and 13 with dupilumab in patients with chronic sinusitis and nasal polyposis.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel-group study conducted at 13 sites in the United States and Europe between August 2013 and August 2014 in 60 adults with chronic sinusitis and nasal polyposis refractory to intranasal corticosteroids with 16 weeks of follow-up.

Nasal and ocular responses after specific and nonspecific nasal challenges in seasonal allergic rhinitis.

Background: Different nasal challenges induce neural and immune response leading to nasal and ocular symptoms in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR). The release of neural mediators from nasal mucosa and conjunctiva after no-specific challenges in patients with SAR remains unknown.

Objectives: To compare the release of mediators from the nose and conjunctiva with symptoms after different nasal challenges in patients with SAR.

Recent pharmacological developments in the treatment of perennial and persistent allergic rhinitis.

Introduction: Allergic rhinitis (AR) has a major negative impact on patients' quality of life (QoL) and carries a high socio economic burden. This is particularly the case for patients who experience symptoms for extended periods of time (i.e.

Histamine Receptor H1-Mediated Sensitization of TRPV1 Mediates Visceral Hypersensitivity and Symptoms in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Background & Aims: Histamine sensitizes the nociceptor transient reporter potential channel V1 (TRPV1) and has been shown to contribute to visceral hypersensitivity in animals. We investigated the role of TRPV1 in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and evaluated if an antagonist of histamine receptor H1 (HRH1) could reduce symptoms of patients in a randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Methods: By using live calcium imaging, we compared activation of submucosal neurons by the TRPV1 agonist capsaicin in rectal biopsy specimens collected from 9 patients with IBS (ROME 3 criteria) and 15 healthy subjects.

European symposium on precision medicine in allergy and airways diseases: report of the European Union parliament symposium (October 14, 2015).

On 14 October 2015, the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), the European Rhinologic Society (ERS) and the European Medical Association (EMA) organized a symposium in the European Parliament in Brussels on Precision Medicine in Allergy and Airways Diseases, hosted by MEP David Borrelli and with active participation of the European Respiratory Society (ERS), the European Federations of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients Associations (EFA), the Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (Ga2len), Allergic Rhinitis and Its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) and the Respiratory Effectiveness Group (REG). MEP Sirpa Pietikainen, Chair of the European Parliament Interest Group on Allergy and Asthma, underlined the importance of the need for a better diagnostic and therapeutic approach for patients with Allergies and Chronic Airways Diseases, and encouraged a joint initiative to control the epidemic of Allergy and Asthma in Europe. The socio-economic impact of allergies and chronic airways diseases cannot be underestimated, as they represent the most frequently diagnosed chronic non-communicable diseases in the EU.