Spontaneous resolution of severe idiopathic T cell lymphopenia.

Potential etiologies of TBNK SCID include both hematopoietic defects and thymic aplasia. The management of patients with this phenotype, identified by newborn screen, may be unclear in the absence of a genetic diagnosis. We report an infant with lymphocyte flow cytometry consistent with TBNK SCID and reduced proliferative response to phytohemagglutinin.

Frequent Versus Infrequent Bathing in Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Studies evaluating bathing frequency in pediatric atopic dermatitis (AD) are limited. Parents of children with AD often receive conflicting information, leading to frustration and confusion.

Objective: To evaluate efficacy of twice-daily soaking baths, followed by immediate application of an occlusive moisturizer (ie, soak-and-seal [SS]), versus twice-weekly SS baths, in the acute management of pediatric AD.

Bathing Frequency Recommendations for Children with Atopic Dermatitis: Results of Three Observational Pilot Surveys.

The results from three online surveys of dermatologists, allergists and immunologists, and primary care physicians (PCPs) regarding routine bathing frequency recommendations for children with atopic dermatitis (AD) are presented. The results suggest that PCPs approach bathing frequency differently than specialists, with PCPs recommending daily bathing less than 50% of the time and specialists recommending daily bathing more than 50% of the time. Because there is lack of consensus, studies are needed to evaluate whether bathing frequency makes a clinical difference in the treatment of pediatric AD.

Role of bacterial superantigens in atopic dermatitis : implications for future therapeutic strategies.

The role of staphylococcal superantigens in the pathophysiology of atopic dermatitis (AD) has been the focus of intense interest during the past decade. Although the increased prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus and its bacterial toxins in AD skin is well established, exploitation of the known mechanisms of superantigens in this disease for the development of novel therapies remains an active area of research. With the emergence of multi-drug resistant S.

Staphylococcal enterotoxin B inhibits regulatory T cells by inducing glucocorticoid-induced TNF receptor-related protein ligand on monocytes.

Background: Superantigens inhibit naturally occurring CD4+CD25+ regulatory T-cell (nTreg) activity, yet the mechanism for this is unknown.

Objective: We tested the hypothesis that staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB), a prototypic superantigen, inhibits the ability of nTregs to suppress T-effector cell (Teff) proliferation by an antigen-presenting cell-dependent cell contact mechanism and the induction of glucocorticoid-induced TNF receptor-related protein ligand (GITR-L) on monocytes.

Methods: Cell proliferation assays were performed on immunomagnetic-bead separated CD4+CD25+, CD4+CD25- T cells and CD14+ monocytes using anti-CD3, SEB, or a neutralizing anti-GITR-L antibody for stimulation.

Factors that regulate naturally occurring T regulatory cell-mediated suppression.

T regulatory (Treg) cells play a key role in the modulation of allergic and autoimmune responses. This review will discuss the factors that regulate naturally occurring Treg (nTreg) cell-mediated suppression. The involvement of cytokines, costimulatory molecules, and ligands on antigen-presenting cells in the inhibition of nTreg cell-mediated suppression in vitro is summarized.

Asthma adherence and the athlete.

Although much has been written on the topic of adherence (also known as compliance) in asthma, little is known about adherence in the asthmatic athlete. There are shared reasons for poor adherence to treatment among athletes of varying ages and levels of competition. The Shared Decision-Making model is considered to be the optimal approach to enhancing adherence among all patients with chronic disease but is particularly well applied to athletes with asthma.

A pilot survey of beta2-agonist inhaler availability for children with asthma during organized sporting events.

Background: One of the main stimuli that cause asthma exacerbations in children is physical activity, and exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) occurs in most asthmatic patients.

Objective: To investigate the level of preparedness for a potential EIB event in suburban children involved in recreational sports.

Methods: A cross-sectional study, focusing on children 12 years and younger, who participated in Little League baseball or soccer in Lower Merion Township, PA, was conducted by clinical survey.