Racial comparison of filaggrin null mutations in asthmatic patients with atopic dermatitis in a US population.

We examined the association of filaggrin loss-of-function mutations in U.S. atopic patients with asthma.

Biphasic reactions in children undergoing oral food challenges.

Literature regarding biphasic reactions in the pediatric population is sparse. We aimed to determine the prevalence of biphasic reactions in children with food allergies undergoing oral food challenges (OFCs) and examine whether any clinical or treatment factors are associated with biphasic reactions. A retrospective chart review of OFCs conducted between July 2007 and March 2011 was performed.

Asthma and frequency of wheeze: risk factors for the persistence of atopic dermatitis in children.

Background: Studies have examined the development of asthma in children with atopic dermatitis (AD); however, none have looked at the association of asthma or the frequency of wheeze with respect to persistence or difficulty in achieving AD clinical improvement in children.

Objective: To determine whether children with AD who have asthma and increasing frequency of wheezing have more persistent AD.

Methods: This is a cohort study using the Pediatric Eczema Elective Registry (PEER) database, which includes data obtained at enrollment and 3 years later.

Do bugs control our fate? The influence of the microbiome on autoimmunity.

Autoimmune disease has traditionally been thought to be due to the impact of environmental factors on genetically susceptible individuals causing immune dysregulation and loss of tolerance. However, recent literature has highlighted the importance of the microbiome, (a collective genome of microorganisms in a given niche) in immune homeostasis. Increasingly, it has been recognized that disruptions in the commensal microflora may lead to immune dysfunction and autoimmunity.

Presentation of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis due to a novel MUNC 13-4 mutation masked by partial therapeutic immunosuppression.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis is a potentially fatal disease characterized by excessive macrophage and lymphocyte activity. Patients can be affected following immune activation after an oncologic, autoimmune or infectious trigger. An associated gene mutation may be found which impairs cytolytic lymphocyte function.