Use, Safety Assessment, and Implementation of Two Point-of-Care Tests for COVID-19 Testing.

Objectives: The Abbot ID NOW COVID-19 assay and Quidel Sofia 2 SARS Antigen FIA are point-of-care assays that offer rapid testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 viral RNA and nucleocapsid protein, respectively. Given the utility of these devices in the field, we investigated the feasibility and safety of using the ID NOW and Sofia assays in the public health response to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and in future public health emergencies.

Methods: A combination of utilization and contamination testing in addition to a review of instrument workflows was conducted.

Glucocorticoid-induced eosinopenia results from CXCR4-dependent bone marrow migration.

Glucocorticoids are considered first-line therapy in a variety of eosinophilic disorders. They lead to a transient, profound decrease in circulating human eosinophils within hours of administration. The phenomenon of glucocorticoid-induced eosinopenia has been the basis for the use of glucocorticoids in eosinophilic disorders, and it has intrigued clinicians for 7 decades, yet its mechanism remains unexplained.

Mechanisms of glucocorticoid resistance in hypereosinophilic syndromes.

Background: Glucocorticoids (GC) are considered first-line therapy for most patients with hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES). Although response rates are generally high, many patients require moderate to high doses for control of eosinophilia and symptoms, and up to 15% of patients do not respond at all. Despite this, little is known about the mechanisms of GC resistance in patients with HES.

Cutting edge: STAT6 signaling in eosinophils is necessary for development of allergic airway inflammation.

Eosinophils are critical cellular mediators in allergic asthma and inflammation; however, the signals that regulate their functions are unclear. The transcription factor STAT6 regulates Th2 cytokine responses, acting downstream of IL-4 and IL-13. We showed previously that eosinophil-derived IL-13 plays an important role in the recruitment of T cells to the lung and the subsequent development of allergic asthma.

Computational and experimental analysis reveals a requirement for eosinophil-derived IL-13 for the development of allergic airway responses in C57BL/6 mice.

Eosinophils are found in the lungs of humans with allergic asthma, as well as in the lungs of animals in models of this disease. Increasing evidence suggests that these cells are integral to the development of allergic asthma in C57BL/6 mice. However, the specific function of eosinophils that is required for this event is not known.

The role of eosinophils in allergic airway inflammation.

Eosinophils have long been observed in the airways of patients with allergic asthma, and in animal models of allergic airway inflammation. Traditionally thought to be an end stage cell that is controlled by the T cell response, more recent findings suggest a more complicated role for these cells. Here we discuss the role of eosinophils in allergic inflammation, and recent findings that suggest an important role in the initiation of allergic airway inflammation.