Publications by authors named "Marc Rothenberg"

Objective: Understanding compliance with COVID-19 mitigation recommendations is critical for informing efforts to contain future infectious disease outbreaks. This study tested the hypothesis that higher levels of worry about COVID-19 illness among household caregivers would predict lower (a) levels of overall and discretionary social exposure activities and (b) rates of household SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Methods: Data were drawn from a surveillance study of households with children ( = 1913) recruited from 12 U.

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Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic itchy inflammatory disease of the skin. Genetic studies have identified multiple risk factors linked to the disease; however, most of the studies have been derived from European and East Asian populations. The admixed African American (AA) genome may provide an opportunity to discovery ancestry-specific loci involved in AD susceptibility.

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Background: A 6-food elimination diet in pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is difficult to implement and may negatively affect quality of life (QoL). Less restrictive elimination diets may balance QoL and efficacy.

Objective: We performed a multisite, randomized comparative efficacy trial of a 1-food (milk) elimination diet (1FED) versus 4-food (milk, egg, wheat, soy) elimination diet (4FED) in pediatric EoE.

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The interplay between genetic and environmental factors during pregnancy can predispose to inflammatory diseases postnatally, including eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), a chronic allergic disease triggered by food. Herein, we examined the effects of amniotic fluid (AF) on esophageal epithelial differentiation and responsiveness to proallergic stimuli. Multiplex analysis of AF revealed the expression of 66 cytokines, whereas five cytokines including IL-4 and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) were not detected.

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Background: Eosinophil accumulation is a main feature of eosinophilic gastritis (EoG) and is associated with its histologic diagnosis and pathology. However, a recent clinical trial has demonstrated that EoG endoscopic, noneosinophil histologic, and clinical features remain persistent despite complete eosinophil depletion.

Objective: Our aim was to examine gastric T-cell composition and associated cytokine levels of patients with EoG following benralizumab-induced eosinophil depletion versus following administration of placebo.

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Background: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic, food antigen-driven esophageal disorder. Connective tissue disorders (CTDs) and esophageal connective tissue alterations are associated with EoE. Therefore, angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockade with losartan, an accepted CTD treatment, is a potential EoE treatment.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the agreement and consistency between parent and child reports of symptoms in children with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), a condition affecting the esophagus.
  • Using data from 292 parent-child pairs over five years, the researchers found strong correlation in symptom reports between parents and children, indicating that both perspectives are aligned and reliable.
  • Results showed that while parent-reported quality of life scores remained stable, child reports improved over time, with younger children showing greater discrepancies between parent and child assessments, especially in psychosocial areas.
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Background: Benralizumab is an eosinophil-depleting anti-interleukin-5 receptor α monoclonal antibody. The efficacy and safety of benralizumab in patients with eosinophilic esophagitis are unclear.

Methods: In a phase 3, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, we assigned patients 12 to 65 years of age with symptomatic and histologically active eosinophilic esophagitis in a 1:1 ratio to receive subcutaneous benralizumab (30 mg) or placebo every 4 weeks.

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Background: Dupilumab is a human monoclonal antibody that blocks interleukin-4 and interleukin-13 pathways and has shown efficacy in five different atopic diseases marked by type 2 inflammation, including eosinophilic esophagitis in adults and adolescents.

Methods: In this phase 3 trial, we randomly assigned, in a 2:2:1:1 ratio, patients 1 to 11 years of age with active eosinophilic esophagitis who had had no response to proton-pump inhibitors to 16 weeks of a higher-exposure or lower-exposure subcutaneous dupilumab regimen or to placebo (two groups) (Part A). At the end of Part A, eligible patients in each dupilumab group continued the same regimen and those in the placebo groups were assigned to higher-exposure or lower-exposure dupilumab for 36 weeks (Part B).

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Background: Eosinophils are elusive cells involved in allergic inflammation. Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) is an emerging approach to deeply characterize cellular properties, heterogeneity, and functionality.

Objectives: We sought to comprehensively characterize the transcriptome and biological functions of human eosinophils at a site of severe allergic inflammation in the esophagus (ie, eosinophilic esophagitis [EoE]).

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Background: Transnasal endoscopy (TNE) does not require general anesthesia, an attractive characteristic for monitoring eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). We evaluated the adequacy of TNE-obtained esophageal biopsies using the EoE Histology Scoring System (EoEHSS).

Methods: The Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic Disorders database was searched for esophageal biopsies obtained by the same endoscopist, using either TNE or conventional endoscopy (CE).

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Article Synopsis
  • The HEROS Study is a prospective, multicity research effort conducted from May 2020 to February 2021, aimed at understanding risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission, particularly among children and those with asthma or allergies.
  • The study utilized remote methods to enroll participants, who completed weekly surveys and nasal sampling, allowing researchers to gather data without in-person visits during the pandemic.
  • A total of 5598 individuals were involved, ensuring a comprehensive household-based analysis of infection and transmission dynamics related to COVID-19.
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Background: The mechanistic basis of the variable symptomatology seen in eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) remains poorly understood.

Objective: We examined the correlation of a validated, patient-reported outcome metric with a broad spectrum of esophageal transcripts to uncover potential symptom pathogenesis.

Methods: We extracted data from 146 adults with EoE through the Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers.

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Background: The Index of Severity for Eosinophilic Esophagitis (I-SEE) is a new expert-defined clinical tool that classifies disease severity of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).

Objective: We aimed to determine whether I-SEE is associated with patient characteristics, molecular features of EoE, or both.

Methods: We analyzed a prospective cohort of patients with EoE from the Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers (CEGIR).

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Distinct subsets of eosinophils are reported in inflammatory and healthy tissues, yet the functions of uniquely specialized eosinophils and the signals that elicit them, particularly in eosinophilic esophagitis, are not well understood. Herein, we report an ex vivo system wherein freshly isolated human eosinophils were cocultured with esophageal epithelial cells and disease-relevant proinflammatory (IL-13) or profibrotic (TGF-β) cytokines. Compared with untreated cocultures, IL-13 increased expression of CD69 on eosinophils, whereas TGF-β increased expression of CD81, CD62L, and CD25.

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Eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases (EGIDs) are a group of diseases characterized by selective eosinophil infiltration of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in the absence of other causes of eosinophilia. These diseases are generally driven by type 2 inflammation, often in response to food allergen exposure. Among all EGIDs, the clinical presentation often includes a history of atopic disease with a variety of GI symptoms.

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Background: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is diagnosed and monitored using esophageal eosinophil levels; however, EoE also exhibits a marked, understudied esophageal mastocytosis.

Objectives: Using machine learning, we localized and characterized esophageal mast cells (MCs) to decipher their potential role in disease pathology.

Methods: Esophageal biopsy samples (EoE, control) were stained for MCs by anti-tryptase and imaged using immunofluorescence; high-resolution whole tissue images were digitally assembled.

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Background: With more than 103 million cases and 1.1 million deaths, the COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating consequences for the health system and the well-being of the entire US population. The Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network funded by the National Institutes of Health was strategically positioned to study the impact of the pandemic on the large, vulnerable population of people living with rare diseases (RDs).

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Introduction: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an allergic skin disease mediated by skin barrier impairment and IL-13-driven immune response. Activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) has shown promise in early clinical trials for AD; however, the mechanism by which AHR partially ameliorates AD is not well known.

Methods: Gene expression data from human biopsies were analyzed, and compared to gene expression from RNA-sequencing in our HaCaT cell model system.

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Climate change is not just jeopardizing the health of our planet but is also increasingly affecting our immune health. There is an expanding body of evidence that climate-related exposures such as air pollution, heat, wildfires, extreme weather events, and biodiversity loss significantly disrupt the functioning of the human immune system. These exposures manifest in a broad range of stimuli, including antigens, allergens, heat stress, pollutants, microbiota changes, and other toxic substances.

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