Fractional exhaled nitric oxide measurements in rhinitis and asthma in children.

Exaled nitric oxide (FeNO) is considered a good noninvasive marker to assess airway inflammation in asthma and allergic rhinitis. In asthma, exhaled NO is very useful to verify adherence to therapy, and to predict upcoming asthma exacerbations. It has been also proposed that adjusting anti-inflammatory drugs guided by the monitoring of exhaled NO, could improve overall asthma control.

Body mass index is related with bronchial function and reversibility in children with allergic rhinitis and asthma.

Several studies have outlined a possible relationship between an increased body mass index and respiratory allergic diseases, such as asthma and rhinitis.The aim of the study was to analyse the relationship between BMI and lung function, including bronchodilation test, in allergic children. The study included 153 children (103 males, mean age 12.

Nasal disease and asthma.

The nose plays a primary role within the airways, working as a filter and air-conditioner, together with other important functions. Thus, it is not surprising that nasal diseases are associated with several other comorbidities, including both upper and lower airways, such as bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) and asthma. Several studies have investigated the relationship existing between the upper and the lower airways and new insights are rising.

Adenoids during childhood: the facts.

Adenoids are constantly exposed to viral and bacterial agents as well as to allergens. They play a major role in the upper airways immunity, being effector organs in both mucosal-type and systemic-type adaptive immunity. Because of both their immunological function and their specific location, adenoids are considered to be as reservoirs of viruses and bacteria.

Serotonin in allergic rhinitis: a possible role for behavioural symptoms.

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a very frequent disease which is not only characterized by nasal symptoms, but also with behavioural changes. This study evaluated the serum serotonin levels in patients with pollen-induced AR during and outside the pollen season.One-hundred-two (56 females, 46 males, median age: 28.

Serum IL-9 levels and sublingual immunotherapy: preliminary report.

Th9 is a new T cell subset characterized by IL-9 production. It has been reported that serum IL-9 levels are related with symptom severity in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). This study is aimed at investigating whether serum IL-9 may be modulated by sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) in patients with persistent AR due to Parietaria allergy.

Friday asthma crisis in the daughter of two bakers.

The prevalence of sesame food allergy continues to increase worldwide. The diagnostic tools to confirm such allergy include skin prick tests, specific IgEs and food challenge. We report the case of a 7-year-old girl who presented recurrent episodes of wheezing and dyspnoea.

Sphingosine 1-phosphate induces differentiation of mesoangioblasts towards smooth muscle. A role for GATA6.

Different cells can contribute to repair following vascular injury by differentiating into smooth muscle (SM) cells; however the extracellular signals involved are presently poorly characterized. Mesoangioblasts are progenitor cells capable of differentiating into various mesoderm cell types including SM cells. In this study the biological action exerted by the pleiotropic sphingolipid sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) in human mesoangioblasts has been initially investigated by cDNA microarray analysis.

Pediatric allergy and immunology in Italy.

In Italy, according to the International Study on Asthma and Allergies in Childhood study, the prevalence of current asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and atopic eczema in 2006 was 7.9%, 6.5%, and 10.

Comparison of serum specific IgE and skin prick test in polysensitized children.

Background: Skin prick test (SPT) and serum specific IgE (ssIgE) measurements are the most common methods used to diagnose allergy. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum specific-IgE in a large group of polysensitized patients with the same SPT result (such as ++++) comparing the two diagnostic methods.

Methods: Four hundred ninety-four children (310 males; median age 10 years) suffering from allergic rhinitis were studied.

Safety of sublingual immunotherapy.

Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is now recognized as a viable alternative to the classical injection route and it is currently used in everyday clinical practice in Europe. Sublingual administration is particularly attractive for children since it is completely pain-free. To date, no fatalities from SLIT have been reported, but two cases of anaphylaxis to inhalant allergens have been reported.

Comparison of serum specific IgE and skin prick test in polysensitized patients.

The aim of this study is to evaluate serum specific-IgE in a large group of polysensitized patients with the same SPT result (such as ++++) comparing two diagnostic methods. Six hundred ten patients (310 females; median age 32 years) suffering from allergic rhinitis were studied. Serum specific-IgE were measured by ImmunoCap assay.

Sublingual immunotherapy may affect serum neopterin: preliminary findings.

Background: Neopterin is a protein produced by monocytes/macrophages. It has been considered a biomarker of immune activation in several disorders. However, there are few studies in allergic rhinitis (AR).

Serum IL-9 levels depend on allergen exposure: preliminary study.

Background: Th9 is a new T cell subset characterized by interleukin 9 (IL-9) production. Serum IL-9 levels are related to symptom severity in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). This study aimed at investigating whether IL-9 may depend on allergen exposure.

Allergen-specific Ig classes in non-allergic individuals.

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is characterized by Th2 polarized immune response, such as increased IL-4 and reduced IFN-gamma production, and by a functional defect of T regulatory cells. This impaired immune response profile influences the pattern of immunoglobulin production in allergic patients. However, there is no study that has explored the pattern of allergen-specific Immunoglobulin (Ig) classes in normal subjects.

Serum neopterin levels in spontaneous urticaria and atopic dermatitis.

Serum neopterin may be considered a diagnostic marker of the degree of activation of the immune system. This preliminary study was performed to measure serum neopterin levels in patients with acute spontaneous urticaria (ASU), chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) and atopic dermatitis (AD). In total, 180 patients [96 men, 84 women; mean age 23.

Soluble serum HLA-G in children with allergic rhinitis and asthma.

Allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma are characterized by Th2 polarized immune response. Soluble HLA (sHLA) molecules play an immunomodulatory activity. It has been reported that both molecules are increased in sera of patients with pollen-induced allergic rhinitis studied outside the pollen season.

Visual analogue scale assessment of respiration might be a surrogate for spirometry in allergic rhinitis.

Allergic rhinitis (AR) may be frequently associated with or precede asthma. Bronchial involvement in AR is usually detected by spirometry, however, spirometers are rarely available. The aim of this study is to verify the suitability of the use of visual analogue scales (VAS) as a surrogate for screening spirometry in assessing respiration in AR patients.

Peripheral TH-17 cells in children with allergic rhinitis: preliminary report.

Th17 is a subset of T helper lymphocytes and exerts pro-inflammatory activities. Recently, it has been reported that serum IL-17 levels are high in the most severe patients with birch allergy studied both outside and during the pollen season. This study aims to compare the frequency of peripheral IL-17-producing T cells in children with allergic rhinitis and in healthy controls.

A very fast and accurate method for calling aberrations in array-CGH data.

Array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) is a microarray technology that allows one to detect and map genomic alterations. The standard workflow of the aCGH data analysis consists of 2 steps: detecting the boundaries of the regions of changed copy number by means of a segmentation algorithm (break point identification) and then labeling each region as loss, neutral, or gain with a probabilistic framework (calling procedure). In this paper, we introduce a novel calling procedure based on a mixture of truncated normal distributions, named FastCall, that aims to give aberration probabilities to segmented aCGH data in a very fast and accurate way.

Serum adiponectin levels in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis.

Background: A few studies have outlined a possible relationship between an increased body mass index and allergic rhinitis. A single study reported that males with seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR), evaluated outside the pollen season, had increased serum adiponectin levels.

Objective: The aim of this preliminary study was to evaluate the serum adiponectin levels in a cohort of SAR normo-weight patients evaluated during the pollen season, comparing them with SAR patients evaluated out of pollen season and a group of healthy controls.

Serum eosinophilic cationic protein: is there a role in respiratory disorders?

Background: Eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) has been widely investigated in the clinical practice as a potential biomarker for asthma. However, there are conflicting data concerning its validity in other respiratory disorders.

Methods: Serum ECP levels were retrospectively analyzed in 441 patients (227 males and 214 females) suffering from respiratory disease and visited for the first time, and in 33 healthy subjects (17 males and 16 females).

Rhinosinusitis and asthma.

Chronic rhinosinusitis and asthma are not simply localized disease processes, but part of a systemic inflammatory disease affecting the respiratory tract. There is a correlation between severity of asthma and the clinical and imaging features of rhinosinusitis. It is very important to understand that in patients with chronic sinus disease, both upper and lower airways need to be evaluated and treated and that in patients with moderate or severe asthma, the sinus area should always be investigated, regardless of the presence or not of nasal symptoms.