Disease Modification in Asthma: Are We on the Right Way? A Multidisciplinary Expert Delphi Consensus (MODIASTHMA Consensus).

Purpose: With the advent of biological therapies, emerging concepts regarding establishing new targets in asthma management, such as disease modification, have entered the debate among the scientific community. The definitions that form the conceptual basis of this goal need to be agreed upon.

Methods: A multidisciplinary expert group was assembled as the steering committee.

Clinical and serological characteristics of patients allergic to LTP.

Background: Allergy to lipid transfer proteins (LPT) is common in Mediterranean Europe, and it causes severe reactions in patients and affects multiple foods, impairing the quality of life.

Objective: This study aimed to describe the clinical and sensitization profile of patients with LTP syndrome and to determine a clinical pattern of severity. Molecular diagnosis is shown in a broad population through microarrays.

Effectiveness of Mepolizumab in Patients with Severe Eosinophilic Asthma with/without Nasal Polyposis: A Real-Life Study.

Introduction: Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases and affects around 334 million people worldwide. The estimated prevalence of severe asthma is 3-10% of the asthmatic population. Mepolizumab has demonstrated efficacy in reducing exacerbations, oral corticosteroid use, and improving quality of life, asthma control, and lung function in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA).

Positioning of Tezepelumab in Severe Asthma.

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases and is estimated to be severe in 3%-10% of affected patients. There is a need for additional biologic treatments that are highly efficacious across the spectrum of severe uncontrolled asthma. Currently available drugs inhibit 1 or 2 specific cytokines or IgE antibodies and thus only partially suppress the complex type 2 (T2) inflammatory cascade.

Dupilumab to induce tolerance to SLIT-Melocotón®.

Food allergy is an increasing problem for population, and treatments inducing tolerance using sublingual immunotherapy is currently under study. Our aim as allergists is to achieve tolerance to sublingual allergen specific immunotherapy with sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT-peach). We present a case report consisting of a 40-year-old woman with anaphylactic reactions after eating fruit and other plant-foods due to sensitization to nonspecific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTP).

Analysis of response of severe eosinophilic asthmatic patients to benralizumab.

Introduction: Clinical trials and real-life studies have been published showing effectiveness of benralizumab in severe eosinophilic asthmatic patients. The aim of the present study is to describe super-responders to benralizumab in a series of 79 patients who completed at least 1 year of treatment, and to compare super-responders with non super-responders.

Methods: This is a multicenter study of the Register of Severe Asthma of the Region of Murcia (RE-ASGRAMUR) Group performed in eight hospitals under the conditions of routine clinical practice.

Cold urticaria associated with acute serologic toxoplasmosis.

Cold urticaria is defined as a urticarial and/or angioedematous reaction of the skin to contact with cold objects, water or air. Types of urticaria associated with infectious diseases, such as mononucleosis, rubeola, varicella, syphilis, hepatitis, and HIV infection have been reported. We present the case of a patient who developed cold urticaria associated with acute serologic toxoplasmosis.

Pressurised metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) versus dry powder inhalers devices (DPIs) to rapid-acting inhaled b2-agonists for asthma in children.

Objective: To compare the clinical effectiveness of pressurized metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) with that of dry powder inhalers (DPIs) in delivering short-acting b2-agonists in children with asthma.

Methods: Searches were performed in Medline (1997-March 2002), the Cochrane Library Database and the Embase reference lists of review articles and clinical trials. In addition, the international headquarters of b2-agonist manufacturers were contacted.

Omalizumab. A review of the new treatment of allergic asthma and seasonal allergic rhinitis.

The causal role of immunoglobulin E (IgE) in triggering the cascade of biochemical events leading to allergic disease is well established. Treatments that selectively inhibit IgE activity are a logical approach in managing the allergic response. Omalizumab is a recombinant humanised monoclonal antibody which specifically binds to the Cε3 domain of immunoglobulin (Ig) E, the site of high-affinity IgE receptor binding.

Chronic idiopathic urticaria treatment.

Chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) is a common skin condition that affects 0.1-3 % of people in the USA and Europe and accounts for nearly 75 % of all chronic urticaria cases. Up to 40 % of patients who have chronic urticaria for more than 6 months still have urticarial wheals 10 years later.

Bronchial asthma prevalence in childhood.

Background: at the moment there is a considerable interest in the international comparison of the bronchial asthma prevalence, stimulated by the growing evidence of an increment in the frequency. The comparison among studies of bronchial asthma prevalence present the problem of the varied and different methodologies used by the authors, as well as of the lack of a clear definition of what is considered bronchial asthma.

Methods: in this work we try to offer a global vision of the studies published on childhood asthma prevalence in the world.

Platelet-activating factor antagonists.

Platelet-activating factor (PAF), identified as 1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glyceryl-3-phosphorylcholine, exhibits potent proinflammatory properties. PAF is produced by numerous cell types, including endothelial cells, neutrophils, monocytes, macrophages, basophils, eosinophils and mastocytes. Since the discovery and identification of the chemical structure of PAF, a large variety of specific PAF-receptor antagonists, both natural and synthetic compounds, have been described.

[Techniques for determining case mix and their application to Allergology. 2].

In this second part, we review the Generic Algorithms, the RUGs and the Ambulatory Visits Groups, remarking their possible application in our specialty. In an Allergology Service, most resources are spent on outpatients attendance. This fact allows us to propose that a production unit of that Service (GFH) could develop its activities, in its health area, ambulatorily.

[Techniques for determining case mix and their application to Allergology. 1].

The use of adequate technics, in the Allergology case-mix evaluation, is a necessity in the present, and an aim to the future. Doing so, we shall be able to guarantee the quality of medical assistance. This article's objective is to introduce the reader, with a clear language, in the diverse procedures employed, in the actuality, to evaluate the diverse Health Services productive processes.