Chinese expert consensus on allergen component resolved diagnosis.

Background: Allergen component resolved diagnosis (CRD) is a method for identifying specific protein molecules that cause hypersensitivity. Unlike traditional methods that use crude allergen extracts containing multiple component species, CRD focuses on individual allergen protein molecules for more precise diagnosis. The World Allergy Organization (WAO) recommends CRD as a supplement to clinical history and allergen extract testing, and in some cases, it can replace crude extract tests.

Serological analysis of allergic components of house dust mite provides more insight in epidemiological characteristics and clinical symptom development in North China.

Background: House dust mite (HDM) is the most common airborne source causing complex allergy symptoms. There are geographic differences in the allergen molecule sensitization profiles. Serological testing with allergen components may provide more clues for diagnosis and clinical management.

Heat shock cognate 70 protein like-2 protein in camphor pollen is one of the major culprits of asthma.

Aims: In recent decades, Cinnamomum camphora have gradually become the main street trees in Shanghai. This study aims to investigate the allergenicity of camphor pollen.

Main Methods: A total of 194 serum samples from patients with respiratory allergy were collected and analyzed.

Long-term Prophylaxis with Androgens in the management of Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) in emerging countries.

Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare autosomal dominant genetic disease characterized by repetitive subcutaneous or submucosal angioedema, activation of the kinin system, and increased vascular permeability. C1-inhibitor (C1-INH) deficiency, the main mechanism of HAE pathogenesis, occurs when abnormal activation of plasma kallikrein, bradykinin, and factor XII, or mutation of genes such as SERPING1 cause quantitative or functional C1-INH defects. Although androgens are not approved for HAE treatment in many countries, they are widely used in China and Brazil to reduce the frequency and severity of HAE attacks.

Urine protein in patients with type I hypersensitivity is indicative of reversible renal tube injury.

Aims: In our clinical work, some patients with type I hypersensitivity could be detected protein in their urine. This study focused on the early renal injury in patients with type I hypersensitivity.

Main Methods: From 43 type I hypersensitivity patients with proteinuria, 10 patients were randomly selected for mass spectrometry analysis of 24-h urine together with 5 healthy volunteers.

Expert consensus on the use of omalizumab in chronic urticaria in China.

Chronic urticaria (CU) is a debilitating skin disease that lasts for more than 6 weeks with wheals and/or angioedema, including chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) and chronic inducible urticaria (CIndU). In China, the prevalence of this disease is high, more than 1%, and on the rise. CU has a major impact on the quality of life (QoL) of patients who frequently experience sleep disturbance, depression, and anxiety.

Association of serum chemokine ligand 21 levels with asthma control in adults.

Objectives: The chemokine ligand (CCL) 21 regulates the maturation, migration, and function of dendritic cells, and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of asthma. This study aimed to investigate the association between serum CCL21 levels and asthma control.

Methods: The serum levels of CCL21 and other inflammatory cytokines were analyzed in patients with asthma (n=44) and healthy controls (n=35) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

China Consensus Document on Allergy Diagnostics.

The prevalence of allergic diseases has increased dramatically in recent years in China, affecting the quality of life in 40% of the population. The identification of allergens is the key to the diagnosis of allergic diseases. Presently, several methods of allergy diagnostics are available in China, but they have not been standardized.

Artemisia Pollen Extracts Exposed to Diesel Exhaust Enhance Airway Inflammation and Immunological Imbalance in Asthmatic Mice Model.

Background: Vehicle-induced air pollution may increase the prevalence and severity of asthma. Pollens are important sources of outdoor allergens associated with asthma. Outdoor pollution may influence the structure of pollen grains, resulting in enhanced immune reactions.

Chinese Guideline on allergen immunotherapy for allergic rhinitis.

The present document is based on a consensus reached by a panel of experts from Chinese Society of Allergy (CSA) and Chinese Allergic Rhinitis Collaborative Research Group (C2AR2G). Allergen immunotherapy (AIT), has increasingly been used as a treatment for allergic rhinitis (AR) globally, as it has been shown to provide a long-term effect in improving nasal and ocular symptoms, reducing medication need, and improving quality of life. AIT is currently the only curative intervention that can potentially modify the immune system in individuals suffering from AR and prevent the development of new sensitization and the progression of disease from AR to asthma.

Invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma with lepidic-predominant pattern coexisted with tuberculosis: a case report.

We observed a rare case of invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma (IMA) with a lepidic-predominant pattern accompanied by pulmonary tuberculosis. An 85-year-old man with repeated cough and sputum was admitted to Xinhua Hospital. T-SPOT test result was 212 pg/ml (reference value of negative is < 14 pg/ml), Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture was positive, and tuberculin skin test (PPD) was negative (skin induration < 5 mm).

Species and quantity of airborne pollens in Shanghai as monitored by gravitational and volumetric methods.

Background: The prevalence of allergic diseases has markedly increased in the last decades. It is therefore important to assess the distribution of airborne pollen, the most important aeroallergen, for allergic disease prevention and control.

Objective: To identify the species and quantity of airborne pollens, and observe their distribution characteristics in Shanghai, using gravitational (Durham Sampler) and volumetric (Rotorod Sampler 40) methods simultaneously.

Short-term association between particular matter air pollution and pediatric clinical visits for wheezing in a subarea of Shanghai.

To assess the association between the concentration of ambient particulate matter (PM) and the pediatric clinical visits for wheezing among children under 3 years old, data of daily air pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, NO2, SO2, CO), meteorological reports, along with the number of daily clinical visits of the children with wheezing at the Pediatric Department of Shanghai Renji Hospital (South Campus) were collected from January through December 2014. Correlation between the levels of air pollutants and the number of clinical patients for wheezing were analyzed by a time series analysis with a generalized addictive model (GAM).

Semi-depot house-dust mite allergen extract for Chinese with allergic rhinitis and asthma.

Background: Real-world data of the subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) with semi-depot house-dust mite (HDM) allergen extract (a HDM allergen extract that contains a 50%-50% mixture of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farina) for allergic rhinitis and asthma was unavailable in China until recently.

Aim: To investigate the effectiveness and safety of a HDM-SCIT for allergic rhinitis and asthma in Chinese patients.

Methods: A multicenter, single-arm, open-label, self-controlled study.

Changes in levels of IL-9, IL-17, IFN-γ, dendritic cell numbers and TLR expression in peripheral blood in asthmatic children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) infection in children with asthma resulted in a more severe allergic state compared with a non-MP infected group. The infection rate of children with asthma was higher than that of the other groups, suggesting that being asthmatic may be a predisposing factor for MP infection and that the infection itself is an important co-factor in the disease progression of asthma. The number of dendritic cells (DCs) and the expression of TLR2 and TLR4 were compared in 22 asthmatic patients with MP infection, 22 asthmatic patients without MP infection, and 17 normal children as controls.

Foxp3 regulates ratio of Treg and NKT cells in a mouse model of asthma.

Chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways causes asthma. Regulatory T cells (Treg cells) and Natural killer T cells (NKT cells) both play critical roles in the pathogenesis of asthma. Activation of Treg cells requires Foxp3, whereas whether Foxp3 may regulate the ratio of Treg and NKT cells to affect asthma is uncertain.

Oxidative stress status in umbilical cord blood from neonates born to mothers with atopic asthma.

Objective: Our objective was to assess the oxidative stress status and analyse the relationship between an oxidant/antioxidant imbalance and the mediator release properties of cord blood basophils from neonates born to mothers with atopic asthma.

Methods: Cord blood was collected from the neonates of 16 asthmatic mothers and 18 healthy mothers Basophils were purified and stimulated by Dermatophagoides farinae (Df), hyperosmotic mannitol or peptidoglycan (PGN). Immunoblotting detected nuclear factor κB (NFκB) as a measure of functional receptor response.

The effect of stimuli on basophil-mediated atopic responses during asthmatic lying-in women and in newborns.

Morbidity from allergic diseases is increasing. Basophils play a critical role in systemic anaphylaxis and chronic allergic inflammation. The prenatal environment must be regarded as a possible early risk factor for allergic diseases in children.

The effect of peptidoglycan stimulation on basophil-mediated atopic responses during pregnancy and in newborns.

Background: Toll-like receptor (TLR) molecules play critical roles in directing the course of atopic diseases by recognizing specific microbial products that activate immune effector cell function.

Objective: We determined if basophils harvested from neonates genetically predisposed to atopic disease had different levels of TLR2 expression and determined whether putative TLR2 ligands mediated cytokine secretion.

Methods: Blood samples were collected from 10 asthmatic and 12 healthy women and their newborns.

Method for umbilical cord blood-derived basophils by FCM.

We have devised a method for the purification of human basophils from umbilical cord blood by FCM. Umbilical cord blood was collected from six healthy, full-term deliveries. After separation of red blood cells, mononuclear cells were isolated by Ficoll-Hypaque.

c-Myc-mediated control of cell fate in megakaryocyte-erythrocyte progenitors.

It has been found that c-Myc protein plays a critical role in controlling self-renewal versus differentiation in hematopoietic stem cells. We report that c-Myc also controls the fate of megakaryocyte-erythrocyte progenitors through regulating the differentiation of erythroid and megakaryocytic progenitors. In addition to the significant reduction of granulocytes/macrophages and B and T lymphocytes because of the reduction of their corresponding progenitors, we found significantly increased numbers of megakaryocytic progenitors and mature megakaryocytes in bone marrow and spleens of c-Myc-knockout (c-Myc(-/-)) mice.

Aminoglycoside ototoxicity in Nicaraguan children: patient risk factors and mitochondrial DNA results.

Objective: Aminoglycoside ototoxicity remains a major problem in developing countries and accounts for 3 percent to 30 percent of hearing loss. This high prevalence rate may be related to genetic susceptibility from mitochondrial mutations in the 12S rRNA gene, comorbidity factors, or unregulated use of the medication. This study investigates the risk factors and prevalence of mtDNA mutations in serum from rural Nicaragua children with aminoglycoside-related hearing loss.

Inhibition of PAX3 by TGF-beta modulates melanocyte viability.

The protein encoded by paired-box homeotic gene 3 (PAX3) is a key regulator of the microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (Mitf) in the melanocyte lineage. Here, we show that PAX3 expression in skin is directly inhibited by TGF-beta/Smads. UV irradiation represses TGF-beta in keratinocytes, and the repression of TGF-beta/Smads upregulates PAX3 in melanocytes, which is associated with a UV-induced melanogenic response and consequent pigmentation.

TAK1 is required for the survival of hematopoietic cells and hepatocytes in mice.

Transforming growth factor beta-activated kinase 1 (TAK1), a member of the MAPKKK family, is a key mediator of proinflammatory and stress signals. Activation of TAK1 by proinflammatory cytokines and T and B cell receptors induces the nuclear localization of nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) and the activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)/AP1 and P38, which play important roles in mediating inflammation, immune responses, T and B cell activation, and epithelial cell survival. Here, we report that TAK1 is critical for the survival of both hematopoietic cells and hepatocytes.