Objective: The prevalence of allergic diseases has reached epidemic proportions in the Western world. Although farm-living has been associated with a lower prevalence of asthma and atopy, a marked increase in atopy among rural populations after accession to the European Union has been recently reported in Poland. Here, we aimed to investigate the effect of living environment on the prevalence of atopy and allergic diseases in Polish children.
Methods: 400 schoolchildren aged 10-14 years from the capital city (223) and from traditional rural part of the country (177) were recruited from June to November 2011. Data on allergic diseases and symptoms were collected by means of questionnaire and physical examination. Atopy was assessed based on skin prick tests (SPTs) reactivity to inhalant allergens in 350 children.
Results: A high discrepancy between the prevalence of allergic symptoms (46.7%) and doctor-diagnosed allergic diseases (25%) was demonstrated (p < 0.0001). Urban children had a higher overall prevalence of allergic diseases and atopy than children living in rural areas, 29.3% versus 17.1% (p = 0.007) and 33.5% versus 20% (p = 0.0045), respectively. However, no significant differences in the rates of particular allergic diseases were noted (p > 0.05). There was higher SPT positivity to trees, grass, corn, weeds, animal dander, and molds in urban children (p < 0.05).
Conclusions: Our data support the protective effect of farm-living on the prevalence of atopy and overall allergic diseases, albeit not on particular allergic diseases, in children in Poland. The underlying mechanisms are not identified, but current socioeconomic changes may be responsible.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02770903.2017.1400046 | DOI Listing |
Chin Med J Pulm Crit Care Med
December 2024
Department of Respiratory Medicine, National Key Clinical Specialty, Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, China.
Background: Glucocorticoid-induced transcript 1 (GLCCI1) has been reported to be associated with the efficiency of inhaled glucocorticoids in patients with asthma. This study aimed to investigate the role of GLCCI1 in the regulation of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor (NLR) family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) by the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway in the pathogenesis of allergic asthma.
Methods: The expression levels of genes encoding GLCCI1, NLRP3 inflammasome components, and PI3K pathway-related indicators were detected in cells isolated from induced sputum from patients with asthma and healthy controls.
Inflamm Intest Dis
January 2025
University Center for Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, Clarunis, Basel, Switzerland.
Background: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) has been described as a chronic allergen/immune-mediated disease characterized by symptoms of esophageal dysfunction and eosinophilic infiltration of the mucosa.
Summary: Over the past decades, EoE has been increasingly recognized in various geographical areas with a high socioeconomic development (mostly industrialized countries) and has evolved from an unknown to a clinically distinct disease with increasing prevalence and incidence. An average age at diagnosis between 30 and 50 years and a male predominance have been consistently observed.
Front Cell Dev Biol
January 2025
Fujian Provincial Hospital, Shengli Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou University Affiliated Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou, China.
Purpose: To investigate the changes in meibomian gland (MG) structure in allergic conjunctivitis (AC) patients using an intelligent quantitative analysis algorithm and to explore the relationship between these changes and clinical parameters.
Methods: A total of 252 eyes from patients with AC and 200 eyes from normal controls were examined. Infrared meibography was performed using the non-contact mode of the Keratograph 5M.
Medicine (Baltimore)
January 2025
The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan Province, China.
Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common allergic inflammatory disease that affects the upper respiratory tract. Although previous research suggests a potential association between gut microbiota alterations and AR, the causal relationship remains unclear. This study employs Mendelian randomization (MR) to reduce confounding factors and reverse causality.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Allergy Clin Immunol Glob
February 2025
Section of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.
Background: Cefazolin is the most common first-line antibiotic to prevent surgical-site infections. Patients with penicillin allergy labels often receive alternative antibiotics, which is associated with increased rates of surgical-site infections, multi-drug-resistant infections, and cost.
Objective: We sought to determine whether a hospital-wide guideline recommending first-line surgical prophylaxis in patients with penicillin allergy labels can increase the use of cefazolin without compromising safety.
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