Comparative studies of seafood and reptile α- and β-parvalbumins.

Small calcium-binding proteins such as parvalbumins (PVs) are major seafood and fish allergens. However, the impact of structural changes on their capacity to bind IgE has not been studied in detail. Therefore, fish and reptilian PVs, as well as human α-PV, were selected for biochemical, structural, and IgE binding studies.

The Allergen Profile of Two Edible Insect Species-Acheta domesticus and Hermetia illucens.

Scope: Edible insect proteins are increasingly introduced as an alternative sustainable food source to address the world's need to feed the growing population. Tropomyosin is the main insect allergen; however, additional potential allergens are not well characterized and the impact of extraction procedures on immunological reactivity is unknown.

Methods And Results: Proteins from different commercial food products derived from cricket (Acheta domesticus) and black soldier fly (BSF) (Hermetia illucens) are extracted using five different extraction buffers.

Prevalence and Determinants of Food Allergy in the Era of Early Allergen Introduction: The EarlyNuts Population-Based Study.

Background: Infant feeding guidelines in Australia changed in 2016 to recommend introducing common allergy-causing foods by age 1 year to prevent food allergy. Although most Australian infants now eat peanut and egg by age 6 months, some still develop food allergy despite the early introduction of allergens.

Objectives: To describe the prevalence of food allergy in a cohort recruited after introducing the nationwide allergy prevention recommendations; identify characteristics of infants who developed allergy despite early introduction of allergens; and estimate the causal effect of modifiable exposures on food allergy prevalence and whether this differed between infants who were introduced to allergens before or after age 6 months.

Neonatal Vitamin D and Associations with Longitudinal Changes of Eczema up to 25 Years of Age.

Background: Early-life vitamin D is a potentially modifiable risk factor for the development of eczema, but there is a lack of data on longitudinal associations.

Method: We measured 25(OH)D3 levels from neonatal dried blood spots in 223 high-allergy-risk children. Latent class analysis was used to define longitudinal eczema phenotype up to 25 years (4 subclasses).

Epigenome-Wide Association Studies of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Lung Function: A Systematic Review.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) results from gene-environment interactions over the lifetime. These interactions are captured by epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation. To systematically review the evidence form epigenome-wide association studies related to COPD and lung function.

Allergen Diversity and Abundance in Different Tissues of the Redclaw Crayfish ().

Shellfish allergy affects ~2.5% of the global population and is a type I immune response resulting from exposure to crustacean and/or molluscan proteins. The Australian Redclaw crayfish () is a freshwater species endemic to and farmed in northern Australia and is becoming an aquaculture species of interest globally.

A genome catalog of the early-life human skin microbiome.

Background: Metagenome-assembled genomes have greatly expanded the reference genomes for skin microbiome. However, the current reference genomes are largely based on samples from adults in North America and lack representation from infants and individuals from other continents.

Results: Here we use deep shotgun metagenomic sequencing to profile the skin microbiota of 215 infants at age 2-3 months and 12 months who are part of the VITALITY trial in Australia as well as 67 maternally matched samples.

De Novo Transcriptomic Analyses to Identify and Compare Allergens in Foods.

Food allergens have been traditionally identified using biomolecular and immunological approaches. However, the techniques used in extracting proteins from the food source to be analyzed may hinder the availability of all proteins when assessing immunological allergenicity. Additionally, depending on the number and pool of patient sera used to detect the IgE antibody-binding allergens, some allergens may not be detected if not all the patients in the pool are sensitized to all the allergens.

Thermostable allergens in canned fish: Evaluating risks for fish allergy.

Background: Major fish allergens, including parvalbumin (PV), are heat stable and can withstand extensive cooking processes. Thus, the management of fish allergy generally relies on complete avoidance. Fish-allergic patients may be advised to consume canned fish, as some fish-allergic individuals have reported tolerance to canned fish.

Infant food allergy phenotypes and association with lung function deficits and asthma at age 6 years: a population-based, prospective cohort study in Australia.

Background: Food allergy is considered a precursor to asthma in the context of the atopic march, but the relationship between infant food allergy phenotypes and lung function and asthma in childhood is unclear. We aimed to examine the association between food sensitisation and challenge-confirmed food allergy in infancy, as well as persistent and resolved food allergy up to age 6 years, and the risk of lung function deficits and asthma at age 6 years.

Methods: The longitudinal, population-based HealthNuts cohort study in Melbourne, VIC, Australia, recruited 5276 infants children aged 1 year who attended council-run immunisation sessions between Sept 28, 2007, and Aug 5, 2011.

Efficacy and safety of oral immunotherapy for peanut, cow's milk, and hen's egg allergy: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Oral immunotherapy (OIT) is a promising treatment for food allergies; however, safety is a concern. We synthesized evidence from the best randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on efficacy/safety of OIT for desensitization (DS) and remission (sustained unresponsiveness (SU)) in IgE mediated allergy to peanut, hen's eggs, and cow's milk. BODY: We searched Pubmed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases (Until Oct 22) identifying 16 eligible RCTs published in English measuring food allergy by food challenge at the beginning and at the end of the study.

Increasing emergency department visits for anaphylaxis in very early childhood: A canary in the coal mine.

Aim: The incidence of anaphylaxis is increasing globally in tandem with changing environmental and lifestyle factors. There is very limited data on very early childhood presentations. We aim to assess changes in rates, characteristics and management of infant anaphylaxis in a paediatric ED over a 15-year period.

Cashew Allergy Prevalence and Sensitization in 1-Year-Old Infants.

Background: Cashew allergy is the most common tree nut allergy in Australia, but there are limited data on the population-level prevalence and risk factors.

Objective: Describe the prevalence of cashew sensitization and allergy in 12-month-old infants and identify risk factors.

Methods: Data were from the EarlyNuts cohort, a population-based sample of infants recruited in Melbourne, Australia.

Australian Infant Food Allergy Emergency Presentations Following Updated Early Food Introduction Guidelines.

Background: The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy food allergy prevention guidelines were updated in 2016 to recommend home introduction of allergenic foods actively in the first year of life, including to infants at high risk of allergy. An important consideration for parents and providers is whether this practice increases food allergy reactions or anaphylaxis.

Objective: We aimed to determine whether the 2016 update of food allergy prevention guidelines was associated with an increase in food allergy or anaphylaxis emergency department (ED) presentations.

A genome catalog of the early-life human skin microbiome.

Metagenome-assembled genomes have greatly expanded the reference genomes for skin microbiome. However, the current reference genomes are largely based on samples from adults in North America and lack representation from infants and individuals from other continents. Here we used ultra-deep shotgun metagenomic sequencing to profile the skin microbiota of 215 infants at age 2-3 months and 12 months who were part of the VITALITY trial in Australia as well as 67 maternally-matched samples.

Updated guidance regarding the risk of allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccines and recommended evaluation and management: A GRADE assessment and international consensus approach.

This guidance updates 2021 GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) recommendations regarding immediate allergic reactions following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines and addresses revaccinating individuals with first-dose allergic reactions and allergy testing to determine revaccination outcomes. Recent meta-analyses assessed the incidence of severe allergic reactions to initial COVID-19 vaccination, risk of mRNA-COVID-19 revaccination after an initial reaction, and diagnostic accuracy of COVID-19 vaccine and vaccine excipient testing in predicting reactions. GRADE methods informed rating the certainty of evidence and strength of recommendations.

A Review of the Role of Pollen in COVID-19 Infection.

There is current interest in the role of ambient pollen in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19) infection risk. The aim of this review is to summarise studies published up until January 2023 investigating the relationship between airborne pollen and the risk of COVID-19 infection. We found conflicting evidence, with some studies showing that pollen may increase the risk of COVID-19 infection by acting as a carrier, while others showed that pollen may reduce the risk by acting as an inhibiting factor.

Undiagnosed and 'overdiagnosed' COPD using postbronchodilator spirometry in primary healthcare settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Despite chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) being a major global cause of mortality and hospitalisation, it is often undiagnosed or inaccurately diagnosed in clinical settings.

Objective: To systematically synthesise all peer-reviewed papers from primary healthcare settings that have reported data on: (1) undiagnosed COPD, that is, patients with respiratory symptoms and postbronchodilator airflow obstruction consistent with COPD, without a formal clinician's diagnosis of COPD either documented in health records or reported by patients and (2) 'overdiagnosed COPD', that is, clinician's diagnosis without postbronchodilator airflow obstruction.

Methods: Studies investigating these diagnostic metrics in patients from primary healthcare clinics (according to predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria) were sourced from Medline and Embase and assessed for bias (Johanna Briggs Institute tools for prevalence studies and case series).

Systematic Review of the Incidence and/or Prevalence of Eating Disorders in Individuals With Food Allergies.

Background: Chronic diseases involving strict dietary adherence have been associated with an increased risk of eating disorders (EDs). This is the first systematic review investigating the rate of EDs among individuals with food allergies (FAs).

Objective: To report the incidence, prevalence, and types of EDs in individuals with FAs.