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Cytokine responses accompanying sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) responder phenotypes have not previously been reported.

Chronic urticaria (CU) in childhood remains a challenge for investigation, and its etiology is largely unknown. Autoantibodies to the high-affinity IgE receptor (Fc?RI) are believed to play a role in the pathogenesis of this disease in adults.

To obtain a current understanding of the mechanisms, clinical indications, efficacy, and safety of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) for the treatment of children and adults with allergic rhinitis, asthma, and allergic conjunctivitis.

This randomized study examined the efficacy and safety of levocetirizine in pediatric patients with perennial allergic rhinitis. Health-related quality of life (HRQL) was also investigated, which is particularly relevant in children because of the effects of rhinitis on learning, social activities, and comorbidity.

Although the cytolytic, neurotoxic, and hemolytic actions of snake venoms are well known, the ability of airborne inhaled snake venom of the spitting cobra to induce asthma in snake handlers has not been reported.

Background:Pimecrolimus cream 1% (Elidel, SDZ ASM 981), a nonsteroid selective inhibitor of inflammatory cytokines, is effective in the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD). In this study we compared early intervention with pimecrolimus cream with treatment with a vehicle control. Objective:The purpose of this investigation was to assess whether early treatment in infants of AD signs/symptoms with pimecrolimus could influence long-term outcome by preventing disease flares. Methods:In this 1-year, double-blind controlled study, 251 infants aged 3 to 23 months with AD were randomized 4:1 to a pimecrolimus-based regimen (n = 204) or a conventional treatment regimen (n = 47). Both groups used emollients for dry skin. Early AD signs and symptoms were treated either with pimecrolimus cream to prevent flares or, in the control group, with vehicle. Vehicle was used to maintain blinding conditions. In the event of flares, moderately potent corticosteroid was permitted in both groups. The primary efficacy end point was the incidence of flares at 6 months. Results:Pimecrolimus significantly reduced the incidence of flares compared with control treatment (P< .001), with 67.6% versus 30.4% of patients completing 6 months with no flare and 56.9% versus 28.3% completing 12 months with no flare. Overall corticosteroid use was substantially lower in the pimecrolimus group: 63.7% versus 34.8% of patients did not use corticosteroids at all during the study. Pimecrolimus was also more effective than control treatment in the long-term control of pruritus and the signs of AD. There were no clinically significant differences in incidence of adverse events between the 2 treatment groups. Conclusions:Treatment with pimecrolimus of early signs and symptoms significantly modified the disease course in infants by reducing the incidence of flares and improving overall control of AD. Pimecrolimus was safe and well tolerated. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 2002;110:277-84.)

Background:The hypothesis that in atopic diseases the T-helper response is skewed toward a TH2-type cytokine response was based on studies with mitogen stimulation, T-cell clones, or both. Objective:Using primary cultures, we investigated (1) whether atopic asthmatic patients have a TH2 response and nonatopic subjects have a TH1 response to allergen and (2) whether atopic patients have a decreased ability to mount TH1 immune responses to mycobacterial antigens. Methods:The responses of PBMCs to allergen (house dust mite [HDM]) or purified protein derivative of Mycobacterium tuberculosis(PPD) stimulation from 10 severely and 14 moderately asthmatic patients (all allergic to HDM) were compared with those of 17 nonatopic healthy black (Xhosa) children. Results:HDM-stimulated proliferation, IL-5 release, and the IL-5/IFN-γ ratio were significantly increased in subjects with atopic asthma, whereas IFN-γ release was not significantly different. IL-4 levels were below the level of detection. PPD-stimulated proliferation, IL-5 release, IFN-γ release, and the IL-5/IFN-γ ratio were not significantly different among the groups. Each group had a significantly higher IL-5/IFN-γ ratio in response to HDM than to PPD (a TH1 stimulus). Conclusion:Our study, which used primary cultures to investigate the hypothesis that nonatopic subjects have a TH1 response to allergens, indicates that HDM stimulates a TH2 cytokine response in both atopic and nonatopic subjects but that the response is enhanced in atopic patients. Our results with PPD suggest that normal and atopic asthmatic subjects can have a TH1 cytokine response to mycobacteria, but there is a subgroup of atopic subjects that have a TH2 response. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 2000;106:84-91.)

The For Angioedema Subcutaneous Treatment (FAST)-3 study was a phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of icatibant (bradykinin B2receptor antagonist) in subjects with hereditary angioedema (HAE) resulting from C1-INH deficiency or dysfunction (type I/II).