Grace Kelly, Osatohamwen I Idubor, Sophie Binney, Paul J Schramm, Maria C Mirabelli, Joy Hsu
{"title":"The Impact of Climate Change on Asthma and Allergic-Immunologic Disease.","authors":"Grace Kelly, Osatohamwen I Idubor, Sophie Binney, Paul J Schramm, Maria C Mirabelli, Joy Hsu","doi":"10.1007/s11882-023-01093-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11882-023-01093-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>This review discusses climate change-related impacts on asthma and allergic-immunologic disease, relevant US public health efforts, and healthcare professional resources.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Climate change can impact people with asthma and allergic-immunologic disease through various pathways, including increased exposure to asthma triggers (e.g., aeroallergens, ground-level ozone). Climate change-related disasters (e.g., wildfires, floods) disrupting healthcare access can complicate management of any allergic-immunologic disease. Climate change disproportionately affects some communities, which can exacerbate disparities in climate-sensitive diseases like asthma. Public health efforts include implementing a national strategic framework to help communities track, prevent, and respond to climate change-related health threats. Healthcare professionals can use resources or tools to help patients with asthma and allergic-immunologic disease prevent climate change-related health impacts. Climate change can affect people with asthma and allergic-immunologic disease and exacerbate health disparities. Resources and tools are available to help prevent climate change-related health impacts at the community and individual level.</p>","PeriodicalId":55198,"journal":{"name":"Current Allergy and Asthma Reports","volume":"23 8","pages":"453-461"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10613957/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10007651","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Use and Teaching of Telemedicine in Allergy/Immunology Training Programs.","authors":"Emily Robbins, Kirti Johal, Anjeni Keswani","doi":"10.1007/s11882-023-01096-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-023-01096-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>The use of telemedicine has greatly increased since the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This review discusses the types of telemedicine, current telehealth curricula in medical education, and benefits and disadvantages of incorporation of telemedicine into Allergy/Immunology training programs.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>The majority of Allergists/Immunologists use telemedicine in their clinical practice with leaders in graduate medical education recommending inclusion of telemedicine in training. Fellows-in-training reported that use of telemedicine in Allergy/Immunology training during the pandemic mitigated some concerns for lack of adequate clinical experience. Still, no standardized curriculum for telemedicine training in Allergy/Immunology exists, although curricula from internal medicine and primary care residencies can provide a framework for incorporation of telemedicine training into fellowship. Benefits of telemedicine in Allergy/Immunology training include enhanced immunology training, home environment monitoring, and flexibility to reduce physician burnout while disadvantages include limited physical examination skill building and lack of a standardized curriculum. As telemedicine has been widely accepted in medicine with high patient satisfaction, it is necessary to incorporate a standardized telehealth curriculum in Allergy/Immunology fellowship training, both as a tool for patient care as well as trainee education.</p>","PeriodicalId":55198,"journal":{"name":"Current Allergy and Asthma Reports","volume":"23 8","pages":"463-470"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10066180","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Austin Lai, Kelly Owens, Surya Patel, Matilda Nicholas
{"title":"The Impact of Air Pollution on Atopic Dermatitis.","authors":"Austin Lai, Kelly Owens, Surya Patel, Matilda Nicholas","doi":"10.1007/s11882-023-01095-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-023-01095-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>Atopic dermatitis (AD) remains a dermatological disease that imposes a significant burden on society. Air pollution has previously been linked to both the onset and severity of atopic dermatitis. As air pollution remains a critical environmental factor impacting human health, this review seeks to provide an overview of the relationship between different air pollutants and AD.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>AD can develop from multiple causes that can be broadly grouped into epidermal barrier dysfunction and immune dysregulation. Air pollution imposes significant health risks and includes a wide variety of pollutant types. AD has been linked to outdoor air pollutants such as particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOC), gaseous compounds, and heavy metals. Exposure to indoor pollutants such as tobacco smoke and fungal molds has also been associated with an increased incidence of AD. While different pollutants impact distinct molecular pathways in the cell, they mostly converge on ROS product, DNA damage, and dysregulated T-cell activity and cytokine production. The presented review suggests a strengthening tie between air pollution and AD. It points to opportunities for further studies to clarify, as well as potential therapeutic opportunities that leverage the mechanistic relationships between air pollution and AD.</p>","PeriodicalId":55198,"journal":{"name":"Current Allergy and Asthma Reports","volume":"23 8","pages":"435-442"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10214316/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10065171","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Online Education in Allergy and Immunology: An Update to Conferences Online in Allergy (COLA).","authors":"Melissa Anderson, Christopher Miller","doi":"10.1007/s11882-023-01086-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-023-01086-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>Online resources have become an essential component of medical education. We describe here our long standing but unique approach to providing online education in the specialty of allergy and immunology and its impact. RECENT FINDINGS: In this article, we report the process and updates to our online conferencing curriculum known as Conferences Online in Allergy (COLA). The program was developed at Children's Mercy Kansas City almost two decades ago for the utilization of fellows in training, as well as practicing allergists. Since its inception viewership has continued to grow. COLA has served as a significant resource for both the new and practicing allergists. With rapidly continuing advancements in medical knowledge and technology, coupled with the aftereffects of a pandemic and remote learning, COLA will continue to play a significant role in allergy and immunology medical education.</p>","PeriodicalId":55198,"journal":{"name":"Current Allergy and Asthma Reports","volume":"23 7","pages":"411-415"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10209564/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10213496","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Neurosarcoidosis: Diagnostic Challenges and Mimics A Review.","authors":"Jeffrey Shen, Elijah Lackey, Suma Shah","doi":"10.1007/s11882-023-01092-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-023-01092-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>Neurosarcoidosis is a rare manifestation of sarcoidosis that is challenging to diagnose. Biopsy confirmation of granulomas is not sufficient, as other granulomatous diseases can present similarly. This review is intended to guide the clinician in identifying key conditions to exclude prior to concluding a diagnosis of neurosarcoidosis.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Although new biomarkers are being studied, there are no reliable tests for neurosarcoidosis. Advances in serum testing and imaging have improved the diagnosis for key mimics of neurosarcoidosis in certain clinical scenarios, but biopsy remains an important method of differentiation. Key mimics of neurosarcoidosis in all cases include infections (tuberculosis, fungal), autoimmune disease (vasculitis, IgG4-related disease), and lymphoma. As neurosarcoidosis can affect any part of the nervous system, patients should have a unique differential diagnosis tailored to their clinical presentation. Although biopsy can assist with excluding mimics, diagnosis is ultimately clinical.</p>","PeriodicalId":55198,"journal":{"name":"Current Allergy and Asthma Reports","volume":"23 7","pages":"399-410"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10230477/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10148767","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Christian Calvo-Henriquez, Eugenio Di Corso, Isam Alobid, Elena Cantone, Tiziana Di Cesare, Joaquim Mullol
{"title":"Pathophysiological Link Between Chronic Rhinosinusitis and Ear Disease.","authors":"Christian Calvo-Henriquez, Eugenio Di Corso, Isam Alobid, Elena Cantone, Tiziana Di Cesare, Joaquim Mullol","doi":"10.1007/s11882-023-01072-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-023-01072-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>In the clinical practice, patients affected by chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) commonly complain of otologic symptoms. This review aims to describe the available literature evidence assessing the relationship between CRS and ear illnesses published in the last 5 years.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Available evidence suggests a higher prevalence of otologic symptoms in patients suffering from CRS, affecting up to 87% of patients. These symptoms may be related to Eustachian tube dysfunction, which improves after treatment for CRS. A few studies suggested a potential but not confirmed role of CRS in cholesteatoma, chronic otitis media, and sensorineural hypoacusis. A special type of otitis media with effusion (OME) may occur in patients with CRS, which seems to respond well to new biologic therapy. Ear symptoms appear to be highly prevalent in patients with CRS. So far, the available evidence is robust only for Eustachian tube dysfunction, which has been shown to be particularly impaired in CRS patients. Additionally, the Eustachian tube function appears to improve after treatment for CRS. Finally, interesting preliminary data were described for eosinophilic otitis media, as it appears to respond well to the treatment with biologics.</p>","PeriodicalId":55198,"journal":{"name":"Current Allergy and Asthma Reports","volume":"23 7","pages":"389-397"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10214484","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Relationship of Parasite Allergens to Allergic Diseases.","authors":"Luis Caraballo, Kevin Llinás-Caballero","doi":"10.1007/s11882-023-01089-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-023-01089-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>Helminth infections modify the natural history of allergic diseases, by either decreasing or increasing their symptoms. Several helminth components are involved in the increasing of the allergic response and symptoms, overcoming the concomitant immunosuppression of helminthiases. However, the role of individual IgE-binding molecules in this process remains to be defined.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>We updated the list of helminth allergens and IgE-binding molecules, their effects on asthma presentation, and their impact on allergy diagnosis. Data from genetic and epigenetic studies of ascariasis are analyzed. A new species-specific A. lumbricoides allergen has been discovered, with potential use in molecular diagnosis. Most helminth IgE-binding components are not officially classified as allergens in the WHO/IUIS database, although there is evidence of their influence increasing allergic manifestations. Further immunological characterization of these components is needed to better understand their mechanisms of action and evaluate the ways in which they can influence the diagnosis of allergy.</p>","PeriodicalId":55198,"journal":{"name":"Current Allergy and Asthma Reports","volume":"23 7","pages":"363-373"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10354133/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10530270","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anum F Muzaffar, Sandra Abdul-Massih, James M Stevenson, Santiago Alvarez-Arango
{"title":"Use of the Electronic Health Record for Monitoring Adverse Drug Reactions.","authors":"Anum F Muzaffar, Sandra Abdul-Massih, James M Stevenson, Santiago Alvarez-Arango","doi":"10.1007/s11882-023-01087-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-023-01087-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. The electronic health record (EHR) provides an opportunity to monitor ADRs, mainly through the utilization of drug allergy data and pharmacogenomics. This review article explores the current use of the EHR for ADR monitoring and highlights areas that require improvement.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Recent research has identified several issues with using EHR for ADR monitoring. These include the lack of standardization between EHR systems, specificity in data entry options, incomplete and inaccurate documentation, and alert fatigue. These issues can limit the effectiveness of ADR monitoring and compromise patient safety. The EHR has great potential for monitoring ADR but needs significant updates to improve patient safety and optimize care. Future research should concentrate on developing standardized documentation and clinical decision support systems within EHRs. Healthcare professionals should also be educated on the significance of accurate and complete ADR monitoring.</p>","PeriodicalId":55198,"journal":{"name":"Current Allergy and Asthma Reports","volume":"23 7","pages":"417-426"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10529790","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Terry L Noah, Cameron P Worden, Meghan E Rebuli, Ilona Jaspers
{"title":"The Effects of Wildfire Smoke on Asthma and Allergy.","authors":"Terry L Noah, Cameron P Worden, Meghan E Rebuli, Ilona Jaspers","doi":"10.1007/s11882-023-01090-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11882-023-01090-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>To review the recent literature on the effects of wildfire smoke (WFS) exposure on asthma and allergic disease, and on potential mechanisms of disease.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Spatiotemporal modeling and increased ground-level monitoring data are allowing a more detailed picture of the health effects of WFS exposure to emerge, especially with regard to asthma. There is also epidemiologic and some experimental evidence to suggest that WFS exposure increases allergic predisposition and upper airway or sinonasal disease, though much of the literature in this area is focused more generally on PM<sub>2.5</sub> and is not specific for WFS. Experimental evidence for mechanisms includes disruption of epithelial integrity with downstream effects on inflammatory or immune pathways, but experimental models to date have not consistently reflected human disease in this area. Exposure to WFS has an acute detrimental effect on asthma. Potential mechanisms are suggested by in vitro and animal studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":55198,"journal":{"name":"Current Allergy and Asthma Reports","volume":"23 7","pages":"375-387"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10176314/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10213476","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Gabriel Cavalcante Lima Chagas, Débora Xavier, Lorena Gomes, Juliana Ferri-Guerra, Rafael Enrique Hernandez Oquet
{"title":"Effects of Tezepelumab on Quality of Life of Patients with Moderate-to-Severe, Uncontrolled Asthma: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.","authors":"Gabriel Cavalcante Lima Chagas, Débora Xavier, Lorena Gomes, Juliana Ferri-Guerra, Rafael Enrique Hernandez Oquet","doi":"10.1007/s11882-023-01085-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-023-01085-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>To assess the effects of tezepelumab on quality of life (QoL) in patients with moderate-to-severe, uncontrolled asthma.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Tezepelumab improves pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and reduces the annualized asthma exacerbation rate (AAER) in patients with moderate-to-severe, uncontrolled asthma. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library from inception to September 2022. We included randomized controlled trials comparing tezepelumab versus placebo in patients aged ≥ 12 years with asthma on medium- or high-dose inhaled corticosteroids with ≥ 1 additional controller medication for ≥ 6 months and who had ≥ 1 asthma exacerbation in the 12 months before enrollment. We estimated effects measures with a random-effects model. Of 239 records identified, three studies were included, with a total of 1,484 patients. Tezepelumab significantly decreased biomarkers of T helper 2-driven inflammation, including blood eosinophil count (MD -135.8 [95% CI -164.37, -107.23]) and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (MD -9.64 [95% CI -13.75, -5.53]); improved PFTs, including pre-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 s (MD 0.18 [95% CI 0.08-0.27]); reduced the AAER (MD 0.47 [95% CI 0.39-0.56]); improved asthma-specific health-related QoL in the Asthma Control Questionnaire-6 (MD -0.33 [95% CI -0.34, -0.32]), Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire for 12 Years and Older (MD 0.34 [95% CI 0.33, -0.35]), Asthma Symptom Diary (MD -0.11 [95% CI -0.18, -0.04]), and European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions 5 Levels Questionnaire (SMD 3.29 [95% CI 2.03, 4.55]) scores, although not clinically important; and did not change key safety outcomes, including any adverse event (OR 0.78 [95% CI 0.56-1.09]).</p>","PeriodicalId":55198,"journal":{"name":"Current Allergy and Asthma Reports","volume":"23 6","pages":"287-298"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9933145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}