Characteristics of food allergy in children: National multicenter study

Conference: Congress of the European-Academy-of-Allergy-and-Clinical-Immunology (EAACI) Location: Lisbon, PORTUGAL Date: JUN 01-05, 2019Background : Food allergies impose a significant burden on the life of the child and the family. In this study, to determine the demographic characteristics of food allergies, we investigated the characteristics of patients with food allergies in different regions of Pediatric Allergy- Immunology departments in Turkey. Method : Turkey ' s National Study of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Society has conducted a Study Group on Food Allergies. 25 centers participated in this multicenter, cross- sectional and descriptive study.European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunolog

Haplotypic similarity in immunogenes of Turkish population with Europeans and Central Asians

Meeting of the European-Academy-of-Allergy-and-Clinical-Immunology -- JUN 11-15, 2016 -- Vienna, AUSTRIAWOS: 000383679802346European Acad Allergy & Clin Immuno

Pervasive Science: Challenges of contemporary technosciences for governance and self-management

Contains fulltext : 84219.pdf (preprint version ) (Open Access

Phenotypic and molecular characterization of risk loci associated with asthma and lung function

*Karaca, Mehmet ( Aksaray, Yazar ) *Atçeken, Nazente ( Aksaray, Yazar ) *Yücetepe, Aysun ( Aksaray, Yazar )Purpose: Respiratory diseases have a highly multifactorial etiology where different mechanisms contribute to the individual's susceptibility. We conducted a deep characterization of loci associated with asthma and lung function by previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Methods: Sixteen variants were selected from previous GWAS of childhood/adult asthma and pulmonary function tests. We conducted a phenome-wide association study of these loci in 4,083 traits assessed in the UK Biobank (n = 361,194 participants). Data from the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project were used to conduct a transcriptomic analysis with respect to tissues relevant for asthma pathogenesis. A pediatric cohort assessed with the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Children (ISAAC) Phase II tools was used to further explore the association of these variants with 116 traits related to asthma comorbidities. Results: Our phenome-wide association studies (PheWAS) identified 206 phenotypic associations with respect to the 16 variants identified. In addition to the replication of the phenotypes tested in the discovery GWAS, we observed novel associations related to blood levels of immune cells (eosinophils, neutrophils, monocytes, and lymphocytes) for the asthma-related variants. Conversely, the lung-function variants were associated with phenotypes related to body fat mass. In the ISAAC-assessed cohort, we observed that risk alleles associated with increased fat mass can exacerbate allergic reactions in individuals affected by allergic respiratory diseases. The GTEx-based analysis showed that the variants tested affect the transcriptomic regulation of multiple surrounding genes across several tissues. Conclusions: This study generated novel data regarding the genetics of respiratory diseases and their comorbidities, providing a deep characterization of loci associated with asthma and lung function

Allerji & immünoloji eğitimi: Yandal asistanlarının beklentileri nelerdir?

Eğitim programlarının iyileştirilmesinde yandal asistanlarının geribildirimleri önem taşımaktadır. Çalışmamızda Allerji/İmmünoloji yandal asistanlarının beklenti ve algıları internet tabanlı anket yoluyla araştırıldı. Yandal asistanlarının çoğunluğu (%91) ankete katıldı (ortanca yaş: 34 yıl, çeyreklerarası aralık: 32-37 yıl); %70’i çocuk sağlığı ve hastalıkları uzmanı idi. Yandal eğitimine başvurmalarının en sık nedeni uzman- laşma beklentisi (%76.7) ve akademik kariyeri sürdürmekti (%73.3). Her ne kadar çoğunluk (%80) üst-ihtisas programına başvurduğu için memnun olsa da, üçte biri eğitimin beklentilerini karşılamadığını, dörtte biri ise bölümlerindeki donanımın Allerji/İmmünoloji eğitimi için yeterli olmadığını belirtti. Yandal asistanlarının %42’si standart bir eğitim programının zorunlu olduğuna inanıyordu ve %86’sının ulusal ve uluslararası değişim programlarına katılma isteği mevcuttu. Gelecek kaygısı %47.4’ünde bildirildi ancak yalnızca dörtte biri gelecekteki kariyerleri konusunda kötümserdi. Bu anket eğitim programındaki eksikleri işaret etmesi nedeniyle önemli geribildirim sağlamaktadır.The feedback of fellows is critical for improving training programs. The expectations/perceptions of Allergy/Immunology fellows were investigated through a web based-survey. The majority (91%) of fellows participated (median age: 34 years, interquartile range: 32- 37 years); 70% were pediatricians. The most common reasons to apply for the fellowship-training were: expectations of higher specialization (76.7%) and pursuing an academic career (73.3%). Though the majority (80%) were satisfied with their decision to apply to a subspecialty program, for one third, the training did not meet their expectations and one fourth perceived that the facilities in their department were not adequate for A/I training. 42% believed that a standardized core curriculum is mandatory, and in addition 86% of fellows desired to attend national and international exchange programs. Future anxiety was reported in 47.4%, but only one fourth are pessimistic about their career in the future. This survey provides interesting insights and feedback to address the shortcomings in training programs

Haplotype analysis of non-HLA immunogenetic loci in Turkish and worldwide populations

WOS: 000377827600003PubMed: 27129937Immunogenes (i.e., genes related to the immune system and its functions) are involved in the predisposition to numerous traits and their variation contributes to the phenotypic variability observed among human groups. Turkish population presents particular genetic features since its genetic pool is an admixture of European, Middle-Eastern, and Central Asian ancestries. Here, we analyzed the haplotype structure of four immunogenetic loci (i.e., ADAM33; IL13-IL4; IL4R; MS4A2) in 482 subjects from five different regions of Turkey. Genotyping was performed using KASP technology. Turkish data were compared with the haplotype information available from the 1000 Genomes Project Phase 3 (26 human populations from 5 ancestry groups). We did not observe significant differences among Turkish groups. Comparing other ancestries, we identified haplotype similarity of Turkish subjects with European populations in IL13-1L4, IL4R, and ADAM33 loci; and with central Asians in MS4A2 region. Considering loci displaying Turkish-European haplotype similarity (i.e., IL13-1L4, IL4R, and ADAM33), we observed differences between Turkish subjects and northern/western Europeans. Conversely, no significant difference was determined in MS4A2 between Turkish and central Asian populations. Finally, we assessed the haplotypes responsible for the differences between Turkish and European samples and the potential functional effects on the immunogenetic loci investigated. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) [SBAG-2135025]This study was supported by a grant (SBAG-2135025) from the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK). We are indebted to the field workers, those who collaborated in the participating centers, and all the parents and school staff who assisted in the surveys. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest

Consensus statement on diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of cow's milk protein allergy among infants and children in Turkey

The present paper aims to provide experts' consensus on diagnosis and management of cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA) among infants and children in Turkey, based on review of available evidence-based guidelines, publications and experts' clinical experience. The experts agreed that CMPA diagnosis should be based on symptomatic evaluation and diagnostic elimination diet as followed by implementation of an open challenge test after disappearance of symptoms and confirmation of CMPA diagnosis in re-appearance of symptoms. For breastfed infants, differential diagnosis involves withdrawal of cow's milk-containing products from the mother's diet, while calcium supplements and appropriate dietary advice are given to mothers to prevent nutritional deficiency. For infants not breastfed exclusively, cow's milk-based formula and any complementary food containing cow's milk protein (CMP) should be avoided. The first line treatment should be extensively hydrolyzed formula (eHF) with use of amino acid-based formula (AAF) in severe cases such as anaphylaxis, enteropathy, eosinophilic esophagitis and food protein induced enterocolitis along with cases of multiple system involvement, multiple food allergies and intolerance to eHF. Introduction of supplementary foods should not be delayed in CMPA, while should be made one by one in small amounts and only after the infant is at least 17 weeks of age. Infants who are at-risk can be identified by family history of atopic disease. Exclusive breastfeeding for 4-6 months (17-27 weeks) is recommended as the best method of infant allergy prevention. There is no evidence that modifying the mother's diet during pregnancy and/or breast-feeding and delaying solid or even potentially allergic foods beyond 4-6 months in infants may be protective against allergy among at-risk infants. When exclusive breastfeeding is not possible, at-risk infants should get a partially or extensively hydrolyzed formula (pHF or eHF) to prevent allergy until risk evaluation by a health professional. In conclusion, the present consensus statement provides recommendations regarding diagnosis, prevention and management of CMPA in infants and children in Turkey, and thus expected to guide physicians to optimize their approach to CMPA and decrease burden of the disease on infants and their caregivers

Prevalence of asthma symptoms among Turkish Cypriot school children

We assessed the prevalence of symptoms suggestive of asthma in Turkish Cypriot schoolchildren and the associated risk factors using a slightly modified version of the ISAAC (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) questionnaire. The questionnaire and questions regarding risk factors were issued to the parents of 2,822 children aged six to 14 years. The response rate was 89.6 percent. The cumulative and 12-month prevalence of wheezing were 14.7 and 4.8 percent, respectively. The prevalance of physician-diagnosed asthma was 11.4 percent. Family history of atopy was the strongest risk factor for "ever wheezing" (odds ratio [OR] 1.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.52-1.92) and physician-diagnosed asthma (OR 1.71, CI 1.53-1.93). This study demonstrates that symptoms suggestive of asthma are quite common and constitute a major health problem in Northern Cyprus