Subcutaneous and Sublingual Immunotherapy in Allergic Asthma in Children

This review presents up-to-date understanding of immunotherapy in the treatment of children with allergic asthma. The principal types of allergen immunotherapy (AIT) are subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) and sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT). Both of them are indicated for patients with allergic rhinitis and/or asthma, who have evidence of clinically relevant allergen-specific IgE, and significant symptoms despite reasonable avoidance measures and/or maximal medical therapy. Studies have shown a significant decrease in asthma symptom scores and in the use of rescue medication, and a preventive effect on asthma onset. Although the safety profile of SLIT appears to be better than SCIT, the results of some studies and meta-analyses suggest that the efficacy of SCIT is better and that SCIT has an earlier onset than SLIT in children with allergic asthma. Severe, not controlled asthma, and medical error were the most frequent causes of SCIT-induced adverse events

Mediterranean-Type Diets as a Protective Factor for Asthma and Atopy

We are currently riding the second wave of the allergy epidemic, which is ongoing in affluent societies, but now also affecting developing countries. This increase in the prevalence of atopy/asthma in the Western world has coincided with a rapid improvement in living conditions and radical changes in lifestyle, suggesting that this upward trend in allergic manifestations may be associated with cultural and environmental factors. Diet is a prominent environmental exposure that has undergone major changes, with a substantial increase in the consumption of processed foods, all across the globe. On this basis, the potential effects of dietary habits on atopy and asthma have been researched rigorously, but even with a considerable body of evidence, clear associations are far from established. Many factors converge to obscure the potential relationship, including methodological, pathophysiological and cultural differences. To date, the most commonly researched, and highly promising, candidate for exerting a protective effect is the so-called Mediterranean diet (MedDi). This dietary pattern has been the subject of investigation since the mid twentieth century, and the evidence regarding its beneficial health effects is overwhelming, although data on a correlation between MedDi and the incidence and severity of asthma and atopy are inconclusive. As the prevalence of asthma appears to be lower in some Mediterranean populations, it can be speculated that the MedDi dietary pattern could indeed have a place in a preventive strategy for asthma/atopy. This is a review of the current evidence of the associations between the constituents of the MedDi and asthma/atopy, with emphasis on the pathophysiological links between MedDi and disease outcomes and the research pitfalls and methodological caveats which may hinder identification of causality. MedDi, as a dietary pattern, rather than short-term supplementation or excessive focus on single nutrient effects, may be a rational option for preventive intervention against atopy and asthma

Key Regulators of Sensitization and Tolerance: GM-CSF, IL-10, TGF-beta and the Notch Signaling Pathway in Adjuvant-Free Experimental Models of Respiratory Allergy

Conventional experimental models of respiratory allergy have contributed greatly to our current knowledge of the pathophysiology of allergic airway diseases; nevertheless, they are contingent upon unnatural sensitization techniques, entailing adjuvant-aided intraperitoneal (i.p) administration of antigen. Currently, there is a growing appreciation of the impact of tolerance mechanics in the pathophysiology of respiratory allergy. Thus, inasmuch as adjuvants exert a robust tolerance-modifying action, a transition from the conventional method of experimental sensitization to one that is more naturally and clinically relevant becomes important. We therefore opted to survey the literature and identify agents that could interfere with sensitization mechanics following non-adjuvant-aided airway exposure of laboratory rodents to aeroallergen. GM-CSF was found to exert robust Th-2-polarizing action in this setting. Conversely, IL-10 fulfilled an important, albeit not so clear-cut, tolerance-favoring role; TGF-beta was also identified as a likely instigator of tolerogenesis. The role of Notch signaling in the sensitization versus tolerance dilemma appeared to be important but diverse. Collectively, these factors appeared to profoundly and diversely modulate the balance between tolerance and sensitization in naturally relevant experimental models of allergic airway disease

Relationship of allergy with asthma. There are more than the allergy ‘eggs’ in the asthma ‘basket’.

Asthma and allergy share a similar and very close course, especially through childhood. Considerable research effort has been put in untangling these associations; however, it is now becoming obvious that this is an exceedingly difficult task. In fact, each research breakthrough further perplexes this picture, as we are steadily moving toward the era of personalized medicine and we begin to appreciate that what we thought to be a single disease, asthma, is in fact an accumulation of distinct entities. In the context of this “syndrome,” which is characterized by several, as of yet poorly defined endotypes and phenotypes, the question of the link of “asthma” with allergy probably becomes non-relevant. In this review, we will revisit this question while putting the emphasis on the multifaceted nature of asthma