Allergic rhinitis: evidence for impact on asthma

BACKGROUND: This paper reviews the current evidence indicating that comorbid allergic rhinitis may have clinically relevant effects on asthma. DISCUSSION: Allergic rhinitis is very common in patients with asthma, with a reported prevalence of up to 100% in those with allergic asthma. While the temporal relation of allergic rhinitis and asthma diagnoses can be variable, the diagnosis of allergic rhinitis often precedes that of asthma. Rhinitis is an independent risk factor for the subsequent development of asthma in both atopic and nonatopic individuals. Controlled studies have provided conflicting results regarding the benefits for asthma symptoms of treating comorbid allergic rhinitis with intranasal corticosteroids. Effects of other treatments for comorbid allergic rhinitis, including antihistamines, allergen immunotherapy, systemic anti-IgE therapy, and antileukotriene agents, have been examined in a limited number of studies; anti-IgE therapy and antileukotriene agents such as the leukotriene receptor antagonists have benefits for treating both allergic rhinitis and asthma. Results of observational studies indicate that treating comorbid allergic rhinitis results in a lowered risk of asthma-related hospitalizations and emergency visits. Results of several retrospective database studies in the United States and in Europe indicate that, for patients with asthma, the presence of comorbid allergic rhinitis is associated with higher total annual medical costs, greater prescribing frequency of asthma-related medications, as well as increased likelihood of asthma-related hospital admissions and emergency visits. There is therefore evidence suggesting that comorbid allergic rhinitis is a marker for more difficult to control asthma and worsened asthma outcomes. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the potential for improving asthma outcomes by following a combined therapeutic approach to comorbid allergic rhinitis and asthma rather than targeting each condition separately

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is associated with allergic rhinitis in children with asthma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Allergic rhinitis (AR) affects up to 80% of children with asthma and increases asthma severity. Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is a key mediator of allergic inflammation. The role of the TSLP gene (<it>TSLP</it>) in the pathogenesis of AR has not been studied.</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>To test for associations between variants in <it>TSLP</it>, <it>TSLP</it>-related genes, and AR in children with asthma.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We genotyped 15 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in <it>TSLP, OX40L, IL7R</it>, and <it>RXRα </it>in three independent cohorts: 592 asthmatic Costa Rican children and their parents, 422 nuclear families of North American children with asthma, and 239 Swedish children with asthma. We tested for associations between these SNPs and AR. As we previously reported sex-specific effects for <it>TSLP</it>, we performed overall and sex-stratified analyses. We additionally performed secondary analyses for gene-by-gene interactions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Across the three cohorts, the T allele of <it>TSLP </it>SNP rs1837253 was undertransmitted in boys with AR and asthma as compared to boys with asthma alone. The SNP was associated with reduced odds for AR (odds ratios ranging from 0.56 to 0.63, with corresponding Fisher's combined P value of 1.2 × 10^-4). Our findings were significant after accounting for multiple comparisons. SNPs in <it>OX40L, IL7R</it>, and <it>RXRα </it>were not consistently associated with AR in children with asthma. There were nominally significant interactions between gene pairs.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p><it>TSLP </it>SNP rs1837253 is associated with reduced odds for AR in boys with asthma. Our findings support a role for <it>TSLP </it>in the pathogenesis of AR in children with asthma.</p

General plasma behavior in the energy relaxation of electrons in highly p-doped semiconductors

We present a systematic study of the dependence of the energy relaxation of photo-excited minority electrons on the doping concentration in highly p-doped GaAs. A nonmonotonic dependence is found in the region where the characteristics of the carrier-carrier interaction changes from plasmon-mediated to quasistatically screened. Using a detailed Monte-Carlo study we are able to attribute this observation to a general property of plasmas at high density

Quantitative longitudinal imaging of activated microglia as a marker of inflammation in the pilocarpine rat model of epilepsy using [ 11 C]-( R )-PK11195 PET and MRI

International audienceInflammation may play a role in the development of epilepsy after brain insults. [ 11 C]-(R)-PK11195 binds to TSPO, expressed by activated microglia. We quantified [ 11 C]-(R)-PK11195 binding during epileptogenesis after pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus (SE), a model of temporal lobe epilepsy. Nine male rats were studied thrice (D0-1, D0 þ 6, D0 þ 35, D0 ¼ SE induction). In the same session, 7T T2-weighted images and DTI for mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) maps were acquired, followed by dynamic PET/ CT. On D0 þ 35, femoral arterial blood was sampled for rat-specific metabolite-corrected arterial plasma input functions (AIFs). In multiple MR-derived ROIs, we assessed four kinetic models (two with AIFs; two using a reference region), standard uptake values (SUVs), and a model with a mean AIF. All models showed large (up to twofold) and significant TSPO binding increases in regions expected to be affected, and comparatively little change in the brainstem, at D0 þ 6. Some individuals showed increases at D0 þ 35. AIF models yielded more consistent increases at D0 þ 6. FA values were decreased at D0 þ 6 and had recovered by D0 þ 35. MD was increased at D0 þ 6 and more so at D0 þ 35. [ 11 C]-(R)-PK11195 PET binding and MR biomarker changes could be detected with only nine rats, highlighting the potential of longitudinal imaging studies

Mixing logic programming and neural networks to support neurological disorders analysis

none5The incidence of neurological disorders is constantly growing, and the use of Artificial Intelligence techniques in supporting neurologists is steadily increasing. Deductive reasoning and neural networks are two prominent areas in AI that can support discovery processes; unfortunately, they have been considered as separate research areas for long time. In this paper we start from a specific neurological disorder, namely Multiple Sclerosis, to define a generic framework showing the potentially significant impact of mixing rule-based systems and neural networks. The ambitious goal is to boost the interest of the research community in developing a more tight integration of these two approaches.mixedCalimeri, Francesco; Cauteruccio, Francesco; Marzullo, Aldo; Stamile, Claudio; Terracina, GiorgioCalimeri, Francesco; Cauteruccio, Francesco; Marzullo, Aldo; Stamile, Claudio; Terracina, Giorgi