Accomplished Teaching, Learning and Schools (ATLAS)

The Accomplished Teaching, Learning and Schools (ATLAS) database is a valuable teaching tool that takes some of the mystery out of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification process, and provides pre-service and novice in-service teachers with a repository of best practices to use as models while they develop their own teaching practices. The database was specifically designed for Colleges and Schools of Education in higher education, state departments of education, and school districts to support the professional development of pre-service and in-service teachers. The content of the database is dependent on the subscriber’s geographic location, but includes over 1,000 cases aligned to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) and its Five Core Propositions and six other collections including edTPA, InTASC, Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), TeachingWorks High-Leverage Practices, Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English Language Arts/Literacy and Math, Deeper Learning Competencies, and the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards. All cases include a 15 to 20 minute video of an accomplished teacher facilitating a lesson in his or her own classroom, written commentary analyzing the planning, instructional context, and effectiveness of the lesson, and additional background information and instructional materials to provide context for users to understand each case. All case materials were included in portfolios submitted by National Board Certified Teachers during their National Board candidacy. Despite its restrictive contract provisions, ATLAS’s content, intuitive user interface, powerful advanced search feature, and interactive tools make it a highly recommended resource for Colleges and Schools of Education within higher education, state departments of education, and K-12 school districts

Management of chronic urticaria in Asia: 2010 AADV consensus guidelines

This guideline is a result of a consensus reached during the 19th Asian-Australasian Regional Conference of Dermatology by the Asian Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Study Group in collaboration with the League of Asian Dermatological Societies in 2010. Urticaria has a profound impact on the quality of life in Asia and the need for effective treatment is required. In line with the EAACI/GA2LEN/EDF/WAO guideline for the management of urticaria the recommended first-line treatment is new generation, non-sedating H1-antihistamines. If standard dosing is ineffective, increasing the dosage up to four-fold is recommended. For patients who do not respond to a four-fold increase in dosage of non-sedating H1-antihistamines, it is recommended that therapies such as H2-antihistamine, leukotriene antagonist, and cyclosporine A should be added to the antihistamine treatment. In the choice of second-line treatment, both their costs and risk/benefit profiles are the most important considerations

Nickel Challenge In Vitro Affects CD38 and HLA-DR Expression in T Cell Subpopulations from the Blood of Patients with Nickel Allergy

Nickel allergy is a major health problem and shows clinical manifestation of contact eczema. The response of specific lymphocyte subpopulations in sensitized patients after new challenge to nickel has until now not been studied in detail. To evaluate if nickel-based elicitation reaction could be objectively identified by multi-parametric flow cytometry, immunophenotyping of specific T cells was applied. White blood cells from 7 patients (4 positive in patch test, 3 negative) were challenged by nickel and in vitro short-term culture. Standardized antibody-dye combinations, specific for T helper(h)1, Th17 and cytotoxic T cell activation, were selected according to the recommendations of Stanford Human Immune Monitoring Center. In cytotoxic CD8+CCR7+CD45RA+ T cells from patients suffering from nickel allergy, CD38 and HLA-DR were elevated comparing to healthy donors. After challenge to nickel in vitro both markers decreased in CD8+CCR7+CD45RA+ T cells but found up-regulated in CD4+CCR7+CD45RA+CCR6−CXCR3+Th1 cells. Intracellular expression of T-bet and RORγt further indicated Th1 and Th17 cells. Finally, CD4+CD25+CCR4− T cells increased after challenge with nickel in PBMCs of patients with nickel allergy. Flow cytometry based quantification of T cell markers might be used as a specific and reliable method to detect chemical induced skin sensitization and confirm diagnostic patch testing in the clinics

a pilot study

Background Due to its high allergenic potential Ambrosia artemisiifolia has become a health threat in many European countries during the last few decades. Hence, several cities and communities initiated ragweed eradication campaigns. In Berlin, Germany, so-called Ambrosia scouts are being assigned the task of finding and eliminating this weed. We sought to evaluate the potential risk of sensitization and allergy in these individuals. Findings In order to assess the risk of sensitization and allergy, we followed-up 20 Ambrosia scouts by skin-prick test with inhalant allergens, immunoserological and pulmonary function tests. Additionally, medical conditions were evaluated by a questionnaire especially designed for this study. Despite close contact to ragweed over a median duration of 13.8 months, none of the participants became sensitized or allergic to ragweed. One individual developed a clinical non- relevant sensitization towards the taxiconomically-related plant mugwort. A decline in relative FEV1 was most probably due to heavy smoking. Conclusions Our surprising findings suggest that intensive contact and exposure to high ragweed pollen concentrations do not necessarily result in sensitization and/or allergy, meaning that the allergenic potential of this weed might be lower than hitherto expected. However, it is also conceivable that continuous exposure to high allergen levels induced tolerance in the ragweed workers. Due to the relatively small number of subjects studied, our results might be biased and therefore investigations on larger study groups are needed

Face masks suitable for preventing COVID-19 and pollen allergy. A study in the exposure chamber

Background: Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the population in Germany has been asked to wear face masks in public areas. The masks are accepted by the public. People with a pollen allergy have an interest in knowing whether masks can also provide protection against pollen and thus prevent symptoms even without medication. Method: In order to evaluate the potential 'antipollen effect' of face masks, 14 adults with confirmed grass pollen-induced allergic rhinoconjunctivitis were exposed to grass pollen for a period of two hours following a standardised protocol. The test was conducted outside of the grass pollen season. The subjects wore either no mask, a medical mask or a FFP2 mask. Results: Subjects wearing either mask were clearly able to avoid both nasal and conjunctival symptoms. There were no significant differences between the two masks in terms of effect. Mask wearing to prevent pollen exposure clearly supports overall well-being. Conclusion: Wearing a mask during pollen season can be recommended as an effective nondrug option for people with a pollen allergy. Supplementary information: The online version of this article (10.1007/s40629-021-00180-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Review of the safety of octocrylene used as an ultraviolet filter in cosmetics

Octocrylene or octocrilene is an organic ultraviolet (UV) filter which absorbs mainly UVB radiation and short UVA wavelengths. It is used in various cosmetic products to either provide an appropriate sun protection factor in sunscreen products or to protect cosmetic formulations from UV radiation. There is no discussion that UV filters are beneficial ingredients in cosmetics since they protect from skin cancer, but octocrylene has been recently incriminated to potentially induce adverse effects on the endocrine system in addition to having allergic and/or photoallergic potential. However, the substance has the advantage to work synergistically with other filters allowing a beneficial broad photoprotection, e.g. it stabilizes the UVA filter avobenzone (i.e. butylmethoxydibenzoylmethane). Like all chemicals used in cosmetics, the safety profile of octocrylene is constantly under assessment by the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) since it has been registered according to the European regulation Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals. Summaries of safety data of octocrylene are publicly available on the ECHA website. This review aims to present the main safety data from the ECHA website, as well as those reported in scientific articles from peer-reviewed journals. The available data show that octocrylene does not have any endocrine disruption potential. It is a rare sensitizer, photocontact allergy is more frequent and it is considered consecutive to photosensitization to ketoprofen. Based on these results, octocrylene can be considered as safe when used as a UV filter in cosmetic products at a concentration up to 10%