MDA5-positive dermatomyositis: an uncommon entity in Europe with variable clinical presentations
Clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis (CADM), described almost 50 years ago, is defined on the basis of still not validated criteria and characterized by skin findings almost without muscle weakness. Autoantibodies directed against the cytosolic pathogen sensor MDA5 (CADM 140) can mark this subtype of dermatomyositis which has been reported to associate, in particular ethnic groups, with severe progressive interstitial lung disease, poor prognosis and an hyperferritinemic status resembling hemophagocytic-like syndromes. MDA5 may be relevant in that Interferon-signature claimed to characterize inflammatory myopathies and d...
Source: Clinical and Molecular Allergy - November 9, 2015 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Paola ParronchiAnna RadiceBoaz PaltererFrancesco LiottaCristina Scaletti Source Type: research
360 degree perspective on allergic rhinitis management in Italy: a survey of GPs, pharmacists and patients
General practitioners (GPs), community pharmacists and allergic rhinitis (AR) patients in Italy were surveyed in order to gain insight from all three perspectives into the diagnosis, management and burden of A... (Source: Clinical and Molecular Allergy)
Source: Clinical and Molecular Allergy - November 2, 2015 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: G. Walter Canonica, Massimo Triggiani and GianEnrico Senna Source Type: research
360 degree perspective on allergic rhinitis management in Italy: a survey of GPs, pharmacists and patients
Conclusions:
Allergic rhinitis is largely managed by GPs in Italy, with pharmacists also playing a role, yet awareness of the ARIA guidelines among these groups is low. Patient satisfaction with treatment is moderate or low. New more effective treatments are needed to improve AR management in Italy. Allergy education programs need to be better targeted to GPs and pharmacists, and communication with patients regarding symptom control must be improved. (Source: Clinical and Molecular Allergy)
Source: Clinical and Molecular Allergy - November 2, 2015 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: G. CanonicaMassimo TriggianiGianEnrico Senna Source Type: research
AIT (allergen immunotherapy): a model for the “precision medicine”
The interpretation of medical approaches, especially therapy, evolved rapidly in the last century. Starting from the simple description of symptoms, we moved to the pathophysiological descriptions, to the evid... (Source: Clinical and Molecular Allergy)
Source: Clinical and Molecular Allergy - October 8, 2015 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Giovanni Passalacqua and Giorgio Walter Canonica Source Type: research
AIT (allergen immunotherapy): a model for the “precision medicine”
The interpretation of medical approaches, especially therapy, evolved rapidly in the last century. Starting from the simple description of symptoms, we moved to the pathophysiological descriptions, to the evidence-based medicine, until the so-called “precision medicine”. This latter can be defined as a structural model aimed at customizing healthcare, with medical decisions/products tailored on an individual patient at a highly detailed level. In this sense, allergen immunotherapy represents an optimal model of “precision medicine”, since we know and describe symptoms, function, aetiological agents at molecular lev...
Source: Clinical and Molecular Allergy - October 8, 2015 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Giovanni PassalacquaGiorgio Canonica Source Type: research
Guidelines for the use and interpretation of diagnostic methods in adult food allergy
Food allergy has an increasing prevalence in the general population and in Italy concerns 8 % of people with allergies. The spectrum of its clinical manifestations ranges from mild symptoms up to potentially fatal anaphylactic shock. A number of patients can be diagnosed easily by the use of first- and second-level procedures (history, skin tests and allergen specific IgE). Patients with complex presentation, such as multiple sensitizations and pollen-food syndromes, frequently require a third-level approach including molecular diagnostics, which enables the design of a component-resolved sensitization profile for each pa...
Source: Clinical and Molecular Allergy - October 5, 2015 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Donatella MacchiaGiovanni MelioliValerio PravettoniEleonora NuceraMarta PiantanidaMarco CaminatiCorrado CampochiaroMona-Rita YacoubDomenico SchiavinoRoberto PaganelliMario Di GioacchinoOn behalf of the Food Allergy Study Group (ATI) of the Italian Society Source Type: research
Biomarkers and severe asthma: a critical appraisal
Severe asthma (SA) is a clinically and etiologically heterogeneous respiratory disease which affects among 5–10 % of asthmatic patients. Despite high-dose therapy, a large patients percentage is not fully controlled and has a poor quality of life. In this review, we describe the biomarkers actually known in scientific literature and used in clinical practice for SA assessment and management: neutrophils, eosinophils, periostin, fractional exhaled nitric oxide, exhaled breath condensate and galectins. Moreover, we give an overview on clinical and biological features characterizing severe asthma, paying special attention ...
Source: Clinical and Molecular Allergy - October 1, 2015 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Alessandra ChiapporiLaura De FerrariChiara FolliPierluigi MauriAnna RiccioGiorgio Canonica Source Type: research
Are atopy and eosinophilic bronchial inflammation associated with relapsing forms of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps?
Conclusion:
In our pilot study, atopy, severe asthma, bronchial inflammation, NSAIDs hypersensitivity and high level of total IgE are possible useful prognostic factors for the proneness to relapse after FESS. The role of allergy in CRSwNP pathogenesis should consequently be given deeper consideration. Allergen specific immunotherapy, combined with anti-IgE therapy, may have an immunomodulatory effect preventing polyps relapse and need to be investigated. (Source: Clinical and Molecular Allergy)
Source: Clinical and Molecular Allergy - September 11, 2015 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Mona-Rita YacoubMatteo TrimarchiGeorge CremonaSara Dal FarraGiuseppe RamirezValentina CantiEmanuel Della TorreMattia BaldiniPatrizia PignattiMario BussiMaria SabbadiniAngelo ManfrediGiselda Colombo Source Type: research
Rituximab in refractory sarcoidosis: a single centre experience
Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous disease whose outcome varies from spontaneous remission to chronic refractory disease. Provided that steroids represent the gold standard as a first line treatment, many immune suppressants drugs are currently used in the disease management. However, refractory disease is still a great challenge. Rituximab is an anti-CD20 chimeric monoclonal antibody, currently used for the treatment of B cell malignancies and systemic autoimmune diseases. There are few case reports describing the successful use of Rituximab in refractory sarcoidosis with lung, eye, lymph nodes and skin involvement. In this p...
Source: Clinical and Molecular Allergy - September 1, 2015 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Francesco CinettoNicolò CompagnoRiccardo ScarpaGiacomo MalipieroCarlo Agostini Source Type: research
Escaping the trap of allergic rhinitis
Rhinitis is often the first symptom of allergy but is frequently ignored and classified as a nuisance condition. Ironically it has the greatest socioeconomic burden worldwide caused by its impact on work and on daily life.However, patients appear reticent to seek professional advice, visiting their doctor only when symptoms become ‘intolerable’ and often when their usual therapy proves ineffective.Clearly, it’s time for new and more effective allergic rhinitis treatments.MP29-02 (Dymista®; Meda, Solna, Sweden) is a new class of medication for moderate to severe seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis if monotherapy...
Source: Clinical and Molecular Allergy - August 4, 2015 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Oliviero RossiIlaria MassaroMarco CaminatiCristina QuecchiaFilippo FassioEnrico HefflerGiorgio Canonica Source Type: research
TL1A/DR3 axis involvement in the inflammatory cytokine network during pulmonary sarcoidosis
Conclusions:
These data suggest that TL1A/DR3 interactions are part of the extended and complex immune-inflammatory network that characterizes sarcoidosis during its active phase and may contribute to the pathogenesis and to the progression of the disease. (Source: Clinical and Molecular Allergy)
Source: Clinical and Molecular Allergy - August 3, 2015 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: M. FaccoA. CabrelleF. CalabreseA. TeramoF. CinettoS. CarraroV. MartiniF. CalzettiN. TamassiaM. CassatellaG. SemenzatoC. Agostini Source Type: research
The perception of allergen-specific immunotherapy among pediatricians in the primary care setting
Conclusion:
AIT is in general well known and accepted among PCP, although a more intense divulgation effort is required. (Source: Clinical and Molecular Allergy)
Source: Clinical and Molecular Allergy - July 24, 2015 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Massimo LandiPaolo MeglioErmanno PraitanoCarlo LombardiGiovanni PassalacquaGiorgio Canonica Source Type: research
Perianal Crohn’s disease and hidradenitis suppurativa: a possible common immunological scenario
Conclusion:
The presence of numerous CD4+ CD161+ lymphocytes in fistula and HS lesion curettages suggests that these cells may play a pathogenic role, and candidates CD161 as a possible biological target for medical treatment. (Source: Clinical and Molecular Allergy)
Source: Clinical and Molecular Allergy - July 22, 2015 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Francesco GiudiciLaura MaggiRaffaella SantiLorenzo CosmiFrancesco AnnunziatoGabriella NesiGiusi BarraGabrio BassottiRaffaele De PalmaFrancesco Tonelli Source Type: research
Engineered metal based nanoparticles and innate immunity
Almost all people in developed countries are exposed to metal nanoparticles (MeNPs) that are used in a large number of applications including medical (for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes). Once inside the body, absorbed by inhalation, contact, ingestion and injection, MeNPs can translocate to tissues and, as any foreign substance, are likely to encounter the innate immunity system that represent a non-specific first line of defense against potential threats to the host. In this review, we will discuss the possible effects of MeNPs on various components of the innate immunity (both specific cells and barriers). Most imp...
Source: Clinical and Molecular Allergy - July 15, 2015 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Claudia PetrarcaEmanuela ClementeValentina AmatoPaola PedataEnrico SabbioniGiovanni BernardiniIvo IavicoliSara CorteseQiao NiuTakemi OtsukiRoberto PaganelliMario Di Gioacchino Source Type: research
Prevalence of perennial severe allergic asthma in Italy and effectiveness of omalizumab in its management: PROXIMA – an observational, 2 phase, patient reported outcomes study
Conclusions:
The results of this observational study will provide estimate of patient population allergic to perennial allergens in Italy and information on patient-reported outcomes with omalizumab therapy in a real-world setting. The exploratory proteomic analysis on asthma biomarkers could eventually provide new data to identify responder patients to anti IgE therapy. (Source: Clinical and Molecular Allergy)
Source: Clinical and Molecular Allergy - July 7, 2015 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Giorgio CanonicaMarta BartezaghiRaffaele MarinoLaura Rigoni Source Type: research
