Allergy and Immunology Commons^™

Prophylaxis Of Food Allergen Sensitivity, Dustin Gottfeld

Physician Assistant Studies | Student Authored Articles

Food allergies can have a severe and drastic effect on a person’s lifestyle, while prevention of allergic disease can help to ensure others do not have to live with this burden. There are a variety of differing hypotheses that offer explanations for the early development of food allergies, particularly peanut allergies. Two of the foremost hypotheses are the Hygiene Hypothesis and the Dual-Allergen Hypothesis. The Hygiene Hypothesis claims that the diversity of a child’s microbiota creates a beneficial balance of microorganisms which can help prevent the development of allergic disease. Alternatively, the Dual-Allergen Hypothesis states that early environmental exposure to …

Anaphylaxis Diagnosis And Management In The Emergency Department Of A Tertiary Hospital In The Philippines, Michelle Joy De Vera, Iris Conela Tagaro

Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health Publications

Background:
In the Emergency Department (ED), diagnosis and management of anaphylaxis are challenging with at least 50% of anaphylaxis episodes misdiagnosed when the diagnostic criteria of current guidelines are not used.

Objective:
Objective of our study was to assess anaphylaxis diagnosis and management in patients presenting to the ED.

Methods:
Retrospective chart review conducted on patients presenting to The Medical City Hospital ED, the Philippines from 2013–2015 was done. Cases were identified based on International Statistical Classification of Diseases, 10th revision coding for either anaphylaxis or other allergic related diagnosis. Cases fitting the definition of anaphylaxis as identified by the …

Characterizing Patch Test Findings In African American Acd Patients, Vaibhav Garg, Bruce Brod, Anthony Gaspari

Phase 1

Introduction: Allergic Contact Dermatitis (ACD) in African Americans has not been well studied, and there is little information related to differences in patterns of ACD between African Americans and Caucasians. This paper aims to investigate relative differences in patterns of sensitization in African American ACD patients.

Methods: This study is a retrospective descriptive study. Data of ACD patients patch tested from 2009-2019 by Dr. Gaspari and Dr. Brod at TJUH and HUP/UPHS were reviewed. Patch test findings for African American and Caucasian patients were compared. Outcomes such as positive allergens, strength, clinical relevance, patient occupation, and personal product use …

Hysplit As An Environmental Impact Assessment Tool To Study The Data Discrepancies Between Olea Europaea Airborne Pollen Records And Its Phenology In Sw Spain, Alejandro Monroy-Colín, J. M. Maya-Manzano, Rafael Tormo-Molina, Raúl Pecero-Casimiro, María Ángeles Gonzalo-Garijo, Santiago Fernández-Rodríguez

Articles

The olive tree (Olea europaea) is a native evergreen tree in the Mediterranean region, being one of the most important causes of seasonal respiratory allergies in Mediterranean countries. This work aims to relate flowering phenology, source tree distribution, meteorology, and airborne pollen records for this species and to analyse the possible arrival of air masses from distant areas during days when differences between the phenological and pollen peaks. Aerobiological sampling was carried out in Badajoz (SW Spain) for 4 years (2016–2019) using a Hirst volumetric sampler. Trees were geolocalized in the city and surrounding areas. The pollination phenology of 15 …

The Innate Immune Response To House Dust Mite In Allergic Airway Inflammation, Madelyn Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

House dust mite (HDM) is an indoor aeroallergen which is commonly associated with the development of allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma. In fact, up to 70% of allergic asthmatic individuals have been shown to demonstrate reactivity towards HDM allergens. The downstream adaptive immune response to HDM is well characterize and is described as being largely T helper cell type 2 (Th2) and partly T helper cell type 17 (Th17) dominated. However, less is known about how resident antigen presenting cells (APCs) and structural cells such as airway epithelial cells recognize and respond to HDM. Unlike other microbial antigens, recognition of …

Association Of A Repetitive Manual Task On Inflammatory Biomarker Expression, Heart Rate Variability And Rating Of Perceived Exertion, Daniel Conde

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) defines work related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) as a group of disorders involving muscles, tendons, and nerves. The WMSDs symptoms are considered the most common occupational disease, causing limitations in daily activities. Even though there is an association between repetitive manual tasks involving short work cycles, force demanding tasks, and the development of WMSDs, the specific cause of the physiological changes over a long period of time is a cause of debate. The study of mechanisms underlying the physiological changes is essential for the early detection, diagnosis, and appropriate management of WMSDs.

Identification Of A Novel Single Amino Acid Substitution (V666g) Of Jak1 From A Patient With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Impairs Jak3 Mediated Il-2 Signaling, Alice Hernandez Grant

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Janus kinase (JAK) family, notably JAK1, JAK2 and JAK3 are recognized as oncogenic drivers in high risk Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). The bulk of activating JAK mutations are thought to occur within functional hot-spots across Janus Homology (JH) domains. The most frequently mutated regions is the JH2 pseudo-kinase, which provides a negative regulatory role to the adjacent catalytically active JH1 kinase domain. Despite the prevalence of JAK activating mutations and a need for new therapeutic inhibitors, there is a lack of understanding in the allosteric regulation of JAK kinases. Here we sought to identify mutations involved in driving ALL …

Isolation And Characterization Of Α-Gal-Containing Extracellular Vesicles (Evs) From Three Major Genotypes Of Trypanosoma Cruzi: Potential Biomarkers Of Chagas Disease, Nasim Karimi Hosseini

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Chagas disease (ChD) is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) caused by the protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi. It is transmitted by the insect-vector triatomine (popular known as kissing bug), blood transfusion, organ transplantation, congenitally, and contaminated foods and juices. T. cruzi has evolved several strategies to invade the host cells, including the release extracellular vesicles (EVs), which assist pathogen survival and its replication within the host. T. cruzi is covered with highly glycosylated surface molecules such as glycoproteins and glycolipids, which are shown to be involved in the interaction with host immune cells. These molecules are highly immunogenic and reactive with …

Expression And Functional Sialome Of Triatomines, Insect Vectors Of Chagas Disease, Maria Tays Mendes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Triatomines are blood-sucking arthropods that transmit Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent of Chagas disease (ChD). Triatomines use bioactive molecules in the saliva for successful blood feeding and to evade the hemostatic and immune defense system of the hosts. Knowing the saliva composition could be useful for a better understanding which and how insect-derived molecules might influence host-parasite interactions. Previous studies have shown that some saliva-derived proteins and lipids can modulate the host immune system and increase T. cruzi infection. We hypothesize that the triatomine saliva contains a great diversity of lipids and proteins that can modulate the mammalian host immune …

Molecular And Functional Characterization Of Α-Galactosyl Epitopes In Trypanosoma Cruzi, Uriel Ortega Rodriguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease (CD) currently affects 6-7 million people across the world. Currently, only two drugs, benznidazole and nifurtimox, are available for treatment of CD and they are highly toxic and less effective in the chronic stage of the disease. Specific biomarkers for diagnosis and follow-up of treatment do not exist in the clinical settings. following chemotherapy, patients take approximately 10-20 years to exhibit negative seroconversion with the conventional serology assays. Moreover, there is no vaccine available to prevent or treat CD. T. cruzi contains a complex cell surface consisting of several classes of glycoconjugates …

Phenology Of Cupressaceae Urban Infrastructure Related To Its Pollen Content And Meteorological Variables, A. Monroy-Colín, J. M. Maya-Manzano, I. Silva-Palacios, R. Tormo-Molina, R. Pecero-Casimiro, Á. Gonzalo-Garijo, S. Fernández-Rodríguez

Articles

Cupressaceae pollen is one of the major airborne allergens of the Mediterranean region and in other regions around the world. Pollen production of these species causes considerable allergic problems during winter, being this type of pollen the most abundant in this period of the year. This work aims to relate phenology, meteorology and airborne pollen records in these species. Aerobiological sampling was carried out in Badajoz (SW Spain) from 2016 to 2018 using Hirst-type volumetric sampler. Pollination phenology was studied in 50 specimens, ten of Cupressus macrocarpa, ten of Cupressus arizonica, 15 of Cupressus sempervirens and 15 of …

The Hiv Vaccine: Learning From Failure And Building On Success, Lindsey Mcclish, Kimberly Gathers, Katie Salay, Lisa Vranekovic, Kristin Seaman, Kelly M. Shields

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

An effective vaccine for acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) has eluded researchers since the identification of the HIV virus. There are many challenges in developing an effective HIV vaccine, including the lack of knowledge regarding the immune response to the virus and its diverse nature. Ethical concerns further complicate research. A recent phase III trial was performed in Thailand and showed that a significant reduction in HIV infection is possible. Pharmacists need to stay informed of these important breakthroughs in AIDS research in order to provide quality health information to patients in their community. This paper aims to evaluate the …

How To Use Peanut Ige Levels To Predict Challenge Outcomes In The Pediatric Population, Nalin U.G., Jay Portnoy, Jodi Shroba, Salman Aljubran

Posters

Introduction: The accepted clinical practice is to consider oral challenge when peanut IgE levels are 2.0 kUA/L or less in patients with a history of a major reaction or less than 5.0 kUA/L in patients with only sensitization. Certain populations are predisposed to having increased IgE levels, and these patients are often not offered challenges due to elevated numbers.

Methods: We reviewed unidentified patients information from January 2017 to July 2019 on peanut IgE levels and oral challenge outcomes through REDCap database. A ROC using SPSS from IBM was used and the points from the ROC curve were used to …

Tilapia Consumption And Scombroid Poisoning., Ehizogie Edigin, Prasanth Lingamaneni, Juan Sarmiento, Hafeez Shaka, Sanjay A Patel

Ambulatory and Primary Care Articles

Scombroid poisoning, also known as histamine fish poisoning, typically occurs after eating dark meat fish. Higher levels of histidine, which is converted to histamine, causes anaphylaxis-like symptoms upon ingestion. There are few reported cases of scombroid in humans secondary to light meat fish. We present a case secondary to tilapia consumption.

Evidence For The Potential Use Of Polyphenols And Their Derivatives In Moderating Allergic Immune Responses, Jamie Kellner, Lindsay Mark, Kasie Bellmann, Kelly Shields

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Polyphenols are naturally occurring compounds that are found within numerous plant sources. They have a wide variety of structures and functions and have potential clinical uses in multiple disease states. Emerging studies involving polyphenols have demonstrated their antioxidative properties, as well as reduced risks of cardiovascular diseases and certain types of cancer. Due to these discoveries, there has been a marked increase in research related to the chemical properties of polyphenols and their potential uses in prevention of common acquired and inherited disease states. This article focuses on the effects that some polyphenolic compounds exert on immune function in regard …

Acute Generalized Exanthematous Pustulosis: A Rare Side Effect Of Clindamycin., Sijan Basnet, Rashmi Dhital, Biswaraj Tharu

Reading Hospital Internal Medicine Residency

Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) is a rare adverse effect of clindamycin characterized by widespread papules and pustulosis 1 - 3 weeks of its use. Case description: We present a case of a 71-year-old woman diagnosed with AGEP after clindamycin use for a tooth infection. She had been started on empiric prednisone without benefit. She did not have any systemic involvement and had an unremarkable blood work . Her rash resolved completely in a month.

Discovery Of Alpha-Gal-Containing Antigens In North American Tick Species Believed To Induce Red Meat Allergy, Gary Crispell, Scott P. Commins, Stephanie A. Archer-Hartman, Shailesh Choudhary, Guha Dharmarajan, Parastoo Azadi, Shahid Karim

Faculty Publications

Development of specific IgE antibodies to the oligosaccharide galactose-α-1, 3-galactose (α-gal) following tick bites has been shown to be the source of red meat allergy. In this study, we investigated the presence of α-gal in four tick species: the lone-star tick (Amblyomma americanum), the Gulf-Coast tick (Amblyomma maculatum), the American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis), and the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis) by using a combination of immunoproteomic approach and, carbohydrate analysis. Anti-α-gal antibodies identified α-gal in the salivary glands of both Am. americanum and Ix. scapularis, while Am. maculatum and De. variabilis …

Parental Observation Of Environmental Exposures In The Home Of Children With Asthma, Hannah N. Neuhaus

Research Days

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Implementing A Smartphone Application To Improve Asthma Self-Management In Adults, Lindsay J. Humpfer

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases, affecting 20.4 million adults in the United States (CDC, 2018). While asthma can generally be controlled, patients having an exacerbation may experience missed days of work and school, limitations in daily activities, decreased enjoyment of life, and decreased productivity at home, work, and school (MarcanoBelisario et al., 2013). Therefore, the purpose of this project was to improve patients’ overall asthma control and asthma-related quality of life by encouraging self-management through patient education and the implementation of a mobile smartphone application. A total of 26 adult primary care patients with asthma participated …

Social Aspects Of Food-Sensitive Adults, Jean Elizabeth Duane

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

People living with food-related illnesses find themselves subjugated by commonly held ideologies causing awkwardness in social situations. The current study is a qualitative analysis addressing how people with celiac disease (CD) navigate social situations in light of dominant beliefs that influence behaviors. Initially, I identify macro-level patriarchal, religious, sexist, ableist and etiquette-related commensality ideologies that disadvantage those with CD. Drawing from the communication narrative sense making (CNSM) theory that supports storytelling and memorable messages as a sense-making tool for individuals diagnosed with chronic illness and their family members, this work highlights retrospective stories and memorable messages from 20 randomly selected …

Urban Aerobiological Risk Mapping Of Ornamental Trees Using A New Index Based On Lidar And Kriging: A Case Study Of Plane Trees, Raúl Pecero-Casimiro, Santiago Fernández-Rodríguez, Rafael Tormo-Molina, Alejandro Monroy-Colín, Inmaculada Silva-Palacios, Juan Pedro Cortés-Pérez, Ángela Gonzalo-Garijo, J. M. Maya-Manzano

Articles

Ornamental trees bring benefits for human health, including reducing urban pollution. However, some species, such as plane trees (Platanus sp.), produce allergenic pollen. Consequently, urban maps are a valuable tool for allergic patients and allergists, but they often fail to include variables that contribute to the “building downwash effect”, such as the width and shape of streets and the height of buildings. Other factors that directly influence pollen dispersion (slopes and other geographical features) also have not traditionally been discussed. The LiDAR (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) technique enables one to consider these variables with high accuracy. This work proposes …

Tgf-Β Induces A Heart Failure Phenotype Via Fibroblasts Exosome Signaling, Hesham Basma, Adelaide N. Johanson, Kajari Dhar, Daniel R. Anderson, Fang Qiu, Stephen I. Rennard, Brian D. Lowes

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

PURPOSE: The mechanisms for persistent and progressive loss of myocardial function in advanced heart failure (HF) remain incompletely characterized. In the current study, we sought to determine the impact of TGF-β on fibroblasts transcriptional profiles and assess if exosomes from TGF-β treated fibroblasts could induce a heart failure phenotype in co-cultured cardiomyocytes.

METHOD: Normal heart fibroblasts were treated with TGF-β with a final conc. of 2.5 ng/ml in serum free media. HF fibroblasts were also obtained from patients undergoing implantation of left ventricular assist devices. Exosomes were collected using three-step ultracentrifugation. Cardiomyocytes were co-cultured with exosomes from TGF-β-treated, HF and …

Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid From Copd Patients Reveals More Compounds Associated With Disease Than Matched Plasma, Eitan Halper-Stromberg, Lucas Gillenwater, Charmion Cruickshank-Quinn, Wanda Kay O'Neal, Nichole Reisdorph, Irina Petrache, Yonghua Zhuang, Wassim W. Labaki, Jeffrey L. Curtis, James Wells, Stephen I. Rennard, Katherine A. Pratte, Prescott Woodruff, Kathleen A. Stringer, Katerina Kechris, Russell P. Bowler

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

Smoking causes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Though recent studies identified a COPD metabolomic signature in blood, no large studies examine the metabolome in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, a more direct representation of lung cell metabolism. We performed untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) on BAL and matched plasma from 115 subjects from the SPIROMICS cohort. Regression was performed with COPD phenotypes as the outcome and metabolites as the predictor, adjusted for clinical covariates and false discovery rate. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) grouped metabolites into modules which were then associated with phenotypes. K-means clustering grouped similar subjects. We detected …

It's More Than Low Bmi: Prevalence Of Cachexia And Associated Mortality In Copd, Merry-Lynn N. Mcdonald, Emiel F.M. Wouters, Erica Rutten, Richard Casaburi, Stephen I. Rennard, David A. Lomas, Marcas Bamman, Bartolome Celli, Alvar Agusti, Ruth Tal-Singer, Craig P. Hersh, Mark Dransfield, Edwin K. Silverman

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

BACKGROUND: Cachexia is associated with increased mortality risk among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. However, low body mass index (BMI) as opposed to cachexia is often used, particularly when calculating the BODE (BMI, Obstruction, Dyspnea and Exercise) index. For this reason, we examined mortality using a consensus definition and a weight-loss definition of cachexia among COPD cases and compared two new COPD severity indices with BODE.

METHODS: In the current report, the consensus definition for cachexia incorporated weight-loss > 5% in 12-months or low BMI in addition to 3/5 of decreased muscle strength, fatigue, anorexia, low FFMI and inflammation. The …

Nitrofurantoin-Induced Radiation Recall Dermatitis., Ian Garrahy, Daniel Forman

Reading Hospital Internal Medicine Residency

Radiation recall dermatitis (RRD) is an inflammatory skin reaction that develops in a previously quiescent radiation field triggered most commonly by chemotherapy, particularly anthracyclines and taxanes. Radiation-recall dermatitis secondary to antibiotic therapy is quite rare. The patient is 61-year-old female with a history of squamous cell carcinoma of the left breast treated with neoadjuvant carboplatin, paclitaxel, and anthracycline chemotherapy followed by surgery and subsequent whole breast radiation 6040 cGy. Eight years after completion of her radiation she developed diffuse redness of the left breast after two doses of nitrofurantoin taken for a urinary tract infection. On examination, vital signs were …

Prospective Observational Study In Patients With Obstructive Lung Disease: Novelty Design, Helen K. Reddel, Maria Gerhardsson De Verdier, Alvar Agustí, Gary Anderson, Richard Beasley, Elisabeth H. Bel, Christer Janson, Barry Make, Richard J. Martin, Ian Pavord, David Price, Christina Keen, Asparuh Gardev, Stephen I. Rennard, Alecka Sveréus, Aruna T. Bansal, Lance Brannman, Niklas Karlsson, Javier Nuevo, Fredrik Nyberg, Simon S. Young, Jørgen Vestbo

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have overlapping clinical features and share pathobiological mechanisms but are often considered distinct disorders. Prospective, observational studies across asthma, COPD and asthma-COPD overlap are limited. NOVELTY is a global, prospective observational 3-year study enrolling ∼12 000 patients ≥12 years of age from primary and specialist clinical practices in 19 countries (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02760329). NOVELTY's primary objectives are to describe patient characteristics, treatment patterns and disease burden over time, and to identify phenotypes and molecular endotypes associated with differential outcomes over time in patients with a diagnosis/suspected diagnosis of asthma and/or COPD. NOVELTY …

Mold, Allergic Diseases And Asthma: Assessing The Validity And Usefulness Of Indoor Air Sampling As A Tool In Providing Health Protective Advice To Occupants, William M. Sothern

Dissertations and Theses

Background: Asthma is a major health problem throughout the world, disproportionately affecting occupants of low-income housing, and exposure to damp and moldy living conditions is recognized as a significant risk factor for asthma and other respiratory diseases. However, there are no authoritative health guidance values (HGV's) for airborne mold, and current scientific thought holds that the establishment of such guidelines is not practicable. Nonetheless, environmental practitioners take air samples for mold as a routine component of their indoor environmental investigations and use the laboratory results as a tool together with other findings to guide recommendations for health protective actions. The …

Monocytes And Monocyte-Derived Antigen-Presenting Cells Have Distinct Gene Signatures In Experimental Model Of Multiple Sclerosis, Kelly L. Monaghan, Wen Zheng, Gangqing Hu, Edwin C. K. Wan

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease mediated by a complex interaction between the autoreactive lymphocytes and the effector myeloid cells within the central nervous system (CNS). In a murine model of MS, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), Ly6Chi monocytes migrate into the CNS and further differentiate into antigen-presenting cells (APCs) during disease progression. Currently, there is no information about gene signatures that can distinguish between monocytes and the monocyte-derived APCs. We developed a surface marker-based strategy to distinguish between these two cell types during the stage of EAE when the clinical symptoms were most severe, and performed transcriptome analysis …

Is Honey, As Adjunctive Therapy, Effective In Alleviating Nasal Allergy Symptoms?, Arielle N. Ditzel

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether honey used as adjunctive therapy is effective in alleviating nasal allergy symptoms.

STUDY DESIGN: This is a systematic review of three randomized controlled trials published between 2010-2013, all in the English language.

DATA SOURCES: Three randomized controlled trials, which studied the effects of honey used as adjunctive therapy for the relief of nasal allergy symptoms, these were obtained using PubMed.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: The outcome of each study was a patient reported decrease in the number of days and the severity of nasal allergy symptoms including: sneezing, itching, nasal …

Imaging-Based Clusters In Former Smokers Of The Copd Cohort Associate With Clinical Characteristics: The Subpopulations And Intermediate Outcome Measures In Copd Study (Spiromics), Babak Haghighi, Sanghun Choi, Jiwoong Choi, Eric A. Hoffman, Alejandro P. Comellas, John D. Newell, Chang Hyun Lee, R. Graham Barr, Eugene Bleecker, Christopher B. Cooper, David Couper, Mei Lan Han, Nadia N. Hansel, Richard E. Kanner, Ella A. Kazerooni, Eric A.C. Kleerup, Fernando J. Martinez, Wanda O'Neal, Robert Paine, Stephen I. Rennard, Benjamin M. Smith, Prescott G. Woodruff, Ching-Long Lin

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

BACKGROUND: Quantitative computed tomographic (QCT) imaging-based metrics enable to quantify smoking induced disease alterations and to identify imaging-based clusters for current smokers. We aimed to derive clinically meaningful sub-groups of former smokers using dimensional reduction and clustering methods to develop a new way of COPD phenotyping.

METHODS: An imaging-based cluster analysis was performed for 406 former smokers with a comprehensive set of imaging metrics including 75 imaging-based metrics. They consisted of structural and functional variables at 10 segmental and 5 lobar locations. The structural variables included lung shape, branching angle, airway-circularity, airway-wall-thickness, airway diameter; the functional variables included regional ventilation, …