allergies Tag
06 Dec Hand Eczema: Patch Testing Important in Diagnosis of Potential Allergens
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_24142" align="alignleft" width="128"]
Dr. Jonathan Silverberg[/caption]
Jonathan Silverberg, MD, PHD, MPH
Associate Professor
Director of Clinical Research
Director of Patch Testing
George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Washington, DC
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study
Response: Chronic hand eczema was previously shown to be associated with higher rates of allergic contact dermatitis. Yet, little is known about recent trends in North America with respect to the clinical presentation and allergen profile in chronic hand eczema. This study sought to determine the clinical characteristics and etiologies of hand eczema in a large North American cohort of adults referred for patch testing. The patients in the study were patch tested using the North American Contact Dermatitis Group’s allergen screening series.
04 Dec Peanut Oral Immunotherapy Found Safe and Effective in Real World Study of Preschoolers
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_56134" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Soller[/caption]
Lianne Soller, PhD
Allergy Research Manager
BC Children’s Hospital Allergy Clinic
Vancouver, BC, Canada
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Peanut oral immunotherapy (also known as OIT) has been studied for many years in clinical trials and has been found to be safe and effective in preschoolers. However, we know that clinical trials do not always reflect what happens in the real world.
We wanted to see study whether peanut OIT would work as well in the real world. This is a follow up of our preschool peanut OIT safety study published in April 2019 which noted only 0.4% severe reactions and 4% epinephrine use during build-up.
17 Nov Contact Allergic Reaction to Face Masks Reported
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Yashu Dhamija MD Dr. Thomas Schmidlin, MD Cleveland Clinic Akron General MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: We are seeing an increased use of face masks in the COVID-19 pandemic and while that is encouraged and necessary to limit the spread of disease in the general publication, it can mean challenges for some individuals. Patients with known sensitizations to allergens contained in face masks may experience rash or irritation with commonly used face coverings. It is also possible for patients without a history of contact dermatitis to become sensitized to allergens after wearing facial coverings more regularly, thus leading to new cases of contact dermatitis (CD) in individuals with no known prior history of contact dermatitis.
23 Sep Childhood Peanut and Nut Allergies More Frequent at Halloween and Easter
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_55467" align="alignleft" width="176"]
Melanie Leung[/caption]
Melanie Leung, M.D.,C.M. candidate 2021
4th-year medical student at McGill University
Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Department of Pediatrics, Montreal Children’s Hospital
McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
Dr. Moshe Ben-Shoshan, MD, MSc
Pediatric allergist and immunologist at the MCH (Montreal Children’s Hospital) and
Scientist at the Research Institute of the MUHC (McGill University Health Center)
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: In Canada, up to 9% of children have at least 1 food allergy. Anaphylaxis is the most severe and potential life-threatening manifestation of food allergy. Peanuts and tree nuts are the main culprits in food-induced anaphylaxis and account for most fatal cases in North America.
Public awareness about peanut and nut anaphylaxis can help to prevent and to act promptly, in the case of anaphylactic reaction. However, the best timing for public awareness campaigns remained unknown, as no previous study looked at the potential association between specific times of the year, such as public holidays, and the incidence of peanut and tree nut anaphylaxis. Our aim was to evaluate the risk of peanut and tree nut-induced anaphylaxis on Halloween, Christmas, Easter, Diwali, Chinese New Year, and Eid al-Adha.
Data was collected from 1390 pediatric cases of peanut or nut-induced anaphylaxis across Canada (Newfoundland & Labrador, Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia), from 2011 to 2020. 62% of children were boys and the median age was 5.4 years. We compared the average daily number of cases during each holiday and compared it to the rest of the year (i.e.: non-holiday period).
25 Jul Allergenic Potential of Eczema Moisturizers
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_54947" align="alignleft" width="177"] Catherine M. Ludwig[/caption]
Catherine M. Ludwig is a 4th year medical student at the University of Illinois Chicago College of Medicine.
Her interests in dermatology include inflammatory and genetic conditions, especially within pediatric dermatology.
[caption id="attachment_54948" align="alignleft" width="163"]
Alyssa M. Thompson[/caption]
Alyssa M. Thompson is currently a 2nd year medical student at the UA-COM Tucson. She graduated from the University of Arizona, Summa Cum Laude in 2018 as the athletic department's Valedictorian with a degree in Physiology and an Entrepreneurship certificate. Her passion for research and dermatology stems from her innovative and integrative mindset with specific interest in inflammatory skin disease.
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Eczema is very common in children. Prescription medications are important for managing eczema flares, but a lot of the work in treating eczema is preventative, done by consistently moisturizing the skin at home with drug store products. Allergic contact dermatitis occurs more commonly in people with eczema. A previous study was done in characterizing the allergenic potential of drug-store moisturizers and found that 88% of moisturizers contain at least one common allergen. Many moisturizers are marketed specifically to eczema, but the allergen content of these products are unknown.
24 Jul Introducing Cashews in First Year of Life May Reduce Risk of Allergy
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_54929" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Perrett[/caption]
Kirsten P Perrett MD PhD
Group Leader/Clinician Scientist Fellow
Population Allergy Research Group and
Melbourne Children's Trial Centre
Murdoch Children's Research Institute
Rachel L Peters PhD
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
Department of Paediatrics
The University of Melbourne
Parkville, Australia
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The prevalence of food allergy has increased over the last 1-2 decades. Historically, parents were advised to withhold the introduction of allergenic foods, such as peanut or egg, until after the infant was 1-3 years of age in the hope that it would prevent food allergy. However, recent evidence has shown that introducing peanut and egg in the first year of life, reduces the risk of allergy to that food. This has led to a paradigm shift in infant feeding advice from active avoidance to timely introduction. However, there has not been any research advising on the timing of tree nuts, a common cause of food allergy,
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?
Response: Our study of nearly 3000 children in the population-based HealthNuts study in Australia, found that only 5% had eaten cashew by age 12 months. Interestingly, no child who consumed cashew by age 12 months, developed cashew allergy at age 6 years; conversely 3.6% of those who had not consumed cashew by age 12 months did develop cashew allergy at age 6 years. Our findings suggest that introducing cashew in the first year of life may reduce the risk of cashew allergy.
23 Mar Sinusitis With Nasal Polyps: Dupilumab Treatment Improves Sense of Smell
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53614" align="alignleft" width="160"]
Dr. Han[/caption]
Joseph Han, MD FARS, FAAOA FAAAAI
Medical Director for the Division of Allergy
Eastern Virginia Medical School
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is a type 2 inflammatory disease of the nasal passages and sinuses associated with a high symptom burden due to the chronic, relapsing nature of the disease. If you ask CRSwNP patients about the most important disease symptoms, they would say nasal congestion and decrease in smell. However, many CRSwNP patients would say that losing their sense of smell is particularly troublesome.
This study was conducted to better understand the effect of dupilumab, which is approved in the U.S. for adults with uncontrolled CRSwNP, on sense of smell.
20 Mar Atopic Dermatitis: Dupilumab Can Rapidly Improve Itch in Moderate to Severe Eczema
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53601" align="alignleft" width="144"] Dr. Yosipovitch[/caption]
Gil Yosipovitch, MD, Professor
Miami Itch Center
Lennar Medical Foundation
South Miami Clinic in Coral Gables
University of Miami Health System
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? How does Dupilumab (Dupixent) differ from other medications for atopic dermatitis/eczema?
Response: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is characterized by intense itch (pruritus) that is one of the most burdensome symptoms; therefore, rapid and sustained improvement in itch is an important marker of treatment benefit. Dupixent® (dupilumab) is approved in the U.S. for adults and adolescents with inadequately-controlled moderate-to-severe Atopic Dermatitis.
Dupilumab remains the first and only biologic medicine for uncontrolled moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. Dupilumab is the first and only fully human monoclonal antibody that inhibits the signaling of the interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-13 (IL-13) proteins. Data from dupilumab clinical trials have shown that IL-4 and IL-13 are key drivers of the type 2 inflammation that plays a major role in atopic dermatitis, asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.
28 Feb Gene That Promotes Inflammation in Asthma Identified
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53322" align="alignleft" width="92"] Dr. Zasłona and Dr. ONeill[/caption]
Zbigniew Zasłona PhD
Luke A. J. O’Neill PhD
Professor (Chair of Biochemistry)
School of Biochemistry and Immunology
Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute
Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Asthma is the most common disease in childhood and the most common respiratory condition in Ireland. It is a disease of environmental and genetic components. It is important to point out that although Ireland has very good air quality, asthma prevalence is very high (the second highest in Europe), and although asthma is not a single gene disease (such as cystic fibrosis) it is very important to study genetic variations in Irish population.
Therefore in this study we put emphasis on the genetic component of asthma, rather than environmental factors, especially given that asthma heritability has been estimated as high as 60%. Prevention of asthma by reducing exposure to common risk factors, such as air pollution, will not stop the asthma epidemic in Ireland, as inferior air quality is not an issue.
22 Jan Long-Term Data from PEOPLE Phase III Study of Viaskin Peanut in Children with Peanut Allergy
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52925" align="alignleft" width="133"] Dr. Campbell[/caption]
Dr. Dianne Campbell, MBBS, FRACP, PhD
VP, Global Medical Affairs
DBV Technologies
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The PEOPLE study is an open-label extension of the Phase III PEPITES trial designed to evaluate the long-term safety, tolerability and efficacy of Viaskin Peanut 250 μg (NCT03013517) in peanut-allergic children ages 4 to 11 years . Participants who completed the 12-month study period of PEPITES were eligible to enroll in PEOPLE. Patients who were randomized to active treatment in PEPITES are eligible to receive up to four additional years of treatment, and those previously receiving placebo are eligible to receive up to five years of treatment.
The current study reports on the 3 year outcomes of children who were initially randomized to receive active treatment in the PEPITES study and completed an additional 2 years of treatment during the PEOPLE study. The study evaluated the eliciting dose (ED) after three years (Month 36) of active treatment using a double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge (DBPCFC). The starting dose of each challenge was 1 mg of peanut protein and escalated to the highest dose of 2,000 mg peanut protein; possibly repeated once to reach a maximum total cumulative dose of 5,444 mg peanut protein. All participants who reached an ED ≥ 1,000 mg at Month 36 were eligible to continue the study for two additional months without treatment while maintaining a peanut-free diet. A further double-blind placebo-controlled food challenge to determine ED was administered at the end of this period (Month 38).
Additional analyses include exploratory assessments of safety parameters, immune biomarkers such as immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) and immunoglobulin E (IgE).
22 Oct Avoiding Cow’s Milk Formula at Birth May Reduce Food Allergies
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Mitsuyoshi Urashima MD, PhD, MPH Professor of Molecular Epidemiology Jikei University School of Medicine Tokyo, JAPAN MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: IgE-mediated food allergy is becoming a global concern, because its prevalence and severity are worsening. Many Japanese maternity wards encourage breastfeeding, but allow mothers or nurses to supplement breastfeeding with cow’s milk formula, e.g., approximately 6 to 10 hours after birth or even earlier, based on maternal preferences, but not based on clinical evidence. However, more than 20 to 30 years ago, sugar water was given instead of cow’s milk formula supplement at birth. Thus, we hypothesized that early exposure to cow’s milk formula at birth is, at least in part, associated with the recent increase in children with food allergy. Therefore, a randomized clinical trial, named ABC (Atopy induced by Breast feeding or Cow's milk formula), was conducted to assess whether the risk of cow’s milk formula sensitization and food allergy is decreased by either avoiding or supplementing cow’s milk formula at birth. Immediately after birth, newborns were randomly assigned (1:1 ratio) to either breastfeeding with or without amino acid-based elemental formula for at least the first 3 days of life (breastfeeding ± elemental formula), or breastfeeding supplemented with cow’s milk formula (≥5 mL/day) from the first day of life to 5 months of age (breastfeeding + cow's milk formula).
18 Oct Newly Recognized Trigger Mechanism of Atopic Dermatitis Identified
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Stephen J. Galli, MD Mary Hewitt Loveless, MD Professor Professor of Pathology and of Microbiology and Immunology Department of Pathology Stanford University School of Medicine Center for Clinical Sciences Research Stanford, CA and Nicolas Gaudenzio PhD Unité de Différenciation Epithéliale et Autoimmunité Rhumatoïde INSERM, Université de Toulouse Toulouse, France MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: We took a lead from existing clinical data showing that patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, an increasingly common disorder producing skin pathology, also have elevated levels of neuropeptides in their blood, particularly one neuropeptide, named “substance P”, whose level is correlated with disease severity. These patients also have high levels of mast cell-specific proteases in the blood, indicating that mast cells, which are innate immune cells present in the skin, and which can be activated when exposed to substance P, might play an essential role in modulating inflammatory and allergic processes. Based on these observations, our teams (Galli Lab at Stanford University, USA and Gaudenzio Lab at Inserm Toulouse, France) decided to focus on the possible interactions between sensory neurons, which are a source of substance P, and mast cells. The results of this work have now been published in the journal Nature Immunology.
05 Oct Unnecessary Antibiotics For Dental Prophylaxis Cause Significant Adverse Events
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_51763" align="alignleft" width="157"] Dr. Gross[/caption]
Alan E. Gross, PharmD
Clinical Assistant Professor
University of Illinois
Chicago, IL
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Dentists prescribe 10% of all outpatient antibiotics. Most of this prescribing is for infection prophylaxis prior to dental procedures.
Our prior research has found that 80% of prescriptions for dental prophylaxis is unnecessary. Although antibiotic prophylaxis prior to dental procedures is often for a short course (e.g. one time amoxicillin dose), there may be patient harm associated with this.
06 Sep Long-Term Sublingual Peanut Immunotherapy Offers Significant Protection Against Allergic Reactions
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_51129" align="alignleft" width="133"]
Dr. Edwin H. Kim[/caption]
Edwin H. Kim, MD, MS
Assistant Professor of Medicine & Pediatrics, Division of Rheumatology
Allergy & Immunology
Program Director, UNC Allergy and Immunology Fellowship Program
Director, UNC Food Allergy Initiative
Medical Director, UNC Allergy & Immunology Clinic
UNC School of Medicine
Chapel Hill, NC
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: In 2011, Kim and colleagues – including Wesley Burks, MD, dean of the UNC School of Medicine – conducted a small study of 18 patients to show that sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) was safe and effective over the course of one year. Since then, Kim and colleagues followed 48 patients in the SLIT protocol of 2 mg daily for five years. In the JACI paper, the researchers showed that 67 percent of these patients were able to tolerate at least 750 mg of peanut protein without serious side effects. About 25 percent could tolerate 5000 mg
21 Aug Viaskin® Peanut: BLA License for Treatment of Peanut-Allergic Children Submitted to FDA
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_51005" align="alignleft" width="159"]
Dr. Todd Green[/caption]
Todd Green MD
Vice President of Medical Affairs North America
DBV Technologies
Dr. Green discusses the recent announcement that DBV Technologies is submitting a BLA for Viaskin Peanut to the FDA.
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this announcement? How common is peanut allergy in children?
DBV Technologies is a global clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to improve the lives of patients with food allergies and other immunological diseases through our investigational epicutaneous immunotherapy technology platform. For more than 15 years, we’ve been striving to deliver transformative treatments for patients suffering with the burden and life-threatening risk of food allergies.
On August 7, 2019 DBV announced the submission of its Biologics License Application (BLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Viaskin® Peanut for the treatment of peanut-allergic children ages 4 to 11 years. This submission addressed the additional data needed on manufacturing procedures and quality controls which were communicated by the FDA in December 2018, when DBV voluntarily withdrew its prior BLA submission for Viaskin Peanut.
Peanut allergy is one of the most common food allergies and can cause severe, potentially fatal allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. In the United States, nearly one million children suffer from a peanut allergy.[1] Fear of life-threatening reactions triggered by accidental peanut exposure during everyday activities may lead to significantly increased anxiety and decreased quality of life for patients and their families.[2,3,4]
Currently, avoidance and readiness to manage accidental exposure reactions remain the standard of care.
At DBV, we are committed to finding treatments that will help address the urgent unmet medical need of those suffering from food allergies, including peanut allergy, and our mission is to improve the lives of those patients and their families.
06 May Are Commercial Peanut Immunotherapy Products Cost-Effective?
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_48976" align="alignleft" width="129"]
Dr. Shaker[/caption]
Marcus S. Shaker, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Associate Professor of Community and Family Medicine
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: There are two peanut allergy treatments that are being evaluated for potential FDA approval—an orally administered treatment and an epicutaneous (skin based) treatment. Both have tremendous potential benefit. The focus of our study was to explore the range of health and economic benefits in terms of establishing pathways for how each therapy could be cost effective.
We want to be clear that our purpose was not to suggest one therapy is or is not cost effective at present. That would be a ridiculous statement to make regarding two treatments that not only lack FDA approval, but do not have established pricing. Rather, we used preliminary inputs that are presently available to create as robust a model as we could to better determine the individual paths that would make them more or less cost-effective.
18 Apr Oral Peanut Immunotherapy Evaluated for Preschool Children
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_48695" align="alignleft" width="162"]
Dr. Soller[/caption]
Lianne Soller, PhD
Allergy Research Manager
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, BC, Canada
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: In 2017, a clinical trial of 37 subjects demonstrated that preschool peanut oral immunotherapy was safe, with predominantly mild symptoms reported and only one moderate reaction requiring epinephrine. Our study aimed to examine whether these findings would be applicable in a real-world setting (i.e., outside of research).
We found that peanut oral immunotherapy is safe in the vast majority of preschoolers, with only 0.4% of patients experiencing a severe reaction, and only 12 out of ~40,000 peanut doses needed epinephrine (0.03%).
03 Apr Contact Allergic Reactions to Implanted Cardiac Devices
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_48345" align="alignleft" width="133"] Dr. Reck Atwater[/caption]
Amber Reck Atwater, M.D.
Dermatology Residency Program Director
Associate Professor of Dermatology
Director, Contact Dermatitis Clinic
Duke Dermatology
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: We completed an evaluation of our Duke Dermatology patients who underwent patch testing for possible allergy to their cardiac devices - pacemakers and defibrillators.
From March 1, 2012 to September 15, 2017 we saw 11 patients with suspected allergy to their devices. Concern for allergy, skin eruption, skin symptoms, and concern for infection were common. 73% of patients had erythema at their implant scars; pruritus and pain were also noted. Six of our patients had relevant reactions, and the most common allergies were metals, silicone and rubber accelerators.
23 Mar Some ‘Inactive’ Pill Ingredients Can Trigger Allergic Reactions
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_48094" align="alignleft" width="128"]
Dr. Reker[/caption]
Daniel Reker, PhD
Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: We started thinking more about this topic following a clinical experience five years ago that Dr. Traverso was involved in where a patient suffering form Celiac disease received a prescription of a drug which potentially had gluten. This experience really opened our eyes for how little we knew about the inactive ingredients and how clinical workflows do not currently accommodate for such scenarios.
We therefore set up a large scale analysis to better understand the complexity of the inactive ingredient portion in a medication as well as how frequently critical ingredients are included that could potential affect sensitive patients.
04 Mar Egg Allergy: Oral Immunotherapy Has Potential for Lasting Benefit
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_47762" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Kim[/caption]
Edwin Kim, MD MS
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology
Director, UNC Allergy and Immunology Clinic
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: The background is that egg allergy remains one of the most common food allergies in childhood and although most patients will outgrow the allergy, it seems that many will carry into their teen years. As a result patients still have many years of risk of anaphylaxis, poor quality of life and potential nutritional deficits. The ability to introduce some amount of egg into the diet could have profound benefit to allergy patients.
The main findings are that after completing up to 4 years of egg oral immunotherapy (OIT), most patients are able to introduce at least baked egg products into the diet. The subset of patients who showed a lasting benefit by passing a food challenge 4-6 weeks after stopping the OIT, generally did even better by being able to introduce lightly cooked egg like scrambled, boiled, or fried in addition to baked egg products. This benefit to the diet seemed to last up to 5 years after stopping egg oral immunotherapy. In addition to the safety, quality of life and nutrition benefits, recent data suggesting that bringing baked egg into the diet can speed up outgrowing the allergy provides a further benefit.
04 Mar Viaskin Peanut May Offer First Epicutaneous Treatment for Peanut Allergy
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_47726" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Green[/caption]
Todd Green MD
Vice President, Medical Affairs North America
DBV Technologies
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this announcement? What is Viaskin Peanut?
Response: Peanut allergy is one of the most common food allergies and can cause severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. Unfortunately, there are no FDA-approved treatment options for peanut or other food allergies – leaving patients with avoidance and readiness to manage reactions to accidental exposures as their only option.
Viaskin Peanut uses epicutaneous immunotherapy or EPIT, a method of delivering biologically active compounds to the immune system through the skin. Patients receive about 1/1,000th of a peanut with each daily dose of peanut protein – the equivalent of one peanut every three years – which activates the immune system with very minimal exposure.
In February 2019, DBV announced that its planned resubmission of the Biologics License Application (BLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Viaskin Peanut in the treatment of peanut-allergic children 4 to 11 years of age is anticipated in the third quarter of 2019.
DBV is working diligently on its resubmission package, bringing us one step closer to providing an FDA-approved treatment for peanut-allergic children and their families. Viaskin Peanut previously received Breakthrough and Fast Track designations for the treatment of peanut-allergic children from the FDA in 2015 and 2012, respectively.
01 Mar Viaskin Peanut: Convenient Potential Treatment Option for Peanut Allergy
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_47721" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Greenhawt[/caption]
Dr. Matthew Greenhawt
Director, Food Challenge and Research Unit
Children’s Hospital Colorado
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: In the US, nearly one million children suffer from a peanut allergy and severe reactions to food allergens are not uncommon – yet there is significant unmet need in the food allergy immunotherapy space, as there are no currently approved treatment options. That being said, we are encouraged by the efficacy and safety data, which support Viaskin Peanut as a convenient and well-tolerated potential treatment option for the peanut allergy.
In the pivotal Phase III clinical trial (PEPITES) just published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Viaskin Peanut – the first epicutaneous immunotherapy (EPIT) in development that leverages the skin to activate the immune system – provided statistically significant desensitization in peanut-allergic children ages 4-11 years old. Patients who were treated with active therapy were more likely to have increased their eliciting dose to peanut (the amount of peanut protein ingested before an objective allergic reaction was seen during a double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge) by a required amount as compared to patients treated with a placebo patch. The improvement suggests a reduced risk of allergic reaction to accidental peanut ingestion in the group treated with Viaskin Peanut, with no change seen in the placebo group.
18 Jan Overdiagnosis of Penicillin Allergy Can Lead To Unintended Side Effects
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_47008" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. Shenoy[/caption]
ESS= Erica S. Shenoy, MD, PhD
Harvard Medical School
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
[caption id="attachment_47011" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. Blumenthal[/caption]
KGB= Kimberly G. Blumenthal MD, MSc
Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology
Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital,Boston
[caption id="attachment_47012" align="alignleft" width="100"]
Dr. Macy[/caption]
EMM= Eric M. Macy MD, MS
Department of Allergy
Southern California Permanente Medical Group
San Diego Medical Center
[caption id="attachment_47013" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. Rowe[/caption]
TR= Theresa Rowe, DO, MS
General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics
Feinberg School of Medicine
Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this review?
ESS: A key component of reducing antimicrobial resistance is improving how antimicrobials are prescribed—both reducing inappropriate use (i.e., not prescribing when not needed) and favoring the use of narrow-spectrum agents that are less likely to contribute to the development of antimicrobial resistance.
KGB: Because unverified penicillin allergy labels are so prevalent with greater than 32 million Americans affected, and these labels lead to the use of alternative antibiotics that are often more broad-spectrum, we now know that penicillin allergy evaluations are an emerging important component of antibiotic stewardship. When patients with a reported penicillin allergy are tested, more than 95% of them are not allergic, and thus could (and should) receive penicillins, and often related drugs, when appropriate.
18 Dec How Do Pregnant Women Decide Which Foods To Avoid To Prevent Food Allergies in Their Children?
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_46660" align="alignleft" width="133"] Dr. Robbins[/caption]
Karen Robbins, M.D.
Allergist at Children’s National Health System
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: The background is that mothers are often concerned that something they did contributed to their children developing food allergies. Many will relate that they ate a lot of one specific food allergen while pregnant, and question how this could have impacted their unborn child. We realized that we hear a lot of anecdotal stories in clinic, but were not sure how frequently mothers try to alter their diet in the hopes of preventing food allergy in their children. We also were not sure where families get information or guidance on this topic.
18 Nov Asthma in Children Can Worsen From Allergy to Secondhand Marijuana
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Bryce Hoffman, MD Allergy & Immunology Fellow National Jewish Health MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Secondhand marijuana exposure is expected to increase as personal cannabis use becomes legalized in more states and countries. Cannabis allergy from firsthand use has been reported in adults...
17 Nov Omalizumab (XOLAIR) For Chronic Hives (Urticaria)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_46078" align="alignleft" width="162"] Hives - Wikipedia image[/caption]
Christopher S. Lee, PhD, RN, FAHA, FAAN, FHFSA
Professor and Associate Dean for Research
Boston College William F. Connell School of Nursing
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Although the efficacy of omalizumab (i.e. can it work?) in the treatment of chronic idiopathic (spontaneous) urticaria has been established in clinical trials, the effectiveness of omalziumab (i.e. does it work?) in the real-world management is less well established.
The purpose of this study was to synthesize what is known about the benefits and harms of omalizumab as used in real-world treatment of Chronic Idiopathic (Spontaneous) Urticaria.
16 Nov Could Sucking the Pacifier Clean Lower Your Baby’s Allergy Antibodies?
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Eliane Abou-Jaoude, MD
Allergy and Immunology Fellow
Henry Ford Health System
Detroit, Michigan
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Early life exposure to diverse types of microbes is necessary for healthy immune development and may impact the risk for developing allergic disorders.
Theoretically the transfer of parental microbes to their offspring during infancy can influence a child’s developing gut microbiome and subsequent immune response patterns.
We wished to investigate whether parental pacifier cleaning methods, reported at 6-months of age, were associated with altered serum IgE trajectory over the first 18 months of life.
16 Nov Are Some Dogs Really ‘Allergy Friendly’?
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:Catarina Almqvist Malmros MD, PhD
Professor | Consultant Pediatrician
Dept of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics | Karolinska Institutet
Lung and Allergy Unit | Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital
Stockholm, Sweden
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: We have previously shown an association between growing up with dogs and a lower risk of childhood asthma (doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.3219) but it has been unknown whether this link is modified by characteristics of the dog. Sex of the dog may have an effect on expressed allergens, and uncastrated male dogs release more of a certain allergen than castrated male dogs and female dogs. Some breeds are also described as ‘hypoallergenic’, but there is no scientific evidence whether they are more suitable for people with allergies.
We examined how variables such as sex, breed, number of dogs or size of dog are associated with the risk of asthma and allergy among children with a dog in their home during the first year of life. We included all Swedish children born between January 2001 and December 2004 whose parents had a registered dog in a dog-owner register and linked the data to the Swedish population- and health data registers.
Main findings are that children raised with only female dogs at home had a 16 per cent lower risk of asthma than those with male dogs, and that children living with two or more dogs had a 21 per cent lower risk of asthma than those with only one dog. Importantly, families with parental asthma or allergies had ‘hypoallergenic’ breeds more often than children whose parents did not have asthma or allergies; 11.7% compared to 7.6 . Exposure to these breeds was associated with a 27 per cent higher risk of allergy and no decreased risk of asthma.
06 Nov Pediatric Allergist Discusses New Insights into Pediatric Food Allergies
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_45708" align="alignleft" width="144"] Dr. Stukus[/caption]
David Stukus, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Associate Director, Pediatric Allergy & Immunology Fellowship Program
Director of Quality Improvement, Division of Allergy and Immunology
Nationwide Children's Hospital and The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Columbus Ohio 43205
Dr. David Stukus discusses the emerging science behind food allergy prevention.
MedicalResearch.com: How many US children are affected by food allergies?
Response: Food allergies affect roughly 5-8% of all U.S. children, which is approximately 6 million children. This translates to about 1 in every 13 children, or an average of two children in every classroom.
MedicalResearch.com: Are food allergies becoming more common?
Response: Yes, we know that the prevalence of food allergies have doubled over the past two decades. Unfortunately, there is no single or definitive answer as to why this increase has occurred.