Allergy and Immunology

Shedding Light on Immune Responses in Children With Acute Asthma Exacerbations
Shedding Light on Immune Responses in Children With Acute Asthma Exacerbations 969 533 JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM
Illustration of NK Cells, T Cells, other immune cells floating across white background

The innate immune system is upregulated in children hospitalized with acute asthma exacerbations, signaling a need for therapies that target innate immune pathways to help control acute asthma flare-ups more effectively.  Asthma affects more than 6 million children in the United States, yet little is known about the immune responses that occur with acute asthma…

What Are the Risk Factors for Recurrent Wheezing in Late Preterm Infants?
What Are the Risk Factors for Recurrent Wheezing in Late Preterm Infants? 1024 683 Pam Georgiana

A collaboration between a pulmonary medicine fellow and allergy and immunology expert identifies four risk factors associated with recurrent wheezing in these patients.   When Brooke R. Gustafson, MD, a member of the Section of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine at Nationwide Children’s and an assistant professor of pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine,…

Increasing Same-Day Amoxicillin Graded Dose Challenges
Increasing Same-Day Amoxicillin Graded Dose Challenges 1024 683 JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM

A quality improvement initiative overcomes several barriers to de-labeling penicillin allergies. In a study published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, a research team led by Margaret Redmond, MD, a pediatric allergist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, reported on a quality improvement (QI) initiative that sustainably increased rates of same-day amoxicillin graded…

How Does Allergic Disease Protect Against Developing Asthma After Viral Infection?
How Does Allergic Disease Protect Against Developing Asthma After Viral Infection? 1024 523 Mary Bates, PhD

Neutrophils and IL-4 are critical in preventing post-viral airway disease in mice with pre-existing allergic disease. In a new study, researchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital show that in a mouse mode simulating human respiratory viral infection, pre-existing allergic disease prevents the development of asthma following viral infection. Further experiments revealed that this protection against post-viral…

Even Severe Asthma Can Improve if Guidelines Are Followed
Even Severe Asthma Can Improve if Guidelines Are Followed 1024 683 Mary Bates, PhD

Patients treated with adequate medications and asthma family education can significantly improve irrespective of asthma severity. Severe asthma accounts for 5-8% of patients with asthma, but this group is more challenging to treat and is responsible for up to 40% of total asthma-care expenses. The majority of patients with severe asthma have difficult-to-treat asthma (in…

Updated Guidance on Oral Food Challenges
Updated Guidance on Oral Food Challenges 1024 575 Mary Bates, PhD

New report offers guidelines and examples for safely performing oral food challenges in clinical practice. Oral food challenges are integral for allergists to diagnose food allergies. In 2009, the Adverse Reactions to Foods Committee within the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology published a report providing guidance for safely conducting an oral food challenge.…

Fighting Back Against COVID-19 Misinformation on the Web
Fighting Back Against COVID-19 Misinformation on the Web 1024 683 David Stukus, MD

Misinformation on the internet is nothing new, but in the age of COVID-19, it is more important than ever for health care experts to speak up for evidence-based care. Misinformation on the internet has been rampant for years. From antivaxxers and naturopaths to flat earthers and others, misinformation has always infiltrated online searches and only…

Oral Food Challenges: The Most Important Test in Diagnosing Food Allergy
Oral Food Challenges: The Most Important Test in Diagnosing Food Allergy 1024 683 David Stukus, MD

I routinely hear the same question from pediatricians, parents, friends, and acquaintances: Why are we seeing so many more kids develop food allergies now compared with 10 or 20 years ago? Unfortunately, there is no single answer as to why the prevalence of food allergies has doubled among children over the past two decades. Food…

Is Your Patient Really Allergic to Penicillin?
Is Your Patient Really Allergic to Penicillin? 150 150 Abbie Miller

Antibiotic-Induced Disruption of Intestinal Microbiota Leads to Increased Mortality From a Respiratory Viral Infection
Antibiotic-Induced Disruption of Intestinal Microbiota Leads to Increased Mortality From a Respiratory Viral Infection 150 150 Lauren Dembeck

Recent study indicates that antibiotic use disrupts gastrointestinal microbial communities and can indirectly influence host immune response, even in distant tissues. “The indiscriminate and overuse of antibiotics may have further reaching consequences than just evolution of antibacterial-resistant superbugs,” says physician-scientist Mitchell Grayson, MD, lead author of a new study published in Frontiers in Immunology. Dr. Grayson, who…

Immune Cell Subtype Tied to Asthma in Mice Found in Humans With Viral Infections
Immune Cell Subtype Tied to Asthma in Mice Found in Humans With Viral Infections 969 533 Kevin Mayhood
Illustration of NK Cells, T Cells, other immune cells floating across white background

If asthma development in people parallels mice, the cells’ mechanisms may provide a target for disease prevention. A subtype of neutrophil, labeled CD49d+ PMN, which is necessary to drive asthma and allergies in a mouse model, also accumulates in the nasal fluid of people with symptoms of an upper respiratory viral infection, researchers have discovered. Neutrophils are…

Teens With Asthma: A High School Diploma Does Not Equal Readiness for Self-Management
Teens With Asthma: A High School Diploma Does Not Equal Readiness for Self-Management 150 150 David Stukus, MD

Poorly controlled asthma takes a toll on numerous aspects of health and life. Asthma is the leading pediatric chronic health condition, affecting approximately 10 percent of children and adolescents. Uncontrolled asthma can lead to acute exacerbations and need for emergency department visits or hospitalizations. A frequently unrecognized toll of poorly controlled asthma is the impact…

Become a Myth Buster: Use Evidence-Based Medicine to Change Clinical Care
Become a Myth Buster: Use Evidence-Based Medicine to Change Clinical Care 150 150 David Stukus, MD

Medical myths abound, even among good doctors. How are medical myths perpetuated and how can they be stopped? When was the last time you took a step back and questioned your medical decision making? Why did you decide to prescribe that treatment at that dosage and for that exact duration? Was that test truly necessary…