Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research

About: Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Immune system & Immunoglobulin E. The organization has 372 authors who have published 900 publications receiving 66652 citations.

Clinical characteristics of 140 patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan, China.

Abstract: Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has been widely spread. We aim to investigate the clinical characteristic and allergy status of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. Methods Electronic medical records including demographics, clinical manifestation, comorbidities, laboratory data, and radiological materials of 140 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, with confirmed result of SARS-CoV-2 viral infection, were extracted and analyzed. Results An approximately 1:1 ratio of male (50.7%) and female COVID-19 patients was found, with an overall median age of 57.0 years. All patients were community-acquired cases. Fever (91.7%), cough (75.0%), fatigue (75.0%), and gastrointestinal symptoms (39.6%) were the most common clinical manifestations, whereas hypertension (30.0%) and diabetes mellitus (12.1%) were the most common comorbidities. Drug hypersensitivity (11.4%) and urticaria (1.4%) were self-reported by several patients. Asthma or other allergic diseases were not reported by any of the patients. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, 1.4%) patients and current smokers (1.4%) were rare. Bilateral ground-glass or patchy opacity (89.6%) was the most common sign of radiological finding. Lymphopenia (75.4%) and eosinopenia (52.9%) were observed in most patients. Blood eosinophil counts correlate positively with lymphocyte counts in severe (r = .486, P Conclusion Detailed clinical investigation of 140 hospitalized COVID-19 cases suggests eosinopenia together with lymphopenia may be a potential indicator for diagnosis. Allergic diseases, asthma, and COPD are not risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Older age, high number of comorbidities, and more prominent laboratory abnormalities were associated with severe patients.

Immune Responses in Healthy and Allergic Individuals Are Characterized by a Fine Balance between Allergen-specific T Regulatory 1 and T Helper 2 Cells

Abstract: The mechanisms by which immune responses to nonpathogenic environmental antigens lead to either allergy or nonharmful immunity are unknown. Single allergen-specific T cells constitute a very small fraction of the whole CD4+ T cell repertoire and can be isolated from the peripheral blood of humans according to their cytokine profile. Freshly purified interferon-γ–, interleukin (IL)-4–, and IL-10–producing allergen-specific CD4+ T cells display characteristics of T helper cell (Th)1-, Th2-, and T regulatory (Tr)1–like cells, respectively. Tr1 cells consistently represent the dominant subset specific for common environmental allergens in healthy individuals; in contrast, there is a high frequency of allergen-specific IL-4–secreting T cells in allergic individuals. Tr1 cells use multiple suppressive mechanisms, IL-10 and TGF-β as secreted cytokines, and cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 and programmed death 1 as surface molecules. Healthy and allergic individuals exhibit all three allergen-specific subsets in different proportions, indicating that a change in the dominant subset may lead to allergy development or recovery. Accordingly, blocking the suppressor activity of Tr1 cells or increasing Th2 cell frequency enhances allergen-specific Th2 cell activation ex vivo. These results indicate that the balance between allergen-specific Tr1 cells and Th2 cells may be decisive in the development of allergy.

Asthma endotypes: A new approach to classification of disease entities within the asthma syndrome

Abstract: It is increasingly clear that asthma is a complex disease made up of number of disease variants with different underlying pathophysiologies. Limited knowledge of the mechanisms of these disease subgroups is possibly the greatest obstacle in understanding the causes of asthma and improving treatment and can explain the failure to identify consistent genetic and environmental correlations to asthma. Here we describe a hypothesis whereby the asthma syndrome is divided into distinct disease entities with specific mechanisms, which we have called "asthma endotypes." An "endotype" is proposed to be a subtype of a condition defined by a distinct pathophysiological mechanism. Criteria for defining asthma endotypes on the basis of their phenotypes and putative pathophysiology are suggested. Using these criteria, we identify several proposed asthma endotypes and propose how these new definitions can be used in clinical study design and drug development to target existing and novel therapies to patients most likely to benefit. This PRACTALL (PRACtical ALLergy) consensus report was produced by experts from the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

Role of interleukin 10 in specific immunotherapy.

Abstract: The induction of allergen-specific anergy in peripheral T cells represents a key step in specific immunotherapy (SIT). Here we demonstrate that the anergic state results from increased IL-10 production. In bee venom (BV)-SIT the specific proliferative and cytokine responses against the main allergen, the phospholipase A2 (PLA), and T cell epitope-containing PLA peptides were significantly suppressed after 7 d of treatment. Simultaneously, the production of IL-10 increased during BV-SIT. After 28 d of BV-SIT the anergic state was established. Intracytoplasmic cytokine staining of PBMC combined with surface marker detection revealed that IL-10 was produced initially by activated CD4(+)CD25(+), allergen-specific T cells, and followed by B cells and monocytes. Neutralization of IL-10 in PBMC fully reconstituted the specific proliferative and cytokine responses. A similar state of IL-10-associated T cell anergy, as induced in BV-SIT, was found in hyperimmune individuals who recently had received multiple bee stings. The addition of IL-10 to soluble CD40 ligand IL-4-stimulated PBMC or purified B cells inhibited the PLA-specific and total IgE and enhanced the IgG4 formation. Accordingly, increased IL-10 production by SIT causes specific anergy in peripheral T cells, and regulates specific IgE and IgG4 production toward normal IgG4-related immunity.

EAACI Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Guidelines: diagnosis and management of food allergy

Abstract: Food allergy can result in considerable morbidity, impact negatively on quality of life, and prove costly in terms of medical care. These guidelines have been prepared by the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology's (EAACI) Guidelines for Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Group, building on previous EAACI position papers on adverse reaction to foods and three recent systematic reviews on the epidemiology, diagnosis, and management of food allergy, and provide evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and management of food allergy. While the primary audience is allergists, this document is relevant for all other healthcare professionals, including primary care physicians, and pediatric and adult specialists, dieticians, pharmacists and paramedics. Our current understanding of the manifestations of food allergy, the role of diagnostic tests, and the effective management of patients of all ages with food allergy is presented. The acute management of non-life-threatening reactions is covered in these guidelines, but for guidance on the emergency management of anaphylaxis, readers are referred to the related EAACI Anaphylaxis Guidelines.