https://www.explorationpub.com/Journals/eaa Most Recent Articles : Exploration of Asthma & Allergy. en-us Sun, 28 May 2023 03:45:45 GMT https://www.explorationpub.com/Journals/eaa/Article/10091 Not applicable. Editorial Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:00:00 GMT Giorgio WalterCanonica, EnricoHeffler, Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://www.explorationpub.com/Journals/eaa/Article/10091 https://www.explorationpub.com/Journals/eaa/Article/10092 The incidence of asthma, a heterogeneous inflammatory disease affecting over 300 million people worldwide, continues to increase in developed countries. Human epithelial cells (ECs) express the alarmin-type cytokine thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) following tissue injury triggered by several environmental insults, which include allergens, smoke, pollutants, or other irritants. Furthermore, TSLP has an emerging but well-documented pathogenic role in asthma. TSLP has been called a “master switch” of allergic inflammation at the epithelial-dendritic cell (DC) interface, where it supports T helper 2 (Th2) inflammatory polarization and promotes the maintenance of Th2 memory responses. Therefore, targeting TSLP/TSLP-mediated signaling may represent an attractive therapeutic strategy for asthma. Several studies of anti-TSLP drugs are ongoing; the first-in-class anti-TSLP monoclonal antibody (mAb) tezepelumab, the immunoglobulin G1 antibody fragment CSJ117, or TSLP-traps [a combination of anti-interleukin-13 (anti-IL-13) and anti-TSLP mAbs] all represent promising new treatment approaches. This article reviews the characteristics of TSLP and discusses the treatment of severe asthma through TSLP-associated mechanisms. Mini Review Fri, 14 Apr 2023 00:00:00 GMT DavidEl-Qutob, AntonioLetran, Fri, 14 Apr 2023 00:00:00 GMT https://www.explorationpub.com/Journals/eaa/Article/10092 https://www.explorationpub.com/Journals/eaa/Article/10093 Aim: Evaluation of asthma control is the first step in the management of pediatric patient symptoms. The aim of this study was to a) validate the accuracy of the Greek version of the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) in quantifying asthma status in Greek pediatric patients; b) compare the 6-item with the 7-item ACQ; and c) explore the discriminatory power of the ACQ in relation to medication use. Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of pulmonary data from 64 primary school children with mild asthma (51% boys). At baseline and 6 months, pulmonary function was recorded using spirometry and asthma control using the Greek version of the ACQ. Validity was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. Results: Cronbach’s alpha showed good internal consistency for both the 7-item and 6-item ACQ (alpha = 0.67, 0.74 respectively). No differences in scores were observed in the presence/or absence of medication therapy. Conclusions: The findings of this study showed good precision and internal consistency of the 6-item ACQ in measuring recent asthma control in Greek children of the mild-asthma phenotype, independent of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and medication use. This suggests that the 6-item questionnaire alone is potentially a robust tool in assessing asthma symptom control in children when pulmonary function tests (PFTs) are not feasible. Original Article Sun, 23 Apr 2023 00:00:00 GMT Maria M.Papamichael, Katrina A.Lambert, CharisKatsardis, DimitrisTsoukalas, CatherineItsiopoulos, BircanErbas, Sun, 23 Apr 2023 00:00:00 GMT https://www.explorationpub.com/Journals/eaa/Article/10093 https://www.explorationpub.com/Journals/eaa/Article/10094 Lettuce allergy is uncommon and usually attributed to lipid transfer protein (LTP) sensitization. Most LTP-sensitized patients present with heterogeneous symptoms not only to lettuce, but to a large number of other foods and pollen allergens, including peaches, apples, Platanus, and mugwort, with peach LTP being considered as the primary sensitizer. The case of a medical student with a history of lettuce allergy investigated by skin prick tests (SPTs) and oral food challenge (OFC) is presented in this report. SPTs showed sensitization exclusively to lettuce and not to any other known cross-reacting allergens, which contrasts with previous literature and highlights the uniqueness of this case. During OFC, the patient developed generalized symptoms including abdominal discomfort, bilateral tinnitus, facial flushing, generalized itching, and urticaria. No cardiopulmonary compromise was observed at the time, and the reaction was managed with oral antihistamines. More sophisticated molecular analysis is required to identify the patient’s sensitization profile; however, SPTs and OFCs remain the most practical clinical approach. Lettuce allergy deserves further attention and investigation. Case Report Wed, 26 Apr 2023 00:00:00 GMT KyleAlexander, ElpidaMouzoura, AndreasPapademetriou, NicolaosNicolaou, Wed, 26 Apr 2023 00:00:00 GMT https://www.explorationpub.com/Journals/eaa/Article/10094 https://www.explorationpub.com/Journals/eaa/Article/10095 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was a great challenge for healthcare professionals globally and also for allergists/immunologists. The Pegaso low-care COVID center's experience in managing a low-care center for COVID-19 patients was reported, trying to bring out the relevance of this type of structure in reducing the length of stay of patients in high-care settings with the consequent effect of avoiding the collapse of major hospitals. The experience of managing a low-care setting with a day hospital service inside emphasizes, even more, the role of the allergists/immunologists during the COVID-19 pandemic contributing to keeping the medical staff's specialty in a strategic role in the battle against this common enemy. Sharing all the information on public health organizations is crucial to cope in the best possible way with the present and future challenges. Letter to the Editor Thu, 27 Apr 2023 00:00:00 GMT LauraFranceschini, GiancarloLandini, AlessandroFarsi, Thu, 27 Apr 2023 00:00:00 GMT https://www.explorationpub.com/Journals/eaa/Article/10095