How to predict and improve prognosis of food allergy

Purpose of review The prevalence of food allergy is increasing. More children are being diagnosed with food allergies, and it is taking longer to outgrow them, among those who develop tolerance. The aim of this review is to draw the profile of the persistent food allergic, so that prevention strategies can be developed and active treatment set up. Recent findings Many determinants are involved in food allergy prognosis: ethnicity and sex, type of food, innate immune system, eliciting dose, sensitization status and other biomarkers determination, gut microbiome composition, and the presence of comorbidities. Once identified, a persistent food allergy could be conveyed to active treatments, such as oral immunotherapy or the use of biologics, always taking into account their experimental nature. Summary A better understanding of prognostic factors and phenotypes of food allergy is crucial in decision-making when it comes to food allergy prevention and management. A good classification of the allergic patient allows to determine the degree of exclusion diets and the timing of the reintroduction of avoided food when possible. In the cases of persistent and severe food allergy, many promising interventions are emerging which could improve prognosis and quality of care. Correspondence to Lamia Dahdah, MD, University Department of Pediatrics, Division of Allergy, Pediatric Hospital Bambino Gesù, Piazza di Sant'Onofrio 4, Rome 00100, Vatican City, Italy. Tel: +39 046 6859 4777; fax: +39 046 6859 2020; e-mail: lamiaantanios.dahdah@opbg.net Copyright © 2018 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Phenotypes/endotypes-driven treatment in asthma

Purpose of review Target therapy is the necessary step towards personalized medicine. The definition of asthma phenotypes and underlying mechanisms (endotypes) represent a key point in the development of new asthma treatments. Big data analysis, biomarker research and the availability of monoclonal antibodies, targeting specific cytokines is leading to the rapid evolution of knowledge. In this review, we sought to outline many of the recent advances in the field. Recent findings Several attempts have been made to identify asthma phenotypes, sometimes with contrasting results. More success has been obtained concerning the pathogenetic mechanism of specific asthma patterns with the consequent identification of biomarkers and development of effective ad hoc treatment. Summary We are in the middle of an extraordinary revolution of our mode of thinking about and approaching asthma. All the effort in the identification of clusters of patients with different disease clinical patterns, prognosis and response to treatment is closely linked to the identification of endotypes (Th2-low and Th2-high). This approach has allowed the development of the specific treatments (anti IgE, Anti IL5 and IL5R) that are now available and is leading to new ones. Correspondence to Angelica Tiotiu, MD, PhD, Pulmonology Department, CHRU Nancy, EA 3450 DevAH – Development, Adaptation and Disadvantage, Cardiorespiratory Regulations and Motor Control, University of Lorraine, 9 Avenue de la Forêt de Haye, F- 54505 – Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France. Tel: +33 3 83 15 43 72; fax: +33 3 83 15 35 41; e-mail: a.tiotiu@chru-nancy.fr Copyright © 2018 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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How to prevent food allergy during infancy: what has changed since 2013?

Purpose of review The purpose of this review is to summarize recent studies and emerging consensus guidelines regarding food allergy prevention in infants of the past 5 years. Recent findings Prior to 2013, the general consensus regarding prevention of food allergy in infants was to recommend delayed introduction or complete avoidance of commonly allergenic foods, such as milk, egg and peanut. However, in the past 5 years, several landmark studies have been conducted, particularly with peanut. The results of these studies have led to a paradigm shift from recommending delayed introduction to early introduction and frequent feeding of highly allergenic foods such as peanut, with hopes of achieving primary and secondary prevention of food allergy in infants. Summary Recent clinical trials have demonstrated that early introduction and frequent feeding, rather than delayed introduction or complete avoidance, of commonly allergenic foods plays a critical role in preventing food allergy in infants. More studies are required to risk-stratify infants by personal and family atopic history to tailor guidelines for groups with inherently different risks. The universal acceptance of the guidelines and their application outcome are still to be determined. Correspondence to Amal Assa'ad, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Allergy and Immunology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Ave, Mail Location 2000, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA. Tel: +1 513 636 6771; fax: +1 513 636 5835; e-mail: amal.assaad@cchmc.org Copyright © 2018 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Current opinion in allergy and clinical immunology: a change in leadership

No abstract available

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Kite surfing: epidemiology of trauma

Kite surfing has become an increasingly popular recreational activity worldwide. Thrill seekers can span the water at high speeds and reach great heights risking injury and death. We report the case of a young kite surfer who sustained a fracture dislocation of the right acetabulum that required specialised surgical management. We present this case with a review of the literature outlining the incidence of pelvic and acetabular fractures in the kitesurfing community. Overall, there is a low incidence of pelvic fractures in comparison with other orthopaedic traumas reported among kite surfers, and the most commonly injured sites are the foot and ankle. Emergency departments should be alert to this activity and its associated injury patterns due to its ever-increasing popularity.

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Amelanotic melanoma: a unique case study and review of the literature

Amelanotic melanoma (AM) is a rare form of melanoma which lacks visible pigment. Due to the achromic manifestation of this atypical cutaneous malignancy, it has been difficult to establish clinical criteria for diagnosis. Thus, AM often progresses into an invasive disease due to delayed diagnosis. In this report, we describe the case of a 72-year-old Caucasian woman who had been diagnosed with AM after 3 years of failed treatments for what presented as a periorbital dermatitis. Her Clark's level 4, 1.30 mm thick melanoma required nine surgeries for successful resection and reconstruction. This case exemplifies the diagnostic pitfall of AM and the need for new criteria for early detection and management.

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Microanatomical Nerve Architecture of 6 Mammalian Species: Is Trans-Species Translational Anatomic Extrapolation Valid?

Background and Objectives Various animal models have historically been used to study iatrogenic nerve injury during performance of conduction nerve blocks. Our aims were to compare the microstructures of nerves in commonly used species to those of humans and to explore the validity of the extrapolating these findings to humans. Methods High-resolution, light-microscopic images were obtained from cross sections of sciatic nerves at their bifurcation from fresh rat, rabbit, pig, sheep, dog, and human cadavers. Various microanatomical characteristics were measured and compared between the species. P

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