The incidence of allergic diseases (asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis and food allergy) increased gradually over recent decades, and an increasing number of patients are suffering from allergic diseases, thus the rise in allergic disease incidence warrants concern. Researchers have already had a deeper understanding of the pathogenesis of allergic diseases. Mounting evidence has shown that the eosinophils play an important role in the pathogenesis of allergic diseases. Many systematic studies have been conducted about eosinophils, therefore, this review will provide a summary on recent progress in eosinophils and allergic diseases.
Asthma ; etiology ; immunology ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; etiology ; immunology ; Eczema ; etiology ; immunology ; Eosinophils ; Food Hypersensitivity ; etiology ; immunology ; Humans ; Rhinitis, Allergic ; etiology ; immunology

Adult ; Allergens ; immunology ; Animals ; Asthma, Occupational ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Bee Venoms ; immunology ; Bees ; immunology ; Cross Reactions ; Fatty Acids ; immunology ; Female ; Humans

OBJECTIVETo investigate the changes in the proportion and function of peripheral CD4(+)LAP(+)regulatory T cells (CD4(+)LAP(+)Treg cells) in children with asthma, as well as the role of CD4(+)LAP(+)Treg cells in the pathogenesis of asthma.

METHODSA total of 75 children who were diagnosed with asthma from March 2014 to September 2015 were enrolled as study subjects, and according to their conditions, they were divided into acute-stage asthma group (40 children) and remission-stage asthma group (35 patients). Another 30 children who underwent physical examination were enrolled as the healthy control group. Flow cytometry was used to determine the percentage of peripheral CD4(+)LAP(+)Treg cells, and [(3)H]-thymidine incorporation assay was performed to analyze the immunosuppression of CD4(+)LAP(+)Treg cells in each group.

RESULTSThe acute-stage asthma group showed significant reductions in the proportion of CD4(+)LAP(+)Treg cells compared with the remission-stage asthma group and the healthy control group (2.0%±1.0% vs 4.1%±2.4%/4.6%±3.0%; P<0.05). The acute-stage asthma group also showed a significant reduction in the immunosuppression rate of CD4(+)LAP(+)Treg cells compared with the remission-stage asthma group and the healthy control group (21%±4% vs 55%±9%/62%±11%; P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSIn children with asthma, the reduction in the number and inhibitory function of peripheral CD4(+)LAP(+)Treg cells may be involved in the pathogenesis of asthma.

Asthma ; etiology ; immunology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; immunology

Animals ; Antigens, Dermatophagoides ; genetics ; immunology ; Arthropod Proteins ; Asthma ; etiology ; therapy ; Humans ; Mice ; Vaccination ; Vaccines, DNA ; immunology

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: The pathogenic mechanism of aspirin-sensitive asthma (ASA-BA) remains to be further defined. To evaluate the role of circulating immune complex (CIC) in ASA-BA. SUBJECTS & METHODS: We measured IgG- and IgA-IC level by ELISA using anti-C3 antibody in 33 ASA-BA patients whose sensitivity was confirmed by lysine-aspirin bronchoprovocation test, and compared with those of 14 allergic, 14 intrinsic asthma patients and 7 healthy controls. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in IgG-IC level among the four groups (p > 0.05), while IgA-IC levels of aspirin-sensitive asthma were higher than those of other groups (p = 0.0035). Patients with nasal polyp had significantly higher IgG-IC than those without it (p = 0.02). No differences were found according to medication and symptom scores, and presence of atopy, rhino-sinusitis, urticaria or concurrent sensitivity to sulfite (p > 0.05). Insignificant correlation was found between IgG-IC level and asthma duration, total IgE level, or circulating eosinophil count. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest a possible contribution of IgG-IC to the development of nasal polyp in ASA-BA. Further study will be needed to clarify the role of IgA-IC in the pathogenesis of ASA-BA.
Adult ; Aged ; Antigen-Antibody Complex/blood* ; Aspirin/adverse effects* ; Asthma/immunology* ; Asthma/etiology* ; Asthma/complications ; Case-Control Studies ; Human ; IgA/blood ; IgG/blood ; Middle Age ; Nasal Polyps/etiology

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to determine the relationship between individual allergens with current wheezing and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) in schoolchildren from three chinese cities: Beijing, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. METHODS Community-based random samples of 10-yr-old schoolchildren from the 3 cities were recruited for study using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) Phase II protocol. The subjects were studied by parental questionnaires (n = 10,902), skin-prick tests (n = 3478), and methacholine challenge tests (n = 608). RESULTS The highest prevalence rates of wheezing in the past 12 months (Beijing, 3.8%; Guangzhou, 3.4%; Hong Kong, 5.8%) and atopy (Beijing, 23.9%; Guangzhou, 30.8%; Hong Kong, 41.2%, defined as having Allergens ; classification ; immunology ; Asthma ; etiology ; immunology ; Bronchial Hyperreactivity ; etiology ; immunology ; Child ; China ; Hong Kong ; Humans ; Risk Factors ; Skin Tests ; Surveys and Questionnaires

It has been demonstrated that spider mites such as the two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) are important allergens for fruit farmers. A total of 2,467 adults (795 metropolitan urban, 788 non-metropolitan urban, and 884 rural subjects) were enrolled. They responded to the questionnaire, and underwent methacholine bronchial provocation tests as well as skin prick tests to locally common aeroallergens including the two-spotted spider mite. The prevalences of asthma and rhinitis as reported on the questionnaire were 7.8% and 16.4% of adults aged 20-35, 9.4% and 24.7% of those 36-50, and 17.7% and 21.7% of those older than 50, respectively. Among the older group, the two-spotted spider mite was the most common sensitizing allergen, although it was second of that of house dust mites among the other two age groups. Sensitization to the two-spotted spider mite was significantly associated with the prevalence of asthma and rhinitis among the younger age group, and associated with the prevalence of rhinitis among the older age group. The twospotted spider mite might be a common sensitizing allergen in the general population of adults, and sensitization to this mite may play a role in the manifestation of asthma and rhinitis symptoms during adulthood.
Tetranychidae/*immunology ; Risk Factors ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial/*etiology/immunology ; Questionnaires ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Humans ; Female ; Asthma/*etiology/immunology ; Animals ; Allergens ; Aged ; Age Factors ; Adult

Previous studies suggest that reactive dyes can induce IgE mediated bronchoconstrictions. To evaluate the significance of specific IgE and IgG antibodies in workers exposed to reactive dyes, we studied the prevalence of Black GR-specific IgG by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, as well as Black GR-specific IgE by RAST, in 176 workers employed in 1 reactive dye factory and 4 neighboring factories. Six employees of reactive dye asthma who were working in factories near the reactive dye factories were noted. The prevalence of specific IgE antibodies in the neighboring factories was higher than in that of the reactive dye factory. The prevalence of specific IgG was highest in the reactive dye factory, and those of the neighboring factories were markedly lower. It was suggested that IgE mediated sensitization to reactive dye could have occurred in employees who were working in neighboring factories, and the prevalence of reactive dye-specific IgG antibody could be used as an in direct method of assessing the exposure of workers to reactive dye.
Adult ; Antibody Specificity ; Asthma/*etiology/immunology ; Coloring Agents/*adverse effects ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Immunoglobulin G ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Diseases/*etiology/immunology ; Occupational Exposure ; Serum Albumin/immunology

OBJECTIVETo study allergens and their relationship to the occurrence of childhood bronchial asthma in the Jiading District of Shanghai.

METHODSThree hundred and eighty-two 4 to 12-year-old children with asthma in the remission stage from Nanxiang Hospital in the Jiading District of Shanghai were used as a case group (asthma group), and 402 children from two primary schools and two kindergartens in Jiading were enrolled by cluster sampling and served as control group. Parents of the children completed a questionnaire on living conditions and allergy-related disease history. Skin prick test (SPT) for 18 common allergens was carried out in both groups. In order to examine the effect of environment and living conditions on SPT results, children in the control group were further divided into two sub-groups according to birth place: migrant (219 cases) and resident (183 cases).

RESULTSSPT results revealed that the main allergens identified in the Jiading region were dermatophagoides farinae, house dust mites, shrimps, cockroaches, and dog hair. The SPT positive rate was 67.9% in the asthma group, and this was significantly higher than in the control group (31.8%) (P<0.01). The environment and living conditions in the migrant group were significantly different from the resident group (P<0.01), whereas the SPT positive rate for this group was significantly lower than in the resident group (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONSAllergens in the Jiading region mainly originate from dermatophagoides farinae, household dust mites, shrimps, cockroaches and dog hair. Children with asthma are more susceptible to allergens. Environment and living conditions may be relevant, to a certain extent, to an SPT positive rate.

Allergens ; immunology ; Asthma ; etiology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Environment ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Skin Tests ; Transients and Migrants

BACKGROUNDThe hygiene hypothesis has been proposed to explain the pathogenesis of asthma. Allergen exposure was shown to inhibit asthma in an animal model. But the optimal timing of allergen exposure remains unclear. This study aims to explore the time effcct of allergen exposure and the possible mechanisms.

METHODSNeonate Wistar rats were randomly divided into asthma group, control group and day 1, day 3, day 7, and day 14 groups. The day 1, day 3, day 7 and day 14 groups were injected with ovalbumin (OVA) subcutaneously on days 1, 3, 7 and 14 after birth, respectively. Six weeks later, all groups, except the control group, were sensitized and stimulated with OVA to make the asthma model. We observed the pulmonary pathologic changes, detected the regulatory T cells, and CD28 expression level in thymus and spleen by flow cytometry.

RESULTSThe asthmatic inflammation in the day 1, day 3 and day 7 groups, but not the day 14 group, was alleviated. The asthma group and day 14 group had lower proportions of regulatory T cells in the thymus compared with the control group, day 1, day 3, and day 7 groups. There was no significant difference in the CD28 expression levels on the regulatory and conventional T cells among groups. But the control group and the day 1, day 3, and day 7 groups had relatively higher proportions of CD28 positive regulatory T cells in the thymus than the day 14 group and the asthma group.

CONCLUSIONSThere is a "time-window" for early allergen exposure. The impairment of regulatory T cells may promote the development of asthma. Allergen exposure in the "time-window" can make the thymus produce normal quantity of regulatory cells. The CD28 signal on regulatory T cells may participate in the production of regulatory T cells.

Allergens ; immunology ; Animals ; Asthma ; etiology ; CD28 Antigens ; analysis ; physiology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Female ; Ovalbumin ; immunology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Signal Transduction