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There are wide differences in estimated incidence and prevalence of anaphylaxis because of the absence, until recently, of a universal consensus on the definition of anaphylaxis and the different source of collected data. We aimed to estimate the incidence of food anaphylaxis based on the database of Piemonte Region (Italy) Reference Center for Severe Allergic Reactions. All cases of severe food allergic reactions reported in 2010 were studied. Clinical data associated to the reports were evaluated according to National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network diagnostic criteria of anaphylaxis. 75 % of the 778 cases were classified as food anaphylaxis (incidence of 13/100,000 personyears, ranging from 9.9 in adults to 29/100,000 person-years in children). Nuts were the most frequent foods causing anaphylaxis. Milk and eggs were responsible for anaphylaxis more often in children, while peach, vegetables and crustaceans were in adults. Cardiovascular symptoms were more frequent in adults. Gastrointestinal involvement was more frequent in children. A high prevalence of respiratory allergic comorbidities was observed. Food is an important cause of anaphylaxis, particularly in subjects with respiratory allergic comorbidities. Children and adults differ in triggers and clinical presentation of anaphylaxis.Keywords: Anaphylaxis, Food allergy, Epidemiology, Allergy Introduction Population-based studies estimate the incidence of anaphylaxis in western countries to be in the range of 4-50 per 100,000 person-years [1, 2], with a true lifetime prevalence in the range of 0.05-2 % [3]. Foods are reported to be the most important trigger of anaphylaxis, being responsible for 33.2-56 % of all anaphylaxis cases [4]. The other two principal triggers of anaphylaxis are insect stings and drugs [1,5]. The relative contribution of each of these triggers to anaphylaxis may differ according to the study design, study population, or geographic area. The wide differences in the estimated incidences and prevalences of anaphylaxis are the direct result of the absence, until recently, of a universal consensus on the definition of anaphylaxis and the different source of collected data. For this reason in 2005 the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) and the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) developed a very useful preliminary definition, based on diagnostic criteria [6]. The symposium defined anaphylaxis as: "a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death". Clinically, involvement of at least two organs (skin or mucosal tissue, cardiovascular apparatus, breathing apparatus, gastrointestinal tract) is required, or a sudden reduced blood pressure along with a temporal relationship (generally minutes) to a potential causative agent. A problematic issue with this definition, which may explain the under-reporting or misreporting of anaphylaxis cases, is the failure to agree among health care providers on the severity threshold for classi...

Studies in the 1970s and 1980s reported that bacterial lysates (BL) had a prophylactic effect on recurrent respiratory tract infections (RRTI). However, controlled clinical study procedures have evolved substantially since then. We performed a trial using updated methods to evaluate the efficacy of Lantigen B®, a chemical BL. This double blind, placebo controlled, multi-center clinical trial had the primary objective of assessing the capacity of Lantigen B to significantly reduce the total number of infectious episodes in patients with RRTI. Secondary aims were the RRTI duration, the frequency and the severity of the acute episodes, the use of drugs and the number of missed workdays. In the subgroup of allergic patients with RRTI, the number of allergic episodes (AE) and the use of anti-allergic drugs were also evaluated. One hundred and sixty patients, 79 allocated to the treated group (TG) and 81 to the placebo group (PG), were enrolled; 30 were lost during the study and 120 (79 females and 38 males) were evaluated. The PG had 1.43 episodes in the 8-months of follow-up while the TG had 0.86 episodes (p=0.036). A similar result was observed in the allergic patients (1.80 and 0.86 episodes for the PG and the TG, respectively, p=0.047). The use of antibiotics was reduced (mean 1.24 and 2.83 days of treatment for the TG and the PG). Logistic regression analysis indicated that the estimated risk of needing antibiotics and NSAIDs was reduced by 52.1 and 30.6%, respectively. With regard to the number of AE, no significant difference was observed between the two groups, but bronchodilators, antihistamines and local corticosteroids were reduced by 25.7%, 56.2% and 41.6%, respectively, in the TG. Lantigen B significantly reduced the number of infectious episodes in patients with RRTI. This finding suggests a first line use of this drug for the prophylaxis of infectious episodes in these patients.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and insomnia are the two most common sleep disorders among the general population, and they may often coexist in patients with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). The higher prevalence of insomnia symptoms in patients with OSA (40–60%) compared to that observed in the general population has thus led researchers to identify a new disorder named comorbid insomnia and OSA (COMISA), whose true burden has been so far largely underestimated. The combined treatment of COMISA patients with positive-airway pressure ventilation (PAP) with cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTi) has shown a better patient outcome compared to that obtained with a single treatment. Furthermore, recent evidence has shown that an innovative patient-centered approach taking into consideration patient characteristics, treatment preferences and accessibility to treatment is recommended to optimize clinical management of COMISA patients. However, in this complex mosaic, many other sleep disorders may overlap with COMISA, so there is an urgent need for further research to fully understand the impact of these therapies on outcomes for OSA patients with comorbidity. In light of this need, this review focuses on the major sleep disorders comorbid with OSA and the recent advances in the management of these insomniac patients.

Basophil Activation Test: Methods Basophil Activation Test (BAT) was performed according to a previously reported technique [E1]. Briefly, endotoxin-free heparinized whole-blood samples were obtained from the allergic patients and a healthy control. Cells were challenged with 100 μl of anti-IgE (10 μg/ml; clone G7-18;BD Bioscience, USA), allergens (donkey raw milk diluted 1:50 in buffer; cow milk extract from prick test, Lofarma, Italy, undiluted), fMLP (0.5 μg/ml; Sigma Aldrich, Italy) for 20 min at 37 ° C in a water bath (optimal stimulation times were assessed in previous experiments). As a negative control, Tyrode solution (Sigma Aldrich) with 20 μ M HEPES and 7.5% NaHCO 3, pH 7.4, was used to assess the spontaneous expression of the different markers. The reactions were terminated by chilling the cells on ice. Immunophenotyping and Flow-Cytometric Analyses Basophils were stained with 5 μl of anti-human CD3 Pacific Blue (Beckman Coulter, USA), 10 μl of anti-human CD63-FITC (clone H5C6; BD Biosciences), 10 μl of anti-human CD203c-APC (clone NP4D6; BioLegend) and 10 μl of monoclonal anti-human CD294 (CRTH2) PE (Beckman Coulter, USA) for 15 min on room temperature. Flow-cytometric analyses were performed on a NAVIOS flow cytometer (Beckman Coulter, USA). We gated on physical parameters forward (FS) and side (SS) scatter to exclude debris. We then gated on CRTH2 (CD294) positive/CD3 negative cells to isolate basophils.

Sleep-related breathing disorders (SBDs) are characterized by abnormal respiration during sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a common SBD increasingly recognized by physicians, is characterized by recurrent episodes of partial or complete closure of the upper airway resulting in disturbed breathing during sleep. OSA syndrome (OSAS) is associated with decreased patients' quality of life (QoL) and the presence of significant comorbidities, such as daytime sleepiness. Similarly to what seen for OSAS, the prevalence of asthma has been steadily rising in recent years. Interestingly, severe asthma (SA) patients are also affected by poor sleep quality—often attributed to nocturnal worsening of their asthma—and increased daytime sleepiness and snoring compared to the general population. The fact that such symptoms are also found in OSAS, and that these two conditions share common risk factors, such as obesity, rhinitis, and gastroesophageal reflux, has led many to postulate an association between these two conditions. Specifically, it has been proposed a bidirectional correlation between SA and OSAS, with a mutual negative effect in term of disease severity. According to this model, OSAS not only acts as an independent risk factor of asthma exacerbations, but its co-existence can also worsen asthma symptoms, and the same is true for asthma with respect to OSAS. In this comprehensive review, we summarize past and present studies on the interrelationship between OSAS and SA, from endo-phenotype to clinical aspects, highlighting possible implications for clinical practice and future research directions.

nificantly upregulated following LTA-SA and β-1,3-glucan exposure (toll-like receptor-2 ligands), but not following LPS stimulation. Conclusions: Basophils from allergic and healthy subjects constitutively express membrane BAFF, which is not upregulated by IgE or specific allergens but by TLR-2 ligands (LTA-SA and β-1,3-glucan ). Aspergillus fumigatus stimulation was able to upregulate BAFF expression on the basophils of sensitized asthmatic patients, but not via IgE-dependent mechanisms, since results did not differ between the patient and control groups. These findings suggest that basophils may contribute to the polyclonal production of IgE commonly observed in patients with SAFS and ABPA.