Daily digital biomarkers in the follow-up and clustering of patients with asthma.

Background And Research Question: We aimed to assess whether levels of digital biomarkers can reflect monthly patterns of asthma control.

Study Design And Methods: We performed a longitudinal study on patients with asthma and comorbid rhinitis who filled ≥26 days of data in a month in the MASK-air® app and who reported at least 1 day of treatment with an inhaled corticosteroid with or without a long-acting β-agonist (ICS ± LABA). We applied k-means cluster analysis to define clusters of months according to daily asthma control and medication use.

Impact of allergic symptoms on work productivity in allergic rhinitis: A MASK-air direct patient data study.

Background: Allergic rhinitis may impair work productivity. This study aimed to assess (i) the differential impact of allergic rhinitis symptoms on work performance, assessed by means of Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) work; and (ii) the effect of asthma comorbidity on work productivity.

Methods: We assessed data from the MASK-air mHealth app of patients with allergic rhinitis.

Adherence to Treatment in Allergic Rhinitis During the Pollen Season in Europe: A MASK-air Study.

Background: Adherence to rhinitis treatment has been insufficiently assessed. We aimed to use data from the MASK-air mHealth app to assess adherence to oral antihistamines (OAH), intra-nasal corticosteroids (INCS) or azelastine-fluticasone in patients with allergic rhinitis.

Methods: We included regular European MASK-air users with self-reported allergic rhinitis and reporting at least 1 day of OAH, INCS or azelastine-fluticasone.

Two Different Immune Profiles Are Identified in Sentinel Lymph Nodes of Early-Stage Breast Cancer.

In the management of early-stage breast cancer (BC), lymph nodes (LNs) are typically characterised using the One-Step Nucleic Acid Amplification (OSNA) assay, a standard procedure for assessing subclinical metastasis in sentinel LNs (SLNs). The pivotal role of LNs in coordinating the immune response against BC is often overlooked. Our aim was to improve prognostic information provided by the OSNA assay and explore immune-related gene signatures in SLNs.

Relevance of individual bronchial symptoms for asthma diagnosis and control in patients with rhinitis: A MASK-air study.

Rationale: It is unclear how each individual asthma symptom is associated with asthma diagnosis or control.

Objectives: To assess the performance of individual asthma symptoms in the identification of patients with asthma and their association with asthma control.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we assessed real-world data using the MASK-air app.

Regional, sex, and age inequities in asthma hospital admissions in Spain and Portugal.

Background: Asthma presents a significant health challenge, imposing a considerable burden on healthcare services. Discrepancies in asthma-related hospitalisations may reflect underlying health disparities. We aimed to analyse inequities in asthma hospital admissions in mainland Portugal and Spain, from a regional perspective and considering sex and age.

Asthma and rhinitis control in adolescents and young adults: A real-world MASK-air study.

Background: In allergic rhinitis and asthma, adolescents and young adult patients are likely to differ from older patients. We compared adolescents, young adults and adults on symptoms, control levels, and medication adherence.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study (2015-2022), we assessed European users of the MASK-air mHealth app of three age groups: adolescents (13-18 years), young adults (18-26 years), and adults (>26 years).

Patient-centered digital biomarkers for allergic respiratory diseases and asthma: The ARIA-EAACI approach - ARIA-EAACI Task Force Report.

Biomarkers for the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with rhinitis and/or asthma are urgently needed. Although some biologic biomarkers exist in specialist care for asthma, they cannot be largely used in primary care. There are no validated biomarkers in rhinitis or allergen immunotherapy (AIT) that can be used in clinical practice.

Development and validation of an electronic daily control score for asthma (e-DASTHMA): a real-world direct patient data study.

Background: Validated questionnaires are used to assess asthma control over the past 1-4 weeks from reporting. However, they do not adequately capture asthma control in patients with fluctuating symptoms. Using the Mobile Airways Sentinel Network for airway diseases (MASK-air) app, we developed and validated an electronic daily asthma control score (e-DASTHMA).

Digitally-enabled, patient-centred care in rhinitis and asthma multimorbidity: The ARIA-MASK-air approach.

MASK-air , a validated mHealth app (Medical Device regulation Class IIa) has enabled large observational implementation studies in over 58,000 people with allergic rhinitis and/or asthma. It can help to address unmet patient needs in rhinitis and asthma care. MASK-air is a Good Practice of DG Santé on digitally-enabled, patient-centred care.

One Step Nucleic Acid Amplification (OSNA) Lysate Samples Are Suitable to Establish a Transcriptional Metastatic Signature in Patients with Early Stage Hormone Receptors-Positive Breast Cancer.

The One Step Nucleic Acid Amplification (OSNA) is being adopted worldwide for sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) staging in breast cancer (BC). As major disadvantage, OSNA precludes prognostic information based on structural evaluation of SLNs. Our aim is to identify biomarkers related to tumor-microenvironment interplay exploring gene expression data from the OSNA remaining lysate.

Real-world data using mHealth apps in rhinitis, rhinosinusitis and their multimorbidities.

Digital health is an umbrella term which encompasses eHealth and benefits from areas such as advanced computer sciences. eHealth includes mHealth apps, which offer the potential to redesign aspects of healthcare delivery. The capacity of apps to collect large amounts of longitudinal, real-time, real-world data enables the progression of biomedical knowledge.

Predictors of anaphylaxis to peanut and tree nuts in a Mediterranean population.

Peanuts (PN) and tree nuts (TN) are major causes of anaphylaxis worldwide. We aimed to determine the clinical and demographic characteristics associated with anaphylaxis in patients sensitized to PN and/or TN in a Mediterranean population. We conducted a retrospective study, which included 198 patients allergic to PN and/or TN (allergy symptoms plus specific immunoglobulin E [sIgE] sensitization), evaluated in consultations from January 2015 to December 2020.

Consistent trajectories of rhinitis control and treatment in 16,177 weeks: The MASK-air® longitudinal study.

Introduction: Data from mHealth apps can provide valuable information on rhinitis control and treatment patterns. However, in MASK-air®, these data have only been analyzed cross-sectionally, without considering the changes of symptoms over time. We analyzed data from MASK-air® longitudinally, clustering weeks according to reported rhinitis symptoms.

Academic Productivity of Young People With Allergic Rhinitis: A MASK-air Study.

Background: Several studies have suggested an impact of allergic rhinitis on academic productivity. However, large studies with real-world data (RWD) are not available.

Objective: To use RWD to assess the impact of allergic rhinitis on academic performance (measured through a visual analog scale [VAS] education and the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire plus Classroom Impairment Questions: Allergy Specific [WPAI+CIQ:AS] questionnaire), and to identify factors associated with the impact of allergic rhinitis on academic performance.

The Allergic Rhinitis and Its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) Approach of Value-Added Medicines: As-Needed Treatment in Allergic Rhinitis.

Drug repurposing is a major field of value-added medicine. It involves investigating and evaluating existing drugs for new therapeutic purposes that address unmet healthcare needs. Several unmet needs in allergic rhinitis could be improved by drug repurposing.

A closer look at allergic contact dermatitis caused by topical ophthalmic medications.

Background: Allergic contact dermatitis caused by topical ophthalmic medications (OftACD) is frequently difficult to confirm with patch testing and, therefore, it is considered uncommon.

Methods: We collected retrospective data from a cohort of 65 patients with suspected OftACD patch tested in our Dermatology Unit (2005-2021) according to ESCD guidelines, using a series of topical drugs and excipients (Chemotechnique Diagnostics), including betaxolol and timolol 5% pet. kindly supplied by the pharmaceutical industry.

Comparison of rhinitis treatments using MASK-air® data and considering the minimal important difference.

Background: Different treatments exist for allergic rhinitis (AR), including pharmacotherapy and allergen immunotherapy (AIT), but they have not been compared using direct patient data (i.e., "real-world data").

Allergen immunotherapy in MASK-air users in real-life: Results of a Bayesian mixed-effects model.

Background: Evidence regarding the effectiveness of allergen immunotherapy (AIT) on allergic rhinitis has been provided mostly by randomised controlled trials, with little data from real-life studies.

Objective: To compare the reported control of allergic rhinitis symptoms in three groups of users of the MASK-air app: those receiving sublingual AIT (SLIT), those receiving subcutaneous AIT (SCIT), and those receiving no AIT.

Methods: We assessed the MASK-air data of European users with self-reported grass pollen allergy, comparing the data reported by patients receiving SLIT, SCIT and no AIT.