Natural disasters and respiratory health.

Natural disasters-including heatwaves, wildfires, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions-significantly impact respiratory health, posing heightened risks to vulnerable populations such as individuals with pre-existing conditions, children, and the elderly. This review explores the complex relationship between natural catastrophes and respiratory health, emphasising the roles of chemical pollutants, biocontaminants, and meteorological factors.Epidemiological evidence highlights alarming trends, including increased asthma exacerbations, COPD hospitalisations, and respiratory infections following these events.

Post-fire soil hazards: recommendations for updated soil testing protocols and clearance thresholds.

Background: Urban wildfires in Los Angeles have highlighted the increased risk of soil lead exposure, especially for children. Current post-wildfire soil remediation protocols may not sufficiently protect public health, especially in communities returning after fire events.

Objective: To evaluate the adequacy of existing soil remediation practices after urban wildfires in Los Angeles and present policy recommendations to reduce lead exposure risk.

Regulatory KIRCD8 T cells are elevated during human pregnancy.

During pregnancy, immune responses must balance protection from infections with tolerance of the semiallogeneic fetus. However, the mechanisms regulating maternal-fetal tolerance remain poorly understood. Recently, we identified CD8 T cells expressing inhibitory killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) as a regulatory subset important for suppressing self-reactivity in human autoimmune and infectious diseases.

Shrimp oral immunotherapy outcomes in the phase 2 clinical trial: MOTIF.

Introduction: Shrimp is a common but understudied food allergen with relatively high rates of emergency department visits. Here we report the shrimp OIT outcomes in the MOTIF (NCT03504774) clinical trial and discuss some of the challenges with performing this study.

Methods: In this phase 2 clinical trial, 12 shrimp allergic participants aged 7-55 years (median age 21.

Type 2 immune responses are associated with less severe COVID-19 in a hospitalized cohort.

Background: The novel coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spread rapidly after its identification in December 2019 to cause a global pandemic. The respiratory tract is the primary site of infection, and there is a large range in the severity of respiratory illnesses caused by the virus. Defining molecular and cellular factors for protection from severe disease and death has been a goal to better understand and to predict and mitigate the effects of SARS-CoV-2 and future coronaviruses.

Baseline predictors for 28-day COVID-19 severity and mortality among hospitalized patients: results from the IMPACC study.

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic threatened public health and placed a significant burden on medical resources. The Immunophenotyping Assessment in a COVID-19 Cohort (IMPACC) study collected clinical, demographic, blood cytometry, serum receptor-binding domain (RBD) antibody titers, metabolomics, targeted proteomics, nasal metagenomics, Olink, nasal viral load, autoantibody, SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers, and nasal and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) transcriptomics data from patients hospitalized with COVID-19. The aim of this study is to select baseline biomarkers and build predictive models for 28-day in-hospital COVID-19 severity and mortality with most predictive variables while prioritizing routinely collected variables.

The epithelial barrier theory proposes a comprehensive explanation for the origins of allergic and other chronic noncommunicable diseases.

The epithelial barrier theory proposes that modern environmental exposures compromise skin and mucosal surfaces, initiating local inflammation that propagates systemically. The theory integrates epidemiological trends, molecular mechanistic data, and emerging clinical data to show how everyday exposures cause the development and exacerbation of more than 70 chronic noncommunicable diseases. A canonical epithelial cell and barrier injury cascade takes place, generating oxidative stress with increased reactive oxygen species, the release of alarmins, and multiple chemokines and epithelial barrier disruption.

Comparison of Three Treatment Strategies in Mild Asthma: A Carbon-Utility Analysis.

Background: The main types of commercially available inhalers for the management of asthma include dry powder inhalers (DPIs) and pressurized metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs). The environmental impact of pMDIs, due to hydrofluorocarbon propellants, is a growing concern.

Objective: To conduct a carbon-utility analysis in mild asthma, comparing the clinical efficacy of DPIs versus pMDIs alongside their associated environmental impacts.

Impact of Residential Greeness Exposure on the Development of Allergic Diseases and Asthma and on Asthma Control-A Systematic Review for the EAACI Guidelines of Environmental Science for Allergic Diseases and Asthma.

The role of residential greenness exposure (RGE) in prevention and control of allergic diseases remains controversial. This systematic review evaluated the association between RGE and the risk of developing asthma, allergic rhinitis (AR), food allergy, atopic dermatitis (AD), and asthma control. MEDLINE and EMBASE searches retrieved 17 cohort and case-control longitudinal studies (12 for asthma, 6 AR, 1 food allergy, 1 ad).

MICBG406A polymorphism reduces risk of mechanical ventilation and death during viral acute lung injury.

MHC class I polypeptide-related sequence B (MICB) is a ligand for NKG2D. We have shown NK cells are central to lung transplant acute lung injury (ALI) via NKG2D activation, and increased MICB in bronchoalveolar lavage predicts ALI severity. Separately, we found a MICB polymorphism (MICBG406A) is associated with decreased ALI risk.

Characterizing everyday exposure to volatile organic compounds and upper respiratory health effects.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are relatively understudied pollutants compared to particulate matter but are ubiquitous in outdoor and indoor environments. Prior studies on VOCs on sinonasal health have been difficult to generalize due to limitations in their definitions of VOC exposures. We took a novel, holistic approach to characterize a major fraction of daily VOC exposure and its link to sinonasal health.

A hand-operated microfluidic sample preparation-to-analysis workflow for simplifying the basophil activation test.

Access to the basophil activation test (BAT) has been hindered by the requirement for fresh blood analysis, specialized laboratory equipment, and advanced technical expertise. To address these issues, we have developed a hand-operated microfluidic sample preparation "μF-prep" device to perform the most time sensitive steps of the assay and stabilize the sample, effectively extending the time window before flow cytometry analysis. The μF-prep device performs concurrent basophil stimulation and staining for eight conditions in parallel.

The Evolution, Immunopathogenesis and Biomarkers of Type 2 Inflammation in Common Allergic Disorders.

The prevalence of allergic diseases, including allergic rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis, asthma, eosinophilic esophagitis, food and drug allergies, and atopic dermatitis, has been increasing globally over the past few decades. Allergic diseases are closely linked to type 2 immunity, which is characterized by the coordinated interplay between innate and adaptive immune responses. Significant advancements have been achieved in elucidating the cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern type 2 immunity, chiefly mediated by type 2 cytokines, including IL-4, IL-5, IL-9, and IL-13, which are primarily secreted by T helper 2 cells and group 2 innate lymphoid cells.

Empiric Azithromycin in COVID-19 Impacts the Respiratory Microbiome and Antimicrobial Resistome without Anti-inflammatory Benefit.

Azithromycin is often prescribed unnecessarily for respiratory infections, many of which are viral. During the COVID-19 pandemic, its use was widespread, in part due to alleged therapeutic benefits, which have since been disproven. Here, we sought to understand the impact of azithromycin exposure on the respiratory microbiome, antimicrobial resistome, and host immune response in a prospective multicenter cohort of 1164 patients hospitalized for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Immune impacts of fire smoke exposure.

Exposure to fire smoke has become a global health concern and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. There is a lack of understanding of the specific immune mechanisms involved in smoke exposure, with preventive and targeted interventions needed. After exposure to fire smoke, which includes PM, toxic metals and perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, epidemiology-based studies have demonstrated increases in respiratory (for example, asthma exacerbation), cardiac (for example, myocardial infarction, arrhythmias), neurological (for example, stroke) and pregnancy-related (for example, low birthweight, premature birth) outcomes.

The Impact of Rhinovirus, Syncytial Respiratory Virus and Helminth Infection on the Risk of New-Onset Asthma and Other Allergic Conditions-A Systematic Review for the EAACI Guidelines on Environmental Science for Allergic Diseases and Asthma.

This systematic review evaluated the association between lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) in infancy with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), rhinovirus (RV) or infestation with helminths and the risk of developing asthma and allergic diseases. The risk of bias was assessed with ROBINS-E, and the certainty of evidence (CoE) with GRADE. Meta-analysis applied a random-effects model.

High-affinity CD16A polymorphism associated with reduced risk ofsevere COVID-19.

CD16A is an activating Fc receptor on NK cells that mediates antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), a key mechanism in antiviral immunity. However, the role of NK cell-mediated ADCC in SARS-CoV-2 infection remains unclear, particularly whether it limits viral spread and disease severity or contributes to the immunopathogenesis of COVID-19. We hypothesized that the high-affinity CD16AV176 polymorphism influences these outcomes.

Extreme heat and hospital admissions in older adults: A small-area analysis in the Greater Boston metropolitan area.

Extreme heat (EH) is a leading cause of weather-related fatalities in the United States. In Massachusetts, average temperatures have increased by 1.9 °C since the 20th century, higher than the global average increase of 1.

Scientific developments in understanding food allergy prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

Food allergies (FAs) are adverse immune reactions to normally innocuous foods. Their prevalence has been increasing in recent decades. They can be IgE-mediated, non-IgE mediated, or mixed.

Impact of age and prior COVID-19 on the response to influenza a components in the 2020-2021 Fluzone vaccine.

Understanding how age and prior COVID-19 infection influenced influenza vaccine responses during the early SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is important for identifying factors that affect vaccine efficacy and for optimizing immunization strategies in diverse populations amid co-circulating respiratory viruses. In this study, participants were enrolled during the 2020-2021 season to receive the Fluzone vaccine, and their humoral responses to the influenza A components were analyzed in relation to age and COVID-19 history. Anti-H1 hemagglutinin (HA) responses were assessed at baseline and multiple time points post-vaccination using neutralizing antibody assays against a contemporary H1-expressing pseudovirus, measurements of H1 HA-specific memory B cells, and profiling of anti-H1 IgG glycosylation.

Associations of Infant Colic and Excessive Crying With Atopic Outcomes in Childhood and Adolescence.

Objective: To assess the extent to which risks of atopic and respiratory conditions throughout childhood and adolescence differ by history of (1) infant colic, characterized by apparent abdominal discomfort and unsoothable crying, (2) excessive crying without colic, or (3) neither condition.

Study Design: Among 1249 children participating in the prospective, unselected Project Viva cohort, we examined associations of history of infant colic or excessive crying without colic with risks of eczema, allergic rhinitis, asthma, and respiratory infections, measured in toddlerhood, early childhood, mid-childhood, early adolescence, and mid-adolescence using multinomial logistic regression models.

Results: The study sample was 50% female and 71% non-Hispanic White; 26% had colic and 9% excessive crying.