O. Kalayci

Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) 2008

J. Bousquet, N. Khaltaev, A. A. Cruz, J. Denburg, W. J. Fokkens, A. Togias, T. Zuberbier, C. E. Baena-Cagnani, G. W. Canonica, C. van Weel, I. Agache, N. A t-Khaled, C. Bachert, M. S. Blaiss, S. Bonini, L.-P. Boulet, P.-J. Bousquet, P. Camargos, K.-H. Carlsen, Y. Chen, A. Custovic, R. Dahl, P. Demoly, H. Douagui, S. R. Durham, R. Gerth van Wijk, O. Kalayci, M. A. Kaliner, Y.-Y. Kim, M. L. Kowalski, P. Kuna, L. T. T. Le, C. Lemiere, J. Li, R. F. Lockey, S. Mavale-Manuel , E. O. Meltzer, Y. Mohammad, J. Mullol, R. Naclerio, R. E. O Hehir, K. Ohta, S. Ouedraogo, S. Palkonen, N. Papadopoulos, G. Passalacqua, R. Pawankar, T. A. Popov, K. F. Rabe, J. Rosado-Pinto, G. K. Scadding, F. E. R. Simons, E. Toskala, E. Valovirta, P. van Cauwenberge, D.-Y. Wang, M. Wickman, B. P. Yawn, A. Yorgancioglu, O. M. Yusuf, H. Zar Review Group: I. Annesi-Maesano, E. D. Bateman, A. Ben Kheder, D. A. Boakye, J. Bouchard, P. Burney, W. W. Busse, M. Chan-Yeung, N. H. Chavannes, A. Chuchalin, W. K. Dolen, R. Emuzyte, L. Grouse, M. Humbert, C. Jackson, S. L. Johnston, P. K. Keith, J. P. Kemp, J.-M. Klossek, D. Larenas-Linnemann, B. Lipworth, J.-L. Malo, G. D. Marshall, C. Naspitz, K. Nekam, B. Niggemann, E. Nizankowska-Mogilnicka, Y. Okamoto, M. P. Orru, P. Potter, D. Price, S. W. Stoloff, O. Vandenplas, G. Viegi, D. Williams

Practical guide to skin prick tests in allergy to aeroallergens

To cite this article: Bousquet J, Heinzerling L, Bachert C, Papadopoulos NG, Bousquet PJ, Burney PG, Canonica GW, Carlsen KH, Cox L, Haahtela T, Lodrup Carlsen KC, Price D, Samolinski B, Simons FER, Wickman M, Annesi‐Maesano I, Baena‐Cagnani CE, Bergmann KC, Bindslev‐Jensen C, Casale TB, Chiriac A, Cruz AA, Dubakiene R, Durham SR, Fokkens WJ, Gerth‐van‐Wijk R, Kalayci O, Kowalski ML, Mari A, Mullol J, Nazamova‐Baranova L, O’Hehir RE, Ohta K, Panzner P, Passalacqua G, Ring J, Rogala B, Romano A, Ryan D, Schmid‐Grendelmeier P, Todo‐Bom A, Valenta R, Woehrl S, Yusuf OM, Zuberbier T, Demoly P. Practical guide to skin prick tests in allergy to aeroallergens. Allergy 2012; 67: 18–24.

Comparison of two methods for exhaled breath condensate collection

Background:u2002 Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) is a noninvasive method to obtain samples from fluids lining the respiratory surfaces. Even though various methods and devices are now available, the relative efficiency of these methods for recovering airway mediators and characterizing EBC has not been established.

The effect of polymorphisms at the CD14 promoter and the TLR4 gene on asthma phenotypes in Turkish children with asthma

Background:u2002 Endotoxin, with its potential to enhance type 1 immunity, is a significant player in the hygiene hypothesis. The combined effects of the genetic variants of various molecules in the endotoxin response pathway on asthma related phenotypes are largely unknown.

ALOX5 promoter genotype, asthma severity and LTC4 production by eosinophils

Background:u2002 The number of Sp1–Egr1 binding tandem repeats at the ALOX5 promoter influences gene transcription and may modify the response to anti‐leukotriene treatment. The relationship of ALOX5 variants to asthma severity and leukotriene production by eosinophils is unknown.

Prevalence of asthma symptoms in school children in Ankara, Turkey

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of symptoms suggestive of asthma in children aged 7-14 years in Ankara, Turkey. For this purpose, the recently developed ISAAC (International Study for Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) questionnaire supplemented with six additional questions was issued to parents of 3154 primary school children from 12 schools. A separate page with questions regarding risk factors was also added to the questionnaire. The response rate was 88.3%. The cumulative and 12-month prevalence of wheezing were 14.4 and 4.7% respectively. The prevalence of physician-diagnosed asthma was 8.1%. A family history of atopy was found to be the strongest risk factor for having ever had wheezing (odds ratio (OR) = 2.89, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.32-3.60), wheezing in the past 12 months (OR = 3.21, CI = 2.21-4.67), and severe attack (OR = 2.41, CI = 1.36-4.25). Passive smoking was a risk only for having ever had wheezing (OR = 1.33, CI = 1.03-1.76). Increasing age was associated with a lower risk of current wheezing (OR = 0.85, CI = 0.81-0.90) and severe attack (OR = 0.77, CI = 0.67-0.88). Gender, socio-economic level and pet ownership did not appear to be risk factors for asthma-related symptoms. This study, the first epidemiological survey in Ankara, Turkey, using the ISAAC protocol, clearly shows that symptoms suggestive of asthma, albeit lower than in most European countries, are quite common and constitute a major health problem in Turkey.

Allergen immunotherapy for allergic asthma: A systematic review and meta-analysis

To inform the development of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunologys (EAACI) Guidelines on Allergen Immunotherapy (AIT) for allergic asthma, we assessed the evidence on the effectiveness, cost‐effectiveness and safety of AIT.

Comparison of four different measures of bronchial responsiveness in asthmatic children

Although several tests are available to assess the presence and severity of bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR), there is no agreement on the most appropriate stimulus. The most commonly used stimuli are methacholine, histamine, and exercise. Daily peak expiratory flow (PEF) variation has been reported to correlate with the severity of BHR, and in recent years this has been widely used because of its noninvasiveness and ease of performance. This study was carried out to determine the relationship among these four commonly used measures of bronchial responsiveness in asthmatic children. For this purpose, 12 asthmatic children of varying disease severity were recruited. Subjects underwent three challenges on 3 separate days in 1 week. During the week preceding the challenges (methacholine, histamine, and exercise), patients recorded PEF three times a day. All patients had PC20 less than 8 mg/ml with methacholine and histamine. Patients with PC20 greater than 3.5 mg/ml for both methacholine or histamine had negative exercise challenges. The strongest correlation was between histamine and methacholine (r=0.95). Exercise‐induced bronchospasm had substantial and significant correlation with the other three measures. No significant correlation was observed between PEF variability and histamine or methacholine. The varying degrees of relationships among the four commonly used measures suggests that each method yields information on different but related phenomena. More than one measure may be required to detect the different aspects of asthmatic bronchial responsiveness.

The effect of cetirizine on sulfidoleukotriene production by blood leukocytes in children with allergic rhinitis

Twelve children with allergic rhinitis due to monosensitivity to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dp) took part in a placebo‐controlled, double‐blind, crossover study to evaluate the effect of cetirizine, a second‐generation, nonsedating H1‐blocker‐type antihistamine, on sulfidoleukotriene releasability by blood leukocytes and to determine its correlation with clinical findings and nasal challenge scores. Sulfidoleukotriene release by blood leukocytes was determined by the cellular allergen stimulation test (CAST), which measures leukotriene (LT)C4, LTD4, and LTE4, all in one assay. Compared to placebo, cetirizine significantly (P≤0.05) decreased daily symptom scores of nasal discharge, nasal itching, and sneezing, as well as the number of sneezings after nasal challenge with the antigen, without alleviating nasal obstruction (P≥0.05). It also suppressed both early (P≤0.05) and late skin reactions to intradermal tests. Although cetirizine did not influence in vitro sulfidoleukotriene production by blood leukocytes with buffer or anti‐IgE (P≥0.05), it substantially reduced the release of these mediators upon challenge with Dp antigen. Furthermore, there was a high correlation between the number of sneezes after challenge and the amount of sulfidoleukotriene released in nine patients (r=0.78; P≤0.01). It is concluded that the amount of sulfidoleukotrienes produced by blood leukocytes in vitro may reflect the nasal hyperreactivity of the patient, and that cetirizine, which is highly effective in the treatment of allergic rhinitis, owes part of its effect to inhibition of sulfidoleukotriene releasability by blood leukocytes in children.

Suppression of B-cell activation and IgE, IgA, IgG1 and IgG4 production by mammalian telomeric oligonucleotides

The fine balance of immunoglobulins (Ig) E, IgG1, IgG4 and IgA in healthy production is maintained by the interaction of B cells with adaptive and innate immune response. The regulation of toll‐like receptors (TLRs)‐driven innate and adaptive immune effector B‐cell response and the role of mammalian telomeric TTAGGG repeat elements represent an important research area.