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Exposure to farm animals protects farm children from asthma

(Natural News) Asthma is a common disease among most children, with the exception being farm children. Immunologists from the University of Zurich have pinpointed the cause: exposure to farm animals. Specifically, the researchers have identified a sialic acid in farm animals that has proven to be effective against lung tissue inflammation.

The sialic acid is N-Glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc), a substance that is prevalent in the majority of vertebrates but absent in humans. According to the researchers, humans are unable to produce this non-microbial substance naturally, yet are fully capable of absorbing it from animals through either touch or by consuming food products made from animals.

Quelle: UZH Zürich

Estimating the abundance of airborne pollen and fungal spores at various elevations using an aircraft: How high can they fly?

Airborne pollen and fungal spores are monitored mainly in highly populated, urban environments, for allergy prevention purposes. However, their sources can frequently be located outside cities’ fringes with more vegetation.

In order to shed light on this paradox, we investigated the diversity and abundance of airborne pollen and fungal spores for various environmental regimes. We monitored pollen and spores using an aircraft and a car, at elevations from sea level to 2,000 m above ground, in the region of Thesssaloniki, Greece. We found a total of 24 pollen types and more than 15 spore types. Pollen and spores were detected throughout the various elevations. Lower elevations exhibited higher pollen concentrations in only half of plant taxa and higher fungal spore concentrations in only Ustilago. Pinaceae and Quercus pollen were the most abundant recorded by aircraft (>54% of the total). Poaceae pollen were the most abundant via car measurements (>77% of the total). Cladosporium and Alternaria spores were the most abundant in all cases (aircraft: >69% and >17%, car: >45% and >27%, respectively). We conclude that pollen and fungal spores can be diverse and abundant even outside the main source area, evidently because of long-distance migration incidents.

Author information: Damialis A1,2,3, Kaimakamis E4, Konoglou M4, Akritidis I5, Traidl-Hoffmann C1,2, Gioulekas D6.
1 Chair and Institute of Environmental Medicine, UNIKA-T, Technical University of Munich and Helmholtz Zentrum München, Germany – German Research Center for Environmental Health, Augsburg, Germany.
2 CK-CARE, Christine Kühne – Center for Allergy Research and Education, Davos, Switzerland.
3 Department of Ecology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
4 1st Pulmonary Department, “G. Papanikolaou” General Hospital of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
5 Internal Medicine Department, “G. Gennimatas” General Hospital of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
6 Pulmonary Department, Faculty of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Allergy Campus Davos – update

A campus for allergy research, training and treatment is being developed on the Davos Wolfgang site. CK-CARE, SIAF and the Hochgebirgsklinik have committed themselves to the concept of translational research which has such a promising future. Here the results of research directly benefit patients in the clinic, through physical and organisational proximity. The closeness to patients offers researchers unique opportunities to do work that is ideally tailored to patients. Education conveys the results of this interaction to medical and non-medical professionals and thereby ensures that the effect is multiplied. Locally integrated cooperation is also crucial to genuine translational action.

In connection with the launch of the new Davos-Wolfgang Clinic in mid-2014, spaces became free on the clinic site which are to be used partly for a new building for research and training. Planning for this new construction project is now largely completed. The infrastructure for educational events and meetings will emerge on the ground floor, creating the best conditions for training of medical and non-medical professionals. Laboratory and office premises for SIAF will be installed on the top two floors, enabling this world-renowned institute to continue its research work at the highest international level. Thanks to contributions from Federation, cantons and municipality, financing of the project is now assured from the SIAF perspective. Building is planned to start in spring 2017 and finish by summer 2018.

New asthma therapy at Hochgebirgsklinik Davos

The Hochgebirgsklinik Davos, as a partner of the Allergy Campos Davos, treats allergic diseases as a priority. Davos offers a healthy climate and the air is low in allergens and pollutants.

Asthma is a complex, highly heterogeneous disease with various phenotypes of respiratory inflammation. Since June 2016 injections of an interleukin-5 antibody instead of cortisone have been given in Switzerland to patients with very severe eosinophilic asthma. The concept of anti-IL-5 treatment has proved clinically beneficial in asthma with severe eosinophilic airway inflammation.

The treatment received its licence in Switzerland in June 2016 and, in special cases of severe bronchial asthma, can markedly improve the symptoms and reduce the exacerbation rate (asthma attacks). On 11 August 2016 a patient with severe eosinophilic asthma was the first to be injected with an interleukin-5 antibody (mepolizumab) at the Hochgebirgsklinik Davos. IL-5 is a cytokine which plays an important role in the development, activation, differentiation and survival of eosinophils.

After the decision to treat and application by a lung specialist, the treatment costs for mepolizumab (Nucala) are met by the cost bearers for patients with a specific subgroup of difficult-to-treat bronchial asthma (“eosinophilic asthma”).

Prof. Hans-Werner Duchna would be very happy to provide you with detailed information about this treatment. On request, the medical service of HGK will support you in the application process or the formalities of obtaining confirmation of insurance coverage.

Prof Dr. med. H.W. Duchna, Ärztlicher Direktor, Chefarzt Pneumologie/Allergologie
Tel. +41 81 417 33 13
hans-werner.duchna@hgk.ch
www.hochgebirgsklinik.ch

Cellular and molecular immunological process in neurodermatitis patients

On the occasion of the third Global Allergy Forum Davos, the CK-CARE directors together with a group of internationally leading researchers from the field of allergic skin diseases, compiled an article which concentrates particularly on innovative developments in neurodermatitis and was recently published in the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology. The journal dedicated the cover page of that edition to the subject of neurodermatitis (picture; Werfel et al., 2016: 138: 336-349).

The article tackles the following topics: skin barrier in neurodermatitis, neurodermatitis subgroups, personalised medicine, microbiomes, changes in the immune response, allergen-specific IgE antibodies, mechanisms of itching, allergens and other environmental factors and diagnosis and treatment.

There is a considerable, unmet medical need to define immunological endotypes of neurodermatitis because these have significant repercussions for the forthcoming stratification of the phenotype of neurodermatitis and the resulting, targeted therapies in the development of personalised medicine. Studies on novel biological agents, which have been used in the treatment of neurodermatitis, are also presented in this review. The clinical efficacy of new immunological approaches using biological agents in patients with neurodermatitis is proved by the use of dupilumap (an antibody that blocks recognition of IL-4). A number of studies with other pharmaceuticals that specifically target the immune system players are currently underway. Such approaches might have immunomodulatory and hence positive clinical effects on the general condition of the skin, as well as on the underlying immune discrepancy, which play a role in concurrent diseases. The effect of these immunological treatments on the disturbed microbiome in neurodermatitis patients and in itching might yield other potentially positive knowledge of use for treatment purposes.

Davos shows support for planned Allergy Campus

With a clear lead of 83%, the Davos voters are behind the planned Allergy Campus Davos on the site of the Hochgebirgsklinik.