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Current Allergy and Asthma Reports Mar 2019The infant gut microbiota has become a focus of multiple epidemiologic and cohort studies. This microbiome is derived from the mother (via the vaginal canal, maternal... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
The infant gut microbiota has become a focus of multiple epidemiologic and cohort studies. This microbiome is derived from the mother (via the vaginal canal, maternal skin contact, breastfeeding, and possibly in utero microbial transfer) and is likely influenced by multiple external factors. It is now believed by some experts that colonization and formation of the newborn and alterations of gut microbiota in children are dependent on earlier alterations of the microbiota of mothers during or perhaps even before pregnancy. This review will focus on specific factors (pet keeping, breastfeeding, antibiotic use, and mode of delivery) that influence the infant gut microbiome and atopy.
RECENT FINDINGS
This is a review of recent literature describing how pet keeping, breastfeeding, antibiotic use, and mode of delivery influences and changes the infant gut microbiome and atopy. General trends in gut microbiota differences have emerged in different birth cohorts when each external factor is analyzed, but consistency between studies is difficult to replicate. The aforementioned factors do not seem to confer an overwhelming risk for development of atopy alone. This review provides a comprehensive review of early life environmental factors and their influence on the infant gut microbiome and atopy.
Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Breast Feeding; Child; Delivery, Obstetric; Female; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Pets; Pregnancy; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects
PubMed: 30859338
DOI: 10.1007/s11882-019-0851-9 -
The Journal of Allergy and Clinical... Feb 2022
Topics: Anti-Asthmatic Agents; Asthma; COVID-19; Glucocorticoids; Humans; Nasopharynx; SARS-CoV-2; Severity of Illness Index; Survival Analysis
PubMed: 34942236
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2021.12.762 -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2017The hygiene hypothesis links environmental and microbial exposures in early life to the prevalence of atopy, allergy, and asthma. infection is typically acquired in... (Review)
Review
The hygiene hypothesis links environmental and microbial exposures in early life to the prevalence of atopy, allergy, and asthma. infection is typically acquired in childhood and acquisition of the infection is associated with poor household hygiene. Some population surveys have shown an inverse association between infection and atopy, allergy, and asthma leading to the suggestion that infection may be protective against disease; others consider it simply a biomarker for poor household hygiene. We review the relevant surveys, cohort studies, meta-analyses, and studies testing the protective hypothesis. Overall, the results of surveys and cohort studies are inconsistent, whereas meta-analyses show a significant but weak inverse correlation. In contrast, studies directly testing the protection hypothesis in relation to asthma in populations with poor hygiene and low prevalence failed to confirm a protective effect. is a major cause of human disease including chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, and gastric malignancies. infections most likely serve as a biomarker for poor hygienic conditions in childhood. We conclude that while synergistic interactions between environmental factors in childhood are important determinants of the pathogenesis of atopy, allergy, and asthma; is inversely related to good hygiene and thus it's presence serves as a biomarker rather than for a specific prevention role for or antigens.
PubMed: 28642748
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01034 -
Life (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2023Keratoconus is a disease of the cornea that results in progressive steepening and thinning of the cornea and subsequent vision loss. It nearly always presents as a... (Review)
Review
Keratoconus is a disease of the cornea that results in progressive steepening and thinning of the cornea and subsequent vision loss. It nearly always presents as a bilateral disease, suggesting that there is an underlying abnormality of the corneas that becomes manifest with time. However, the mechanisms underlying the development of keratoconus are largely unknown. Associations reported between keratoconus and systemic diseases are abundant in the literature, and the list of possible associations is very long. We found that atopy, Down syndrome, and various connective tissue diseases were the most frequently cited associations in our broad literature search. Additionally, Diabetes Mellitus has been increasingly studied as a possible protective factor against keratoconus. In this review, we have summarized the evidence for and against these particular systemic conditions and keratoconus and have discussed some of the implications of keratoconus patients having these conditions.
PubMed: 37374145
DOI: 10.3390/life13061363 -
The Pan African Medical Journal 2019Keratosis pilaris is characterized by small bumps around hair follicles. Keratosis pilaris simplex results in gray and keratotic papules mainly on the arms, thighs and...
Keratosis pilaris is characterized by small bumps around hair follicles. Keratosis pilaris simplex results in gray and keratotic papules mainly on the arms, thighs and buttocks. It mainly affects women. Keratosis pilaris rubra often results in keratosis pilaris atrophicans. Common variants of keratosis pilaris include: ulerythema ophryogenes, atrophoderma vermiculata, Siemens alopecia. Keratosis pilaris is a genetic disorder and can occur in association with other hereditary diseases such as Noonan syndrome or vitamin disorders. Treatment is mainly based on emollients and keratolytics, but they have only a suspensive effect. We report the case of a 30 year old woman with a personal and family history of atopy, presenting with diffuse keratotic papules on the trunk. The remainder of the physical examination revealed no genetic abnormality. Treatment was based on emollients and keratolytics with slight improvement.
PubMed: 31692799
DOI: 10.11604/pamj.2019.33.274.16158 -
Nutrients Apr 2022We are currently riding the second wave of the allergy epidemic, which is ongoing in affluent societies, but now also affecting developing countries. This increase in... (Review)
Review
We are currently riding the second wave of the allergy epidemic, which is ongoing in affluent societies, but now also affecting developing countries. This increase in the prevalence of atopy/asthma in the Western world has coincided with a rapid improvement in living conditions and radical changes in lifestyle, suggesting that this upward trend in allergic manifestations may be associated with cultural and environmental factors. Diet is a prominent environmental exposure that has undergone major changes, with a substantial increase in the consumption of processed foods, all across the globe. On this basis, the potential effects of dietary habits on atopy and asthma have been researched rigorously, but even with a considerable body of evidence, clear associations are far from established. Many factors converge to obscure the potential relationship, including methodological, pathophysiological and cultural differences. To date, the most commonly researched, and highly promising, candidate for exerting a protective effect is the so-called Mediterranean diet (MedDi). This dietary pattern has been the subject of investigation since the mid twentieth century, and the evidence regarding its beneficial health effects is overwhelming, although data on a correlation between MedDi and the incidence and severity of asthma and atopy are inconclusive. As the prevalence of asthma appears to be lower in some Mediterranean populations, it can be speculated that the MedDi dietary pattern could indeed have a place in a preventive strategy for asthma/atopy. This is a review of the current evidence of the associations between the constituents of the MedDi and asthma/atopy, with emphasis on the pathophysiological links between MedDi and disease outcomes and the research pitfalls and methodological caveats which may hinder identification of causality. MedDi, as a dietary pattern, rather than short-term supplementation or excessive focus on single nutrient effects, may be a rational option for preventive intervention against atopy and asthma.
Topics: Asthma; Diet, Mediterranean; Humans; Hypersensitivity; Hypersensitivity, Immediate; Prevalence; Protective Factors
PubMed: 35565792
DOI: 10.3390/nu14091825 -
Experimental Biology and Medicine... Jun 2021Asthma is a chronic inflammatory lung disease affecting approximately 7.7% of the US population. Sex differences in the prevalence, incidence, and severity of asthma... (Review)
Review
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory lung disease affecting approximately 7.7% of the US population. Sex differences in the prevalence, incidence, and severity of asthma have been widely described throughout the lifespan, showing higher rates in boys than girls before puberty, but a reversed pattern in adults. Asthma is often associated with atopy, i.e. the tendency to develop allergic diseases, and can be worsened by environmental stimuli and/or exercise. While not exclusive to patients with asthma, exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) is a common complication of athletes and individuals who exercise regularly. Currently, there is limited research on sex differences in EIB and its relationship with atopy and asthma in men and women. In this minireview, we summarize the available literature on this topic. Overall, the collective knowledge supports the notion that physiological changes triggered during exercise affect males and females differently, suggesting an interaction among sex, exercise, sex hormones, and atopic status in the course of EIB pathophysiology. Understanding these differences is important to provide personalized management plans to men and women who exercise regularly and suffer from underlying asthma and/or atopy.
Topics: Animals; Asthma; Athletes; Bronchoconstriction; Exercise; Humans; Prevalence; Sex Characteristics
PubMed: 33794694
DOI: 10.1177/15353702211003858 -
Parasite (Paris, France) 2020To assess the possible influence of atopy on the clinical picture of human toxocariasis, a retrospective study was carried out using file records for patients who...
To assess the possible influence of atopy on the clinical picture of human toxocariasis, a retrospective study was carried out using file records for patients who attended the Outpatient Clinic of Parasitology in Toulouse University Hospitals. A total of 106 file records for patients who had been diagnosed with common/covert toxocariasis were extracted from the database. Forty-nine patients (20 females and 29 males) were considered atopic since they exhibited a long (≥ 1 year) history of various allergic issues along with a titer ≥ 0.7 kIU/L for specific IgE against at least two out of nine mixes of common inhalant allergens. Fifty-seven patients (42 females and 15 males) were designated nonatopic on the basis of a negative result (<0.35 kIU/L) of the test for specific IgE. Demographic (age and sex), clinical (20 signs or symptoms) and laboratory (blood eosinophil count, eosinophil cationic protein, serum total IgE, and specific anti-Toxocara IgE) variables were investigated by bivariate analysis followed by multivariate regression analysis using "atopy" as the outcome variable. On the basis of our results, the clinical or laboratory picture of toxocaral disease was not affected by the presence of an atopic status.
Topics: Adult; Animals; Antibodies, Helminth; Eosinophil Cationic Protein; Eosinophils; Female; France; Humans; Hypersensitivity, Immediate; Immunoglobulin E; Leukocyte Count; Male; Middle Aged; Outpatients; Retrospective Studies; Toxocara; Toxocariasis
PubMed: 32400389
DOI: 10.1051/parasite/2020029 -
Scandinavian Journal of Work,... Dec 1984Atopy denotes the exceptional capacity to produce immunoglobulin (Ig)E antibody when exposed to common environmental allergens. The characteristic is frequently used for... (Review)
Review
Atopy denotes the exceptional capacity to produce immunoglobulin (Ig)E antibody when exposed to common environmental allergens. The characteristic is frequently used for preemployment screening purposes. Too little attention has, however, been paid to the rationale and the consequences of this practice. Atopy is very common, and so decisions made because of atopy probably affect about a third of the working population. Work-related hypersensitivity symptoms cannot be eradicated by the weeding out of atopics. The intensity of exposure and/or the sensitizing properties of causative agents are often extremely strong in occupational settings and trigger the production of specific IgE antibodies even in nonatopics. Atopy is probably not sufficiently discriminative for screening purposes even in environments where atopics are known to have a greater risk of developing asthma (eg, laboratories with animals). Moreover, weeding out atopics may be used instead of hygienic and technical measures to reduce exposure levels. Separate decisions on medical, as well as legal, grounds may be warranted when a person with atopic symptoms, ie, rhinitis, asthma, or dermatitis, enters a new occupational environment. There is an urgent need for prospective studies in various occupational environments.
Topics: Employment; Humans; Hypersensitivity, Immediate; Immunoglobulin E; Occupational Diseases; Physical Examination; Prognosis; Risk
PubMed: 6398914
DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.2312