Pediatric Eosinophilia: A Review and Multiyear Investigation into Etiologies.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the etiology of peripheral eosinophilia in a large pediatric population and to develop a diagnostic algorithm to help guide diagnosis and management of peripheral eosinophilia in the outpatient pediatric population. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a retrospective chart review of children presenting to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston with peripheral eosinophilia between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2019. Eosinophilia was classified as mild (absolute eosinophil count [AEC] >500 and <1500 cells/µL), moderate (AEC >1500 and <4500 cells/µL), or severe (AEC >4500 cells/µL). Demographic information and diagnostic workup data were collected. RESULTS: A total of 771 patients aged <18 years were evaluated. The most common cause of eosinophilia was allergy (n = 357; 46%), with atopy (n = 296) and drug reaction (n = 54) the most common subcauses. This was followed by unknown etiology (n = 274; 36%), infectious causes (n = 72; 9%), and eosinophilic disorders (n = 47; 6%). Many patients with an unknown cause (n = 202; 74%) had limited or no follow-up testing. CONCLUSIONS: More information on the etiology of pediatric eosinophilia and workup data could help identify the causes. This study provides important information on the evaluation of eosinophilia in the US pediatric population, including a diagnostic algorithm to guide primary care pediatricians.

Risk Factors of Pneumonia in Primary Antibody Deficiency Patients Receiving Immunoglobulin Therapy: Data from the US Immunodeficiency Network (USIDNET).

BACKGROUND: Despite immunoglobulin replacement (IgRT) therapy, some patients with primary antibody deficiency (PAD) continue to develop respiratory infections. Recurrent and severe respiratory infections, particularly pneumonia, can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. Therefore, we sought to determine the risk factors of developing pneumonia in PAD patients, already receiving IgRT. METHODS: We evaluated clinical and laboratory features of PAD patients enrolled in the US Immune Deficiency Network (USIDNET) registry by April 2017. Patients were included if they met the following criteria: (1) PAD diagnosis (common variable immunodeficiency (CVID), agammaglobulinemia, hypogammaglobinemia, and specific antibody deficiency (SAD) and (2) available data on infections before and after IgRT. Patients were excluded if they were not receiving IgRT, or if no pre/post infections data were available. Descriptive and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with pneumonia post-IgRT. RESULTS: A total of 1232 patients met the inclusion criteria. Following IgRT, 218 patients (17.7%) were reported to have at least one pneumonia episode. Using multivariate logistic regression analysis, we found a statistically significant increased risk of pneumonia in patients with asthma (OR: 2.55, 95% CI (1.69-3.85), p < 0.001) bronchiectasis (OR: 3.94, 95% CI (2.29-6.80), p < 0.001), interstitial lung disease (ILD) (OR: 3.28, 95%CI (1.43-7.56), p < 0.005), splenomegaly (OR: 2.02, 95%CI (1.08-3.76), p < 0.027), allergies (OR: 2.44, 95% CI [1.44-4.13], p = 0.001), and patients who were not on immunosuppressives (OR: 1.61; 95%CI [1.06-2.46]; p = 0.027). For every 50 unit increase in IgA, the odds of reporting pneumonia post IgRT decreased (OR: 0.86, 95% CI [0.73-1.02], p = 0.062). Infectious organisms were reported in 35 of 218 patients who reported pneumonia after IgRT. Haemophilus influenzae was the most frequently reported (n = 11, 31.43%), followed by Streptococcus pneumoniae (n = 7, 20.00%). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest PAD patients with chronic and structural lung disease, splenomegaly, and allergies were associated with persistent pneumonia. However, our study is limited by the cross-sectional nature of the USIDNET database and limited longitudinal data. Further studies are warranted to identify susceptible causes and explore targeted solutions for prevention and associated morbidity and mortality. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Patients with primary antibody deficiency with structural lung disease, allergies, and splenomegaly are associated with persistent pneumonia post-IgRT.

Immune System in Action.

Tumor exists as a complex network of structures with an ability to evolve and evade the host immune surveillance mechanism. The immune milieu which includes macrophages, dendritic cells, natural killer cells, neutrophils, mast cells, B cells, and T cells is found in the core, the invasive margin, or the adjacent stromal or lymphoid component of the tumor. The immune infiltrate is heterogeneous and varies within a patient and between patients of the same tumor histology. The location, density, functionality, and the crosstalk between the immune cells in the tumor microenvironment influence the nature of immune response, prognosis, and treatment outcomes in cancer patients. Therefore, an understanding of the characteristics of the immune cells and their role in tumor immune surveillance is of paramount importance to identify immune targets and to develop novel immune therapeutics in the war against cancer. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the individual components of the human immune system and the translational relevance of predictive biomarkers.

Diagnostic interpretation of genetic studies in patients with primary immunodeficiency diseases: A working group report of the Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases Committee of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

Genetic testing has become an integral component of the diagnostic evaluation of patients with suspected primary immunodeficiency diseases. Results of genetic testing can have a profound effect on clinical management decisions. Therefore clinical providers must demonstrate proficiency in interpreting genetic data. Because of the need for increased knowledge regarding this practice, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases Committee established a work group that reviewed and summarized information concerning appropriate methods, tools, and resources for evaluating variants identified by genetic testing. Strengths and limitations of tests frequently ordered by clinicians were examined. Summary statements and tables were then developed to guide the interpretation process. Finally, the need for research and collaboration was emphasized. Greater understanding of these important concepts will improve the diagnosis and management of patients with suspected primary immunodeficiency diseases.

Overview of Basic Immunology and Clinical Application.

Tumor exists as a complex network of structures with an ability to evolve and evade the host immune surveillance mechanism. The immune milieu which includes macrophages, dendritic cells, natural killer cells, neutrophils, mast cells, B cells, and T cells are found in the core, the invasive margin, or the adjacent stromal or lymphoid component of the tumor. The immune infiltrate is heterogeneous and varies within a patient and between patients of the same tumor histology. The location, density, functionality, and cross-talk between the immune cells in the tumor microenvironment influence the nature of immune response, prognosis, and treatment outcomes in cancer patients. Therefore, an understanding of the characteristics of the immune cells and their role in tumor immune surveillance is of paramount importance to identify immune targets and to develop novel immune therapeutics in the war against cancer. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the individual components of the human immune system and the translational relevance of predictive biomarkers.

Use of Genetic Testing for Primary Immunodeficiency Patients.

Genetic testing plays a critical role in diagnosis for many primary immunodeficiency diseases. The goals of this report are to outline some of the challenges that clinical immunologists face routinely in the use of genetic testing for patient care. In addition, we provide a review of the types of genetic testing used in the diagnosis of PID, including their strengths and limitations. We describe the strengths and limitations of different genetic testing approaches for specific clinical contexts that raise concern for specific PID disorders in light of the challenges reported by the clinical immunologist members of the CIS in a recent membership survey. Finally, we delineate the CIS's recommendations for the use of genetic testing in light of these issues.

Correction to: Use of Genetic Testing for Primary Immunodeficiency Patients.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained mistakes in some of the author names and affiliations. The correct list of author names and affiliations is below, with the corrections in bold.

Radiomics to predict immunotherapy-induced pneumonitis: proof of concept.

We present the first reported work that explores the potential of radiomics to predict patients who are at risk for developing immunotherapy-induced pneumonitis. Despite promising results with immunotherapies, immune-related adverse events (irAEs) are challenging. Although less common, pneumonitis is a potentially fatal irAE. Thus, early detection is critical for improving treatment outcomes; an urgent need to identify biomarkers that predict patients at risk for pneumonitis exists. Radiomics, an emerging field, is the automated extraction of high fidelity, high-dimensional imaging features from standard medical images and allows for comprehensive visualization and characterization of the tissue of interest and corresponding microenvironment. In this pilot study, we sought to determine whether radiomics has the potential to predict development of pneumonitis. We performed radiomic analyses using baseline chest computed tomography images of patients who did (N = 2) and did not (N = 30) develop immunotherapy-induced pneumonitis. We extracted 1860 radiomic features in each patient. Maximum relevance and minimum redundancy feature selection method, anomaly detection algorithm, and leave-one-out cross-validation identified radiomic features that were significantly different and predicted subsequent immunotherapy-induced pneumonitis (accuracy, 100% [p = 0.0033]). This study suggests that radiomic features can classify and predict those patients at baseline who will subsequently develop immunotherapy-induced pneumonitis, further enabling risk-stratification that will ultimately lead to better treatment outcomes.

Incidence of immune-related adverse events and its association with treatment outcomes: the MD Anderson Cancer Center experience.

Background Immunotherapy is emerging as the cornerstone for treatment of patients with advanced cancer, but significant toxicity (immune-related adverse events [irAEs]) associated with unbridled T cell activity remains a concern. Patients and methods A retrospective review of the electronic medical records of 290 patients with advanced cancer treated on an immunotherapy-based clinical trial in the Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center between February 2010 and September 2015 was performed. Clinical and laboratory parameters were collected to determine the incidence of irAEs, risk factors, and their association with treatment outcomes. Results Ninety eight of 290 patients (34%) experienced any grade irAEs. Among the 15 (5.2%) patients with grade ≥ 3 irAEs, the most common irAEs were dermatitis and enterocolitis. Although 80% of the patients with grade ≥ 3 irAEs required systemic corticosteroids, all the 15 patients recovered from the irAEs. On re-challenge, 4 of the 5 patients who had received systemic corticosteroids for irAE continued to respond. There were no irAE-related deaths. Importantly, patients with grade ≥ 3 irAEs had improved overall response rate (25 vs. 6%; p = 0.039) and longer median time to progression (30 weeks vs. 10 weeks; p = 0.0040) when compared to those without grade ≥ 3 irAEs. Conclusion Incidence of irAEs with immunotherapeutic agents indicates an active immune status, suggestive of potential clinical benefit to the patient. Further validation of this association in a large prospective study is warranted.

Overview of Basic Immunology and Translational Relevance for Clinical Investigators.

Tumor exists as a complex network of structures with an ability to evolve and evade the host immune surveillance mechanism. The immune milieu which includes macrophages, dendritic cells, natural killer cells, neutrophils, mast cells, B cells, and T cells are found in the core, the invasive margin, or the adjacent stromal or lymphoid component of the tumor. The immune infiltrate is heterogeneous and varies within a patient and between patients of the same tumor histology. The location, density, functionality, and the crosstalk between the immune cells in the tumor microenvironment influence the nature of immune response, prognosis, and treatment outcomes in cancer patients. Therefore, an understanding of the characteristics of the immune cells and their role in tumor immune surveillance is of paramount importance to identify immune targets and to develop novel immune therapeutics in the war against cancer. In this chapter we provide an overview of the individual components of the human immune system and the translational relevance of predictive biomarkers.

Improved diagnostic clarity in shrimp allergic non-dust-mite sensitized patients.

BACKGROUND: Allergen specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) levels predictive of shrimp allergy have not been identified, but these may be helpful in identifying patients at risk for shrimp-induced allergic reactions. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to identify component resolved diagnostic tests useful for diagnosis of shrimp allergy in patients with or without house-dust mite (HDM) sensitization to the major allergen cysteine protease (Der p 1). METHODS: Patients with positive skin-prick test (SPT) results and/or sIgE values were recruited. Shrimp allergy was classified by oral food challenge (OFC) or by a clear history of anaphylaxis after shrimp ingestion. Patients with shrimp allergy and patients who were tolerant were further classified based on HDM sensitivity (Der p 1 > 0.35 kUA/L). Testing for sIgE to total shrimp, and shrimp and HDM components was performed. The Fisher exact test, Wilcoxon sum rank test, and receiver operating characteristics analyses were used to compare sIgE levels in patients with allergy and patients who were tolerant. RESULTS: Of 79 patients recruited, 12 patients with shrimp allergy (7 with positive OFC results and 5 with a history of anaphylaxis) and 18 patients who were shrimp tolerant were enrolled. Of the patients not HDM sensitized, sIgE levels to shrimp (10.5 kUA/L, p = 0.012) and Der p 10 (4.09 kUA/L, p = 0.035) were higher in patients with shrimp allergy. Shrimp sIgE of ≥3.55 kUA/L had 100% diagnostic sensitivity and 85.7% specificity (receiver operating characteristic 0.94 [0.81, 1.0] 95% CI) and Der p 10 sIgE levels of ≥3.98 kUA/L had a diagnostic sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 100% (receiver operating characteristic 0.86 [0.57, 1.0] 95% CI) for prediction of clinical reactivity. CONCLUSION: HDM sensitization influences shrimp and HDM component sIgE levels and, consequently, their diagnostic accuracy in shrimp allergy. In our series, in the patients who were non-HDM sensitized, a shrimp sIgE level of >3.55 kUA/L showed 100% sensitivity and, Der p 10 sIgE of >3.98 kUA/L showed 100% specificity for the diagnosis of shrimp allergy. These levels may not be applicable to every patient and, therefore, may not obviate the need for OFC.

Increased Incidence of Fatigue in Patients with Primary Immunodeficiency Disorders: Prevalence and Associations Within the US Immunodeficiency Network Registry.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with primary immunodeficiency (PID) often report fatigue, yet this symptom has not been studied in PID. Fatigue affects 6-7.5% of healthy adults. The goal of this study is to estimate the prevalence of fatigue in patients with PID and investigate its associated factors. METHODS: We analyzed 2537 PID patients registered in USIDNET to determine responses to the field "fatigue" in the core registry form. Demographics, immune phenotypes, and comorbid conditions were compared between fatigued and non-fatigued patients to identify relevant associations and potential drivers. A focused analysis was performed for patients with predominantly antibody deficiency disorders (PADs). RESULTS: Fatigue was reported in 25.9% (95% CI 23.7-28.3) of PAD patients, compared to 6.4% (95% CI 4.9-8.2) of non-PAD. Patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) had the highest prevalence of fatigue (p < 0.001) among all PID diagnoses. Other factors that were associated with a higher rate of fatigue among PAD patients included female sex, higher BMI, depression, bronchiectasis, and autoimmunity. Additionally, fatigued PAD patients had lower absolute lymphocyte, CD3, CD4, and CD8 counts compared to non-fatigued patients. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that fatigue is overrepresented in PAD patients. Prospective studies to estimate prevalence, risk factors, and fatigue etiology in PID are warranted, so therapeutic interventions can be considered.

Health-Related Quality of Life in Adult Patients with Common Variable Immunodeficiency Disorders and Impact of Treatment.

PURPOSE: Common variable immunodeficiency disorder (CVID) is a primary immunodeficiency disease (PIDD) often associated with severe and chronic infections. Patients commonly receive immunoglobulin (Ig) treatment to reduce the cycle of recurrent infection and improve physical functioning. However, how Ig treatment in CVID affects quality of life (QOL) has not been thoroughly evaluated. The purpose of a recent Immune Deficiency Foundation (IDF) mail survey was to assess the factors that are associated with QOL in patients with CVID receiving Ig treatment. METHODS: A 75-question survey developed by the IDF and a 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) to assess QOL were mailed to adults with CVID. Mean SF-12 scores were compared between patients with CVID and the general US adult population normative sample. RESULTS: Overall, 945 patients with CVID completed the surveys. More than half of the patients (54.9%) received intravenous Ig and 44.9% received subcutaneous Ig treatment. Patients with CVID had significantly lower SF-12 scores compared with the general US population regardless of sex or age (p < 0.05). Route of IgG replacement did not dramatically improve QOL. SF-12 scores were highest in patients with CVID who have well-controlled PIDD, lacked physical impairments, were not bothered by treatment, and received Ig infusions at home. CONCLUSION: These data provide insight into what factors are most associated with physical and mental health, which can serve to improve QOL in patients in this population. Improvements in QOL can result from early detection of disease, limiting digestive system disease, attention to fatigue, and implementation of an individual treatment plan for the patient.

Incidence of infusion reactions to anti-neoplastic agents in early phase clinical trials: The MD Anderson Cancer Center experience.

Infusion reactions (IRs) to anti-neoplastic agents require prompt recognition and immediate treatment to avert significant complications. We conducted a retrospective review of the medical records of consecutive patients who received anti-neoplastic therapy in the outpatient treatment center of the Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics from January 1, 2013 to November 30, 2013. Of the 597 patients who received treatment, 9 (1.5 %) had IRs (all ≤ grade 2). The most common IRs observed on first occurrence were chills (n = 5), itching, rash, and facial flushing (n = 3 each). There were no IR-related deaths. All the IRs were reversible with appropriate symptomatic treatment and the therapy was completed after temporary cessation of infusion in 7 of the 9 patients. The infusion was stopped in 2 patients due to symptoms suggestive of IgE-mediated allergic reaction and cytokine storm. Five of the 8 patients who were re-challenged with the same therapy developed a similar reaction. However, the infusion was completed in 4 of the 5 patients after administration of intravenous diphenhydramine and/or hydrocortisone, or slowing the rate of infusion. And, subsequent cycles with the same agents were uneventful. IRs to anti-neoplastic agents are rare. Though the clinical presentations are overlapping, most IRs are not IgE-mediated allergic reactions. Appropriate premedication and slow rate of infusion facilitates uneventful administration of the anti-neoplastic agents in subsequent cycles. Further study in a larger cohort of patients to identify biomarkers of hypersensitivity is warranted.

Overview of Basic Immunology for Clinical Investigators.

Tumor exists as a complex network of structures with an ability to evolve and evade the host immune surveillance mechanism. The immune milieu which includes macrophages, dendritic cells, natural killer cells, neutrophils, mast cells, B cells, and T cells are found in the core, the invasive margin, or the adjacent stromal or lymphoid component of the tumor. The immune infiltrate is heterogeneous and varies within a patient and between patients of the same tumor histology. The location, density, functionality, and the cross talk between the immune cells in the tumor microenvironment influence the nature of immune response, prognosis, and treatment outcomes in cancer patients. Therefore, an understanding of the characteristics of the immune cells and their role in tumor immune surveillance is of paramount importance to identify immune targets and to develop novel immune therapeutics in the war against cancer. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the individual components of the human immune system and the translational relevance of predictive biomarkers.

Common Variable Immunodeficiency Patient Fecal Microbiota Transplant Recapitulates Gut Dysbiosis.

Purpose: Patients with non-infectious complications have worse clinical outcomes in common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) than those with infections-only. Non-infectious complications are associated with gut microbiome aberrations, but there are no reductionist animal models that emulate CVID. Our aim in this study was to uncover potential microbiome roles in the development of non-infectious complications in CVID. Methods: We examined fecal whole genome shotgun sequencing from patients CVID, and non-infectious complications, infections-only, and their household controls. We also performed Fecal Microbiota transplant from CVID patients to Germ-Free Mice. Results: We found potentially pathogenic microbes Streptococcus parasanguinis and Erysipelatoclostridium ramosum were enriched in gut microbiomes of CVID patients with non-infectious complications. In contrast, Fusicatenibacter saccharivorans and Anaerostipes hadrus, known to suppress inflammation and promote healthy metabolism, were enriched in gut microbiomes of infections-only CVID patients. Fecal microbiota transplant from non-infectious complications, infections-only, and their household controls into germ-free mice revealed gut dysbiosis patterns in recipients from CVID patients with non-infectious complications, but not infections-only CVID, or household controls recipients. Conclusion: Our findings provide a proof of concept that fecal microbiota transplant from CVID patients with non-infectious complications to Germ-Free mice recapitulates microbiome alterations observed in the donors.

T-cell receptor beta variable gene polymorphism predicts immune-related adverse events during checkpoint blockade immunotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized cancer treatment. However, they are associated with a unique spectrum of side effects, called immune-related adverse events (irAEs), which can cause significant morbidity and quickly progress to severe or life-threatening events if not treated promptly. Identifying predictive biomarkers for irAEs before immunotherapy initiation is therefore a critical area of research. Polymorphisms within the T-cell receptor beta (TCRB) variable (TRBV) gene have been implicated in autoimmune disease and may be mechanistically linked to irAEs. However, the repetitive nature of the TCRB locus and incomplete genome assembly has hampered the evaluation of TRBV polymorphisms in the past. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We used a novel method for long-amplicon next generation sequencing of rearranged TCRB chains from peripheral blood total RNA to evaluate the link between TRBV polymorphisms and irAEs in patients treated with immunotherapy for cancer. We employed multiplex PCR to create amplicons spanning the three beta chain complementarity-determining regions (CDR) regions to enable detection of polymorphism within the germline-encoded framework and CDR1 and CDR2 regions in addition to CDR3 profiling. Resultant amplicons were sequenced via the Ion Torrent and TRBV allele profiles constructed for each individual was correlated with irAE annotations to identify haplotypes associated with severe irAEs (≥ grade 3). RESULTS: Our study included 81 patients who had irAEs when treated with immunotherapy for cancer. By using principal component analysis of the 81 TRBV allele profiles followed by k-means clustering, we identified six major TRBV haplotypes. Strikingly, we found that one-third of this cohort possessed a TRBV allele haplotype that appeared to be protective against severe irAEs. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that long-amplicon TCRB repertoire sequencing can potentially identify TRBV haplotype groups that correlate with the risk of severe irAEs. Germline-encoded TRBV polymorphisms may serve as a predictive biomarker of severe irAEs.