Association between N-Acetyltransferase 2 Polymorphism and Bladder Cancer Risk: a Meta-Analysis in a Single Ethnic Group.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have evaluated the correlation between N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) slow acetylation genotype and bladder cancer risk. However, the results are inconsistent and remain to be confirmed in each ethnic group. To assess the effects of NAT2 acetylation status on the risk of bladder cancer in the Chinese population, a meta-analysis was performed. METHODS: Studies were identified using PubMed and Chinese databases through February 2016. The associations were assessed with pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: This meta-analysis included 10 studies with 896 bladder cancer cases and 1188 controls. In the overall analysis, NAT2 slow acetylation phenotype was significantly associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer in the Chinese population (OR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.11 - 2.53). In the subgroup analyses by geographic areas and sources of controls, significant risk was found in Mainland China (OR = 1.83, 95% CI = 1.04 - 3.20) and hospitalbased studies (OR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.27 - 2.38), but not in Taiwan China. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis suggested that the NAT2 slow acetylation genotype is associated with an increased bladder cancer risk in Chinese individuals.

Comparison and evaluation of several Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus allergen extracts for skin prick test.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the significance of several Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus allergen extracts for skin prick test (SPT) in patients allergic to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus. METHODS: Two hundred and nineteen patients enrolled in Peking Union Medical College Hospital underwent SPT and serum specific IgE assay to detect the Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus allergen. Three kinds of house dust mite allergen extracts were used for SPT, including the Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus extract prepared by our laboratory (group A), standardized Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus extract (group B), and mixed extracts of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae (group C). Human serum specific IgE result was regarded as the reference standard for diagnosis of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus allergy. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of SPT with the extracts of three groups. RESULTS: SPT results showed that the median wheal diameter of group A, group B, and group C was 0.43, 0.35, and 0.28 cm, respectively, with significant difference among three groups (P<0.05). The difference was significant between group A and B (P<0.01) as well as group A and C (P<0.01), but not between group B and C (P>0.05). There was no local urticaria or systemic allergic reactions following the procedure of SPT. Local reaction was observed in 5 patients and delayed reaction was in 2 patients of group A. As for group B and C, local reaction occurred in 3 cases and delayed reaction in 2 cases in each group. The area under ROC curve of SPT with extract in group A, group B, and group C was 0.765, 0.801, and 0.782, respectively. Based on the detection results of serum specific IgE, the sensitivity of SPT in diagnosis of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus allergy with extract of group A, group B, and group C was 92.4%, 87.0%, and 81.5%, and the specificity was 60.6%, 73.2%, and 74.8%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus extract for SPT prepared by our laboratory offers good sensitivity and specificity comparable to commercially available allergen extracts, and it may be an appropriate candidate for clinical screening and diagnosis of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus allergy.

Wheat allergy in patients with recurrent urticaria.

BACKGROUND: Clinical observation revealed that most of wheat-induced anaphylaxis (WIA)/wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (WDEIA) patients showed a history of recurrent urticaria. We aim to determine the association between recurrent urticaria and anaphylaxis in wheat allergy. METHODS: Population-based cohort study involved patients with WIA (n = 193, including WDEIA n = 104), recurrent urticaria (n = 177), non-wheat-related anaphylaxis (n = 584), atopic disease (excluding anaphylaxis, n = 221) and healthy control (n = 95) from 2009 to 2016. Detailed course of urticaria and anaphylaxis were obtained from medical records and following-up questionnaire. Serum IgE specific to wheat, gluten and ω-5 gliadin and skin prick test to wheat were examined. Clinical and laboratory data were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: In recurrent urticaria patients, wheat allergy was not rare, and 6.8% (n = 12) was diagnosed as wheat-induced urticaria. Patients with WIA/WDEIA had higher prevalence of recurrent urticaria history than those with non-wheat-related anaphylaxis (164/193, 84.9% vs 85/584, 14.5%), and 70.4% of them (136/193) had recurrent urticaria prior to their first anaphylactic attack. Among patients with WIA/WDEIA and previous urticaria, 46.3% experienced an exacerbation of urticaria. The value of serum specific IgE to ω-5 gliadin was significantly higher in patients with WIA/WDEIA than those with wheat-induced urticaria. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend screening wheat allergy in recurrent urticaria to identify patients who have a potential risk to develop severe reactions earlier.

Oseltamivir induced Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis-case report.

RATIONALE: Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are 2 rare but life-threatening diseases characterized by detachment of epidermis, bullous skin lesions, and mucous membrane erosions. Drugs are highly suspected to be the causative agents. We report a case of SJS/TEN induced by oseltamivir, which is a very rare event. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 9-year-old girl with upper respiratory tract infections presented with generalized maculopapular rash the second day after taking oseltamivir. DIAGNOSIS: The diagnosis of SJS/TEN was made based on cytotoxic skin lesions and mucous membrane involvement. INTERVENTIONS: After discontinuing of the drug and combination therapy of corticosteroid and human immunoglobulin initiation, the lesions were improved. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene sequencing was done. OUTCOMES: The girl was followed-up for 1 year. The skin and mucous membranes symptoms were relieved. LESSONS: We report this case to attract attention to the rare but serious side effect of this antiviral drug.

Principles of Allergen Immunotherapy and Its Clinical Application in China: Contrasts and Comparisons with the USA.

Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) for allergic rhinitis (AR), asthma, and other allergic diseases has developed quickly. House dust mite (HDM), Artemisia (wormwood), Humulus japonicus (Japanese hop), Alternaria alternata, and Cladosporium herbarum are the five most common inhalant allergens in China. AIT has been performed in China for over 60 years. With the support of the Chinese Medical Association (CMA) and the Chinese Medical Doctors Association (CMDA), the Chinese College of Allergy and Asthma (CCAA) was established in 2016 as a specialized branch of CDMA and is the main certification authority for AIT. Chinese allergists and scientists have made tremendous progress in the development of AIT. There have been many publications by Chinese allergists and scientists worldwide encompassing original research studies, systematic reviews, case studies, and clinical trials. Currently, conventional subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) is the preferred AIT in China, but sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is beginning to gain recognition. An increasing number of clinical trials have been conducted to investigate the clinical efficacy and side effects of SLIT and SCIT. In China, HDM is the only commercial standardized allergen extracts in clinical use, whereas the others are crude allergen extracts. Besides standardized allergen extracts, other forms of hypoallergenic extracts are still being investigated and developed in China. Immunotherapy in China is similar to that in the USA in which allergen extracts can be mixed for SCIT. However, allergen extracts cannot be mixed for SCIT in Europe.

A New Diagnostic Criteria of Wheat-Dependent, Exercise-Induced Anaphylaxis in China.

BACKGROUND: Wheat-dependent, exercise-induced anaphylaxis (WDEIA) is an allergic reaction induced by intense exercise combined with wheat ingestion. The gold standard for diagnosis of WDEIA is a food exercise challenge; however, this test is unacceptable for Chinese WDEIA patients and unable to be approved by the Ethics Committee of Chinese hospitals due to substantial risk. There are no diagnostic criteria for Chinese WDEIA patients. The aim of present study was to propose new practical diagnosis criteria for Chinese WDEIA patients. METHODS: We prospectively included 283 clinically diagnosed WDEIA patients from January 1, 2010 to June 30, 2014, and in the meanwhile, three groups were enrolled which included 133 patients with the history of anaphylaxis induced by food other than wheat, 186 recurrent urticaria patients, and 94 healthy participants. Clinical comprehensive evaluation by allergists used as the reference gold standard, receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted, areas under curve (AUC) for specific immunoglobin E (sIgE) were compared to evaluate the diagnostic value of IgE specific to wheat, gluten, and ω-5 gliadin. Patients were followed up by telephone questionnaire 1 year after diagnosis. RESULTS: We reviewed 567 anaphylactic reactions in 283 WDEIA patients. Of these anaphylactic reactions, 415 (73.3%) reactions were potentially life-threatening anaphylaxis. Among the 567 anaphylactic reactions, 75% (425/567) occurred during exercise. The highest AUC (0.910) was observed for sIgE for gluten, followed by omega-5 gliadin (AUC 0.879). Combined gluten- and ω-5 gliadin-specific IgE testing provided sensitivity and specificity of 73.1% and 99.0%, respectively. During the 1-year follow-up period, repeat anaphylaxis was rare when patients observed strict avoidance of wheat products combined with exercise or other triggering agents. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we proposed diagnostic criteria and management of WDEIA patients in China. Our present study suggested that confirmed anaphylactic reactions triggered by wheat with positive sIgE to gluten and omega-5-gliadin may provide supportive evidence for clinicians to make WDEIA diagnosis without performing a food exercise challenge.

[Natural course from rhinitis to asthma in the patients with autumnal pollinosis: a clinical study of 1096 patients].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the natural course from rhinitis to asthma in the patients with autumnal pollinosis. METHODS: 1096 patients with autumnal pollinosis, 488 males and 632 females, aged 38 +/- 14 (5 - 77), 511 with pure allergic rhinitis and 585 with allergic rhinitis complicated with asthma, underwent skin test of inhalant allergens, serum IgE specific to autumnal pollens, and questionnaire survey. RESULTS: The age range of rhinitis induced by autumnal pollens was 2 - 75. The peak onset age of rhinitis was 15 - 44, and the peak onset age of asthma was 25 - 54. 33% of the rhinitis patients complicated with asthma (194/585) had their first attack of rhinitis and the first attack of asthma in the same year, 66% of them (386/585) had the first attack of asthma later than the first attack of rhinitis, and only 0.8% of them (5/585) had their first attack of asthma earlier than that of rhinitis. 37% of the patients with autumnal pollen allergic rhinitis (410/1096) developed asthma within 5 years, 47% (511/1096), within 9 years, 5% (58/1096) within 10 approximately 19 years, and 1.5% (16/1096) within 20 - 40 years. CONCLUSION: Almost half of the patients with autumnal pollen allergic rhinitis develop to seasonal allergic asthma within 9 years.

[The clinical study of the relationship between allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma in the patients with autumnal pollinosis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma in the patients with autumnal pollinosis. METHODS: 1120 patients with autumnal pollinosis, aged 5 - 75, excluding those with typical symptoms of seasonal rhinitis or asthma but with positive skin test and serum IgE specific to dustmite and fungi, underwent standardized clinical questionnaire survey, including the onset age, onset time, and symptoms as well as the severity of asthma, skin tests, and examination of serum IgE specific to autumnal pollens. RESULTS: The average onset age of the allergic rhinitis patients induced by autumnal pollens was 27.9 years, significantly younger than that of the allergic asthma patients (32.6 years, P < 0.001). Out of the 1120 patients 1096 (97.9%) had allergic rhinitis, 602 (53.8%) had asthma, 507 (45.3%) had allergic rhinitis only, and 10 (0.9%) had allergic asthma only. Among the 1096 patients with allergic rhinitis 585 (53.4%) suffered from seasonal asthma. Among the 602 patients with asthma 585 (97.2%) suffered from seasonal rhinitis, and 183 of the 602 patients (30.8%) needed emergency treatment. CONCLUSION: Autumnal pollens are very important causes which induce asthma during autumnal season in northern China.

Clinical features of hereditary angioedema in Chinese patients: new findings and differences from other populations.

BACKGROUND: Hereditary angioedema (HAE), caused by C1 inhibitor deficiency, is characterized by recurrent subcutaneous or submucosal swelling. Because it is rare, data on clinical features, especially in Chinese patients, are not comprehensive. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to identify the characteristics of HAE in a Chinese population and enhance clinical knowledge of this disease. METHODS: One hundred and fifty-eight symptomatic patients were studied retrospectively. Data were obtained from medical records. Statistical analyses were performed using statistical software package: R version 2.14.0. RESULTS: The majority of patients first experienced attacks during the second (42%) and third (32%) decades: the mean onset of symptoms was at the age of 21.25 years. The percentage of patients having experienced a swelling at least once for the following sites were: extremities (83.54%); pharyngolarynx (58.86%); face (55.06%); gastrointestinal tract (34.17%); trunk (18.35%) and genitalia (15.33%). Rare manifestations included melaena, swollen gastric mucosa inverting into the oesophagus, pleural effusion, dysuria and syncope. For patients who first experienced swelling in pre-adolescence, 41.67% noted intensified attack rates when they entered puberty. In pregnancy, 61.70% did not note a change in HAE attack frequency. CONCLUSION: Compared with previous studies, the mean age of symptom onset is older. The frequencies of abdominal attacks occurring in patients on the Chinese Mainland, as well as in Taiwan and Japan, appears much lower than in western countries. Ethnic or environmental differences may contribute to this finding. Melaena and gastric mucosa inverting into the oesophagus secondary to edema are first reported here.

[Effects of Xianling Gubao capsules for the treatment of bone loss induced by glucocorticoid].

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical effects of Xianling Gubao capsules for the treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. METHODS: From 2005.6 to 2007.8, 50 patients with primary glomerulonephritis treated with glucocorticoids were divided into two groups randomly. The treatment group were dealed with Xianling Gubao capsules and the control group with calcitriol and Caltrate D 600. TCM Synrdome integral before and after treatment were estimated. And the bone mineral density (BMD) of lumbar spine and femoral neek was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptionm etry (DEXA). Osteo-calcin, intact parathyroidhormone (IPTH), urine excretion of calcium and phosphorus, serum calcium and phosphorus were detected before and after treatment, and adverse effects were investigated too. RESULTS: TCM Synrdome integral in two groups decresed apparently (P<0.05), which decresed more apparently in the treatment group than that in control group (P<0.05). BMD of lumbar spine and femoral neek increased in two groups (P<0.05), but there were no statistical deferences between them (P>0.05). Serum osteocalcin after treatment reduced significantly in two groups (P<0.05) compared with pre-treatment,but there were no statistical deferences between the treatment and the control group (P>0.05). In the control group, serum calcium after treatment increased significantly (P<0.05), but there were no statistical deferences compared with the treatment group (P>0.05). There were no statistical deferences in intact parathyroidhormone, urine excretion of calcium and phosphorus, serum phosphorus in the treatment and the control group before and after therapy. CONCLUSION: Both the treatment group and the control group have clinical effects in prevention and treatment of GC-induced osteoporosis, but the treatment group has more remarkable therapeutic effect and less adverse effects.