Oscilometría: de la teoría a la práctica / Oscillometry: from theory to practice

La oscilometría es una herramienta que, poco a poco, se está abriendo paso en las consultas de neumología y alergología. Se trata de una técnica sencilla de realizar para el paciente, que, además, aporta información adicional a las pruebas de función respiratoria clásicas. No solamente nos indica la alteración que existe en la vía aérea, sino que localiza a qué altura se produce (central o periférica). El objetivo es acercar esta técnica al personal sanitario y hacer más sencilla su interpretación. (AU)

Oscillometry is a tool that is gradually making its way into the daily routine of pneumology and allergology. It is a simple technique for the patient, which also provides additional information to the classic respiratory function tests. It not only indicates if there is an alteration in the airway, but also locates where it occurs (central or peripheral). The aim is to bring this technique closer to healthcare professionals and facilitate its interpretation. (AU)

Allergy to Gibberellin-regulated proteins in an adolescent: A case of orange-induced anaphylaxis mediated by cofactors / Alergia a proteínas reguladas por giberelinas en un adolescente: un caso de anafilaxia inducida por naranja mediada por cofactores

This report is a case of anaphylaxis in an adolescent due to allergy to gibberellin-regulated proteins mediated by cofactors, in probable relation to a pollen/food allergy syndrome. It should also emphasizes the importance of obtaining a faithful clinical history, especially when it comes to adolescent patients as they tend to initiate toxic habits.(AU)

Real-life experience after 3 months with tezepelumab before marketing approval / Experiencia de la vida real después de 3 meses con tezepelumab antes de la aprobación de comercialización

Background: Tezepelumab is a monoclonal antibody targeting thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), implicated in asthma pathogenesis, and that has been approved for patients with severe uncontrolled asthma in Spain in October 2023. This study evaluates our experience with Tezepelumab for those patients who received the indicated drug off-label prior to its commercialization. Methods: We conducted a real-life observational study on three patients from the Severe Asthma Unit of the Hospital Universitario de Fuenlabrada, Spain, who received Tezepelumab off-label before its official approval. We analyzed symptoms control based on ACT, exacerbations, reductions in the doses of oral corticosteroid, lung function, blood changes and safety at 3 months of treatment. Results: Tezepelumab demonstrated efficacy in improving asthma control and a notable reduction in emergency department visits. OCS use decreased, with one patient halving their prednisone dose. Lung function, particularly FEV1 and FEV1/FVC parameters, improved, but no significant changes were observed in FeNO levels, blood eosinophil counts and total IgE. The treatment exhibited a favorable safety profile with no reported adverse effects during the study period. Conclusions: In this preliminary real-world experience prior to the official approval of tezepelumab in Spain, this monoclonal antibody showed promising results and suggests its potential as a valuable alternative for the treatment of severe asthma.(AU)

Primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of food allergy: current practices and future directions / Prevención primaria, secundaria y terciaria de la alergia alimentaria: prácticas actuales y direcciones futuras

The incidence of food allergies has risen around the globe, and experts have been exploring methods of preventing such allergies in young children to ease the burden of disease and reduce the morbidity and mortality caused by anaphylaxis to food allergens. Such preventative measures can be categorised as primary, secondary and tertiary prevention, which are discussed in detail in this review. Primary prevention is defined as the prevention of becoming sensitised towards specific allergens. The evidence suggests that avoiding common allergenic foods during pregnancy and breastfeeding is not protective against food allergies, and guidelines recommend weaning from 4 to 6 months of age, with recent studies supporting the early introduction of peanuts at 4 months to prevent peanut allergy. Secondary prevention targets patients who are already sensitised and aims to halt the progression of sensitisation, with evidence for high rates of success and safety in trials of early introduction to milk and peanuts using oral immunotherapy in sensitised infants. Tertiary allergy prevention focuses on reducing the risk of a patient having anaphylaxis, with oral immunotherapy being the most common method of promoting tolerance in allergic children. Several studies have demonstrated successful reintroduction for milk, egg and peanut; however, no such guidelines are recommended for other foods. Finally, dietary advancement therapy in the form of milk and egg ladders has been employed as a method of primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of allergies, particularly in Ireland, the UK and Canada.(AU)

Special Issue "Immunoanalytical and Bioinformatics Methods in Immunology Research".

To effectively control and prevent diseases on a global scale, it is essential to employ precise, sensitive, selective, and rapid immunoanalytical methods [...].

Failure to launch? Or a 30-year career detour? A users' manual for supporting second-career scientists in your immunology lab.

Laboratory science sometimes looks like it's built exclusively for young people, but if you look closely, you'll find another group of scientists waiting to join your lab: those of us who didn't quite launch our careers on a normal trajectory. Welcoming a second-career scientist into your lab takes time and resources, but may just be well worth it. Here's what one second-career scientist wants you to know about supporting second careers in immunology.

The immunology ecosystem in South Africa: striking an equitable balance between fostering discovery, promoting translation and capacity building.

In the vast and diverse continent of Africa, the field of immunology holds immense significance as it navigates the complex landscape of infectious diseases and public health challenges. In this article, we speak with Professor Clive Gray, who provides powerful and valuable insights into the unique research opportunities and immunological advancements supported by Africa's unique blend of social, economic and environmental factors and also discusses the societal and cultural challenges that need to be overcome for equitable research to be achieved across the continent.

Singapore's diverse immunology landscape: interconnected research networks enabling blue sky ideas through to translation.

Singapore stands as a dynamic hub for cutting-edge immunological research and innovation. The country's vibrant research ecosystem is supported by collaborative networks across the many national medical and scientific research institutes, fostering meaningful alliances between academia and industry. In this article, we speak to Assistant Professor Jinmiao Chen from the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR) and Professor Nicholas Gascoigne from the National University of Singapore (NUS), Duke-NUS Medical School and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) about immunology in Singapore. Credit: Kate Forbes.

Recent history of Veterinary Immunology in Australia.

This Commentary article reviews the history of veterinary immunology in Australia from the 1980s and discusses the key people and areas of research during this period.

Linfocitos B instruidos por bacterias potencian la capacidad citotóxica de linfocitos T CD8 naïve / [B lymphocytes instructed by bacteria enhance the cytotoxic capacity of naïve CD8 T lymphocytes]

Los linfocitos B desempeñan un papel bien conocido en la respuesta inmunitaria adaptativa, tanto a nivel humoral mediante la producción de anticuerpos y citoquinas como durante la activación de los linfocitos T CD4. Sin embargo, su capacidad para capturar, procesar y activar linfocitos T CD8 naïve mediante presentación cruzada (“cross-presentation”) es un campo en que los mecanismos moleculares que regulan dicha capacidad no están definidos. De forma previa, se sabía que las células B son capaces de incrementar las respuestas citotóxicas de linfocitos T CD8 durante la infección. En este trabajo recientemente publicado en EMBO Reports con Raquel García-Ferreras como primera autora, del laboratorio del Dr. Esteban Veiga en el Centro Nacional de biotecnología (CNB, Madrid), se demuestra cómo los linfocitos B capturan bacterias vía endocitosis a través de contactos con células dendríticas infectadas, siendo la transfagocitosis pues la vía preferida. Estos linfocitos B así instruidos procesan los componentes bacterianos mediante autofagia y presentan los antígenos producidos a linfocitos T CD8, que van a mejorar su capacidad citotóxica y por tanto su actividad para eliminar células diana. Para entender los mecanismos moleculares que regulan esto procesos los autores han utilizado diferentes modelos de ratón y cepas bacterianas derivadas de L monocytogenes, determinando mediante citometría de flujo y microscopía confocal la capacidad de presentación antigénica de los linfocitos B y la proliferación de los linfocitos T CD8. La transfagocitosis de dichas bacterias conlleva el uso de autofagia y esto ocurre mediante el aumento en la expresión de moléculas co-estimuladoras y del MHC-I y es dependiente de la autofagia no clásica. Las células CD8 citotóxicas entrenadas por los linfocitos B son así más efectivas en el reconocimiento de células tumorales que expresan antígenos específicos. ... (AU)