Iranian Journal of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology

Polyethylene glycols (PEG) or macrogols are polymers of ethylene oxide widely used in drugs either as active substances or, more commonly, as excipients. We report a Caucasian 32-year-old woman with referred anaphylaxis almost instantly after oral intake of a macrogol-containing laxative. Despite an anaphylactic reaction, the patient showed negative results for both the skin test and specific IgE to monomer, while the basophil activation test and oral challenge were positive. The patient was later successfully vaccinated with a polysorbate 80-containing SARS-CoV-2 vaccine following an additional work-up...

Mutations in the SLC29A3 gene cause histiocytosis-lymphadenopathy plus (H) syndrome, a rare autosomal recessive genetic condition that affects numerous systems. We present a 7-year-old Syrian patient with pericardial effusion whose acute phase reactants did not decrease despite treatment. In order to emphasize the variety and raise awareness of H syndrome in the hopes of achieving an early diagnosis and appropriate treatment, molecular investigation of SLC29A3-related disorders is crucial. H syndrome is an uncommon genetic condition with a broad spectrum of phenotypes...

Primary immunodeficiencies are a diverse group of rare genetic disorders, among which phagocytic dysfunction impairs neutrophil function in a wide range of inherited disorders. Due to the heterogeneity of the disorders a multidisciplinary approach is often required for early diagnosis and initiation of appropriate treatments. The aim of this study was to evaluate the imaging findings in children admitted with phagocytic primary immunodeficiencies. Thirty-five children who fulfilled the inclusion criteria for phagocytic dysfunction were enrolled in this study...

Despite studies indicating that asthma patients do not exhibit a higher mortality rate or severity compared to the general population when infected with COVID-19, there have been few reports on predictive factors for mortality in this context. This study aimed to assess the predictive value of systemic inflammation indices including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte (MLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte (PLR), systemic inflammation response index (SIR-I), and systemic inflammation index (SII) in determining mortality rate among patients with COVID-19 and asthma...

The reactivation of polyomavirus BK (BKPyV) contributes to increased morbidity and mortality rates of transplant patients, especially kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). CD4+ T cells are important immune cells active during BKPyV infection in KTRs. This research tried to examine the phenotype of CD4+ T cells in the stage of BKPyV activation in KTRs.The re cipients were separated into 2 groups of BKPyV-active and nonactive KTRs (10 patients in each group) and were compared with 10 healthy control subjects. The viral load was evaluated by Taq-man quantitative real-time PCR...

Sulfur mustard (SM) or mustard gas is a blister chemical agent that causes pulmonary damage by triggering inflammation and oxidative injury. Alterations in microRNA (miR) transcript levels are found in pulmonary diseases and even inflammation. Therefore, we evaluated the expression levels of miR-20a-5p, miR-21-5p, and two target transcripts (transforming growth factor-beta [TGF-β1] and TGF-β receptor 2 [TGFR2]) in lung, serum, and skin samples from patients exposed to SM. Total RNA was extracted from lung, serum, and skin samples of patients with moderate (n=10) and high (n=10) SM exposure, as well as 10 healthy subjects...

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and destruction of the joints. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the expression of microRNA (miR)-155-5p, miR-210-3p, and miR-16-5p in the plasma of patients with rheumatoid arthritis in comparison with a healthy control group to attain an expression profile for earlier diagnosis and treatment. To carry out this study, 100 individuals were chosen as two equally sized groups of rheumatoid arthritis patients and healthy controls...

COVID-19, an acute respiratory syndrome caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, was first reported in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, and rapidly escalated into a global pandemic. The condition can lead to organ dysfunction and ultimately death through its onset of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Disease severity has been linked to proinflammatory cytokines which activate the NF-κB and STAT transcription factors in infected cells. It has been proven that lncRNAs play a very important role in reducing or increasing inflammatory factors...

Asthma is one of the most prevalent chronic lung diseases that afflict genetically predisposed individuals. Certain cytokine gene polymorphisms have been associated with asthma. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) is a potent inflammatory cytokine that can modulate nonspecific inflammation to influence asthma. This study aimed to define the relationship between the TNF gene polymorphism at position -308 and asthma susceptibility, as well as atopic and non-atopic asthma. Using polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primers, we investigated genotype frequencies and alleles of a polymorphic gene coding for TNF-α in 86 pediatric patients with asthma and 470 healthy controls of the same race...

Asthma is a chronic disorder characterized by airway overreaction and remodeling, eosinophilia, and neutrophilic inflammation, accompanied by thickening of the airways and breathlessness. Teucrium polium (TP) is a plant with anti-inflammatory properties and is considered for the treatment of allergic disorders. In this study, we examined the effects of TP extract on ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma. Thirty female mice (5-6 weeks old) were divided into 5 groups of 6 each, including a control group and 4 groups treated with OVA, OVA + TP extract (50 mg/kg), OVA + TP extract (150 mg/kg), OVA + TP extract (300 mg/kg)...

Evaluation and monitoring of pemphigus vulgaris (PV) typically involve autoantibody detection by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and indirect immunofluorescence (IIF). We aimed to determine the levels of antipemphigus immunoglobulin (Ig) G autoantibodies using ELISA and IIF (as standard biomarkers), and compare it to prolactin, macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), and C-reactive protein (CRP) (as nonstandard biomarkers) to determine which of these non-standard biomarkers is appropriate for PV monitoring...

Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis (HSPN) is a common vasculitis that mostly affects children, and previous studies have indicated that genetic factors may influence disease susceptibility. The aim of this study was to evaluate a possible association of three interleukin-2 (IL-2) gene polymorphisms (rs3136534, rs2069776, and rs2069762) with HSPN in the Chinese population. A total of 81 patients with HSPN and 200 healthy children were enrolled. The distribution of genotypes, allelic frequencies, and haplotype frequencies among the three IL-2 polymorphisms were analyzed using the Sequenom MassARRAY system by means of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry method...

T cell dysregulation and shift to T helper 2 responses, boosting tumor microenvironment support, contributes to the survival of leukemic B cells in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. Interleukin (IL)-25 is involved in the initiation of T helper 2 cell responses. Signal transduction of IL-25 begins with the heterodimer receptor (IL-17RA/IL-17RB). The presence of IL-25 in the tumor microenvironment may affect the supportive effects of T cells in the surrounding tumor cell environment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of IL-25 in the biology of CLL...

Asthma is a common chronic airway inflammation that produces a healthcare burden on the economy. We aim to obtain a better understanding of the clinical status and disease burden of patients with asthma in China. A retrospective study was carried out based on the computerized medical records in the Jinan Health Medical Big Data Platform between 2011 and 2019 (available data from 38 hospitals). The asthma severity of each patient was assessed retrospectively and categorized as mild, moderate, or severe according to Global Initiative for Asthma 2020 (GINA 2020)...

Ziziphus Jujuba Mill (Z.J) is a well-known ethnomedical source of biologically active compounds with anti-inflammatory effects. However, its significance in acute lung injury (ALI) has never been studied. The present study aimed to explore whether Z.J could attenuate lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory responses in an experimental model of ALI. Male BALB/c mice received an intratracheal administration of LPS (n=32) or phosphate buffer saline (PBS) (control, n=8). Within 1, 11, and 23 h post-LPS injection, mice were randomly assigned to receive intraperitoneal treatments of saline, dexamethasone (2 mg/kg), and 100 and 200 mg/kg of Z...

Asthma is a common chronic allergic disease that affects a significant percentage of the world's population. Niosomes are nanoparticles consisting of non-ionic surfactants that can be used for drug delivery. This research was designed to investigate the impacts of inhalation of simple and niosomal forms of myrtenol against adverse consequences of asthma in rats. Asthma induction was performed via injection of ovalbumin, followed by its inhalation. Niosomes were created by a heating protocol, and their physicochemical features were evaluated...

Compared to common asthma, obese asthma is difficult to control. Previous studies have shown that vitamin D (Vit D) has a therapeutic effect on asthma. Nevertheless, the action mechanism of Vit D for obese asthma are not well known. In this study, we, therefore, induced obesity and established an obese asthma mouse model using ovalbumin (OVA) stimulation and applied treatment with Vit D (100 ng/kg). Accordingly, thirty mice were randomly divided into 5 equal groups of normal control, asthma, obese asthma, asthma+Vit D, and obese asthma+ Vit D...

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been the most significant health concern in recent years, with respiratory symptoms being the most prominent. In children, asthma is the most prevalent chronic disease. Due to the similarities between the symptoms of these two conditions, we sought to assess the general health status of pediatric patients with asthma and their COVID-19-related difficulties during the first year of the pandemic in Iran. We collected data for this study by administering a questionnaire to the parents of 200 children with asthma who were registered in the database of the Asthma Clinic at a tertiary medical center in Tehran, Iran...

An imbalance between regulatory T (Treg) and T-helper (Th)-17 cells has been implicated in the pathogenesis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) exert immunomodulatory properties through secreting exosomes. This study aimed to assess the effect of MSC-derived exosomes (MSC-Exo) on the differentiation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) into  Tregs from patients with COVID-19. Exosomes were isolated from adipose tissue-derived MSCs. PBMCs were separated from the whole blood of COVID-19 patients (n=20)...

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), described as World War 3, is the current worldwide health challenge and nearly all countries have so far faced this disaster. There is still no cure because of the complicated pathogenesis, however, there are several studies on track investigating different aspects of the immune response to the virus. In this review, we will provide an overview of recent investigations that have analyzed immune cells in patients with COVID-19. We will then discuss the differences in immune profiles between healthy controls and various clinical presentations, including asymptomatic, mild, moderate, and severe cases...