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Objectives: Dupilumab, an anti-IL-4 receptor monoclonal antibody (mAb), was recently approved for the treatment of severe chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). The main objective of this study was to assess whether previous exposure to biological treatment affected the clinical outcomes in CRSwNP and asthma patients, treated with dupilumab over time. A collateral secondary objective was to analyse the effects over time of dupilumab in patients with and without aeroallergen sensitization., Methods: Single-centre retrospective observational study on severe CRSwNP patients treated with dupilumab. Nasal polyp score (NPS), visual analogue scale (VAS) symptom score, sinonasal outcome test (SNOT-22), aeroallergen sensitization, total serum IgE levels, and blood eosinophil counts were assessed at baseline and after 4, 6 and 12 months., Results: 42 patients were included, 40 (95.2%) had asthma. Twenty-one (50%) patients received dupilumab without prior biological treatment (Group A: naive) and 50% switched to dupilumab from previous biological treatment (Group B: pre-treated). NPS, VAS symptoms, SNOT-22 improved significantly after 12 months treatment in both groups of patients ( p  < 0.001). After 12 months, VAS overall symptom score showed a significant reduction from 6 (IQR, 4.6-8.6) and 6 (IQR, 3.8-7.1) for Group A and Group B patients respectively, to 1.2 (IQR, 0.8-2.7) and 1.2 (IQR, 0.2-2.5); NPS from 6 (IQR, 4.0-7.0) and 5 (IQR, 3.5-6.0), respectively, to 1 (IQR, 0.0-2.0) and 0 (IQR, 0.0-3.0) and SNOT-22 from 64 (IQR, 56-78) and 71 (IQR, 47.5-76.0) respectively, to 5.5 (IQR, 4-21) and 6 (IQR, 4-15). IgE reduced from 57 to 22.1 and from 46.9 to 30.2 in Group A and Group B respectively ( p  < 0.001)., Conclusions: Dupilumab improves symptom severity, polyp size, and health-related quality of life, regardless of the presence or absence of comorbid aeroallergen sensitization and previous administration of biologic therapy.

The problems posed by medical education in Spain are diverse. This paper analyzes the system currently used to select candidates who will be admitted to a public faculty of medicine in Spain and some issues arising from the unprecedented increase in both public and private medical schools in our country. The importance of generic competencies in today's medicine and the need to return to a core design in specialist training are other aspects that are discussed. The degree of development of advanced accreditation diplomas and areas of specific competence is also subject to analysis. Finally, the authors emphasize the importance of continuous professional development and the idea of professional recertification as a system that guarantees patients the quality of the care they receive., (Copyright © 2024 SESPAS. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of mepolizumab in patients affected by chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) in real-life. A single-center retrospective observational study was conducted on severe CRSwNP patients treated with mepolizumab. Nasal endoscopic polyp score (NPS), visual analogue scale (VAS) symptom score, sinonasal outcome test (SNOT-22), asthma control test (ACT) score, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), eosinophils blood cells and prednisone intake were assessed at baseline and after 6 months. A total of 55 patients were included; 49 patients (89%) presented with asthma; aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) in 28 patients (51%). A statistically significant decrease in the SNOT-22 score was observed (median difference -63; 95% CI: -68; -58; p < 0.001) with median t0 76 and IQR (61;90) to t6 10 (5;15). A reduction in NPS, median t0 NPS 4; (IQR:4;6), median t6 NPS 1; (IQR:0;1) p < 0.001, was greater in patients with AERD. The median baseline VAS score was 6 (IQR:6;7) and the differences between t0 and t6 were statistically significant p < 0.001. Significant changes in blood eosinophils cells, median t0 500 cell/mcl (IQR:340;830), median t6 97 cell/mcl (IQR:60;160) p < 0.001, were greater in patients with AERD. Mepolizumab treatment effects have been demonstrated with significantly reduced symptoms, polyp scores, blood eosinophils and systemic corticosteroid use, resulting in an increased health-related quality of life in patients with severe CRSwNP, regardless of the presence or absence of asthma or AERD.

Introduction: Rare variants of Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency (AATD) have been described by the Spanish registry of patients with AATD. The great majority of these rare variants are Mmalton alleles and many recent case series of them have been identified in the Canary Islands. The objective of this study was to analyze the distribution of Mmalton mutations in a Canarian population previously studied for the most common deficient alleles, namely PI*S (S) and PI*Z (Z), with PI*M (M) being the normal variant., Methods: A cross-sectional study of 648 patients with allergic asthma was carried out. Mmalton mutation of the SERPINA1 gene was assayed by real-time PCR., Results: Of the 648 patients, 3 (0.46%) were carriers of a Mmalton allele. All of them had low levels of AAT (53.9 mg/dL, 90 mg/dL, and 61 mg/dL, respectively) and were asymptomatic, showing normal lung function, radiological images, and levels of hepatic transaminases., Conclusion: In conclusion, although the most frequent AATD genotypes are Z and S alleles, it is important to consider other rare variants, particularly when low AAT serum levels are observed. Although individuals with the Mmalton mutation usually have a heterogenous clinical presentation and very low levels of AAT, all the patients in this study were asymptomatic.

Summary: The efficacy and safety of subcutaneous immunotherapy with modified, high-dose, major allergen house dust mite extract is widely supported by double-blind, placebo-controlled studies. However, little is known regarding patient-perceived efficacy and satisfaction. An observational, retrospective, multicentre study in patients treated with Acaroid ® was conducted to assess the efficacy and degree of satisfaction of the patients after the first six months of treatment with it. All the clinical study procedures were performed according to the routine clinical practice. This study demonstrates that Acaroid ® is effective and well tolerated. The patients' condition demonstrated a clear and marked improvement in the first 6 months after treatment initiation. Patients treated with Acaroid ® were very satisfied, with a correlation to improvement in patient-perceived symptoms and the administration of treatment by a healthcare professional.

Introduction: Although the efficacy and safety of high dose hypoallergenic mite subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) using a conventional administration schedule has already been demonstrated, there is no reported experience on the safety of these extracts with cluster schedules. We wanted to determine whether the use of a cluster schedule of a hypoallergenic allergen with a high concentration of house dust mite allergens commonly used in normal practice was safe and well-tolerated in patients with dust mite allergy., Material and Methods: Multicentre, observational, retrospective study of dust mite allergic patients treated with a cluster schedule of SCIT (Acaroid; Day 1: 300/300 therapeutic units, TU--Day 8: 1000/1000 TU--Day 15: 3000/3000 TU) in 23 Spanish sites., Results: Cluster schedule was used on 434 patients (40.1% children), with a total of 3256 doses (38.2% in children). There were 88 clinically relevant adverse reactions, 79 out of them local and 9 systemic (but mild-moderate) that amounted to 2.7% of all the administered doses. All the patients fulfilled the cluster schedule., Conclusions: Cluster schedule with high dose hypoallergenic mite-SCIT was safe and well-tolerated in routine clinical practice. Therefore, its use could reduce the costs and time needed to achieve the desired maintenance dose and increase compliance.

The Reverse Enzyme Immunoassay (REIA) method for the detection of specific IgE recently described by us has been applied to the diagnosis of Vespula spp. sensitivity. To do so, 0.5 mg of Vespula venom of commercial origin was conjugated with peroxidase according to a previously described technique. The results obtained from the study of 50 nonallergic patients have demonstrated the specificity of the method in as much as no positive value was found. In addition, only one low positive value was obtained from a group of 47 atopic patients showing no evidence of sensitivity to insect stings. On the contrary, very high ELISA values from a group of 23 patients with suspected sensitivity to insect venom were obtained. With these results, we conclude that this method can constitute an aid in the diagnosis of these patients, besides being a low-cost method free from the interference of blocking antibodies. It is our opinion however, that this method is not as reliable as the RAST.

Acute reaction to food allergens is a fairly common problem that is often seen in the allergist's office, its incidence being specially high in childhood. Milk and eggs are the most common sensitizing foods, but usually the type of food allergens responsible for these reactions varies according to food habits in different countries. Legumes occupy an important role in the Spanish diet, being responsible for a large number of allergic reactions. It has been shown that legumes occupy the fourth place in importance among the food allergens, inducing hypersensitivity reactions in Spanish children. This article describes five patients with clinical features suggestive of being mediated by IgE antibodies specific for different legumes. In all the cases, disorders appeared immediately after the ingestion or even the inhalation of vapours from cooked legumes (lentil, bean or chick-pea). Clinical features consisted of: urticaria, angioedema, abdominal symptoms and rhinoconjunctivitis and/or asthma. The five patients required hospital emergency care on several occasions. Two patients suffered also from seasonal pollinosis with rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma. All the patients complained of these type of disorders with any legume, but lentil was found to induce the most severe reactions and it was therefore selected for this study. The presence of specific IgE antibodies was demonstrated in vivo in all the patients by means of skin prick-test. It was performed using a lentil extract prepared in our laboratory. Negative controls were also included. A reverse enzymeimmunoassay (REIA) revealed the presence of specific IgE antibodies in the sera of the five subjects.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Food allergy is a common disease in our country, especially affecting atopic children. Egg-white hypersensitivity is frequently found in these patients. However, egg-yolk hypersensitivity is not usually reported in patients with egg allergy. This article describes a young patient with egg-yolk hypersensitivity, a 12 year old female patient with a medical history of contact urticaria, angioedema and severe acute bronchospasm shortly after the intake of small amounts of egg-yolk. All these episodes required treatment in emergency care units because of the severity of the symptoms. The patient did not describe any other food hypersensitivity and remained symptom-free after the intake of boiled or fried egg-white. She had clinical symptoms of grass pollen hypersensitivity and was therefore on specific immunotherapy at the time of the study. The skin prick-tests were positive to grass pollen and egg-yolk and were negative to mites, moulds, animal dander and to the common food tested (milk, fish, peanut, almond and hazel-nut). Total serum IgE was 1.160 UL/ml. The patient had a positive RAST to egg-white (0.0 PRU/ml) as well as to egg-yolk (8.6 PRU/ml). Furthermore, an indirect enzyme immunoassay as well as a reverse enzyme immunoassay also revealed the presence of specific IgE antibodies. The reverse enzyme immunoassay uses microtiter plates as a solid surface. These plates are coated with a monospecific antihuman IgE antibody. Thereafter, the serum samples are incubated overnight in the wells. After several washings, the presence of specific antibodies is revealed by means of a peroxidase conjugated allergen.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)