Allergy and Immunology Research

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "Pathogens-host Immune Interface".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2022) | Viewed by 11537

Special Issue Editor

Department of Cardiology, University of Patras Medical School, 26221 Patras, Greece
Interests: Kounis syndrome; coronary artery disease; coronary artery spasm; myocardial ischemia
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Allergy or hypersensitivity is a medical discipline that studies diseases caused by hypersensitivity of the immune system. The underlying mechanism involves antigens, high and low affinity FCεRI, FCεRII, FCγRI, FCγTII receptors, basophils, masts cells, and other interrelated and interacting inflammatory cells including eosinophils, T-lymphocytes, dendritic cells, and macrophages. Mechanisms activating the complement system and generating anaphylatoxins C1q, C3a C4, and C5a and Factor B, which can activate mast cells and the Mas-related G protein-coupled receptor X2 (MRGPRX2) that may activate mast cells via non-FCR receptors also participate in the immunity cascade. The result is anaphylaxis, allergic angina and allergic myocardial infarction (Kounis syndrome), allergic asthma, atopic dermatitis, food allergies, food poisoning, and hay fever.

Immunology, on the other hand, studies diseases which affect not only the immune system but also other diseases where immune reactions play a part in the pathology and clinical features. Immunodeficiency, autoimmunity, and hypersensitivities are the three broad categories where many diseases are caused by disorders of the immune system. They include chronic granulomatous diseases, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s disease, myasthenia gravis, asthma, allergies, AIDS, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and allografts associated with transplant rejection.

This Special Issue aims to collect recent research on the mechanisms and pathophysiology of all the above diseases, which will aid in applying new prevention and treatment modalities on allergic and other immune-related disorders. 

Prof. Dr. Nicholas G Kounis
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • vaccines for allergy
  • allergy or hypersensitivity
  • immunology
  • chronic granulomatous diseases
  • systemic lupus erythematosus
  • rheumatoid arthritis
  • Hashimoto’s disease
  • myasthenia gravis
  • asthma
  • allergies
  • AIDS
  • human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
  • allografts associated with transplant rejection
  • allergic and other immune-related disorders
  • mechanisms and pathophysiology
  • prevention and treatment modalities

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 2534 KiB  
Article
Preclinical Efficacy of a Capsid Virus-like Particle-Based Vaccine Targeting IL-1β for Treatment of Allergic Contact Dermatitis
by Louise Goksøyr, Anders B. Funch, Anna K. Okholm, Thor G. Theander, Willem Adriaan de Jongh, Charlotte M. Bonefeld and Adam F. Sander
Vaccines 2022, 10(5), 828; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/vaccines10050828 - 23 May 2022
Viewed by 2061
Abstract
Hypersensitivity to a contact allergen is one of the most abundant forms of inflammatory skin disease. Today, more than 20% of the general population are sensitized to one or more contact allergens, making this disease an important healthcare issue, as re-exposure to the [...] Read more.
Hypersensitivity to a contact allergen is one of the most abundant forms of inflammatory skin disease. Today, more than 20% of the general population are sensitized to one or more contact allergens, making this disease an important healthcare issue, as re-exposure to the allergen can initiate the clinical disease termed allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). The current standard treatment using corticosteroids is effective, but it has side effects when used for longer periods. Therefore, there is a need for new alternative therapies for severe ACD. In this study, we used the versatile Tag/Catcher AP205 capsid virus-like particle (cVLP) vaccine platform to develop an IL-1β-targeted vaccine and to assess the immunogenicity and in vivo efficacy of the vaccine in a translational mouse model of ACD. We show that vaccination with cVLPs displaying full-length murine IL-1β elicits high titers of neutralizing antibodies, leading to a significant reduction in local IL-1β levels as well as clinical symptoms induced by treatment with 1-Fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DNFB). Moreover, we show that a single amino acid mutation in muIL-1β reduces the biological activity while maintaining the ability to induce neutralizing antibodies. Collectively, the data suggest that a cVLP-based vaccine displaying full-length IL-1β represents a promising vaccine candidate for use as an alternative treatment modality against severe ACD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Allergy and Immunology Research)
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6 pages, 197 KiB  
Communication
Can PPSV-23 Vaccine Impact Exacerbations of Chronic Cough Symptoms and Medication Use in Younger Adult Asthmatics? A Clinical Question That Needs Answering
by Alessandra M. Lanz, Esther Chartrand, Claudia P. Eisenlohr and Miguel J. Lanz
Vaccines 2022, 10(2), 219; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/vaccines10020219 - 30 Jan 2022
Viewed by 1793
Abstract
Symptoms of chronic cough (CC) from the airways are commonly treated with antibiotics, antitussives, bronchodilators, and steroids. There is a wide variability in treatment response, dependent on the exact cough etiology. Our case-series study was composed of 71 nonsmoking adults, 59 females, mean [...] Read more.
Symptoms of chronic cough (CC) from the airways are commonly treated with antibiotics, antitussives, bronchodilators, and steroids. There is a wide variability in treatment response, dependent on the exact cough etiology. Our case-series study was composed of 71 nonsmoking adults, 59 females, mean age 43 (±21) years, with a history of CC-asthma and history of ≥2 exacerbations/year requiring systemic steroids and/or antibiotics. All had decreased Streptococcus pneumoniae antibody titers, with a mean average of 3 of 23 normal serotypes and were subsequently vaccinated with PPSV-23. Pre- and post-12-month vaccination questionnaires were administered, and 35 (54%) reported both decreased CC symptoms and asthma medication use. Baseline comparisons to those with no change in CC symptoms or asthma medication use revealed significantly lower exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) levels (17 ± 10; 62 + 40 ppb), serum eosinophils (192 ± 156; 280 ± 166/mcL), and total IgE (132 ± 167; 275 ± 290 IU/mL) in those with improvement post-vaccination. Higher baseline symptoms scores for upper respiratory infections as a trigger to their CC (* p > 0.05) were found in those responding to PPSV-23. These data reveal a subset of asthma in younger adults, <65 years, with significantly decreased S. pneumoniae antibody titers with less CC symptoms and asthma medication use for exacerbations after PPSV-23 vaccination. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Allergy and Immunology Research)
11 pages, 962 KiB  
Article
Allergy Associated Myocardial Infarction: A Comprehensive Report of Clinical Presentation, Diagnosis and Management of Kounis Syndrome
by Anastasios Roumeliotis, Periklis Davlouros, Maria Anastasopoulou, Grigorios Tsigkas, Ioanna Koniari, Virginia Mplani, Georgios Hahalis and Nicholas G. Kounis
Vaccines 2022, 10(1), 38; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/vaccines10010038 - 29 Dec 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2093
Abstract
Kounis syndrome (KS) has been defined as acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the context of a hypersensitivity reaction. Patients may present with normal coronary arteries (Type I), established coronary artery disease (Type II) or in-stent thrombosis and restenosis (Type III). We searched PubMed [...] Read more.
Kounis syndrome (KS) has been defined as acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the context of a hypersensitivity reaction. Patients may present with normal coronary arteries (Type I), established coronary artery disease (Type II) or in-stent thrombosis and restenosis (Type III). We searched PubMed until 1 January 2020 for KS case reports. Patients with age <18 years, non-coronary vascular manifestations or without an established diagnosis were excluded. Information regarding patient demographics, medical history, presentation, allergic reaction trigger, angiography, laboratory values and management were extracted from every report. The data were pulled in a combined dataset. From 288 patients with KS, 57.6% had Type I, 24.7% Type II and 6.6% Type III, while 11.1% could not be classified. The mean age was 54.1 years and 70.6% were male. Most presented with a combination of cardiac and allergic symptoms, with medication being the most common trigger. Electrocardiographically, 75.1% had ST segment elevation with only 3.3% demonstrating no abnormalities. Coronary imaging was available in 84.8% of the patients, showing occlusive lesions (32.5%), vascular spasm (16.2%) or normal coronary arteries (51.3%). Revascularization was pursued in 29.4% of the cases. In conclusion, allergic reactions may be complicated by ACS. KS should be considered in the differential diagnosis of myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Allergy and Immunology Research)
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Review

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15 pages, 2327 KiB  
Review
Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis following COVID-19 Vaccination: Analysis of 552 Worldwide Cases
by Cesare de Gregorio, Luigi Colarusso, Giuseppe Calcaterra, Pier Paolo Bassareo, Antonio Ieni, Anna Teresa Mazzeo, Giuseppe Ferrazzo, Alberto Noto, Ioanna Koniari, Jawahar L. Mehta and Nicholas G. Kounis
Vaccines 2022, 10(2), 232; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/vaccines10020232 - 03 Feb 2022
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 4984
Abstract
To date, billions of vaccine doses have been administered to restrain the current COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. Rare side effects, including intravascular blood clots, were reported in the general population after vaccination. Among these, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) has been considered the most [...] Read more.
To date, billions of vaccine doses have been administered to restrain the current COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. Rare side effects, including intravascular blood clots, were reported in the general population after vaccination. Among these, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) has been considered the most serious one. To shed further light on such an event, we conducted a literature search for case descriptions of CVST in vaccinated people. Findings were analyzed with emphasis on demographic characteristics, type of vaccine, site of thrombosis, clinical and histopathological findings. From 258 potential articles published till September 2021, 41 studies were retrieved for a total of 552 patients. Of these, 492 patients (89.1%) had received AZD1222/Vaxzevria, 45 (8.2%) BNT162b2/CX-024414 Spikevax, 15 (2.7%) JNJ-78436735, and 2 (0.3%) Covishield vaccine. CVST occurred in 382 women and 170 men (mean aged 44 years), and the median timing from the shot was 9 days (range 2–45). Thrombi were predominantly seen in transverse (84%), sigmoid (66%), and/or superior sagittal (56%) sinuses. Brain injury (chiefly intracranial bleeding) occurred in 32% of cases. Of 426 patients with detailed clinical course, 63% were discharged in good clinical conditions, at times with variable neurological sequelae, whereas 37% deceased, largely due to brain injury. This narrative review confirmed CVST as a rare event after (adenoviral vector) COVID-19 vaccination, with a women/men rate ratio of 2.25. Though the pathogenesis of thrombosis is still under discussion, currently available histopathological findings likely indicate an underlying immune vasculitis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Allergy and Immunology Research)
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