Julian Kaye, PhD

Researchers reported no treatment effects after 12 weeks in a population of patients with persistent moderate to severe allergic asthma.

Glucocorticosteroids have been shown to be effective for treating chronic rhinosinusitis associated with allergic rhinitis and nasal polyps. There are several formulations of topical and oral agents available to clinicians.

Do asthma and COPD share enough characteristics such as reduced rate of airflow resulting from increased inflammation, along with similar responses to some forms of treatment, reduce the importance of differential diagnosis?

Research into the pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis has shed new light on the association between asthma and CRS while also providing new insight into CRS disease endotypes, enabling clinicians to individualize treatment regimens.

A pilot program that uses text message medication reminders has led to reduced asthma exacerbations and fewer hospitalizations among participating inner-city adolescents.

Although the mechanisms of disease severity for this form of asthma are not fully understood, progress has been made in identifying promising targets for new treatments.

Successful applications of nanotechnology in the field of immunology will enable new generations of vaccines, adjuvants, and immunomodulatory drugs that aim to improve clinical outcomes in response in a range of infectious and non-infectious diseases.

Due to its ambiguous etiology, the low cost-to-benefit ratio associated with many laboratory tests used in assessment and diagnosis, and the low-to-moderate strength of evidence supporting many pharmacologic approaches to treatment, chronic urticaria can be one of the most difficult inflammatory skin conditions for clinicians to manage.

A review of the various guidelines on the treatment of chronic urticaria shows there is limited evidence demonstrating the efficacy of many commonly used medications, with the strongest evidence supporting the use of one or more second-generation antihistamines.

Research shows that although mast cells are key effector cells in the pathogenesis of urticaria, targeting individual mast cell mediators is often not therapeutically effective

With reimbursement increasingly tied to quality measures and other metrics, the question of whether best practices actually produce improved outcomes has taken on greater importance for clinicians and their patients.

Improved control of allergic rhinitis with allergy immunotherapy can mitigate the development and severity of other allergic and respiratory diseases, leading to a reduction in the use of outpatient services.

New research suggests that patients with allergic rhinitis face significantly lower risks for heart attacks, cerebrovascular disease, and all-cause mortality.

Compared with placebo, teriflunomide was shown to significantly reduce the occurrence of relapses with sequelae and relapses treated with corticosteroids in a post-hoc analysis of pivotal clinical trial data.

While phenotypes of multiple sclerosis (MS) are well-established, there remains heterogeneity among patients that fit existing clinical definitions.

Oral dimethyl fumarate (BG-12) is in development for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), though experimental evidence already suggests it may provide anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective effects by activating the transcription factor Nrf2.

Better understanding of the processes of cortical rewiring and recruitment will enable researchers to develop more effective treatments for multiple sclerosis.

Results from the multicenter SET study suggest that smoking, response to Epstein Barr virus, and other environmental factors contribute to disease progression in multiple sclerosis.

MRI studies show comorbid depression and fatigue may have an effect on gray matter atrophy in specific regions of the brain in patients with multiple sclerosis.

MRI data shows that multiple sclerosis patients with central neuropathic pain often have lesions focused in the center of the mid-thoracic spinal cord.

Electronic data can be used to create "virtual cohorts" to rapidly implement studies of MS disease activity, comorbidities, pharmacogenomics, and presymptomatic disease.

More than 90% of participants in the Therapy Optimization in Multiple Sclerosis (TOP MS) study were still on their original disease modifying therapy at one year follow-up.

Fernando Figueira, MD, and his associates from the Hospital São Francisco, in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, called for expanded requirements for "disease-free" designation in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in a Multiple Sclerosis Treatment poster session at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 2013 Annual Meeting.

In the Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Safety poster session at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 2013 Annual Meeting, Barry Singer, a neurologist at the Missouri Baptist Medical Center, in St. Louis, and founder and director of the MS Center for Innovations in Care, and his co-authors presented an analysis of infection rates in three placebo-controlled teriflunomide studies.

In the Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Safety poster session at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 2013 Annual Meeting, Paul O'Connor, of St. Michael's Hospital, in Toronto, and his colleagues presented a study designed to determine whether immune responses to seasonal influenza vaccination are preserved in teriflunomide-treated patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS).

Seminar at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting discusses the systematic approach to diagnosing patients with MS, initial medication selection, and changing treatments.

Disease activity, patient preference, and other factors should be considered when selecting DMT for the treatment of multiple sclerosis.

Study results suggest that age and timing of treatment initiation with interferon beta therapy may play a larger role than relapse in long-term disability in patients with multiple sclerosis.