TY  - JOUR
A1  - Lauruschkat, Chris D.
A1  - Etter, Sonja
A1  - Schnack, Elisabeth
A1  - Ebel, Frank
A1  - Schäuble, Sascha
A1  - Page, Lukas
A1  - Rümens, Dana
A1  - Dragan, Mariola
A1  - Schlegel, Nicolas
A1  - Panagiotou, Gianni
A1  - Kniemeyer, Olaf
A1  - Brakhage, Axel A.
A1  - Einsele, Hermann
A1  - Wurster, Sebastian
A1  - Loeffler, Juergen
T1  - Chronic occupational mold exposure drives expansion of Aspergillus-reactive type 1 and type 2 T-helper cell responses
JF  - Journal of Fungi
N2  - Occupational mold exposure can lead to Aspergillus-associated allergic diseases including asthma and hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Elevated IL-17 levels or disbalanced T-helper (Th) cell expansion were previously linked to Aspergillus-associated allergic diseases, whereas alterations to the Th cell repertoire in healthy occupationally exposed subjects are scarcely studied. Therefore, we employed functional immunoassays to compare Th cell responses to A. fumigatus antigens in organic farmers, a cohort frequently exposed to environmental molds, and non-occupationally exposed controls. Organic farmers harbored significantly higher A. fumigatus-specific Th-cell frequencies than controls, with comparable expansion of Th1- and Th2-cell frequencies but only slightly elevated Th17-cell frequencies. Accordingly, Aspergillus antigen-induced Th1 and Th2 cytokine levels were strongly elevated, whereas induction of IL-17A was minimal. Additionally, increased levels of some innate immune cell-derived cytokines were found in samples from organic farmers. Antigen-induced cytokine release combined with Aspergillus-specific Th-cell frequencies resulted in high classification accuracy between organic farmers and controls. Aspf22, CatB, and CipC elicited the strongest differences in Th1 and Th2 responses between the two cohorts, suggesting these antigens as potential candidates for future bio-effect monitoring approaches. Overall, we found that occupationally exposed agricultural workers display a largely balanced co-expansion of Th1 and Th2 immunity with only minor changes in Th17 responses.
KW  - mold exposure
KW  - immunoassay
KW  - biomarker
KW  - Aspergillus
KW  - cytokines
KW  - inflammation
KW  - adaptive immunity
KW  - hypersensitivity
Y1  - 2021
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-245202
SN  - 2309-608X
VL  - 7
IS  - 9
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Macdougall, Iain C.
A1  - Bircher, Andreas J.
A1  - Eckhardt, Kai-Uwe
A1  - Obrador, Gregorio T.
A1  - Pollock, Carol A.
A1  - Stenvinkel, Peter
A1  - Swinkels, Dorine W.
A1  - Wanner, Christoph
A1  - Weiss, Günter
A1  - Chertow, Glenn M.
T1  - Iron management in chronic kidney disease: conclusions from a "Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes" (KDIGO) Controversies Conference
JF  - Kidney International
N2  - Before the introduction of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) in 1989, repeated transfusions given to patients with end-stage renal disease caused iron overload, and the need for supplemental iron was rare. However, with the widespread introduction of ESAs, it was recognized that supplemental iron was necessary to optimize hemoglobin response and allow reduction of the ESA dose for economic reasons and recent concerns about ESA safety. Iron supplementation was also found to be more efficacious via intravenous compared to oral administration, and the use of intravenous iron has escalated in recent years. The safety of various iron compounds has been of theoretical concern due to their potential to induce iron overload, oxidative stress, hypersensitivity reactions, and a permissive environment for infectious processes. Therefore, an expert group was convened to assess the benefits and risks of parenteral iron, and to provide strategies for its optimal use while mitigating the risk for acute reactions and other adverse effects.
KW  - chronic kidney disease
KW  - hypersensitivity
KW  - infections
KW  - iron
KW  - overload
KW  - oxidative stress
Y1  - 2016
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-191467
VL  - 89
IS  - 1
ER  -