WAO Medical Book Review
Posted: February 2012
Biomarkers in Allergy and Asthma
An Issue of Immunology and Allergy Clinics of North America (Volume 27, Issue 4, November 2007)
Edited by Rohit Katial, MD
Copyright 2007 Elsevier Inc
Mario Rodenas, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine
Eastern Connecticut Health Network
Manchester, Connecticut USA
Biomarkers in Allergy and Asthma is an update on the emerging biomarkers in asthma and allergy.
The purpose of this book is to provide the reader with a comprehensive review of various biomarkers involved in the diagnosis and treatment of asthma.
This book is targeted to providers with advance training in asthma, allergy and immunology or pulmonary medicine who have a research interest in asthma.
The text is divided into eight sections. The first section is devoted to exhaled nitric oxide (eNO). The author covers the biology, measurement and interpretation, and factors affecting eNO in order to further discuss the clinical use in different medical conditions. The reader then becomes familiar with the topic of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) which is appropriately followed by the next section that focuses on the EBC pH assays. In this section the reader familiarizes with assay validation and technical issues, normal values and anatomic sources that influence the EBC pH. The chapter finishes addressing the research and clinical utility of EBC pH measurements.
The fourth section is dedicated to asthma biomarkers in the sputum (i.e. sputum eosinophils). The author begins by introducing the concept of sputum eosinophilia as a diagnostic tool for asthma and presents different studies that explore its relation to asthma severity, role of predicting response to glucocorticoids and asthma relapse. The section concludes with comments on eosinophilia and asthma management.
Tissue and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) based biomarkers in neutrophilic, eosinophilic and paucigranunolycitic asthma are explored in the fifth section.
Readers then proceed to briefly examine the topic of bronchoprovocation. The reader's attention shifts to some figures as we are introduced to the next topic: urinary leukotriene E4 (LTE4). Before the section ends, the role of LTE4 as a marker of asthma incidence and severity as well as predictor of response to leukotriene receptor antagonists is explored.
Lastly, the authors examine the pharmacogenetics of the β2-adrenergic receptor gene at the molecular level and its relation to asthma susceptibility and responsiveness to acute and chronic short-acting β-agonist therapy as well as long-acting β-agonist therapy.
This thorough review is successfully achieved by the twelve contributors in less than a hundred pages.
This book would be an excellent resource for the medical professional who carries out asthma research.