Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the upper respiratory tract, which has an increasing prevalence worldwide. The aim of this study was to explore the associated immune cell infiltration and molecular mechanisms of AR based on a bioinformatics analysis. Methods: GSE43497 and GSE50223 datasets for whole blood and CD4+ T cells, respectively were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differences in AR-associated immune cell infiltration were analyzed using CIBERSORT. A gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed using clusterProfiler software. Results: There was an upregulation in the proportion of CD8+ T cells, whereas there was a significant down-regulation of neutrophils in the whole blood of allergen-treated AR patients compared to diluent-treated patients. A correlation was identified between immune cells and immune-related genes. NF-kappa B and Toll-like receptor signaling pathways were also positively regulated in AR patients following allergen treatment. CD4+ T cell genes and associated cytokines significantly differed in allergen-treated AR patients compared to healthy and diluent-treated AR patients. Conclusion: Our analysis revealed that T cell receptor signaling pathways and Th1/Th2 cell differentiation may be involved in the mechanism of AR development. This study is the first bioinformatic analysis identifying immune cell infiltration and its underlying mechanism in AR from combined microarray data and provides novel insight for further research into the molecular mechanisms of AR.

Changes in sensitization rates in patients with asthma and/or rhinitis in China between 2008 and 2018: a national cross-sectional studyWanjun Wang1*, Jianhong Wang2*, Guihua Song3*, Hua Xie4*, Xiaoping Lin4*, Ruonan Chai4*, Rongfei Zhu5*, Yong He6*, Jun Tang7*, Junge Wang8*, Jinghua Yang9*, Lili Zhi10*, Lin Wu11*, Yan Jiang12*, Xiaoqin Zhou13*, Dongming Huang14*, Ning Wang15*, Rui Xu16*, Yuan Gao17*, Zhimin Chen18*, Jinling Liu18*, Xiaoli Han19*, Guolin Tan20*, Jinzhun Wu21*, Deyu Zhao22*, Jianjun Chen23*, Xiwei Zhang24*, Mengrong Li24*, Yuemei Sun25*, Yi Jiang26*, Weitian Zhang27*, Qianhui Qiu28*, Chuanhe Liu29*, Jie Yin30*, Guodong Hao31*, Huabin Li32*, Yongsheng Xu33*, Shaohua Chen34*, Hua Zhang35, Shi Chen36, Juan Meng37, Dan Zeng38, Wei Tang39, Chuangli Hao40, Jing Li1†, Nanshan Zhong1†, for the China Alliance of Research on Respiratory Allergic Disease*Contributed equally†Joint corresponding authors1 National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University;2 The First People’s Hospital of Yibin, Sichuan;3 The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine;4 General Hospital of Northern Theater Command;5 Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science&Technology;6 The Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Ningbo University;7 Foshan First people’s hospital;8 Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine;9 GuangDong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine;10 The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Shandong Institute of Respiratory Diseases;11 Hangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese;12 The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University;13 Hubei Province Maternal and Child Health Hospital;14 Boai Hospital of Zhongshan City;15 Xi’an Children’s Hospital;16 The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun-Yat University;17 The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University;18 Children’s Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health;19 Hebei General Hospital;20 Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University;21 The Women and Children’s Hospital affiliated to Xiamen University;22 Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University;23 Union hospital of Tongji medical college;24 The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University;25 Yu Huang Ding Hospital;26 The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University;27 Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital;28 Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University;29 Children’s Hospital Capital Institute of Pediatrics;30 Chengdu First People’s Hospital;31 Tangshan Gongren Hospital;32 ENT Institute and Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University;33 Children’s Hospital of Tianjin University;34 Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital;35 The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University;36 Hainan provincial people’s Hospital;37 West China Hospital of Sichuan University;38 Chongqing General Hospital, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences;39 Ruijin Hospital of Shanghai Jiaotong University;40 Children’s Hospital of Soochow University.

Background: The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of COVID-19 related treatment delay on subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) efficacy in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). Methods: The study was performed in 643 patients with SCIT appointments between February 1 and May 31, 2020. The clinical assessment, performed at baseline (V0) and one year later (V1), included visual analogue scale (VAS); daily symptom score (dSS); daily medication score (dMS); combined symptom and medication scores (CSMS); quality of life (QoL); self-rating anxiety scale (SAS); and self-rating depression scale (SDS) for each patient. Results: At V0, 249 patients were treated on schedule, and 394 were delayed (7 ± 4.68 weeks). Among them, 319 patients (105 on schedule, and 214 delayed) also completed the assessments at V1, with the absence of 25.39% patients due to completion of SCIT, and 25.35% patients were withdrawal. The results of all assessments were within the normal range for all patients at V0 and V1, with the exception of a slightly higher SDS score (56.13) at V0. In the SCIT delayed group. there was a significant positive correlation between the length (weeks) of the delay and SDS score, and this was significantly higher in patients with poor control of nasal symptoms. Conclusions: This study showed the long-term efficacy of SCIT for AR patients, including those who have had to delay normal therapy due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The psychological status of SCIT patients in response to lockdown of hospital services during this critical period should be considered.