Allergic rhino-conjunctivitis with pollen allergy has been prevalent worldwide and Pollen-food allergy syndrome (PFAS) refers to individuals with pollen allergy who develop oral allergy syndrome (OAS) on consuming fruits and vegetables. The prevalence of PFAS varies by region and that in Japanese adolescents remains to be elucidated. In this cross-sectional study, we examined the epidemiological characteristics of PFAS in a general population of Japanese adolescents according to pollen allergy, OAS, and IgE component sensitization. Participants comprised adolescents, at age 13 years, from a prospective birth cohort study in Japan. We administered questionnaires to collect information from parents regarding pollen allergy, PFAS and OAS at each child’s age 13 years. ImmunoCAP ISAC was used to assess IgE component sensitization. Among 506 participants with a complete questionnaire and ISAC measurement results, 56.5% had a history of hay fever, 16.0% had a history of OAS, 51.0% had pollen allergy, and 11.7% had a history of PFAS; additionally, 72.7% were sensitized to one or more tree, grass, and/or weed allergens. The most common sensitization (95.7%) among adolescents with pollen allergy was to Japanese cedar (Cry j 1). The most common causal foods were kiwi and pineapple (both 39.0%). Knowledge levels about PFAS were poor among affected adolescents. We found a high prevalence of PFAS among adolescents in Japan. Although it affects approximately 1/10 adolescents in the general population, public awareness regarding PFAS is poor. Interventional strategies are needed to increase knowledge and to prevent PFAS in the general population.

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BackgroundAtopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic and inflammatory skin disease that causes health-related burdens associated with pruritus and poor quality of life. Our previous study demonstrated that moisturizer (2e) application has a primary preventive effect on AD. However, this effect was not observed in recent randomized control trials. Thus, the ideal moisturizer type and application frequency for preventing AD development in infants remains unclear. We hypothesize that twice daily application of moisturizer is more effective than once daily application. We predict that applying sufficient amounts of high-quality moisturizer may be effective for preventing AD development in neonates and infants. Here, we describe a protocol for comparing the efficacy of twice daily and once daily application of Fam's Baby™ moisturizer and once daily application of 2e moisturizer for preventing AD in neonates.MethodsThis study is a single-center, three-parallel group, assessor-blind, superiority, individually randomized, controlled, phase II trial. Sixty newborns with at least one parent or sibling who has had AD is randomly assigned to application of Fam's Baby twice daily, Fam's Baby once daily, or 2e once daily in a 1:1:1 ratio until 32 weeks old. The primary outcome is the time to the first onset of AD during administration of the moisturizer.DiscussionThis is the first phase II randomized, controlled trial in Japan to estimate how effective the twice daily or once daily application of Fam's Baby moisturizer is in preventing AD compared to the once daily application of 2e moisturizer. In this study, we will use 2e once daily as a control to confirm the efficacy for primary prevention of AD as found in our previous trial. Based on the results of this study, we hope to conduct a phase III study to determine the optimal method for preventing AD via moisturizer application. Evaluation of application of moisturizers for preventing AD in this study is expected to contribute to a reduction in the prevalence of AD and a reduction in health care costs.Trial registrationJapan Registry of Clinical Trials (jRCT); ID: jRCTs031200070.

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