***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: BACKGROUND The effect of conventional allergen immunotherapy on allergen-specific T lymphocyte cytokine production is incompletely understood , particularly during the initial phase of treatment . OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to prospect ively follow the kinetics of change in CD4(+ ) T cell cytokine secretion during the course of conventional immunotherapy . METHODS Six allergic individuals were treated with extracts of Dermatophagoides farinae/Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus or with rye grass pollen ( Lolium perenne ) allergen , but not both , by using an internally controlled conventional immunotherapy protocol .  CD4(+ ) T cells from peripheral blood were examined in vitro at varying intervals after the initiation of immunotherapy by stimulation with D farinae or L perenne group I antigen . The quantity of IL-4 and IFN-gamma produced and its relationship to clinical improvement was determined . RESULTS The ratio of allergen-specific IL-4/IFN-gamma production by CD4(+ ) T cells from 4 of 6 individuals receiving immunotherapy greatly increased during the period when the dose of allergen was increasing . However , after high-dose maintenance therapy was achieved , this ratio decreased in subjects responding clinical ly to , but not in those failing , immunotherapy . In addition , late-phase skin reactions and allergen-specific IgE levels in responding , but not in nonresponding , subjects diminished over the course of immunotherapy . CONCLUSION Conventional immunotherapy may initially exacerbate allergic disease by increasing allergen-specific IL-4 and allergen-specific IgE production . Later clinical improvement is associated with a reduction in allergen-specific IL-4 production and in allergen-specific serum Allergic rhinitis and asthma are examples of allergic airways disease . Despite their differing symptomatology , both disorders affect the mucosal lining of the respiratory tract and are linked by common underlying cellular processes , thus , using the ‘ united airways ’ approach , they can be considered part of the same allergic disease . The conditions are often comorbid , and there is evidence to suggest that allergic rhinitis in children is a significant risk factor for subsequent development of asthma . Management strategies that target the underlying cause of allergic rhinitis in children have the potential to offer additional symptom control above that of symptomatic medications , and prevent disease progression . Specific immunotherapy ( SIT ) is the only currently available treatment that is proven to target the disease in this way . SIT affects the underlying cause of allergic rhinitis , producing changes in antibody responses to allergens . It has been shown to be effective in the reduction of  allergic rhinitis symptoms in both children and adults , with effects being sustained for several years after treatment completion . Furthermore , a number of trials provide evidence that SIT may prevent the development of new sensitisations and asthma in children and adults with allergic rhinitis . One such open-label , r and omised controlled study in children/adolescents ( the Preventive Allergy Treatment Study ) showed that significantly fewer patients who received 3 years of  SIT  for grass/birch pollen-induced allergic rhinitis had developed asthma 10 years after treatment initiation versus controls . Some clinical guidelines acknowledge this potential asthma preventive effect in children and the need for additional data from double-blind , placebo-controlled trials to support these findings Twenty‐seven patients with allergy to house‐dust mite and the clinical symptoms of perennial rhinitis and /or mild asthma were treated with specific immunotherapy ( SIT ) with st and ardized extracts of house‐dust mite for 3 years . The success of therapy was evaluated in yearly intervals OBJECTIVES This report presents health statistics from the 2001 National Health Interview Survey for the civilian noninstitutionalized adult population classified by sex , age , race and Hispanic origin , poverty status , and region of residence for chronic condition prevalence , health status and functional limitations , health care access and utilization , health behaviors , and human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV ) testing . Also , health statistics by education , income , health insurance coverage , marital status , and place of residence are presented for health status and limitations in activity , health care access and utilization , health behaviors , and knowledge and attitudes toward HIV . SOURCE OF DATA The National Health Interview Survey is a multistage probability sample survey conducted annually by interviewers of the U.S. Census Bureau for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 's National Center for Health Statistics and is representative of the civilian noninstitutionalized U.S. population . Sociodemographic data are collected for everyone in the family during face-to-face interviews with adults present at the time of the interview . The health information for adults in this report was obtained from one r and omly selected adult per family . HIGHLIGHTS In 2001 , 64 % of adults 18 years of age and over reported excellent or very good health . Fifty-eight percent of adults never participated in any type of vigorous leisure-time physical activity , and 13 % of adults did not have a usual place of health care . Twelve percent of adults had been told by a doctor or health professional that they had heart disease , and 21 % had been told on two or more visits that they had hypertension . Nearly a quarter of all adults were current smokers , and 22 % were former smokers . Based on estimates of body mass index , 36 % of adults were overweight and 23 % were obese INTRODUCTION In a double-blind , placebo-controlled trial ( EudraCT identifier : 2006 - 001795 - 20 ) , the st and ardised quality ( SQ ) house dust mite ( HDM ) sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT)-tablet ( ALK , Denmark ) was investigated . METHOD The trial included 604 subjects , ≥14 years , with mild-moderate HDM allergic asthma . Subjects were r and omised 1:1:1:1 to 1 , 3 or 6 SQ-HDM or placebo once daily . The primary endpoint was reduction in inhaled corticosteroid ( ICS ) after one year . ICS reduction , asthma quality of life question naire ( AQLQ ) and asthma control question naire ( ACQ ) score was analysed post hoc in a subgroup with daily ICS use of 400 - 800 μg and ACQ score of 1 - 1.5 , corresponding to partly controlled asthma ( N = 108 ) . RESULTS The trial met its primary endpoint . In the subgroup , the difference between placebo and 6 SQ-HDM in change from baseline in daily ICS use was 327 μg ( p < 0.0001 ) , while it was 0.52 ( p = 0.010 ) for AQLQ . The treatment effect on ICS reduction and AQLQ was increased for the subgroup versus the residual population ( ICS reduction : p < 0.001 ) ; AQLQ : p = 0.044 ) . CONCLUSION In this subgroup , including only patients with partly controlled asthma , the benefit of 1 year of treatment with SQ HDM SLIT-tablet was significantly higher than for the less severe full population , both in terms of increased asthma control and improved quality of life BACKGROUND Investigations meeting current st and ards are limited for the effect of house dust mite ( HDM ) allergy immunotherapy in asthmatic patients . OBJECTIVE This trial investigated the efficacy and safety of a st and ardized quality ( SQ ; allergen st and ardization method proprietary to the trial sponsor ) HDM SLIT-tablet ( ALK , Hørsholm , Denmark ) in adults and adolescents with HDM respiratory allergic disease . This publication reports the results of the endpoints related to asthma . METHODS Six hundred four subjects 14 years or older with HDM allergic rhinitis and mild-to-moderate asthma were r and omized 1:1:1:1 to double-blind daily treatment with one of 3 active doses ( 1 , 3 , or 6 SQ-HDM ) or placebo . Their use of inhaled corticosteroid ( ICS ) was st and ardized and adjusted at baseline and the end of treatment to the lowest dose providing asthma control . The primary end point was a reduction in ICS dose from the individual subject 's baseline dose after 1 year of treatment . RESULTS The primary analysis revealed a mean difference between 6 SQ-HDM and placebo in the reduction in daily ICS dose of 81 μg ( P = .004 ) . Relative mean and median reductions were 42 % and 50 % for 6 SQ-HDM and 15 % and 25 % for placebo , respectively . No statistically significant differences were observed for the other assessed asthma parameters , reflecting the intended controlled status of the trial subjects . The most common adverse events were local reactions in the mouth . The rate and severity of adverse events were higher for 3 and 6 SQ-HDM than for 1 SQ-HDM and placebo . CONCLUSION Efficacy in mild-to-moderate asthma of 6 SQ-HDM relative to placebo was demonstrated by a moderate statistically significant reduction in the ICS dose required to maintain asthma control . All active doses were well tolerated Although H1 antihistamine compounds ( H1 ) are highly effective in the treatment of allergic rhinitis ( AR ) , their role in the treatment of asthma is still controversial . Because a strong association between AR and bronchial hyperresponsiveness ( BHR ) has been reported , this study was design ed to assess the effect of a new H1 anti histamine , cetirizine ( C ) , on nonspecific BHR in patients with AR . Twelve patients were included in a double‐blind , crossover , placebo‐controlled trial . All patients had positive skin tests for common allergens and showed BHR to inhaled methacholine  after specific nasal allergenic challenge . After a washout period of 1 week to ensure the stability of the BHR , the patients received , by crossover r and omization , C 10 mg daily or placebo ( P ) for 2 weeks . After each treatment period , BHR and nasal blocking index ( NBI ) were measured 1 and 6 h after nasal challenge . Bronchial responsiveness was expressed as methacholine PD20 , the provocation dose of methacholine causing a 20 % decrease in FEV1 . Measurements were then performed after 2 weeks of C and after 2 weeks of P. Baseline values of PD20 ( median ) measured before challenge showed no difference after cetirizine or after placebo ( 1.36 mg ) . Results 1 h after allergen did not show significant differences between C ( methacholine PD20=0.522 mg ) and placebo ( methacholine PD20=0.455 mg ) . By contrast , 6 h after challenge , methacholine PD20 was 0.918 mg for C and 0.483 mg for P ( P=0.042 ) . Similarly , NBI showed no change between C and P 1 h after challenge , whereas the difference was significant 6 h after challenge ( P=0.011 ) . These data demonstrate a protective nasal effect of C against BHR measured 6 h after nasal allergen challenge in patients with AR . They suggest that C may be useful in patients with asthma associated with AR The efficacy and safety of sublingual immunotherapy in house dust mite – induced asthma have yet to be firmly established . We report the results of a double‐blind , placebo‐controlled , r and omized clinical trial performed in mainl and China 
    Output:
    
RECENT FINDINGS Recent clinical trials , systematic review s , and meta-analyses have demonstrated that allergen-specific immunotherapy ( ASI ) , especially sublingual immunotherapy for as short as 12 months , may help improve asthma symptoms and reduce medication usage .
However , studies have not demonstrated overall improvement in pulmonary function tests despite improvement in symptoms .
SUMMARY ASI may change the natural course of allergic asthma by reducing the risk of acute respiratory exacerbations and symptoms .
Additional studies are necessary to examine whether early treatment of allergy sensitivities with ASI may ultimately prevent the progression to asthma