The Changing Face of Pediatric Allergy,Immunology,and Pulmonology

P ediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology has been growing and evolving over the past year. Through the commitment and efforts of our authors, reviewers, and editors and with the support of our readers, we are pleased to see increases in the quality, number, and diversity of important and grant-funded original research articles, as well as critical reviews of hot topics. Our goal is to provide our readers with timely and practical information that each of you can incorporate in your practice and to provide you with a look into cutting-edge advances in our field.

The Pharmacology Update, coordinated by Drs. Kathryn Blake and Hengameh Raissy, has become an important feature of Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology. It addresses updates and controversies in respiratory pharmacology and complements the disease management offerings provided in both the reviews and research articles. In this issue, they focus on vitamin D and asthma.

We are in the process of phasing out our featured cases of the month section and as of this issue are transitioning to a select case with an expert commentary. In this issue, Reiter et al. report on bronchoscopic instillation of activated recombinant Factor VII to treat diffuse alveolar hemorrhage in children. The expert commentary is provided by Dr. Lars Heslet.

Special issues will be dedicated to hot topics in the fields of allergy, immunology, and respiratory diseases of children. Our most recent special issue, Hereditary Angioedema published in December, 2014, features important reviews on the pathophysiology, advances in treatment, and transition to home-based care for patients with this disease. Dr. Timothy Craig is the guest editor for this special issue. Readers will find it a practical and clinically useful resource when caring for children with hereditary angioedema.

Health literacy has been recognized as an important determinant in patient outcomes, especially in chronic diseases. In this issue, researchers take this one step further, looking into the impact of parental health literacy on outcomes in their children. Two articles appearing in this issue, the first by Harrington et al., Impact of Parental Health Literacy on Pediatric Asthma Outcomes, and the second by Kern et al., Disparities in Parental Health Literacy at a Pediatric CF Center, add insights into this critical, yet often under-recognized, problem.

Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology is pleased to showcase a review by Dr. Dean Schraufnagel from the University of Illinois at Chicago on the vulnerability of children to electronic cigarettes. Pediatricians are trusted resources for health information. This article will provide resources for you to help guide your patients and answer their questions about the use of e-cigarettes. The review focuses on the evolution of this fast-growing trend in children, the vulnerability of children to both the marketing strategies and physiologic effects of e-cigarettes, and it discusses the most powerful tools to reduce tobacco use.

While there is no space to acknowledge all of our authors and their work, each has made an important contribution. I would like to thank all of the authors, reviewers, editors, and our publisher for their commitment to excellence in research and medical education.