Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) was initially discovered as a cellular protein involved in the detoxification of xenobiotic compounds. Recently, Kou and Dai [1] wrote a concise review on AHR, summarizing advances in several important areas of mammalian physiology including cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, integumentary, nervous, and immunomodulatory systems. Given the importance of AHR and our increased understanding of its physiological roles, it is necessary to highlight a few key aspects of AhR in normal development and metabolic homeostasis that have not been extensively discussed.

Delayed poisoning cases pose a major challenge to clinical toxicologists due to the multifold complications that can arise in addition to the primary clinical impact. One example is pesticide poisoning, which can lead to delayed cholinergic syndrome, intermediate syndrome, organophosphate-induced delayed polyneuropathy, and chronic organophosphate-induced neuropsychiatric disorder.

A 36-year-old Hispanic male, with a history of ulcerative colitis (UC) presented to the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) clinic for initial evaluation. Over the past six years, the patient had been treated for his UC with various therapies including prednisone, multiple mesalamine formulations, and budesonide but always discontinued therapy due to what he perceived were adverse drug reactions. He described onset of pruritic blisters, affecting his chest, abdomen, back, and arms.

Prevalence of common autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease and allergies such as food allergies or eczema affect approximately 20% of the human population.

Histamine-mediated allergic reactions were recognized as pivotal mechanisms in the onset and progression of diverse allergic disorders. Cetirizine, a second-generation H1 receptor antagonist, had been extensively evaluated for its efficacy in mitigating histamine-induced inflammation and hypersensitivity.