This issue of AP Allergy features important issues on healthcare utilization and medical costs for childhood asthma in Taiwan [1], occupational asthma in Japan [2], recent progress of elucidating the mechanisms of drug hypersensitivity [3], and an aerobiological perspective in allergy and asthma [4] in review articles.

As the prevalence of asthma is increasing, the socioeconomic burden like healthcare utilization and medical cost is increasing worldwide. In Korea, recently, a nationwide survey and a survey from tertiary hospitals have reported the financial burden of asthma [5, 6]. The survey from the tertiary hospitals analyzed the financial burden according to the severity and control status [6]. In this issue, Wang et al. [1] have updated us with this topic in childhood asthma from Taiwan. He used the data from Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database and addressed the importance of a government-sponsored disease management program.

In the same issue, Dobashi [2] has reviewed on occupational asthma in Japan. Occupational asthma is one of the major occupational diseases in developing countries. This review provides an opportunity to review article the history and the current status of occupational asthma in Japan.

Drug hypersensitivity is increasing worldwide as the consumption of drug is increasing. Drug hypersensitivity became a hot topic in the field of allergy and clinical immunology. In the same issue, Hashizume has updated the mechanisms of drug hypersensitivity such as hapten hypothesis and the pi concept and provided his recent data [3].

Pollens are important allergens. Singh and Mathur [4] have updated this subject in the same issue. They provided an in-depth educational review article on various aerobiological parameters of environmental pollen from different parts of the world with a special emphasis on India.

Readers of this journal will also find original articles on the sensitization by house dust mite and the prediction of persistent wheeze in children between 8 to 14 years old from Singapore [7], lack of efficacy of a herbal preparation (RCM-102) for seasonal allergic rhinitis: a double blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial from Australia [8], and the measurement of Hymenoptera venom specific IgE by the IMMULITE 3gAllergy in subjects with negative or positive results by ImmunoCAP [9] from Japan. Readers may have a new idea how to set up a clinical trial of herbal preparation like RCM-102 although it was found to be not an effective preparation for seasonal allergic rhinitis [8].

This issue includes an educational case report of Gianotti-Crosti syndrome: a case report of a pruritic acral exanthema in a child, which was initially misdiagnosed as atopic dermatitis [10]. Readers can learn about the difference between two diseases.