Advances in environmental and occupational disorders in 2012.

The year 2012 produced a number of advances in our understanding of the effect of environmental factors on allergic diseases, identification of new allergens, immune mechanisms in host defense, factors involved in asthma severity, and therapeutic approaches. This review focuses on the articles published in the Journal in 2012 that enhance our knowledge base of environmental and occupational disorders. Identification of novel allergens can improve diagnostics, risk factor analysis can aid preventative approaches, and studies of genetic-environmental interactions and immune mechanisms will lead to better therapeutics.