Scoring of eosinophil degranulation
Eosinophil degranulation was assessed by a semi-quantitative scoring system, adapted from previously reported scoring systems.13, 22 EPX was assessed in the sub-epithelial stroma on IHC-stained tissue sections by two independent reviewers (SW, SL) in a blinded manner. A total numerical value (0-10) was assigned to each tissue section. The score was calculated as the sum of three parameters: overall staining intensity (0=minimal, 0.5=moderate, 1=excessive), percent area of staining (0=<1%, 1=1-24%, 2=25-49%, 3=50-74%, 4=75-100%), and location of staining (0=no eosinophils/no EPX release, 1=eosinophils present/no detectable EPX release, 2=EPX release limited to areas surrounding eosinophils, 3=nominal deposition, 4=considerable deposition, 5=dense deposition).