A 5-Year-Old Boy Is Brought to the Physician by His

A 5-year-old boy is brought to the physician by his mother because of a generalized pruritic rash for 2 weeks. The itchiness often causes him to wake up at night. His father has a history of asthma. His immunizations are up-to-date. He is at the 75th percentile for length and the 70th percentile for weight. Examination shows dry and scaly patches on the face and extensor surfaces of the extremities. The groin is spared. First-line therapy for this patient's condition works by which of the following mechanisms of action?

A) Blockade of leukotriene receptors in inflamed tissue
B) Increasing the number of resident dendritic cells
C) Induction of keratinocyte apoptosis
D) Inhibition of phospholipase A₂ activity in cell membranes
E) Reduction of serum IgE levels