115 research outputs found
Serum IL-33 but not ST2 level is elevated in intermittent allergic rhinitis and is a marker of the disease severity
Challenges for Allergy Diagnosis in Regions with Complex Pollen Exposures
Over the past few decades, significant scientific progress has influenced clinical allergy practice. The biological standardization of extracts was followed by the massive identification and characterization of new allergens and their progressive use as diagnostic tools including allergen micro arrays that facilitate the simultaneous testing of more than 100 allergen components. Specific diagnosis is the basis of allergy practice and is always aiming to select the best therapeutic or avoidance intervention. As a consequence, redundant or irrelevant information might be adding unnecessary cost and complexity to daily clinical practice. A rational use of the different diagnostic alternatives would allow a significant improvement in the diagnosis and treatment of allergic patients, especially for those residing in complex pollen exposure areas
Laboratorial approach in the diagnosis of food allergy
OBJCTIVE: Review the available laboratory tests used to assist in the diagnosis of IgE-mediated and non-IgE-mediated food allergy. DATA SOURCES: Papers in English and Portuguese published in PubMed and Embase, in the last ten years. Terms searched were food allergy, diagnose and laboratory, isolated and/or associated. DATA SYNTHESIS: The diagnostic approach to food allergy reactions includes a good medical history, laboratory studies, elimination diets and blinded food challenges. More recently, the use of a quantitative measurement of food-specific IgE antibodies has been shown to be more predictive of symptomatic IgE-mediated food allergy. Food-specific IgE serum levels exceeding the diagnostic values indicate that the patient is greater than 95% likely to experience an allergic reaction if he/she ingests the specific food. Such decision point values have been defined just for some foods and inconsistent results were obtained when allergy to the same food was studied in different centers. Food challenges, in particular the double-blind placebo-controlled food challenge (DBPCFC), represent the most reliable way to establish or rule out food hypersensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: A number of recent developments are improving the predictive value of some laboratory tests for the diagnosis of food allergies. However, to date, no in-vitro or in-vivo test shows full correlation with clinical food allergy and the DBPCFC remains the gold standard for the definitive diagnosis of specific food allergies. There is an urgent need for new and fundamentally improved diagnostic approaches, which must be validated in patients with food allergy confirmed by a positive DBPCFC.OBJETIVO: Revisar os exames laboratoriais disponĂveis utilizados no diagnĂłstico da alergia alimentar mediada ou nĂŁo por IgE. FONTES DE DADOS: Artigos publicados em base de dados PubMed e Embase (lĂngua inglesa e portuguesa) nos Ășltimos dez anos. As palavras-chave utilizadas como fonte de busca foram alergia alimentar, diagnĂłstico e laboratĂłrio, isolados e/ou associados. SĂNTESE DOS DADOS: A abordagem diagnĂłstica das reaçÔes alĂ©rgicas a alimentos inclui histĂłria clĂnica completa, estudos laboratoriais, dietas de eliminação e desencadeamentos cegos com alimentos. Recentemente, a medida quantitativa de anticorpos IgE especĂficos a alimentos tem mostrado ser mais preditiva de alergia alimentar sintomĂĄtica mediada por IgE. NĂveis sĂ©ricos de IgE especĂfica a alimento que excedam os valores diagnĂłsticos indicam que o paciente tem chance maior que 95% de apresentar uma reação alĂ©rgica se ingerir o alimento em questĂŁo. Estes valores de decisĂŁo foram definidos para alguns alimentos e resultados inconsistentes sĂŁo obtidos ao se estudar diferentes populaçÔes. Os desencadeamentos com alimento, especialmente o duplo-cego controlado por placebo (DADCCP), representa a maneira mais confiĂĄvel de estabelecer ou descartar o diagnĂłstico de hipersensibilidade alimentar. CONCLUSĂES: NĂșmero crescente de aquisiçÔes tem melhorado o valor preditivo de alguns testes laboratoriais empregados no diagnĂłstico de alergias alimentares. Entretanto, atĂ© hoje, nĂŁo hĂĄ teste in vitro ou in vivo que mostre correlação completa com a clĂnica da alergia alimentar. O DADCCP continua sendo o padrĂŁo-ouro no diagnĂłstico definitivo de alergia alimentar especĂfica. SĂŁo necessĂĄrias, urgentemente, novas abordagens diagnĂłsticas vĂĄlidadas em pacientes com alergia alimentar confirmada por DADCCP positivo.Universidade Federal de SĂŁo Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de Medicina Departamento de PediatriaUNIFESP-EPM Departamento de PediatriaUniversidade de SĂŁo Paulo Faculdade de Medicina Departamento de PediatriaUniversidade Federal da Bahia Departamento de PediatriaUNIFESP-EPMUniversidade Federal do ParanĂĄ Departamento de PediatriaUNIFESP, EPM, Depto. de PediatriaUNIFESP, EPM Depto. de PediatriaUNIFESP, EPMSciEL
OdreÄivanje alergena Asp f 1 (Aspergillus fumigatus) u peradarniku enzimimunokemijskom metodom
Poultry farms contain high levels of allergenic fungi, and Aspergillus spp. is the most common genus of moulds. Aspergillus fumigatus antigens are responsible for the development of several respiratory diseases including asthma. The aim of this study was to measure the mass fraction of Asp f 1, a major allergen of Asperillus fumigatus in 37 indoor dust samples collected from four poultry farms in a rural area of the Zagreb County (Croatia) using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. More than 62 % of dust samples had detectable Asp f 1 levels (limit of detection 3.6 ng g-1). The overall mean Asp f 1 level was 17.9 ng g-1 [range (3.8 to 72.4) ng g-1]. Satisfactory results were obtained for analytical within-run imprecision
(6.7 %), between-run imprecision (10.5 %), and accuracy (91 % to 115 %). Microclimate parameters (air temperature, relative humidity, and velocity) were within the recommended ranges in all poultry farms.
This study has shown that Asp f 1 settles on dust at poultry farms and that occupational exposure to this allergen deserves monitoring in livestock buildings.Peradarnici sadrĆŸavaju veliku koncentraciju alergenih plijesni, a rod Aspergillus najÄeĆĄÄe je zastupljen.
Antigeni soja Aspergillus fumigatus odgovorni su za nastanak nekoliko respiratornih bolesti ukljuÄujuÄi astmu. Cilj ovoga rada bio je odrediti masenu frakciju Asp f 1, glavnog alergena soja Asperillus fumigatus u 37 uzoraka praĆĄine uzorkovanih u Äetiri peradarnika sa ĆĄireg podruÄja ZagrebaÄke ĆŸupanije rabeÄi enzimimunokemijsku
metodu. ViĆĄe od 62 % uzoraka praĆĄine u tri peradarnika imalo je mjerljivu koncentraciju Asp f 1 (granica detekcije = 3.6 ng g-1). Ukupni srednji maseni udio Asp f 1 iznosio je 17.9 ng g-1 (raspon od
3.8 ng g-1 do 72.4 ng g-1). Dobiveni su zadovoljavajuÄi rezultati za analitiÄku nepreciznost u seriji (6.7 %), nepreciznost iz dana u dan (10.5 %) i toÄnost (91 % do 115 %). Mikroklimatski parametri (temperatura zraka, relativna vlaga i protok zraka) u svim peradarnicima bili su u okviru preporuÄenih vrijednosti.
Rezultati ovoga rada pokazuju da Asp f 1 sedimentira na praĆĄinu u peradarnicima te da profesionalnu izloĆŸenost tom alergenu treba pratiti u jedinicama za uzgoj stoke
Association Pattern of Interleukin-1 Receptor-Associated Kinase-4 Gene Polymorphisms with Allergic Rhinitis in a Han Chinese Population
Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase-4 (IRAK-4) encodes a kinase that is essential for NF-kB activation in Toll-like receptor and T-cell receptor signaling pathways, indicating a possible crosstalk between innate and acquired immunities. We attempted to determine whether the polymorphisms in the Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase-4 (IRAK-4) gene are associated with allergic rhinitis (AR) in the Han Chinese population.A population of 379 patients with AR and 333 healthy controls was studied. Blood was drawn for DNA extraction and total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE). A total of 11 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IRAK-4 were selected and individually genotyped.Significant allelic differences between cases and controls were obtained for the SNP of rs3794262 in the IRAK-4 gene. In the stratified analysis for gender, two SNPs (rs4251431 and rs6582484) in males appeared as significant associations. Subgroup analysis for the presence of different allergen sensitivities displayed associations only in the house dust mite-allergic cohorts (rs3794262, rs4251481). None of the selected SNPs in IRAK-4 was associated with total IgE level. The haplotype analysis indicated GCCTGCGA was significantly associated with AR. The SNP-SNP interaction information analysis indicated that the selected sets of polymorphisms had no synergistic effect.Our findings did not support the potential contribution of the IRAK-4 gene to serum IgE levels. However, the results demonstrated a gender- and allergen-dependant association pattern between polymorphisms in IRAK-4 and AR in Chinese population
Antigenic Proteins Involved in Occupational Rhinitis 1 and Asthma Caused by Obeche Wood (Triplochiton Scleroxylon)
Background
Obeche wood dust is a known cause of occupational asthma where an IgE-mediated mechanism has been demonstrated.
Objective
To characterize the allergenic profile of obeche wood dust and evaluate the reactivity of the proteins by in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo assays in carpenters with confirmed rhinitis and/or asthma
Materials and methods
An in-house obeche extract was obtained, and two IgE binding bands were purified (24 and 12 kDa) and sequenced by N-terminal identity. Specific IgE and IgG, basophil activation tests and skin prick tests (SPTs) were performed with whole extract and purified proteins. CCD binding was analyzed by ELISA inhibition studies.
Results
Sixty-two subjects participated: 12 with confirmed occupational asthma/rhinitis (ORA+), 40 asymptomatic exposed (ORAâ), and 10 controls. Of the confirmed subjects, 83% had a positive SPT to obeche. There was a 100% recognition by ELISA in symptomatic subjects vs. 30% and 10% in asymptomatic exposed subjects and controls respectively (p<0.05). Two new proteins were purified, a 24 kDa protein identified as a putative thaumatin-like protein and a 12 kDa gamma-expansin. Both showed allergenic activity in vitro, with the putative thaumatin being the most active, with 92% recognition by ELISA and 100% by basophil activation test in ORA+ subjects. Cross-reactivity due to CCD was ruled out in 82% of cases.
Conclusions
Two proteins of obeche wood were identified and were recognized by a high percentage of symptomatic subjects and by a small proportion of asymptomatic exposed subjects. Further studies are required to evaluate cross reactivity with other plant allergens
Assessment of eco-labelling criteria development from a strategic sustainability perspective
Natural history of SLC11 genes in vertebrates: tales from the fish world
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The <it>SLC11A1/Nramp1 </it>and <it>SLC11A2/Nramp2 </it>genes belong to the <it>SLC11/Nramp </it>family of transmembrane divalent metal transporters, with <it>SLC11A1 </it>being associated with resistance to pathogens and <it>SLC11A2 </it>involved in intestinal iron uptake and transferrin-bound iron transport. Both members of the <it>SLC11 </it>gene family have been clearly identified in tetrapods; however <it>SLC11A1 </it>has never been documented in teleost fish and is believed to have been lost in this lineage during early vertebrate evolution. In the present work we characterized the <it>SLC11 </it>genes in teleosts and evaluated if the roles attributed to mammalian <it>SLC11 </it>genes are assured by other fish specific <it>SLC11 </it>gene members.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two different <it>SLC11 </it>genes were isolated in the European sea bass (<it>Dicentrarchus. labrax</it>), and named <it>slc11a2-α </it>and <it>slc11a2-ÎČ</it>, since both were found to be evolutionary closer to tetrapods <it>SLC11A2</it>, through phylogenetic analysis and comparative genomics. Induction of <it>slc11a2-α </it>and <it>slc11a2-ÎČ </it>in sea bass, upon iron modulation or exposure to <it>Photobacterium damselae </it>spp. <it>piscicida</it>, was evaluated in <it>in vivo </it>or <it>in vitro </it>experimental models. Overall, <it>slc11a2-α </it>was found to respond only to iron deficiency in the intestine, whereas <it>slc11a2-ÎČ </it>was found to respond to iron overload and bacterial infection in several tissues and also in the leukocytes.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our data suggests that despite the absence of <it>slc11a1</it>, its functions have been undertaken by one of the <it>slc11a2 </it>duplicated paralogs in teleost fish in a case of synfunctionalization, being involved in both iron metabolism and response to bacterial infection. This study provides, to our knowledge, the first example of this type of sub-functionalization in iron metabolism genes, illustrating how conserving the various functions of the SLC11 gene family is of crucial evolutionary importance.</p
Understanding consistencies and gaps between desired forest futures: An analysis of visions from stakeholder groups in Sweden
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