Present and Future of Subcutaneous Aero-Allergen Immunotherapy

The present review summarizes the literature-acquired knowledge as well as author’s own experience in conducting aero-allergen immunotherapy, particularly in subcutaneous route of administration (SCIT) of all modalities of respiratory allergy disease from allergic rhinosinusitis, bronchial asthma to united airway disease. Because of the better adherence resulting in appropriate efficacy in connection with satisfactory safety, the author favours conventional schedules of subcutaneous route of therapeutic intervention. Given the lack of specific biomarker in monitoring treatment course, the main control mechanism of efficacy is the evaluation of quality of life using simple evaluation scale as visual analogue scale or standardized respiratory allergy questionnaires. The future of allergen immunotherapy should be focused on new routes of allergen administration (e.g. oral, epicutaneous, intradermal, intralymphatic) and on the searching potential biomarkers which could be objectively measured and easily accessible from body fluids (blood, nasal secretion, sputum). The combination of estimated biomarkers obtained from biological samples in conjunction with evaluation of quality of life could lead to the generation of the overall satisfactory monitoring protocol

For the healthcare institutions treating patients with obesit. An episode from the memories of Prof. Dr. Lukan Balabanski

Excerpts (149-157 pp.) from the memoir of prof. Dr. Lukan Balabanski "Over the years. Remembering people and events, “Gitava” Ltd., Sofia, 2005, 223 pp.Professor. L. Balabanski is the founder of the “Clinic of Metabolic Diseases and Dietetics”, director of Scientific Institute in Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Rector of Medical Academy in the period 1987-1988, founder and honorary chairman of the Bulgarian Society of Nutrition and Dietetics; former member of the European Academy of Nutrition Sciences and a member of its Council, Chairman of the “Committee on diet-obesity-diabetes of the International Union of Nutrition Sciences (1977-1989)

2007 EORTC-NCI-ASCO Annual Meeting: Molecular Markers in Cancer

The recent EORTC-NCI-ASCO Annual Meeting on ‘Molecular Markers in Cancer’ was held on 15–17 November 2007 in Brussels, Belgium. It was the largest meeting to date and marked the first year in which the American Association of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) joined in the efforts of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in organizing this annual event. More than 300 clinicians, pathologists, laboratory scientists and representatives from regulatory agencies and the pharmaceutical industry came together for three days of intense discussion, debate and reflection on the latest biomarker therapeutic discoveries, strategies and clinical applications. The poster discussion sessions featured 79 research abstracts. The three most outstanding abstracts, all authored by young female researchers, were selected for presentation during the main meeting sessions. Highlights of each scientific session are presented

Probability and Metaphysics

In this article I explore the relationship between the concepts of probability and metaphysics. I start by presenting first Popper’s metaphysical interpretation of probability and then Suppes’ probabilistic metaphysics. Their views are examples of two rare modern attempts to explore metaphysical ramifications of probability. Whereas Popper’s approach is less analytic and does not invest any effort in analysing the concept of metaphysics itself, Suppes’ approach encompasses both of these aspects. As much as a clarification of the concept of probability employed also a clarification of the concept of metaphysics is needed. For this purpose I first give a short account of Hume’s and Kant’s positions on metaphysics as these are early instances of the impact that probabilistic inductive reasoning made on metaphysical thought with its newly acquired evidential weight. Then I conclude with Suppes’ explicated metaphysical position, indicating the main lines along which a probabilistic metaphysics could be developed

Synthesis and physicochemical properties of AgInS2 nanoparticles

The semiconductor material of group I-II-VI, AgInS2, due to its unique photoelectric and catalytic properties, is widely used in the field of photovoltaic solar cells and low-toxic photostable molecular analyzers. The advantages of these quantum dots (QDs) are that their properties can be altered not only by changing the size of the quantum dots, but also by changing their composition, the ratio of concentrations of precursors and stabilizer, the nature of the stabilizer, the temperature of the mixture during synthesis and post-synthetic heat treatment, and the formation of a passivating membrane