Recurrent anaphylaxis due to non-ruptured hepatic hydatid cysts

Background: Hydatid disease, a parasitic infestation of humans, is endemic in the Mediterranean region, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East, and mostly involves the liver. Anaphylactic reactions, which sometimes are the first manifestations of the disease, frequently occur due to cyst rupture after a minor/major trauma, though they may also be spontaneously seen on rare occasions. In extremely few studies, anaphylactic shock has been reported in patients without macroscopic rupture of the hydatid cysts. Case Report: Our patient had recurrent anaphylactic episodes without any trauma and had been misdiagnosed for several years even though the patient was living in a region endemic for hydatid disease. Conclusion: We emphasize that physicians should be highly aware of hydatid disease as a possible etiology for seemingly idiopathic anaphylactic reactions, especially in endemic regions. Copyright (C) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel

Latex sublingual immunotherapy: can its safety be predicted?

Background: Complete avoidance sometimes cannot be possible in latex-allergic health care workers. So far, very few double-blind placebo-controlled studies revealed the efficacy of sublingual latex immunotherapy (SLIT) in those patients

Lymphocyte Markers and Proliferative Responses to Microbial Antigens in Patients with Allergic Rhinitis

Objective: Atopy is a condition of predisposition to allergic reaction to environmental allergens, and T cells have a critical role in initiating and ending allergic responses. This study was conducted to evaluate the T cell responses of atopic patients with allergic rhinitis who have allergen-hyperreactive memory CD4 T cells in vitro. Material and Methods: Cell surface markers (CD3, CD4, CD8, CD19, CD28, CD45RA, CD45RO, CD95, HLA-DR) were analyzed for T and B lymphocytes by flow cytometry using fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) or phycoerythrin (PE) labeled monoclonal antibodies. T cell proliferative response assessing pokeweed mitogen (PWM), tetanus toxoid (TT), purified protein derivative of mycobacterium (PPD) and cytomegalovirus antigen (CMV) were examined by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) reduction assay. Results: Immune profile and lymphoproliferative responses of 19 allergic rhinitis (AR) patients with positive prick skin test and nasal blockage, discharge, sneeze, nasal or ocular itching (mean age 33.2 +/- 8.4), and 10 healthy controls (mean age 31.6 +/- 9.1) were evaluated. CD3 and CD4 expression was higher in AR patients than in healthy controls. Memory (CD45RO) and activated (CD28) T cell levels were higher, but lymphoproliferation to PWM, TT, PPD, and CWV was decreased in AR patients. Conclusion: The high CD28 and CD45RO expression associated with atopy symptoms indicated that immune reactions in AR patients tended to show an undesirable shift toward Th2 skewed with high levels of allergen-reactive memory T cells. Consequently, the reduced lymphoproliferation to non-allergenic stimulants such as mitogens, bacterial and viral antigens in AR patients may lead to reduced immune response capability to infectious agents

DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUTION OF A TURKISH "RHINITIS QUALITY OF LIFE SCALE"

Objective: Questioning the quality of life in patients with chronic diseases is important. However questionnaires should be suitable to the structure and habits of the community studied as well as it should be easily understood. Considering the fact that rhinitis adversely affect the quality of life, we developed a rhinitis scale of quality of life, which suits the life style and habits of our population in patients with rhinitis

Conventional markers in determination of activity of sarcoidosis

Aim and background: Currently, there are no objective criteria to determine sarcoidosis activity. The present study aimed to discover a sensitive serum marker that would determine the activity of sarcoidosis and can be used during disease follow-up

High adherence to subcutaneous immunotherapy in a real-life study from a large tertiary medical center

Background: Studies on real-life adherence to subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy (SCIT) for respiratory allergy are scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate adherence to SCIT

Serum amyloid A (SAA) in induced sputum of asthmatics: A new look to an old marker

Background: Some cellular and soluble markers of inflammation in induced sputum have been used for studying airway inflammation in asthma. The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of systemic inflammation marker serum amyloid A (SAA) in blood and induced sputum to monitor the airway inflammation in asthmatic patients