The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Jun 1998
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialThe effects of monosodium glutamate in adults with asthma who perceive themselves to be monosodium glutamate-intolerant.
Many previous clinical studies of food-induced asthma suffer from inadequate baseline or control data. A statistically valid, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, monosodium glutamate (MSG)-challenge protocol was developed for identifying early and late asthmatic reactions in an individual. ⋯ MSG-induced asthma was not demonstrated in this study. This study highlighted the importance of adequate baseline and control data and indicated that such a rigorous protocol for individual assessment is feasible.
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · May 1998
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialTreatment with hypertonic saline versus normal saline nasal wash of pediatric chronic sinusitis.
Chronic sinusitis (CS) is a common disease in children, especially those with allergies, that is caused by impaired drainage from the sinuses. Hypertonic NaCl solution has been shown to increase mucociliary clearance and ciliary beat frequency. ⋯ HS nasal wash is an efficient treatment of CS.
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Mar 1998
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical TrialEffects of budesonide by means of the Turbuhaler on the hypothalmic-pituitary-adrenal axis in asthmatic subjects: a dose-response study.
As a general phenomenon, corticosteroids may suppress the activity in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The adrenal stimulation test is a commonly used method to assess the relative risk of exogenous corticosteroids to induce systemic side effects. ⋯ In this study budesonide inhaled by means of the Turbuhaler, at doses recommended for clinical use (800 or 1600 microg/day), did not produce any statistically significant suppression of the HPA axis compared with placebo.
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Feb 1998
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical TrialSalmeterol improves quality of life in patients with asthma requiring inhaled corticosteroids. Salmeterol Quality of Life Study Group.
Traditional clinical outcomes have demonstrated that salmeterol improves pulmonary function and reduces asthma symptoms. However, they do not evaluate how patients perceive the effect of therapeutic intervention on day-to-day functioning and well-being. ⋯ Salmeterol provided significantly greater improvement in quality-of-life outcomes in patients whose asthma symptoms are not well controlled with inhaled corticosteroids. These results demonstrate that the benefits of salmeterol are not limited to conventional clinical measures of efficacy.
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Oct 1997
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialRelationship between food-specific IgE concentrations and the risk of positive food challenges in children and adolescents.
The double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge (DBPCFC) is the "gold standard" for diagnosis of food hypersensitivity. Skin prick tests and RASTs are sensitive indicators of food-specific IgE antibodies but poor predictors of clinical reactivity. Previous studies suggested that high concentrations of food-specific IgE antibody were predictive of food-induced clinical symptoms. Because the CAP System FEIA (Pharmacia Diagnostics, Uppsala, Sweden) provides a quantitative assessment of allergen-specific IgE antibody, this study was undertaken to determine the potential utility of the CAP System FEIA in diagnosis of IgE-mediated food hypersensitivity. ⋯ When compared with the outcome of DBPCFCs, results of CAP System FEIA are generally comparable to those of skin prick tests in predicting symptomatic food hypersensitivity. Furthermore, by measuring the concentrations of food-specific IgE antibodies with the CAP System FEIA, it is possible to identify a subset of patients who are highly likely (>95%) to experience clinical reactions to egg, milk, peanut, or fish. This could eliminate the need to perform DBPCFCs in a significant number of patients suspected of having IgE-mediated food allergy.