Allergy
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Reproducibility of skin prick test results in epidemiologic studies: a comparison of two devices.
The reproducibility of skin prick tests under field conditions is essential for comparing prevalences between centers in epidemiologic multicenter studies. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the reproducibility of two widely used skin prick test devices: the Multi-Test and the ALK lancet. The subjects were 28 children, aged 6-14 years, with known sensitivities to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (D. pter.). ⋯ The coefficients of variation for the allergen D. pter. amounted to 47.4% for the Multi-Test and to 24.6% for the ALK lancet. The percentage of concordant test results was 92.6% for the Multi-Test and 100.0% for the ALK lancet for a cutoff point of wheal size equal to or greater than 1 mm. The results of this study suggest that the single ALK lancet performs slightly better than the Multi-Test device with respect to reproducibility under conditions of epidemiologic field studies.
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We describe a woman with hypersensitivity pneumonitis that was related to using a home ultrasonic humidifier. A micronodular infiltrate was seen in her chest radiograph. ⋯ The test for precipitating antibodies against the humidifier water gave a positive response, and specific IgG, IgM, and IgA antibodies against extracts of A. fumigatus, C. albicans, and Rhodotorula spp. were demonstrated in the patient's serum by ELISA. A strong, dose-dependent inhibition of Rhodotorula IgG-ELISA by humidifier water was observed, suggesting that Rhodotorula might be the cause of hypersensitivity pneumonitis in this patient.
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Comparative Study
Reduction of the mite-allergen reservoir within mattresses by vacuum-cleaning. A comparison of three vacuum-cleaning systems.
Mattresses are considered to be the main source of house-dust-mite (HDM) allergen. This study aimed to investigate different types of vacuum cleaners for their ability to reduce this allergen reservoir. Three types of vacuum cleaners were examined: a conventional vacuum cleaner, a water-trap cleaner, and a central vacuum cleaner. ⋯ Since the number of mattresses in the investigation was low, and niche formations of group 1 HDM allergen within the mattresses were observed, the results must be interpreted with caution. Furthermore, allergen-producing living dust mites were not affected by this method. However, intense vacuum-cleaning seems to reduce considerably the level of the mattress-bound mite-allergen reservoir, a fact which may be important in mite-allergic and mite-exposed families.