International archives of allergy and immunology
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Int. Arch. Allergy Immunol. · Jan 2006
Randomized Controlled TrialTheophylline as 'add-on' therapy to cetirizine in patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study.
Chronic urticaria is a prevalent condition associated with substantial disability. Its pathogenesis is not clearly understood and is divided into autoimmune and chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU). We investigated if the non-specific phosphodiesterase inhibitor theophylline could provide additional benefit to the histamine-1 receptor (H-1R) antagonist cetirizine in CIU. ⋯ Addition of theophylline to conventional H-1R antagonists was well tolerated without any adverse effects and provided considerable additional benefit in the management of CIU.
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Int. Arch. Allergy Immunol. · Jan 2006
Murine TLR4 is implicated in cigarette smoke-induced pulmonary inflammation.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with an abnormal inflammatory response of the lungs to noxious particles or gases. We investigated whether Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is implicated in cigarette smoke (CS)-induced pulmonary inflammation in a murine model of COPD. ⋯ We demonstrated that the TLR4 mutation in C3H/HeJ mice is protective against CS-induced pulmonary influx of neutrophils, DCs and lymphocytes upon subacute CS exposure. However, TLR4 is only of minor importance in chronic CS-induced inflammation in mice.
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Int. Arch. Allergy Immunol. · Jan 2006
Sensitization to Lolium multiflorum grass pollen in pollinosis patients: evaluation of allergenic fractions recognized by specific IgE antibodies.
Lolium multiflorum (Lm) pollen allergens are the major causative agents for rhinoconjunctivitis in Southern Brazil. There have been no studies about the sensitization and allergenic cross-reactivity between Lm and other grass pollens. We evaluated the sensitization of Brazilian pollinosis patients to Lm pollen allergens through skin prick test (SPT) and immunoassays (ELISA and immunoblot). ⋯ Lm-specific IgE antibodies are highly cross-reactive with pollen proteins from other grass species. The results indicate that Lm extracts could be used in both SPT and ELISA for a more specific evaluation of IgE responses to Lm grass pollen in Brazilian pollinosis patients.
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Int. Arch. Allergy Immunol. · Jan 2006
Variability of Ole e 9 allergen in olive pollen extracts: relevance of minor allergens in immunotherapy treatments.
Clustered severe adverse reactions to immunotherapy with olive pollen extracts have been occasionally reported in areas where olive trees are extensively grown. Allergic patients from these areas, in addition to the major olive pollen allergen Ole e 1, frequently recognize a recently described allergen, Ole e 9. ⋯ The availability of a mAb-based ELISA for Ole e 9 made it possible for us to detect an important source of variability in olive pollen batches. This variability may be the cause of outbreaks of adverse reactions in the course of immunotherapy treatments, which have sometimes been observed among olive-allergic patients living in areas with very high levels of airborne olive pollen.
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Int. Arch. Allergy Immunol. · Jan 2006
Case ReportsDrug Rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms versus Stevens-Johnson Syndrome--a case that indicates a stumbling block in the current classification.
A 43-year-old man developed a skin eruption characterized by 'macules with blisters' typical to Stevens-Johnson syndrome, as well as erosions of the lips and buccal mucosa, 2 weeks after he had started treatment with lamotrigine. He had a fever (39.6 degrees C), elevated liver enzymes and atypical lymphocytes in the peripheral blood. This undoubtedly reflects a case of Stevens-Johnson syndrome induced by lamotrigine, but it can also fulfill the criteria of anticonvulsant hypersensitivity syndrome or drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic signs. A case that precisely fits the definition of two syndromes that have different characteristics, different treatments and different prognoses indicates that there is a flaw in the classification.