International archives of allergy and immunology
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Int. Arch. Allergy Immunol. · Jan 2010
Penicillin allergy: value of including amoxicillin as a determinant in penicillin skin testing.
Allergy to penicillins remains an important issue. Penicillin skin testing (PST) with major and minor determinants has been shown to be a highly valuable tool for identifying IgE-mediated penicillin allergy. The value of additional testing with side-chain-specific moieties from semisynthetic penicillins such as amoxicillin is not well-established in spite of the widespread use of these medications. ⋯ These data indicate that the inclusion of the amoxicillin determinant appears to identify a small but important group of allergic individuals who may otherwise test negative on a PST panel.
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Int. Arch. Allergy Immunol. · Jan 2010
The longest wheal diameter is the optimal measurement for the evaluation of skin prick tests.
Mean diameter or longest diameter are the 2 most frequently used parameters for wheal response assessment after skin prick testing (SPT). We aimed to compare these 2 parameters taking as gold standard the surface of the wheal skin response. ⋯ The longest wheal diameter alone seems to be a better surrogate marker of the wheal surface in comparison with the mean diameter. In addition, it is easier and faster to measure. Therefore, we propose this as the optimal methodology to evaluate SPTs.
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Int. Arch. Allergy Immunol. · Jan 2010
Heparin and tranexamic Acid therapy may be effective in treatment-resistant chronic urticaria with elevated d-dimer: a pilot study.
Chronic urticaria (CU) patients often present activation of the coagulation cascade and fibrinolysis whose markers correlate with disease severity. ⋯ Our findings indicate that CU patients with elevated D-dimer often present a more severe disease with reduced response to antihistamines. Based on this short pilot study, some of these patients may benefit from treatment with nadroparin and tranexamic acid.
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Int. Arch. Allergy Immunol. · Jan 2010
A Toll-like receptor 2/6 agonist reduces allergic airway inflammation in chronic respiratory sensitisation to Timothy grass pollen antigens.
The hygiene hypothesis negatively correlates the microbial burden of the environment with the prevalence of T helper type 2 (Th2)-related disorders, e.g. allergy and asthma. This is explained by Th1 triggering through pathogen-associated molecular patterns via Toll-like receptors (TLRs). In this study, the biological effects of a TLR2/6 agonist as a potential treatment of allergic inflammation are explored. ⋯ The use of the TLR2/6 agonist is a promising therapeutic approach in diseases with an imbalance in T cell responses, such as allergy and asthma.
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Int. Arch. Allergy Immunol. · Jan 2009
Comparative StudyComparison of acute inflammatory and chronic structural asthma-like responses between C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice.
The interactions between airway responsiveness, structural remodelling and inflammation in allergic asthma remain poorly understood. Prolonged challenge with inhaled allergen is necessary to replicate many of the features of airway wall remodelling in mice. In both mice and humans, genetic differences can have a profound influence on allergy, inflammation, airway responsiveness and structural changes. ⋯ Airway inflammation, remodelling and hyperresponsiveness are closely intertwined processes. Genetic background influences several aspects of the acute allergic phenotype. Chronic allergen exposure induces a marked airway remodelling that parallels a decreased inflammation, which was largely comparable between the two strains.