bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of specific IgE to storage mites (A. siro, L. destructor and T. longior) in an urban population and crossreactivity with the house dust mite (D. pteronyssinus)
Authors: LUCZYNSKA CHRISTINA M. , GRIFFIN P. , DAVIES R. J. , TOPPING M. D. 
Published: April 2006

SummaryThe role of pyroglyphid mites in house dust allergy is well established and the major allergens from the common house dust mites (Dermatophogoides species) have been characterized. There is, however, relatively little progress in the understanding of the human IgE response to non‐pyroglyphid storage mites, allergenic crossreactivity with other mite species and extent of environmental exposure. We studied 196 individuals from an urban environment who were not occupationally exposed to storage mites and found a 24% prevalence of specific IgE antibody to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and a 14% prevalence of RAST positivity to at least one of three storage mites, Acarus siro, Lepidoglyphus destructor and Tyrophagus longior. All individuals with a positive RAST to storage mites had specific IgE to D.pteronyssinus. RAST inhibition studies with the eight sera with greater than 2% RAST binding to both families of mites showed considerable crossreactivity between D. pteronyssinus and the storage mites A.siro and T. longior and limited crossreactivity between D. pteronyssinus and L. destructor. This suggests that at least some of the response to storage mites observed by direct RAST is a consequence of crossreactivity with the more abundant D. pteronyssinus.
Comparison of the in‐vivo and in‐vitro response to ragweed immunotherapy in children and adults with ragweed‐induced rhinitis
Authors: HEDLIN GUNILLA , SILBER G. , NACLERIO R. , PROUD D. , LAMAS ANA M. , EGGLESTON P. , ADKINSON N. F. 
Published: April 2006

SummaryIn order to compare results of allergen immunotherapy in paediatric and adult populations, 22 children with a history of ragweed hay fever were matched with an equal number of adults for skin sensitivity to ragweed and all were given a 1‐year course of immunotherapy with a partially purified ragweed extract. Biological responses were measured by nasal challenges with ragweed before therapy was started, after 12 weekly injections and when the maintenance dose had been reached and also by methacholine bronchoprovocation tests before and after 12 months of therapy. Skin‐test sensitivity to ragweed and control allergens, and ragweed‐specific IgE and IgG antibody responses were measured at the same intervals as the challenges and at the end of the study. The effect of the therapy on clinical symptoms was not evaluated. Before therapy the groups of adults and children were comparable by all indices, except for TAME esterase activity in nasal washes during ragweed nasal challenge which was significantly lower in children. During treatment, mediators released during sequential nasal challenges declined to undetectable levels in most patients and changes in nasal ragweed sensitivity were comparable in both groups. Ragweed IgE increases after 12 weeks of therapy and IgG levels at maintenance therapy tended to be higher in the children, but neither difference was statistically significant. At the end of the study IgE and IgG antibody levels were comparable in both groups. Results of methacholine inhalation tests did not change significantly in either group. The decrease in skin sensitivity to ragweed was similar in both groups. We conclude that ragweed immunotherapy leads to immunological and biological consequences that are comparable in children and adults.
Crossreactivity of IgE antibodies from sera of subjects allergic to both ryegrass pollen and wheat endosperm proteins: evidence for common allergenic determinants
Authors: DONOVAN G. R. , BALDO B. A. 
Published: April 2006

SummaryPositive RAST (> 5% radioactive uptakes) to wheat endosperm proteins were found in approximately one‐quarter of subjects who had both a positive skin prick and RAST (> 10% radioactive uptake) to ryegrass pollen proteins. Immunoblotting of proteins electrophoretically transferred to nitrocellulose membrane after SDS‐PAGE of ryegrass pollen and wheat endosperm proteins confirmed the crossreactive properties of the sera identified by RAST testing. Immunoadsorption of serum IgE onto nitrocellulose membrane, to which ryegrass pollen or wheat endosperm proteins had been adsorbed, removed IgE from crossreactive sera reactive to both ryegrass pollen and wheat endosperm proteins. Elution of the adsorbed IgE from the nitrocellulose membrane after immunoadsorption and probing blotted strips of both ryegrass pollen and wheat endosperm proteins supported the results obtained from the immunoadsorption experiments. This data provides evidence that the crossreactivity of IgE antibodies in sera reacting with both ryegrass pollen and wheat endosperm proteins involves common or related determinants and has implications for the clinical management of these allergic subjects.
Role of insects as inhalant allergens in bronchial asthma with special reference to the clinical characteristics of patients
Authors: GUPTA SAROJ , JAIN S. , CHAUDHRY SUMAN , AGARWAL M. K. 
Published: April 2006

SummaryThe whole body extracts (WBEs) of 13 common insects from Delhi, namely Musca domestica (house fly); Sitophilus oryzae (rice weevil); Callosobrochous maculatus (pulse beetle); Anopheles stephensi, Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes aegypti (mosquitoes); Blattella germanica and Periplaneta americana (cockroaches: male, female and nymph); Spodoptera litura and Heliothis armigera (moths), were prepared to evaluate their allergenic significance in patients with allergic bronchial asthma, Intradermal (ID) tests were performed with these WBEs on 75 patients with bronchial asthma and 20 healthy non‐allergic volunteers. An ID test was considered positive when the weal diameter was more than twice that of phosphate‐buffered saline control and at least 6 mm in size and an erythema of more than 15 mm. In the patients 27·7% of the ID tests performed were total positive (1+ to 4+) as compared to 7·1% in the controls. Ten point two per cent of ID responses were markedly positive in asthmatics (2+ to 4+) as against none in controls, Of the 13 bronchial provocation tests (BPTs) performed on patients giving positive cutaneous responses, eight (61·5%) were positive. Similarly, RASTs were positive in 87·5% of the limited sera tested from the patients with positive ID responses. The patients with a positive family history of allergic disorders gave higher percentages of positive ID responses as compared to the asthmatics with no family history. Similarly, the ID positivity was significantly higher in patients with associated allergic diseases like allergic rhinitis as compared to the patients with bronchial asthma alone. Interestingly, we observed significantly higher ID response to insects in seasonal asthmatics. Thus, we conclude that insects do play an important role in the aetiology of allergic bronchial asthma, and that allergy to insects has a significant bearing on the clinical characteristics of these patients.
Evaluation of Basidiomycete and Deuteromycete (Fungi Imperfecti) extracts for shared allergenic determinants
Authors: O'NEIL CAROL E. , HORNER W. E. , REED MARGARET A. , LOPEZ M. , LEHRER S. B. 
Published: April 2006

SummaryAqueous extracts of select members of the Basidiomycetes and Deuteromycetes (Fungi Imperfecti) were evaluated for the presence of shared allergenic determinants using skin prick and radio‐allergosorbent test (RAST) inhibition. Twenty adults with perennial symptoms of rhinitis, with or without asthma, were skin‐prick tested with six species of Deuteromycetes and seven species of Basidomycetes. Positive weal‐and‐flare reactivity to Pleurotus ostreatus was associated with Alternaria alternata, Fusarium solani and Epicoccum purpurescens. Positive skin reactivity to Calvatia cyathiformis was also associated with A. alternata and F. solani. Coprinus quadrifidus was associated only with F. solani, and Psilocybe cubensis was only associated with Aspergillus fumigatus. No other skin test associations were demonstrated. For every allergen tested by RAST inhibition, significant dose‐dependent homologous inhibition was demonstrated. Although the ability of an individual heterologous extract to inhibit the direct RAST varied, inhibition was generally minimal. In the most extreme example, no heterologous allergen inhibited the A. alternata RAST. However, the Armillaria tabescens RAST was inhibited 52·6%, 38·1% and 25·1% by A. fumigatus, E. purpurescens, and Penicillium notatum, respectively, suggesting significant cross‐reactivity. These results suggest that, although shared allergenic determinants exist between select species of Basidiomycetes and Deuteromycetes, crossreactivity is minimal and its clinical significance is not clear. These data confirm that for reliable diagnosis of fungal allergy, representatives of both major groups must be used.
Immediate hypersensitivity to Parthenium hysterophorus. II. Clinical studies on the prevalence of parthenium rhinitis
Authors: SRIRAMARAO P. , NAGPAL S. , SUBBA RAO B. S. , PRAKASH OM , SUBBA RAO P. V. 
Published: April 2006

SummaryThe airborne pollen of the South American weed, Parthenium hysterophorus (American feverfew), accidentally introduced into India was found to he responsible for severe allergic rhinitis. A random clinical survey conducted on 2035 residents of Bangalore city with the aid of questionnaires and skin tests revealed that 7.1% of the study population was suffering from allergic rhinitis due to exposure to Parthenium pollen. Skin‐prick tests performed on 1294 clinic patients suffering from nasobronchial allergy during the past 4 years have also shown that 42.5% were sensitive to Parthenium pollen. IgE and IgG antibodies specific for Parthenium pollen allergens were demonstrable in the sera of Parthenium‐sensitive rhinitis patients. The specificity of these antibodies in Parthenium allergens was established by ELISA. A 7‐ to 11‐fold higher stimulation was observed when lymphocytes from two Parthenium‐sensitive rhinitis patients were treated in vitro with Parthenium pollen extract. To our knowledge, nowhere in the world has such a high incidence of allergic rhinitis due to a single pollen ever been reported.
Bronchial hyperresponsiveness and cellular infiltration in the lung of guinea‐pigs sensitized and challenged by aerosol
Authors: BOICHOT ELISABETH , LAGENTE V. , CARRE C. , WALTMANN P. , MENCIA‐HUERTA J. M. , BRAQUET P. 
Published: April 2006

SummaryWe have studied the development of airway hyperresponsiveness and the pulmonary cell infiltration in a guinea‐pig model in which both initial sensitization and subsequent exposure to the antigen were performed by aerosol. Enhanced bronchopulmonary response to aerosol administration of acetylcholine (ACh) and 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT) was observed 3–4 hr and 18–24 hr after antigen exposure of sensitized animals. In contrast, when ACh and 5‐HT were administered intravenously 3–4 hr after the challenge, no significant alteration of the dose ‐response curves was observed. However, 18–24 hr after antigen challenge, a marked leftward shift of the dose‐response curve was observed on intravenous injection of ACh or 5‐HT. The increased bronchial reactivity to aerosoli?.ed ACh in sensitized and challenged guinea‐pigs reached a maximum by days 2–4, was still significantly increased at day 5 and returned to the basal value by day 8. No further alteration of the dose‐related bronchopulmonary response to aerosol or intravenous administration of ACh was recorded 24 hr after a second antigen challenge, performed 8 days after the initial one. The analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluids showed a significant increase in the number of polymorphonuclear neutrophils 3–4 hr after the exposure of sensitized animals to the antigen, which was also associated with a significant eosinophilia at 18–24 hr. Histological examination of lung specimens obtained from animals 3–4 hr following challenge demonstrated eosinophil infiltration in the peribronchial regions and bronchial walls, as well as within the epithelium. Furthermore, as compared to time 3–4 hr, less eosinophils in the peribronchial area and submucosa were counted 24 hr after antigen challenge. However, a role of eosinophil‐derived products in the development of bronchial hyperresponsivenss in this experimental model remains to be established.
Radioimmunoassay of human eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) by an improved method. Establishment of normal levels in serum and turnover in vivo
Authors: PETERSON C. G. B. , ENANDER I. , NYSTRAND J. , ANDERSON A. S. , NILSSON L. , VENGE P. 
Published: April 2006

SummaryA radio immunoassay was developed allowing measurement of the cytotoxic cationic ECP. The assay, which has a total incubation time of 3.5 hr, is a double antibody assay with radiolabelled ECP. covering the concentration range of 2–200 μ/l. Performance data show a detection limit of < 2 μg/1 and a cross‐reactivity with eosinophil protein X (EPX/EDN) of <0.06%. The coefficient of variation (%) within the measuring range was, within assay 4.8–10.4, and total 6.6–12.0. The assay is useful for measurement in various body fluids including serum, nasal secretions and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and dilution of samples prior to analysts was generally not required. Sera from 100 apparently healthy individuals revealed a geometric mean of 6.0 μg ECP/1 and a range (95%) of 2.3–15.9 μg/1. The elimination rate of ECP, t12. in vivo was estimated to be 65 min when ECP was measured in serum. Comparisons between this assay and a method previously described showed that the new method is superior with regard to precision and assay procedure.
Quantifying serum antibody class and subclass responses by enzyme immunoassay in humidifier‐related disease
Authors: LEWIS C. , McSHARRY C. , ANDERSON K. , SPEEKENBRINK A. , KEMENY D. M. , DURNIN S. , FEYERABEND C. , SINCLAIR D. , WATT A. D. , BOYD G. 
Published: April 2006

SummaryAntibody activity in the major classes and IgG subclasses against antigens in factory humidifier water was quantified by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) in 88 subjects who were exposed at work to the output from these contaminated humidifiers. Those with work‐related symptoms had significantly higher mean titres than those who were symptom free, although values overlapped. The individuals with the highest IgG antibody titres also had the highest titres of IgM and IgA antibody, and these parameters did not discriminate between those with and without symptoms any better than the IgG titre. This was also true for the IgG subclasses where activity was predominantly measured in IgG 1. Quantifying the IgG antibody allowed us to demonstrate a significant correlation with years of work exposure (P<0.001). There was no significant association between antibody and cigarette smoking, as assessed by smoking history and confirmed objectively by serum cotinine levels. There was a significant correlation with total IgG level (P<0.001) suggesting that a non‐specific immune enhancement may accompany the specific response. The antibody titres were followed up to 3 years after modification of the humidification systems, and during this time symptoms resolved and the antilunK levels progressively fell to undetectable levels. The EIA was adapted to measure antigen at nanogram levels thus providing a rapid test for screening of humidifier water as a technique that may help identify the nature of the antigens involved.
Clinical and immunological characteristics of Brazil nut allergy
Authors: ARSHAD S. H. , MALMBERG E. , KRAPF K. , HIDE D. W. 
Published: April 2006

SummaryTwelve cases of allergy to Brazil nut have been recorded in the last 8 years. The reaction is usually IgE mediated and most patients have other atopic diseases. There appear to be several proteins with potent antigenic components in Brazil nut.
Nasal challenge studies with bradykinin: influence upon mediator generation
Authors: BRUNNÉE T. , NIGAM S. , KUNKEL G. , BAUMGARTEN C. R. 
Published: April 2006

SummaryPrevious studies have shown that nasal allergen provocation leads to dose‐dependent increases of inflammatory mediators, e.g. histamtne, kinins, LTC4 and PGD2 in nasal lavages. To investigte further the interaction of these mediators, a titration study with intranasal bradykinin (Bk) application (maximal dose 100 nmol/nostril) and consecutive lavage were performed in eight grass‐pollen‐allergic patients out of season, and five controls. The nasal lavages were analysed for albumin, N‐α‐tosyl‐l‐arginine methyl ester (TAME) esterase activity, histamine, 9α,11β‐PGF2, and LTC4. The clinical reactions were mesured with a subjective symptom score. A dose‐dependent elevation of albumin was found which was significantly higher in patients with allergic and non‐allergic rhinitis compared with normal volunteers. TAME‐eslerase activity also increased in relation to the dosage of Bk given without significant difference between the various groups. No influence on histamine, LTC4 and 9α,11β‐PGF2, release (PGD2 metabolite) was seen. Short‐lasting clinical symptoms like irritation, sneezing, and obstruction were noticed after the two highest Bk dosages (10 and 100 nmol). We conclude that intransally applied Bk induces a dose‐dependent plasma leakage into the nasal cavity, which is significantly higher in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis out of season compared to normals. Bk does not seem to affect the mast cell since hisiamine, LTC4 and 9αl lβ‐PGF2 levels do not alter. The ability to induce relevant symptoms of rhinitis provides strong support for the hypothesis that kinins may be important mediators of inflammatory disorders of the upper airways.
Evidence for IgE immune complexes and distribution of IgG subclasses with anti‐IgE activity in patients with atopic dermatitis
Authors: CARINI C. , FRATAZZI C. , AIUTI F. 
Published: April 2006

SummaryThe anti‐IgE autoantibody was detected, using a radioimmunoassay, in 17 out of 35 (48.6%) of patients with atopic dermatitis. Significant increased levels of IgG‐anti‐IgE were seen in the patients studied compared with the control group. The specificity of the anti‐IgE autoantibody was confirmed by competitive inhibition assay using IgG, IgM, IgE myeloma. A correlation was observed between the levels of IgG ‐anti‐IgE and serum IgE but not between the IgG subclasses with anti‐IgE activity and the clinical status. These data demonstrate that the IgG subclass distribution with anti‐IgE activity belongs mostly to the IgG1 and IgG4 subclasses compared with the controls. Moreover, ultracentrifugation analysis indicated that the IgG‐anti‐IgE in the serum samples from the patients with atopic dermatitis was present in the form of an immune complex with self‐IgE. These observations may suggest that the anti‐IgE complexes may play a broader role in the modulation of the immune response and that this autoantibody may mask recognition of IgE in conventional assays.
Tumour necrosis factor stimulates human skin mast cells to release histamine and tryptase
Authors: VAN OVERVELD F. J. , JORENS Ph. G. , RAMPART M. , DE BACKER W. , VERMEIRE P. A. 
Published: April 2006

SummaryBesides its effects on tumour cells, tumour necrosis factor (TNF) also acts on a variety of other cells, thus enhancing inflammatory and immune processes. In view of the prominent role of the mast cell in such processes, the aim of the present study was to assess the effects of recombinant TNF‐α on human mast cells. Mast cells from the infant foreskin obtained during circumcision were dispersed by an enzymatic technique using collagenasc and hyaluronidase. Cells thus obtained were pooled, washed and separated by Percoll gradient centrifugation. Mast cells, with a purity of 70 90% were incubated for 60 min with 10‐11 to 10‐7MrTNF‐α. Histamine and tryptase levels were assessed in the cell supernatant by spectrofluorometry and radioimmunoassay (RIA) respectively. A concentration dependent release of histamine was observed, which reached a maximum of 11·5 ± 2·2 nmol/106 cells at 10‐8 MrTNF. Release of tryptase was also concentration dependent and reached a maximum of 293±105 mU/106 cells (10‐8 rTNF). rTNF‐α thus appears to be a direct stimulus for mast cells to degranulale and to release both histamine and tryptase.
Genetic ‘risk’ for atopy is associated with delayed postnatal maturation of T‐cell competence
Authors: HOLT P. G. , CLOUGH J. B. , HOLT B. J. , BARON‐HAY M. J. , ROSE A. H. , ROBINSON B. W. S. , THOMAS W. R. 
Published: April 2006

SummaryRecent in vitro studies suggest that IgE production in adults is co‐ordinately regulated by negative signals from γIFN‐producing CD4+ T‐helper‐1 (TH‐1) and positive signals from IL‐4 producing (TH‐2) T‐cells. Additionally, seroepidemiological evidence has pinpointed infancy as the period of maximum lifetime risk for T‐cell sensitization to ubiquitous environmental antigens. The present study sought to elucidate the relationship between these observations, by examination of CD4+ T‐cell function in normal children and those genetically at‘high risk’ for atopy, spanning the age range (up to 4 years) in which IgE responses to environmental allergens is typically manifest. Immunocompetent T‐cell precursor frequencies (determined by cloning at limiting dilution) were markedly reduced in ‘high risk’ children relative to normals (0.53.0.29 vs 0.26.0.19; P= 0.0025). Consistent with reports from other laboratories employing bulk T‐cell culture techniques, the γIFN producing capacity of CD4+ T‐cell clones from both groups of children were markedly reduced relative to adults, and was lowest in the high risk group (P<0.02). IL‐4 production by CD4+ T‐cell clones from the normal children was within the adult range, but again was significantly lower in the high risk group (P<0.00005). This indicates that initial immune responses to environmental allergens in early childhood occur against a background of maturational ‘deficiency’ in CD4+ T‐cell function, and suggests the possibility that variations in the rate of postnatal maturation of T‐cell competence may be a contributing factor in the development of differing patterns of immunological responsiveness to environmental allergens.
Characterization of a monoclonal antibody (P40) against the 68 kD major allergen of Penicillium notatum
Authors: SHEN H.‐D. , CHOO K.‐B. , CHEN J.‐H. , LIN W.‐L. , CHANG Z.‐N. , HAN S.‐H. 
Published: April 2006

SummaryA monoclonal antibody (MoAb P40) against the 68 kD major allergen of penicillium notatum (P. notatum) was obtained by immunizing the mouse with a crude extract of P. notatum. Analysed by two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting, P40 reacted with two different isoforms of the 68 kD component of P. notatum with pIs of 5.4 and 5.5. In addition to P. notatum, P40 showed positive ELISA activity to Aspergillus fumigatus (A. fumigatus) but not to components of six other fungi including Alternaria porri, Cladosporium cladosporoides, Aureobasidium pullulans, Fusarium solani, Rhizopus arrhizus and Candida albicans. Analysed by ELISA, MoAb P40 also showed positive activity to two (P. frequentans and P. roseopurpureum) of the 10 other Penicillium species and two (A. terreus and A. flavus) of the four other Aspergillus species tested. SDS‐PAGE and immunoblotting studies demonstrated P40 positive reactivity to components with MW of about 67 kD in all these Penicillium and Aspergillus species with positive ELISA activity to P40. Furthermore, immunoblotting activity of MoAb P40 to the 67 kD component of A. niger was also observed. The epitope of the 68 kD allergen of P. notatum recognized by MoAb P40 was resistant to treatment of periodate oxidation with concentration of NaIO4 up to 20 mm. This MoAb may thus be useful in the characterization and purification of the 68 kD allergen from crude extracts, and in the molecular cloning of allergen genes.