bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Lipid and protein metabolism in asthma. Effects of diet and corticosteroid therapy
Authors: Picado C , Deulofeu R , Casals E , Lleonart R , Agustí M , Quintó L , Mullol J 
Published: March 2003

Background: Because little is known about the effects of asthma and asthma therapy on lipid and protein metabolism, we have investigated the characteristics of diet and plasma/serum levels of fat and protein in a group of asthma patients with various degrees of severity. Methods: A case‐control study was carried out on 118 asthma patients recruited from an outpatient clinic and 121 healthy subjects. Asthma severity was characterized in four groups according to clinical symptoms, lung‐function tests, and therapy. Normal dietary intake was estimated from a food frequency questionnaire. Serum protein, albumin, and fatty acids were determined by standard methods. Results: The dietary energy intake of the asthmatics was significantly lower than that of the controls. However, no differences in the body mass index were found between asthma patients and healthy subjects. There were no differences in serum/plasma levels in any of the measured biochemical parameters between healthy subjects and asthmatics. Plasma levels of protein and albumin were significantly lower in severely corticosteroid‐dependent patients. There was a significant negative correlation between plasma protein (r=0.36, P<0.05) and plasma albumin levels (r=0.43, P<0.01) and the daily dose of oral corticosteroids. We did not find any differences in plasma levels of cholesterol, HDL‐cholesterol, LDL‐cholesterol, and fatty acids between cortico‐dependent patients and those not receiving this therapy. No correlation was found between any biochemical parameters and the daily dose of inhaled corticosteroids. Conclusions: Our results suggest that asthma induces a decrease in energy intake that does not result in a decreased body weight. Inhaled corticosteroids do not exert any metabolic effect, whereas severe asthma with regular oral corticosteroid therapy is associated with reduced plasma protein and albumin levels.
Post‐marketing surveillance study on the safety of sublingual immunotherapy in pediatric patients
Authors: Di Rienzo V. , Pagani A. , Parmiani S. , Passalacqua G. , Canonica G.W. 
Published: March 2003

Background: Immunotherapy (IT) is the only causal treatment for allergic subjects recognized to be effective and to offer long‐lasting efficacy. The noninjective routes, aimed at improving the safety of the treatment, have been validated as effective in adults, but documentation of their safety in children is still poor. The aim of the present survey study was to assess the safety of sublingual immunotherapy in pediatric patients, by evaluating a large population.Methods: A total of 268 children (aged 2–15 years), receiving sublingual IT for respiratory allergy, were followed‐up over a period ranging from 3 months to 7 years (mean 34 months). The side‐effects possibly due to the treatment were recorded on a proper diary card; self‐assessment of the clinical outcome was also evaluated.Results: About 96000 doses of extract were globally administered. Local side‐effects were of no clinical relevance. Eight side‐effects were reported (3% of patients; 0.083 per 1000 doses). Seven systemic side‐effects (abdominal pain, conjunctival itching, and rhinitis) were mild and required no treatment. One case of urticaria was well controlled with oral antihistamines. No life‐threatening event occurred. The clinical outcome was judged excellent or good by 80% of the patients.Conclusions: The sublingual IT herein investigated appeared to be well tolerated and safe in pediatric patients. The risk/benefit ratio was therefore favorable.
The effect of intranasal and inhaled corticosteroids in healthy volunteers on the number of circulating lymphocytes and lymphocyte subsets
Authors: Fokkens WJ , Braat JP , Van De Merwe JP , Hooijkaas H , Overbeek SE 
Published: March 2003

Background:There has been an increasing interest in the potential systemic effects of inhaled corticosteroids. Methods:The effect of locally inhaled corticosteroids in the nose and lung on blood lymphocytes was measured in two studies. In the first study, budesonide (BUD) (200 and 800 μg), fluticasone propionate (FP) (200 and 800 μg), and placebo were administered in the nose, and BUD (1600 μg) and FP (1500 μg) were inhaled into the lungs in a blinded, randomized fashion by 12 healthy volunteers. Blood samples were taken before and 4 h after the administration of the drug, and total lymphocyte count and different subpopulations were determined. In the second study, 15 healthy volunteers were randomized to BUD (1600 μg), FP (1600 μg), or placebo inhaled into the lungs. Blood samples were taken before and 4, 8, 24, 48, and 148 h (=7 days) after inhalation of the medication. Results:Neither the nasal applications nor the inhalation of FP (1500 μg/1600 μg) showed significant differences in total lymphocyte count or different subpopulations between baseline and 4 h after the administration. In both studies, a significant reduction was found in the total lymphocyte count, B cells, T cells, and the CD4+ and the CD8+ fractions 4 h after application of BUD 1600 μg. Conclusions:Nasal application of BUD or FP in doses up to 800 μg do not induce lymphopenia. BUD 1600 μg inhalation in the lung reduces lymphocytes and their subfractions. Further studies have to be done to determine whether the results obtained in this study in healthy volunteers will also be found in patients with diseased mucosa and whether there is any correlation with adverse effects such as growth inhibition or osteoporosis.
Inflammation markers and cytokines in breast milk of atopic and nonatopic women
Authors: Rudloff S , Niehues T , Rutsch M , Kunz C , Schroten H 
Published: March 2003

Background: Breast milk is thought to contain its own complex immune system. Whether or not this is altered in allergic individuals is not yet known. Methods: By ELISA techniques, inflammatory markers (MIP‐1α, sICAM‐1) and TH1 (interferon‐gamma [IFN‐γ]), as well as TH2 cytokines (interleukin [IL]‐4, IL‐10), were investigated in serum and milk samples from nonallergic (n=23) lactating women and those with respiratory allergies (n=19) during the first week postpartum. Results: IFN‐γ was not detected in either serum or milk. IL‐10 was more often found to be above the detection limit in both milk and serum samples from allergic mothers. IL‐4 was detected in almost all serum samples with a wide variation. In milk, IL‐4 was found in about 20% of the samples. MIP‐1α was not detected in the serum but was detected in the milk of 23% of the nonatopic and 53% of the allergic mothers. Soluble ICAM‐1 was present in all samples. Surprisingly, serum levels of sICAM‐1 in allergic mothers (271±97 ng/ml) were significantly lower (P<0.001) than in nonatopic subjects (375±86 ng/ml). Concentrations of sICAM‐1 in milk were similar in both groups. Conclusions: The concentrations of proinflammatory markers and cytokines in breast milk did not differ significantly between allergic and nonatopic mothers. In some individuals, high levels of MIP‐1α, IL‐10, and sICAM‐1 could be found. However, the significance of these components for the breast‐fed infant is still unclear.
Assessment of serum myeloperoxidase in children with bronchial asthma
Authors: Tauber E , Herouy Y , Urbanek R , Urbanek R , Goetz M , Hagel E 
Published: March 2003

Background: The role of neutrophils and myeloperoxidase (MPO) – assumed to be a marker of neutrophil activation – in bronchial asthma is still unclear, and the literature is controversial. Methods: To investigate the participation of neutrophils and their products in childhood asthma, we assessed neutrophil counts and serum MPO in 175 children with bronchial asthma. Ninety of them were asymptomatic, and 85 of them were symptomatic within the last 2 weeks before examination. Bacterial infection of the lower respiratory tract (LRTI) was present in 34 and viral infection in 49 patients. As controls, 45 patients with cystic fibrosis, 23 patients with bacterial LRTI, and 87 healthy children were recruited. Results: Median neutrophil counts (3135 cells/μl) and serum MPO levels (352 μg/l) were not different in children with bronchial asthma from healthy controls (2220 cells/μl and 401 μg/l, respectively), whereas in patients with cystic fibrosis and bacterial LRTI, neutrophil counts and MPO levels were increased. Asthmatic children with bacterial infection had significantly higher serum MPO and neutrophil counts then asthmatic children with viral infection or without infection. In addition, a significant correlation was found between serum MPO and neutrophil counts and C‐reactive protein (CRP), and between neutrophil counts and CRP, but no relationship was detected for serum MPO and disease activity or lung function. Conclusions: Our data indicate that serum MPO – a marker of neutrophil activation – does not contribute to the assessment of the inflammatory process in childhood asthma. In addition, measurement of serum MPO appears not to be useful in assessing the participation of the neutrophil in asthmatic children. However, assessment of MPO may be useful to distinguish between bacterial and viral infection. Abbreviations. BAL: bronchoalveolar lavage; CF: cystic fibrosis; CRP: C‐reactive protein; ECP: eosinophil cationic protein; EPX: eosinophil protein X; LRTI: lower respiratory tract infection; MPO: myeloperoxidase.
Clinical and pathologic methods to assess the long‐term safety of nasal corticosteroids
Authors: Laliberté F. , Bousquet J. , Laliberté M. F. , Lécart S. , Klossec J. M. , Mounedji N. ,   French Triamcinolone Acetonide Study Group
Published: March 2003

Background: The main objective of this long‐term prospective local safety study was to evaluate endoscopic and histologic changes in nasal epithelium after 6‐month treatment with triamcinolone acetonide (TAA). We describe here a method to measure quantitatively epithelium thickness. Results were compared with those seen with the use of cetirizine (an antihistamine) and another oral intranasal corticosteroid, beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP). Methods: Patients were examined by an ENT specialist who first performed an endoscopic evaluation of the nasal cavities, assessing any morphologic abnormalities and the aspect of the mucosa. Biopsies were taken from the inferior turbinate before and after 24 weeks of treatment. Biopsies were immediately fixed in cold acetone (−20°C) and embedded in glycolmethacrylate; sections of 2 µm were cut on an ultramicrotome. Morphometric evaluations were done in a blinded fashion by computerized image analysis to measure an epithelial area over a minimum length of 50 µm. The thickness was ascertained by the ratio of area to length. Results:

For all three treatment groups, the nasal epithelium thickness decreased slightly from pretreatment to the end of treatment.
No statistically significant differences between the three treatment groups were found in epithelium thickness.
Macroscopically, nasal tissues in all treated groups were normal.

Conclusions: These results clearly indicate that long‐term treatment with TAA has no atrophic effect on nasal mucosa.
IgE binding to almond proteins in two CAP‐FEIA‐negative patients with allergic symptoms to almond as comparedto three CAP‐FEIA‐false‐positive subjects
Authors: Pasini G. , Simonato B. , Giannattasio M. , Gemignani C. , Curioni A. 
Published: March 2003

Background: Allergy to almonds has been frequently reported, but data on the identification of the almond allergens, as well as on the reliability of the methods for in vitro detection of specific IgE for these allergens, are scant. This study aimed to identify the almond allergens and to evaluate the reliability of the CAP‐FEIA as the standard system for detection of almond‐specific IgE with clinical significance. Methods: Immunoblotting performed with an almond‐protein extract was carried out on the sera of five patients who had previously been tested by the CAP‐FEIA system; two of these patients had tested negative with the CAP‐FEIA system but suffered life‐threatening laryngeal edema after eating almonds, whereas the other three subjects, who had tested positive with CAP‐FEIA, did not present any symptoms subsequent to almond ingestion. Results: The sera of the two symptomatic CAP‐FEIA‐negative patients had IgE that bound only to a 37‐kDa protein in immunoblotting. On the contrary, the sera of the three asymptomatic subjects all showed IgE binding to two almond proteins of 62 and 50 kDa, corresponding to the glycosylated components of the extract. Conclusions: The results here presented suggest that, at least for the examined subjects, the positivity to almond, as measured with a standard laboratory method, is due to the presence of the 62/50‐kDa glycoproteins with little or no immunologic significance, and not to the binding to the 37‐kDa polypeptide, which appears to be a true almond allergen.
Purification and characterization of Pla a 1, a major allergen from Platanus acerifolia pollen
Authors: Asturias J. A. , Ibarrola I. , Bartolomé B. , Ojeda I. , Malet A. , Martínez A. 
Published: March 2003

Background: Plane trees, as Platanus acerifolia, are an important source of airborne allergens in cities of the United States and Western Europe. Little is known about the relevant allergens of this pollen. The aim of this study was to identify relevant allergens from P. acerifolia pollen and purify and characterize a major allergen of 18 kDa. Methods:
P. acerifolia pollen extract was fractionated using ion exchange, gel filtration, and reverse‐phase chromatography. Analyzes were carried out by EAST, SDS‐PAGE, isoelectric focusing, immunoblotting and amino‐acid sequencing. Results: An 18‐kDa protein from the P. acerifolia pollen extract, which we named Pla a 1, was purified. This nonglycosylated protein had an isoelectric point value higher than 9.3 and was recognized by up to 92% of monosensitized Platanus allergic patients and 83% of polyzensitized patients. Sequencing of its N‐terminal yielded an amino acid sequence which showed no homology to the known proteins in the databases. Other relevant allergens detected in monosensitized patients were proteins of 43 and 52 kDa, with immunoglobulin (Ig)E‐binding prevalences of 83 and 42%, respectively. Profilin was an important allergen in polyzensitized patients. Conclusions: The most relevant allergens from the P. acerifolia pollen have been determined. A major allergen, specific of this pollen, and named Pla a 1, has been purified and characterized.
Benzydamine: an alternative nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug in patients with nimesulide‐induced urticaria
Authors: Nettis E. , Di Paola R. , Napoli G. , Ferrannini A. , Tursi A. 
Published: March 2003

Background: Cutaneous adverse reactions to nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), in particular urticaria/angiedema syndrome, represent a frequent problem in clinical practice. To date laboratory tests for the diagnosis of these adverse reactions are not available. A patient with an adverse drug reaction to NSAIDs needs an alternative drug to assume if necessary. Nimesulide is a highly prescribed nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug (NSAID) world‐wide. It is also described as one of the most tolerated NSAID. In this paper we present data on the tolerability of benzydamine in nimesulide‐sensitive patients. Patients and methods: One hundred and thirty‐seven patients with nimesulide‐induced urticaria were submitted to a single‐blind, placebo‐controlled peroral challenge with increasing doses of benzydamine. Results: One hundred and thirty‐four out of 137 (98%) patients tolerated benzydamine without adverse effects, only three (2%) experienced immediate systemic urticaria (1 at the first dose and 2 at the second dose). Conclusion: Benzydamine is a well tolerated drug in patients with nimesulide‐induced urticaria and it may represent a valid alternative NSAID in nimesulide‐sensitive patients.
Can the standard gamble and rating scale be used to measure quality of life in rhinoconjunctivitis? Comparison with the RQLQ and SF‐36
Authors: Juniper E. F. , Thompson A. K. , Roberts J. N. 
Published: March 2003

Background: With interest in health economics growing, it is important to know whether utilities may be used to measure health‐related quality of life in patients with rhinoconjunctivitis. The objective was to compare the validity and measurement properties of disease‐specific versions of the standard gamble and rating scale with those of the Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) and the Short‐Form 36 (SF‐36). Methods: One hundred adults with symptomatic rhinoconjunctivitis participated in a 5 week observational study, completing the standard gamble, rating scale, RQLQ and SF‐36 at baseline and after 1 and 5 weeks. Symptom diaries were completed for 1 week before each follow‐up visit. Results: Reliability was highest for the RQLQ (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.97), followed by the rating scale (0.75), the SF‐36 physical (0.75), the SF‐36 mental (0.74) and the standard gamble (0.12). The responsiveness index was highest for the RQLQ (0.76), followed by the rating scale (0.56) and the SF‐36 mental (0.28). Both cross‐sectional and longitudinal validity were strongest for the RQLQ and the rating scale. Conclusions Both the rating scale and the RQLQ have strong evaluative and discriminative properties. The SF‐36 has acceptable discriminative properties but its evaluative properties are poor. All measurement properties for the standard gamble are inadequate. Poor correlation between the standard gamble and the rating scale indicates that utilities cannot be derived from rating scale data.
Medical Indoor Environment Counselor (MIEC): role in compliance with advice on mite allergen avoidance and on mite allergen exposure
Authors: De Blay F. , Fourgaut G. , Hedelin G. , Vervloet D. , Michel F.‐B. , Godard P. , Charpin D. , Pauli G. ,   the Scientific Committee of the MIEC study
Published: March 2003

Background: In order to improve patient compliance in allergen avoidance, a new occupational activity was created: Medical Indoor Environment Counselor (MIEC). The aim of this study was to assess the impact of an MIEC on compliance with advice for mite allergen reduction in patients sensitized and exposed to mite allergens, and on mite allergen levels.Methods: The study included 378 patients from four centers (Marseilles, Montpellier, Paris, Strasbourg) in a randomized prospective study. Patients in group A received advice from doctors only, and those in group B from doctors and MIEC. Mite allergen levels were measured on mattresses, mattress bases, and floors. Compliance and mite allergen levels were assessed 5 months later.Results: Compliance for changing the mattress bases, removing or treating the carpets, washing duvets, pillows and stuffed animals were significantly higher in group B than in group A. A significant decrease in mite allergen was obtained for group B in mattress bases (83.8–22.9 µg/g) and in carpets (15.8–6.3 µg/g), but not in group A.Conclusion: Our results suggest that the home visit by the MIEC 1) increased the compliance to mite reduction methods advised; 2) induced a significant difference in mite reduction levels on mattress bases and on carpets; 3) avoided nonestablished avoidance advice.
Short‐ and long‐term success of organs transplanted from acute methanol poisoned donors
Authors: López‐Navidad A , Caballero F , González‐Segura C , Cabrer C , Frutos MA 
Published: March 2003

Background: The shortage of organs for transplantation has made it necessary to extend the criteria for the selection of donors, among others including those patients who die because of toxic substances such as methanol. Methanol is a toxic which is distributed through all the systems and viscera of the organism and tends to cause a severe metabolic acidosis. It can specifically cause serious or irreversible lesions of the central nervous system (CNS) and retina, and ultimately brain death. We present our experience with 16 organ donors who died as a result of acute methanol intoxication in 10 Spanish hospitals over the last 14 yr. Patients and methods: Between October 1985 and July 1999, 16 organ donors with brain death caused by acute methanol intoxication, 13 females and three males with a mean age of 38.4 ± 7.6 yr (interval: 26–55 yr), allowed 37 elective transplants to be performed: 29 kidneys, four hearts and four livers for 37 recipients, and one urgent liver transplantation to a recipient with fulminant hepatitis.Results: The immediate postoperative period was favourable for the 38 graft recipients. None of the graft recipients presented gap anion metabolic acidosis in the immediate postoperative period, nor symptomatology or lesions of the CNS characteristic of methanol intoxication. Two patients died during the first month post‐transplantation, a liver recipient and a heart recipient, at 16 and 24 days, respectively, because of acute rejection of the graft. At 1 month after transplantation 35 of the 36 recipients had been discharged from hospital with normal‐functioning grafts. The last of the recipients, a kidney recipient, was discharged at 6 wk with normal‐functioning graft. Actuarial survival of the graft and patient of kidney recipients at 1, 3 and 5 yr was 92.6, 77.8, and 75%, and 100, 88.9 and 83.3%, respectively; with average serum creatinines of 139.9 ± 42.9, 150.4 ± 42.8, and 164.4 ± 82.5 μmol/L, respectively. At 1 yr after transplantation the three heart recipients and two of the three liver recipients had normal‐functioning graft.Conclusions: Methanol intoxication is not transferred from the donor to the recipient. The survival of the graft and kidney, heart and liver recipients using organs from donors who die because of methanol does not differ in the short‐ and long‐term from the transplants performed with organs from donors who die from other causes.
Stress and depression: possible links to neuron death in the hippocampus
Authors: Lee Angela L , Ogle William O , Sapolsky Robert M 
Published: March 2003

Recent intriguing reports have shown an association between major depression and selective and persistent loss of hippocampal volume, prompting considerable speculation as to its underlying causes. In this paper we focus on the hypothesis that overt hippocampal neuron death could cause this loss and review current knowledge about how hippocampal neurons die during insults. We discuss (a) the trafficking of glutamate and calcium during insults; (b) oxygen radical generation and programmed cell death occurring during insults; (c) neuronal defenses against insults; (d) the role of energy availability in modulating the extent of neuron loss following such insults.The subtypes of depression associated with hippocampal atrophy typically involve significant hypersecretion of glucocorticoids, the adrenal steroids secreted during stress. These steroids have a variety of adverse affects, direct and indirect, in the hippocampus. Thus glucocorticoids may play a contributing role toward neuron death. We further discuss how glucocorticoids cause or exacerbate cellular changes associated with hippocampal neuron loss in the context of the events listed above.