bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Randomized controlled open study of sublingual immunotherapy for respiratory allergy in real‐life: clinical efficacy and more
Authors: Marogna M. , Spadolini I. , Massolo A. , Canonica G. W. , Passalacqua G. 
Published: October 2004

Background:  Some aspects of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) still need to be addressed: magnitude of the clinical efficacy, effect on the bronchial hyperreactivity adherence to treatment, preventive effect. We attempted to clarify these points in a randomized open, controlled, two parallel group study in a real‐life setting.Methods:  Five hundred and eleven patients with allergic rhinitis with or without intermittent asthma were randomized to drugs only or drugs + SLIT (rate 2 : 3) for 3 years. The clinical score (symptoms + drug intake) was measured each year during the allergen exposure. Pulmonary function test, methacholine challenge and skin tests were performed at the beginning and at the end of the study. Adherence to treatment was assessed by measuring the consumed extract.Results:  Three hundred and nineteen patients received SLIT and 192 drugs only. Dropouts were 15% in the SLIT group and 12% in the controls. There was a significant improvement of clinical scores in the SLIT group: baseline 147 ± 3.3, first year 72.9 ± 1.3, second year 68.3 ± 1.8, third year 54.7 ± 2.8 (P < 0.0001 vs baseline). Control group: baseline 138 ± 2.3, first year 124.1 ± 3.7, second year 111 ± 3.3, third year 121 ± 3.8 (P = NS). Only four patients reported systemic itching. Adherence was >80% in 72% and >60% in 18% of patients. The number of patients with a positive MCh challenge decreased significantly after 3 years only in the SLIT group. New skin sensitizations appeared in 38% of the controls and in 5.9% of the SLIT patients (P = 0.01).Conclusion:  Sublingual immunotherapy approximately halved the clinical scores and significantly reduced the bronchial hyperreactivity. Similarly to subcutaneous immunotherapy, SLIT displayed a preventive effect on the onset of new skin sensitizations. The adherence rate was quantitatively satisfactory.
Evaluation of the Asthma Life Quality test for the screening and severity assessment of asthma
Authors: Fonseca J. A. , Delgado L. , Costa‐Pereira A. , Tavares C. , Moreira A. , Morete A. , de Oliveira F. , Rodrigues J. , Vaz M. 
Published: October 2004

Background:  Asthma Life Quality (ALQ) test, a 20‐question questionnaire developed by the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, has been shown to be useful for asthma diagnosis. We aimed to determine the relation between ALQ scores and (a) diagnosis of asthma; (b) physician's classification of asthma severity according to National Institutes of Health/Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA).Methods:  Standard translation and cultural adaptation to Portuguese was performed. Patients self‐administered the ALQ in the waiting room; the attending allergist classified them, blindly for the test. The scores of nonasthmatics were compared with those of asthma patients. Asthma patients were analyzed in two severity groups: intermittent and mild persistent asthma (IMPA), and moderate and severe persistent asthma (MSPA); sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were calculated and receiver operating characteristic curve plotted. Logistic regression analysis models were computed.Results:  From 283 patients, 237 tests were analyzed. Non‐asthmatic patients ALQ scores (mean ± SD) were 6 ± 4 and, for asthmatics, 10 ± 5 [mean difference 4.6 (95%CI 3.3–5.9)]. The odds of positive diagnosis increased 1.27 times (95%CI 1.17–1.38) for each one‐unit increase in the test. For asthma severity ALQ scores were 9 ± 4 for IMPA, 15 ± 3 for MSPA [difference 6.0 (95%CI 4.8–7.1)]; with a sensitivity of 88% and specificity of 74% for a score of 12. The odds of MSPA increased 1.49 times (95%CI 1.28–1.74) per unit increase in ALQ.Conclusions:  ALQ can help both to identify patients with asthma and to differentiate those more likely to have moderate/severe asthma. These are relevant characteristics for the possible use of this simple, self‐administered questionnaire in the assessment of asthma patients needing additional medical management.
Allergenicity and cross‐reactivity of Russian olive pollen (Eleagnus angustifolia)
Authors: Sastre J. , Lluch‐Bernal M. , Bustillo A. M. G. , Carnés J. , Marañón F. , Casanovas M. , Fernández‐Caldas E. 
Published: October 2004

Background:  The purposes of this study were: to determine the prevalence of sensitization and immunochemical characterization of Eleagnus angustifolia pollen (Russian olive) that belongs to the family Eleagnaceae.Methods:  A total of 134 patients with rhinoconjunctivitis and/or asthma were studied. Its allergenicity, cross‐reactivity with olive pollen and the presence of Ole e 1 and Ole e 4‐like molecules were evaluated.Results:  Eleagnus angustifolia pollen was detected from May to June. Seventy‐three of 134 (30.5%) had positive skin test to E. angustifolia, all of them were positive to olive. There was a good correlation between specific immunoglobulin (Ig)E levels to E. angustifolia and Olea europaea (r = 0.77, P = 0.002). Sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE) immunoblots revealed major IgE‐binding bands in the E. angustifolia extract of 43 and 63.7 kDa. The E. angustifolia extract was not able to inhibit olive, whereas O. europaea inhibited E. angustifolia up to 41%. The presence of Ole e 1‐ and Ole e 4‐like allergens in E. angustifolia extract was confirmed by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent (ELISA) inhibition assays. Nasal challenge with E. angustifolia was positive in three of six patients with positive skin test to both pollens and negative in five patients with positive skin test only to O. europaea.Conclusions:  This study confirms that E. angustifolia is capable of sensitizing individuals in Madrid. A minimal‐to‐moderate cross‐reactivity with olive pollen was established, suggesting some cross‐reactivity but not excluding co‐sensitization.
Effect of immunotherapy on asthma progression, BHR and sputum eosinophils in allergic rhinitis
Authors: Polosa R. , Li Gotti F. , Mangano G. , Paolino G. , Mastruzzo C. , Vancheri C. , Lisitano N. , Crimi N. 
Published: October 2004

Background:  Bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) and airway inflammation are frequently associated with allergic rhinitis, and may be important risk factors for the development of asthma. Specific immunotherapy (SIT) reduces symptom in subjects with allergic rhinitis, but the mechanisms are not clear.Aims of the study:  To assess the effect of Parietaria‐SIT on asthma progression, rhinitic symptoms, BHR, and eosinophilic inflammation.Methods:  Nonasthmatic subjects with seasonal rhinitis were randomly assigned to receive Parietaria pollen vaccine (n = 15) or matched placebo (n = 15). Data on symptoms and medication score, BHR to methacholine, eosinophilia in sputum were collected throughout the 3‐year study.Results:  By the end of the study, in the placebo group, symptoms and medication scores significantly increased by a median (interquartile range) of 121% (15–280) and 263% (0–4400) respectively (P < 0.01), whereas no significant difference was observed in the SIT group. We found no significant changes in sputum eosinophils and BHR to methacholine in both groups throughout the study. Nine of 29 participants developed asthma symptoms during the study; of these, only two subjects (14%) in the SIT‐treated group (P = 0.056).Conclusions:  Parietaria‐SIT reduces symptom and rescue medication scores, but no changes in BHR to methacholine or sputum eosinophilia were observed. Moreover, Parietaria‐SIT appears to prevent the natural progression of allergic rhinitis to asthma, suggesting that SIT should be considered earlier in the management of subjects with allergic rhinitis.
Assessment of the relation between short and intermediate term growth in children with asthma treated with inhaled glucocorticoids
Authors: Wolthers O. D. , Heuck C. 
Published: October 2004

Objective:  To assess the relation between short‐term growth and intermediate term growth in children with asthma treated with inhaled glucocorticoids.Design:  An open 12 months parallel group trial with visits to the clinic on day 1, after 2, 4, 8, 12, 20, 28, 36, 44 and 52 weeks. Setting: Outpatient clinic in a secondary referral centre. Subjects: Sixteen children with asthma aged 9 (6–13) years; 16 matched healthy subjects.Methods:  Knemometry and stadiometry. Interventions: Dry‐powder inhaled budesonide 200 μg twice daily. Primary outcome measures: Intra‐group comparisons of mean lower leg growth rates. Secondary outcome measures: Inter‐group comparisons of mean lower leg growth rates and intra‐group comparisons of mean height‐standard deviation scores.Results:  One year mean lower leg growth rate (0.36 mm/week) did not differ from the rates during the 2 (0.27 mm/week; P = 0.23), 4 (0.33 mm/week; P = 0.54), 8 (0.36 mm/week; P = 0.79) or 12 (0.33 mm/week; P = 0.49) weeks intervals in the asthma group. Similarly, in the healthy children 2 (0.56 mm/week; P = 0.63), 4 (0.46 mm/week; P = 0.36), 8 (0.43 mm/week; P = 0.49) and 12 (0.43 mm/week; P = 0.66) weeks mean growth rates did not vary statistically significantly from the 1 year growth rate (0.42 mm/week). Mean lower leg growth rates, however, were consistently lower during all periods in the children with asthma (P = 0.02–0.03). At completion of the study mean height‐standard deviation score in the asthma group (−0.19) was significantly suppressed as compared with the score at study entry (−0.03) (P = 0.02), whereas no statistically significant variation was detected in the control group.Conclusions:  Short‐term lower leg growth rates are consistent with intermediate term growth rates in group studies in children with asthma treated with inhaled dry powder budesonide 400 μg/day. Short‐term group knemometry should be an integral part of growth evaluations of new inhaled glucocorticoids, doses and inhalation devices in children with asthma.
Allergy to jackfruit: a novel example of Bet v 1‐related food allergy
Authors: Bolhaar S. T. H. P. , van Ree R. , Bruijnzeel‐Koomen C. A. F. M. , Knulst A. C. , Zuidmeer L 
Published: October 2004

Background:  Jackfruit allergy has been reported just once. It is unknown whether this food allergy is caused by direct sensitization or cross‐sensitization to pollen allergens.Objective:  Establish whether jackfruit allergy is linked to birchpollen allergy.Methods:  Two jackfruit allergic patients and five patients with birchpollen‐related apple allergy were recruited. Sensitization to pollen and plant foods was assessed by skin prick test (SPT), radio‐allergosorbent test (RAST) and immunoblot. RAST analysis was performed for Bet v 1 and Mal d 1. Cross‐reactivity was evaluated by RAST and immunoblot‐inhibition. Biological activity of immunoglobulin E (IgE) was measured by basophil histamine release. Allergy to jackfruit was evaluated by double‐blind placebo‐controlled food challenge (DBPCFC) or open challenge (OC).Results:  In both patients DBPCFC confirmed the reported jackfruit allergy. SPT was 41 and 27 mm2 and specific IgE to jackfruit was 5.9 and 0.8 IU/ml, respectively. Immunoblot analysis revealed IgE reactivity at Mr of approximately 17 kDa. The Bet v 1‐related nature of this allergen in jackfruit was demonstrated by RAST and immunoblot inhibition. To assess whether jackfruit allergy might be common in patients with combined birchpollen‐fruit allergy, five such patients underwent an OC with jackfruit. All five had OA‐like symptoms.Conclusions:  Jackfruit allergy can be added to the list of birchpollen‐related food allergies. Increased consumption of this fruit will result in a rise in allergic reactions.
A clinical survey on compliance in the treatment of rhinitis using nasal steroids
Authors: Loh C. Y. , Chao S. S. , Chan Y. H. , Wang D. Y. 
Published: October 2004

Background:  In the treatment of persistent rhinitis, the observed efficacy with intranasal steroids in clinical practice often falls short of that reported in clinical trials. We postulate that this could be due to patient non‐compliance and thus designed this study to evaluate the impact of patient compliance on the efficacy of treatment in patients with persistent rhinitis.Methods:  Sixty‐three consecutive adult patients with allergic and non‐allergic rhinitis, treated with intranasal triamcinolone acetonate, were included in the study. Compliance was determined both by direct questioning and by measuring the weight of medication consumed (WMC) after 30 days of therapy. Nasal symptom scores were used to determine treatment efficacy.Results:  Forty‐nine patients (77.8%) reported a forgetfulness of using medication for a few times (1–5 times) during the treatment period. Less than 50% compliance was reported by one patient (1.6%) but detected in seven patients (11%) by WMC. There was a significant (P < 0.001) improvement in mean total symptom score before (7.45 ± 1.99) and after (3.59 ± 2.72) treatment in patients with WMC of at least 50%, but not when WMC was <50% (8.43 ± 1.72 vs 6.29 ± 2.43; P = 0.114). With >50% WMC, the positive predictive values for relief of each symptom were rhinorrhoea: 78%, nasal itch: 70%, nasal obstruction: 67% and sneezing: 65%.Conclusion:  Patients compliance has a significant impact on treatment efficacy with intranasal steroids. There is a discrepancy between reported and actual compliance. It is thus important to establish the actual compliance when evaluating patients who fail to respond to therapy.
Diagnosis of nonimmediate reactions to β‐lactam antibiotics
Authors: Romano A. , Blanca M. , Torres M. J. , Bircher A. , Aberer W. , Brockow K. , Pichler W. J. , Demoly P. ,   ENDA and the EAACI interest group on drug hypersensitivity
Published: October 2004

Nonimmediate manifestations (i.e. occurring more than 1 h after drug administration), particularly maculopapular and urticarial eruptions, are common duringβ‐lactam treatment. The mechanisms involved in most nonimmediate reactions seem to be heterogeneous and are not yet completely understood. However, clinical and immunohistological studies, as well as analysis of drug‐specific T‐cell clones obtained from the circulating blood and the skin, suggest that a type‐IV (cell‐mediated) pathogenic mechanism may be involved in some nonimmediate reactions such as maculopapular or bullous rashes and acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis. In the diagnostic work‐up, the patient's history is fundamental; patch testing is useful, together with delayed‐reading intradermal testing. The latter appears to be somewhat more sensitive than patch testing, but also less specific. In case of negative allergologic tests, consideration should be given to provocation tests, and the careful administration of the suspect agents. With regard toin vitrotests, the lymphocyte transformation test may contribute to the identification of the responsible drug.Under the aegis of the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) interest group on drug hypersensitivity and the European Network for Drug Allergy (ENDA), in this review we describe the general guidelines for evaluating subjects with nonimmediate reactions toβ‐lactams.
Limit load of throughwall cracked elbows: comparison of test results with theoretical predictions
Authors: CHATTOPADHYAY J. , TOMAR A. K. S. , DUTTA B. K. , KUSHWAHA H. S. 
Published: October 2004

ABSTRACTIntegrity assessment of piping components with postulated cracks is very important for safe and reliable operation of power plants. Pipe bends or elbows are among the very important piping components in any power plant. The existing equations of limit load of elbows have various shortcomings. Additionally, there is only limited test data on elbows in open literature. A comprehensive experimental and analytical programe has been undertaken at Reactor Safety Division (RSD) of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) to conduct fracture tests on throughwall cracked elbows and to also propose new limit load equations for a throughwall cracked elbows. The prediction from these newly proposed limit load equations agreed well with the test results. The present paper describes the elbow test specimens, the test setup, the test results and provides a description of the elastic–plastic finite‐element analysis. The newly proposed collapse moment equations for throughwall circumferentially cracked elbows are presented and a comparison of test results with theoretical predictions is made to validate the equations.
RNA Polymerase II Localizes in
Tetrahymena thermophila
Meiotic Micronuclei When Micronuclear Transcription Associated with Genome Rearrangement Occurs
Authors: Mochizuki Kazufumi , Gorovsky Martin A. 
Published: October 2004

ABSTRACT

The germ line micronucleus in
Tetrahymena thermophila
is transcriptionally silent in vegetatively growing cells. However, micronuclear transcription has been observed in the early (“crescent”) stages of the sexual process, conjugation. This transcription is proposed to play a central role in identifying sites for subsequent genome rearrangements that accompany development of the somatic macronucleus from the micronucleus.
RPB3
(
cnjC
), a gene encoding a protein homologous to the third largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RNAP II), was previously reported to be expressed specifically during conjugation, suggesting a role in micronucleus-specific transcription. Rpb3p localized in the micronucleus only during the meiotic prophase, when micronuclear transcription occurs, and its intranuclear distribution is strikingly similar to that for previously described sites of micronuclear RNA synthesis. By contrast, Rpc5p, the homologous subunit shared by RNAPs I and III, was not detectable in the micronucleus at any stage of the life cycle. However, Rpb3p is not specific to the transcribing micronucleus. Like Rpc5p, it also localizes to macronuclei in all stages of the life cycle. Rpb3p is encoded by a unique, essential gene in
Tetrahymena
. Thus, RNAP II is associated with both somatic transcription and crescent transcription and probably has an important role in genome rearrangement.
A Temperature-Sensitive
dcw1
Mutant of
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Is Cell Cycle Arrested with Small Buds Which Have Aberrant Cell Walls
Authors: Kitagaki Hiroshi , Ito Kiyoshi , Shimoi Hitoshi 
Published: October 2004

ABSTRACT

Dcw1p and Dfg5p in
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
are homologous proteins that were previously shown to be involved in cell wall biogenesis and to be essential for growth. Dcw1p was found to be a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored membrane protein. To investigate the roles of these proteins in cell wall biogenesis and cell growth, we constructed mutant alleles of
DCW1
by random mutagenesis, introduced them into a Δ
dcw1
Δ
dfg5
background, and isolated a temperature-sensitive mutant, DC61 (
dcw1-3
Δ
dfg5
). When DC61 cells were incubated at 37°C, most cells had small buds, with areas less than 20% of those of the mother cells. This result indicates that DC61 cells arrest growth with small buds at 37°C. At 37°C, fewer DC61 cells had 1N DNA content and most of them still had a single nucleus located apart from the bud neck. In addition, in DC61 cells incubated at 37°C, bipolar spindles were not formed. These results indicate that DC61 cells, when incubated at 37°C, are cell cycle arrested after DNA replication and prior to the separation of spindle pole bodies. The small buds of DC61 accumulated chitin in the bud cortex, and some of them were lysed, which indicates that they had aberrant cell walls. A temperature-sensitive
dfg5
mutant, DF66 (Δ
dcw1 dfg5-29
), showed similar phenotypes.
DCW1
and
DFG5
mRNA levels peaked in the G
1
and S phases, respectively. These results indicate that Dcw1p and Dfg5p are involved in bud formation through their involvement in biogenesis of the bud cell wall.
Rapid Production of Gene Replacement Constructs and Generation of a Green Fluorescent Protein-Tagged Centromeric Marker in
Aspergillus nidulans
Authors: Yang Lin , Ukil Leena , Osmani Aysha , Nahm Francis , Davies Jonathan , De Souza Colin P. C. , Dou Xiaowei , Perez-Balaguer Ariadna , Osmani Stephen A. 
Published: October 2004

ABSTRACT

A method to rapidly generate gene replacement constructs by fusion PCR is described for
Aspergillus nidulans
. The utility of the approach is demonstrated by green fluorescent protein (GFP) tagging of
A. nidulans ndc80
to visualize centromeres through the cell cycle. The methodology makes possible large-scale GFP tagging, promoter swapping, and deletion analysis of
A. nidulans
.
How low can they go? Potential for reduction in work injury rates
Authors: Shannon H S , Vidmar M 
Published: October 2004

Background:There is a considerable variability in occupational injury rates across companies, even within the same industry. The aim of this study was to estimate how many injuries could be prevented if all firms could achieve the performance of their better peers.Method:Data were obtained from the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board of Ontario on all insured firms in the province. Within rate groups (firms in the same type of business) the number of injuries expected if all firms had a lost time injury rate at the 25th percentile of the distribution for the rate group were estimated. The total number of injuries were compared with the expected number, after adjusting for firm size and type of injury.Results:Overall, using the 25th percentile as a benchmark, 42% of lost time injuries in Ontario could be prevented.Discussion:There is considerable potential for prevention of work injuries based on currently achieved, non-optimal benchmarks.
CHARACTERIZATION AND DYNAMICS OF PATTERN FORMATION IN CELLULAR NEURAL NETWORKS
Authors: CROUNSE K.R. , CHUA L.O. , THIRAN P. , SETTI G. 
Published: October 2004

We study some properties of pattern formation arising in large arrays of locally coupled first-order nonlinear dynamical systems, namely Cellular Neural Networks (CNNs). We will present exact results to analyze spatial patterns for symmetric coupling and to analyze spatio-temporal patterns for anti-symmetric coupling in one-dimensional lattices, which will then be completed by approximative results based on a spatial and/or temporal frequency approach. We will discuss the validity of these approximations, which bring a lot of insight. This spectral approach becomes very convenient for the two-dimensional lattice, as exact results get more complicated to establish. In this second part, we will only consider a symmetric coupling between cells. We will show what kinds of motifs can be found in the patterns generated by 3×3 templates. Then, we will discuss the dynamics of pattern formation starting from initial conditions which are a small random noise added to the unstable equilibrium: this can generally be well predicted by the spatial frequency approach. We will also study whether a defect in a pure pattern can propagate or not through the whole lattice, starting from initial conditions being a localized perturbation of a stable pattern: this phenomenon is no longer correctly predicted by the spatial frequency approach. We also show that patterns such as spirals and targets can be formed by “seed” initial conditions — localized, non-random perturbations of an unstable equilibrium. Finally, the effects on the patterns formed of a bias term in the dynamics are demonstrated.
COARSE-GRAINING INVARIANT ORBITS OF ONE-DIMENSIONAL ℤp-LINEAR CELLULAR AUTOMATA
Authors: BARBÉ ANDRÉ M. 
Published: October 2004

This paper studies the properties of state-time evolution patterns of one-dimensional linear cellular automata over the field ℤp (p prime) which are invariant under certain coarse-graining operations. A procedure is developed for finding all solutions to this invariance problem. The resulting patterns display a complexity which may range from periodic over self-similar, quasi-periodic, quasi-randomlike towards randomlike. Conditions for the existence of periodic solutions are derived.