bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Immunotherapy safety: a prospective multi‐centric monitoring study of biologically standardized therapeutic vaccines for allergic diseases
Authors: Moreno C. , Cuesta‐Herranz J. , Fernández‐Távora L. , Alvarez‐Cuesta E. ,   on behalf of the SEAIC
Published: April 2004

SummaryBackground
The fear of side‐effects has led to strict regulations preventing a more widespread use of specific immunotherapy (SIT) in some countries, in spite of the low risk of systemic reactions (SRs) reported in well‐controlled studies. The goal of the study was to carry out a prospective and multi‐centric trial to evaluate the safety, risk factors and compliance degree of commercially available SIT.Materials and methods
The study was carried out in 14 allergy departments from Spain. Four‐hundred and eighty‐eight patients with rhinitis and/or asthma were submitted to treatment with biologically standardized allergen extracts commercially available. They were administered following the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology guidelines.Results
Four hundred and twenty‐three patients (86.7%) completed the treatment and remained under control at the end of the trial. Out of 17 526 administered doses, 17 368 doses (99.1%) were not associated with a reaction. Eighteen patients (3.7%) experienced 53 (0.3% of the doses) SRs. All immediate SRs were mild or moderate and responded well to ordinary treatment measures. There were no fatal reactions, anaphylactic shock or life‐threatening reactions. A higher ratio of SRs was found among asthmatic and dust mite allergic patients, although multi‐variable logistic analysis did not demonstrate any risk factor associated with SRs. There was also a subgroup of patients at risk for recurrent reactions, and therefore 40% of SRs had been avoided if the maximal number of SRs had been previously limited to only three SRs.Conclusions
This multi‐centric study showed that SIT was a safe treatment with a very good compliance. Future guidelines of SIT should limit the maximal number of SRs.
Urinary leukotriene E4 and 9α, 11β‐prostaglandin F2 concentrations in mild, moderate and severe asthma, and in healthy subjects
Authors: Misso N. L. A. , Aggarwal S. , Phelps S. , Beard R. , Thompson P. J. 
Published: April 2004

SummaryBackground
Airway inflammation in asthma is associated with cysteinyl leukotriene and prostaglandin D2 production. Measurement of urinary metabolites of these eicosanoids may be useful for monitoring asthma patients. However, the influence of asthma phenotype and severity on basal urinary excretion of these metabolites is unknown.Objective
To compare urinary leukotriene (LT)E4 and 9α, 11β‐prostaglandin (PG)F2 concentrations in large groups of mild, moderate and severe asthmatic patients and healthy control subjects.Methods
Asthma severity, treatment and aspirin sensitivity were assessed by questionnaire in 168 asthmatic patients. Basal LTE4 and 9α, 11β‐PGF2 concentrations were measured in urine samples from these patients and from 175 control subjects using enzyme immunoassays.Results
Urinary LTE4 was correlated with 9α, 11β‐PGF2 in both control subjects and asthmatic patients (P<0.002). Median LTE4 and 9α, 11β‐PGF2 concentrations in patients with severe asthma were significantly reduced compared with mild asthmatic patients (P<0.05 and <0.001, respectively). Urinary 9α, 11β‐PGF2, but not LTE4 was lower in asthmatic patients using inhaled corticosteroids (P<0.02). Multiple regression analysis indicated that urinary 9α, 11β‐PGF2 concentration was negatively correlated with asthma severity (P=0.003) and also with % predicted FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 s) (P=0.005).Conclusions
Baseline urinary LTE4 and 9α, 11β‐PGF2 concentrations are of limited value in discriminating between patients with different severities of asthma. Reduced urinary LTE4 and 9α, 11β‐PGF2 in patients with severe asthma suggest that direct or indirect effects of high‐dose corticosteroid therapy combined with other factors associated with severe asthma may influence eicosanoid production. However, the negative association of urinary 9α, 11β‐PGF2 with lung function suggests an adverse effect of chronic PGD2 production on lung function in asthma, irrespective of severity.
Expression of growth factors by airway epithelial cells in a model of chronic asthma: regulation and relationship to subepithelial fibrosis
Authors: Kumar R. K. , Herbert C. , Foster P. S. 
Published: April 2004

SummaryBackground
Growth factors produced by airway epithelial cells may be important in the pathogenesis of subepithelial fibrosis, a distinctive lesion of chronic human asthma.Objective
To examine the relationship between the development of subepithelial fibrosis and the expression of transforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1) and ligands for the epidermal growth factor receptor.Methods
BALB/c mice sensitized to ovalbumin were chronically challenged by inhalation of low levels of antigen, leading to development of subepithelial fibrosis and other changes of airway wall remodelling. Growth factor expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry and enzyme immunoassay.Results
Allergic sensitization directly correlated with airway epithelial expression of both the cleaved, potentially biologically active form of TGF‐β1 and of amphiregulin in response to allergen challenge. Accumulation of TGF‐β1 was related to remodelling of the airway wall in chronic asthma, whereas expression of amphiregulin did not exhibit a similar relationship. Production of epithelial cell‐derived TGF‐β1 appeared to be regulated by IL‐13, while both IL‐13 and CD4+ T cells regulated accumulation of TGF‐β1. In contrast to results reported in high‐level exposure models of airway fibrosis, eosinophils did not appear to be a significant source of TGF‐β1.Conclusion
Airway epithelial cell‐derived TGF‐β1 has a potentially crucial role in the development of airway wall remodelling in asthma. Immunological mechanisms may regulate the release and accumulation of TGF‐β1.
Production of monoclonal antibodies for immunoaffinity purification and quantitation of Blo t 1 allergen in mite and dust extracts
Authors: Ramos J. D. A. , Cheong N. , Teo A. S. M. , Kuo I.‐C. , Lee B. W. , Chua K. Y. 
Published: April 2004

SummaryBackground
Blo t 1 is a cysteine protease‐like allergen from Blomia tropicalis. Recombinant Blo t 1 binds up to 90% of IgE from allergic patients and shows limited cross‐reactivity to Der p 1. The generation of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against Blo t 1 is important for the detection, isolation and characterization of the native form of the allergen.Methods
Mice were immunized intramuscularly with naked plasmid DNA encoding Blo t 1 gene with in vivo electroporation and boosted intraperitoneally with recombinant Blo t 1. mAbs against Blo t 1 were generated using a methylcellulose‐based hybridoma cloning kit. The native Blo t 1 was isolated by mAb affinity purification and its allergenicity was determined by ELISA. A two‐site ELISA for Blo t 1 was developed using the mAbs generated.Results
A DNA‐based immunization protocol induced high titre Blo t 1‐specific antibodies in mice. Six stable hybridoma clones secreting mAbs recognizing the native and recombinant Blo t 1 were generated. The native Blo t 1 was affinity‐purified from a B. tropicalis extract and its allergenicity was determined at 63% using a panel of Singaporean and Malaysian mite allergic patients' sera. A two‐site ELISA was developed, which showed a detection limit of 10 ng/mL of Blot t 1.Conclusion
Six Blo t 1 mAbs were successfully generated by DNA immunization. These mAbs are useful for nBlo t 1 immunoaffinity isolation and quantitative immunoassays for Blo t 1 in mite and environmental dust extracts.
Cat allergen‐induced cytokine secretion and Fel d 1–immunoglobulin G immune complexes in cord blood
Authors: Casas R. , Jenmalm M. C. , Björkstén B. 
Published: April 2004

SummaryBackground
We have recently obtained evidence for the presence of immune complexes (IC) in cord blood from allergic and non‐allergic mothers. Such complexes could conceivably provide the fetus with the initial trigger for the priming of the T cell system already in utero.Objective
To relate the presence of Fel d 1–IgG IC to T cell cytokine production in cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMCs) after stimulation with cat allergen.Methods
CBMC obtained from babies of 15 allergic and 22 non‐allergic mothers were cultured in the presence of cat allergen. The production of IFN‐γ, IL‐5, IL‐10 and IL‐13 was determined by ELISA. Furthermore, IgG1 and IgG4 antibodies to cat allergen in cord blood samples were measured by ELISA. A more sensitive ELISA was used to measure Fel d 1–IgG IC.Results
The prevalence and levels of IC were similar in cord blood from children of allergic and non‐allergic mothers. The production of IL‐5, IL‐10. IL‐13 and IFN‐γ by CBMC was not influenced by maternal atopy, but IFN‐γ was less commonly detected in samples with IC. There was no association between the presence of IC and any other cytokines. The levels of IgG1 and IgG4 antibodies were similar in both groups, and tended to be associated with the presence of IC.Conclusion
Immune complexes in cord blood may represent a normal mechanism for inducing primary immune responses, as the responses in babies from allergic and non‐allergic mothers were largely similar. Low levels of IFN‐γ seems to be related with the presence of IC in cord blood.
Intranasal treatment with ovalbumin but not the major T cell epitope ovalbumin 323–339 generates interleukin‐10 secreting T cells and results in the induction of allergen systemic tolerance
Authors: Barbey C. , Donatelli‐Dufour N. , Batard P. , Corradin G. , Spertini F. 
Published: April 2004

SummaryBackground
Nasal administration of major peptide T cell epitopes gives contradictory data on the induction of peripheral tolerance.Objective
To compare the prophylactic effect of intranasal treatment (INT) on the development of an allergic response, using either ovalbumin (OVA) or its major T cell epitope OVA 323–339 (OVAp).Methods
BALB/c mice were treated intranasally with OVA or OVAp and subsequently immunized s.c. with OVA. Anti‐OVA‐specific antibody, T cell proliferation and cytokine responses were analysed. In an adoptive transfer model using OVAp specific TCR transgenic (Tg) T cells from D011.10 mice, in vivo tracking and characterization of transferred T cells in the cervical, inguinal and bronchial lymph nodes (BLN) and in the spleen were determined by FACS analysis.Results
Prophylactic INT with OVA induced T cell tolerance towards subsequent OVA s.c. immunizations, inhibiting OVA specific T cell proliferation, IgE and IgG1 production, in contrast to INT with OVAp, which was unable to induce tolerance. In vivo analysis of transferred OVA‐specific TCR Tg T cells showed that INT with OVA induced a preferential activation of T cells in BLN, as opposed to a broad, systemic activation with OVAp. In vivo, OVAp INT led to faster and more sustained cell division cycles than OVA INT. Ex vivo, tolerance to OVA was associated with the generation of IL‐10 secreting CD4+ T cells in BLN of OVA‐treated mice only.Conclusion
INT with OVA but not with OVAp led to regional (as opposed to systemic) T cell activation and the induction of IL‐10 secreting CD4+ T cells in BLN, potentially critical steps in the induction of T cell‐specific tolerance via the nasal route.
A Comparison of Fathers’ and Mothers’ Talk to Toddlers in Low‐income Families
Authors: Rowe Meredith L. , Coker David , Pan Barbara Alexander 
Published: April 2004

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to provide descriptive information about low‐income fathers’ and mothers’ talk to toddlers and to re‐examine the bridge hypothesis (Gleason, 1975) in light of current changes in family structure and childcare responsibilities. Thirty‐three father–child and mother–child dyads were videotaped during semi‐structured free play at home. Fathers’ and mothers’ talk to children did not differ in amount, diversity of vocabulary, or linguistic complexity as measured by mean length of utterance. However, fathers produced more wh‐questions and explicit clarification requests, thus presenting more conversational challenges to children. Resident fathers employed more direct forms of prohibitives. Results suggest the need for closer examination of factors related to child‐directed speech in varying family configurations.
The Fate of Jewish Historiography after the Bible: A New Interpretation
Authors: Tropper Amram 
Published: April 2004

AbstractWhat caused the eventual decline in later Jewish history of the vibrant historiographical tradition of the biblical period? In contrast to the plethora of historical writings composed during the biblical period, the rabbis of the early common era apparently were not interested in writing history, and when they did relate to historical events they often introduced mythical and unrealistic elements into their writings. Scholars have offered various explanations for this phenomenon; a central goal of this article is to locate these explanations within both the immediate historical setting of Roman Palestine and the overarching cultural atmosphere of the Greco‐Roman Near East. In particular, I suggest that the largely ahistorical approach of the rabbis functioned as a local Jewish counterpart to the widespread classicizing tendencies of a contemporary Greek intellectual movement, the Second Sophistic. In both cases, eastern communities, whose political aspirations were stifled under Roman rule, sought to express their cognitive and spiritual identities by focusing on a glorious and idealized past rather than on contemporary history.Interestingly, the apparent lack of rabbinic interest in historiography is not limited to the early rabbinic period. Throughout the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance, Jews essentially did not write their political, diplomatic, or military history. Instead, Jews composed “traditional historiography” which included various types of literary genres among which the rabbinic “chain of transmission” was the most important. The chain of transmission reconstructs (or fabricates) the links that connect later rabbinic sages with their predecessors. Robert Bonfil has noted the similarity between this rabbinic project and contemporary church histories. Adding a diachronic dimension to Bonfil's comparison, I suggest that rabbinic chains of transmission and church histories are not similar though entirely independent phenomena, but rather their shared project actually derives from a common origin, the Hellenistic succession list. The succession list literary genre, which sketches the history of an intellectual discipline, apparently thrived during the Second Sophistic and diffused then into both rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity. Thus, even though historiography was not terribly important to the early rabbis or to most Second Sophistic intellectuals, the succession list schematic, or the history of an intellectual discipline, was evaluated differently. Rabbis and early Christians absorbed the succession list from Second Sophistic culture and then continued to employ this historiographical genre for many centuries to come.
Re‐Enactment and Radical Interpretation
Authors: D'Oro Giuseppina 
Published: April 2004

AbstractThis article discusses R. G. Collingwood's account of re‐enactment and Donald Davidson's account of radical translation. Both Collingwood and Davidson are concerned with the question “how is understanding possible?” and both seek to answer the question transcendentally by asking after the heuristic principles that guide the historian and the radical translator. Further, they both agree that the possibility of understanding rests on the presumption of rationality. But whereas Davidson's principle of charity entails that truth is a presupposition or heuristic principle of understanding, for Collingwood understanding rests on a commitment to internal consistency alone. Collingwood and Davidson diverge over the scope of the principle of charity because they have radically different conceptions of meaning. Davidson endorses an extensional semantics that links meaning with truth in the attempt to extrude intensional notions from a theory of meaning. Since radical translation rests on a truth‐conditional semantics, it rules out the possibility that there may be statements that are intelligible even though based on false beliefs. Collingwood's account of re‐enactment, on the other hand, disconnects meaning from truth, thereby allowing for the possibility of understanding agents who have false beliefs. The paper argues, first, that Davidson's account of radical translation rests on inappropriately naturalistic assumptions about the nature of understanding, and that Davidson commits this error because he develops his account of radical interpretation in response to an epistemological question that is motivated by a skeptical concern: “how can we know whether we have provided the correct interpretation?” Second, that in the twentieth century far too much philosophizing has been driven by epistemological concerns that have obscured attempts to provide adequate answers to the sort of conceptual question with which Collingwood is concerned, namely: “what does it mean to understand?”
Cutaneous manifestations in the cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome, a variant of the classical Noonan syndrome. Report of a case and review of the literature
Authors: Weiss G , Confino Y , Shemer A , Trau H 
Published: April 2004

ABSTRACTWe report one patient with cardiofaciocutaneous (CFC) syndrome. He presented with clinical findings characteristic of this condition such as: cutaneous abnormalities, including ichthyosis, widespread keratosis pilaris, a peculiar craniofacial appearance with sparse, curly hair and low‐set posteriorly rotated ears; congenital heart defects; and mild mental and motor retardation. We submit a comprehensive review of previously published articles regarding the dermatological findings in CFC syndrome (recently shown to be a variant of Noonan syndrome) emphasizing diagnostic criteria and its differentiation from the Costello syndrome.
Lipodystrophy following hepatitis infection: A causative relationship?
Authors: Khanna N , Sirka C , Gupta S , Singh M 
Published: April 2004

ABSTRACTProgressive partial lipodystrophy is a clinical syndrome characterized by progressive loss of subcutaneous fat. A 27‐year‐old female developed progressive loss of fat from the face and upper part of the torso associated with increased bulkiness of the body below the pelvis following an attack of hepatitis. She had been persistently hepatitis B surface antigen positive and her serum was positive for IgG antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen. Although the woman had hypocomplementaemia of the C3 component of complement, there was no evidence of renal involvement.
Cutaneous mastocytosis in children: a clinical analysis of 71 cases
Authors: Kiszewski AE , Durán‐Mckinster C , Orozco‐Covarrubias L , Gutiérrez‐Castrellón P , Ruiz‐Maldonado R 
Published: April 2004

ABSTRACTObjective  To characterize the clinical features, response to therapy, evolution and prognosis of cutaneous mastocytosis in children.Background  Mastocytosis in children, instead of being induced by a potentially oncogenic c‐kit mutation is probably a clonal disease with benign prognosis.Methods  The clinicopathological features, evolution and response to treatment were analysed in 71 children with mastocytosis.Results  There were 53 (75%) cases of urticaria pigmentosa, 12 (17%) cases of mastocytoma, and six (8%) cases of diffuse cutaneous mastocytosis. In 92% of cases disease onset was in the first year of life. There was a male predominance 1.8 : 1. Treatment did not modify the disease evolution. Eighty per cent of patients improved or had spontaneous resolution of the disease.Conclusion  The most frequent clinical form of mastocytosis was urticaria pigmentosa followed by mastocytoma and diffuse cutaneous mastocytosis. Darier's sign was present in 94% of cases. A negative Darier's sign does not rule out mastocytosis. In contrast to adults, mastocytosis in children usually has a benign course making sophisticated or invasive diagnostic tests unnecessary. A classification of paediatric cutaneous mastocytosis is proposed.
Bilateral naevus of Ota: a rare manifestation in a Caucasian
Authors: Turnbull JR , Assaf Ch , Zouboulis ChC , Tebbe B 
Published: April 2004

ABSTRACTThe naevus of Ota (naevus fusculocoeruleus ophthalmomaxillaris) was first described by the Japanese dermatologist M. T. Ota in 1939. It has a reported incidence of 0.2% to 1% in the Japanese population. It usually occurs in the skin innervated by the first or second branch of the trigeminal nerve. The naevus comprises dermal melanocytes and is congenital or acquired during adolescence. Commonly associated lesions include scleral melanocytosis and other ocular manifestations as well as lesions of the tympanic membrane, oral and intranasal mucosa and leptomeninges. Diseases associated with Ota's naevus in rare cases are open‐angle glaucomas and melanoma. The naevus of Ota in Europeans is a rare manifestation. We report the very rare case of a bilateral naevus of Ota associated with enoral melanocytosis in a white European person.
PM‐SCL autoantibody positive scleroderma with polymyositis (mechanic's hand: clinical aid in the diagnosis)
Authors: Török L , Dankó K , Cserni G , Szûcs G 
Published: April 2004

ABSTRACTThis report concerns a 56‐year‐old‐woman presenting PM‐SCL autoantibody positive scleroderma with dermatomyositis (scleromyositis) and concomitant interstitial lung fibrosis. The recently observed overlapping syndrome is characterized by the presence of specific autoantibodies, HLA–type association and benign course. A new skin symptom (‘mechanic's hands’) predicts the disease, in particular the interstitial lung pathology, which is its most relevant internal manifestation.
Agminated histiocytomas in a 23‐year‐old patient
Authors: Pock L , Konkol’ová R , Dragon J , Holíková Z , Hercogová J 
Published: April 2004

ABSTRACTA 23‐year‐old patient presented with a group of 17 reddish‐brown papules and nodules on the left shoulder lasting for 4 years. The histopathologic examination after a punch biopsy was repetitively consistent with the diagnosis of fibrous histiocytoma (FH). We use the term agminate histiocytomas for the first time to stress the presence of grouped lesions in one skin segment. Intralesional corticosteroids and cryotherapy were partially successful in this patient.
Information Transparency and Coordination Failure: Theory and Experiment
Authors: ANCTIL REGINA M. , DICKHAUT JOHN , KANODIA CHANDRA , SHAPIRO BRIAN 
Published: April 2004

ABSTRACTWe examine the effect of higher order beliefs on the ability of decentralized decision makers to coordinate and take advantage of improvements in information transparency that can increase welfare. Theories that address this question have not been empirically explored. We study coordination in a laboratory experiment with privately informed decision makers. Economic outcomes in the setting depend both on agents' rational beliefs regarding economic fundamentals and on their rational beliefs regarding the beliefs of other agents. Increasing information transparency mitigates uncertainty about economic fundamentals but may increase strategic uncertainty, precipitating multiple equilibria and less efficient group outcomes. We provide evidence that sometimes the equilibrium attained by creditors is inferior from a welfare perspective to other available equilibria. Risk dominance appears to determine equilibrium selection in our setting.