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Biomedical subjects

J M Martín-Santos

Publications and source records attributed to J M Martín-Santos.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Early introduction of cereals into children's diets as a risk-factor for grass pollen asthma.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of asthma has increased from the 1950s to the 1990s. The relationship between diet and asthma is an area of controversy that has never been fully evaluated. Attempts at dietary prevention of asthma have produced conflicting results. We have recently identified allergens from cereals that show cross-reactivity with proteins in grass pollen. An early intake of cereals in the diet during early life might cause IgE sensitization to cereals. It is not known whether such sensitization predisposes the development of allergy to pollen. METHODS: To test this hypothesis, a cross-sectional study and an observational case-control analysis of reviewed data were carried out on 16381 patients who had been admitted to our Allergy Unit between 1989 and 1999. All the patients underwent allergy tests to identify asthma risk-factors. All information in our data base was analysed using the SPSS computer system. RESULTS: There has been an increase of 7.8% in incidences of allergic asthma and a 7.3% increase in asthma due to grass pollen in the last decade. Grass-pollen asthma was associated with sensitization to cereals. The early introduction of cereals in the diet of children was found to be a risk factor for grass-pollen asthma (OR = 5.95; 95% CI 3.89-9.10). CONCLUSIONS: These findings document the progression of allergic asthma during a decade in a large sample of people who were influenced by similar environmental conditions and studied with the same diagnostic methods. This study represents the largest database of patients in which a common food is shown to be a risk factor for asthma.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Hodgkin's disease occurring in primary Sjögren's syndrome.

A 57 year old woman with a 13 year history of mouth dryness, keratoconjunctivitis sicca, and recurrent bronchial infections presented with multiple lymphadenopathies. Histological diagnosis was Hodgkin's disease. B and T cell lymphomas are well known complications of Sjögren's syndrome. This case provides evidence that Hodgkin's disease may also be associated with this syndrome.

Female↗
PubMed1989

Spontaneously increased B cell growth factor and B cell differentiation factor activities in the synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

The presence of factors implicated in B cell proliferation and differentiation was studied in synovial fluid (SF) from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and from patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and traumatic joint injury. Culture with Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I B cell blasts showed strong B cell growth factor (BCGF) activity in the SF from patients with RA. This BCGF activity was significantly greater than that found in SF from patients with traumatic joint injury and similar to that of patients with AS. The presence of B cell differentiation factor (BCDF) for IgM(mu) in the SF from patients with RA was also demonstrated and was significantly greater than that found in SF from patients with AS and traumatic joint injury. Moreover, a significantly increased BCDF for IgG(gamma) was also found in the SF from patients with RA compared with that observed in those patients with traumatic joint injury, which, however, was similar to that of patients with AS.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Arthritis in idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome.

A 54-year-old man was admitted for tenosynovitis of the wrists, olecranon bursitis, stiffness, progressive flexion of the fingers, subcutaneous nodules, and persistent blood eosinophilia. A high eosinophil count was detected in his synovial fluid. We review the literature on idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome. This case provides evidence that nonerosive polyarthritis with periarticular involvement and nodules can be manifestations of this syndrome.

Bursitis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Is Lolium pollen from an urban environment more allergenic than rural pollen?

BACKGROUND: Allergy to grass pollen is a highly prevalent allergic disease. Hay fever is more predominant in urban than in rural areas, despite the increasingly smaller areas of surrounding grassland. The effect of vehicle exhaust pollutants, mainly diesel particles, and other industrial sources of atmospheric pollution leading to plant damage has been implicated in this phenomenon. OBJECTIVE: This study compared the in vivo and in vitro allergenicity of pooled samples of Lolium perenne grass pollen harvested from 10 different urban areas with that of samples of the same pollen from 10 neighboring rural areas. METHODS: Lolium perenne pollen from different parts of a city and from a nearby rural area was harvested in 1999 and 2000 during the peak pollination period. Protein composition was compared by SDS-PAGE and in vivo and in vitro IgE-binding capacity was compared by skin-prick tests, RAST-inhibition and measurement of the major allergen, Lol p 5. RESULTS: In the two years under study, urban samples contained approximately twice the protein content of the rural samples. Biological activity and Lol p 5 content was higher in urban pollen than in rural pollen and showed differences in the two years under study. CONCLUSIONS: The protein content and allergenicity of Lolium perenne pollen was higher in urban areas than in rural areas. These differences might explain why allergy to grass pollen is more prevalent in urban areas. This finding should be taken into account in diagnosis, preventive measures and specific immunotherapy.

Air Pollutants↗