Biomedical subjects

Torsten Schäfer

Publications and source records attributed to Torsten Schäfer.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2003

Hay fever and predictive value of prick test and specific IgE antibodies: a prospective study in children.

Little is known from population-based studies in children about the diagnostic values of allergen-specific IgE antibodies (RAST) and skin prick test (SPT) with respect to hay fever. We aimed to determine and compare the diagnostic values of SPT and RAST to aeroallergens with respect to the incidence of hay fever cases in schoolchildren at different cut-off points. A prospective cohort study was performed on 1100 school children (5-7 and 8-10 years). Information on a doctor's diagnosis of hay fever was obtained by questionnaire and allergic sensitization to grass and birch pollen, cat, and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus were measured using SPT and RAST between September 1992 and July 1993. Thirty-eight children give a history of hay fever (3.5%) in 1992/93 and additionally 37 cases occurred until 1996. Allergic sensitization was present in 17.9% (SPT), 30.2% (RAST) and more frequent in children with a history of hay fever (SPT: OR 11.7, 5.5-24.7; RAST: OR 10.6, 4.3-26.4). This difference was most pronounced for sensitization to pollen allergens. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV, NPV) for SPT and RAST were 65.6, 83.7, 11.9, 98.6 and 79.3, 71.6, 9.3, 99.0, respectively, with differences for specificity being significant (p < 0.001). Whereas NPV were equally high for SPT (99.2) and RAST (99.3), the incidence of hay fever cases were predicted rather poorly though somewhat better by SPT than by RAST (PPV 16.7 vs. 9.8; p < 0.001) initially. With increasing cut-off point for RAST reactivity, the PPV increased and reached 25.0 at 17.5 kU/l, whereas the NPV decreased to 97.9, which was lower than that of SPT reactivity (p < 0.01). At the cut-off point of 1.5 kU/l almost identical predictive values for SPT and RAST were obtained. SPT and RAST perform better in the negative than positive prediction of hay fever cases in epidemiological studies. Differences in the predictive capabilities depend on the chosen cut-off point for RAST reactivity.

Allergens↗

PubMed2003

Silver-coated textiles reduce Staphylococcus aureus colonization in patients with atopic eczema.

BACKGROUND: In atopic eczema (AE), skin colonization with Staphylococcus aureus is known to play a major triggering and possibly pathophysiological role. METHODS: In this open-labeled controlled side-to-side comparative trial, affected sites (flexures of both elbows) in 15 patients diagnosed as having generalized or localized AE were evaluated regarding S. aureus colonization and clinical severity of AE over a 2-week period. Flexures of the elbows were covered with silver-coated textiles on one arm and cotton on the other for 7 days followed by a 7-day control period. RESULTS: A highly significant decrease in S. aureus colonization could be seen on the site covered by the silver-coated textile already 2 days after initiation lasting until the end of the treatment. Seven days after cessation, S. aureus density remained significantly lower compared to baseline. In addition, significantly lower numbers of S. aureus were observed on the silver-coated textile site in comparison to cotton at the end of treatment as well as at the time point of control. Clinical improvement correlated with the reduction of S. aureus colonization. CONCLUSION: A superior improvement achieved by silver-coated compared to cotton textiles paralleled a potent anti-S.-aureus effect.

Coated Materials, Biocompatible↗

PubMed2002

[Allergies].

Prevention is crucial in order to counteract the rising trend of allergies. General recommendations, as promoted also in Germany, include the avoidance of tobacco smoke. High risk children may benefit from exclusive breast feeding (alternatively hydrolyzed formulas), delayed introduction of solid food and a reduction of exposure to house dust mite. The meaning of pets is discussed controversially at the moment and new promising candidates for prevention emerge (e.g., probiotics). There is a need for a systematic development of evidence-based recommendations.

Animals↗