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At least 415 records · Page 23Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

[Specific immunotherapy and therapeutic strategies in allergic diseases. What's new?].

Specific immunotherapy (SIT) can induce tolerance of airborne allergens in patients with rhinitis, conjunctivitis and asthma. SIT is also effective for venom anaphylaxis. In contrast, SIT is not recommended in severe asthma, food allergy or skin allergy. The mechanisms of SITare unclear, but attention has recently focused on regulatory T cells and their capacity to induce tolerance via IL10 and TGF-alfa production. Recent studies show that SIT not only reduces symptom scores but also modifies the natural history of allergic diseases, preventing sensitization to new allergens and/or limiting the onset of asthma in children with rhinitis. Another recent advance is sublingual IT which is allergic effective and suppresses the risk of systemic anaphylactic reactions. Alternatives to SIT are in the pipeline, such as recombinant allergens, nude DNA vaccines, and immunostimulatory sequence/allergen complexes.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1985

Altered interleukin-2 (IL-2) production and responsiveness after hyposensitization to house dust.

Interleukin-2 (IL-2 or T cell growth factor, TCGF) is a lymphokine absolutely required for clonal expansion of activated T-lymphocytes with specific cytotoxic, helper, and suppressor functions. The capability of production of and responsiveness to IL-2 in 15 normal children, 28 newly diagnosed, and 22 hyposensitized (greater than 1 yr) children with asthma was studied. The results demonstrated (1) The lymphocytes from newly diagnosed patients produced a much greater amount of IL-2 when they were stimulated with specific allergen (house dust) but not with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) than did those from both hyposensitized patients and normal subjects. (2) The responsiveness to IL-2 of activated lymphocytes from hyposensitized patients was much more vigorous than those from both new patients and normal subjects, whether the responder lymphocytes were pretreated with PHA or house dust. Thus, hyposensitization is able to modulate the immunobiologic functions of T cells with respect to production of and responsiveness to IL-2, and such alterations may contribute to the immunologic changes occurring in patients receiving long-term hyposensitization.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Immunotherapy: 1999-2004.

Allergen immunotherapy continues to be used worldwide in the management of allergic rhinitis and asthma. We continue to refine our knowledge of the indications for immunotherapy, the allergens that can be used successfully, and the requirements for dosage and route of administration. Several additional allergens have been shown to be effective in controlled studies. The sublingual route of administration is safe and can be effective if the dose is large enough. Since reviews in 1998, further studies of immunologic changes after immunotherapy have confirmed that T(H)2 lymphocyte-mediated responses are suppressed, and T(H)1 responses are stimulated. Eosinophil and basophil inflammatory responses to allergen exposure are downregulated through one or both of these mechanisms. Research continues to seek improvements through allergen vaccine modifications suggested by recent immunologic discoveries. None of these is available in practice.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Discontinuation of bee venom immunotherapy in children and adolescents.

Sixty-six patients with a history of systemic allergy reactions to bee stings, positive skin prick test to less than or equal to 100 micrograms/ml bee venom, and positive radioallergosorbent test (RAST) results were given venom immunotherapy. IgE and IgG antibodies to bee venom were measured by RAST and enzyme-linked immunosorbent test (ELISA), respectively. IgE and IgG anti-bee venom levels rose initially, but subsequently fell during immunotherapy. In 31 patients in whom specific IgE fell to low (less than 6% counts bound) or unmeasurable levels, immunotherapy was discontinued, and sting challenge was carried out 1 to 3 years later. All patients tolerated sting challenge well. The specific IgE and IgG antibody levels did not change significantly after treatment was stopped. Our data suggest that hyposensitization treatment can be stopped when specific IgE serum concentrations have fallen to low or unmeasurable levels and specific IgG antibody values are maintained, and that in a considerable number of patients venom immunotherapy has a lasting therapeutic and immunologic effect.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Allergic rhinitis to ragweed pollen. II. Modulation of histamine-releasing factor production by specific immunotherapy.

A number of cytokines, including histamine-releasing factors (HRFs), have a role to play in IgE-mediated asthma. However, the influence of HRF in allergic rhinitis without asthma remains to be revealed. This article presents a double-blind, placebo-controlled study on the role of HRF in ragweed-allergic rhinitis and its modulation by natural pollen exposure and specific immunotherapy (IT). Twenty-seven patients allergic to ragweed were randomly assigned to receive either preseasonal alum-precipitated aqueous extracts of ragweed or placebo. Before the onset of therapy and during the ragweed-pollen season, subjects were evaluated for each of the following: clinical scores, ragweed IgE and IgG antibody levels, and spontaneous and allergen-driven HRF production. Thirteen nonatopic volunteers were also studied in the same protocol. First, before the initiation of therapy, more HRF was produced by both unstimulated and ragweed-stimulated mononuclear cells (MNCs) of atopic subjects as compared to MNCs of nonatopic subjects. Second, MNCs of the placebo-treated group produced significantly more spontaneous and ragweed-specific HRF during the pollen season compared to the preseasonal values. Finally, specific IT not only improved the clinical manifestation of allergy but also prevented the seasonal rise of spontaneous and ragweed-driven HRF production, along with a well-known change in other immunologic parameters associated with successful IT.

Adult↗