FATAL SYSTEMIC ANAPHYLAXIS IN MAN.
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The effects of herpes vaccine on immunologic parameters and clinical manifestations of recurrent herpes stomatitis (RHS) were studied. Altogether 70 patients with RHS were examined: 30 before and 40 after vaccination and revaccination. The clinical effect of vaccination was shown to be associated with stimulation of cell-mediated factors of immunity as well as with the desensitizing effect of the vaccine. It is suggested that herpes vaccine is characterized by immunomodulating properties.
Local aerosol hyposensitization of patients suffering from respiratory allergy is more effective and has lesser complications than the routine method of subcutaneous injections of allergens. Before and after treatment, determination of parameters such as IgE response, IgG blocking antibodies, T-lymphocyte suppressors, eosinophils and other cells were carried out to study the effect of aerosol allergens applied to the shock organ. Changes of a local immunologic response revealed the decrease of hypersensitivity and stimulation of the respiratory tract mucosal immunity.
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BACKGROUND: Conventional allergen immunotherapy is clinically effective in reducing the symptoms of allergic rhinitis and asthma. It differs from other pharmacotherapies in that it can induce long-term clinical remission of these diseases. However, it requires years of treatment and is associated with serious allergic reactions. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety, clinical efficacy, and immunologic mechanisms of immunotherapy with an oral, microencapsulated form of timothy grass allergen. METHODS: In this double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 24 patients aged 19 to 55 years with grass pollen allergy were randomized to receive either microencapsulated timothy grass pollen extract or placebo once a day for 10 weeks. The dose of study drug was doubled weekly. Safety was evaluated through weekly visits, daily symptom diaries, and routine laboratory tests. Efficacy was evaluated by comparing medication use and symptoms scores during peak grass pollen season before and after treatment. Allergen-specific T-cell responses, cytokine production, and IgG, IgE, and skin reactivity were measured to evaluate immunologic mechanisms. RESULTS: Eleven of 12 patients in the active treatment group had a decrease in the combined medication and symptom score, but only 4 of 10 patients in the placebo group had a decrease in scores. The proliferative response to timothy grass was reduced by at least 30% in 9 of the 12 grass-treated patients, but only 3 of 11 placebo patients had a proliferative response reduction. Timothy grass-induced interleukin-5 messenger RNA was reduced in the active group, but not in the placebo group. There were no significant changes in either group in IgG, IgE, and skin reactivity. CONCLUSIONS: Oral immunotherapy with microencapsulated allergen induces a form of immunologic tolerance to the allergen and is a safe, efficient, and effective method of allergen immunotherapy.
BACKGROUND: Mites belong to the most frequent and potent allergen sources. Immunotherapy with mite allergen extracts is frequently performed if allergen avoidance is not possible or successful. However, highly controversial results have been reported for mite-specific immunotherapy. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to develop diagnostic concepts that may contribute to an improved selection of patients for immunotherapy with Der p allergen extracts and that may be used for immunological monitoring of patients undergoing this treatment. METHODS: The IgE reactivity profiles to Der p extract were determined in a Middle European mite-allergic population by IgE immunoblotting and by using a panel of seven purified natural or recombinant Der p allergens (nDer p 1, nDer p 4, rDer p 2, rDer p 5, rDer p 7, rDer p 8, rDer p 10). Furthermore, we investigated the sensitization and cross-reactivity to house-dust- and storage-mite allergen extracts by CAP FEIA measurements and by IgE competition studies. RESULTS: More than 95% of the patients could be diagnosed with a combination of nDer p 1 and rDer p 2. With the methods used, we could discriminate mite-allergic patients who were mainly sensitized to the major Der p allergens (Der p 1, Der p 2) from patients with a broad sensitization profile, including highly cross-reactive allergens (e.g. Der p 10: tropomyosin) as well as reactivity to storage mites. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnostic tests containing the major mite allergens (i.e. Der p 1, Der p 2) and highly cross-reactive mite allergens (e.g. Der p 10) may improve the diagnostic selection of patients for immunotherapy with Der p extracts. These tests may also be used for the immunological monitoring of patients undergoing immunotherapy.
An intensified course of specific immunotherapy (36 days) has been tried in 72 children with atopic vasomotor rhinitis. The age of the patients ranged from 5 to 15 years. The effectiveness of the treatment was assessed by nasal mucosa function, cellular and humoral immunity measured throughout the treatment and 6 moths after it. Good results were obtained in 71.1% of the patients, satisfactory in 24.4%, unresponsive children made up 4.2%. No complications occurred. During the treatment adverse reactions were noted in 11 children. Short-term discontinuation of the allergen administration corrected the situation. Clinical, functional and immunological findings permitted the authors to conclude on the expediency of a short-term specific immunotherapy in atopic rhinitis management in children.
In this review, allergic drug reactions are discussed in terms of their immunologic mechanisms, with an emphasis given to new information that has appeared recently in the medical literature. Because of their recent emergence as important categories to recognize and manage appropriately, the pseudoallergic reactions next receive special attention. The last section on management covers diagnostic and preventive strategies, and concludes with a discussion of desensitization.
BACKGROUND: In allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) previously sensitized T cells cause skin damage. If an ubiquitous allergen such as nickel is involved, no effective treatment is available. Down-regulation of this allergic response has been described after antigen presentation in the absence of adequate costimulatory signals. UV exposure can enhance such hyposensitization. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to establish the capability of a hyposensitization procedure to induce antigen-specific tolerance. METHODS: Twenty-one patients with nickel ACD were randomly assigned to either a hyposensitized or control group. A schedule consisting of UVB treatment and subcutaneous nickel sulfate administration (hyposensitization) or UVB only (control) was applied. During the ensuing 2 years, several clinical and immunologic features were monitored. RESULTS: During UVB treatment we observed a significant clinical improvement in both groups that persisted in the hyposensitized group. Except for increased slope variances of specific lymphocyte proliferation in time, no clear changes were seen in the immunologic findings. CONCLUSION: Despite significant clinical improvement induced by UVB, hyposensitization did not induce significant changes in the immunologic findings in patients with nickel ACD.
Beside pharmacotherapy specific hyposensitization is well accepted in the treatment of allergic airway diseases. During the therapy allergen extracts are injected in low concentrations subcutaneously, and dosage is gradually increased in order to induce clinical tolerance in patients. For pollinosis the efficacy of the therapy is well documented, although its immunological mechanisms are not known up to now. So far, its value for the treatment of bronchial asthma is still discussed controversially. The effectiveness of oral hyposensitization has not been demonstrated yet.
This review highlights some of the research advances in anaphylaxis; hypersensitivity reactions to foods, drugs, and insects; and allergic skin disease that were reported primarily in the Journal in 2005. Although studies documented deficiencies in community management of anaphylaxis, guidelines and National Institutes of Health summary reports provide direction toward improved research and education. At least 9% of young children "outgrow" a tree nut allergy. Advances in food allergy diagnosis include reports of probability of reactions to peanut at various peanut-specific IgE concentrations and skin test response size and the utility of evaluating IgE binding to specific epitopes. Future food allergy treatments might include selection of "less allergenic" fruit cultivars, genetic silencing of major allergens, and treatment of allergic patients with Chinese herbal remedies. Osteopontin might be a useful biomarker for success of venom immunotherapy. Progress in our understanding of the immunology of atopic dermatitis and autoimmune urticaria has also been made. These observations will likely contribute toward optimizing management of these common allergic disorders.