The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Apr 2001
ReviewRole of IL-9 in the pathophysiology of allergic diseases.
Considerable evidence from both human and animal studies indicates that CD4(+) cells are the predominant cell type involved in the regulation of airway inflammation through the expression of T(H)2-type cytokines. The effects of T(H)2-type cytokines, particularly IL-4 and IL-5, on inflammatory and structural cells in airways have been studied in great detail. ⋯ The development of transgenic mice overexpressing IL-9 has suggested a key role for this cytokine in the development of the asthmatic phenotype, including eosinophilic inflammation, bronchial hyperresponsiveness, elevated IgE levels, and increased mucus secretion. IL-9 has been shown to act on many cell types involved in asthma, including T cells, B cells, mast cells, eosinophils, neutrophils, and epithelial cells, and thus might be important in the pathophysiology of allergic asthma.
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Mar 2001
Thymus and activation-regulated chemokine in atopic dermatitis: Serum thymus and activation-regulated chemokine level is closely related with disease activity.
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic and relapsing inflammatory skin disease characterized by the predominant infiltration of TH2-type cells in lesional skin. Thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC/CCL17) is a chemokine that attracts CC chemokine receptor 4-positive (CCR4+) or CCR8+ cells. ⋯ Serum TARC levels are associated with disease activity of AD, and TARC may play an important role in the pathogenesis of AD.
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Mar 2001
Atopy patch tests, together with determination of specific IgE levels, reduce the need for oral food challenges in children with atopic dermatitis.
Atopic dermatitis is commonly associated with food allergy. In addition to skin prick tests (SPTs) and measurements of specific IgE levels, the atopy patch test (APT) has recently been introduced into the diagnostic procedure for food allergy. ⋯ The combination of positive APT results and measurement of levels of specific IgE (CM, > or = 0.35 kU/L; HE, > or = 17.5 kU/L) makes double-blind, placebo-controlled, food challenges superfluous for suspected CM and HE allergy.
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Feb 2001
No correlation between wine intolerance and histamine content of wine.
Histamine is thought to be the main cause of adverse reactions to wines. ⋯ This study demonstrates that there is no correlation between the histamine content of wine and wine intolerance. The increase of plasma histamine levels at 10 minutes with histamine-poor wine suggested the role of a histamine-releasing substance. The role of acetaldehyde is discussed.