The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Jan 2001
House dust mite and cockroach exposure are strong risk factors for positive allergy skin test responses in the Childhood Asthma Management Program.
Children with asthma have a high prevalence of environmental allergies, especially to indoor allergens. The relationships of exposure to indoor allergens (dust mites, cat, dog, cockroach, and molds) and other host factors to allergy sensitization have not been evaluated simultaneously in a large cohort. ⋯ Levels of exposure determined by house dust analysis are important determinants of sensitization for dust mite and cockroach allergen. This relationship was not demonstrable for cat, dog, or mold allergens, possibly because of confounding factors. For all allergens studied, the degree of atopy, determined by the total number of positive skin test responses or by total serum IgE levels, is an important contributing risk factor for sensitization.
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Dec 2000
Multicenter Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialFluticasone propionate/salmeterol combination provides more effective asthma control than low-dose inhaled corticosteroid plus montelukast.
Asthma is a disease of chronic inflammation and bronchoconstriction. Inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) provide important anti-inflammatory treatment but may not provide optimal control of asthma when taken alone. Two therapeutic alternatives for enhanced asthma control are to substitute the combination of fluticasone propionate (FP) and salmeterol (FP/Salm Combo) through the Diskus inhaler or to add montelukast to existing ICS therapy. ⋯ Symptomatic patients on low-dose ICS therapy had significantly greater improvement in asthma control when switched to the FP/Salm Combo than when montelukast was added to ICS therapy.
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Dec 2000
Immediate allergic reactions to cephalosporins: cross-reactivity and selective responses.
After penicillins, cephalosporins are the most important beta-lactams inducing IgE-mediated reactions. Responses may be selective or cross-reactive with common beta-lactam determinants. Unlike determinants derived from benzylpenicillin, cephalosporin allergenic determinants have not been properly identified, even though a wide variety of these beta-lactams is currently used. ⋯ Most patients with a history of immediate reactions to cephalosporins are sensitized to determinants generated only by cephalosporins (group A), although a small percentage react to penicillin determinants (group B). Some patients from group A responded only to the culprit cephalosporin, but others reacted to different cephalosporins. These findings can be explained in terms of either selective response to unique determinants or cross-reactivity.
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Nov 2000
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical TrialMulticenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multiple-challenge evaluation of reported reactions to monosodium glutamate.
The frequency of reactions reported to occur after the consumption of monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the subject of controversy. ⋯ The results suggest that large doses of MSG given without food may elicit more symptoms than a placebo in individuals who believe that they react adversely to MSG. However, neither persistent nor serious effects from MSG ingestion are observed, and the responses were not consistent on retesting.
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Oct 2000
Comparative StudyA comparison of exhaled nitric oxide and induced sputum as markers of airway inflammation.
Exhaled nitric oxide (ENO) has been proposed as a noninvasive marker of airway inflammation in asthma. ⋯ We conclude that ENO is likely to have limited utility as a surrogate clinical measurement for either the presence or severity of eosinophilic airway inflammation, except in steroid-naive subjects.