Allergy
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The prevalence and specificity of naturally occurring human IgA anti-IgE autoantibodies (a-E Ab) were studied by ELISA with anti-IgA monoclonal antibodies (mAb) and a purified myeloma IgE as solid-phase protein, i.e., IgE-DES(kappa). Such detected IgA a-E Ab were common among adults, and significantly increased geometric means (GM) were found in patients with atopy (P = 0.006; n = 41; GM = 79.3 arbitrary units (AU)/ml) and filariasis (P = 0.02; n = 41; GM = 75.9 AU/ml), as compared with nonatopic controls (n = 42; GM = 48.8 AU/ml). No such difference was observed between age-matched nonatopic (n = 22; GM = 36.7 AU/ml) and atopic (n = 22; GM = 38.6 AU/ml) children. ⋯ Sex did not influence IgA a-E Ab concentrations in any study group. The specificity of IgA a-E Ab in nine sera was studied by ELISA inhibition assay using IgE-DES myeloma as solid-phase protein and inhibitory proteins of the IgG, IgM, IgD, and IgE classes, including five different IgE myeloma proteins, as well as three enzymatic fragments of IgE-DES. The inhibitions indicated that all IgA a-E Ab tested reacted in a low-affinity reaction with determinants restricted to IgE-DES, i.e., the solid-phase protein.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Immediate allergic reactions to amoxicillin.
A large group of patients with suspected allergic reactions to beta-lactam antibiotics was evaluated. A detailed clinical history, together with skin tests, RAST (radioallergosorbent test), and controlled challenge tests, was used to establish whether patients allergic to beta-lactam antibiotics had selective immediate allergic responses to amoxicillin (AX) or were cross-reacting with other penicillin derivatives. Skin tests were performed with benzylpenicilloyl-poly-L-lysine (BPO-PLL), benzylpenicilloate, benzylpenicillin (PG), ampicillin (AMP), and AX. ⋯ We describe the largest group of AX-allergic patients who have tolerated PG reported so far. Diagnosis of these patients can be achieved only if specific AX-related reagents are employed. Further studies are necessary to determine the exact extent of this problem and to improve the efficacy of diagnostic methods.
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A group of 34 penicillin-allergic patients was studied to determine skin test reactivity to the different penicillins involved in inducing the allergic reaction and the cross-reactivity with side-chain-related and side-chain-unrelated cephalosporins. All the subjects selected for the study had to be skin test positive to at least one of the following determinants: benzyl-penicilloyl-polylysine (BPO-PLL), minor-determinant mixture (MDM), amoxicillin (AX), or ampicillin (AMP), or to possess in vitro IgE to the following conjugates: benzyl-penicilloyl-human-serum albumin (BPO-HSA), ampicilloyl-human-serum albumin (AMP-HSA), and amoxicilloyl-human-serum albumin (AX-HSA). Cephalexin (CE) and ceftazidime (CEF) were used to assess cross-reactivity. ⋯ In five patients (14%), the skin tests were positive to CE and in none to CEF. In all the others, the skin tests were negative to both cephalosporins, and the patients tolerated the drugs when challenged. These results indicate the relevance of side-chain-specific minor determinants in betalactams allergy and provide support for the role of this chemical structure in the evaluation of cross-reactivity between penicillins and cephalosporins.
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In order to establish a noninvasive method of monitoring immediate hypersensitivity reactions in children, we studied the diurnal variation of urinary histamine and 1-methylhistamine excretion and the influence of food intake in a group of 14 healthy nonatopic children (aged 2-16 years). Histamine and 1-methylhistamine in spontaneous urine samples were determined by radioimmunoassay. ⋯ The short half-life of histamine released into blood circulation may be the main reason for the higher variation of histamine excretion. In children, urinary 1-methylhistamine is less influenced by diurnal variation and is therefore more suited to monitor immediate hypersensitivity reactions than urinary histamine itself.
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Comparative Study
Clinical evaluation of in vitro leukocyte histamine release in allergy to muscle relaxant drugs.
We have evaluated the in vitro leukocyte histamine release tests for the diagnosis of allergy to muscle relaxant drugs in 40 patients (Group A) and a control group of 44 subjects with negative leukocyte histamine release (Group B). Non-IgE dependent histamine release, expressed as a percentage of the total blood histamine, was 3.94% +/- 0.49 in Group B. The upper limit of positivity was estimated to be 5% (mean + 2 SD). ⋯ Of 20 M2. All of the 10 cases had negative ID tests with M2. Three of these patients subsequently underwent general anesthesia with the muscle relaxant chosen as harmless (M2) without any clinical reaction.