International archives of allergy and immunology
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Int. Arch. Allergy Immunol. · Jan 2010
Safety of cefuroxime as an alternative in patients with a proven hypersensitivity to penicillins: a DAHD cohort survey.
In patients sensitized to beta-lactams, a safe beta-lactam alternative is often needed. The objective was to assess the safety of cefuroxime in patients with a proven beta-lactam allergy. ⋯ Cefuroxime appeared to be a safe alternative in beta-lactam-allergic patients after testing. The risk of giving cefuroxime being not null, a thorough drug allergy work-up, including provocation test, is still needed.
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Int. Arch. Allergy Immunol. · Jan 2010
The longest wheal diameter is the optimal measurement for the evaluation of skin prick tests.
Mean diameter or longest diameter are the 2 most frequently used parameters for wheal response assessment after skin prick testing (SPT). We aimed to compare these 2 parameters taking as gold standard the surface of the wheal skin response. ⋯ The longest wheal diameter alone seems to be a better surrogate marker of the wheal surface in comparison with the mean diameter. In addition, it is easier and faster to measure. Therefore, we propose this as the optimal methodology to evaluate SPTs.
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Int. Arch. Allergy Immunol. · Jan 2010
Strain-specific phenotypes of airway inflammation and bronchial hyperresponsiveness induced by epicutaneous allergen sensitization in BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice.
Allergen sensitization through a disrupted skin barrier appears to play a prominent role in the development of atopic diseases, including allergic asthma. The role of the genetic background in immunological and physiological phenotypes induced by epicutaneous sensitization is undetermined. ⋯ The C57BL/6 mouse is a more appropriate model than the BALB/c mouse to study the relationship between skin barrier dysfunction and the pathogenesis of allergic asthma.
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Int. Arch. Allergy Immunol. · Jan 2010
Heparin and tranexamic Acid therapy may be effective in treatment-resistant chronic urticaria with elevated d-dimer: a pilot study.
Chronic urticaria (CU) patients often present activation of the coagulation cascade and fibrinolysis whose markers correlate with disease severity. ⋯ Our findings indicate that CU patients with elevated D-dimer often present a more severe disease with reduced response to antihistamines. Based on this short pilot study, some of these patients may benefit from treatment with nadroparin and tranexamic acid.
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Int. Arch. Allergy Immunol. · Jan 2010
A Toll-like receptor 2/6 agonist reduces allergic airway inflammation in chronic respiratory sensitisation to Timothy grass pollen antigens.
The hygiene hypothesis negatively correlates the microbial burden of the environment with the prevalence of T helper type 2 (Th2)-related disorders, e.g. allergy and asthma. This is explained by Th1 triggering through pathogen-associated molecular patterns via Toll-like receptors (TLRs). In this study, the biological effects of a TLR2/6 agonist as a potential treatment of allergic inflammation are explored. ⋯ The use of the TLR2/6 agonist is a promising therapeutic approach in diseases with an imbalance in T cell responses, such as allergy and asthma.