International archives of allergy and immunology
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Int. Arch. Allergy Immunol. · Jul 2004
Case ReportsSuccessful treatment of severe anaphylactic shock with vasopressin. Two case reports.
Severe anaphylactic shock is a life-threatening situation that needs immediate treatment of progressive hemodynamic failure. We report two cases of severe anaphylactic shock treated with arginine-vasopressin (AVP): In a 42-year-old male patient anaphylactic shock was caused by the sting of a hornet. At the scene, he was found unconscious, cyanotic, with a heart rate of 130/min without measurable blood pressure. ⋯ The patient was treated with 40 IU vasopressin followed by rapid infusion of 500 ml NaCl 0.9%. After injection of vasopressin, blood pressure raised to 80/50 mm Hg and heart rate decreased to 90/min. Both patients needed ventilator therapy for several days and recovered fully.
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Int. Arch. Allergy Immunol. · Sep 2003
Ana o 2, a major cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) nut allergen of the legumin family.
We recently cloned and described a vicilin and showed it to be a major cashew allergen. Additional IgE-reactive cashew peptides of the legumin group and 2S albumin families have also been reported. Here, we attempt to clone, express and characterize a second major cashew allergen. ⋯ We conclude that this legumin-like protein is a major allergen in cashew nut.
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Int. Arch. Allergy Immunol. · Aug 2003
Th2- and to a lesser extent Th1-type cytokines upregulate the production of both CXC (IL-8 and gro-alpha) and CC (RANTES, eotaxin, eotaxin-2, MCP-3 and MCP-4) chemokines in human airway epithelial cells.
Both CXC and CC chemokines play an important role in leukocyte recruitment. However, a systematic examination of their production by human airway epithelial cells (HAECs) has not been carried out. The objective of this study was to investigate whether Th1- and Th2-type cytokines regulate chemokine production in HAECs. ⋯ These findings suggest that when released into the airways, Th2- and to a lesser extent Th1-type cytokines may stimulate recruitment of eosinophils and neutrophils through the release of CC (RANTES, MCP-3 and -4, eotaxin and eotaxin-2) and CXC chemokines (gro-alpha and IL-8).
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Int. Arch. Allergy Immunol. · Jul 2003
Oral administration of probiotic Escherichia coli after birth reduces frequency of allergies and repeated infections later in life (after 10 and 20 years).
The development of allergies is a complex in which both composition and influence of the intestinal flora play an important role. We observed in earlier studies that the presence of an orally administered probiotic Escherichia coli strain in the intestine stimulated both a serum and local antibody response, decreased the presence of pathogens, the number of infections and the need for antibiotics. ⋯ Intentional colonization of the intestine with E. coli after birth (offering the advantage of the first colonizer) was found to decrease the incidence of allergies and repeated infections in later life.
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Int. Arch. Allergy Immunol. · Apr 2003
Comparative StudyComparison of allergen-induced late inflammatory reactions in the nose and in the skin in house dust mite-allergic patients with or without asthma.
It remains to be established which factors contribute to the occurrence of asthma in allergic individuals. We hypothesized that differences in the late allergic inflammatory reaction to allergen between asthmatic and non-asthmatic house dust mite-allergic individuals might contribute to the difference in the clinical presentation of allergy. ⋯ House dust mite-allergic patients with or without asthma have very similar late allergic inflammatory reactions in the skin and in the nose after allergen challenge. Hence, it is unlikely that the occurrence of pulmonary symptoms in asthma is explained by a general tendency of asthmatics to have an enhanced late allergic cellular inflammatory response. Nasal and dermal allergen provocations are adequate models to study allergen-induced inflammation but probably lack the pivotal link which is essential for the development of asthma.