Annals of allergy, asthma & immunology : official publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology
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Ann. Allergy Asthma Immunol. · Jun 2002
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical TrialEfficacy and tolerability of montelukast alone or in combination with loratadine in seasonal allergic rhinitis: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial performed in the fall.
Histamine and cysteinyl leukotrienes seem to be important mediators of allergic rhinitis. ⋯ Montelukast alone or in combination with loratadine is well tolerated and provides clinical and quality-of-life benefits for patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis.
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Ann. Allergy Asthma Immunol. · Apr 2002
Does introduction of new "easy to use" inhalational devices improve medical personnel's knowledge of their proper use?
Lack of basic inhaler skills by medical personnel has been documented by numerous studies. Consequently, training of patients in correct inhalational technique suffers. Newer dry powder inhalers such as Turbuhaler (budesonide, Astra USA, Westborough, MA) and Diskus (salmeterol, GlaxoSmithKline, Research Triangle Park, NC) have some advantages over conventional metereddose inhalers (MDIs) including easier technique of usage. They have been recently marketed with the hope of overcoming this problem. ⋯ Demonstration skills and knowledge scores for use of both budedsonide and salmeterol were substantially lower than that for MDI for all medical personnel. Medical personnel responsible for teaching the correct use of inhalational devices are lacking in basic knowledge and user skills. This likely contributes to patient's poor technique when using these devices.
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Ann. Allergy Asthma Immunol. · Feb 2002
Prevalence of food allergies in young adults and their relationship to asthma, nasal allergies, and eczema.
The true prevalence of food allergy in adults is generally thought to be uncommon. It is unknown whether there are any relationships between food allergy and atopic diseases. ⋯ The prevalence of probable IgE-mediated food reactions is rare in young adults. Some positive associations between probable IgE-mediated food allergy and allergic diseases were found, but larger study numbers are required to confirm these results.
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Increasingly popular cosmetic hair alterations use latex-containing bonding glue to attach hair to the scalp. Immunoglobulin E-mediated reactions to natural rubber latex may occur from unappreciated sources. ⋯ Hair bonding glue contains high concentrations of soluble latex antigen and may cause anaphylaxis without mucosal contact. Repeated glue exposure may potentially sensitize consumers. Physicians, cosmetologists, and latex-allergic patients should be aware of bonding glue-induced immunoglobulin E-mediated reactions associated with hair alterations.