BACKGROUND Sensitization to common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) is associated with a variety of risk factors, which are incompletely defined. Our aim was to evaluate the association of a variety of clinical, geographical and demographical variables with ragweed sensitization and also to determine its frequency in southern Bavaria. METHODS In this cross-sectional multicentre study, we enr...

BACKGROUND Few studies have focused on pollen exposure and asthma in children. None have examined associations between persistent exposure to pollen in infancy and aeroallergen sensitisation and asthma in childhood. OBJECTIVES To examine the association between higher ambient levels of pollen in the first 3-6 months of life and risk of eczema, sensitization to food and aeroallergens at 2 year...

Clinical and experimental investigations suggest that allergen-specific CD4+ T-cells, IgE and the cytokines IL-4 and IL-5 play central roles in initiating and sustaining an asthmatic response by regulating the recruitment and/or activation of airways mast cells and eosinophils. IL-5 plays a unique role in eosinophil development and activation and has been strongly implicated in the aetiology of...

Over the last decade, it has become increasingly clear that innate responses to microbes are mediated largely by toll-like receptors (TLRs), which recognize a diverse family of molecules produced by viruses, bacteria and fungi. This article will present evidence that TLRs also play a dominant role in innate responses to non-infectious immunostimulatory materials present in house dust extracts (...

BACKGROUND Respiratory allergies are the most important public health issues in the world. They are caused by aeroallergens which play great role in pathogenesis of respiratory allergic diseases. METHODS The current study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of positive skin test for various aeroallergens among allergic patients in Ahvaz, southwest Iran. 299 participants with allergic rhi...

BACKGROUND Chronic hyperplastic eosinophilic sinusitis (CHES) is an inflammatory disease characterized by eosinophil infiltration of sinus tissue that can present with and without nasal polyps (NPs). Aeroallergen sensitization in CHES occurs regularly, but the causality between allergen sensitivity, exposure, and disease is unclear. METHODS Allergen is unlikely to directly enter healthy sinus...