BACKGROUND Allergen-specific IgE and IgG antibodies play pivotal roles in the induction and progression of allergic hypersensitivity reactions. Consequently, monoclonal human IgE and IgG4 antibodies with defined specificity for allergens should be useful in allergy research and diagnostic tests. We used combinatorial antibody libraries and subsequent recombinant production to make and assess Ig...

BACKGROUND Snake envenomation is a serious public health threat in the rural areas of Asian and African countries. To date, the only proven treatment for snake envenomation is antivenom therapy. Cross-neutralization of heterologous venoms by antivenom raised against venoms of closely related species has been reported. The present study examined the cross neutralizing potential of a newly develo...

High densities of MCD receptors were found in the stratum radiatum of Ammon's horn, the neocortex, the molecular layer of the cerebellum, colliculi and pons. Conversely areas such as the stratum lacunosum moleculare of Ammon's horn contained only low levels of MCD binding sites. The density of MCD receptors is low during the perinatal period and increases rapidly by postnatal day 10 with a decr...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Different clinical behaviors have been identified in patients allergic to bee venom. Compound-resolved diagnosis could be an appropriate tool for investigating these differences. The aims of this study were to analyze whether specific IgE to Api m 4 (sIgE-Api m 4) can identify a particular kind of bee venom allergy and to describe response to bee venom immunotherapy (bV...

This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of both acupuncture and bee venom acupuncture as adjuvant therapies for idiopathic Parkinson's disease. We recruited 43 adults with idiopathic Parkinson's disease who had been on a stable dose of antiparkinsonian medication for at least 1 month. They were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: acupuncture, bee venom acupuncture, or control. All partici...

A method was validated for the determination of the 2 main components of bee venom, phospholipase A2 and melittin, by capillary electrophesis (CE). Optimum resolution and selectivity were attained with a running electrolyte of 150 mM phosphoric acid, pH 1.8. The repeatability and day-to-day reproducibility of the migration times were better than 0.36 and 2.8%, respectively. The repeatability an...

The first morphological sign of atherogenesis is the accumulation of extracellular lipid droplets in the proteoglycan-rich subendothelial layer of the arterial intima. Secretory nonpancreatic phospholipase A(2) (snpPLA(2)), an enzyme capable of lipolyzing LDL particles, is found in the arterial extracellular matrix and in contact with the extracellular lipid droplets. We have recently shown tha...

Translation of melittin messenger RNA from queen bee venom glands in a cell-free system from wheat germ yielded prepromelittin. Sequence analysis of the labeled in vitro product was performed by automatic Edman degradation of the intact polypeptide as well as by analysis of some of its proteolytic fragments. Prepromelittin was shown to be composed of 70 amino acids, two of which have not been i...

Immunotherapy is an established mode of treatment for Hymenoptera venom anaphylaxis, although adverse reactions may occur. We report the case of a 33-year-old woman, the wife of a beekeeper, who experienced a systemic allergic reaction following a bee sting. Initial specific immunotherapy had to be stopped due to anaphylaxis (multiple immediate cardiovascular reactions). We looked for an altern...