BACKGROUND Vaccines consisting of allergen-derived peptides lacking IgE reactivity and allergen-specific T cell epitopes bound to allergen-unrelated carrier molecules have been suggested as candidates for allergen-specific immunotherapy. OBJECTIVE To study whether prophylactic and therapeutic vaccination with carrier-bound peptides from the major birch pollen allergen Bet v 1 lacking allergen...

Allergen exposure can confound the management of asthma. To understand the potential mechanisms by which allergens increase the steroid requirements in atopic asthmatics, we examined the effects of allergens on glucocorticoid receptor (GCR) binding affinity and glucocorticoid (GC) responsiveness of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from atopic asthmatics. A significant reduction (p < 0....

Background: The natural history of immunoglobulin (Ig) E-mediated diseases in preterm infants is still elusive. We aimed at developing a non-invasive tool for detecting specific IgE (sIgE) and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN) neonatal fecal samples evaluating its predictive value the development IgE-mediated during first year life. Methods: developed stool extraction protocol, followed by fr...

Allergen-specific IgG antibodies play a significant role in allergen-specific tolerance, either naturally induced or generated by specific immunotherapy. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanisms are still debated, and allergen-specific IgG determinations are not recommended as a diagnostic tool in IgE-mediated allergy. This review summarizes the latest findings on the immunological and diagnosti...

The topic of morphological productivity as it has been conceived in linguistics for the last half-century is treated in greatest detail in Bauer (2001). If our brief discussion here leads the reader to that book, we will have gone a long way to doing our job. In this chapter, though, we also have a different aim, which is to recast the problem of morphological productivity in a different light....

A Ds-suppressed Adh mutant was isolated by the allyl alcohol pollen selection technique. The mutant produces a reduced level of an altered thermolabile enzyme suggesting that the Ds element is inserted in the Adh structural gene. The mutant protein is enzymatically active and does not differ detectably in size from the progenitor protein. A number of possible explanations for the data are prese...

Homes cannot be made allergen free, but exposure to the major indoor allergens can be reduced. All reduction recommendations are based on the principle of reducing or isolating the source, and certain recommendations can be made on the basis of published evidence. House dust mite avoidance measures include fitting allergen-proof mattress and pillow encasings, washing bedding regularly, and redu...

Allergen immunotherapy was introduced by Leonard Noon 100 years ago and is the only disease-modifying treatment for allergic individuals. Improved understanding of immunology has taught us a great deal about the underlying mechanisms involved in allergen immunotherapy; however, despite these developments, a number of important questions remain unanswered. Several of these questions relate to th...

Critical aspects of formulating allergy immunotherapy vaccines include the selection, total number, and proportions of each allergen component in therapeutic mixtures. The immunotherapy prescription, determined by a medical provider, details the dosing and schedule for treatment as well as the specific composition of the treatment vials. Allergen extracts are composed of many components such as...