BACKGROUND Total serum immunoglobulin (IgE) test is usually performed to aid in the diagnosis of allergic diseases, but its reference values may vary among people of different ethnic backgrounds. OBJECTIVES To establish reference values of total IgE in Asian children and to assess their significance in the diagnosis of atopy and allergic diseases. STUDY DESIGN 1321 Asian children aged 5-18 ...

UNLABELLED In our study, the genetic linkage of the Fcepsilon RIbeta gene with atopy in 77 affected sibling pairs recruited from an Italian panel of 201 subjects has been examined. Atopy was defined by the presence of a positive skin prick test to one or more common aeroallergens, a positive RAST test to one or more common aeroallergens and an elevated circulating total IgE. Genotype analysis w...

BACKGROUND AND STUDY OBJECTIVE The point prevalence of bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) is imperfectly associated with current asthma, possibly due to changes over time in bronchial responsiveness (BR). To evaluate cross-sectional and longitudinal determinants of BR, a population sample comprising 408 children and adolescents, aged 7 to 17 years at enrollment, was examined twice, 6 years apa...

BACKGROUND Increased prevalence of atopic disorders in children may be associated with changes in types of childhood infections, vaccination programmes, and intestinal microflora. People who follow an anthroposophic way of life use antibiotics restrictively, have few vaccinations, and their diet usually contains live lactobacilli, which may affect the intestinal microflora. We aimed to study th...

36 parents of infants who had died suddenly did not differ in frequency of atopic symptoms, immediate skin tests, IgE, IgE antibody, immunoglobulin G, A, and M, or yeast opsonisation, from 36 matched controls, although atopy was common (about half had atopy in both groups.

The genetics of asthma and atopy is complex, but can be approached by studies of both candidate genes and mapping of susceptibility loci. Genetic factors conferring susceptibility to disease may vary among ethnic groups. We present our experience with some candidate gene studies for asthma and atopy and susceptibility locus mapping for linkage to chromosome 5q.

BACKGROUND Previous studies, mostly from Europe, suggest that early-life farming exposures protect against childhood asthma and allergy; few data exist on asthma and allergy in adults. OBJECTIVE We sought to examine associations between early-life farming exposures and current asthma and atopy in an older adult US farming population. METHODS We analyzed data from 1746 farmers and 1555 spous...

BACKGROUND Airway epithelial cells (AEC) from patients with asthma, appear to have an impaired interferon (IFN)-β and -λ response to infection with rhinovirus. OBJECTIVES To determine if impaired IFN responses can be identified in young children at risk of developing asthma due to atopy and/or early life wheeze, and if the site of infection or the infecting virus influence the antiviral respo...