PURPOSE Cockroach feces are known to be rich in IgE-reactive components. Various protease allergens were identified by proteomic analysis of German cockroach fecal extract in a previous study. In this study, we characterized a novel allergen, a chymotrypsin-like serine protease. METHODS A cDNA sequence homologous to chymotrypsin was obtained by analysis of German cockroach expressed sequence ...

The origin of the word “allergy” is in the Greek words “allos” (strange) and “ergon” (reaction), and it is a concept that was proposed in 1906. Atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis and other diseases that are caused by allergies have recently become major problems. The various allergens that exist in the environment are causes of these allergic diseases. There are many types of allergens, inclu...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between contacts with other children and the development of respiratory infections in the first year of life in children with or without genetic predisposition for allergy. METHODS Children (n = 4146) who participate in a prospective birth cohort study (Prevention and Incidence of Asthma and Mite Allergy study) were investigated. Questionnaires were us...

Asthma and allergy are extremely frequent diseases, affecting 5-10% and 30% of the population, respectively. The prevalence of asthma has increased in many developed countries, which may be due to several factors, including increased exposure to house dust mite (HDM) allergens. HDM to which humans are most frequently sensitized are Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Dermatophagoides farinae, and E...

Both environmental tobacco smoke and indoor allergens can exacerbate already established childhood albeit primarily through quite disparate mechanisms. In infancy and childhood, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure is associated with measures of decreased flow in the airways, bronchial hyperresponsiveness, and increased respiratory infections, but the relationship between ETS and allergy ...

BACKGROUND The production of house dust mite (HDM) allergen products for allergy immunotherapy has traditionally been based on purified mite bodies or whole-mite culture, which are quite different source materials with a limited possibility for adjusting the chemical composition. The SQ HDM SLIT-tablet is a fast-dissolving pharmaceutical formulation that has been developed for sublingual immuno...

BACKGROUND Allergic rhinitis is a global health problem that burdens society due to associated health care costs and its impact on health. Standardized quality (SQ®) house dust mite (HDM) sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT)-tablet is a sublingually administered allergy immunotherapy tablet for patients with persistent moderate to severe HDM allergic rhinitis despite use of allergy pharmacotherapy. ...

Allergy diagnosis and immunotherapy in Korea rely mostly on imported allergen extracts. However, some allergens that are not important in Western countries are not commercially available, and even the same species of allergen source often displays differences in allergenicity due to amino acid sequence polymorphisms. Therefore, it is essential to prepare allergen extracts that reflect regional ...

To assess the prevalence of skin test sensitivity among asthmatic patients in Malaysia, skin prick tests for allergy in 134 adult asthmatic patients and 120 control subjects were done. 90% of asthmatic patients had positive skin test to at least one allergens as compared to 78% of the controls. House dust mite was the most frequent allergen to which the subjects had positive reactions. Sixty-fo...

salmeterol with salbutamol in asthmatic patients who require regular bronchodilator treatment. BMJ 1993;306:1034-7. 3 Laitinen LA, Laitinen A, Haahtela T. A comparative study of the effects of an inhaled corticosteroid, budesonide, and a beta-2-agonist, terbutaline, on airway inflammation in newly diagnosed asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1992;90:32-42. 4 Sporik R, Holgate S, Platts-Mills T, Cog...