during past few years, the cupressus arizonica has been abundantly planted in tehran, causing a significant increase of allergic diseases from the middle of winter to the beginning of spring. the aim of this study was the comparison of pollen protein content in two major varieties of c. arizonica planted in tehran, including c. arizonica var. arizonica and c. arizonica var. glabra , in order to...

Summary Different phenotypes of allergic rhinitis have been identified based on the seasonality of the allergen involved. Within pollinosis, importance has to be paid to the responsible pollen species. Guidelines for clinical management are mostly based on studies performed in patients with grass pollen allergy. Only few data is available on tree pollen allergy and more specifically on cypress ...

BACKGROUND We have developed a recombinant B cell epitope-based vaccine (BM32) for allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) of grass pollen allergy. The vaccine contains recombinant fusion proteins consisting of allergen-derived peptides and the hepatitis B surface protein domain preS as immunological carrier. METHODS We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled AIT study to deter...

BACKGROUND Cupressaceae pollen allergy is a worldwide winter pollinosis. Exposure to cypress pollen has increased enormously during recent decades, and cypress pollen allergy has become a major health problem, especially in Mediterranean countries. OBJECTIVES We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of cypress pollen sensitization and allergy in the Montpellier area and the symptoms presented by s...

BACKGROUND Maize is a member of the Poaceae family, capable of producing large amounts of pollen grains which may constitute important allergens in spring and summer. The aim of this study was to determine the protein content of maize pollen and its allergenicity in guinea pigs. METHODS The morphology of maize pollens was determined using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The...

Almost 90% of grass pollen-allergic patients are sensitized against group 5 grass pollen allergens. We isolated a monoclonal human IgE Fab out of a combinatorial library prepared from lymphocytes of a grass pollen-allergic patient and studied its interaction with group 5 allergens. The IgE Fab cross-reacted with group 5A isoallergens from several grass and corn species. By allergen gene fragmen...

BACKGROUND Although many patients with allergic rhinitis have symptoms due to sensitization to more than one kind of allergens, and mixed allergen extracts are widely used for immunotherapy, there are few published trials. OBJECTIVE Our study aimed to evaluate the effect of multiple-allergen immunotherapy on improving the symptoms and quality of life of allergic rhinitis patients. METHODS W...

The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) has a wide geographical distribution (Middle East, Mediterranean, central Africa, western Asia, Australia, and North America). Pho d 2, the major allergen of date palm pollen was recently identified as a profilin, yet little is known about the nature of the other pollen allergens from this tree. The objective of this study was to characterize clinically signi...

Background: Very high levels of exposure to olive pollen in the south of Spain lead to differential allergen sensitization profi les. Therefore, new approaches to allergen standardization, diagnosis, and vaccination are necessary. Methods: Quantifi cation of minor allergens in extracts, component-resolved patient diagnosis, and IgG4 individual allergen responses were used to evaluate new strate...

BACKGROUND The effect of allergen exposure on airway responsiveness and exhaled nitric oxide (NO) has been well documented, but no information is available on allergen-induced changes in the response plateau to adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP) and in bronchial NO flux (J'aw(NO)) and alveolar NO (CA(NO)). OBJECTIVES To determine the effect of natural allergen exposure, a proinflammatory stimul...