BACKGROUND : Grass pollen grain, an important aeroallergen, can disperse in the environment pollen cytoplasmic granules (PCGs) able to release water-soluble allergens when they are washed out by rainfall. The allergenicity of these washed PCGs is, however, preserved. OBJECTIVE : The purpose of the study was to assess the allergenic potential of washed and unwashed PCGs, from Phleum pratense p...

The aim of these studies was to examine whether amphetamine-induced sensitization in rats could be used as an animal model to study the basis of certain abnormalities seen in schizophrenia. Specifically, these experiments examined whether rats subjected to a sensitizing regimen of amphetamine would show the sensorimotor gating and greater amphetamine-induced displacement of radio-raclopride bin...

To examine the role of incentive sensitization in the potentiation of salt appetite by prior depletions, the authors assessed the motivation to obtain salt ("wanting") and the palatability of salt ("liking") independently in salt-sensitized rats. Breakpoint on a progressive ratio reinforcement schedule was used to measure salt wanting and taste reactivity was used to measure salt liking in rats...

BACKGROUND Histamine synthesized by histidine decarboxylase (HDC) from L-histidine is a major chemical mediator in the development of nasal allergy which is characterized by nasal hypersensitivity. However the regulatory mechanism of histamine synthesis by HDC remains to be elucidated. The objectives of the present study were to examine the changes of histamine content, HDC activity and HDC mRN...

Asthma, an important public health problem, is a common, potentially serious, medical condition in children, adults and pregnant women. The aim of this study to investigate the effects combined use thymoquinone carob on liver tissue oxidative events, following experimental asthma model. 18 male albino wistar rats were divided into 3 groups as: control group, group treated (A+TQ+C). In asthmatic...

Brown Norway (BN) rats develop a robust response to antigens in the lung, characterized by a large increase in allergen-specific immune function and pulmonary eosinophilia. The objective of this study was to investigate alternative models by determining whether other rat strains could be sensitized to house dust mite (HDM) antigen and whether the allergic disease process could be worsened with ...

clinical asthma and airway responsiveness appear to be less severe when diabetes is superimposed. the aim of the present study was to determine the possible role of nitric oxide (no) in the airway reactivity under diabetic and diabetic-allergic conditions. twenty-five male guinea-pigs were divided into five groups of five each as follows: diabetic, antigen sensitized, diabetic- antigen sensitiz...

Administration of attenuated, activated autoimmune T lymphocytes to syngeneic mice and rats has been shown to prevent or induce remission of experimental autoimmune diseases specific for the autoimmune T cells. The process has been termed "T cell vaccination." In a recent study, T cell vaccination was done using T cells sensitized to rat alloantigens. The procedure produced a significant reduct...

Sex affects sensitivity to pain (1,2). Testosterone decreases threshold to thermal pain in male rat while lack of it after castration elevates the threshold (3). Testosterone was also shown to alter morphine analgesia in thermal pain testing in rats (4). It is conceivable that pain mechanism is sensitized by testosterone in male rats. We now report on the influence of testosterone on pain thres...

Peptide R23, consisting of residues 1091-1115 of bovine interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP), had some unusual immunologic properties in Lewis rats. The peptide induced experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis and pinealitis in these rats, but only at high doses. The minimal immunopathogenic dose was found to be 100 nmol/rat. On the other hand, R23 was highly immunogenic in Lewis rat...