BACKGROUND Rat allergen has proved to be an important cause of IgE-mediated hypersensitivity in the occupational setting. The prevalence and significance of rat allergen in homes has not been studied. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of rat allergen in the homes of inner-city children with asthma and to examine the relationship between rat allergen exposure,...

abstract the genus aspergillus, which consists of a few hundred opportunistic mold species found in various climatic conditions, causes diseases including localized infections, fatal diseases, allergic responses, and inhaled conidia in humans. herein, we present an overview of the most common diseases and allergic infections caused by aspergillus species and their associated health hazards in v...

the prevalence of allergic disorders has increased markedly throughout the world over the past three decades. it seems probable that the increased prevalence is real because longitudinal studies have shown a rapid exponential increase in allergic disor¬ders. in order to determine the prevalence of type 1 allergy in patients with allergic disorders in sistan-blouchestan province, in the southeas...

patients and methods in this cross sectional study, 295 volunteers with the signs and symptoms of allergic diseases who referred to the khuzestan jahad daneshgahi medical center in ahvaz during 2010 were investigated. all patients were subjected to skin prick test (spt) with common allergenic extracts. data were analyzed by spss-18 software using chi square test. results seventy subjects, compr...

BACKGROUND Allergen induced early phase airway response and airway plasma exudation are predominantly mediated by inflammatory mast cell mediators including histamine, cysteinyl leukotrienes (cysLTs) and thromboxane A2 (TXA2). The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether repeated allergen exposure affects early phase airway response to allergen challenge. METHODS A trimellitic anhydri...

BACKGROUND Exposure to airborne wheat allergen is a well-known cause of bakers' allergy and asthma. Airborne wheat allergen can be measured by enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) in extracts of inhalable dust samples, but only limited knowledge is available on the size distribution of wheat allergen-carrying particles. Recently, a new sampling medium, porous polyurethane foam, has been introduced for th...

Objective(s):Sublingual allergen-specific immunotherapy is a safe and effective method for treatment of IgE-mediated respiratory allergies; however, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. This study was planned to test whether sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) can exert epigenetic mechanisms through which the airway allergic responses can be extinguished. Materials and Methods:BALB/c...

Allergic asthmatic individuals are often exposed to low-doses of allergen in their everyday life. Extended exposure to allergen has lead to down-regulation of the allergic process in cell systems and in animal models. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether any such inhibitory mechanism of allergic responses can be seen in man in vivo. Patients with mild asthma were repeatedly and double-...

BACKGROUND Allergen-specific IgE production is a hallmark of allergic asthma/rhinitis/eczema. Theoretically this could be due to a high number of allergen-specific B cells or allergen-specific T cells helping allergen-specific B cells differentiate into IgE-producing plasma cells. Here, we determined whether the number of allergen-specific B cells or T helper (Th) cells is higher in allergic in...

Experimental mouse models of asthma have broadened our understanding of the mechanisms behind allergen-induced asthma. Typically, mouse models of allergic asthma explore responses to a single allergen; however, patients with asthma are frequently exposed to, and tend to be allergic to, more than one allergen. The aim of the current study was to develop a new and more relevant mouse model of ast...