BACKGROUND Airway wall remodelling and inflammation are features of chronic asthma. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) has been implicated in these processes. AIM To determine the effect of allergen challenge on airway inflammation and remodelling and whether TGF-beta isoforms and the Smad signalling pathways are involved. METHODS Thirteen patients with atopic asthma underwent inhal...

Background: Food hypersensitivity to walnut usually results in mild symptoms; however, several cases of anaphylactic reactions to this product have been observed. This study aimed to determine the immunochemical characteristics of the Persian walnut and provide the recombinant form of its main allergen. Materials and Methods: The allergenic proteins of th...

Exposure to indoor allergens is associated with asthma, but there is no standardized sampling method for measuring allergens. We compared the association of measured allergen exposure and serum-specific IgE levels and the precision of three sampling methods (Cyclone, Mighty Mite, and Readivac II) to identify a standardized sampling method for indoor allergens. A random sample of 72 children, 5 ...

In this study we evaluated the role of thromboxane in causing allergen-induced early and late asthmatic responses and airway hyperresponsiveness in asthmatic subjects. Twelve atopic subjects with stable asthma and documented early and late asthmatic responses to an inhaled allergen were treated with placebo or CGS 13080, a specific thromboxane synthetase inhibitor, given orally (200 mg four tim...

BACKGROUND Specific allergen from various pollen types has been found to be carried through the outdoor air, not only by intact pollen grains, but also by much smaller, paucimicronic particles. There is no complete agreement on whether, for birch (Betula), the seasonal appearance of atmospheric pollen allergen follows the fluctuation pattern of the pollen season. METHODS Assessment of birch-p...

Allergen exposure plays a major role in the development of sensitization, inflammation and symptomatic asthma. The development of new means of detecting allergens has enabled the evaluation of the effect of a reduction in allergen exposure to be better assessed. In order to prevent allergen exposure it is necessary to determine the allergen sources and reservoirs to which avoidance measures sho...

BACKGROUND Conflicting results have been reported in studies of predictive factors for airway responsiveness to allergens during bronchial challenges. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess determinants of airway responsiveness to 3 different allergens during standardized bronchial challenges. METHODS Data were collected from asthmatic patients who participated in allergen challenge ...

Purpose: To develop chitosan/alginate microparticles for the mucosal delivery of allergen from dust mite (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus). Methods: Chitosan/alginate microparticles were prepared by ionotropic gelation. The effects of polymer content, crosslinking agent, and preparation method on the physicochemical characteristics of the microparticles as well as their in vitro cytotoxicity wer...