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Allergy & Immunology Medical and Health News Headlines
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All Recent Allergy & Immunology Medical News Headlines |
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Responses to odors in occupational environments
Purpose of review: There is mounting evidence that the presence of airborne chemicals that produce odor and irritation can be a significant impediment to a productive and healthy workforce, even among individuals without chemical sensitivity.
Recent findings: Studies investigating odor and irritant-induced symptoms in occupational environments suggest that poor indoor air quality, coupled with psychosocial factors such as the work environment, personality and stress, can lead to the development of building-related complaints and exacerbate chemical intolerance and symptoms. The practice of introducing pleasant odors in the workplace to improve productivity and mood is not well supported by current research.
Summary: Managing the response to odors and irritants in the workplace is critica......
POSTED 03/12/2010 at 07:38 AM --
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MRC Scientists Announce Advance In Understanding Body's Natural Defences
Medical Research Council (MRC) scientists at the University of Leicester have made a new advance in understanding how the body fights certain types of cancer and other disease such as Lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Dr Melania Capasso, one of the authors of the study, described the findings as being 'very significant'... (Source: Immune System / Vaccines News From Medical News Today)...
POSTED 03/12/2010 at 04:00 AM --
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Pediatric Asthma, Allergy & Immunology Will Be Changing its Name to Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, & Pulmonology
Pediatric Asthma, Allergy & Immunology Dec 2009, Vol. 22, No. 4: 133-134. (Source: Pediatric Asthma, Allergy)...
POSTED 03/11/2010 at 10:04 PM --
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Pediatric Asthma, Allergy & Immunology Will Be Changing its Name to Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, & Pulmonology
Pediatric Asthma, Allergy & Immunology Dec 2009, Vol. 22, No. 4: 133-134. (Source: Pediatric Asthma, Allergy)...
POSTED 03/11/2010 at 10:04 PM --
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Reproducibility of nasal allergen challenge in evaluating the efficacy of intranasal corticosteroid treatment
Although nasal challenge with allergen has often been used to evaluate the efficacy of therapeutic modalities used for the treatment of allergic rhinitis, the reproducibility of this model in quantitatively evaluating efficacy has not been rigorously examined. To examine the reproducibility of the suppressive effects of an intranasal corticosteroid on the clinical and biochemical outcomes of a nasal allergen challenge during two identical treatment periods using the same subjects. In a single-blind study, 25 seasonal allergic subjects with positive skin tests to grass or ragweed were studied outside of their pollen season. Subjects underwent a baseline, three-dose allergen challenge. Beginning 1 week later, subjects received two 7-day courses of intranasal beclomethasone (168 [mu]g b.i.d.)......
POSTED 03/11/2010 at 06:00 PM --
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Tamoxifen counteracts the allergic immune response and improves allergen-induced dermatitis in mice
Tamoxifen (TX) represents the prototype selective oestrogen receptor modulator. In addition to its use in breast cancer, TX possesses immunomodulatory functions and displays beneficial effects in models of systemic lupus erythematosus. We hypothesized that TX might inhibit type I allergic reactions, which are also characterized by deviations in humoral immunity. To evaluate the effects of TX on the allergic immune response in appropriate mouse models. Balb/c mice were sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA)-alum by the intraperitoneal route, and humoral parameters, T cell cytokine patterns and OVA-induced ear swelling responses were determined in a preventive (start of TX treatment before sensitization) and a therapeutic setting (start after sensitization), respectively. In addition, the impact of......
POSTED 03/11/2010 at 06:00 PM --
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Serum metalloproteinase leukolysin (MMP-25/MT-6): a potential metabolic marker for atopy-associated inflammation
Leukolysin is a novel matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-25/MT-6) released mainly by granulocytic cells, primarily neutrophils, which are implicated in chronic airways inflammation. To determine if leukolysin might be a serum marker for atopic asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Three study populations were evaluated: (1) nuclear families with medical history of atopic asthma (N=337), (2) married-in individuals from an independent study of asthma genetics (N=122) and (3) randomly selected males with diagnosis of COPD (N=100). Each person was screened for asthma or COPD symptoms, respiratory function by standardized spirometry and serum total IgE and leukolysin and anti-IL1 levels by immunoassay. Study groups (1 and 2) were also screened by skin prick test using a battery of ......
POSTED 03/11/2010 at 06:00 PM --
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Effect of tiotropium bromide on airway inflammation and remodelling in a mouse model of asthma
Tiotropium bromide, a long acting muscarinic receptor inhibitor, is a potent agent for patients with bronchial asthma as well as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether tiotropium bromide can inhibit allergen-induced acute and chronic airway inflammation, T helper (Th)2 cytokine production, and airway remodelling in a murine model of asthma. Balb/c mice were sensitized and challenged acutely or chronically to ovalbumin (OVA). The impact of tiotropium bromide was assessed using these mice models by histologic, morphometric, and molecular techniques. Moreover, the effect of tiotropium bromide on Th2 cytokine production from purified human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was assessed. Treatment with tiotropium bromide significantly reduc......
POSTED 03/11/2010 at 06:00 PM --
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The role of interleukin-4Rα in the induction of glutamic acid decarboxylase in airway epithelium following acute house dust mite exposure
Asthma is a disease characterized by airway inflammation, remodelling and dysfunction. Airway inflammation contributes to remodelling, a term that is used to describe structural changes including goblet cell metaplasia (GCM), matrix deposition, and smooth muscle hyperplasia/hypertrophy. GCM has been implicated in asthma mortality by contributing to mucus plugs and leading to asphyxiation. In animal models, this process is highly dependent on IL-13. Recently, we have described an IL-13-dependent up-regulation of a GABAergic signalling system in airway epithelium that contributes to GCM. The mechanism by which IL-13 up-regulates GABA signalling in airway epithelium is unknown. To test the hypothesis that IL-4R[alpha] signalling is required for allergen induced up-regulation of GABAergic sign......
POSTED 03/11/2010 at 06:00 PM --
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Immediate and dual response to nasal challenge with Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus in local allergic rhinitis
Local allergic rhinitis (LAR) is characterized by in situ production of specific IgE (sIgE) antibodies and a positive response to a nasal allergen provocation test (NAPT) in the absence of atopy. The aim of this study was to investigate the immunological mechanisms involved in the immediate and late responses after nasal exposure to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (DP) in patients with LAR. A total of 40 subjects with LAR to DP were studied and compared with 50 healthy controls. Immediate and late responses to NAPT-DP were assessed using a visual analogue scale of nasal symptoms and acoustic rhinometry. Tryptase, ECP, total and sIgE-DP were measured in the nasal lavage by immunoassay at baseline, 15 min, 1, 6 and 24 h after nasal challenge. NAPT-DP was positive in all patients, with signifi......
POSTED 03/11/2010 at 06:00 PM --
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The Role of Placental Exosomes in Reproduction
Citation Mincheva-Nilsson L, Baranov V. The Role of Placental Exosomes in Reproduction. Am J Reprod Immunol 2010 Cell communication comprises cell[ndash]cell contact, soluble mediators and intercellular nanotubes. There is, however, another cell[ndash]cell communication by released membrane-bound microvesicles that convey cell[ndash]cell contact 'by proxy' transporting signals/packages of information from donor to recipient cells locally and/or at a distance. The nanosized exosomes comprise a specialized type of microvesicles generated within multivesicular bodies (MVB) and released upon MVB fusion with the plasma membrane. Exosomes are produced by a variety of immune, epithelial and tumor cells. Upon contact, exosomes transfer molecules that can render new properties and/or reprogram thei......
POSTED 03/11/2010 at 06:00 PM --
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Computational siRNA Design Considering Alternative Splicing
RNA interference (RNAi) with small interfering RNA (siRNA) has become a powerful tool in functional and medical genomic research through directed post-transcriptional gene silencing. In order to apply RNAi technique to eukaryotic organisms, where frequent alternative splicing results in diversification of mRNAs and finally of proteins, we need spliced mRNA isoform silencing to study the function of individual proteins. AsiDesigner is a web-based siRNA design software system, which provides siRNA design capability to account for alternative splicing in mRNA level gene silencing. It provides numerous novel functions, including designing common siRNAs for the silencing of more than two mRNAs simultaneously, a scoring scheme to evaluate the performance of designed siRNAs by adopting state-of-t......
POSTED 03/11/2010 at 07:39 AM --
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Current Knowledge of MicroRNAs and Noncoding RNAs in Virus-Infected Cells
Within the past few years, microRNAs (miRNAs) and other noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) have emerged as elements with critically high importance in posttranscriptional control of cellular and, more recently, viral processes. Endogenously produced by a component of the miRNA-guided RNA silencing machinery known as Dicer, miRNAs are known to control messenger RNA (mRNA) translation through recognition of specific binding sites usually located in their 3′ untranslated region. Recent evidences indicate that the host miRNA pathway may represent an adapted antiviral defense mechanism that can act either by direct miRNA-mediated modulation of viral gene expression or through recognition and inactivation of structured viral RNA species by the protein components of the RNA silencing machinery such as......
POSTED 03/11/2010 at 07:39 AM --
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Monitoring Innate Immune Recruitment by siRNAs in Mammalian Cells
The use of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) in human therapy may be hindered by the recruitment of nonspecific effects such as the activation of innate immune responses. Recently, several innate immune receptors have been implicated in the detection of siRNAs. This chapter provides a brief overview of the current knowledge of siRNA-induced innate immunity, as well as protocols for the rapid identification of siRNAs with innate immune stimulatory activity. (Source: Springer protocols feed by Immunology)...
POSTED 03/11/2010 at 07:39 AM --
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Endogenous Antiviral Mechanisms of RNA Interference: A Comparative Biology Perspective
RNA interference (RNAi) is a natural process that occurs in many organisms ranging from plants to mammals. In this process, double-stranded RNA or hairpin RNA is cleaved by a RNaseIII-type enzyme called Dicer into small interfering RNA duplex. This then directs sequence-specific, homology-dependent, posttranscriptional gene silencing by binding to its complementary RNA and triggering its elimination through degradation or by inducing translational inhibition. In plants, worms, and insects, RNAi is a strong antiviral defense mechanism. Although, at present, it is unclear whether RNA silencing naturally restricts viral infection in vertebrates, there are signs that this is certainly the case. In a relatively short period, RNAi has progressed to become an important experimental tool both in v......
POSTED 03/11/2010 at 07:39 AM --
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Chemical Synthesis of 2′-O-Alkylated siRNAs
Chemical synthesis has been a major endeavor to create active siRNAs. The downregulation of mRNA by 21-mer double-stranded siRNAs can be improved by using modified nucleotides, especially 2′-O-alkylated ones. Besides the commercially available 2¢-O-methyl ribosides, 2′-alkyl groups bearing positive charges are especially promising candidates. We have shown that in a proper formulation they are superior to unmodified siRNAs. This may be due to enhanced stability and most probably to a better uptake into the cells. (Source: Springer protocols feed by Immunology)...
POSTED 03/11/2010 at 07:39 AM --
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The Effect of Smoking on the Efficacy of Pharmacotherapeutic Agents in Asthma
Pediatric Asthma, Allergy & Immunology Dec 2009, Vol. 22, No. 4: 215-218. (Source: Pediatric Asthma, Allergy)...
POSTED 03/11/2010 at 07:17 AM --
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Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1: Prolongation of Survival by Noninvasive Respiratory Aids
Pediatric Asthma, Allergy & Immunology Dec 2009, Vol. 22, No. 4: 151-162. (Source: Pediatric Asthma, Allergy)...
POSTED 03/11/2010 at 07:17 AM --
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Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1: Prolongation of Survival by Noninvasive Respiratory Aids
Pediatric Asthma, Allergy & Immunology Dec 2009, Vol. 22, No. 4: 151-162. (Source: Pediatric Asthma, Allergy)...
POSTED 03/11/2010 at 07:17 AM --
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In My Opinion—Interview With the Expert
Pediatric Asthma, Allergy & Immunology Dec 2009, Vol. 22, No. 4: 135-138. (Source: Pediatric Asthma, Allergy)...
POSTED 03/11/2010 at 07:17 AM --
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