Severe childhood asthma and allergy to furry animals: refined assessment using molecular-based allergy diagnostics.

Background: Allergy to cats and dogs and polysensitization towards these animals are associated with severe childhood asthma. Molecular-based allergy diagnostics offers new opportunities for improved characterization and has been suggested to be particularly useful in patients with polysensitization and/or severe asthma. The aim was to use extract- and molecular-based allergy diagnostics to compare patterns of IgE sensitization towards aeroallergens in children with problematic severe and controlled asthma.

Exploring the temporal development of childhood IgE profiles to allergen components.

Background: Children often develop allergies that may or not persist into adulthood. Although the different allergic symptoms over time have been well documented, the underlying pattern of sensitization to various proteins and subsequent allergy development is unexplored.The aim was to study the sensitization pattern to allergen components over time from infancy to adulthood in a group of infants with heredity for allergic diseases.

Population-based study of multiplexed IgE sensitization in relation to asthma, exhaled nitric oxide, and bronchial responsiveness.

Background: IgE sensitization is an important risk factor for the development of asthma.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the IgE antibody profile for a broad spectrum of allergen molecules in asthmatic patients.

Methods: Participants from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey II (n=467) were tested with ImmunoCAP ISAC against 103 allergen molecules.

IgE sensitization to fungi mirrors fungal phylogenetic systematics.

Background: Fungal allergy is an elusive disease, and little progress has been made in this field during recent years. Moreover, because of the complexity of the organisms, it is difficult to categorize fungi systematically on the basis of morphologic characterization. However, recent molecular phylogenetics studies have substantially improved fungal categorization.

Multivariate statistical analysis of large-scale IgE antibody measurements reveals allergen extract relationships in sensitized individuals.

Background: Many allergenic sources are reportedly cross-reactive because of protein structural similarities. Although several aggregations are well characterized, no holistic mapping of IgE reactivity has hitherto been reported.

Objective: The aim of this study was to disclose relevant associations within a large set of allergen preparations, as revealed by specific IgE antibody levels in blood sera of multireactive human donors.

Kinetic determinations of molecular interactions using Biacore--minimum data requirements for efficient experimental design.

Reliable kinetic estimates can be obtained from significantly less data than is commonly used today, particularly in the characterization of 1:1 interactions involving low molecular weight compounds and proteins. We have designed a rational and cost-effective strategy to determine kinetic constants using Biacore's surface plasmon resonance-based biosensors and show that the number of measurements necessary for accurate kinetic determinations can be greatly reduced, increasing sample throughput and saving sample material. Simulated and measured data for a range of possible 1:1 interactants were studied to find the minimum requirements of a data set for kinetic analysis.