Dipeptidyl peptidase IV of the Vespa velutina nigrithorax venom is recognized as a relevant allergen.

Background: Vespa velutina nigrithorax (VVN), typically known as the Asian yellow-legged wasp, has been one of the most significant invasive species in western Europe since 2010. Currently, VVN has become the most prevalent cause of Hymenoptera anaphylaxis in the north and northwestern Spain. For this reason, it is crucial to diagnose anaphylaxis cases in the acute moment for carrying out the best available treatment as soon as possible.

Clinical trial to assess tolerability and subrogate efficacy effects of an abbreviated schedule with house dust mites mixture subcutaneous immunotherapy.

To evaluate the tolerability and efficacy of mixture subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT). Patients received an abbreviated build-up schedule. The aims were: number, percentage, and severity of adverse reactions.

Clinical assessment of tolerability, immunological and cutaneous reactivity effects of an abbreviated schedule with Olea europaeanative extract of subcutaneous immunotherapy.

Objectives. To evaluate the tolerability and efficacy of Olea europaea subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) on patients with rhinoconjunctivitis. Methods.

Tolerability and surrogate efficacy parameters of a polymerized depot mixture pollen extracts without dilutional effect.

To evaluate tolerability of subcutaneous immunotherapy, in a polymerized mixture (/) depot presentation.  A total of 47 poly-allergic patients received: an abbreviated schedule with three injections at weekly intervals or a cluster schedule with two administrations in 1 day. Both treatments continued with 3 monthly maintenance administrations.

Rational Design, Structure-Activity Relationship, and Immunogenicity of Hypoallergenic Pru p 3 Variants.

Scope: Allergies to lipid transfer proteins involve severe adverse reactions; thus, effective and sustainable therapies are desired. Previous attempts disrupting disulfide bonds failed to maintain immunogenicity; thus, the aim is to design novel hypoallergenic Pru p 3 variants and evaluate the applicability for treatment of peach allergy.

Methods And Results: Pru p 3 proline variant (PV) designed using in silico mutagenesis, cysteine variant (CV), and wild-type Pru p 3 (WT) are purified from Escherichia coli.

Tolerability and positive efficacy results after subcutaneous immunotherapy with Parietaria judaica depot extract.

Aim: To evaluate tolerability and efficacy of Parietaria judaica subcutaneous immunotherapy on patients with allergic rhinoconjunctivitis.

Patients & Methods: 51 patients were assigned to build-up scheme (six increasing doses) of P. judaica depot native extract, plus three maintenance monthly administrations.

Validation of ELISA methods for quantification of the major birch allergen Bet v 1 (BSP090).

To date, the potency of allergen products in Europe is expressed in manufacturer-specific units relative to a product-specific in-house reference. Consequently, cross-product comparability of allergen products from different manufacturers with respect to strength and efficacy is impossible. The Biological Standardisation Programme (BSP) project BSP090 addresses this issue via the establishment of reference standards in conjunction with ELISA methods for the quantification of major allergens in allergen products.

Standardization of allergen products: 3. Validation of candidate European Pharmacopoeia standard methods for quantification of major birch allergen Bet v 1.

Background: The BSP090 project aims at establishing European Pharmacopoeia Reference Substances in combination with the corresponding ELISA methods for the quantification of major allergens in allergen products. Two sandwich ELISAs proved suitable for quantification of Bet v 1, the major birch pollen allergen, in preceding phases of BSP090.

Methods: Two Bet v 1-specific ELISA systems were compared with respect to accuracy and precision in a ring trial including 13 laboratories.

Randomized dose-response study of subcutaneous immunotherapy with a Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus extract in patients with respiratory allergy.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (DPT) subcutaneous immunotherapy in allergic rhinoconjunctivitis patients.

Patients & Methods: This 17-week double-blind study randomized 136 patients (95 evaluable) to five dose groups of DPT depot extract (0.0625-0.

Development of a hypoallergenic recombinant parvalbumin for first-in-man subcutaneous immunotherapy of fish allergy.

Background: The FAST (food allergy-specific immunotherapy) project aims at developing safe and effective subcutaneous immunotherapy for fish allergy, using recombinant hypoallergenic carp parvalbumin, Cyp c 1.

Objectives: Preclinical characterization and good manufacturing practice (GMP) production of mutant Cyp (mCyp) c 1.

Methods: Escherichia coli-produced mCyp c 1 was purified using standard chromatographic techniques.

In vivo and in vitro testing with rAni s 1 can facilitate diagnosis of Anisakis simplex allergy.

Background: Traditional diagnostic tests such as skin prick tests (SPT) and specific IgE (slgE) against whole Anisakis simplex extract have low specificity. Consequently, allergy to A simplex is overdiagnosed.

Objective: Our aim was to compare tests used in component-resolved diagnosis.

Phase I study of subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy with Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus in patients with allergic rhinoconjunctivitis with or without asthma.

Aim: A double-blind placebo-controlled study was conducted according to EMA guidelines, to evaluate safety, tolerability and short-term treatment effects of three updosing regimens of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy.

Patients & Methods: Forty-eight patients were randomized to groups: A (six weekly doses), B (eight weekly doses) or C (eight doses, two clustered doses over 3 weeks). 

Results: The most frequent adverse events were local reactions.

Molecular aerobiology - Plantago allergen Pla l 1 in the atmosphere.

Introduction: Exposure to airborne pollen from certain plants can cause allergic disease, but allergens can also be found in non-pollen-bearing fractions of ambient air. This may explain why the allergic response in susceptible patients does not always coincide with the presence and magnitude of airborne pollen counts. Plantago pollen is an important cause of pollinosis in northern Mediterranean countries, but it is difficult to determine its incidence in allergies because Plantago pollen appears in the atmosphere at the same time as grass pollen.

Expression of Alt a 1 allergen from Alternaria alternata in the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica.

Allergies affect almost 25% of the population in industrialized countries. Alternaria alternata is known to be a significant source of aeroallergens and sensitization to this mold is a risk factor for the development of wheezing, asthma, and atopic dermatitis. Diagnosis and treatment of allergies requires the production of large amounts of pure and well defined protein.

Diagnostic utility of components in allergy to Anisakis simplex.

Background: In our region, Anisakis allergy is responsible for 8% of acute urticarial reactions, 25% of which progress to anaphylactic shock. The poor specificity of skin tests and in vitro specific immunoglobulin (Ig) E means that Anisakis allergy is frequently overdiagnosed.

Objective: We studied the diagnostic value of 2 Anisakis allergens: rAni s 1 and rAni s 3.

FAST: towards safe and effective subcutaneous immunotherapy of persistent life-threatening food allergies.

The FAST project (Food Allergy Specific Immunotherapy) aims at the development of safe and effective treatment of food allergies, targeting prevalent, persistent and severe allergy to fish and peach. Classical allergen-specific immunotherapy (SIT), using subcutaneous injections with aqueous food extracts may be effective but has proven to be accompanied by too many anaphylactic side-effects. FAST aims to develop a safe alternative by replacing food extracts with hypoallergenic recombinant major allergens as the active ingredients of SIT.

Anisakis simplex recombinant allergens increase diagnosis specificity preserving high sensitivity.

Background: So far, the frequency of Anisakis simplex-specific IgE antibodies has been determined by skin prick tests (SPTs) and the ImmunoCAP system. These commercial methods have good sensitivity, but their specificity is poor because they use complete parasite extracts. Our aim was to determine the frequency of sensitization to A.

Cupressus arizonica pollen: a new pollen involved in the lipid transfer protein syndrome?

Background: Lipid transfer proteins (LTP) are responsible for systemic manifestations in food allergy. Their relationship with pollinosis is not clear. In our area, many patients allergic to multiple LTP-containing foods present pollinosis due to Cupressus arizonica.

Neutrophil defensins: their possible role in allergic asthma.

Background: Neutrophil defensins, originally identified as broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptides, have been implicated in the regulation of inflammatory and immunological processes.

Objectives: To investigate whether the in vitro challenge of neutrophils from patients with bronchial asthma with allergens stimulated the release of alpha-defensins and whether levels released were dependent on lung infections.

Method: The neutrophils were cultivated with different agonists and the concentration of alpha-defensin in cell-free supernatant was measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

A new lipid transfer protein homolog identified as an IgE-binding antigen from Japanese cedar pollen.

Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) pollen is a major cause of seasonal rhinitis and conjunctivitis in Japan, and an understanding of its full allergen repertoire is prerequisite for the development of future molecular diagnostics and immunotherapeutic strategies. Here we report the identification of a new C. japonica pollen IgE-binding antigen (CJP-8) homologous to lipid transfer proteins (LTPs), a class of plant cross-reactive allergens found in foods, latex, and pollen grains.

The Russian Thistle (Salsola kali) pollen major allergen, Sal k 1, can be quantified in allergenic extracts and airborne pollen.

Background: Russian thistle (Salsola kali) pollen is an important cause of pollinosis in areas where rainfall is not abundant. Our aim was to develop an ELISA for quantification of the major allergen of S. kali extracts, Sal k 1, and to assess the correlation of this allergen content with the allergenic activity of extracts.

Guidelines on the clinical usefulness of determination of specific immunoglobulin E to foods.

The diagnostic gold standard for food allergy is challenge with the culprit food, particularly in double-blind placebo-controlled challenge. This approach involves risks and consumes both time and resources. A more efficient system would be desirable.

Specific sublingual immunotherapy with peach LTP (Pru p 3). One year treatment: a case report.

Introduction: Food allergy is an increasing problem with limited therapeutic approaches apart from to the eviction diet.

Case Presentation: A 40-year-old female patient with food allergy symptoms was polysensitized to almost all vegetable food since the age of 36; the onset of symptoms was during pregnancy. The allergological study demonstrated positive skin prick tests (SPT) to nuts, legumes, cereals, spices, several fresh fruits including peach, and other groups of vegetable foods however, it was negative to common aeroallergens.

Engineering of major house dust mite allergens Der p 1 and Der p 2 for allergen-specific immunotherapy.

Background: Specifically designed recombinant allergens with reduced IgE reactivity are promising candidates for a more defined, effective, and safer specific immunotherapy (SIT).

Objective: We sought to obtain hypoallergenic hybrid molecules which could potentially be applied to house dust mite (HDM) allergy treatment.

Methods: Two hybrid molecules (QM1 and QM2) derived from the two major Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus allergens, Der p 1 and Der p 2, were engineered by PCR, produced in Escherichia coli, and purified.