Prevalence and clinical relevance of local allergic rhinitis.

Background: Evidence demonstrates the existence of local allergic rhinitis (LAR) in nonatopic patients, although its prevalence in the rhinitis population remains unknown. The aim, therefore, of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and severity of LAR in a Spanish rhinitis population, compared with patients having classical allergic rhinitis (AR) with systemic atopy or nonallergic rhinitis (NAR).

Methods: A group of 452 adult rhinitis patients were randomly selected from a total of 3860 who attended our allergy service over 1 year.

Biological and genetic determinants of atopy are predictors of immediate-type allergy to betalactams, in Spain.

Background: Betalactam (BL) immediate-type allergy is influenced by environmental and genetic determinants, as illustrated by differences in worldwide prevalence and ethnicity from a same area and by associations with genes related to atopy.

Aims: To evaluate the association of atopy with BL allergy.

Materials And Methods: We measured specific Immunoglobulin E (IgE) against prevalent allergens and genetic predictors of atopy, IL13, IL4, IL4RA, IL4, and TNFA, in 340 patients and 340 controls from South of Spain.

[Effect of the violation of normality and sphericity in the linear mixed model in split-plot designs].

This study aimed to evaluate the robustness of the linear mixed model, with the Kenward-Roger correction for degrees of freedom, when implemented in SAS PROC MIXED, using split-plot designs with small sample sizes. A Monte Carlo simulation design involving three groups and four repeated measures was used, assuming an unstructured covariance matrix to generate the data. The study variables were: sphericity, with epsilon values of 0.

Effect of Pru p 3 on dendritic cell maturation and T-lymphocyte proliferation in peach allergic patients.

Background: Pru p 3 is the major peach allergen and the most frequent cause of food allergy in adults in the Mediterranean area. Although its allergenicity is well characterized, its ability to generate a T-cell response is not completely known.

Objective: To investigate the influence of Pru p 3 allergen on dendritic cell (DC) maturation and specific T-cell response (T(H)1/T(H)2) in peach allergic patients.

Immunological mechanisms underlying delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions to glatiramer acetate.

Background: Delayed-type hypersensitivity to glatiramer acetate is rare, and the underlying immunological mechanisms are not completely understood.

Objective: To study the immunologic response in 2 patients with multiple sclerosis who developed maculopapular exanthema related with the administration of glatiramer acetate.

Methods: The allergologic study included general blood tests, viral serologic tests, and skin tests (patch and intradermal tests).

Diagnostic evaluation of patients with nonimmediate cutaneous hypersensitivity reactions to iodinated contrast media.

Background: Nonimmediate hypersensitivity reactions to iodinated contrast media (CM) are common. Allergological evaluation is necessary to confirm the diagnosis and to find a tolerated alternative. The aim of this study was to establish the role of skin testing and the drug provocation test (DPT) in the diagnosis of nonimmediate reactions to CM.

Local allergic rhinitis: concept, pathophysiology, and management.

Local allergic rhinitis (LAR) is a localized nasal allergic response in the absence of systemic atopy characterized by local production of specific IgE (sIgE) antibodies, a T(H)2 pattern of mucosal cell infiltration during natural exposure to aeroallergens, and a positive nasal allergen provocation test response with release of inflammatory mediators (tryptase and eosinophil cationic protein). Although the prevalence remains to be established, a number of patients previously given a diagnosis of nonallergic rhinitis or idiopathic rhinitis are now being classified as having LAR. Culprit allergens responsible include house dust mite, grass and olive pollens, and many others.

Using the linear mixed model to analyze nonnormal data distributions in longitudinal designs.

Using a Monte Carlo simulation and the Kenward-Roger (KR) correction for degrees of freedom, in this article we analyzed the application of the linear mixed model (LMM) to a mixed repeated measures design. The LMM was first used to select the covariance structure with three types of data distribution: normal, exponential, and log-normal. This showed that, with homogeneous between-groups covariance and when the distribution was normal, the covariance structure with the best fit was the unstructured population matrix.

New empirical evidence of the validity of the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire: the differential influence of activity engagement and pain willingness on adjustment to chronic pain.

Objective: The aims of this study were to examine the internal structure of the Spanish version of the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire and present new empirical evidence regarding its validity.

Design And Methods: A sample of 315 chronic pain patients attending a pain clinic completed a battery of instruments to assess pain acceptance, general psychological acceptance, depression, anxiety, pain intensity, functional impairment, and current functioning.

Results: Confirmatory factor analysis supported the validity of a 20-item version with two subscales corresponding to two independent factors: Activity Engagement and Pain Willingness.

Methodologies to anchor dendrimeric nanoconjugates to solid phase: toward an efficient in vitro detection of allergy to β-lactam antibiotics.

Unlabelled: β-lactam antibiotics are the most common cause of adverse drug reactions, and in vitro immunoassays are often employed to diagnose this allergy. Cellulose solid supports displaying hapten-carrier conjugates are traditionally used for quantifying specific IgE antibodies to determine whether a patient is allergic to the hapten. Our approach makes use of polyamidoamine dendrimers as carriers, and differs from traditional solid-phase activation methods by using two different haloalkanoyl halides as reagents instead of cyanogen bromide.

Response to a selective COX-2 inhibitor in patients with urticaria/angioedema induced by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Background: In subjects with hypersensitivity reactions with cross-intolerance to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), tolerance to selective COX-2 inhibitors has not been evaluated in large series of well-phenotyped cases.

Methods: We evaluated 252 patients with urticaria and/or angioedema caused by hypersensitivity owing to cross-intolerance to NSAIDs. In addition to the clinical history, diagnosis was confirmed by provocation to an alternative NSAID.

Immunoglobulin E-mediated hypersensitivity to amoxicillin: in vivo and in vitro comparative studies between an injectable therapeutic compound and a new commercial compound.

Background: Skin testing with amoxicillin (AX) is necessary to diagnose immediate hypersensitivity reactions to this β-lactam. A commercial AX (DIA-AX) has recently become available for skin testing.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare DIA-AX with the injectable form (INJ-AX) in patients who have well-demonstrated IgE-mediated hypersensitivity to AX.

Nasal allergen provocation test with multiple aeroallergens detects polysensitization in local allergic rhinitis.

Background: Patients previously given a diagnosis of nonallergic rhinitis (NAR) might have a new form of local allergic rhinitis (LAR) with local production of specific IgE antibodies and a positive response to a nasal allergen provocation test (NAPT).

Objective: We evaluated an NAPT protocol using multiple aeroallergens (NAPT-M) for the detection of polysensitization to several aeroallergens in patients with LAR.

Methods: NAPT-Ms with 2 different panels of aeroallergens for patients with perennial and seasonal rhinitis were performed in 25 patients with LAR and 25 patients with NAR whose disease was diagnosed by means of NAPTs 1 year earlier.

[Spanish adaptation of the Stress Manifestations Scale of the Student Stress Inventory (SSI-SM)].

The aim of the present study was to translate into Spanish and to describe the psychometric properties of the Stress Manifestations Scale of the Student Stress Inventory (SSI-SM), developed by Fimian, Fastenau, Tashner and Cross to identify the main manifestations of stress in adolescents. The scale was applied to a sample of 1,002 pupils from years one and two of Secondary Education. The paper reports the factor structure, an item analysis, the internal consistency, differences by sex and academic year, external evidence of validity, and norms for scoring the scale.

Can component-based microarray replace fluorescent enzimoimmunoassay in the diagnosis of grass and cypress pollen allergy?

Background: Few data on the diagnostic accuracy in pollinosis of the microarray ISAC of allergens are available.

Objective: We aim to comparatively analyse ISAC CRD103 with the whole-extract ImmunoCAP in grass and cypress pollen allergy, evaluating the suitability of the manufacturer's recommended cut-off points for both techniques.

Methods: We studied 120 atopic patients grouped into grass and cypress pollen-allergic patients and controls based on clinical history and skin prick tests.

The innate immune system in delayed cutaneous allergic reactions to medications.

Purpose Of Review: Innate immune responses are attracting increasing interest from researchers in the field of drug allergy. This review discusses recent advances in the understanding of several innate immune components in delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity reactions to medications, with special attention on severe reactions.

Recent Findings: The mechanism of activation of dendritic cells in response to drugs is being unravelled.

Hypersensitivity to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) - classification, diagnosis and management: review of the EAACI/ENDA(#) and GA2LEN/HANNA*.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are responsible for 21-25% of reported adverse drug events which include immunological and nonimmunological hypersensitivity reactions. This study presents up-to-date information on pathomechanisms, clinical spectrum, diagnostic tools and management of hypersensitivity reactions to NSAIDs. Clinically, NSAID hypersensitivity is particularly manifested by bronchial asthma, rhinosinusitis, anaphylaxis or urticaria and variety of late cutaneous and organ-specific reactions.

Pulmonary function test: its correlation with pulmonary high-resolution computed tomography in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Our objective was to try to evaluate lung affection and to correlate an easier and cheaper method with the high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) findings in patients with RA. Thirty-six RA patients were selected for HRCT lung scan (twelve patients with altered pulmonary function test (PFT) and 24 with normal PFT). The American Thoracic Society criteria were followed for the pulmonary test.