Evaluation of serum s-IgE/total IgE ratio in predicting clinical response to allergen-specific immunotherapy.

Background: To date, no predictive tests for the clinical response to allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASI) are available. Therefore an in vivo or in vitro test would be of great value.

Objective: We sought to evaluate pretreatment parameters used in diagnosing allergic rhinitis and determining serum specific IgE (s-IgE) levels, serum total IgE (t-IgE) levels, and blood eosinophil counts and to identify whether can be used to predict clinical improvement in monosensitized patients with allergic rhinitis with or without asthma treated with immunotherapy.

Leukotriene receptor antagonists in monotherapy or in combination with antihistamines in the treatment of chronic urticaria: a systematic review.

In vitro and in vivo clinical and experimental data have suggested that leukotrienes play a key role in inflammatory reactions of the skin. Antileukotriene drugs, ie, leukotriene receptor antagonists and synthesis inhibitors, are a class of anti-inflammatory drugs that have shown clinical efficacy in the management of asthma and in rhinitis with asthma. We searched MEDLINE database and carried out a manual search on journals specializing in allergy and dermatology for the use of antileukotriene drugs in urticaria.

Similarity and differences in elderly patients with fixed airflow obstruction by asthma and by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that elderly patients with fixed airflow obstruction can be affected by asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods: We studied 49 consecutive elderly outpatients, presenting fixed airflow obstruction, by clinical history (smoking), pulmonary function tests, blood gas analysis, and induced sputum.

Results: The age was not different in patients with COPD (n=28) and asthma (n=21) (70.

The characteristics of different diagnostic tests in adult mild asthmatic patients: comparison with patients with asthma-like symptoms by gastro-oesophageal reflux.

Background: Diagnosing asthma cannot be always easy. It is important to consider the validity of the diagnostic tests, and/or how much more commonly they are positive in patients with asthma compared to healthy subjects and, particularly, to patients with asthma-like symptoms.

Objective: To evaluate the validity of diagnostic tests for asthma, in terms of sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, in patients with bronchial asthma compared to patients affected by gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with asthma-like symptoms, and healthy control subjects without asthma and gastro-oesophageal reflux (GER).

Food allergy in gastroenterologic diseases: Review of literature.

Food allergy is a common and increasing problem worldwide. The newly-found knowledge might provide novel experimental strategies, especially for laboratory diagnosis. Approximately 20% of the population alters their diet for a perceived adverse reaction to food, but the application of double-blind placebo-controlled oral food challenge, the "gold standard" for diagnosis of food allergy, shows that questionnaire-based studies overestimate the prevalence of food allergies.

Food-additive-induced urticaria: a survey of 838 patients with recurrent chronic idiopathic urticaria.

Background: Recurrent chronic idiopathic urticaria (RCIU) is a common skin condition that affects 0.1-3% of the population in the USA and Europe and accounts for nearly 75% of all 'ordinary' chronic urticaria (CU) cases.

Methods: We studied 838 consecutive patients with RCIU referred to hospital between 1998 and 2003.

Circulating levels of soluble adhesion molecules in patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis.

Background: During inflammation, activated vascular endothelial cells and other cell types express various adhesion molecules, which facilitate the binding of circulating leukocytes and their extravasation in surrounding tissue (i.e. renal tissue).

Randomized placebo-controlled trial comparing desloratadine and montelukast in monotherapy and desloratadine plus montelukast in combined therapy for chronic idiopathic urticaria.

Background: H 1 -receptor antagonists are considered to be particularly effective in reducing pruritus, and they are therefore recommended as first-line treatment in patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU). Recently, antileukotriene receptors have been used in patients with CIU, either administered as monotherapy or combined with H 1 -receptor antagonists.

Objective: We compared the clinical efficacy of 5 mg of desloratadine administered once daily either as monotherapy or combined with a leukotriene antagonist, 10 mg of montelukast daily, and 10 mg of montelukast administered daily as monotherapy for the treatment of patients affected by CIU with placebo.

A study of age-related IgE pathophysiological changes.

The literature on immunosenescence has focused mainly on T cell impairment. However, it is well known that B function is also profoundly affected. In particular, several studies have shown age-related changes in immunoglobulin serum levels.

Measurement of inflammatory mediators of eosinophils and lymphocytes in blood in acute asthma: serum levels of ECP influence the bronchodilator response.

The aim of this study was to assess the relevance of immunoinflammatory markers on the response to short acting beta(2)-agonist in acute asthma exacerbation. Thus, we measured serum eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) levels and sIL-2R at acute exacerbation in 52 adult patients with atopic asthma, and assessed forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)) before and after the administration of aerosolized salbutamol. After a cumulative dose of salbutamol causing a 10% improvement in FEV(1) from baseline [CD10, i.