The role of skin tests with polyethylene glycol and polysorbate 80 in the vaccination campaign for COVID-19: results from an Italian multicenter survey.

International guidelines suggested skin tests with Polyethylene-glycol (PEG) and polysorbate 80 (PS-80), to investigate a possible hypersensitivity to these excipients either to identify subjects at risk of developing allergic reactions to Covid-19 vaccines, or in patients with suspected IgE mediated hypersensitivity reactions (HR) to the Covid-19 vaccine. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of PEG and PS sensitization in patients with a clinical history of HR to drugs containing PEG/PS and in patients with a suspected Covid-19 vaccine immediate HR. This was a multicenter retrospective study conducted by allergists belonging to 20 Italian medical centers.

Validation of an immunochromatographic assay kit based on colored latex particles for the identification of the canine visceral leishmaniasis.

Visceral leishmaniasis is a zoonotic infectious disease with a severe impact on humans and animals. Infection is transmitted by phlebotomine sand flies. The dogs are main reservoir for human infection.

Mollusk allergy in shrimp-allergic patients: Still a complex diagnosis. An Italian real-life cross-sectional multicenter study.

Introduction: Shellfish allergy is an important cause of food allergies worldwide. Both and diagnostics failure nowadays is caused by the poor quality of the extracts associated with the scarce availability of allergenic molecules in the market. It is known that not all patients with shellfish allergies experience adverse reactions to mollusks.

Peanut allergy in Italy: A unique Italian perspective.

Background: Peanut allergy has not been well characterized in Italy.

Objective: Our aim was to better define the clinical features of peanut allergy in Italy and to detect the peanut proteins involved in allergic reactions.

Methods: A total of 22 centers participated in a prospective survey of peanut allergy over a 6-month period.

Omalizumab in Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria Refractory to Conventional Therapy: An Italian Retrospective Clinical Analysis with Suggestions for Long-Term Maintenance Strategies.

Introduction: Omalizumab is indicated for the treatment of patients affected by chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) refractory to antihistamines. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy, safety, and recurrence of symptoms in a real-life experience of omalizumab as an add-on therapy for H-antihistamine-refractory CSU patients (refractory CSU).

Methods: A retrospective review of the clinical records of all refractory CSU treated with omalizumab at our dermatology center from June 2014 to April 2017 was performed.

Bilastine safety in drivers who need antihistamines: new evidence from high-speed simulator driving test on allergic patients.

Objective: Bilastine is a highly selective, non-sedating antihistamine, indicated for the symptomatic treatment of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and urticaria. Available data suggest that bilastine interferes neither with driving ability nor with flying-related performance. However, no data are available on the effect of bilastine on the driving ability in extreme conditions.

New molecular features of cowpea bean (Vigna unguiculata, l. Walp) β-vignin.

Cowpea seed β-vignin, a vicilin-like globulin, proved to exert various health favourable effects, including blood cholesterol reduction in animal models. The need of a simple scalable enrichment procedure for further studies for tailored applications of this seed protein is crucial. A chromatography-independent fractionation method allowing to obtain a protein preparation with a high degree of homogeneity was used.

Development of a simple and economical diagnostic test for canine leishmaniasis.

Visceral leishmaniasis is a public health problem worldwide. The early diagnosis in dogs is crucial, since they are an epidemiologically relevant reservoir of the disease. The aim of a field study is to early identify the disease allowing rapid intervention to reduce its effects.

Monofluorophosphate Blocks Internal Polysaccharide Synthesis in Streptococcus mutans.

Streptococcus mutans is the leading cause of dental caries worldwide by accumulating a glycogen-like internal polysaccharide (IPS) that contributes to cariogenicity when sugars are in excess. Sodium monofluorophosphate (MFP) is an active anticariogenic compound in toothpastes. Herein, we show that MFP inhibits (with an I0.

Hypocholesterolaemic effect of rat-administered oral doses of the isolated 7S globulins from cowpeas and adzuki beans.

The role of seed proteins, especially soyabean 7S globulins, in controlling dyslipidaemia is widely acknowledged. Amino acid sequence homology among the proteins of this family could reflect similar biological functions in other species. The aim of the present study was to unveil a hypolipidaemic effect of the 7S globulins from cowpeas (7S-C) and adzuki beans (7S-A), administered orally to rats fed a hypercholesterolaemic (HC; high cholesterol and TAG) diet for 28 d.

Allosteric regulation of the partitioning of glucose-1-phosphate between glycogen and trehalose biosynthesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Background: Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a pathogenic prokaryote adapted to survive in hostile environments. In this organism and other Gram-positive actinobacteria, the metabolic pathways of glycogen and trehalose are interconnected.

Results: In this work we show the production, purification and characterization of recombinant enzymes involved in the partitioning of glucose-1-phosphate between glycogen and trehalose in M.

The ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase from Streptococcus mutans provides evidence for the regulation of polysaccharide biosynthesis in Firmicutes.

Streptococcus mutans is the leading cause of dental caries worldwide. The bacterium accumulates a glycogen-like internal polysaccharide, which mainly contributes to its carionegic capacity. S.

β-conglycinin combined with fenofibrate or rosuvastatin have exerted distinct hypocholesterolemic effects in rats.

Background: There is increasing interest in non-pharmacological control of cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the plasma and diet-drug association represent an important area of studies. The objective of this study was to observe the hypocholesterolemic effect of soybean β-conglycinin (7S protein) alone and combined with fenofibrate and rosuvastatin, two hypolipidemic drugs.

Methods: The protein and drugs were administered orally once a day to rats and the effects were evaluated after 28 days.

Characterization of recombinant UDP- and ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylases and glycogen synthase to elucidate glucose-1-phosphate partitioning into oligo- and polysaccharides in Streptomyces coelicolor.

Streptomyces coelicolor exhibits a major secondary metabolism, deriving important amounts of glucose to synthesize pigmented antibiotics. Understanding the pathways occurring in the bacterium with respect to synthesis of oligo- and polysaccharides is of relevance to determine a plausible scenario for the partitioning of glucose-1-phosphate into different metabolic fates. We report the molecular cloning of the genes coding for UDP- and ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylases as well as for glycogen synthase from genomic DNA of S.

Soybean glycinin improves HDL-C and suppresses the effects of rosuvastatin on hypercholesterolemic rats.

Background: This study was an investigation of the effects of ingesting a daily dose of isolated glycinin soy protein (11S globulin), in association with rosuvastatin, on the control of hypercholesterolemia in experimental animals.

Methods: Male Wistar rats were kept in individual cages under appropriate controlled conditions of temperature, light and humidity. The animals were divided into five groups (n = 9): 1) standard (STD): fed on casein as protein source; 2) hypercholesterolemic (HC): STD plus 1% cholesterol and 0.

Understanding the allosteric trigger for the fructose-1,6-bisphosphate regulation of the ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase from Escherichia coli.

ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase is the enzyme responsible for the regulation of glycogen synthesis in bacteria. The enzyme N-terminal domain has a Rossmann-like fold with three neighbor loops facing the substrate ATP. In the Escherichia coli enzyme, one of those loops also faces the regulatory site containing Lys(39), a residue involved in binding of the allosteric activator fructose-1,6-bisphosphate and its analog pyridoxal-phosphate.

Soy β-conglycinin (7S globulin) reduces plasma and liver cholesterol in rats fed hypercholesterolemic diet.

The aim of this study was to examine the comparative hypocholesterolemic effect of soybean 7S fraction in rats fed a high-cholesterol diet. Soybean 7S globulin (β-conglycinin) was administered orally once a day to rats, and the effects were measured after 28 days. Wistar rats were divided into four groups: standard diet (STD) (casein alone), hypercholesterolemic (HC) diet (STD plus 1 g/100 g cholesterol and 0.

Functional characterization of GDP-mannose pyrophosphorylase from Leptospira interrogans serovar Copenhageni.

Leptospira interrogans synthesizes a range of mannose-containing glycoconjugates relevant for its virulence. A prerequisite in the synthesis is the availability of the GDP-mannose, produced from mannose-1-phosphate and GTP in a reaction catalyzed by GDP-mannose pyrophosphorylase. The gene coding for a putative enzyme in L.

Nutritional responses of rats to diets based on chickpea ( Cicer arietinum L.) seed meal or its protein fractions.

The aim of this study was to isolate the protein fractions from chickpea, var. IAC-Marrocos, as well as to evaluate its in vivo nutritional protein quality. Among the proteins, albumins showed better nutritional value in the in vivo assays and amino acid contents, despite their higher trypsin inhibitor contents.

Identification of regions critically affecting kinetics and allosteric regulation of the Escherichia coli ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase by modeling and pentapeptide-scanning mutagenesis.

ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (ADP-Glc PPase) is the enzyme responsible for the regulation of bacterial glycogen synthesis. To perform a structure-function relationship study of the Escherichia coli ADP-Glc PPase enzyme, we studied the effects of pentapeptide insertions at different positions in the enzyme and analyzed the results with a homology model. We randomly inserted 15 bp in a plasmid with the ADP-Glc PPase gene.

L-carnitine as an ergogenic aid for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease submitted to whole-body and respiratory muscle training programs.

The effects of adding L-carnitine to a whole-body and respiratory training program were determined in moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. Sixteen COPD patients (66 +/- 7 years) were randomly assigned to L-carnitine (CG) or placebo group (PG) that received either L-carnitine or saline solution (2 g/day, orally) for 6 weeks (forced expiratory volume on first second was 38 +/- 16 and 36 +/- 12%, respectively). Both groups participated in three weekly 30-min treadmill and threshold inspiratory muscle training sessions, with 3 sets of 10 loaded inspirations (40%) at maximal inspiratory pressure.

Celiac disease: antibody recognition against native and selectively deamidated gliadin peptides.

Background: Selective deamidation of glutamine residues by tissue transglutaminase (tTG) turns gliadin peptides into stronger activators of T cells from celiac disease (CD) patients. We examined the possibility that these modified peptides could be more specific epitopes for circulating antibodies than are native peptides.

Methods: Two native synthetic peptides and their respective modified sequences were used as antigens for ELISA assays: peptide-1, with residues 56-75 of alpha-type gliadin; and peptide-2, with residues 134-153 of gamma-type gliadin.

[Serological diagnosis of celiac disease: anti-gliadin peptide antibodies and tissue anti-transglutaminase].

Serological markers currently used for the diagnosis of celiac disease are anti-gliadin (AG) and anti-endomysium (AE) antibodies. Recently tissue transglutaminase (tTG) was identified as the specific autoantigen for endomysial antibodies. The aim of this work was to determine sensitivity and specificity of ELISA tests developed by using defined molecular structures as capture antigen for AG and AE antibodies.