Gal d 7-a major allergen in primary chicken meat allergy.

Background: Poultry meat can induce severe allergic reactions. So far, the molecules causing poultry meat allergy are largely unknown.

Objective: Our aim was to identify and characterize poultry meat allergens.

Rational design of a hypoallergenic Phl p 7 variant for immunotherapy of polcalcin-sensitized patients.

Polcalcins are important respiratory panallergens, whose IgE-binding capacity depends on the presence of calcium. Since specific immunotherapy is not yet available for the treatment of polcalcin-sensitized patients, we aimed to develop a molecule for efficient and safe immunotherapy. We generated a hypoallergenic variant of the grass pollen polcalcin Phl p 7 by introducing specific point mutations into the allergen's calcium-binding regions.

Dornase alpha inhalations as a treatment option for recurrent lower respiratory tract infections in a child with Sotos syndrome.

Recurrent episodes of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) are a rare complication of muscular hypotonia in patients with Sotos syndrome. We report on a male child suffering from repeated LRTIs including bronchitis, pneumonia, and atelectasis during infancy despite inhalations with salbutamol and fluticasone combined with manual chest percussion therapy. After initiation of dornase alpha inhalations in addition to the current treatment, we observed an improvement in the respiratory symptoms as well as a reduction in the rate of hospitalizations and in the occurrence of LRTIs.

Nodular pulmonary lesions in children after autologous stem cell transplantation: a source of misinterpretation.

In children with malignant disorders, autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) represents a therapeutic option, but several possible complications, such as life-threatening pulmonary disease, make appropriate diagnostic procedures essential. We describe two cases with bronchiolitis obliterans with organizing pneumonia after HSCT, with a brief review of important differential diagnoses.

GAPDH enhances group II intron splicing in vitro.

Group II introns are autocatalytic RNAs which self-splice in vitro. However, in vivo additional protein factors might be involved in the splicing process. We used an affinity chromatography method called 'StreptoTag' to identify group II intron binding proteins from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.