A fatal case of Babesia divergens infection in Northwestern Spain.

We describe a fatal case caused by the intra-erythrocytic Babesia divergens parasite in an elderly woman. This is the third case of fatal babesiosis reported in the last 15 years in Europe, and the only one in a patient with an intact spleen.

Root canal shaping using rotary nickel-titanium files in preclinical teaching.

Aims: This study set out to evaluate the prevalence of iatrogenic events during preclinical teaching of endodontics, comparing manual stainless steel versus nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) rotary techniques for shaping natural root canals.

Method: Two groups of 13 inexperienced dental students were randomly made up and asked to shape 104 canals in natural teeth. Group R used Ni-Ti rotary files for shaping while Group M used a sequence of five manual stainless steel files.

[Dental consultations at a university hospital in Toulouse: the role for conservative treatments in oral health].

A retrospective study was carried out looking at the files of 481 patients who were seen for their first consultation at a university hospital dental school clinic. Their needs for conservative treatment were evaluated and the data from their files were analysed, including the following elements: demography, general health status, the expressed reason for the consultation, and the initially planned treatment. The descriptive analysis reveals a relatively young population group with an average age of 43.

Diagnosis of venom allergy by flow cytometry. Correlation with clinical history, skin tests, specific IgE, histamine and leukotriene C4 release.

Background: Potent allergens such as hymenoptera venoms are capable of inducing severe and life threatening clinical reactions. Percentage of false negative results obtained by the usual diagnostical methods is comprised between 10 and 25%.

Objective: Evaluation of the sensitivity and the specificity of cellular tests and particularly evaluation of a new flow cytometric method.

[The wasp-mosquito syndrome: extension of cross-allergenicity to the horsefly].

The crossed allergenicity between wasp venom and mosquito extract was shown during recent work based on clinical observations and correlation studies between different biological parameters, indicating an IgE-dependent biological mechanism. A common protein was identified by Immunoblot. From observation of one of our patients involved in this work, we examined the possibility of the extension of crossed reactivity between wasp, mosquito and horsefly.

[The wasp/mosquito syndrome].

The authors describe for the first time the Wasp/Mosquito syndrome. The allergenic cross-reactivity between Vespula wasp venom and mosquito extract and the reverse rest objectively on several criteria. The frequency of the association between sensibilization to Vespula wasp venom and mosquito: In 10 subjects who had specific IgE to Vespula wasp venom 3 also had mosquito-specific IgE (30%), but out of 11 subjects with positive mosquito-specific IgE 10 also were positive with Vespula wasp venom specific IgE (about 91%).

[Apropos of the evaluation and validation of in vitro tests for measurement of specific IgE].

The performances of the reagents for IN VITRO TESTS in Allergy, are very variable, in spite of the existence of registration procedures as well as those of national quality control. Most of the discrepancies have their origin in the choice of technologies used by the manufacturers (reaction support, raw materials, calibration, vigour of the process of execution). It follows from this that the characteristics must be understood and the limitations appreciated of the tests that are used, as well as their interpretation.

[Level of histamine in supernatants from the basophil activation test: applications to hymenoptera allergy and drug allergy--preliminary study].

Histamine Release technic consists in calculating histamine liberated by blood cells in touch with an allergen. To this day, this method is only used in Hymenoptera venom allergy diagnosis. The principle of this study is to measure histamine released by activated basophils in surnageons of Basophil Activation Test (BAT) for different allergens: Hymenoptera venoms: Bee, White Faced Hornet, Vespula Wasp.

[Basophil activation test using flow cytometry in Hymenoptera venom allergy].

The basophil activation test (TAB) clearly shows evidence to Hymenoptera venoms. Comparison of the TAB value with the clinical history allows fixation of a threshold that will anticipate the type of clinical reaction by the TAB value. For the technique of TAB 3 dilutions are used.

[Search for a threshold to distinguish between locoregional and systemic reactions using the histamine liberation value and the LTC4 level].

Allergy to Hymenoptera venom (VH) effects more and more patients in France. It is manifest in two main forms, which are Loco-regional (RLR) and Systemic reactions (SR). This allergy is detectable amongst others by the techniques of histamine release (HR) and release of leucotrienes C4 (LTC4).

[Allergic immunobiology and anesthesiology].

A protocol has been produced for the study of anaphylactic accidents that occur post-operatively that allows definition of the anaphylactic origin, and so reactions that are mediated by IgE in post-operative accidents. This protocol occurs in two stages, the first is done in the minutes and hours that follow the anaphylactic accident, and the second a month or 6 weeks afterwards. At first, we evaluate the sequential study of the liberation of the mediators of anaphylaxis, plasma histamine, serum tryptase, urinary methylhistamine and, more recently, leucotriene E4.

[Testing basophil activation by flow cytometry in the diagnosis of allergy to hymenopteran venom].

Diagnosis of allergy to hymenoptera venom must be precise and depends on indisputable bio-clinical criteria, because of specific immunotherapy for indications such as systemic and/or anaphylactic reactions. Until nowadays, diagnosis was by specific IgE, histamine release and skin tests, most often done for the venoms of wasp, honey bee and hornet at the same time since, in 7-8 cases in 10 the patients had not identified the responsible insect. Basophil activation test (TAB) by Flux cytometry and measurement of leukotriene C4 (LTC4) are new techniques of great reliability.

[Comparison of the measurements of total IGE using the CAP-RIA technique and the UNICAP-FEIA technique].

The contribution of a new method of measurement of total IgE by the Fluoro-Enzymo-Immuno-assay (FEIA) with the assistance of Pharmacia UNICAP automation is very reliable since, when compared with the measurement by the CAP SYSTEM RIA on 144 patients who were clinically allergic (84 with a raised and 60 with a normal IgE titre) the result of a comparative study between the two techniques is statistically highly significant. The two methods were also compared by age groups and these results were also statistically highly significant.

[Cross-reactivity between cow's milk and goat's milk].

Tolerance of LC may be explained by a great intra and interspecific genetic diversity that leads to a great variety of proteins. In contrast, industrial treatment (UHT sterilisation) introduces configural modifications that may provoke a very great structural homology between the proteins of the two milks. Casein is in high concentration in both milks and shows some homology of the AA sequences between both and it makes a common allergen for a cross- reaction.

[Immuno-biological diagnosis of food allergy].

Food allergy is becoming more frequent, with 6% of asthmatics reporting an isolated food allergy, and 5 to 6% of atopic dermatitis patients also have either a single or multiple true food allergy. There is value in immuno-biological diagnosis by: Measurement of total serum IgE. Measurement of mono-allergen-specific IgE, following a measurement by a multi-allergen of the Trophatope type.

[Allergy to mosquitoes and use of new immunobiological parameters].

With regard to an observation of anaphylaxis after a mosquito bite, we have shown by new immunobiological parameters and clinical investigations: Skin tests, specific IgE, Tests of Activation of basophils by flow cytometry (on basophils and total blood) and measurement of Leucotriene LTC4, the objective reality of the mechanism of IgE-dependent hypersensitivity (HS). This observation is correlated with rare work in support of true IgE-mediated allergy to mosquito 9 authors having used skin tests, PK in 1984 and immunoblot.

[Immunobiologic diagnosis of food allergy].

Food allergy is becoming more frequent, with 6% of asthmatics reporting an isolated food allergy, and 5 to 6% of atopic dermatitis patients also have either a single or multiple true food allergy. There is value in immuno-biological diagnosis by: Measurement of total serum IgE. Measurement of mono-allergen-specific IgE, following a measurement by a multi-allergen of the Trophatope type.

[Anaphylactic or anaphylactoid reactions to paracetamol. Report of 3 cases].

Anaphylaxis to paracetamol exists and perhaps nowadays diagnosis is not confined to clinical evidence of: The repeatability of clinical symptoms. Skin tests. Provocation tests.

[Contribution of flow cytometry to allergologic diagnosis].

The technique of Flow Cytometry for activation of basophils (TAB), expressed as the marker CD63, is at present one of the pathways of research applied to drug allergy. In this work are reported the results of TAB of Pneumoallergens and Hymenoptera venoms. TAB can define better than total IgE the atopy of the subject: in effect the fluorescence of the basophils is emphasized in comparison with non-atopic subjects.

[Western blotting or immunoblotting: application of the Alastat-Alablot to the study of cross reactions between cow's milk and goat's milk].

The Alastat-Alablot was used as immunoblot technique for detecting cross-reactivity between CM and GM. The study was conducted on 9 patients presenting with a food allergy well-documented on the basis of clinical history and elimination diet and re-exposure tests. The Alastat-Alablot technique proved to be sensitive in detecting low levels of specific IgE not detectable by the Cap System.

[Histamine liberation (or histamine release HR): study of the positivity threshold in hymenoptera venom allergy].

Dialysis of Hymenoptera venoms for measurement of HR by the radioimmunoassay technique (RIA, Immunotech) lowers the threshold of positivity of the HR titre from 30% to 12%. This modification of dialysis of the venoms significantly improves the sensitivity and specificity of the technique.

[Preliminary study of the basophil activation test for drug allergy using anti-membrane antibodies and flow cytometry].

This study deals with the basophil activation test (BAT) in drug allergy, basophil activation being analysed by flow cytometry. In the seven cases studied here (pollen, mite and drug hypersensitivity), we shown that BAT was a reliable test which presented interesting future prospects.

[Experimental study of peanut sensitization in guinea pigs].

An experimental study of sensitization to peanut has shown that this can be induced in guinea pigs by crushed peanuts ingested daily for three weeks although peanut oil, which is found in some preparations of vitamin D, did not sensitize the guinea pigs, when compared with a control group and a group of guinea pigs that had received only a "flash" dose of 1 ml peanut oil by the oral route.