Decreased in vitro cellular response to tetanus toxoid and tuberculin in patients using topical corticosteroids.

Topical corticosteroids are the mainstay of treatment in inflammatory skin diseases. Corticosteroids penetrate human skin, especially when the penetration barrier is damaged. Whether long-term application of topical corticosteroids can lead to alteration of immune responses is not clear.

Epicutaneous natural rubber latex sensitization induces T helper 2-type dermatitis and strong prohevein-specific IgE response.

In addition to immediate type I allergy symptoms, natural rubber latex allergy may manifest as protein contact dermatitis on the hands of health-care workers and other natural rubber latex glove users. We examined whether repeated application of natural rubber latex on mouse skin causes sensitization to natural rubber latex and dermatitis. Epicutaneous sensitization with natural rubber latex produced a significant influx of mononuclear cells, CD4+ CD3+ cells, and eosinophils to the sensitized skin sites.

Phthalic anhydride allergy: development and characterization of optimized hapten-carrier conjugates for improved diagnosis.

Background: At present the diagnosis of IgE-mediated hypersensitivity to phthalic anhydride (PA) is based on conjugates that are not characterized or standardized. The aim of this study was to develop optimized and molecularly characterized PA conjugates that can be used to improve the diagnosis of PA-allergy.

Methods: The PA conjugates were synthesized and the number of haptens bound on a carrier protein was estimated by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of light (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry.

A novel wheat gliadin as a cause of exercise-induced anaphylaxis.

Background: Food-dependent, exercise-induced anaphylaxis is a severe form of allergy; the reaction is caused by ingestion of a specific food before exercise. This disorder often escapes diagnosis because neither the ingested food nor the exercise alone induces the symptoms.

Objective: The aim of the study was to characterize the allergens involved in wheat-dependent, exercise-induced anaphylaxis and to describe the clinical outcome in a series of 18 adult patients.