Interleukin-8 secretion in patients with allergic rhinitis after an allergen challenge: interleukin-8 is not the main chemotactic factor present in nasal lavages.

Background: Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is a chemotactic cytokine for neutrophils and primed eosinophils. In allergic rhinitis, allergen exposure triggers leucocyte recruitment.

Objective: We evaluated in this study IL-8 secretion and the neutrophil chemotactic activity in nasal lavages collected after a nasal allergen challenge.

Interleukin-6 and interleukin-1 alpha production is associated with antigen-induced late nasal response.

Background: Cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1 alpha, IL-6 and granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) are able to potentiate allergic inflammation and seem to be implicated in the development of the late allergic reaction.

Methods: To study the time course of cytokine production, sequential lavages were performed after nasal allergen challenge. Thirteen patients with allergic rhinitis and four healthy subjects were exposed to grass pollen (n = 6 and n = 2, respectively) or dust mite allergen (n = 7 and n = 2, respectively).

[Semi-invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. Apropos of a case].

A 43-year-old man was admitted to hospital for excavated pneumopathy of the upper part of the right lung, revealed by signs of respiratory infection evolving for a few weeks and involving a 10-kg weight loss. The radiological and clinical evolution and the demonstration of Aspergillus fumigatus allowed establishing a diagnosis of semi-invasive aspergillosis. The treatment, associating amphotericin B and 5-fluorocytosine, replaced by itraconazole 15 days later, soon produced clinical healing and radiological improvement.

Inhibition of histamine-induced nasal obstruction by cetirizine in allergic rhinitis.

This double-blind randomized crossover placebo-controlled study was designed to assess objectively the nasal antihistamine effect of cetirizine in patients with allergic rhinitis and control subjects. Nasal challenge was performed by nebulization of increasing doubling doses of histamine (0; 0.04 to 1.