Food-sensitized pediatric patients show colonic cow's milk protein-specific Th2 cells.

Food allergies have become a health concern worldwide. Around 6% to 10% of children are allergic to cow's milk proteins. We have previously characterized colorectal polyps in patients sensitized to food allergens.

Is cardiac hypertrophy in spontaneously hypertensive rats the cause or the consequence of oxidative stress?

The aim of this work was to assess the possible correlation between oxidative damage and the development of cardiac hypertrophy in heart tissue from young (40-d-old) and older (4-, 11- and 19-month-old) spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) in comparison with age-matched Wistar (W) rats. To this end, levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), nitrotyrosine contents, NAD(P)H oxidase activity, superoxide production, and the activities of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were determined. Compared to age-matched normotensive rats, SHR showed a significant increase in systolic blood pressure from 40 d of age and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) was significantly evident from 4 months of age.