Publications by authors named "Matricardi P"

Objective: Our goals were to analyze some of the similarities and differences in the increase in asthma, hay fever, and atopic sensitization between Europe and the United States and attempt to explain "inner-city asthma" within the framework of the hygiene hypothesis.

Data Sources: We reviewed historical descriptions of hay fever and asthma as well as the currently available related literature.

Study Selection: The authors' judgment was used in the selection of historical and epidemiologic evidence.

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Background: The hygiene hypothesis proposes that declining exposure to infections is implicated in the rising trend of allergy and asthma.

Objective: We sought to test this hypothesis by examining the relationship of hay fever, asthma, and atopic sensitization with markers of infection in a large general population sample of the United States.

Methods: We analyzed the data of 33,994 US residents recorded in a public database of a nationally representative cross-sectional survey (Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994).

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Epidemiological information on symptoms affecting extra-respiratory organs and apparatuses in asthmatic children is scarce. The aim of this study therefore was to evaluate, at a population level, if and what extra-respiratory symptoms are associated with asthma. Two questionnaire-based, cross-sectional surveys were carried out on 1,262 students (651 males; mean age 9.

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Are infections protecting from atopy?

Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol

October 2001

The 'Hygiene Hypothesis' proposes that overcrowding and unhygienic contacts early in life may protect from atopic diseases by facilitating exposure to microbes. Longitudinal studies have recently shown that among subjects exposed early in life to other children at home, or at day care, the risk of wheezing steadily declined with age to levels significantly lower than controls. Evidences supporting a protective role of respiratory infections or BCG immunization on the development of allergic asthma are still insufficient.

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Objective: This article reinforces the reader's knowledge of the multifactorial nature of allergic diseases and of the heterogeneity of allergic phenotypes.

Data Sources: Personal studies and an evidence-based approach is used to support the assumption that three major abnormalities concur in the pathophysiology of allergic diseases: 1) enhanced allergen recognition and specific immune response; 2) a T helper 2 cytokine profile that results in polyclonal immunoglobulin E activation and mast cell-eosinophilic inflammation; and 3) organ hyperreactivity.

Study Selection: Examples of genetic and environmental factors that preferentially influence each of these distinct pathophysiologic abnormalities are provided.

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Learning Objectives: This article reinforces the reader's knowledge of the epidemiology of allergy and asthma in eastern versus western European countries and the ability to recognize the different hypotheses formulated to explain the rising trend of allergic asthma in Europe.

Data Sources: Articles in English comparing the epidemiology of allergy in eastern versus western Europe published before December 31, 2000.

Results: Significant higher prevalences of atopy and allergic asthma were observed in the early 1990s among populations living in western compared with eastern European countries.

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Deficient microbial stimulation of the immune system, caused by hygiene, may underly the atopy and allergic asthma epidemic we are currently experiencing. Consistent with this 'hygiene hypothesis', research on immunotherapy of allergic diseases also centres on bacteria-derived molecules (eg DNA immunostimulatory sequences) as adjuvants for allergen-specific type 1 immune responses. If we understood how certain microbes physiologically 'educate' our immune system to interact safely with environmental nonmicrobial antigens, we might be able to learn to mimic their beneficial actions.

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Objective: To investigate if markers of exposure to foodborne and orofecal microbes versus airborne viruses are associated with atopy and respiratory allergies.

Design: Retrospective case-control study.

Participants: 240 atopic cases and 240 non-atopic controls from a population sample of 1659 participants, all Italian male cadets aged 17-24.

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In this study, we used the affected sibling-pairs approach to investigate the linkage of HLA (human leukocyte antigen)-DRB* with phenotypes related to allergy to Parietaria, the most common pollinosis in Mediterranean countries. The study population consisted of 51 nuclear families (235 subjects). Linkage was detected with Parietaria skin test positivity (p < (0.

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Prevalence and incidence of Helicobacter pylori infection among 250 Italian military students were studied using specific IgG antibodies. Subjects susceptible at enrollment were evaluated during a 10-month follow-up period, when two serum samples were collected after 5 and 10 months, respectively. Samples were also analyzed for anti-CagA (a protein associated with virulent H.

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Bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) is a hallmark of asthma and represents a strong risk factor for the disease. However, not all asthmatics have BHR and it can be observed in normal subjects too, probably because of genetic predisposition. Increasing attention is being focused on the beta2-adrenoceptor gene (ADRB2), whose genetic variability at amino acids 16 and 27 has been shown to correlate with some clinical features of asthma, including airways reactivity.

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In 1990, to study regional prevalences and risk factors of Helicobacter pylori infection in healthy young adult males, sera were collected from a nationwide sample of 1659 males (mean age 20.7 years) at introduction into the Air Force School for military students in Caserta, Italy. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect H.

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Background: Having a low number of siblings and a low birth order has been reported to be a relevant risk factor for development of atopic diseases and skin sensitization to common inhalants. Although the inverse association of atopy with sibship size has been confirmed repeatedly, the association with birth order has provided conflicting results. This possibly is due to the relatively small size of the population sample examined.

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Objective: To investigate the working hypothesis that common infections occurring early in life prevent atopy.

Design: Cross sectional, retrospective study of young Italian men with results for hepatitis A serology and atopy.

Setting: Air force school of military students in Caserta, Italy.

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In 1990, the prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) was assessed among 4,978 Air Force recruits aged 18-26 years coming from all regions of Italy. Positivity to anti-HCV was found by both IIIrd generation EIA and RIBA in 24 (0.48%) study participants.

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Objective: An HIV-associated superantigen (SAg) has been hypothesized. Here we test whether an SAg is functionally detectable in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from monozygotic twins discordant for HIV infection.

Design And Methods: The V beta selective T-cell depletion found in minor lymphocyte stimulation (Mls)-positive mice is caused by an SAg encoded by the mouse mammary tumour virus.

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In this study we have investigated the interaction between two DR11 alleles (DB*1101 and DB*1104) and two previously described tetanus toxin (tt) universal T cell epitopes P2(tt830-843) and P30(tt947-967) by means of a functional cytotoxic competition assay. Both truncation analysis and single alanine substitution analysis were performed. In addition, the capacity of truncated and single alanine substituted peptides to be recognized by human T cell clones from donors bearing the DR1101 or DR1104 alleles was assessed.

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In 1990, a prospective serological survey to estimate the rate of clinical and inapparent infection with hepatitis B virus was performed in a cohort of 1324 soldiers, 18-24 years old, during an eight-month period in Italy. At the time of enrollment the prevalence of hepatitis B markers was 4.6% (0.

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In most epidemiologic studies of respiratory allergy, the overall degree of sensitization is usually measured by indices based on skin prick test reactions to a panel of relevant airborne allergens. In the present study we used a single assay (CAP-Phadiatop, Pharmacia, Uppsala, Sweden), which is based on the reaction between serum-specific IgE and a mixture of locally relevant inhalant allergens to measure the degree of sensitization to inhalants in the sera of 1815 young Italian men, in whom a complete diagnostic workup for respiratory allergy was performed in parallel. The intensity of reaction in the CAP-Phadiatop assay was highly correlated with: (1) an allergy index (p < 0.

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