Pandemic influenza preparedness plan in Liguria, Italy: a valuable tool for Public Health.

As known, influenza presents a multifaceted challenge to public health, causing disease that ranges from mild cases to severe pandemics with significant morbidity and mortality. Effective pandemic preparedness demands a comprehensive strategy that integrates research, surveillance, response coordination and community engagement, to mitigate the impact of future health emergencies. The pandemic preparedness cycle involves dynamic, cyclical phases of preparation and response aimed at enhancing response capacity.

Anaphylaxis: a one-year survey on Medical Emergency Service in Liguria (Italy).

Anaphylaxis is a severe, life-threatening, generalized or systemic hypersensitivity reaction. The diagnosis is mainly based on clinical ground. This study aimed at evaluating the records of phone calls and medical visits for anaphylaxis occurred in Region Liguria during 2013.

Anaphylaxis in pediatric population: A 1-year survey on the Medical Emergency Service in Liguria, Italy.

Anaphylaxis is a severe, life-threatening, generalized, or systemic hypersensitivity reaction. The diagnosis is mainly based on a clinical ground. This study aimed to evaluate the records of both phone calls and medical visits for anaphylaxis managed by the Liguria Medical Emergency Service (MES) in a pediatric population, occurred during 2013.

Asthma exacerbation in children: relationship among pollens, weather, and air pollution.

Background: Asthma exacerbation is an episode of (sub)acute worsening of asthmatic symptoms. Exacerbation may depend on environmental factors.

Objective: The present study investigated emergency calls for asthma exacerbation in children, analysing: i) their trend over the course of time; and ii) their possible relationship with environmental factors, including pollen count, meteorological parameters, and air pollution.

Nasal immunotherapy to Parietaria: evidence of reduction of local allergic inflammation.

Studies over 10 yr have demonstrated local nasal immunotherapy (LNIT) to be an effective treatment for rhinitis due to pollens and mites. The aim of our work was to investigate the effects of LNIT on the local inflammatory phenomena, employing the model of nasal allergenic challenge, since no evidence has been yet provided about LNIT effects on the events due to allergic reactions. We evaluated, in addition, the possible effects of LNIT on some systemic immunologic parameters and its clinical efficacy.

A three-year double-blind placebo-controlled study with specific oral immunotherapy to Dermatophagoides: evidence of safety and efficacy in paediatric patients.

Very few double-blind trials of oral immunotherapy have been reported. The majority of these have been performed with pollen extracts and the results have often been equivocal. The major weaknesses of these studies have been the short periods of the trials, the low doses of allergen employed and inadequate evaluation of efficacy.

Sedation from H1 antagonists: evaluation methods and experimental results.

Sedation is the most frequent and troublesome side effect of H1-antagonists, since it can impair many psycho-motor performances of working and social life. As these drugs are largely employed for the treatment of allergic diseases, both in adults and children, an evaluation of sedation must be accurately performed by standardized tests. In the present work, authors briefly describe the most important clinical tests and summarize the results from the recent literature about the new H1-antagonists.

A multi-allergen ELISA screening method. Comparison with Pharmacia CAP system and Phazet skin prick test.

Eighty consecutive subjects, coming to our service as suffering from conjunctivitis and/or rhinitis and/or asthma, were investigated by a new multi-allergen enzymatic screening immunoassay (Profilo, Bio-Allergy, Rome, Italy) regarding to serum specific IgE for groups of inhalant allergens (Dermatophagoides, Parietaria, grasses, trees, animal danders). These groups include allergens which are most frequently responsible of allergy in our country. Indices of diagnostic accuracy of this assay were analyzed in relation to skin prick test (SPT, Phazet, Pharmacia), as in vivo reference test, and Pharmacia CAP System, as in vitro reference test, comparing the results achieved by these tests in the same group of subjects.

Cetirizine does not influence the immune response.

Antihistamines are frequently employed in the treatment of allergic rhinitis and urticaria-angioedema syndrome. We analyzed the in vitro effects of cetirizine on the immune response. To this end the proliferation of peripheral mononuclear cells induced by mitogen and by -CD3, -CD2, or -CD28 monoclonal antibodies has been studied.

Comparative effects of terfenadine and loratadine in the treatment of hay fever.

This double-blind, double-dummy, parallel-group study was undertaken in 40 patients with seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis during the 1990 hay fever season. The patients were randomized and treated for seven days with either 120 mg terfenadine or 10 mg loratadine, each drug taken once daily in the morning. The severity of nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, sneezing, nasopharyngeal itching, and itchy, watery, red eyes was evaluated before and at the end of treatment.

Two screening methods for detection of specific IgE to inhalant allergens. Comparison with skin prick test and RAST.

We analyzed the technical features of two new screening methods for detection of specific IgE to inhalant allergens. Moreover, their diagnostic accuracy was evaluated comparing the results obtained from the procedures with those from RAST and skin prick test (SPT) in a group of 30 symptomatic allergic patients. The procedures employ a classic ELISA method, where the presence of IgE is revealed by a colored reaction.

Immunologic and clinical evaluation of a 12-month course of specific immunotherapy.

Allergen specific immunoglobulins (IgE, IgG, IgG1, and IgG4) were evaluated during the course of a 12-month specific immunotherapy (ITS) in 27 allergic subjects: 12 Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (DP)-, 9 Parietaria officinalis (W19)-, six perennial and timothy rye grass (G5 and G6)-sensitive cases. Further, the modifications of the specific Ig levels were compared with the significant improvement in symptoms and drug consumption observed after 12 months of ITS. IgE levels significantly decreased after 6 and 12 months, while IgG1 significantly increased in the early phases of ITS (3rd month), and IgG4 significantly and progressively increased during the course of ITS.

Theophylline and the immune response: in vitro and in vivo effects.

We analyzed the in vitro and in vivo effects of theophylline on various immunological parameters including proliferation of peripheral mononuclear cells (PMNC) in response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA), anti-T3 and anti-T11 monoclonal antibodies (MAb), PHA-induced interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production by PMNC, interleukin-1 (IL-1) production by accessory cells, PHA-induced IL-2 production by T-cell clones, and PHA- and anti-T3 MAb-induced DNA synthesis by T cell clones. Results showed that theophylline inhibited PHA- and anti-T3-induced proliferation of both PMNC and T-cell clones, whereas the PMNC proliferation induced by MAb anti-T11 was not affected. The inhibition appeared to be dose-dependent and strictly related to the presence of the drug in the culture.

Cytoprotective drugs: a new perspective in the treatment of adverse reactions to foods.

Food allergy (FA) and food intolerance (FI) are complex syndromes caused by adverse reactions to foods. Since mucosal permeability of the digestive tract is often increased during this pathology, we evaluated the clinical efficacy of two different cytoprotective drugs in patients with urticaria-angioedema due to FA and FI. These drugs were pirenzepine, an anti-muscarinic (anti-MI) receptor antagonist, and rosaprostol, a synthetic prostaglandin.

Terfenadine (single or associated) treatment of adverse reactions to foods.

Six groups of patients (total 105), affected by cutaneous signs and symptoms related to food ingestion were studied with regards to the clinical efficacy of some pharmacologic treatments: blind placebo, terfenadine alone, terfenadine associated with pirenzepine or rosaprostol or ranitidine or famotidine. Pharmacologic treatment by terfenadine alone showed poor clinical results, similar to placebo, while the associations of terfenadine with both cytoprotective drugs and anti-H2 receptor antagonists revealed significant clinical improvement which is more evident in those patients treated with cytoprotective drugs combination than those who were treated with anti-H2 antagonists.

Effects of an adjunctive treatment with Bacillus subtilis for food allergy.

The authors evaluated the clinical efficacy of an adjunctive treatment with spores of Bacillus subtilis in 20 adult patients with urticaria-angioedema syndrome from food allergy. The patients treated with B. subtilis showed a significant reduction in frequency and severity of clinical features in respect to the patients who received no treatment.

Ketotifen treatment of adverse reactions to foods: clinical and immunological effects.

Fifteen patients with cutaneous signs and symptoms caused by adverse reactions to foods were treated in an open trial with ketotifen for 4 to 6 weeks. Seven subjects were allergic and 8 had food intolerance. Each patient was treated with a single dose of ketotifen daily: 2 mg half an hour before going to sleep.