From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the incidence of secondary infections (both bacterial and fungal) has increased due to immune suppression associated with the use of corticosteroids or broad-spectrum antibiotics as a part of COVID-19 treatment protocol, which may exacerbate a pre-existing fungal disease or cause a new infection. Ophthalmologists are often involved in taking medical and surgical decisions in these complex cases. In this regard, a strong clinical suspicion should be applied to possible secondary fungal infections in COVID-19.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The nature of epitopes on Bet v 1 recognized by natural IgG antibodies of birch pollen allergic patients and birch pollen-exposed but non-sensitized subjects has not been studied in detail.
Objective: To investigate IgE and IgG recognition of Bet v 1 and to study the effects of natural Bet v 1-specific IgG antibodies on IgE recognition of Bet v 1 and Bet v 1-induced basophil activation.
Methods: Sera from birch pollen allergic patients (BPA, n = 76), allergic patients without birch pollen allergy (NBPA, n = 40) and non-allergic individuals (NA, n = 48) were tested for IgE, IgG as well as IgG and IgG reactivity to folded recombinant Bet v 1, two unfolded recombinant Bet v 1 fragments comprising the N-terminal (F1) and C-terminal half of Bet v 1 (F2) and unfolded peptides spanning the corresponding sequences of Bet v 1 and the apple allergen Mal d 1 by ELISA or micro-array analysis.
Background: Immunoglobulin-E(IgE)-mediated hypersensitivity to cow's milk allergens is a frequent cause of severe and life-threatening anaphylactic reactions. Besides case histories and controlled food challenges, the detection of the IgE antibodies specific to cow's milk allergens is important for the diagnosis of cow-milk-specific IgE sensitization. Cow´s milk allergen molecules provide useful information for the refined detection of cow-milk-specific IgE sensitization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated cow's milk allergy (CMA) can be life-threatening and affects up to 3% of children. Hypoallergenic infant formulas based on hydrolyzed cow's milk protein are increasingly considered for therapy and prevention of cow's milk allergy. The aim of this study was to investigate the allergenic activity and ability to induce T cell and cytokine responses of an infant formula based on extensively hydrolyzed cow's milk protein (whey) (eHF, extensively hydrolyzed formula) supplemented with Galactooligosaccharides (GOS) and CECT5716 (LF) to determine its suitability for treatment and prevention of CMA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Mass screening programs for cervical cancer prevention in the Nordic countries have strongly reduced cancer incidence and mortality at the population level. An alternative to the current mass screening is a more personalised screening strategy adapting the recommendations to each individual. However, this necessitates reliable risk prediction models accounting for disease dynamics and individual data.
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