[Ficus benjamina, a perennial inhalation allergen of increasing importance].

12 patients are described with perennial allergic rhinoconjunctivitis or asthma, 3 had additionally urticarial eruptions and one edema of the eyelids. In all of them sensitization to Ficus benjamina was identified by skin prick tests, in 7 cases by the additional presence of specific IgE in vitro, and in 2 it was verified by a conjunctival provocation test. 10 patients were atopic with sensitization to other respiratory allergens such as pollen, house dust mite or animal dander.

[Practice of hyposensitization in allergic diseases].

Hyposensitization (desensitization, immunotherapy) is--next to avoidance of allergens--the only causal treatment of IgE-mediated allergic diseases. In a number of well-controlled studies, immunotherapy has shown a clinical efficacy in allergic rhinitis, mainly hay fever, and in allergic asthma. Here, immunotherapy is primarily useful in children and young adults.

[Hyposensitization treatment of allergic diseases].

Hyposensitization or allergenic immunotherapy has been used extensively for 80 years as a specific treatment of IgE-mediated allergic diseases. Highly effective is venom immunotherapy for patients with systemic reactions after hymenoptera stings and positive diagnostic tests for venom-specific IgE. The clinical efficacy of immunotherapy in hay fever has also been convincingly documented.

T cell epitope specificity in human allergic and nonallergic subjects to bee venom phospholipase A2.

Phospholipase A2 (PLA) is a biochemically fully defined glycoprotein, representing the main allergen of bee venom. We have established CD4+ T cell clones specific to PLA from subjects allergic and nonallergic to bee sting. By screening the epitope specificity of these clones with 62 synthetic overlapping dodecapeptides representing the PLA molecule, two immunogenic epitopes, PLA81-92 and PLA113-124, were identified.

Allergic contact dermatitis from natural latex without contact urticaria.

During the last decade, there have been many reports of immediate-type hypersensitivity to natural latex, resulting in contact urticaria, generalized allergic reactions such as urticaria and Quincke's edema, and asthmatic or anaphylactic reactions. Moreover, delayed-type hypersensitivity to rubber additives such as thiuram and carbamate derivatives is acknowledged to be the main cause of dermatitis in patients working with rubber gloves. We here report on a patient who developed severe dermatitis on his hands and forearms 3 months after he had started working with rubber gloves.

Immunotherapy with aluminum hydroxide adsorbed insect venom extracts (Alutard SQ): immunologic and clinical results of a prospective study over 3 years.

This prospective study over 3 years investigated the safety, immunogenicity, and effectiveness of immunotherapy (IT) with aluminum hydroxide adsorbed insect venom extracts (Alutard SQ, ALK Laboratories) in patients with previous, severe, systemic, IgE-mediated, anaphylactic reactions to Hymenoptera stings. Seventeen patients were treated with honeybee venom (BV), 13 with yellow-jacket venom (YJV), and 5 with both. No severe reactions to IT were noted.

Atopic dermatitis: correlation of peripheral blood T cell activation, eosinophilia and serum factors with clinical severity.

In the first part of this study peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations, their activation state and various serum parameters were measured in extrinsic and intrinsic atopic dermatitis (AD) patients compared to normal individuals. Beside the characteristic eosinophilia, significantly increased numbers of CD4+ T cells with increased expression of IL-2 receptors (IL-2R) and HLA-DR were noted in the AD patients. In addition, extrinsic AD patients showed increased numbers of CD23+ B cells and decreased numbers of CD16+ natural killer cells.

[Latex allergy--an increasing problem in clinical practice].

In the last few years the allergenic potential of rubber has been receiving more and more attention. Its widespread application in medical devices and everyday objects has increased exposure to this allergen. The central role of rubber in the prevention of HIV infection has certainly played a part in this development.

Disulfite-induced acute intermittent urticaria with vasculitis.

Recognition of sulfite sensitivity by the practicing dermatologist has become increasingly important. A wide spectrum of anaphylactoid reactions can occur after ingestion of sulfite additives in foods and medications. We report the case of a 47-year-old man with severe acute intermittent urticaria.

Type I allergy to cow milk proteins in adults. A retrospective study of 34 adult milk- and cheese-allergic patients.

To determine the clinical and serological characteristics of type I food allergy to cow milk proteins in adults, we investigated all 34 patients (aged from 16 to 58 years) who were diagnosed between 1981 and 1991 to have IgE-mediated reactions to cow milk and cheese. Women represented 91.2% of the study group and 39% of them suffered from the first symptoms during or soon after a pregnancy.

A case of fallow deer allergy. Cross-reactivity between fallow deer and horse allergy.

We report the case of a 25-year-old housewife, a native of Mexico City, with rhinitis and asthma induced by exposure to fallow deer in an animal park close to her home. In the literature, we could find only one previous case. The patient presented a polyvalent IgE sensitization in prick skin tests and RAST to several animals' dander and epithelia, but RAST inhibition experiments showed a cross-reactivity only between fallow deer and horse allergen extracts.

[Allergic rhinoconjunctivitis caused by the dust of green coffee beans].

In a 37-year-old worker employed in a coffee roastery who suffered from work-related rhinoconjunctivitis, allergologic investigations demonstrated sensitization to the dust of the green, unroasted coffee bean. This particular allergy is uncommon in Switzerland. The case is discussed and the literature on the subject is reviewed.

[A life-threatening anaphylactic reaction following mannitol].

Case Report: After uneventful induction of general anesthesia, severe hypotension and cardiac arrest developed in a 39-year-old, non-atopic man following infusion of 20% mannitol 80 min after the beginning of anesthesia. It caused a systolic blood pressure of 40 mmHg during a period of 10 min and tachycardia followed by ventricular fibrillation. Immediate resuscitation measures, i.

Correlation of eosinophils, eosinophil cationic protein and soluble interleukin-2 receptor with the clinical activity of atopic dermatitis.

To evaluate the correlation with the clinical activity of atopic dermatitis (AD) we investigated prospectively cellular and serological parameters such as eosinophils, eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R), soluble CD23 (sCD23) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in peripheral blood of 37 AD patients on admission to and discharge from the Department of Dermatology at the University Hospital in Zurich. On admission the actual clinical skin condition as measured by the skin intensity score (SIS) was significantly correlated with eosinophils (p less than 0.005), ECP (p less than 0.

The skin as a target organ for the investigation of antiallergic drugs: comparison between cetirizine and terfenadine.

Two double-blind clinical pharmacology studies were performed in atopics in order to compare the inhibitory effects of cetirizine (CTZ) 2 HCl and terfenadine (TER) on histamine and antigen-induced skin reactions. In the first study, the subjects took single intakes of CTZ 10 mg and TER 60 mg. In the second study, they took CTZ 10 mg once a day and TER 60 mg b.

Soluble CD14 but not interleukin-6 is a new marker for clinical activity in atopic dermatitis.

Levels of soluble IL-2 receptors, IL-6, soluble CD23, soluble CD14 and ECP (eosinophilic cationic protein) were measured as markers of T-cell, B-cell, monocyte and eosinophilic leucocyte activation in 26 patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) on admission to (A) and at discharge from (D) the Department of Dermatology in Zurich. The serum levels of sIL-2R, IL-6, sCD23, sCD14 and ECP were significantly elevated in AD patients in comparison with the normal values of healthy donors. A significant decrease in sIL-2R (p = 0.