Episodic hemorrhage during honeybee venom anaphylaxis: potential mechanisms.

Episodic hemorrhage is not a typical symptom of anaphylactic reaction to insect stings. Cases of reactions to honeybee (HB) sting or venom immunotherapy in which the uterus is the main target organ are very rare. Hemorrhage can be induced by HB venom components, especially melittin, which interfere with complement cleavage and bradykinin release.

Insights on the natural history and pathogenesis of multilevel discal cysts.

Discal cysts are rare lesions and uncommon causes of low back pain and radiculopathy. Despite growing evidence regarding the clinical, pathological and radiological presentation of these lesions, we do not yet have a detailed understanding of their natural history, etiology or pathogenesis. To our knowledge this is the first report of multiple and multilevel discal cysts, and possible mechanisms of pathogenesis are proposed.

Rectal cancer surgery. A ten years experience.

Rectal cancer is one of the most common malignancies in the western world population. The management of rectal cancer has changed thoroughly in recent years owing to the rapid advances in surgical techniques, imaging and adjuvant therapy. The present study analyses extensively 152 patients operated for diagnosis of, rectal cancer in the First Clinic of General Surgery UHC "Mother Theresa" in Tirana, Albania, in a ten years period.

Gliadin allergy manifested with chronic urticaria, headache and amenorrhea.

Gluten intolerance is an autoimmune enteropathy caused by heterogeneous mixture of wheat storage proteins. Malabsorption symptoms imply diarrhoea, abdominal pain/bloating and weight loss. This case describes a 22-year-old female subject, who had chronic headache, joint pain, urticaria and long period of amenorrhea.

A case of isocyanate-induced asthma possibly complicated by food allergy after peanut consumption: a case report.

Background: Isocyanates are extensively used in the manufacture of polyurethane foams, plastics, coatings or adhesives. They are a major cause of occupational asthma in a proportion of exposed workers. Recent findings in animal models have demonstrated that isocyanate-induced asthma does not always represent an IgE-mediated sensitization, but still a mixed profile of CD4+ Th1 and TH2, as well as a CD8+ immune response.

Prevalence of a family history of atopic disease among 3 generations of atopic respiratory patients in Tirana, Albania.

Background And Objective: Having relatives with allergic disease is associated with an increased risk of such disease, but children without a significant genetic predisposition account for much of the increase in asthma prevalence. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the prevalence of a reported family history of allergy has increased among atopic respiratory patients diagnosed in Outpatient Service No. 3 in Tirana in recent decades.

Eosinophil-induced prognosis improvement of solid tumors could be enabled by their vesicle-mediated barrier permeability induction.

Eosinophils are multifunctional cells, which contain and produce many biologically active substances. Generally, eosinophilia is associated with parasitic infections or allergic disorders, while according to recent studies eosinophil infiltration is also present in target tissues of both physiological and pathological processes, such as angiogenesis, embryogenesis, immune regulation, different infections or neoplasies, leading to tissue damage or remodeling. Reflecting on prognosis improvement in the case of solid tumors after eosinophilic infiltration of their capsules, it could be hypothesized that eosinophils are not tumoricidal per se; rather they can perforate such barriers through their vesicles' content, whereas the tumoricidal cytokines such as interleukin 4 (IL-4) fulfill the tumoral necrosis.

From latent incubation launched into hostile symptomatic pathology: A probable survival strategy for common respiratory infectious agents.

Common respiratory infections usually show a latent incubation period, followed by an acute stage. Finally, due to new synthesis of specific antibodies, the relative microorganisms undergo a massive eradication from hostile organism. Meanwhile, clinical symptoms induced by innate immunity mechanisms during these pathologies are assumed properly as host attempts for the expulsion of infectious agents.

Favorable hymenoptera sting reactions during childhood may have enabled transmission of responsible allergic genotype into generations.

Allergic reactions caused by hymenoptera venoms represent a major medical problem for certain groups of population. In addition to different anaphylaxis reactions, less frequent fatal cases have been recorded in Europe and USA. It has been observed that generally, following the initial anaphylaxis reaction to the venom of such insects, milder and less frequent successive reactions occur in children than in adults, though the latter are less frequently stung.

Helminths can protect themselves against rejection inhibiting hostile respiratory allergy symptoms.

The ability of common environmental allergens to stimulate IgE responses and thus to produce allergic diseases has tended to overshadow the fact that helminthic parasites are possibly the most potent inducers of this immunoglobulin that exists in nature. Although it has been well established that during these infections there is a stimulation of IgE against their own antigens as well as a strong induction of nonspecific TH2/IL-4 polyclonal IgE, similarly to the allergic processes, many authors debate if the presence of these infections correlates inversely or not with the rate prevalence of atopy or respiratory allergy. Interpreting this relationship, we suggest that sometimes the intensive infections of hosts, especially with soil helminths which migrate in the respiratory ways or use there as entrance, can induce the production of some mediators ('helminth(k)ines'), to reduce the possibility of their reactive expulsion from the host.

Hymenoptera sting anaphylactic reactions in the Mediterranean population of Albania.

Background: Relatively few studies have examined the relation of different hymenoptera sting reactions.

Objective: To investigate the relation of anaphylactic reactions against stings of different hymenoptera subspecies in the Mediterranean population of Albania.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective study was conducted using the clinic files of 111 patients who were diagnosed for hymenoptera sting reactions from 1987 to 1996.

Specific immunotherapy in Albanian patients with anaphylaxis to hymenoptera venoms.

Background: Severe allergic reactions during rush-specific immunotherapy (Rush-SIT) may occur in the treatment of hymenoptera sting allergy. The objective of the present study was to examine the characteristics of allergic reactions during Rush-SIT in a cohort of patients with allergy towards hymenoptera venom in the mediterranean population of Albania.

Methods: A retrospective study was performed using the clinical reports of 37 patients with venom of bee (apinae), wasp (vespidae, subfamily vespinae) or paperwasp (vespidae, subfamily polistinae) allergy treated with Rush-SIT between 1987 and 1996.