Search results for "init"

Hepatitis B surface antigen presentation and HLA-DRB1*– lessons from twins and peptide binding studies

2005

Summary The aim of this study was to investigate the underlying mechanisms of the genetic association between certain HLA-DRB1* alleles and the immune response to HBsAg vaccination. Therefore, HBsAg peptide binding to HLA-DR molecules was measured in vitro by peptide binding ELISAs. Additionally, HBsAg-specific T cell reaction and cytokine profile of immune response were analysed ex vivo in ELISPOT assays and DR-restriction of T-cell proliferative responses was investigated with HBsAg specific T cell clones. In addition, we compared HBsAg specific T cell responses of 24 monozygotic and 3 dizygotic twin pairs after HBsAg vaccination. Our results showed that the peptide binding assays did not…

Sensitization to Horse Allergens in Italy: A Multicentre Study in Urban Atopic Subjects without Occupational Exposure.

2010

<i>Background:</i> Horses play a significant role in people’s leisure time in Italy and other countries, but few data are available on IgE-mediated sensitization to horse allergens in patients without occupational exposure. We assessed, in a multicentric survey, the prevalence of horse sensitization in atopic subjects and its clinical characteristics. <i>Methods:</i> Allergists from the whole Italian territory were required to collect the results of skin prick tests from at least 100 consecutive subjects. Those patients with a positive skin test to horse dander underwent a detailed interview concerning clinical history, pet ownership and possible exposure. <i>R…

Monosodium benzoate hypersensitivity in subjects with persistent rhinitis

2004

Background:  Very few data are available from the literature on whether nonatopic subjects affected by persistent rhinitis may show the appearance of objective symptoms of rhinitis after the ingestion of food additives such as tartrazine (E102), erythrosine (E127), monosodium benzoate (E211), p-hydroxybenzoate (E218), sodium metabisulphite (E223), and monosodium glutamate (E620). It is still unclear whether the ingestion of food additive may cause, as well, a consensual reduction of nasal peak inspiratory flow (NPIFR). Therefore, we used a double-blind placebo-controlled (DBPC) study to evaluate this hypothesis. Patients and methods:  Two hundred and twenty-six consecutive patients (76 male…

Comparison of the effects of salmeterol and salbutamol on clinical activity and eosinophil cationic protein serum levels during the pollen season in …

1995

In atopic asthma there is strong evidence of eosinophils playing an active role in pathogenesis. Some investigations demonstrated that eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) serum levels increased in atopic patients with asthma during pollen season.The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of short-term (1 week) beta 2-agonist treatment on lung function and eosinophil activity in asthmatic patients.We used an open, randomized, cross-over design to compare the effects of salbutamol (200 micrograms q.i.d.) and salmeterol (50 micrograms b.i.d.) on peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), blood eosinophil count and serum levels of ECP as a measure of eosinophil activity in 20 mild atopic asthmatics.…

Genome-based in silico identification of new Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens activating polyfunctional CD8+ T cells in human tuberculosis.

2011

Although CD8(+) T cells help control Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, their M. tuberculosis Ag repertoire, in vivo frequency, and functionality in human tuberculosis (TB) remains largely undefined. We have performed genome-based bioinformatics searches to identify new M. tuberculosis epitopes presented by major HLA class I supertypes A2, A3, and B7 (covering 80% of the human population). A total of 432 M. tuberculosis peptides predicted to bind to HLA-A*0201, HLA-A*0301, and HLA-B*0702 (representing the above supertypes) were synthesized and HLA-binding affinities determined. Peptide-specific CD8(+) T cell proliferation assays (CFSE dilution) in 41 M. tuberculosis-responsive donors ide…

Identification of a Lipid Transfer Protein as a New Allergen From Morus alba Pollen.

2017

Homozygous variants in the gene SCAPER cause syndromic intellectual disability

2019

The S-Phase Cyclin A Associated Protein In The ER (SCAPER) gene is a ubiquitously expressed gene with unknown function in the brain. Recently, biallelic SCAPER variants were described in four patients from three families with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and intellectual disability (ID). Here, we expand the spectrum of pathogenic variants in SCAPER and report on 10 further patients from four families with ID, RP, and additional dysmorphic features carrying homozygous variants in SCAPER. The variants found comprise frameshift, nonsense, and missense variants as well as an intragenic homozygous deletion, which spans SCAPER exons 15 and 16 and introduces a frameshift and a premature stop codon. A…

Do neurologists agree in diagnosing drug resistance in adults with focal epilepsy?

2019

Objective: To evaluate interrater agreement in categorizing treatment outcomes and drug responsiveness status according to the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) definition of drug-resistant epilepsy. Methods: A total of 1053 adults with focal epilepsy considered by the investigators to meet ILAE criteria for drug resistance were enrolled consecutively at 43 centers and followed up prospectively for 18-34 months. Treatment outcomes for all antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) used up to enrollment (retrospective assessment), and on an AED newly introduced at enrollment, were categorized by individual investigators and by 2 rotating members of a 16-member expert panel (EP) that reviewed the …

MUC4 impairs the anti-inflammatory effects of corticosteroids in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps

2017

Background Current evidence suggests that membrane-tethered mucins could mediate corticosteroid efficacy, interacting with glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). Mucin 4 (MUC4)–tethered mucin is expressed in nasal polyp (NP) epithelial cells and upregulated under inflammatory conditions. Moreover, MUC4β has the capacity to interact with other intracellular proteins. We hypothesized that MUC4 modulates corticosteroid efficacy of patients with CRSwNP. Objective We sought to analyze the role of MUC4 in corticosteroid effectiveness in different cohorts of patients with CRSwNP and elucidate the possible mechanisms involved. Methods Eighty…

Notch‐1 signaling activation sustains overexpression of interleukin 33 in the epithelium of nasal polyps

2019

Abstract BACKGROUND: Alterations in the nasal epithelial barrier homeostasis and increased interleukin 33 (IL-33) expression contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). AIMS: As Notch-1 signaling is crucial in repair processes of mucosa, the current study assessed Notch-1/Jagged-1 signaling and IL-33 in the epithelium of nasal polyps biopsies from allergic (A-CRSwNP; n = 9) and not allergic (NA-CRSwNP; n = 9) subjects by immunohistochemistry. We also assessed, in a model of nasal epithelial cells, the effects of stimulation of Notch-1 with Jagged-1 on the expression of IL-33 (by flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, and immunocytochemistry), Jagged-1 (…