BACKGROUND Allergic diseases such as asthma and allergic rhinitis constitute a significant burden of disease among women of childbearing age and those who are pregnant. Adequately managing these conditions is paramount in reducing negative fetal outcomes as well as maternal complications during pregnancy. However, the potential for harm to both the mother and fetus demands carefully balancing e...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW To describe the recent insights of how molecular diagnosis can be useful to improve indication and selection of suitable allergens for specific immunotherapy and to increase its safety. RECENT FINDINGS As specific allergen immunotherapy is allergen-specific, the identification of the disease-eliciting allergen is a prerequisite for accurate prescription of anti-allergic trea...

To initiate, monitor, and complete effective immunotherapy, biomarkers to predict and visualize the immune responses are needed. First, we need to identify the right candidate for immunotherapy. Secondly, the immune responses induced by immunotherapy should be monitored. For the first objective, analysis of polymorphisms of candidate genes may be helpful, but still be in development. Regarding ...

BACKGROUND Limited data are available on the immunochemical compatibilities of standardized and nonstandardized allergen extracts in immunotherapy vaccines. Extract combinations recommended in immunotherapy practice parameters are based primarily on theoretical considerations rather than on actual product compatibilities. OBJECTIVES To determine the stabilities of standardized grass, short ra...

BACKGROUND Immunotherapy dose recommendations for allergens specified in practice parameter updates have varied from version to version, and no convenient methods are available to incorporate dose changes or targets into maintenance vial formulations for patients. OBJECTIVES To compare the allergen immunotherapy dose recommendations published between 2003-2011, and to provide math-free dosing...

Although great progress has been made to elucidate the molecular and cellular basis of allergic disorders, it is not completely understood why some individuals develop allergic sensitization to some foods, while the majority of individuals are immunologically tolerant. In addition, it is yet not fully understood which is the molecular basis involved in the immunopathogenesis of the mechanisms e...

The development of reliable and clinically relevant potency assays is essential to the practice of safe and effective allergen-specific immunotherapy. Allergen standardization in the United States is based on the establishment of a national reference assigned with a biological potency unit to which manufacturers' products are compared using validated relative potency assays. This ensures, at le...

OBJECTIVES Sublingual allergen-specific immunotherapy is a safe and effective method for treatment of IgE-mediated respiratory allergies; however, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. This study was planned to test whether sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) can exert epigenetic mechanisms through which the airway allergic responses can be extinguished. MATERIALS AND METHODS BALB/c...

Despite over a century of clinical use and a well-documented record of efficacy and safety, a growing minority in society questions the validity of vaccination and fear that this common public health intervention is the root-cause of severe health problems. This article questions whether growing public anti-vaccine sentiments might have the potential to spill-over into other therapies distinct ...

INTRODUCTION Sensitisation to Alternaria is a cause of respiratory disease in Spain, particularly in childhood, but it is also a significant marker of the severity of this disease. Therefore, the use of an aetiological treatment (allergen specific immunotherapy) is essential, and both subjective and objective clinical parameters should be used to follow up this treatment. OBJECTIVE This open-...