BACKGROUND Diagnosing peanut allergy based on sensitisation alone leads to an unacceptable rate of overdiagnosis. OBJECTIVE To define parameters that may help differentiate peanut allergy from asymptomatic sensitisation in a cohort of South African (SA) children with atopic dermatitis (AD). It is the first study in SA to utilise oral food challenge tests and analyse peanut component patterns....

Background: Aflatoxins (AFs) are natural toxins produced by fungus belonging to genus Aspergillus. These toxins are the secondary metabolites, which may cause teratogenic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic effects due to contamination of food. Peanut is an economically important crop, grown in many parts of the world. The main aim of this survey was to detect AFs in peanut oils marketed in Peshawar, ...

Comparing lymphocyte responses to allergenic and nonallergenic foods could reveal the differences between pathogenic and normal immune responses to foods. Defining the cytokine-producing phenotypes of peanut-specific lymphocytes from peanut-allergic children, children who outgrew peanut allergy, and children who have always tolerated peanuts may be useful for understanding the mechanisms of foo...

Methods We included 60 subjects in different groups: Group 1, peanut and peach allergy; Group 2, peanut allergy and good tolerance to peach; Group 3, peach allergy and good tolerance to peanut; Group 4, good tolerance to peach and peanut. The diagnostic was performed by clinical history, skin prick test and/or double blind placebo controlled food challenge. BAT to Arah1, Arah2, Arah3, Arah6, rA...

Inadvertent exposure to peanut in foods poses health risks for peanut-allergic individuals that can be reduced by improving detection systems for allergen contaminants in food products and manufacturing processes. Detection of peanut in chocolate has been especially difficult. We report the optimization of conditions for measuring a major peanut allergen, Ara h 1, in chocolate with the use of a...

Methods DBPCFC was performed with increasing concentrations of peanut allergen (1 mg to 5 g of peanut) in 42 children with suspected IgE-mediated peanut-allergy. Blood samples were taken for analyses of CD-sens and quantification of IgE-antibodies to peanut and Ara h 1-3, 8-9. Basophils were stimulated in vitro with peanut allergen in descending doses until the threshold sensitivity was reached...

BACKGROUND The relative contribution and the relation between individual peanut allergens in peanut allergic responses is still matter of debate. We determined the individual contribution of peanut proteins to B, T cell and allergic effector responses in a mouse model for peanut allergy. METHODS Mice were immunized and challenged by oral gavage with peanut protein extract or isolated allergen...

BACKGROUND Peanut allergy is an increasingly common health problem. Current treatment guidelines are based on strict avoidance. However, in the last few years, oral immunotherapy protocols have shown promising results yielding increased tolerance to peanut in allergic children. Adolescence is particularly at risk. METHODS/DESIGN We have designed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled,...

Edible peanut seed represents approximately forty percent of the total mass of the peanut plant at harvest. This plant material is a potential source of nutraceutical compounds. Aqueous acetone was used to extract polar compounds from the leaves and roots of peanut plants, and from the shells of peanut seeds. The antioxidant activities of the extracts using ORAC were determined and compared. Th...

BACKGROUND Double-blinded challenges are widely used for diagnosing food allergy but are time-consuming and cause severe reactions. Outcome relies on subjective interpretation of symptoms, which leads to variations in outcome between observers. Facial thermography combined with nasal peanut challenge was evaluated as a novel objective indicator of clinical allergy. METHODS Sixteen children wi...