BACKGROUND IgE specific to worm antigen (SWA) and pre-treatment eosinophil number, are associated with human immunity to re-infection with schistosomes after chemotherapeutic treatment. Treatment significantly elevates circulating IL-5 24-hr post-treatment of Schistosoma mansoni. Here we investigate if praziquantel treatment of human schistosomiasis haematobium also boosts circulating IL-5, the...

BACKGROUND Allergies represent the most prevalent non infective diseases worldwide. Approaching IgE-mediated sensitizations improved much by adopting allergenic molecules instead of extracts, and by using the micro-technology for multiplex testing. OBJECTIVE AND METHODS To provide a proof-of-concept that a flow cytometric bead array is a feasible mean for the detection of specific IgE reactiv...

Immunoglobulin (Ig) E production by B cells requires two primary signals provided by T cells, interleukin (IL)-4 or IL-13 and CD40 ligand (CD40L). In addition, costimulatory signals, such as CD23-CD21 interaction, contribute further ensuring a selective control over this production. Recently, CD28, expressed on T cells, has been reported to be involved in this process. The CD28 ligands, CD80 (B...

BACKGROUND Mast cells have been shown to regulate intestinal ion transport in animal models and normal human colon but their physiological role in human intestinal inflammatory disorders is unknown. AIMS To examine mast cell regulation of ion transport in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). SUBJECTS AND METHODS Small and large intestine was obtained from patients with and without IBD undergoi...

BACKGROUND & AIMS In food allergic individuals, exposure to food allergens by the oral route can trigger immediate (within minutes) local hypersensitivity reactions in the intestine followed by a late-phase inflammatory response. Previous work has shown that CD23 is constitutively expressed by human intestinal epithelial cells and mediates the uptake of allergen-IgE complexes. We hypothesized t...

The effect of rabbit antiidiotypic antibody raised against human IgG F(ab')2 anti-tetanus toxoid (TT) antibodies on the in vitro synthesis of TT-specific IgE antibody by peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) was examined in three subjects. Two of these subjects were allergic twins whose sera persistently contained IgE anti-TT antibodies. The third subject was a nonallergic individual who had a sli...

BACKGROUND Profilins are highly cross-reactive allergens which bind IgE antibodies of almost 20% of plant-allergic patients. This study is aimed at investigating cross-reactivity of melon profilin with other plant profilins and the role of the linear and conformational epitopes in human IgE cross-reactivity. METHODS Seventeen patients with melon allergy were selected based on clinical history...

BACKGROUND The synthesis of allergen-specific blocking IgGs that interact with IgE after allergen immunotherapy (SIT) has been related to clinical efficacy. The objectives were to investigate the epitope specificity of IgG-antibodies induced by depigmented-polymerized (Dpg-Pol) allergoids and unmodified allergen extracts, and examine IgE-blocking activity of induced IgG-antibodies. METHODS Ra...

BACKGROUND Although much is known about the reactivity of polyclonal populations of antibodies targeting the wide array of allergens produced by timothy (Phleum pratense) and other grass species, little is known about the finer details at the level of individual antibody specificities. OBJECTIVE We sought to investigate the IgE repertoire as it occurs in a patient with grass pollen allergy. ...

Airway remodeling is not specifically targeted by current asthma medications, partly owing to the lack of understanding of remodeling mechanisms, altogether posing great challenges in asthma treatment. Increased airway smooth muscle (ASM) mass due to hyperplasia/hypertrophy contributes significantly to overall airway remodeling and correlates with decline in lung function. Recent evidence sugge...