Background and aims—Evidence suggests that the intestinal actions of Clostridium difficile toxin A—stimulation of secretion and motility, and an acute inflammatory response—have a neurally mediated component. Methods—Direct intracellular electrophysiological recording of electrical and synaptic behaviour in enteric neurones was performed in the submucous plexus of guinea pig small intestine dur...

Th e allergic response is best characterized as a specifi c infl ammatory response of the immune system against environmental agents that contact the skin or mucosa. Th e primary immune cells involved in allergic responses are IgEreceptor positive mast cells (embedded within tissues) and basophils (circulating in the plasma).3 When an allergen crosslinks two or more IgE antibodies connected to ...

Previous investigations have provided evidence that the N-terminal peptide of annexin 1 (peptide Ac2-26) has the capacity of reproducing the anti-inflammatory actions of the full-length protein in many systems. In the current study, we report the effectiveness of the peptide Ac2-26 as an antiallergic tool in a model of rat pleurisy and provide indication for some of the mechanisms involved. In ...

This study investigated whether immediate acupuncture effects in the acupoint are histamine dependent. Both histamine injection and manual acupuncture stimulation increased the pain threshold (PT) after treatment compared with the model group (P < 0.01), producing an analgesic effect. After pretreatment with clemastine, an H1 receptor antagonist and an antipruritic, the increase in the animals'...

Background: Allergic conjunctivitis (AC) is a common ophthalmologic disorder that causes symptoms often reduces patient’s quality of life (QOL). We investigated the effects eicosapentaenoic acid metabolite (±)5(6)-dihydroxy-8Z,11Z,14Z,17Z-eicosatetraenoic ((±)5(6)-DiHETE) on AC using mouse model. Methods: BALB/c mice were sensitized with two injections short ragweed pollen in alum, challenged f...

BACKGROUND Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), especially aspirin, and food additives (FAs) may exacerbate allergic symptoms in patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria and food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (FDEIA). Augmentation of histamine release from human mast cells and basophils by those substances is speculated to be the cause of exacerbated allergic symptoms. We ...

Changes in cyclic nucleotide production and atrial dynamics have been known to modulate atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) release. Although cardiac atrium expresses histamine receptors and contains histamine, the role of histamine in the regulation of ANP release has to be defined. The purpose of the present study was to define the effect of histamine on the regulation of ANP release in perfused...

Histamine is synthesized via histidine decarboxylase (HDC) in wide types of immune cells and is involved in abundant physiologic and pathologic processes. Histamine is a mediator released during inflammatory reactions, such as food allergy. Food allergy is immunological reactions to 'fight off' specific allergens within food in susceptible individuals. The aim of this study is investigation of ...