BACKGROUND Cytotoxic T lymphocyte associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) is involved in the activation pathways of T lymphocytes. It has been shown that the circulating form of CTLA-4 is elevated in patients with hymenoptera allergy and can be down regulated by immunotherapy. OBJECTIVE to assess the effects on CTLA-4 of venom immunotherapy, given with different induction protocols: conventional (6 wee...

BACKGROUND Ultra-rush induction of immunotherapy with Hymenoptera venom is a reliable and efficacious alternative to the rush induction protocol, though not widely used in European countries yet. Its safety, however, has been intensively discussed over the last few years. The aim of this retrospective case study was to examine the rate of allergic side-effects during our four-hour ultra-rush hy...

AIM To evaluate markers of mast cell and basophil activation in children undergoing the initial phase of honeybee venom immunotherapy (VIT). PATIENTS & METHODS Five children (four boys and one girl) aged 9.5-18 years with severe systemic bee sting reactions and confirmed IgE-mediated allergy were enrolled. Plasma and urine concentrations of 9α,11β-PGF2 and serum tryptase levels were measured ...

BACKGROUND Severe allergic reactions during rush-specific immunotherapy (Rush-SIT) may occur in the treatment of hymenoptera sting allergy. The objective of the present study was to examine the characteristics of allergic reactions during Rush-SIT in a cohort of patients with allergy towards hymenoptera venom in the mediterranean population of Albania. METHODS A retrospective study was perfor...

BACKGROUND To examine whether whole genome expression profiling could reveal changes in mRNA expression of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from allergic patients undergoing rush immunotherapy (RIT) that might be manifest within the first few months of treatment. METHODS For this study, PBMC from three allergic patients undergoing RIT were assessed at four timepoints: prior to RIT, a...

BACKGROUND Rush immunotherapy (RIT) presents an attractive alternative to standard immunotherapy. However, RIT carries a much greater risk of acute allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. OBJECTIVES We hypothesized that omalizumab, a humanized monoclonal anti-IgE antibody, would be effective in enhancing both safety and efficacy of RIT. METHODS Adult patients with ragweed allergic rhinit...

BACKGROUND Patients with mastocytosis and wasp venom allergy (WA) may benefit from venom immunotherapy (VIT). However, fatal insect sting reactions have been described in mastocytosis patients despite previous immunotherapy. We investigated the safety and efficacy of (rush) VIT in patients with mastocytosis and WA. OBJECTIVE To investigate the safety and efficacy of (rush) VIT in patients wit...

Background A small, but significant number of subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) based systemic reactions (SR) result in morbidity and mortality. SR range from 4 to 7% for traditional protocols and up to 34% if undergoing RUSH immunotherapy. There is estimated 1 death per 2.5 million immunotherapy injections. We report the results of an IRB approved study and contrast the safety of the United Al...