Background: Patterns of sensitization to house dust mites depend on geographic area and are important in clinical practice. However, the role of molecular diagnosis is not currently defined. We sought to characterize a pediatric population by focusing on sensitization to different mite species and major mite components in order to assess the clinical relevance of sensitization to allergenic components in our practice. Methods: Consecutive children with respiratory allergy sensitized to house dust mites (determined by skin prick test [SPT]) were recruited. We determined specific IgE to nDer p 1, rDer p 2, and rDer p 23 using ImmunoCAP and sIgE using ImmunoCAP-ISAC microarray. Patients were followed up for 3 years. Results: A total of 276 children were recruited. The frequency of sensitization was 86.6% for nDer p 1, 79.3% for rDer p 2, and 75.8% for rDer p 23. Lepidoglyphus species was the most common storage mite detected by SPT. Twenty-six patients (9.4%) were not sensitized to Der p 1 or Der p 2. It is noteworthy that IgE binding to Der p 23 was positive in 14 (53.8%). Asthmatic patients, especially those with a persistent moderate-severe phenotype, more frequently recognized the 3 major allergens. Conclusions: Most patients with mite allergy were sensitized to the major allergens Der p 1, Der p 2, and Der p 23. Of the allergens evaluated, 5% were sensitized to Der p 23 but not to Der p 1 or Der p 2. Sensitization to Der p 23 should be considered in the diagnosis and treatment of mite allergy, especially in patients with moderate-severe asthma, because it may worsen the clinical phenotype. ResumenAntecedentes: El perfil de sensibilización a los ácaros del polvo depende del área geográfica y es importante en la práctica clínica. Sin embargo, el papel del diagnóstico molecular no ha sido del todo definido. Nuestro objetivo fue la caracterización del perfil de sensibilización de una población pediátrica a diferentes especies de ácaros; y evaluar la sensibilización a componentes alergénicos y su relevancia en nuestra práctica clínica. Métodos: Se reclutaron de forma consecutiva pacientes con alergia respiratoria y sensibilización a ácaros del polvo doméstico mediante pruebas cutáneas. Se determinó la IgE específica por ImmunoCAP a nDer p 1, rDer p 2, rDer p 23 y la sIgE mediante el microarray de ImmunoCAP ISAC. Los pacientes fueron evaluados durante tres años según práctica cínica habitual. Resultados: Se reclutaron un total de 276 niños. La sensibilización fue de 86,6% a nDer p 1, 79,3% a rDer p 2 y 75,8% a rDer p 23. Lepidoglyphus fue el ácaro de almacén más común según prueba cutánea. Un total de veintiséis pacientes (9,4%) no estaban sensibilizados a Der p 1 ni Der p 2; cabe destacar que 14 de ellos (53,8%) presentaban IgE positiva a Der p 23. Los pacientes con asma, y en especial los de fenotipo persistente moderado y grave, reconocieron con mayor frecuencia los tres alérgenos mayores. Conclusiones: La mayoría de nuestra población pediátrica con alergia a ácaros está sensibilizada a los alérgenos mayores Der p...

We have developed a system to determine the concentration of LTP in peach extracts. LTP in peel extracts is approximately seven times greater than in pulp.

Background: Although allergy to Cannabis sativa was first reported over 40 years ago, the allergenicity has scarcely been studied. The objectives of this study were to investigate the frequency of sensitization to this plant, to analyze the clinical characteristics and allergenic profile of sensitized individuals and to identify the allergens involved. Methods: Five hundred and forty-five individuals in Spain attending allergy clinics with respiratory or cutaneous symptoms underwent a skin-prick test (SPT) with C. sativa leaf extract. The extract was characterized by SDS-PAGE and 2-dimensional electrophoresis. Specific IgE to C. sativa was measured in positive SPT individuals. The clinical and allergenic profiles of sensitized individuals were investigated and the most-recognized allergens sequenced and characterized by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry. Results: Of this preselected population, 44 individuals had positive SPT to C. sativa (prevalence 8.1%). Prevalence was higher in individuals who were C. sativa smokers (14.6%). Two individuals reported mild symptoms with C. sativa. Twenty-one individuals from 32 available sera (65.6%) had positive specific IgE to C. sativa. Twelve sera recognized at least 6 different bands in a molecular-weight range of between 10 and 60 kDa. Six of them recognized a 10-kDa band, identified as a lipid transfer protein (LTP) and 8 recognized a 38-kDa band, identified as a thaumatin-like protein. Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of sensitization to C. sativa leaves. The clinical symptoms directly attributed to C. sativa were uncommon and mild. The sensitization profile observed suggests that C. sativa sensitization may be mediated by two mechanisms, i.e. cross-reactivity, mainly with LTP and thaumatin-like protein, and exposure-related ‘de novo' sensitization.

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Immunologic studies were performed in 21 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and 16 with the Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Levels of thymus-derived (T) cells measured by "total" and "active" rosette formation between sheep erythrocytes and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (TEt, TEa) were within normal limits in all the patients, with the exception of four GBS patients, including one who also had received chemotherapy for lymphoma and three who were receiving steroids. When lymphocytes from the 21 patients were incubated with the bone-marrow-derived (B) lymphoblastoid cell line PGLC-33H, there were, for 12 of 18 MS patients and 11 of 16 GBS patients, significant decreases in a subpopulation of peripheral blood T lymphocytes that form "PGLC rosettes" (PGR) with the PGLC-33H cells. (Peripheral blood T cells from normal individuals formed PGR with 23.9 +/- 3.8 percent of PGLC-33H cells.) Using the 125l-C1q binding assay, immune complexes were detected in the serum of 14 of 19 MS patients and 15 of 16 GBS patients. An association between increased C1q binding and decreased PGR values was found in 10 of 18 MS patients and 12 of 17 GBS patients. The results suggest that in both diseases the etiology may involve a decrease in the subset of T cells that bind to the IgM-producing cell line PGLC-33H, in association with the appearance of circulating immune complexes containing the infectious viral agent.