1/27. tobacco allergy: demonstration of cross-reactivity with other members of solanaceae family and mugwort pollen.BACKGROUND: tobacco is a plant belonging to the solanaceae family. This plant is usually used as a contact insecticide for several infestations in some areas, such as the Canary islands. Allergy induced by inhalation of this plant is unusual. Identification of the potential allergen in growing areas is essential. OBJECTIVE: We report a patient with occupational sensitivity to an aqueous solution of cut tobacco whose clinical manifestations were rhinoconjunctivitis and urticaria. Past medical history was significant for seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis to mugwort pollen and oral allergy syndrome with avocado. methods: Green tobacco and cured tobacco leaf extracts were prepared, skin prick tests were performed with green tobacco, cured tobacco leaf extracts, and certain aeroallergens. Conjunctival challenge test was carried out with green tobacco and cured tobacco leaf extract. serum-specific IgE against tobacco leaf was performed by commercial CAP. CAP inhibition experiments were carried out with tobacco and artemisia vulgaris. RESULTS: Skin prick tests and conjunctival challenge tests with green tobacco and cured tobacco leaf extracts were positive, as well as serum-specific IgE by CAP, indicating an IgE-mediated sensitization. CAP inhibition experiments were carried out and it was found that tobacco, mugwort pollen, and tomato extracts inhibited the binding of the patient's serum to solid-phase tobacco leaf. No inhibition was observed when alternaria, D. pteronyssinus, and potato were used as control inhibitors. Inhibition of immunoCAP to mugwort was obtained with mugwort and tobacco extracts and no cross-reactivity to D. pteronyssinus was shown. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that tobacco can induce IgE-mediated reactions that are mediated by the existence of common antigenic epitopes between tobacco and mugwort pollen. This allergy can be a hazard of employment in the agricultural areas.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = plant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/27. Disseminated and recurrent sarcoid-like granulomatous panniculitis due to bovine collagen injection.Three to five percent of patients treated with injectable collagen implants have adverse local reactions. Systemic signs or symptoms are infrequent. We describe the case of a 53-year-old woman who developed local and general complaints 2 months after receiving two collagen injections in both nasolabial folds. She presented asthenia, malaise, polyarthralgia and inflammatory nodular panniculitis in the places of injection as well as on the forearms and lower extremities. Skin testing was compatible with hypersensitivity to collagen. This case raises the question as to whether the injection of animal-derived collagen induces manifestations similar to those observed in connective autoimmune diseases or human adjuvant disease.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33333333333333keywords = plant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/27. Allergy development after bone marrow transplantation from a non-atopic donor.BACKGROUND: Transfer of allergy from atopic bone marrow donors to recipients is known to occur. Development of allergy in a non-atopic patient transplanted from a non-atopic donor is an unfamiliar phenomenon in clinical practice. OBJECTIVES: To clarify the course of events causing a bone marrow recipient to acquire an allergic disease in such non-conducive circumstances. methods: Full medical history, prick and intradermal skin tests, and serum IgE levels were obtained from both donor and recipient patients. dna and red blood cell phenotype analyses were used to detect the degree of chimerism. RESULTS: Only the recipient patient showed positive specific IgE antibodies and skin tests to house dust mite. The recipient patient displayed 100% donor chimera, based on all engraftment markers sought. CONCLUSION: Full engraftment after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation may be associated with modulation of T and B cell function, which in turn could cause the onset of allergic disease after bone marrow transplantation.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2.3333333333333keywords = plant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/27. Occupational rhinitis and bronchial asthma due to artichoke (cynara scolymus).BACKGROUND: The artichoke is a perennial horticultural plant that belongs to the Compositae family. OBJECTIVE: To present case studies of 2 vegetable warehouse workers who developed occupational rhinitis and bronchial asthma by sensitization to artichoke. methods: Skin prick tests with common inhalants and foods were performed. Specific IgE to artichoke, parietaria judaica pollen, and olea europaea pollen extracts was measured by a specific IgE enzyme immunosorbent assay kit. Molecular mass of the allergens was studied by the sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) immunoblotting technique. patients underwent a nasal challenge test, and one patient provided peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) measurements in her workplace. RESULTS: In both patients, results of skin prick tests to artichoke were positive. Levels of specific IgE for artichoke were 0.68 kU/L in patient 1 and 2.14 kU/L in patient 2. The protein composition of the artichoke extract, studied by SDS-PAGE, showed that most bands ranged from 30 to 14 kDa. The IgE-binding bands with the serum samples of patient 1 showed apparent molecular masses of 56, 48, 38, 31, 27, 25, 16, and 15 kDa; however, the serum samples of patient 2 showed IgE bands of 21 and 19 kDa. Western blotting of artichoke extract showed a complete inhibition of IgE-binding bands when serum samples were preincubated with P. judaica pollen extract. Nasal challenge with artichoke extract triggered a peak nasal inspiratory flow decrease of 81% and 85% in patient 1 and patient 2, respectively. Finally, patient 1 recorded a PEFR decrease of up to 36% after exposure to artichoke in her workplace. CONCLUSIONS: SDS-PAGE immunoblotting inhibition performed for the artichoke extract showed a total disappearance of the specific IgE binding bands when serum samples were previously incubated with P. judaica pollen extract, thus establishing the existence of a serologic cross-reactivity between artichoke and P. judaica pollen.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33333333333333keywords = plant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/27. Occupational dermatitis from Lactuca sativa (lettuce) and Cichorium (endive). Simultaneous occurrence of immediate and delayed allergy as a cause of contact dermatitis.Four patients with occupational contact dermatitis to Lactuca sativa had cross-sensitivity to Cichorium endivia. One of the patients also had contact urticaria to Lactuca and Cichorium, and another reacted positively to scratch tests with these plants as a sign of immediate allergy. In two cases such immediate allergy was considered the cause of a vesicular, intense itching eruption within a few minutes of contact with fresh leaves of Lactuca on previously eczematous skin. The severe chronic dermatitis of the hands of these patients is ascribed to combined delayed and immediate allergy.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33333333333333keywords = plant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/27. Allergy to pistachio nuts.Three patients with adverse food reactions due to pistachio and mango were studied. Specific IgE against these tropical stone fruits of the anacardiaceae family could be demonstrated, indicating type I allergic reactions. methods are described to detect these specific antibodies in a reproducible way.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.13231769391453keywords = fruit (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/27. Ultrarush immunotherapy in a patient with occupational allergy to bumblebee venom (Bombus terrestris).Bumblebee venom allergies, though uncommon among the broad public, pose a significant risk in plant industry and scientific occupation. Since a significant IgE cross-reactivity between bumblebee and honeybee venom has been described in several cases and bumblebee venom for immunotherapy has been available only from a few suppliers, SIT with honeybee venom was frequently used for bumblebee venom allergic patients in the past. We present the case of occupational bumblebee allergy in a biologist who developed anaphylactic reactions with subsequent stings. He was lacking cross-reactivity to honeybee venom, therefore we initiated immunotherapy with bumblebee venom extract. Two months after reaching the maintenance dose of 80 microg, the efficacy of the treatment was demonstrated by sting challenge.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33333333333333keywords = plant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/27. latex-vegetable syndrome due to custard apple and aubergine: new variations of the hevein symphony.An increasing number of vegetables with crossreactions to latex are being described in patients with latex-vegetable syndrome. We present two of these vegetables, custard apple linked in two previous cases with latex sensitisation, and aubergine, that had not been described up to now in patients with latex sensitisation. The diagnosis of both cases was based on the clinical history, positive skin prick test (SPT) and specific IgE to the offending vegetables, as well as to positive SPT and specific IgE levels to latex and the major fruits involved in the latex-fruit syndrome (avocado, banana, and chestnut). Further, crude extracts from latex, custard apple and aubergine, as well as the purified allergens Hev b 6.02 and Prs a 1 were used in in vitro and in vivo assays: IgE immunodetection, histamine release (HRT) and basophil activation (BAT) tests and skin prick tests. In case 1, both purified Hev b 6.02 and Prs a 1 induced positive responses in skin prick tests, high levels of basophil activation and histamine release. Specific IgE immunodetection uncovered a reactive band of 45 kd in the crude custard apple extract, which was also recognized by anti-chitinase monospecific antibodies. The serum from patient 1 also detected Prs a 1 in immunodetection. Hev b 6.02 produced positive skin responses and showed high biological activity in HRT and BAT in the case of patient 2. However, Prs a 1 was reactive neither in SPT nor in IgE immunodetection. In fact, no band was detected using the serum of patient 2 in avocado or aubergine extracts. By contrast, Prs a 1 reached high values of basophil activation and over 10% of histamine release in case 2.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.26463538782906keywords = fruit (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/27. Cytotoxic chemotherapy successfully induces durable complete remission in 2 patients with mosquito allergy resulting from Epstein-Barr virus-associated T-/natural killer cell lymphoproliferative disease.Recent findings indicate that Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-infected T-/natural killer (NK) cells play an important role in the pathogenesis of mosquito allergy, and most patients with mosquito allergy die early in life if not properly treated. Over the last 7 years, we have been using combination chemotherapy and allogeneic stem cell transplantation for the treatment of EBV-associated T-/NK cell lymphoproliferative disease (LPD) in which chronic active EBV infection and mosquito allergy were included. As of this writing, we have successfully treated 2 patients with mosquito allergy with chemotherapy in which EBV-infected T-/NK cells were eradicated. The findings suggest the possible role of chemotherapy in the treatment of EBV-associated T-/NK cell LPD.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33333333333333keywords = plant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/27. Occupational asthma caused by brazil ginseng dust.The inhalation of different substances of plant origin can cause immediate and late onset asthma. The list of these agents responsible for such reactions is continuously increasing. We discuss a patient who developed symptoms of asthma after exposure to Pfaffia paniculata root powder used in the manufacturing of brazil ginseng capsules. Airway hyperreactivity was confirmed by a positive bronchial challenge to methacholine. Sensitivity to this dust was confirmed by immediate skin test reactivity, a positive bronchial challenge (immediate response), and the presence of specific IgE detected by ELISA technique to an aqueous extract. The bronchial response was inhibited by sodium cromoglycate. Unexposed subjects did not exhibit reactivity to this ginseng extract with any of the tests referred to above. The same study performed with Korean ginseng (panax ginseng) elicited negative results. This study is the first, to our knowledge, that links ginseng-root dust to occupational asthma.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33333333333333keywords = plant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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