Allergy and Immunology Commons^™

Sublingual Immunotherapy: Is It A Viable Option To Subcutaneous Immunotherapy When Treating Allergic Rhinitis?, David Ryan Kesterson

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

• Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a very common debilitating disease that can be detrimental to one’s lifestyle, work, and home life. Immunotherapy is the only treatment option that has disease modifying capabilities with a proper therapeutic regimen. Subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) was developed over 100 years ago and has been the gold standard in immunotherapy for many years in the United States. During these years many adverse reactions have been reported with SCIT along with non-adherence to total treatment. The introduction of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) over 20 years ago gave providers a promising alternative to SCIT.

• Method: A review …

Interpreting Patient-Reported Outcomes From Clinical Trials In Copd: A Discussion, Paul W. Jones, Stephen I. Rennard, Maggie Tabberer, John H. Riley, Mitra Vahdati-Bolouri, Neil C. Barnes

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

One of the challenges faced by the practising physician is the interpretation of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in clinical trials and the relevance of such data to their patients. This is especially true when caring for patients with progressive diseases such as COPD. In an attempt to incorporate the patient perspective, many clinical trials now include assessments of PROs. These are formalized methods of capturing patient-centered information. Given the importance of PROs in evaluating the potential utility of an intervention for a patient with COPD, it is important that physicians are able to critically interpret (and critique) the results derived from …

Upregulation Of Rgs2: A New Mechanism For Pirfenidone Amelioration Of Pulmonary Fibrosis, Yan Xie, Haihong Jiang, Qian Zhang, Suneet Mehrotra, Peter W. Abel, Myron L. Toews, Dennis W. Wolff, Stephen I. Rennard, Reynold A. Panettieri, Thomas B. Casale, Yaping Tu

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

BACKGROUND: Pirfenidone was recently approved for treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. However, the therapeutic dose of pirfenidone is very high, causing side effects that limit its doses and therapeutic effectiveness. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of action of pirfenidone could improve its safety and efficacy. Because activated fibroblasts are critical effector cells associated with the progression of fibrosis, this study investigated the genes that change expression rapidly in response to pirfenidone treatment of pulmonary fibroblasts and explored their contributions to the anti-fibrotic effects of pirfenidone.

METHODS: We used the GeneChip microarray to screen for genes that were rapidly up-regulated upon exposure …

Effects Of Roflumilast In Copd Patients Receiving Inhaled Corticosteroid/Long-Acting Β2-Agonist Fixed-Dose Combination: Re(2)Spond Rationale And Study Design, Stephen I. Rennard, Fernando J. Martinez, Klaus F. Rabe, Sanjay Sethi, Emilio Pizzichini, Andrew Mcivor, Shahid Siddiqui, Antonio Anzueto, Haiyuan Zhu

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

BACKGROUND: Roflumilast, a once-daily, selective phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor, reduces the risk of COPD exacerbations in patients with severe COPD associated with chronic bronchitis and a history of exacerbations. The RE(2)SPOND study is examining whether roflumilast, when added to an inhaled corticosteroid/long-acting β2-agonist (ICS/LABA) fixed-dose combination (FDC), further reduces exacerbations. The methodology is described herein.

METHODS: In this Phase IV, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial, participants were randomized 1:1 (stratified by long-acting muscarinic antagonist use) to receive roflumilast or placebo, plus ICS/LABA FDC, for 52 weeks. Eligible participants had severe COPD associated with chronic bronchitis, had two or more moderate-severe exacerbations within …

Copd Exacerbation Biomarkers Validated Using Multiple Reaction Monitoring Mass Spectrometry, Janice M. Leung, Virginia Chen, Zsuzsanna Hollander, Darlene Dai, Scott J. Tebbutt, Shawn D. Aaron, Kathy L. Vandemheen, Stephen I. Rennard, J. Mark Fitzgerald, Prescott G. Woodruff, Stephen C. Lazarus, John E. Connett, Harvey O. Coxson, Bruce Miller, Christoph Borchers, Bruce M. Mcmanus, Raymond T. Ng, Don D. Sin

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

BACKGROUND: Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) result in considerable morbidity and mortality. However, there are no objective biomarkers to diagnose AECOPD.

METHODS: We used multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry to quantify 129 distinct proteins in plasma samples from patients with COPD. This analytical approach was first performed in a biomarker cohort of patients hospitalized with AECOPD (Cohort A, n = 72). Proteins differentially expressed between AECOPD and convalescent states were chosen using a false discovery rate < 0.01 and fold change >1.2. Protein selection and classifier building were performed using an elastic net logistic regression model. The performance of the biomarker panel …

Does The Hygiene Hypothesis Contribute To Autoimmune And Allergic Disease In Children With Focus On Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus And Asthma, Chad Briley

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

The Hygiene Hypothesis first introduced in 1989 by an epidemiologist, Dr Strachan, as he observed an increased prevalence of allergic diseases in society. Further clinical studies and research have included autoimmunity and inflammatory disease under the umbrella of the Hygiene Hypothesis. Article searches were done in the electronic medical database, Pubmed, for articles related to the Hygiene Hypothesis and autoimmunity related to Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) and hygiene hypothesis and childhood asthma. Articles written in the last five years were utilized for the project. The subject group is male and female children ages birth to 18 years old with …

Comparing Scit With Slit: For Treatment Of Ige Mediated Grass-Pollen Induced Rhinoconjunctivitis, Cory Heiser

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

• The peer review literature compared the effectiveness of treating allergic rhinitis (AR) with subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) versus sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) for allergen-induced rhinoconjunctivitis.

• The findings showed that there is no clear evidence of effectiveness between SCIT and SLIT for reducing AR symptoms. SLIT has been associated with cost savings with comparison to SCIT.

• The findings indicated that SLIT may be the preferred route for immunotherapy because of its convenience, comparable efficacy, safety and cost.

Patient-Reported Variables Associated With The Success Of Behavioral Intervention For Patients With Chronic Cough, Bridget Loomis

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Purpose: To determine if patient-related variables exist that can potentially discriminate patients with refractory chronic cough (RCC) that are reasonable candidates for behavioral cough therapy (BCT). This study is a small sub-set of a larger, ongoing study, which aims to create and validate a screening tool that primary care physicians can use in order to refer patients early and appropriately for medical or behavioral intervention.

Methods: In this prospective, exploratory study, 20 adult participants, aged 29-68 years of age, answered a bank of questions developed by an expert panel, and the Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ), before and after BCT. Questions …

Allergic Diseases And Internalizing Behaviors In Early Childhood., Maya K. Nanda, Grace K. Lemasters, Linda Levin, Marc E. Rothenberg, Amal H. Assa'ad, Nicholas Newman, David Bernstein, Gurjit Khurana-Hershey, James E. Lockey, Patrick H. Ryan

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The relationship between allergic diseases and internalizing disorders has not been well characterized with regard to multiple allergic diseases or longitudinal study. The objective of this study was to examine the association between multiple allergic diseases in early childhood with validated measures of internalizing disorders in the school-age years.

METHODS: Children enrolled in the Cincinnati Childhood Allergy and Air Pollution Study underwent skin testing and examinations at ages 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 years. At age 7, parents completed the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition (BASC-2), a validated measure of childhood behavior and emotion. …

World Allergy Organization-Mcmaster University Guidelines For Allergic Disease Prevention (Glad-P): Prebiotics., Carlos A. Cuello-Garcia, Alessandro Fiocchi, Ruby Pawankar, Juan José Yepes-Nuñez, Gian Paolo Morgano, Yuan Zhang, Kangmo Ahn, Suleiman Al-Hammadi, Arnav Agarwal, Shreyas Gandhi, Kirsten Beyer, Wesley Burks, Giorgio W. Canonica, Motohiro Ebisawa, Rose Kamenwa, Bee Wah Lee, Haiqi Li, Susan Prescott, Lanny Rosenwasser, Hugh Sampson, Michael Spigler, Luigi Terracciano, Andrea Vereda, Susan Waserman, Holger J. Schünemann, Jan L. Brożek

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of allergic diseases in infants, whose parents and siblings do not have allergy, is approximately 10 % and reaches 20-30 % in those with an allergic first-degree relative. Intestinal microbiota may modulate immunologic and inflammatory systemic responses and, thus, influence development of sensitization and allergy. Prebiotics - non-digestible oligosaccharides that stimulate growth of probiotic bacteria - have been reported to modulate immune responses and their supplementation has been proposed as a preventive intervention.

OBJECTIVE: The World Allergy Organization (WAO) convened a guideline panel to develop evidence-based recommendations about the use of prebiotics in the prevention of allergy. …

The Association Of Cancer Development In Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Rose Michelle Coley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Association of Cancer Development in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus by

Rose Michelle Coley

MPH, Walden University, 2011

BS, University of Mount Olive, 2008

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

Public Health

Walden University

March 2016

Both cancer and autoimmune diseases have been associated with numerous factors that may independently lead to the development of either disease. When these factors overlap the difficulty in assessing association is compounded. The numerous factors that are thought to cause systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which leads to the development of cancer, makes the study …

International Survey On Skin Patch Test Procedures, Attitudes And Interpretation., Luciana K. Tanno, Razvigor Darlenski, Silvia Sánchez-Garcia, Matteo Bonini, Andrea Vereda, Pavel Kolkhir, Dario Antolin-Amerigo, Vesselin Dimov, Claudia Gallego-Corella, Juan Carlos Aldave Becerra, Alexander Diaz, Virginia Bellido Linares, Leonor Villa, Lanny J. Rosenwasser, Mario Sanchez-Borges, Ignacio Ansotegui, Ruby Pawankar, Thomas Bieber, Wao Junior Members Group

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Skin patch test is the gold standard method in diagnosing contact allergy. Although used for more than 100 years, the patch test procedure is performed with variability around the world. A number of factors can influence the test results, namely the quality of reagents used, the timing of the application, the patch test series (allergens/haptens) that have been used for testing, the appropriate interpretation of the skin reactions or the evaluation of the patient's benefit.

METHODS: We performed an Internet -based survey with 38 questions covering the educational background of respondents, patch test methods and interpretation. The questionnaire was …

Effect Of Tiotropium On Night-Time Awakening And Daily Rescue Medication Use In Patients With Copd, Peter M.A. Calverley, Stephen I. Rennard, Emmanuelle Clerisme-Beaty, Norbert Metzdorf, Valentina Bayer Zubek, Richard Zuwallack

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

BACKGROUND: Several small studies found night-time awakenings due to COPD symptoms were associated with decreased health status. In this study, night-time awakenings in patients with COPD were examined and effects of tiotropium therapy evaluated.

METHODS: This study was a post hoc, exploratory, pooled analysis of twin, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trials. Patients with stable moderate-to-severe COPD were randomized to tiotropium HandiHaler® (n = 550) or placebo (n = 371) and followed for 13 weeks. During a 2-week, pre-treatment baseline period and for 13 weeks on treatment, self-reported night-time awakenings due to COPD symptoms, rescue medication (albuterol) use, and morning …

Medical Community Distrust And The Influenza Vaccination Rates Of Black Americans, Kenyatte Irby Winston

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Black Americans experience influenza vaccination rates that are lower than the rates of other ethnic groups. Low influenza vaccination rates among the Black community are associated with higher influenza infection rates, influenza-related hospitalizations, and higher influenza mortality rates. There is a belief within the Black American community that the medical establishment does not have the Black American patient in its best interest, leading to feelings of distrust. The purpose of this study was to determine if the distrust of the medical community is a relevant factor in the low influenza vaccination rates of Black Americans aged 18 and older in …

Conformational Stability Of Digestion-Resistant Peptides Of Peanut Conglutins Reveals The Molecular Basis Of Their Allergenicity, Danijela Apostolovic, Dragana Stanic-Vucinic, Harmen H.J. De Jongh, Govardus A.H. De Jong, Jelena Radosavljevic, Milica Radibratovic, Julie A. Nordlee, Joseph L. Baumert, Milos Milcic, Steve L. Taylor, Nuria Garrido Clua, Tanja Cirkovic Velickovic, Stef J. Koppelman

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Conglutins represent the major peanut allergens and are renowned for their resistance to gastrointestinal digestion. Our aim was to characterize the digestion-resistant peptides (DRPs) of conglutins by biochemical and biophysical methods followed by a molecular dynamics simulation in order to better understand the molecular basis of food protein allergenicity. We have mapped proteolysis sites at the N- and C-termini and at a limited internal segment, while other potential proteolysis sites remained unaffected. Molecular dynamics simulation showed that proteolysis only occurred in the vibrant regions of the proteins. DRPs appeared to be conformationally stable as intact conglutins. Also, the overall secondary …

Threshold Dose Distribution And Eliciting Dose Of Cashew Nut Allergy, Johanna P. M. Van Der Valk, Roy Gerth Van Wijk, J. L. Baumert, Julie A. Nordlee, Berber J. Vlieg-Boerstra, Hans De Groot, Anthony E. J. Dubois, Nicolette W. De Jong

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

A previous study found that 137 of 179 cashew nut sensitized children (76.5%) suspected of having cashew nut allergy had a positive double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge (DBPCFC result), with 63 of 137 children (46%) manifesting subjective and/or objective symptoms to the lowest dose (1 mg of cashew nut protein). The primary aim of this study was to determine the distribution of threshold doses and the eliciting doses (EDs) in this population. The secondary aim was to investigate whether children who reacted to 1 mg of cashew nut (n = 63) could react to even lower doses than 1 mg (low-dose …

Incidence And Factors Associated With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Among Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis, Ani K. John

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become one of the most common hepatic diseases worldwide, making the diagnosis and management of NAFLD an emerging public health issue. Theories associated with NAFLD surmise that inflammation may be the root cause, along with the complex interplay of other chronic conditions such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). It is unknown if other inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), along with the use of methotrexate (MTX), might confer increased risk for NAFLD. Longitudinal data collected from a retrospective cohort of 17,481 adult RA patients in the United States …

A Requirement For Y841 In Jak3 Enzymatic Activity And Hematopoietic Cancers, George Steven Martinez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A medical need exists for successfully treating people afflicted with leukemia, especially those who develop drug resistant forms. Relapse leukemia cases are particularly high within Hispanic populations where this disease is among the most frequently occurring cancer. Fourteen somatic mutations have been reported in Janus tyrosine kinase 3 (Jak3), including M511I and A573V, from patients with various forms of leukemia. To monitor drug sensitivity, a model system was developed. Indeed, many of these mutations have been shown to possess transforming ability in cell lines such as the IL-3 dependent pro-B cell line Ba/F3. As such, Ba/F3 cells were transformed to …

Determining The Role Of Poly [Adp-Ribose] Polymerase 1 (Parp-1) In Retroviral Infection, Luis Valdes Rodriguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Possible links between PARP-1 and HIV-1 have been previously reported but the role of this protein during viral infection has remained elusive. Based on the high evolutionary conservation of PARP-1, from Drosophila to humans, we have been able to counteract the difficulties related with the functional redundancy manifested in the PARP family by studying the influence of PARP-1 on the expression of an endogenous retrovirus using the chicken B lymphoblastoid cell line DT40, this cell line exhibits low PARP-1 functional redundancy and is viable after PARP-1 knockout. We have determined that the transcription level of the endogenous retrovirus RAV-1 is …

Synthesis Of Neoglycoproteins/Neoglycopeptides And Their Immunological Evaluation In The Context Of Chagas Disease, Nathaniel Scott Schocker

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent of Chagas disease (ChD), has a cell surface covered by immunogenic glycoconjugates. A synthetic glycoarray containing non-reducing α-galactopyranosyl moieties related to mucin O-glycans of the parasite T. cruzi was evaluated by a chemiluminescent enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CL-ELISA) with sera from patients with chronic ChD, revealing the disaccharide Galα(1,3)Galβ as the immunodominant glycotope (Chapter 2). This disaccharide comprises the two terminal sugars of the known immunodominant glycotope Galα(1,3)Galβ(1,4)GlcNAcα, which is expressed on glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored mucins of the infective trypomastigote stage of T. cruzi and triggers high levels of protective anti-α-Gal antibodies (Abs) in infected …

Rnai-Mediated Control Of Aflatoxins In Peanut: Method To Analyze Mycotoxin Production And Transgene Expression In The Peanut/Aspergillus Pathosystem, Renee S. Arias, Phat M. Dang, Victor S. Sobolev

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that 25% of the food crops in the world are contaminated with aflatoxins. That represents 100 million tons of food being destroyed or diverted to non-human consumption each year. Aflatoxins are powerful carcinogens normally accumulated by the fungi Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus in cereals, nuts, root crops and other agricultural products. Silencing of five aflatoxin-synthesis genes by RNA interference (RNAi) in peanut plants was used to control aflatoxin accumulation following inoculation with A. flavus. Previously, no method existed to analyze the effectiveness of RNAi in individual peanut transgenic events, …

Myd88 In Lung Resident Cells Governs Airway Inflammatory And Pulmonary Function Responses To Organic Dust Treatment., Jill A. Poole, Todd A. Wyatt, Debra J. Romberger, Elizabeth Staab, Samantha Simet, Stephen J. Reynolds, Joseph H. Sisson, Tammy Kielian

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

Inhalation of organic dusts within agriculture environments contributes to the development and/or severity of airway diseases, including asthma and chronic bronchitis. MyD88 KO (knockout) mice are nearly completely protected against the inflammatory and bronchoconstriction effects induced by acute organic dust extract (ODE) treatments. However, the contribution of MyD88 in lung epithelial cell responses remains unclear. In the present study, we first addressed whether ODE-induced changes in epithelial cell responses were MyD88-dependent by quantitating ciliary beat frequency and cell migration following wounding by electric cell-substrate impedance sensing. We demonstrate that the normative ciliary beat slowing response to ODE is delayed in …

Cfap54 Is Required For Proper Ciliary Motility And Assembly Of The Central Pair Apparatus In Mice., Casey W. Mckenzie, Branch Craige, Tiffany V. Kroeger, Rozzy Finn, Todd A. Wyatt, Joseph H. Sisson, Jacqueline A. Pavlik, University Of Massachusetts Medical School, Gregory M. Hendricks, George B. Witman, Lance Lee

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

Motile cilia and flagella play critical roles in fluid clearance and cell motility, and dysfunction commonly results in the pediatric syndrome primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). CFAP221, also known as PCDP1, is required for ciliary and flagellar function in mice and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, where it localizes to the C1d projection of the central microtubule apparatus and functions in a complex that regulates flagellar motility in a calcium-dependent manner. We demonstrate that the genes encoding the mouse homologues of the other C. reinhardtii C1d complex members are primarily expressed in motile ciliated tissues, suggesting a conserved function in mammalian motile cilia. The …

Meteorological Conditions, Climate Change, New Emerging Factors, And Asthma And Related Allergic Disorders. A Statement Of The World Allergy Organization., Gennaro D'Amato, Stephen T. Holgate, Ruby Pawankar, Dennis K. Ledford, Lorenzo Cecchi, Mona Al-Ahmad, Fatma Al-Enezi, Saleh Al-Muhsen, Ignacio Ansotegui, Carlos E. Baena-Cagnani, David J. Baker, Hasan Bayram, Karl Christian Bergmann, Louis-Philippe Boulet, Jeroen T M Buters, Maria D'Amato, Sofia Dorsano, Jeroen Douwes, Sarah Elise Finlay, Donata Garrasi, Maximiliano Gómez, Tari Haahtela, Rabih Halwani, Youssouf Hassani, Basam Mahboub, Guy Marks, Paola Michelozzi, Marcello Montagni, Carlos Nunes, Jay Jae-Won Oh, Todor A. Popov, Jay M. Portnoy, Erminia Ridolo, Nelson Rosário, Menachem Rottem, Mario Sánchez-Borges, Elopy Sibanda, Juan José Sienra-Monge, Carolina Vitale, Isabella Annesi-Maesano

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

The prevalence of allergic airway diseases such as asthma and rhinitis has increased dramatically to epidemic proportions worldwide. Besides air pollution from industry derived emissions and motor vehicles, the rising trend can only be explained by gross changes in the environments where we live. The world economy has been transformed over the last 25 years with developing countries being at the core of these changes. Around the planet, in both developed and developing countries, environments are undergoing profound changes. Many of these changes are considered to have negative effects on respiratory health and to enhance the frequency and severity of …

Bacterially-Based Immune Challenges And Trauma Elicit Terminal Investment In Male Aedes Aegypti, Molly K. Schumacher

Theses and Dissertations

Investment in life history traits such as immune function and reproduction is constrained by finite available resources. A cost-of-immunity trade-off may occur in response to infection when resources are diverted away from reproductive effort and into an immune response. Alternatively, an infected individual may enhance reproductive effort to maximize terminal reproductive success in response to the survival threat inherent to infection (terminal investment). We measured male Aedes aegypti reproductive behavior following inoculations with: living bacteria; killed bacteria as an immune elicitor; and a sham control. Mating competitiveness relative to naïve males was also determined through a binary mate choice experiment …

Exercise Improves Host Response To Influenza Viral Infection In Obese And Non-Obese Mice Through Different Mechanisms., Kristi J. Warren, Molly M. Olson, Nicholas J. Thompson, Mackenzie L. Cahill, Todd A. Wyatt, Kyoungjin J. Yoon, Christina M. Loiacono, Marian L. Kohut

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

Obesity has been associated with greater severity of influenza virus infection and impaired host defense. Exercise may confer health benefits even when weight loss is not achieved, but it has not been determined if regular exercise improves immune defense against influenza A virus (IAV) in the obese condition. In this study, diet-induced obese mice and lean control mice exercised for eight weeks followed by influenza viral infection. Exercise reduced disease severity in both obese and non-obese mice, but the mechanisms differed. Exercise reversed the obesity-associated delay in bronchoalveolar-lavage (BAL) cell infiltration, restored BAL cytokine and chemokine production, and increased ciliary …

Environmental And Food Allergens Reactivity And Its Association With Total Ige, Age And Gender In Karachi, Pakistan, Noreen Abbas, Ahmed Raheem, Farooq Ghani

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Aim: The aim of this study is to assess the frequency of food and environmental allergens reactivity and its association in with age, gender and total IgE levels
Material and Methods: The study population consisted of 88 individuals including children and adults (male: 47 and female: 41). The study was conducted in the clinical laboratory, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University Hospital from May 2009 till May 2010. Sera of patients positive for total IgE were tested for allergen specific IgE levels by Immulite 2000, 3gAllergyTM. We divided allergens into two panels, namely food and environmental.
Results: …

Use Of Immunotherapy In The Treatment Of Peanut Allergies In The Pediatric Population, Bethany Rauscher

Senior Honors Theses

Peanut allergies are a serious issue that must be monitored and treated effectively to avoid severe adverse effects and death. In the last decade, their incidence has increased significantly, due to indeterminate factors. Because people typically do not outgrow peanut allergies and the effects of exposure can be life-threatening, it is important that a cure or management method is developed and refined. Recent research regarding treatment for peanut allergies has focused on the use of immunotherapy, a process aimed at desensitizing children's immune systems so that they do not reject foods that contain peanuts. Some studies utilizing immunotherapy have provided …

Gait Mechanics In Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease., Jennifer M. Yentes, Kendra Schmid, Daniel Blanke, Debra J. Romberger, Stephen I. Rennard, Nicholas Stergiou

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by the frequent association of disease outside the lung. The objective of this study was to determine the presence of biomechanical gait abnormalities in COPD patients compared to healthy controls while well rested and without rest.

METHODS: Patients with COPD (N = 17) and aged-matched, healthy controls (N = 21) walked at their self-selected pace down a 10-meter walkway while biomechanical gait variables were collected. A one-minute rest was given between each of the five collected trials to prevent tiredness (REST condition). Patients with COPD then walked at a self-selected pace on …

Tcr Alpha Lcr And Non-Lcr Cis-Elements Contributing To Tissue Specific Expression Of The Tcr Alpha Gene In Thymic And Peripheral T Cells, Martina Kucerova-Levisohn

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Orchestrated expression of multiple genes residing in the complex TCRα/δ/Dad1 locus requires tight control from multiple cis-acting elements. The TCRα locus control region (LCR), is positioned between TCRα and Dad1 gene, and has been implicated in the differential expression of both genes. In this study, we focus our work on the hypersensitive site (HS)1 prime (HS1'), located 3' of the classical Eα enhancer, within the TCRα LCR. We investigated its non- redundant role in TCRα expression in thymic and peripheral T cells as assayed by in vivo and in vitro studies. Furthermore, formation of HS1' in both lymphoid and …