Laboratory screening test with inhalant and food allergens in atopic Brazilian children and adolescents: a performance

The Phadiatop Infant® (PhInf) is a panel developed to assess allergic sensitization (immunoglobulin E [IgE]) in children aged <5 years and combines inhalant and food allergens. The test has not been evaluated outside Europe. This is a cross-sectional study conducted at 11 pediatric allergy centers to evaluate PhInf as an allergic disease screening method in Brazilian children. Children as controls and patients (aged 6 months–18 years) were grouped according to their primary disease and age group. PhInf and specific serum IgE (sIgE) screening was performed for Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (DP), cat and dog epithelia, a mix of grasses and pollens, eggs, cow’s milk, peanuts, and shrimp. Values ≥ 0.35 kUA/L (or PAU/L) were considered positive. A total of 470 children and adolescents, which included 385 patients and 85 controls, participated in the study (47.7% boys, average age: 6.3 years). In all, 72.6% of the participants had positive PhInf test (n = 341), with a higher proportion of those having food allergy (92.6%), atopic dermatitis (91.9%), and those aged >13 years having allergy (95%). The PhInf and sIgE agreement between patients (Kappa = 0.94, P < 0.001) and controls (Kappa = 0.84, P < 0.001) was high. PhInf and DP agreement in patients aged >13 years was excellent (Kappa = 0.936, P < 0.001). Compared with sIgE dosage, PhInf had high sensitivity (97%) and specificity (93%). Positivity of PhInf test in this population was high and had an excellent correlation with the allergens comprising the panel. It is a useful method for screening children suspected of having allergic diseases in a non-European country (AU)

Selenium levels and glutathione peroxidase activity in patients with ataxia-telangiectasia: association with oxidative stress and lipid status biomarkers.

INTRODUCTION: Ataxia-Telangiectasia (A-T) is a multi-system disorder that may be associated with endocrine changes, oxidative stress in addition to inflammation. Studies suggest that selenium is a trace element related to protection against damage caused by oxidative stress. OBJECTIVE: To describe the plasma levels of selenium and erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity in A-T patients and to relate them to oxidative stress and lipid status biomarkers. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional and controlled study evaluating 22 A-T patients (age median, 12.2 years old) matched by gender and age with 18 healthy controls. We evaluated: nutritional status, food intake, plasma selenium levels, erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity, lipid status, inflammation and oxidative stress biomarkers. RESULTS: Adequate levels of selenium were observed in 24/36 (66.7%) in this evaluated population. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in selenium levels [47.6 µg/L (43.2-57.0) vs 54.6 (45.2-62.6) µg/dL, p = 0.242]. Nine of A-T patients (41%) had selenium levels below the reference value. The A-T group presented higher levels of LDL-c, non-HDL-c, oxidized LDL, Apo B, Apo-B/Apo-A-I1, LDL-c/HDL-c ratio, malondialdehyde [3.8 µg/L vs 2.8 µg/L, p = 0.029] and lower Apo-A-I1/HDL-c and glutathione peroxidase activity [7300 U/L vs 8686 U/L, p = 0.005]. Selenium levels were influenced, in both groups, independently, by the concentrations of oxidized LDL, malonaldehyde and non-HDL-c. The oxidized LDL (AUC = 0.849) and ALT (AUC = 0.854) were the variables that showed the greatest discriminatory power between groups. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, we observed the presence of selenium below the reference value in nearly 40% and low GPx activity in A-T patients. There was a significant, inverse and independent association between selenium concentrations and oxidative stress biomarkers. Those data reinforce the importance of assessing the nutritional status of selenium in those patients.