How accurate is the human olfactory system in detecting peanuts?

KEY POINTS: This is the first study to quantify the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the human olfactory system in detecting peanuts in common food items. With more competing sensory input, the human olfactory sensitivity to peanuts decreases; this is especially evident when peanuts are mixed in sauces. Metrics established in this study can be used to develop standards for determining the clinical utility of allergen detecting devices that are currently under development.

Allergen exposure boosts peripheral Th9 responses in patients with local allergic rhinitis.

KEY POINTS: Intranasal allergen exposure increases peripheral total Th2 and Th9 cells in patients with local allergic rhinitis (LAR). Peripheral T-cell response seems dominated by Th9 cells in patients with LAR, whereas Th2 responses prevail in patients with allergic rhinitis. Our results identify Th9 cells as potential therapeutic targets for patients with LAR.

Efficacy and Safety of Diethylcarbamazine in Treatment of Allergic Rhinitis: A Double Blind Randomised Controlled Trial.

There are many evidences showing diethylcarbamazine as a potential drug for the treatment of allergic rhinitis. This study evaluated the effectiveness of diethylcarbamazine in the treatment of allergic rhinitis and compared it with montelukast and levocetirizine. This parallel double-blind randomized clinical trial was done in allergic rhinitis patients. Seven hundred and twelve participants who met the inclusion criteria and provided informed written consent were randomized and divided into 2 equal groups. Diethylcarbamazine 300 mg/day orally in divided doses was given to group A, and montelukast 10 mg and levocetirizine 5 mg/day orally at night for 21 days was given to group B. Primary outcomes were the change in symptoms, absolute eosinophil count, serum total IgE, phadiatop and response in skin prick from baseline to 21 days and 3 months after treatment. Secondary outcome was to compare it with montelukast and levocetirizine. The mean (SD) age of the patients was 33 (10.6) years, with 374 (52.5%) males and 338 (47.5%) females. There was statistically significant improvement in all the parameters in both groups. Improvement was better with diethylcarbamazine compared to montelukast and levocetirizine and the effects were sustained for 3 months in diethylcarbamazine group. The findings suggest that diethylcarbamazine is effective in the treatment of allergic rhinitis. It gives better control and is cost-effective than montelukast and levocetirizine. Trial Registration: https://www.ctri.nic.in Identifier: CTRI/2020/03/024145 registered on 20-03-2020.

Evaluation of Serum Immunoreactivity to Common Indigenous Iranian Inhalation and Food Allergens in Patients with Meniere's Disease.

BACKGROUND: A few studies investigated the relationship between allergy and Meniere disease considering complete allergen panel. We aimed to evaluate the serum immunoreactivity in patients with Meniere's disease (MD) compared with healthy people according to common indigenous Iranian inhalation and food allergens. METHODS: Thirty-nine patients with MD referred to Rasoul Akram Hospital (Tehran, Iran) were evaluated and compared with a 41 membered control group. A panel of common inhalation and food allergens (using an immunoblotting method), as well as total immunoglobulin E (IgE) level (using the sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method), were checked on the patients' serum. RESULTS: The mean total IgE level was 193.85 ± 175.43 IU/ml in the patients with MD and 117.61 ± 138.05 IU/ml in the control group, which was significantly higher than the other subjects in the control group (P = .016). There was a significant difference between the two groups regarding inhalation allergens such as; sweet vernal grass, cultivated rye, cultivated oat, Russian thistle, goosefoot, and rough pigweed (P = .01-0.038). Patients with MD reported more reactive to food allergens such as; rye flour, hazelnut, pepper, citrus mix 2, potato, strawberry, and celery allergens. There was a significant relationship between Meniere and serum immunoreactivity to inhalation and food allergens (both P = .001).Conclusion: Serum total IgE level in patients with MD (in both inhalation and food allergens groups) was higher than the control group, and there was a relationship between MD and immunoreactivity to common indigenous inhalation and food allergens of Iran.

Determination and analysis of serum specific IgE in patients with allergic diseases in Shenzhen area / 国际检验医学杂志

Objective To analyze the specific IgE test results and the distribution of allergens in patients with allergic diseases in Shenzhen area .Methods Western blot was used to detect inhaled and food specific IgE in 2154 patients with allergic diseases ,and the types and distribution of allergens were analyzed .Results The total positive rate of allergen specific IgE was 48 .88％ .More than 20％ of the patients were allergic to more than two allergens .The most common allergies were dust mites ,freshwater fish and sea fish .The posi-tive rate of IgE in male allergens was higher than that in females ,and the difference was statistically signifi-cant (P<0 .05) .The positive rate of allergen specific IgE in different age groups was statistically significant (P<0 .001) .The positive rate of dust mites increased year by year before the age of 18 ,and then decreased year after year .The positive rate of chicken protein and milk showed a significant downward trend after 7 years old .The positive rate of allergen IgE in patients with different diseases was statistically significant (P<0 .001) .The positive rate of dust mite combination in rhinitis patients was the highest ,49 .94％ .Conclu-sion The main allergen of allergic diseases in Shenzhen area is dust mites combination ,freshwater fish com-bination and sea fish combination .The main food allergen of children is egg and milk .The main allergen of a-dult is dust mites combination and fish ,and the patients with rhinitis are high sensitized people of dust mites combination .

Dose-response relationship of specific allergen exposure-induced immunological tolerance: a mouse model.

BACKGROUND: It is believed that adequate allergen preimmunization exposure could induce immunologic tolerance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the dose-dependent mechanisms related to antigen-specific tolerance induction in a mouse model. METHODS: Mice were assigned to 5 groups: the control (Cont) group received phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) preimmunization exposure and PBS sham immunization; the other 4 groups were exposed preimmunization to PBS (PBS group) or ovalbumin (OVA) (first mucosal doses: 1.25%, 2.5%, or 5% wt/vol aerosol from days -3 to -1) prior to OVA immunization. The OVA-immunized mice received intraperitoneal doses of 20 µg OVA (on days 1, 7, and 14), and then a second set of mucosal doses with 0.5% wt/vol OVA aerosol (on days 18 to 20). After assessment of airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), the mice were euthanized and their blood, bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALFs), and lung tissues were collected for further analyses. RESULTS: OVA-immunized mice exposed to OVA preimmunization had reduced AHR and immunoglobulin E production when compared to the PBS group. OVA preimmunization exposure inhibited eosinophilic inflammation in lung tissues. The proportions of BALF eosinophil counts from the groups exposed to OVA preimmunization were significantly decreased when compared with those exposed to PBS preimmunization. The balance of T helper 2 (Th2) and T regulatory (Treg) cytokines in BALFs were additionally observed in this mouse model. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that preimmunization exposure to an appropriate dose of a specific antigen could suppress allergic airway inflammation by induction of immunological tolerance.