Food allergies, as a type of adverse immune-mediated reactions to ingested food proteins, have become a serious public health issue that harms children and adults health, with increasing incidence year by year. However, without effective therapy for food allergies, doctors-have mostly advised to avoid allergens and provided symptomatic treatment. According to the findings of many studies, allergic diseases are correlated with intestinal barrier function injury, as evidenced by the significant increase in the intestinal permeability among patients with food allergies. In this paper, recent studies on correlations between food allergies and intestinal barrier functions, intestinal barrier function injury mechanisms of allergic foods and food allergy intervention strategies based on intestinal barrier functions were summarized to provide reference for laboratory researches and clinical treatment of food allergic diseases.
Animals ; Food Hypersensitivity ; immunology ; therapy ; Humans ; Intestines ; immunology

Presently, allergy diagnosis and therapy procedures are undergoing a transition phase in which allergen extracts are being step-by-step replaced by molecule-based products. The new developments will allow clinicians to obtain detailed information on sensitization patterns, more accurate interpretation of allergic symptoms, and thus improved patients' management. In this respect, recombinant technology has been applied to develop this new generation of molecule-based allergy products. The use of recombinant allergens allows full validation of identity, quantity, homogeneity, structure, aggregation, solubility, stability, IgE-binding and the biologic potency of the products. In contrast, such parameters are extremely difficult to assay and standardize for extract-based products. In addition to the possibility of bulk production of wild type molecules for diagnostic purposes, recombinant technology opened the possibility of developing safer and more efficacious products for allergy therapy. A number of molecule-based hypoallergenic preparations have already been successfully evaluated in clinical trials, bringing forward the next generation of allergy vaccines. In this contribution, we review the latest developments in allergen characterization, molecule-based allergy diagnosis, and the application of recombinant allergens in therapeutic setups. A comprehensive overview of clinical trials using recombinant allergens as well as synthetic peptides is presented.
Allergens/*immunology ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity/*immunology/*therapy ; Immunotherapy/methods ; Recombinant Proteins/immunology

Presently, allergy diagnosis and therapy procedures are undergoing a transition phase in which allergen extracts are being step-by-step replaced by molecule-based products. The new developments will allow clinicians to obtain detailed information on sensitization patterns, more accurate interpretation of allergic symptoms, and thus improved patients' management. In this respect, recombinant technology has been applied to develop this new generation of molecule-based allergy products. The use of recombinant allergens allows full validation of identity, quantity, homogeneity, structure, aggregation, solubility, stability, IgE-binding and the biologic potency of the products. In contrast, such parameters are extremely difficult to assay and standardize for extract-based products. In addition to the possibility of bulk production of wild type molecules for diagnostic purposes, recombinant technology opened the possibility of developing safer and more efficacious products for allergy therapy. A number of molecule-based hypoallergenic preparations have already been successfully evaluated in clinical trials, bringing forward the next generation of allergy vaccines. In this contribution, we review the latest developments in allergen characterization, molecule-based allergy diagnosis, and the application of recombinant allergens in therapeutic setups. A comprehensive overview of clinical trials using recombinant allergens as well as synthetic peptides is presented.
Allergens/*immunology ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity/*immunology/*therapy ; Immunotherapy/methods ; Recombinant Proteins/immunology

The increasing incidence rate of allergic diseases has attracted global attention, and these diseases greatly threaten children′s health. The common pathogenesis of allergic diseases is the specific IgE- or cell-mediated immune response to common inhalant or food allergens. Epidemiological investigation, analysis of fecal flora, and clinical studies all suggest that the development and progression of allergic diseases are closely related to the early disturbance of intestinal flora. Probiotics can regulate intestinal immune response, increase the barrier function of epithelial cells, inhibit the adhesion and colonization of pathogenic bacteria, and thus restore or reconstruct normal intestinal flora. With the increasing understanding of allergic diseases, the effect of probiotics in the prevention and treatment of such diseases will be taken more and more seriously.
Child ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; drug therapy ; immunology ; microbiology ; prevention & control ; Intestines ; immunology ; microbiology ; Probiotics ; administration & dosage

Mast cells and basophils are multifunctional effector cells that contain abundant secretory granules in their cytoplasm. Both cell types are involved in a variety of inflammatory and immune events, producing an array of inflammatory mediators, such as cytokines. The aim of the study was to examine whether isoquercitrin modulates allergic and inflammatory reactions in the human basophilic KU812 cells and to elucidate its influence on the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor (NF)-κB activation. The KU812 cells were stimulated with phorbol-12-myristate 13-acetate plus the calcium ionophore A23187 (PMACI). The inhibitory effects of isoquercitrin on the productions of histamine and pro-inflammatory cytokines in the stimulated KU812 cells were measured using cytokine-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent (ELISA) assays. Western blotting analysis was used to assess the effects of isoquercitrin on the MAPKs and NF-κB protein levels. Our results indicated that the isoquercitrin treatment of PMACI-stimulated KU812 cells significantly reduced the production of histamine and the pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. The treated cells exhibited decreased phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), revealing the role of ERK MAPK in isoquercitrin-mediated allergy inhibition. Furthermore, isoquercitrin suppressed the PMACI-mediated activation of NF-κB in the human basophil cells. In conclusion, the results from the present study provide insights into the potential therapeutic use of isoquercitrin for the treatment of inflammatory and allergic reactions.
Basophils ; drug effects ; immunology ; Cytokines ; genetics ; immunology ; Down-Regulation ; drug effects ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases ; genetics ; immunology ; Histamine ; immunology ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; drug therapy ; genetics ; immunology ; NF-kappa B ; genetics ; immunology ; Quercetin ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology

Allergic asthma is thought to arise from an imbalance of immune regulation, which is characterized by the production of large quantities of IgE antibodies by B cells and a decrease of the interferon-γ/interleukin-4 (Th1/Th2) ratio. Certain immunomodulatory components and Chinese herbal formulae have been used in traditional herbal medicine for thousands of years. However, there are few studies performing evidence-based Chinese medicine (CM) research on the mechanisms and effificacy of these drugs in allergic asthma. This review aims to explore the roles of Chinese herbal formulae and herb-derived compounds in experimental research models of allergic asthma. We screened published modern CM research results on the experimental effects of Chinese herbal formulae and herb-derived bioactive compounds for allergic asthma and their possible underlying mechanisms in English language articles from the PubMed and the Google Scholar databases with the keywords allergic asthma, experimental model and Chinese herbal medicine. We found 22 Chinese herb species and 31 herb-derived anti-asthmatic compounds as well as 12 Chinese herbal formulae which showed a reduction of airway hyperresponsiveness, allergen-specifific immunoglobulin E, inflflammatory cell infifiltration and a regulation of Th1 and Th2 cytokines in vivo, in vitro and ex vivo, respectively. Chinese herbal formulae and herbderived bioactive compounds exhibit immunomodulatory, anti-inflflammatory and anti-asthma activities in different experimental models and their various mechanisms of action are being investigated in modern CM research with genomics, proteomics and metabolomics technologies, which will lead to a new era in the development of new drug discovery for allergic asthma in CM.
Animals ; Asthma ; complications ; drug therapy ; immunology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Homeostasis ; Hypersensitivity ; complications ; drug therapy ; immunology ; Immunologic Factors ; therapeutic use

Previous reviews have highlighted complementary and alternative medicine therapies that are used to treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) based on published clinical trial data. Here the author describes and comments on a number of potentially relevant factors that have been commonly emphasized by practitioners who treat IBS and patients who have the disease. They include gluten and other food allergies, the candida syndrome and biofilm, interference fields and post-infectious IBS, as well as mind-body factors.
Food Hypersensitivity ; complications ; immunology ; Glutens ; immunology ; Humans ; Integrative Medicine ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome ; complications ; microbiology ; pathology ; therapy ; Mind-Body Therapies ; Wound Healing

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the adverse reaction of standardized specific mite-allergen immunotherapy. METHOD: One hundred and fifty-two patients diagnosed by the pediatric immunotherapy center of our hospital were treated with increasing doses of standardized specific mite-allergen injection. Before and 30 minutes after treatment, the peak expiratory flow (PEF) and pulmonary function for the maximum lung ventilation function were checked, and the adverse reactions were recorded. RESULT: Six hundred and eighty-one injections were recorded. 84 injections (12.3%) caused immediate side effects, including 64 mild local adverse reactions (9.4%), 2 moderate local adverse reactions (0.3%), 18 systemic adverse reactions (2.6%) which were mild asthma, and no fatal anaphylactic shock and other serious adverse reactions were found. 50 injections (7.3%) cased delayed adverse reactions, all of which were mild local adverse reactions. The rate of immediate local adverse reactions and systemic adverse reactions in the maintenance treatment period was significantly higher than that in the initial treatment period (chi2 = 4.59, 19.82 respectively; P < 0.05, < 0.01 respectively). The rate of delayed adverse reactions was no significant differences (chi2 = 2.30; P > 0.05). The PEF change rate (-0.000 2 +/- 0.085 9) of the children at 681 injections and the MMEF change rate of the children at 109 injections (0.275 +/- 0.206) were not statistically different (t = -0.047, 1.39; P = 0.963, 0.166). CONCLUSION Standardized specific mite-allergen immunotherapy is safe for children with allergic rhinitis and/or asthma.
Adolescent ; Animals ; Asthma ; immunology ; therapy ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Desensitization, Immunologic ; adverse effects ; standards ; Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic ; Female ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity, Immediate ; Male ; Mites ; immunology ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; immunology ; therapy

Paragonimiasis is an infectious disease caused by trematodes of the genus Paragonimus. This trematode can be treated successfully with praziquantel in more than 90% of the cases. Although praziquantel is generally well tolerated, anaphylactic reactions to this drug have been reported in a few cases. We report here a 46-year-old Korean female with paragonimiasis, presumed to be due to Paragonimus westermani, who displayed an allergic reaction to praziquantel and resistance to triclabendazole treatment. The patient was successfully treated with praziquantel following a rapid desensitization procedure. Desensitization to praziquantel could be considered when no alternative drugs are available.
Animals ; Benzimidazoles/*therapeutic use ; *Desensitization, Immunologic ; Drug Hypersensitivity/etiology/immunology/*therapy ; *Drug Resistance ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Paragonimiasis/*drug therapy/immunology/parasitology ; Paragonimus/isolation & purification/physiology ; Praziquantel/*adverse effects/*immunology/therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of mite allergen specific immunotherapy (SIT) in treating children with allergic asthma. METHOD: A total of 136 patients with mite allergy were recruited into the study. They were randomly divided into two groups: SIT group (n = 66) and ST (symptomatic therapy) group (n = 70). They were investigated of SIT with standardized allergen vaccine or no SIT only symptomatic therapy respectively. Therapeutic evaluation index includes: asthma symptoms score, drug score, skin prick test, pulmonary function, serum specificity IgE (sIgE) and the new sensitization was also assessed. Local and systemic adverse reactions were used to evaluate the clinical safety. RESULT: Clinical symptom scores, drug scores, Lung function, and skin test result all improved significantly after the treatment with SIT compared to ST group (P < 0.01). SIT groups do not have new sensitization and no fatal systemic reactions occurred. CONCLUSION The standardized dust mite allergen specific immunotherapy is efficacious and safe to Children with allergic asthma . SIT can reduce house dust mites skin sensitivity and prevent new allergen appeared.
Adolescent ; Allergens ; therapeutic use ; Animals ; Antigens, Dermatophagoides ; therapeutic use ; Asthma ; immunology ; therapy ; Child ; Dust ; Female ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; immunology ; therapy ; Immunotherapy ; methods ; Male ; Pyroglyphidae ; immunology ; Safety ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Skin Tests ; Vaccines ; therapeutic use