Background  Objective parameters to assess disease activity in non-segmental vitiligo are lacking. Melanocyte antigen-specific antibodies are frequently found in the sera of patients with vitiligo and the presence of these antibodies may correlate with disease activity. Objective  To investigate the relationship between melanocyte antigen-specific antibodies and recent disease activity in ...

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an antibody-mediated disease with the target antigen being the water channel aquaporin-4 (AQP4). More than 90% of NMO patients have relapse. Optimal treatments to prevent recurrence have not been established. Previous reports suggest that interferon beta (IFNB) has not been effective in NMO. However, we present ...

Systemic anaphylaxis is an acute, severe, and potentially fatal allergic reaction. Two classes of antibodies, IgE and IgG, contribute to the development of anaphylaxis in mice, through different mechanisms with distinct usage of effector cells and chemical mediators. Larger quantities of antibody and antigen are reportedly required to induce IgG-mediated ...

As IgE plays a pivotal role in type I hypersensitivity-mediated allergic diseases, it is valuable to measure absolute quantity of serum antigen-specific IgE for clinical and research purposes. Here we describe a novel ELISA system that enables quantification of antigen-specific IgE in ng/ml in dogs. A newly developed monoclonal antibody ...

Background:Ascaris lumbricoides induces a Th2 response and specific IgE synthesis in humans. This confers antiparasite immunity but could modify the natural history of allergic diseases in the tropics, justifying the study of its allergenic composition. We analyzed the allergenic properties of Ascaris tropomyosin and the frequency of sensitization in subjects ...

N-glycans from plant and invertebrate allergens can induce extensive immunoglobulin-E (IgE) cross-reactivity in vitro. IgE antibodies against these N-glycans, also termed cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants or CCDs, are prevalent in alcohol drinkers. This study investigated the prevalence and biological significance of IgE antibodies to N-glycans from wine glycoproteins in heavy drinkers. ...

Reaginic antibodies, mainly of the IgE and some IgG subclasses, play an important role in the induction of type I immediate hypersensitivity reactions. These antibodies bind through their Fc fragment to high affinity receptors (FcεRI) present in the membrane of mast cells and basophils. Previously, several studies have investigated the ...

The monoclonal anti-IgE antibody omalizumab (Xolair is mostly used for the treatment of severe allergic asthma. However, the requirement of high doses and suboptimal cost-effectiveness limits the use of the treatment. Here we propose to use a new drug format based on non-immunoglobulin structures, potentially offering increased clinical efficacy while ...

IgE antibody concentration, affinity, clonality and specific activity (also known as the allergen-specific IgE to total IgE ratio) influence the translation of IgE responses into clinically evident allergic symptoms following allergen exposure. Reported IgE-specific activity levels >3-4% place allergic individuals undergoing anti-IgE (Omalizumab((R))) therapy at a disadvantage for poor resolution ...

IgE-mediated responses play a pivotal role in allergic patients with food intolerance. However, the association of food-specific IgG and IgA antibodies with the clinical outcome of allergic patients is still a matter of controversy. In this study we investigate whether beef-specific IgG and IgA antibodies may coexist with beef-specific IgE ...

Few common carbohydrate epitopes consisting of terminal beta-(1,2)-xylose and/or alpha-(1,3)-fucose residues are shared by a variety of glycoproteins from plants, insects and parasitic worms, termed cross-reactive carbohydrate determinant (CCD), and frequently recognized by IgE antibodies of patients with food and/or respiratory allergy, though clinical relevancy of such CCD-specific IgE is ...

BACKGROUND: Fungal allergy is an elusive disease, and little progress has been made in this field during recent years. Moreover, because of the complexity of the organisms, it is difficult to categorize fungi systematically on the basis of morphologic characterization. However, recent molecular phylogenetics studies have substantially improved fungal categorization. ...

IgE-mediated hypersensitivity is central to the pathogenesis of asthma and other allergic diseases. Although neutralization of serum IgE with IgE-specific antibodies is in general an efficacious treatment for allergic asthma, one limitation of this approach is its lack of effect on IgE production. Here, we have developed a strategy to ...

The allergist/immunologist judiciously diagnoses allergic disease by using confirmatory IgE antibody data from in vivo and in vitro assays after the collection of a clinical history. After an overview of historical events, clinically available allergen-specific IgE assays from Phadia, Siemens, and Hycor are contrasted by their design and performance characteristics. ...

Peanut allergy poses significant healthcare problems, because its prevalence is increasing in many countries, and it is rarely outgrown. To explore the immunological mechanisms that underlie peanut allergy and tolerance, we compared the peanut-specific responses of peanut-allergic (PA) and nonallergic (NA) individuals. We measured peanut-specific peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) ...

English walnuts are implicated in severe, IgE-mediated food allergy in humans. We sought to determine if polyphenolic compounds extracted from the edible nut could promote IgE production to a coadministered allergen. BALB/c mice were sensitized to ovalbumin (OVA) with or without alum (AL) or polyphenolic-enriched extract via intraperitoneal injection. Serum ...

Immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies are key effector molecules in the allergic inflammatory response and are also involved in the protection against extracellular parasites. Allergic symptoms often develop early in life, and the intrauterine environment has been proposed to play an important role in affecting the risk of later allergy development. ...

We previously reported that minocycline treatment of allergic asthmatic patients had oral steroid sparing effects and improved their clinical status and that minocycline suppressed in vitro induction of IgE responses by their PBMC. The effect of minocycline on human or animal IgE responses in vivo has not been studied. Allergic ...

Atopic dermatitis (AD) can be categorized into the extrinsic and intrinsic types. Extrinsic or allergic AD shows high total serum IgE levels and the presence of specific IgE for environmental and food allergens, whereas intrinsic or non-allergic AD exhibits normal total IgE values and the absence of specific IgE. While ...

The best understood mechanisms of omalizumab are that it neutralizes free IgE and down-regulates high-affinity IgE.Fc receptors (FcepsilonRI) on basophils and mast cells. It has been proposed that since complexes of IgE and omalizumab are accumulated to 5-10 times the basal levels of IgE, they may trap incoming allergens, contributing ...

Japanese scientists were involved in pioneering work on therapeutic antisera and have made huge contributions to the characterization of the antibody molecules that are responsible for this and many other biological activities, as well as working back to understand the B cells that produce these Igs. This review emphasizes the ...

BACKGROUND: The cytokine IL-9 has been implicated in allergic reactions, including food allergy, but its contribution to parenteral versus oral antigen-induced anaphylaxis remains unclear. OBJECTIVES: We sought to delineate the contribution of the IL-9/IL-9 receptor alpha-chain (IL-9R) pathway to parenteral and oral antigen-induced anaphylaxis. METHODS: Wild-type, IL-9-deficient (Il9(-/-)), and IL-9R-deficient ...

Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP) represents an eosinophilic T-helper 2 inflammatory response. Local production of IgE within nasal polyps (NPs) has been demonstrated, suggesting a role for local IgE in the pathogenesis of NP in atopic CRS patients. We hypothesized that local IgE specific to inhalant allergens may also ...

Bacterial colonisation of the airways is associated with increased risk of childhood asthma. Immunoglobulin (Ig)E against bacterial antigens has been reported in some asthmatics, suggesting a role for bacterial-specific type-2 immunity in disease pathogenesis. We aimed to investigate relationships between bacterial-specific IgE amongst teenagers and asthma susceptibility. We measured titres ...

The IgE response to pollen allergens often includes IgE antibodies specific for glycosylation motifs on the pollen proteins. These oligosaccharides are present on many different species and are known as cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants. However, IgE antibodies to plant-derived cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants seem to have only minor clinical significance and have ...

To evaluate the antiallergic effect of fermented Ixeris sonchifolia (IS, family Compositae), we prepared IS Kimchi, isolated Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from it, fermented IS with these LAB, and investigated their antiallergic effects. IS Kimchi more potently inhibited the passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) reaction induced by an IgE-antigen complex as ...

IgE was the last of the five immunoglobulin classes to be discovered and is the antibody that is responsible for much of human type I allergic disease. This review summarizes recent developments with respect to control of IgE synthesis with an emphasis on Th2 (T helper 2) control and regulation ...

BACKGROUND: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients may exhibit high total IgE and antinuclear IgE antibodies (ANA-IgE). Here, we investigated the specificity of ANA-IgE in SLE patients and the involvement of cytokines in this immune response. METHODS: Sera from 92 SLE patients and 68 healthy controls were evaluated for the presence ...

B cells use unconventional strategies for the production of a seemingly unlimited number of antibodies from a very limited amount of DNA. These methods dramatically increase the likelihood of producing proteins that cannot fold or assemble appropriately. B cells are therefore particularly dependent on 'quality control' mechanisms to oversee antibody ...

BACKGROUND: Infliximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody against TNF-alpha useful in the treatment of many chronic inflammatory diseases. Severe anaphylaxis has been reported during therapy, although the exact mechanism has not been fully defined. The reactions have been related to the infliximab immunogenicity and development of specific antibodies. AIMS OF ...

The recognition of homocytotropic antibodies and their occurrence in response to parasite infection preceded the recognition of IgE as a distinct antibody isotype in the bovine species. Passive cutaneous anaphylaxis was an early reliable and antigen specific method to detect IgE in bovine serum. Yet studies on the role of ...

IgE antibodies are mediators of mast cell degranulation during allergic diseases. The binding of IgE to its high-affinity IgE receptor on mast cell surfaces is called "sensitization" and precedes the development of clinical allergy. Previously, intradermal injection of anti-IgE or the anti-IgG(T) antibody CVS40 induced immediate skin reactions in horses. ...

The importance of internal and external parasites in limiting productivity and compromising the welfare of sheep has provided the impetus for extensive research on ovine IgE with the objectives of better understanding protective immunological responses and developing novel methods of control; particularly vaccination. The molecular structures of ovine IgE and ...

Antigen-specific immune responses in multiple sclerosis have been studied for decades, but the target antigens of the putatively autoaggressive B and T cells still remain elusive. Here, we summarize recent strategies which are based on the direct analysis of biopsy or autopsy specimens from patients. Since this material is extremely ...

The 13q33-34 region harbours a susceptibility locus to Ascaris lumbricoides, although the underlying genes are unknown. Immunoglobulin (Ig)E and IgG confer protective immunity and here we sought to investigate in an endemic population whether LIG4, TNFSF13B and IRS2 genes influence IgE and IgG levels against Ascaris and the ABA-1 allergen ...

In this work the clinical evolution and the specific serum IgG and IgE antibody responses in sheep after primary (n=10) and secondary (n=4) experimental challenges with the mange mite Sarcoptes scabiei var. ovis were studied. The primary infection was characterized by the development of mange lesions in all sheep, a ...

Monocytes and macrophages of individuals with allergic diseases express increased levels of the low-affinity IgE receptors (FcepsilonRII or CD23) on their surfaces. The cross-linking of CD23-bound IgE antibody by allergen activates the cells to release inflammatory mediators. In mast cells, the binding of IgE to the high-affinity IgE receptors (FcepsilonRI) ...

The somatic products released from ingested larvae of Gymnorhynchus gigas parasitizing fish induce a Th2 response capable of causing allergic disorders. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the prevalence of anti-Gymnorhynchus gigas antibodies in a Spanish population and established a possible relationship with fish consumption habits. We ...

Basophils express major histocompatibility complex class II, CD80 and CD86 and produce interleukin 4 (IL-4) in various conditions. Here we show that when incubated with IL-3 and antigen or complexes of antigen and immunoglobulin E (IgE), basophils internalized, processed and presented antigen as complexes of peptide and major histocompatibility complex ...

Proteins of the 2S albumin family, such as Ara h2 and Ara h6, are most frequently involved in peanut allergy. We have developed a reverse enzyme allergo-sorbent test (EAST) in which total serum IgE antibodies are first captured by immobilised anti-human IgE monoclonal antibodies, and then the binding of the ...

In mast cells, antigen-mediated cross-linking of IgE bound to its high-affinity surface receptor, FcepsilonRI, initiates a signaling cascade that culminates in degranulation and release of allergic mediators. Antigen-patterned surfaces, in which the antigen is deposited in micron-sized features on a silicon substrate, were used to examine the spatial relationship between ...

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is a humoral autoimmune disease directed predominantly against the non-collagenous NC16A domain of the BP180 hemidesmosomal protein. Our laboratory has recently shown, using a mouse xenograft model, that passive transfer of IgE autoantibodies from BP sera induces a skin phenotype that recapitulates the early phases of the ...

This study aimed to examine the effect of IL-4 -590 T/C polymorphism on the levels of malaria-specific IgE, IgG, IgG (1-4) subclasses as well as total IgE in the Fulani and their sympatric ethnic group, the Dogon, in Mali. Asymptomatic individuals, of the Fulani and the Dogon ethnic groups, were ...

Chronic urticaria is defined as the presence of urticaria (hives) for at least 6 weeks with the assumption that it occurs daily or close to it. If we eliminate physical urticarias and urticarial vasculitis from consideration, the remainder can be divided into autoimmune chronic urticaria (45%) and idiopathic chronic urticaria ...

Through SAR studies on 1'S-1'-acetoxychavicol acetate (1) against Type I antiallergic activity by indexing release of beta-hexosaminidase, a marker of antigen-IgE-mediated degranulation in RBL-2H3 cells, more stable and potent analogue, 4-(methoxycarbonyloxyphenylmethyl)phenyl acetate (16), has been developed. The compound 16 also strongly inhibited the antigen-IgE-mediated TNF-alpha and IL-4 production.

BACKGROUND: Atopic sensitization to the house dust mite (HDM) is associated with altered antibody responses to the nasopharyngeal colonizing bacterium Haemophilus influenzae and children admitted to the emergency department for asthma exacerbation have reduced IgG responses to HDM allergens. OBJECTIVE: To investigate anti-bacterial and anti-allergen antibody responses during convalescence from ...

IgE plays a critical role in hypersensitivity reactions such as asthma and allergy as well as poorly defined roles in immunity to parasitic helminth infections. The quantity of antigen-specific IgE is thought to affect the intensity of the allergic reaction as well as the perceived level of resistance to parasitic ...

Seroprevalence of Toxocara and Taenia solium and risk factors for infection with these parasites were explored in a long-term rural settlement in São Paulo state, Brazil. An ELISA for the detection of anti-Toxocara IgG and IgE and anti-T. solium cysticerci was standardized using Toxocara excretory-secretory antigens (TES) obtained from the ...

BACKGROUND: Some patients with allergic asthma treated with anti-IgE (Xolair) do not become symptom free. Better criteria for response assessment than allergy skin tests or IgE determination are needed. The impact of the size of the disease relevant allergen-specific IgE antibody fraction, i.e. the percentage of IgE antibody of total ...

Artemia (brine shrimp) is used as feed for fish fry and shrimp in aquaculture. Two employees in a Norwegian aquaculture research farm reported having chest symptoms when working in an Artemia hatch room. To determine the presence and prevalence of Artemia sensitization at the farm and the extent of any ...