Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

G Riva

Publications and source records attributed to G Riva.

140 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Specific immunotherapy [correction of immunotheraphy] of allergic diseases: a three years perspective observational study.

In order evaluate the long-term benefit of Specific ImmunoTherapy (SIT), administered either subcutaneously or sublingually, in comparison with drug therapy, in terms of efficacy, tolerability and patients' adherence to the treatment, a three year perspective, observational study was carried out over tree years in a rather large number of allergic subjects. One hundred and ten patients of both sex (50F, 60M; age: 22.4 - 35.5 years) were admitted. Sixty of them were rhinitics, some with concomitant mild intermittent asthma or conjunctivitis; 43 had a persistent asthma, often with concomitant rhinitis. Seven had urticaria. Sixty patients were treated with the allergoid sublingual SIT (in tablets) plus drugs on demand, 19 with the subcutaneous SIT (depot, aluminium hydroxide subcutaneous SIT) and 31 with the pharmacological therapy alone, mainly nasal steroids and antihistamines. The treatment efficacy, evaluated after 36 months, by symptoms and drug consumption reduction, was statistically better in the group assigned to the allergoid sublingual SIT than in the other two groups. This was the case also for the tolerability, the patient's compliance and the physicians' and patients' opinion. The present findings, obtained by a non-randomized study, show that the allergoid sublingual SIT was very appreciated by both patients and physicians for the good effectiveness and the high degree of safety guaranteed, in addition to its simplicity of use.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An epidemiological survey on the allergological importance of some emerging pollens in Italy.

Epidemiological studies on the pollens responsible for allergic diseases throughout Italy are lacking. Routine diagnostic panels consist prevalently of grass, Parietaria, weeds, birch, olive and mugwort. Considering the great variety of Italian geographical areas and the observation of the growing allergological importance of new botanical species (e.g., ambrosia), a survey on pollen species considered "minor" was necessary. A panel of "emerging" pollens (birch, hazelnut, alder, hornbeam, cypress, ragweed) and a routine panel were used to skin prick test 2,934 consecutive outpatients with respiratory pathology of suspected allergic origin, in 21 centers across Italy. A specific questionnaire was compiled. It was found that 20.1% of patients did not react to allergens tested, 28.2% were positive for at least one emerging pollen and 51.7% did not react to emerging pollens but tested positive for at least one allergen from the routine panel. The prevalence of single pollen species was related to geographical areas. Ragweed pollen was shown to provoke asthma much more frequently than other pollens. Hitherto scarcely considered pollens play a considerable role in causing allergic diseases in Italy. In the great majority of patients, positivity for these pollens was associated with positivity to the better recognized group of pollen allergens, although in some cases they were the primary pathogenic agent. We suggest that these more recently considered allergens be included in routine diagnostic panels.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pollen mixtures used as health food may be a harmful source of allergens.

We describe herein one case of systemic anaphylaxis due to the ingestion of an undefined mixture of pollens, sold as a dietary supplement. The patient, who suffered from rhinoconjunctivitis due to grass pollen (with sensitization to several trees), had a severe episode of anaphylaxis immediately after eating this health food. The episode required emergency care. We attempted to study the pollen mixture responsible, but no pollen granules could be identified. We prepared a solid phase with the pollen mixture, and we observed a RAST positivity with the patient's serum and pools of sera containing specific IgE to trees. Furthermore, a RAST-inhibition assay of the patient's serum showed highly positive results with grasses, birch, alder and Compositae. Therefore, we concluded that the pollen mixture contained determinants capable of cross-reacting with the patient's IgE. This case report is evidence of the possible risks due to the use of undefined herbal products by allergic patients.

Allergens↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical practice improvement program for immunotherapy of respiratory allergic diseases.

The aim of this study was to develop a clinical practice improvement (CPI) program for the allergen immunotherapy of allergic respiratory diseases. The study was conducted between 1994 and 1999, using an observational methodology in line with normal clinical practice, in a Hospital allergy center. The program comprised four basic steps: setting up a decisional tree, standardizing the main diagnostic-therapeutic aspects, recording of the data and statistical evaluation of the main clinical endpoints in a long period (36 months). A total of 256 patients were admitted, all with dust mite allergy; if pharmacological therapy failed after 12 months, they were assigned to immunotherapy (95 patients), either by subcutaneous injection or by the intranasal or sublingual route, depending on the main clinical-prognostic features taken into consideration. For each group of patients a control group was set up, given proper pharmacological therapy (40 patients). Allergen-specific immunotherapy was effective and well tolerated. Bronchial hyper-reactivity (BHR) tests indicated that subcutaneous or sublingual immunotherapy seemed to give some protection against asthma or BHR worsening. In the group only given pharmacological therapy, an increasing percentage of patients gradually became non-responders, hence potential candidates for allergen immunotherapy. The present findings, even though obtained by a non-randomized approach, are based on a large, selected case list and show that setting up a CPI program can render possible a better overall efficacy of immunotherapy, through appropriate selection and continuous follow-up of patients.

Journal Article↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Allergic manifestations due to castor beans: an undue risk for the dock workers handling green coffee beans.

The main cause of allergic manifestations among workers handling green coffee beans (GCB) is sensitization to castor beans (CB), which are considered a common contaminant of the sacks used to transport coffee beans. The RAST inhibition test was used to evaluate the presence of GCB and CB allergens on the surface of the sacks coming from the major world producers of coffee and to ascertain the presence of the CB allergen in coffee beans. A significant concentration of the two allergens, i.e., GCB and CB, on the sacks was demonstrated, with the highest values found on sacks from Brazil, while the hypothesis of a significant CB contamination in coffee beans was not confirmed. We believe the presence of the CB allergen on the surface of the sacks is due to contamination occurring during stocking and transport and could easily be prevented. Appropriate measures taken during transport could effectively prevent this "undue" risk in dockers and probably also in coffee industry workers.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Screening for atopy in a coffee processing factory.

Screening for blood IgE mediated allergy (atopy) by the RAST technique among 76 people working in a coffee processing factory showed rather unexpected findings: although we found a prevalence of positivity (17.1%) to the common airborne antigens (pollens, mites, cat, Alternaria tenuis) which was close to the prevalence of atopy among normal adults in our area (19.3%), only one case of allergy to green coffee and two cases to castor bean came to the fore. Specific IgG4 antibodies were measured only for castor bean and green coffee, and rather elevated figures were found: green coffee 17.1%, castor bean 13.1%. The occurence of positive RASTs to castor bean is more likely to be due to contamination of the bags containing green coffee. The low prevalence of RAST positivities to green coffee, and the elevated specific IgG4 antibodies to both castor bean and green coffee antigens, raise several possibilities which are discussed; however, all the subjects but one having elevated specific IgG4 levels to green coffee worked in more exposed areas. Probably IgG4 antibodies in this particular case are acting as blocking antibodies.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prevalence of patent and latent atopy among a general normal adult population in the south east of France by RAST investigation and correlation with circulating total IgE levels.

A population of 512 adults (men: 266, 52%, women: 246, 48%) with mean age 41.4 years (S.D. 10.7) was investigated. This population was subdivided into five groups: Marseilles city, Manosque a small town in a prealpine area, the area surrounding the Etang de Berre, a rural area in Northern Bouches du Rhône and Chateaurenard, a small town in an intensive agricultural area. RASTs to a panel of eight allergens (Lolium perenne, Parietaria officinalis, Cupressus sempervirens, Olea europea, Cat dander, Alternaria tenuis, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, and Castor bean seed) were done. 99 subjects were found to have a RAST positive to one or several allergens. The main positives found by RAST were a grass pollen (Lolium perenne) and the mite Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus with respectively 10.1% and 11.3% of the results followed by the pollens of Olea Europea 4.4%, Parietaria officinalis 3.1% and Cupressus sempervirens 1.9%, Castor bean seed 1.7% Cat dander 0.9% and Alternaria tenuis 0.9%. Allergy to cstor bean (Ricinus communis) seed was found mostly in the Chateaurenard area where castor castor bean pomace is used in the fields as a fertilizer. There is an almost equal number of RAST positivities to mites (13.3%) than to pollens (11.1%). The prevalence of RAST positive was higher in men (24.1%) than in women (14.2%), p < 0.01). This prevalence is lower when age is increasing. Thirty four subjects (6.6%) had clinical symptoms: This group has a higher prevalence of positive RAST in cases of allergic rhinitis (p < 0.01) and of asthma (p > 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Screening for IgE mediated allergy among people working in the Marseilles harbour.

Screening for IgE mediated allergy by RASTs to professional (castor bean, green coffee, peanut, soy protein, wheat, rice), and non professional (pollens, mites, cat, Alternaria tenuis) air borne antigens among 36 people working in the Marseilles harbour has showed rather unexpected findings: only one case of IgE positivity to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (class I) and one case of IgE positivity to castor bean seed (Ricinus communis) (class IV). IgG4 specific antibodies against castor bean and green coffee were also measured by an ELISA technique, with eleven cases of positivity to castor bean and only one case to green coffee being recorded. Several explanations can be put forward for the low incidence of IgE responses to the commonest airborne antigens and to the professional antigens (castor bean being the only offender), and for the rather high incidence of specific IgG4 antibodies to castor bean. Most likely, the low incidence of latent atopy is the result of a natural selection among the workers who gave up their job if experiencing of discomfort. As far as the elevated IgG4 antibody levels to castor bean are concerned, these are probably natural blocking antibodies.

Air↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Allergic reactions to honey and royal jelly and their relationship with sensitization to compositae.

Honey and royal jelly are complex etherogeneous mixtures of flowers' nectar, sugars, proteins and bee's glandular secretions. The existence of a type I hypersensitivity to honey is still matter of debate, while an aetiological role of Compositae pollens in the clinical manifestations following honey ingestion has been envisaged. We describe two cases of severe systemic reactions (anaphylaxis and generalized urticaria/angioedema) due to honey and royal jelly ingestion in patients sensitized to compositae (mugwort). Both patients had a skin and RAST positivity to mugwort and a positive prick-by-prick to the offending foods. Moreover, in one of the two patients the RAST-inhibition assay showed the strong cross-reactivity between the proteins of honey and mugwort and the SDS-PAGE analysis showed that the major proteic bands from honey and mugwort extracts are largely superimposable. Both the clinical data and the laboratory analysis support the hypothesis of a strict link between sensitization to compositae and adverse reactions to honey and jelly.

Adult↗