Occupational asthma and rhinitis due to glutaraldehyde: changes in nasal lavage fluid after specific inhalatory challenge test

BACKGROUNDd: Glutaraldehyde (GA) is a known respiratory sensitizers, and some studies have reported occupational asthma in exposed workers. Specific changes in nasal lavage fluid (NLF) induced by high-molecular-weight allergen provocation in sensitized subjects were described previously. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes in cytogram, protein content, eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), and mast-cell tryptase concentrations in NLF after GA inhalation challenge in patients with a positive history of GA-induced asthma and late or dual asthmatic response due to exposure to low-level GA. METHODS: A single-blind, placebo-controlled study was performed on 11 health workers with occupational asthma and rhinitis due to GA. The control groups comprised 10 atopic subjects with perennial asthma and rhinitis and 10 healthy ones. A "nasal pool" technique was used to evaluate the examined parameters in nasal washings before and 30 min, 4 h, and 24 h after the inhalatory provocation with GA and placebo. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in eosinophil number and percentage, and albumin, ECP, and tryptase concentrations in NLF from patients with occupational asthma and rhinitis when compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate the immunologic mechanism of GA-induced asthma and the applicability of the "nasal pool" technique as the diagnostic procedure in GA-induced airway allergy.     

Immunosuppressive Effect of Cyclosporin A in Two Lymphocyte Transfer Models in Rats: Comparison of in Vivo and in Vitro Treatment

The immunosuppressive effect of CS-A was first studied in the assay for local GvHR. 3 x 10⁶ viable spleen cells from LEW rats were injected into one foot pad of LEW x BN hybrids and both PLN were weighed 7 days later. Treatment of the recipients with 3 doses of 50 mg/kg/day of CS-A suppressed this local GvHR. The effect was more pronounced when treatment started at the time of cell transfer rather than a few days before peak response. In-vitro incubation of the cellular inoculum with CS-A also prevented local GvHR. Histology of the PLN confirmed the quantitative results expressed by the PLN index. CS-A was further investigated in the EAE model in LEW rats. It protected rats sensitised with spinal cord emulsified in complete Freund's adjuvant for as long as they were treated with CS-A. Treatment delayed until after the appearance of EAE also markedly improved their condition. Oral treatment of recipients with 50 mg/kg/day CS-A prevented the development of adoptive EAE following the transfer of lymphoid cells conditioned in vitro. The presence of 0.1-1.0 μg CS-A in the medium of the sensitised lymphoid cells also inhibited the adoptive transfer of EAE. Finally, if the cells for the adoptive transfer were derived from CS-A-treated sensitised donors, they failed to induce EAE. Histological examination supported the symptomatic findings     

Advances in allergy management

Our understanding of the pathophysiology of allergy has moved to the molecular level, while study of epidemiology and genetics has revealed risks of developing allergies based on environmental and genetic profiles, and pharmacoeconomic data have enabled accurate measurement of the immense burden of allergic disease. These advances in allergy research have affected its management, particularly the search for new antiallergy therapies. New therapies should intervene in the systemic allergy inflammatory cascade and provide clinical efficacy that extends to multiple allergic disease states. In addition, these new therapies should present no additional safety issues, offer improvements over existing therapies, and have an impact on disease-impaired quality of life. In vitro studies show that desloratadine, a new, once-daily, nonsedating, selective histamine H₁-receptor antagonist, blocks the systemic allergy cascade at multiple points. Desloratadine 5 mg once daily relieves the symptoms of chronic idiopathic urticaria and of both seasonal (SAR) and perennial allergic rhinitis. In patients with concomitant asthma and SAR, asthma symptoms are relieved and β₂-agonist medication use is decreased by desloratadine. Unlike many other second-generation histamine H₁-receptor antagonists, desloratadine provides the added benefit of efficacy against nasal obstruction in SAR. Desloratadine improves quality of life by decreasing the impact of allergic symptoms on sleep and on daily activities.     

148例新生儿眼结膜炎与产妇阴道病原感染相关性的分析

目的了解自然分娩产妇产道细菌性感染（不包括衣原体）对于新生儿眼结膜炎的发病影响，加强围产期保健，防止婴幼儿视力损害。方法对148例新生儿眼结膜炎患者作结膜囊渗出物细菌培养和药敏试验，根据培养结果将患儿分为A组：培养阴性（无菌生长）组，B组：培养阳性组（有菌生长），同时相应将A组、B组患儿母亲分为产妇A组和产妇B组，作阴道分泌物涂片革兰染色检查相对照。结果产妇A组检出病原菌者5例（17．2％），清洁度正常，未检出病原菌及滴虫者24例（82．8％）。患儿B组检出淋病奈瑟氏菌13株（10．9％），其它各属菌株106株（89．1％）。产妇B组涂片见有白细胞内外革兰阴性双球菌者11例（9．2％）；其它病原菌及念珠菌、滴虫感染者76例（63．9％），清洁度正常，未检出病原菌及滴虫者32例（26．9％）。产妇A组产道感染阳性率17．2％，B组阳性率73．1％，两者比较差异有极显著性（P〈0.001）。结论新生儿眼结膜炎与产妇产道感染有密切相关性，应加强对妊娠中晚期孕妇的生殖道感染防治，减少新生儿经产道感染的几率。