Cellular immunologic parameters in thyroid diseases

Between October 1984 and June 1987 in 45 patients (9 males, 36 females) pre- and postoperatively the immunocompetent cells in the peripheral blood were measured using OKT- and LEU-11-antigens. 20 patients suffered from malignant and 25 patients from benign diseases. For statistical analysis, H-test according to Kruskal and Wallis was used. Preoperatively, the total account of T-lymphocytes was decreased in patients with thyroid carcinomas, but showed no differences compound to patients with benign diseases postoperatively. No differences were observed in lymphocytic subpopulations in all groups. Parallely, in 50 patients (14 males, 36 females) immunocompetent cells were counted in the resected specimens. There were investigated 29 carcinomas and 21 benign thyroid lesions using the LEU-antigens. Between the group with malignant diseases and that with benigne lesions of the thyroid, no statistically significant differences were observed.     

Chronotherapy and allergic diseases

The author presents a study synthesizing chronobiological data on allergic diseases and their treatment. It is referred to circannual and circadian chronobiological progress in the field of neurovegetative and immunological respiratory functions. Optimization of treatment is described for inhaled medication, adrenergic and anticholinergic bronchodilators, anti-inflammatory corticoids and cromoglycate derivatives. Importance of ingestion of corticoids at the beginning of activity and of long acting theophylline when diurnal activity ceases is described at endocrinian and pharmacodynamic level. It is finally followed by a presentation of optimization of rhinitis treatment with non sedative antihistaminics, mequitazine, terfenadine, which when taken in the evening are more efficient and better tolerated.     

SHF-thermography in allergic diseases

The results of combined clinical allergologic study and SHF thermography in patients with pollenosis, chronic asthmatic bronchitis, bronchial asthma, continuous and seasonal allergic rhinitis and normal controls are reported. Patients with pulmonary disorders showed a reduction by 1 degree C in mean deep temperature around the lungs, and a sevenfold increase in deep temperature dispersion, as compared to the controls. Patients with pollenosis showed a reduction of deep temperatures by 1.5-2 degrees C in the gastric area and the ascending intestinal portion. In patients with allergic rhinitis, the temperature differences between the tip of the nose and maxillary sinuses, typical for normal subjects, become insignificant. Possible mechanisms of the demonstrated temperature abnormalities are discussed. The data obtained are compared to those obtained by means of IR thermography in the same categories of patients.     

Probiotics and allergic diseases

The prevalence of allergic diseases including atopic dermatitis, asthma, allergic rhinitis (AR) and food allergy is increasing worldwide and they cause a big economic and social burden. Understanding of reasons that contribute to the etiology of allergic diseases as well as new treatment approaches are very important for the follow-up and prevention of these diseases. In recent years, probiotics seem to be promising for allergic diseases. The effect of probiotics in the prevention and treatment of eczema is more extensively studied, but little is known about the association of the microbial flora of the host and allergic airway diseases and the efficacy of probiotics in decreasing the symptoms of patients with asthma and rhinitis. Hitherto, there is no strong evidence for use of probiotics in the treatment of eczema; however, administration of probiotics in breastfeeding mothers in the prenatal period and infants in the postnatal period can be accepted as a safe and helpful option in the prevention of eczema. In contrast, there is not yet reliable evidence or recommendations on use of probiotics for the prevention or treatment of asthma, AR, food allergy, and anaphylaxis currently. More standardized studies should be performed with different strains of probiotics to evaluate the protective and therapeutic effects of probiotics on other allergic diseases as well as eczema. In this review, the relationship between allergy and probiotics is handled in the light of current literature.     

Stress and allergic diseases

Allergy describes a constellation of clinical diseases that affect up to 30% of the world's population. It is characterized by production of allergen-specific IgE, which binds to mast cells and initiates a cascade of molecular and cellular events that affect the respiratory tract (rhinitis and asthma), skin (dermatitis, urticaria), and multiple systems (anaphylaxis) in response to a variety of allergens including pollens, mold spores, animal danders, insect stings, foods, and drugs. The underlying pathophysiology involves immunoregulatory dysfunctions similar to those noted in highly stressed populations. The relationships in terms of potential for intervention are discussed.     

Interleukins and inflammation

Interleukins (IL) are a heterogeneous class of cytokines involved in activation of T lymphocytes (IL-1, 2, 4, 6 and 7), B lymphocytes (IL-1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7), and macrophages (IL-1 and 4), and hematopoiesis (IL-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7), acting either by themselves, or as co-stimulator factors. Interleukin-1 (IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta) is induced by different signals including microbial products; it mediates various events occurring during inflammation (e.g. fever, osteolysis, leucopenia, hypotension, hyperalgia, etc...). Such mechanisms are often the consequences of the induction by IL-1 of lipid mediators (e.g. prostaglandins, platelet activating factor, etc). IL-1 often acts synergistically with Tumor Necrosis Factor during the pro-inflammatory process. IL-1 as well as microbial products induces the production of interleukin-6 and interleukin-8. IL-6 also plays a role in inflammation, mainly as an inducer of acute phase proteins synthesis by hepatocytes. IL-8 has chemotactic and activating properties for neutrophils.     

Sleep disturbances in allergic diseases

Sleep is fundamental for physical and mental health as well as daytime performance and represents a crucial aspect in the personal representations of well-being. Sleep disturbances in patients with chronic disorders constitute a factor that contributes to exacerbate symptoms, complicate management, and affect mood and quality of life (QoL). Allergic diseases are a global health problem of increasing prevalence that affects up to 15% of the population in Western countries. Sleep problems associated with allergic diseases may play a role in worsening the burden of illness, contributing to impairment of the QoL. The aim of this review was to describe the most common causes leading to sleep disturbance in allergic patients and their consequences on the QoL. The possible negative effects of treatment on sleep parameters has been also considered.     

Chemokine receptors in allergic diseases

Under homeostatic conditions, as well as in various diseases, leukocyte migration is a crucial issue for the immune system that is mainly organized through the activation of bone marrow‐derived cells in various tissues. Immune cell trafficking is orchestrated by a family of small proteins called chemokines. Leukocytes express cell‐surface receptors that bind to chemokines and trigger transendothelial migration. Most allergic diseases, such as asthma, rhinitis, food allergies, and atopic dermatitis, are generally classified by the tissue rather than the type of inflammation, making the chemokine/chemokine receptor system a key point of the immune response. Moreover, because small antagonists can easily block such receptors, various molecules have been developed to suppress the recruitment of immune cells during allergic reactions, representing potential new drugs for allergies. We review the chemokines and chemokine receptors that are important in asthma, food allergies, and atopic dermatitis and their respectively developed antagonists.     

Helminth infections and allergic diseases

Both helminth infections and allergic diseases are characterized by a Th2 response. The former mostly affects developing countries while the later is steadily increasing in westernized countries, since most parasitic diseases have been eradicated. However, besides the cytokine pattern, both pathologies display striking similarities regarding the cell types involved in the process, the mucosal component of the inflammatory reaction and the immunoglobulin isotypes produced, IgE and IgA. Recent advances also suggest that allergic pathologies and some other inflammatory diseases arise from a similar dysfunction of the regulatory mechanisms, existing within the immune system. Such a dysregulation leads to a rupture of tolerance towards allergen. Chronic and moderate helminth infections might be beneficial to the induction of various regulatory mechanisms, involving specific regulatory cell populations (dendritic cells and lymphocytes), inhibitory receptors, blocking antibodies and two prominent cytokines: IL-10 and TGF-b, which would decrease the incidence of allergic diseases. This mechanism could provide a new vision of the so-called "hygiene hypothesis".