Hypoallergenic molecules for subcutaneous immunotherapy

Although a large part of the population suffers from allergies, a cure is not yet available. Allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) offers promise for these patients. AIT has proven successful in insect and venom allergies; however, for food allergy this is still unclear. In this editorial we focus on the recent advances in a proof of concept study in food allergy, FAST (Food allergy specific immunotherapy), which may increase interest within the biomolecular and pharmaceutical industry to embark on similar projects of immunology driven precision medicine within the allergy field.     

Possible Allergenic Role of Tropomyosin in Patients with Adverse Reactions after Fish Intake

In a recent case report, patient’s anti-fish tropomyosin IgE was associated with gastrointestinal symptoms. We aimed to demonstrate on a wider scale that the panallergen tropomyosin should not be limited to invertebrate species and that clinically relevant reactions could be elicited by vertebrate tropomyosin. On the whole, 19 patients with adverse reactions after fish intake and showing negative skin tests with commercial fish extracts were included. Fish tropomyosin was recognized by 10/19 patients’ IgE by immunoblotting. All patients with gastrointestinal complaints after fish intake (6/6) showed an IgE band matching with tropomyosin. Cod, albacore, and swordfish tropomyosins were recognized by most patients although 3/10 patients did not claim adverse reactions to these fish species. Immunoblotting with a battery of antigens from different fish species have a high yield of positivity at a band matching with tropomyosin molecular weight, even if they have not been claimed to be causative agents of symptoms. Tropomyosin is therefore a good candidate to be investigated as a clinically relevant fish allergen in patients who report adverse reactions after fish intake.     

Food Poisonings by Ingestion of Cyprinid Fish

Raw or dried gallbladders of cyprinid fish have long been ingested as a traditional medicine in the Asian countries, particularly in China, for ameliorating visual acuity, rheumatism, and general health; however, sporadic poisoning incidences have occurred after their ingestion. The poisoning causes complex symptoms in patients, including acute renal failure, liver dysfunction, paralysis, and convulsions of limbs. The causative substance for the poisoning was isolated, and its basic properties were examined. The purified toxin revealed a minimum lethal dose of 2.6 mg/20 g in mouse, when injected intraperitoneally. The main symptoms were paralysis and convulsions of the hind legs, along with other neurological signs. Liver biopsy of the euthanized mice clearly exhibited hepatocytes necrosis and infiltration of neutrophils and lymphocytes, suggesting the acute dysfunction of the liver. Blood tests disclosed the characteristics of acute renal failure and liver injury. Infrared (IR) spectrometry, fast atom bombardment (FAB) mass spectrometry, and ¹H- and ¹³C-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis indicated, a molecular formula of C₂₇H₄₈O₈S, containing a sulfate ester group for the toxin. Thus, we concluded that the structure of carp toxin to be 5α-cyprinol sulfate (5α-cholestane-3α, 7α, 12α, 26, 27-pentol 26-sulfate). This indicated that carp toxin is a nephro- and hepato- toxin, which could be the responsible toxin for carp bile poisoning in humans.     

The benefits of fish consumption

In 2004, The UK government advice stated that consumers should increase fish consumption to two portions a week, one of which should be oil‐rich fish. However, survey data show that this advice has not been acted upon by most members of the public. In addition, limited data on consumer attitudes highlight barriers to increased fish consumption, such as concerns about buying and cooking fish, perceptions that fish is expensive, and worries that fish meals may not be eaten by all family members. The ‘two‐a‐week’ message is underpinned by strong scientific evidence for heart health, while weaker emerging evidence associates certain nutrients found in fish with a lower risk of immune dysfunction, normal brain development in infants, insulin sensitivity and maintenance of cognitive function in later life. Clearly, further refinement of the two‐a‐week message is needed to ensure that greater numbers of people respond. Ideas include determining appropriate portion sizes for babies and children, increasing awareness of the broad range of fish and shellfish species, highlighting sustainable sources of fish, and reassuring consumers that frozen and prepared fish products count towards the two‐a‐week target. Further work is also needed to address barriers to consumption, particularly among teenagers and younger adults, who have the lowest intakes.     

Factors affecting birthweight of rural Australian Aborigines

Aim : To examine factors affecting birthweight of Aboriginal infants in the Kimberley region of north-west Australia. Research design : A retrospective study of maternal and infant health records obtained through routine data collection. Subjects and methods : Birthweight and length of 2959 infants born to 1822 women from 1986 to 1994 were analysed. Mothers and infants were matched using unique identification codes. Index births and subsequent births to the same mother were collated in order to examine relative birth order effects and to calculate birth intervals. Results : Regression analysis showed significant associations between weight of the index birth and maternal age ( p < 0.001), remoteness of locality ( p < 0.01), sex of the infant ( p < 0.001) and maternal height ( p < 0.001). Length at birth was significantly associated with ethnicity of infant (Aboriginal vs Aboriginal/non-Aboriginal admixture, p < 0.05), sex ( p < 0.001), remoteness ( p < 0.01) and maternal height ( p < 0.001). Similar associations were observed for second and subsequent births. Birth interval was not associated with birthweight or length. Low birthweight was also more common to Aboriginal mothers compared with mothers of Aboriginal/non-Aboriginal admixture (13.1% vs 9.2%; &#104 2 = 5.1, p < 0.025) even though there were no differences in height between these two groups. Teenage mothers ( &#114 19 years) were no more likely to have low birthweight babies than older mothers. Of the variables examined, the only significant predictor of low birthweight was a previous low birthweight baby (relative risk = 4.45, p < 0.001). Conclusions : Short birth intervals and teenage births were not significant contributors to low birthweight in the present study. The high prevalence and duration of breastfeeding in the Kimberley may contribute to long average birth intervals. Pre-term birth, rather than intrauterine growth retardation, is likely to be the most common cause of low birthweight in this population.     

Geomagnetic imprinting: A unifying hypothesis of long-distance natal homing in salmon and sea turtles

Several marine animals, including salmon and sea turtles, disperse across vast expanses of ocean before returning as adults to their natal areas to reproduce. How animals accomplish such feats of natal homing has remained an enduring mystery. Salmon are known to use chemical cues to identify their home rivers at the end of spawning migrations. Such cues, however, do not extend far enough into the ocean to guide migratory movements that begin in open-sea locations hundreds or thousands of kilometers away. Similarly, how sea turtles reach their nesting areas from distant sites is unknown. However, both salmon and sea turtles detect the magnetic field of the Earth and use it as a directional cue. In addition, sea turtles derive positional information from two magnetic elements (inclination angle and intensity) that vary predictably across the globe and endow different geographic areas with unique magnetic signatures. Here we propose that salmon and sea turtles imprint on the magnetic field of their natal areas and later use this information to direct natal homing. This novel hypothesis provides the first plausible explanation for how marine animals can navigate to natal areas from distant oceanic locations. The hypothesis appears to be compatible with present and recent rates of field change (secular variation); one implication, however, is that unusually rapid changes in the Earth's field, as occasionally occur during geomagnetic polarity reversals, may affect ecological processes by disrupting natal homing, resulting in widespread colonization events and changes in population structure.     

Comparative assessment of in vitro and in vivo toxicity of azinphos methyl and its commercial formulation

The toxic effects of Gusathion (GUS), which is a commercial organophosphate (OP) pesticide, and also its active ingredient, azinphos methyl (AzM), are evaluated comparatively with in vitro and in vivo studies. Initially, the 96‐h LC₅₀ values of AzM and GUS were estimated for two different life stages of Xenopus laevis, embryos, and tadpoles. The actual AzM concentrations in exposure media were monitored by high‐performance liquid chromatography. Also, the sub‐lethal effects of these compounds to tadpoles were determined 24 h later at exposure concentrations of 0.1 and 1 mg/L using selected biomarker enzymes such as acetylcholinesterase (AChE), carboxylesterase (CaE), glutathione S‐transferase (GST), glutathione reductase, lactate dehydrogenase, and aspartate aminotrasferase. Differences in AChE inhibition capacities of AzM and GUS were evaluated under in vitro conditions between frogs and fish in the second part of this study. The AChE activities in a pure electrical eel AChE solution and in brain homogenates of adult Cyprinus carpio, Pelophylax ridibundus, and X. laevis were assayed after in vitro exposure to 0.05, 0.5, 5, and 50 mg/L concentrations of AzM and GUS. According to in vivo studies AChE, CaE and GST are important biomarkers of the effect of OP exposure while CaE may be more effective in short‐term, low‐concentration exposures. The results of in vitro studies showed that amphibian brain AChEs were relatively more resistant to OP exposure than fish AChEs. The resistance may be the cause of the lower toxicity/lethality of OP compounds to amphibians than to fish. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 30: 1091–1101, 2015.