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Diagnosing allergies is not always easy. Sometimes the symptoms reported by the patient do not match the results of diagnostic tests. Diagnostics of IgE-dependent allergy, including allergy to furry animals, can be based on two basic strategies, "BOTTOM-UP" and "TOP-DOWN", and almost all available allergy tests can be used ranging from skin tests, through specific IgE, to molecular panels and challenge tests. Currently, most information regarding the diagnosis and incidence of allergies to furry animals focuses almost exclusively on the two most common pets-dogs and cats. This is certainly due to the fact that allergy to cats and/or dogs is a common phenomenon, has a huge impact on quality of life, and is a challenge for doctors of many specialties. However, the growing number of owners of other pet species means that diagnostic methods must keep up with the changing needs of patients. Further research in these groups will certainly provide new facts and facilitate clinical decision-making when working with allergic patients.
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INTRODUCTION: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, pruritic skin disease with complex pathogenesis, which affects about 43 million children aged 1-4 years. One of the most known methods of alleviating symptoms of AD is emollient treatment, which varies depending on formulation and additional active ingredients. There is some evidence that emollients could be used in AD prevention in high-risk children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A search of the literature from Cochrane Library, PubMed and Medline was conducted between August and September 2023 with the following keywords: "atopic dermatitis", "emollients", and "prevention". Only randomised clinical trials published in the last 5 years were included into the meta-analysis. RESULTS: Considering the inclusion criteria only 11 randomized clinical trials were taken into account, and six of them proved lack of effect of emollients in the prevention of atopic dermatitis among neonates from AD risk groups. CONCLUSIONS: Emollient treatment has a good safety profile and most of the ingredients used in formulations are nonirritant for sensitive newborn and infant skin. There is some evidence of the positive effects of emollient treatment in prevention of AD in predisposed populations. The relatively high cost of emollient treatment (vs regular infant skin-care routine) would support the necessity for further evaluation of their effectiveness in nonpredisposed populations.
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One of the key response mechanisms to brain damage, that results in neurological symptoms, is the inflammatory response. It triggers processes that exacerbate neurological damage and create the right environment for the subsequent repair of damaged tissues. RANTES (Regulated upon Activation, Normal T Cell Expressed and Presumably Secreted) chemokine(C-C motif) ligand 5 (CCL5) is one of the chemokines that may have a dual role in stroke progression involving aggravating neuronal damage and playing an important role in angiogenesis and endothelial repair. This study concerned patients with ischemic stroke (AIS), whose CCL5 concentration was measured at various time intervals and was compared with the control group. In addition, the effect of this biomarker on neurological severity and functional prognosis was investigated. Compared to healthy patients, a higher concentration of this chemokine was demonstrated in less than 4.5 h, 24 h and on the seventh day. Differences in CCL5 levels were found to be dependent on the degree of disability and functional status assessed according to neurological scales (modified Rankin Scale, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale). In addition, differences between various subtypes of stroke were demonstrated, and an increase in CCL5 concentration was proven to be a negative predictor of mortality in patients with AIS. The deleterious effect of CCL5 in the acute phase of stroke and the positive correlation between the tested biomarkers of inflammation were also confirmed.