Interleukin 1ß inhibition contributes to the antinociceptive effects of voluntary exercise on ischemia/reperfusion-induced hypersensitivity.

Issues of peripheral circulation have been increasingly suggested as an underlying cause of musculoskeletal pain in many conditions, including sickle cell anemia and peripheral vascular disease. We have previously shown in our model of transient ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury of the forelimb that individual group III and IV muscle afferents display altered chemosensitivity and mechanical thresholds 1 day after injury. Functional alterations corresponded to increased evoked and spontaneous pain-related behaviors and decreased muscle strength and voluntary activity-all actions that echo clinical symptoms of ischemic myalgia. These behavioral and physiological changes appeared to originate in part from the action of increased interleukin 1ß (IL1ß) in the injured muscles at its upregulated IL1 receptor 1 within the dorsal root ganglion. Here, we describe that two days of voluntary wheel running prior to I/R blocks both injury-induced IL1ß enhancement and the subsequent development of ischemic myalgia-like behaviors. Furthermore, the protective effects of 2 days prior exercise on the I/R-evoked increases in pain-related behaviors were also paralleled with systemic injection of the IL1 receptor antagonist during I/R. Interleukin 1 receptor antagonist treatment additionally prevented the I/R-induced changes in mechanical and chemical sensitivity of individual primary muscle afferents. Altogether, these data strengthen the evidence that transient I/R injury sensitizes group III and IV muscle afferents via increased IL1ß in the muscles to stimulate ischemic myalgia development. Targeting IL1ß may, therefore, be an effective treatment strategy for this insidious type of muscle pain.

Social support for patients with allergic diseases.

In recent years special attention has been paid to the issue of social support. So far there has been no special, applied, definition that would explicitly describe what social support is indeed. It results from the fact that the issue of social support has been of interest for numerous disciplines of science that have own fields of research and practical application. These are, among others, psychology, sociology, pedagogy, medicine. The objective of the study is an attempt to analyze the level of social support by people with allergic diseases. The research instrument was a self-structured inquiry sheet consisting of 25 questions and socio-demographic details. The strongest support for the patients was offered by the closest family (84%), followed by friends (51%), further members of the family (28.8%), acquaintances (26%) and institutions (14.4%).

[New allergens and pediatric allergology]. / Neue Allergene und pädiatrische Allergologie.

The first manifestation of allergies most often occurs in childhood. Prevention of atopic diseases is one of the very important tasks in pediatrics. Exact knowledge of allergens and the role of adjuvant factors in allergic sensitisation is necessary to define measures for allergy prevention aiming at a reduction of the worldwide increasing prevalence of atopic diseases. Indoor allergens and tobacco smoke exposure are risk factors for early sensitisation and asthma. In addition to house dust mites there are other indoor allergens like moulds, pet allergens, cockroaches and many more. Exact diagnosis and identification of the causative allergen allows therapy directing towards allergen avoidance and relieving symptoms without need of any additional pharmaceutical treatment. This cost-saving strategy helps to prevent disease-related long absences from school and work. Exact knowledge of the structure and biology of the etiologic allergens is a prerequisite for this treatment strategy. We review the great contribution of the Allergy Unit in Zurich to the identification and characterisation of environmental allergens.

[The efficacy of treating patients with allergic diseases at a health resort with a gastroenterologic profile]. / Effektivnost' lecheniia bol'nykh s allergicheskimi zabolevaniiami na kurorte gastroénterologicheskogo profilia.

45 allergic patients were treated in gastrointestinal sanatorium. Balneological and speleo modalities were employed. The clinical symptoms and humoral immunity indicated high efficacy of such treatment. The complex is recommended for introduction in gastrointestinal sanatoria.