Poppy Seed Allergy: Molecular Diagnosis and Cross-Reactivity With Tree Nuts.

BACKGROUND: Poppy seed (PS) can be a cause of severe allergic reactions, especially in individuals with concurrent allergy to tree nuts and other seeds, but diagnostic criteria and sensitization patterns are lacking. OBJECTIVE: To assess the role of PS extract and individual allergens in diagnosing PS allergy and their cross-reactivities with tree nuts and buckwheat. METHODS: Our retrospective study included 36 PS-sensitized patients; 10 with a positive and 26 with a negative oral food challenge (OFC). We identified individual PS allergens and compared the diagnostic performance of specific IgE (sIgE) to PS extract with its allergens. Cross-reactivities between PS and related allergens from other seeds were assessed by a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: We identified 4 novel PS allergens: Pap s 1 (vicilin), Pap s 1 (27-424) (α-hairpinin), Pap s 2 (legumin), and Pap s 3 (small hydrophilic seed protein). A positive OFC correlated with higher PS-sIgE levels and elevated sIgE levels for the PS allergens, except for Pap s 3. PS and α-hairpinin-sIgE effectively differentiated allergic from tolerant patients, with area under the curve values of 0.95 and 0.94. PS-sIgE >10.00 kUA/L exhibited 90% sensitivity and 73% specificity, whereas α-hairpinin-sIgE >2.60 kUA/L showed 100% sensitivity and 77% specificity. PS vicilin and legumin highly cross-reacted with hazelnut and buckwheat homologs, whereas α-hairpinin-sIgE cross-reacted with the related almond allergen. CONCLUSIONS: This is the most extensive study on PS allergy to date. PS and α-hairpinin-sIgE are highly sensitive indicators of clinical reactivity to PS, whereas vicilin and legumin-sIgE contribute to concurrent sensitization to hazelnut and buckwheat.

Molecular allergology and its application in prevention, diagnosis and therapy.

Allergic diseases represent a relevant global health problem, affecting adults and children and posing a significant burden for health care systems. In addition, the disease is still under-recognized and harmonized diagnostic tools and management plans for patients are still lacking. In this review the most important aspects of the diagnosis of allergic diseases are summarized and the contribution of Molecular allergology to this area is highlighted.

INFOGEST Digestion Assay of Raw and Roasted Hazelnuts and Its Impact on Allergens and Their IgE Binding Activity.

Most of the food allergens sensitized via the gastrointestinal tract resist thermal treatments and digestion, particularly digestion by pepsin. Roasted hazelnuts are more commonly consumed than raw ones. Since no studies have characterized gastric digestion protein fragments of raw and roasted hazelnuts nor their IgE binding properties, we compared these aspects of raw and roasted hazelnuts' gastric digesta obtained by INFOGEST protocol. Their electrophoretically resolved profiles were probed with hazelnut allergic patients' sera in 1D and 2D immunoblots. Electrophoretic profiles demonstrated pepsin digestion of all hazelnut allergens to varying extents. While 2D immunoblots indicated that roasting slightly reduced allergenicity, IgE ELISA with the pool of sera showed a slight significant (10%) increase in IgE binding in both gastric digesta. Cor a 9 isolated from the raw and roasted hazelnuts, characterized by far and near CD, remained stable after roasting, with preserved IgE reactivity. Its immunoreactivity contribution by inhibitory ELISA was noticeable in raw and roasted hazelnut digesta; its activity was slightly stronger in the roasted preparations. Roasting has a visible impact on proteins; however, it did not affect overall IgE reactivity. Gastric digestion slightly increases the overall IgE reactivity in raw and roasted hazelnuts, and may therefore impact the profiles of allergens and their fragments available to interact with the immune system in the small intestine.

Association between higher plasma lutein, zeaxanthin, and vitamin C concentrations and longer telomere length: results of the Austrian Stroke Prevention Study.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between plasma concentrations of antioxidative micronutrients and leukocyte telomere length (LTL) in elderly adults. DESIGN: Cross-sectional cohort study. SETTING: Austrian Stroke Prevention Study, a population-based cohort study on brain aging. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals with a mean age of 66 ± 7 (n = 786; 58% female). MEASUREMENTS: Concentrations of vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin, ß-cryptoxanthin, canthaxanthin, lycopene, α- and γ-tocopherol, α- and ß-carotene, and retinol in plasma, advanced oxidation protein products as a measure of oxidative stress in serum, and LTL were measured. Vitamins and carotenoids were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography, advanced oxidation protein products using spectrophotometry, and telomere length using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Multiple linear regression analyses with adjustment for age and sex demonstrated that higher lutein, zeaxanthin, and vitamin C concentrations were strongly associated with longer telomere length. The associations were independent of body mass index, maximum oxygen uptake, and vascular risk factors and were not mediated by advanced oxidation protein products content. CONCLUSION: This study provides first evidence that higher lutein, zeaxanthin, and vitamin C concentrations in plasma are associated with longer LTL in normal elderly persons and suggest a protective role of these vitamins in telomere maintenance.