Concomitant sensitization to legumin, Fag e 2 and Fag e 5 predicts buckwheat allergy.

BACKGROUND: Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) has become increasingly popular as a healthy food in Europe. However, for sensitized individuals, consumption can cause anaphylactic reactions. The aim of this study was to identify individual well-characterized buckwheat allergens for component-resolved diagnosis. METHODS: Patients were selected by positive skin prick test to buckwheat and divided into two groups: (1) sensitized to buckwheat without clinical symptoms and (2) buckwheat allergy. Buckwheat proteins were extracted from raw buckwheat seeds, purified applying a combination of protein precipitation and chromatographic methods, and analyzed by IgE immunoblotting and ELISA. RESULTS: Buckwheat-allergic patients had a significantly larger median skin prick test weal diameter for buckwheat than the sensitized group and the positive control. Also, IgE immunoblotting clearly showed a distinct pattern in sera from allergic patients when compared to sensitized individuals. Several IgE-reactive proteins were purified from crude buckwheat extract, namely legumin (Fag e 1 plus its large subunit), Fag e 2 (2S albumin), and newly identified Fag e 5 (vicilin-like) as well as hevein-like antimicrobial peptides, designated Fag e 4. All four allergens showed superior diagnostic precision compared to extract-based ImmunoCAP with high sensitivity as well as high specificity. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with clinical symptoms clearly show a distinct allergen recognition pattern. We characterized a buckwheat vicilin-like protein as a new relevant marker allergen, designated Fag e 5. Additionally, another new allergen, Fag e 4, potentially important for cross-reactivity to latex was added to the allergen panel of buckwheat. Further, our data show that the full-length legumin comprising both, large and small subunit should be applied for component-resolved diagnosis. Our data indicate that concomitant sensitization to legumin, Fag e 2 and Fag e 5, predicts buckwheat allergy.

Enhanced degradation of tryptophan in patients on hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND: Hemodialysis patients often present with increased concentrations of tryptophan catabolites perhaps related to an enhanced activity of tryptophan-degrading enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) that is inducible by pro-inflammatory stimuli. The often chronic inflammation and immune activation status in dialysis patients may accelerate tryptophan degradation, which could influence patients' psychological performance. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this study, plasma concentrations of kynurenine and tryptophan were determined by HPLC in 75 dialysis patients, aged 65.3 ± 15.0 years. Forty patients were female, 35 male; 21 (28%) had diabetes mellitus Type 1 or 2 and 32 (43%) suffered from sleep disturbances and/or depression. Their dialysis vintage was 4.26 ± 4.72 years. HPLC results were compared to concentrations obtained from 40 healthy blood donors, to immune activation marker neopterin, and to psychological test results based on INTERMED scores. RESULTS: Compared to those in healthy controls, tryptophan concentrations were decreased in patients. Neopterin, kynurenine and the kynurenine to tryptophan ratio (kyn/trp, an index of tryptophan degradation) were increased in patients (all p < 0.01). Kyn/trp correlated with neopterin concentrations (rs = 0.393, p < 0.01). INTERMED scores were 21.0 + 8.4 and slightly higher in females (U = -1.831, p < 0.07); they correlated with tryptophan concentrations (rs = -0.227, p < 0.05) but with no other parameter studied. Data point to a possible relationship between tryptophan metabolic disturbances and psychologic presentation of patients, although only a rather weak relationship was found. CONCLUSION: We conclude that tryptophan degradation is increased in dialysis patients. The association with increased neopterin concentrations indicates activated IDO.

A review on the effectiveness of street sweeping, washing and dust suppressants as urban PM control methods.

Given the absence of a definitive threshold for atmospheric particulate matter (PM)-induced adverse health effects and the evidence of road traffic as a main contributor to PM-urban levels, there is a general agreement in reducing PM-associated health risks by firstly focusing on vehicle traffic sector. Beside the reduction of primary exhaust emissions, recent potential measures are challenging to reduce emissions of particulate matter from abrasion and resuspension processes given the high potential health burden of heavy metals and metalloids sourced by vehicle-wear particles (brakes, tires, rotor, discs and catalysts) and of coarse particles (PM(2.5-10)). Some mitigating measures can be adopted in order to reduce road dust emissions from paved roads by removing or binding those particles already deposited and easy to be resuspended by traffic-generated turbulence. Sweeping, water flushing and use of chemical suppressants are usually more commonly employed to try to diminish emissions, but evaluating the effectiveness of preventive measures on improving air quality is a difficult task, consequently there is a general dearth of information about their effectiveness in reducing ambient PM concentrations. In particular, the scientific bibliography seems to be particularly scarce, whilst most of the information comes from local authorities committees. Consequently the existing reports are often aimed only to the municipalities and in the native language, with an objective difficulty for the international scientific community to access to them. For this review we have gathered contributions from some of major experts in this field, with the purpose of taking advantage of their background and personal awareness about any kind of related reports even not in English. Furthermore, the results we have gathered are often dissimilar, probably due to the different local conditions (weather, road pavement conditions etc.), therefore another objective of the review is to make a balance of actual knowledge and create a useful reference for future research studies and air quality management.