Evaluation and predictive value of IgE responses toward a comprehensive panel of house dust mite allergens using a new multiplex assay: a real-life experience on an Italian population.

Summary: Background. House dust mites (HDM) are among the most important allergen sources worldwide, representing a major cause of perennial allergic rhinitis and asthma. Aim. To evaluate the prevalence of IgE responses towards a comprehensive panel of HDM allergens and to evaluate the implications of molecular sensitization profiles on respiratory symptoms. Methods. 155 consecutive HDM-allergic patients (mean age: 27.5 years; range: 1-62; female: 63), 86 affected by rhinitis and 68 by asthma, were enrolled. Specific IgE reactivity to Der f 1, Der p 1, Der f 2, Der p 2, Der p 5, Der p 7, Der p 10, Der p 11, Der p 20, Der p 21 and Der p 23 was tested in patients' sera using the last version of the multiparametric assay Allergy Explorer (ALEX). Results. In all, major and minor allergens were positive, respectively, in 96.8% and 50.9% of the patients. Prevalence and IgE levels of Der f 1, Der f 2, Der p 1 and Der p 20 were significantly higher in asthmatic patients (p less than 0.05), whereas subjects negative for minor allergens resulted more frequently suffering from rhinitis (p = 0.0001). Asthmatic patients had IgE reactivity to a larger number of HDM allergens (mean 5.4; SD ± 2.3) than patients with only rhinitis (mean 4.2; SD ± 2.5) (p = 0.003), whereas no differences in the number of HDM positive molecules and in the specific IgE levels were found among different ages. Conclusions. This study confirms that the assessment of IgE to a comprehensive panel of HDM allergens defines different serological reactivity profiles that seem associated with different clinical presentations.

Frequency of allergic sensitization to Can f 5 in North East Italy. An analysis of 1403 ISACs 112 (Component Resolved Diagnosis) collected retrospectively.

Summary: Recent studies have shown the increasing relevance of allergic sensitization to Can f 5, a prostatic kallicrein expressed in the prostate and detectable only in male dogs. The aim of the present study was to establish the frequency, level of sensitization and association with other dog allergens of Can f 5, as assessed by Component Resolved Diagnosis (CRD- ISAC 112, ThermoFisher Scientific, Uppsala, Sweden), in North East Italy. A total of 1403 CRD ISAC 112 were examined retrospectively. Five-hundred twenty subjects (37 %) had a positive IgE response to at least one of the available animal allergens. Among these 520 subjects, 268 (51.5 %) showed at least one sensitization to dog allergens. Among dog-sensitized individuals, 183 (69.02%) showed IgE against Can f 5, and 106 (57.92%) were sensitized exclusively against Can f 5. The average Can f 5 specific IgE was 8.810 ISU-E, with 77.6 % of individuals showing medium or high values of specific IgE according to manufacturer's specifications. In conclusions, our data confirmed that there is a high number of sensitized patients to Can f 5, which have a high degree of allergic sensitization. These results should be taken into account by allergists managing dog allergic patients. In fact, clinical consequences of this sensitization regard respiratory allergy (burden of rhinitis/asthma), systemic reactions (anaphylaxis during sexual intercourse from cross-reaction with human prostatic antigen), allergen immunotherapy-AIT (likely ineffective in patients with exclusive sensitization), and preventive measures (possibility to own a female dog and a likely reduction of allergen passive transport). Further studies are needed to better explore these aspects in "real life".

Shear dynamics of an inverted nematic emulsion.

Here we study theoretically the dynamics of a 2D and a 3D isotropic droplet in a nematic liquid crystal under a shear flow. We find a large repertoire of possible nonequilibrium steady states as a function of the shear rate and of the anchoring of the nematic director field at the droplet surface. We first discuss homeotropic anchoring. For weak anchoring, we recover the typical behaviour of a sheared isotropic droplet in a binary fluid, which rotates, stretches and can be broken by the applied flow. For intermediate anchoring, new possibilities arise due to elastic effects in the nematic fluid. We find that in this regime the 2D droplet can tilt and move in the flow, or tumble incessantly at the centre of the channel. For sufficiently strong anchoring, finally, one or both of the topological defects which form close to the surface of the isotropic droplet in equilibrium detach from it and get dragged deep into the nematic state by the flow. In 3D, instead, the Saturn ring associated with the normal anchoring disclination line can be deformed and shifted downstream by the flow, but remains always localized in the proximity of the droplet, at least for the parameter range we explored. Tangential anchoring in 2D leads to a different dynamic response, as the boojum defects characteristic of this situation can unbind from the droplet under a weaker shear with respect to the normal anchoring case. Our results should stimulate further experiments with inverted liquid crystal emulsions under shear, as most of the predictions can be testable in principle by monitoring the evolution of liquid crystalline orientation patterns or by tracking the position and shape of the droplet over time.

Accuracy of the first fully automated method for anti-cardiolipin and anti-beta2 glycoprotein I antibody detection for the diagnosis of antiphospholipid syndrome.

In this study we evaluated the diagnostic accuracy for antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) of new fully automated immunoassays for anticardiolipin (aCL) and anti-beta2 glycoprotein I (anti-beta2-GPI) auto-antibody detection (EliA-Phadia), and compared the results with those obtained with Orgentec and Inova ELISA methods. Sixty-two APS patients and 123 controls (20 syphilis, 33 Lyme disease, 30 HCV infection and cryoglobulinemia, 40 healthy subjects) were studied. Using the 99(th) percentile cutoff, the sensitivity and specificity of EliA aCL IgG, aCL IgM, anti-beta2-GPI IgG, and anti-beta2-GPI IgM were 69.4% and 81.9%, 64.5% and 86.7%, 64.5% and 98.8%, and 53.2% and 92.8%, respectively. Using the Sydney criteria cutoff (>40 GPL/MPL units), sensitivity and specificity of EliA aCL IgG and aCL IgM were 45.2% and 98.8%, and 35.5% and 97.5%, respectively. The best diagnostic efficiency was obtained combining the aCL tests (>40 GPL/MPL units) with the anti-beta2-GPI tests (sensitivity 85.7%, specificity 90.4%). The area under the ROC curves for EliA, Orgentec, and Inova methods were 0.870, 0.940, and 0.850 for aCL IgG; 0.820, 0.820, and 0.820 for aCL IgM; 0.910, 0.960, and 0.920 for anti-beta2-GPI IgG; 0.840, 0.840, and 0.820 for anti-beta2-GPI IgM, respectively. Finally, the overall agreement between EliA assays and the other two ELISA methods ranged from moderate (anti-beta2-GPI IgG EliA versus Orgentec: Cohen's k = 0.426) to good (anti-beta2-GPI IgM EliA vs. Inova: k = 0.841). In conclusion, newly developed EliA methods for antiphospholipid antibody detection perform similarly to other ELISA assays and represent a useful tool for APS laboratory diagnosis in daily practice.

Aplicación de la Escala Observacional de Yale (YOS) en los pacientes febriles de 3 a 24 meses que consultan en un servicios de urgencias / Application of the Yale Observational Scale (YOS) in febrile patients aged 3 to 24 months who consult in an emergency department

La fiebre es un motivo de consulta frecuente en pediatría. La escala de observacional de YALE (YOS) sirve para evaluar la gravedad de un paciente enfermo por medio de la valoración clínica. La escala observacional de YALE (YOS) evalúa seis puntos claves que son: calidad del llanto, reacción ante estímulos, estado de alerta, color de la piel, estado de hidratación, respuesta social del niño. Las seis variables de la escala observacional de YALE (YOS) son cuantificadas con cifras como 1,3 y 5 y una puntuación mayor denota un grado más alto de deterioro clínico. Si la puntuaciación es: igual o menor a 10 hay solo un 3 porcientos de infección bacteriana grave, si es entre 10 y 15 hay un 26 porcientos de posibilidades de infección grave y si es igual o mayor a 16 hay un riesgos de 92 porcientos de infección bacteriana grave. Objetivos: Utilización de la escala observacional de YALE en pacientes pediátricos de 3 a 24 meses que consultan al servicios de Pediatría del Hospital de clínicas. Población y métodos: pacientes lactantes febriles entre 3 a 24 meses que consultan en la urgencia de pediatría. Diseño prospectivo y observacional de corte trasversal. Resultados: Se reclutaron para el estudio un total de 75 pacientes. Edad: entre 3 a 6 meses 26 pacientes (35 porcientos), >6 meses a 12 meses 29 pac. (39 porcientos), >12 a 24 meses 20 pac. (27 porcientos). Sexo: masculino 46 pac. (31 porcientos), femeninos 29 pac. (39 porcientos). Estado nutricional: bien nutridos 27 pac. (36 porcientos), desnutridos 3 pac. (44 porcientos), riesgo de desnutrición 16 pac. (20 porcientos). Tratamiento previo: Sí 58 pacientes (77 porcientos), no 17 pacientes (23 porcientos). De los que recibieron tratamiento previo: antipiréticos 57 pacientes (76 porcientos), antibióticos 1 pacientes (11 porcientos). Diagnósticos asociados: infecciones aereas superioes 48 pac. (60 porcientos), gastroenteritis aguda 20 pac. (26.67 porcientos). Aplicación del puntaje de la escala de YOS. aparentemente sanos 41 pac. (55 porcientos) de los cuales se internaron 2 pac. (5 porcientos); personas enfermas 16 (21 porcientos), seriamente enfermos 18 (24 porcientos). Conclusión: la escala observacional de YALE (YOS) nos permite distinguir entre paciente sanos, aquellos que están enfermos y los muy enfermos, así como tener una buena guía para el tratamiento en urgencias