Gabriele Di Lorenzo

..3 [CI 95% 0.1-0.8], P = 0.02) and with respiratory symptoms (OR 0.1 [CI 95% 0.04-0.7], P = 0.01). Our findings favour the role of environmental factors in the development of respiratory symptoms in immigrants, irrespective of Ascaris-IgE...

..No evidence exists for other physical urticarias, including cholinergic, solar and aquagenic urticarias, vibratory angio-oedema, and exercise-induced anaphylaxis...

..It is important to consider the validity of the diagnostic tests, and/or how much more commonly they are positive in patients with asthma compared to healthy subjects and, particularly, to patients with asthma-like symptoms...

..Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that elderly patients with fixed airflow obstruction can be affected by asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)...

..Finally, BHR was positively related to blood eosinophil counts, FEF25%-75% values and to familiarity (mother) for asthma...

..Recurrent chronic idiopathic urticaria (RCIU) is a common skin condition that affects 0.1-3% of the population in the USA and Europe and accounts for nearly 75% of all 'ordinary' chronic urticaria (CU) cases...

..To date, no predictive tests for the clinical response to allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASI) are available. Therefore an in vivo or in vitro test would be of great value...

..Recently, antileukotriene receptors have been used in patients with CIU, either administered as monotherapy or combined with H 1 -receptor antagonists...

..As predictor of the clinical response to antihistamines, ECNF is accurate only in patients with AR. The ECNF's performance was moderately accurate in distinguish patients with AR and NAR...

..The benefit of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) with grass allergens for seasonal allergic rhinitis has been extensively studied, but data on efficacy are still equivocal...

..In conclusion, as suggested from the present and previous papers it is questionable whether there is sufficient information to validate the statement that the incidence of allergic diseases decreases with age...

..Our results support the hypothesis that polymorphisms of cyclo-oxygenases and 5-lipo-oxygenase-activating protein may be associated with CSU...

..Allergic rhinitis (AR) and nonallergic rhinitis (NAR) may present with different clinical and laboratory characteristics...

..Fluticasone propionate (FP) (Glaxo Smith&Kline, Greenford, UK), a highly lipophilic topical corticosteroid, has been shown to be safe and effective in the treatment of asthma and of both seasonal and perennial rhinitis...

..Epinephrine is the mainstay of treatment for anaphylaxis. Experimental therapies for IgE-mediated food allergy have been evaluated, such as humanized IgG anti-IgE antibodies and allergen specific immunotherapy...

..In any event, the increase of memory B cells and the loss of naïve B cells, as measured by serum IgD levels, could represent hallmarks of immunosenescence and could provide useful biomarkers possibly related to the life span of humans...

..We conclude that subjects with acute exacerbation of asthma show high serum levels of ECP and sIL-2R and, more interestingly, that the response to brochodilator was higher in patients with lower serum ECP levels...

..To assess the prevalence of latex sensitization in a group of hospital employees in a general hospital...

..In recent years, SLIT has been increasingly prescribed, instead of SCIT, because of improved safety and easy administration...

..74; 95% CI for r (Fisher's z transformed)=-0.89 to -0.42; p=0.004). As demonstrated by the close correlation with age, duration of disease and SCORAD, serum levels of sCD30 appear to be an additional marker for the follow-up of AD...

..The physical examination and medical history remain the two most important pieces of information...

..e. renal tissue). The serum concentration of circulating soluble adhesion molecules is supposed to reflect the degree of this activation...

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..In our study the prognosis for undiagnosed FUO cases was good, but a definite diagnosis could be established only in few cases. Therefore, further multicentric, prospective studies of good design are required...

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..Since this infection has recently increased its prevalence worldwide, it has to be considered in the differential diagnosis of our patients with gastrointestinal symptoms...

..2 (95% CI, 3.0-14.2), LR(-) was 0.06 (95% CI, 0.02-0.17), and the DOR was 98.9 (95% CI, 18.0-621.4). The qualitative serological assay is a valuable tool for the diagnosis of allergic sensitization in a population of elderly subjects...

..Prognosis is, generally, favourable. Therapy foresees the use of numerous antibacterial agents, like: penicillins, cephalosporins, aminoglycosides, tetracyclines, macrolides, quinolones, trimethoprim-sulfomethoxazole and rifampicin...