There is much controversy as to the role of allergen exposure for the development of atopic sensitization towards this allergen. While in some studies, a clear, almost linear dose-response relation between allergen exposure and sensitization has been found, others described a bell-shaped association with higher levels of exposures relating to lower rates of atopic sensitization. Part of the discrepancy may relate to the type of allergen, since mostly cat but not house dust mite allergy allergen exposure has been shown, in some studies, to exert protective effects at higher levels of exposure. (more…)
Natural history studies with the following design features provide a firm epidemiologic foundation for risk factor assessments and ...
The effects of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) on children have been extensively studied and numerous surveys hav ...
Two factors thought to influence the risk factor asthma are the promoting effect of sensitization to house dust mites and the preve ...
Allergen exposure plays a role in the development of asthma bronchial hyper-responsiveness and in the acute inflammatory response ...
Sensitization to pets remains a risk factor for asthma and rhinitis, and can occur in people who have never lived with a pet. S ...
Bacteria cause allergic disease because of toxicity, invasiveness, immunopathology, or lends of these three mechanisms. Thus much of the interaction between a given bacterial species and the cellular immune response can be predicted by considering the immunological mechanisms available in relation to the mechanism of pathogenicity, and the structure of the bacterium. For a toxigenic bacterium, neutralizing antigen & antibody may be all that is needed. Otherwise destruction of the organism itself may be required. (more…)
One especially favored target for immune recognition is bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). This macromolecule is found only in ...
Exotoxins are noxious proteins secreted by many bacteria. These toxins are often heat-labile and thus can be heat-inactivated f ...
Innate immune responses are seen in a very broad range of tissues. Indeed, the Toll-like receptors (TLRs, one of the most important ...
An especially elaborate and important type of innate antimicrobial enzymes defense is provided by a group of serum proteins tha ...
Once it is tethered onto the venule wall, the neutrophil or other leukocyte comes into contact with a wide variety of inflammatory ...