Maize food allergy: a double-blind placebo-controlled study

BACKGROUND

Maize allergy is not very common especially in Europe. The number of studies that address IgE mediated maize allergy is all too few.

OBJECTIVE

Evaluate subjects with a history of maize allergy by double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge; identify the spectrum of symptoms manifested during challenge; determine the lowest provocation dose (PD) during challenge; determine the performance characteristics of maize skin prick test and specific IgE.

METHODS

Twenty-seven patients with a history of maize allergy were enrolled to be evaluated by skin test, specific IgE and double-blind placebo-controlled maize challenge.

RESULTS

Forty-eight percent of the patients were challenge positive. PD range was 0.1-25 g. Fifty-four percent of the maize allergic subjects had a PD that was < or = 2.5 g; two subjects reacted to 100 mg of maize. Comparison of maize specific IgE levels and skin test results to the challenge results revealed the following (specific IgE level/skin testing): sensitivity 1.00/0.846, specificity 0.077/0.384, positive predictive value 0.520/0.579, and negative predictive value 1.00/0.714.

CONCLUSION

Maize is a cause of IgE-mediated allergic reactions to foods in adults and children. Nearly half of the subjects recruited were confirmed by challenge to be allergic to maize. Twenty-three percent of the positive challenge patients manifested symptoms that involved two organ systems, thus fulfilling the criteria for maize induced anaphylaxis. Maize is allergenic and can pose a risk for symptomatic food allergy at a dose of 100 mg.

The major allergen of sesame seeds (Sesamum indicum) is a 2S albumin

BACKGROUND

Allergic reactions induced by ingestion of foods containing sesame seeds are a well recognized cause of severe food-induced anaphylaxis.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to identify and characterize the clinically most important major allergen of sesame seeds.

METHODS

Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and IgE immunoblotting were performed on sera of 10 patients selected for severe and documented allergic reaction after eating food containing sesame. The major allergen was purified by gel filtration and characterized by isoelectric point (pI), glycosylation and amino acid sequencing.

RESULTS

All the patients had positive IgE antibodies and skin prick tests (SPTs) to sesame. The major, clinically most important allergen was a protein with molecular mass of about 9000. It was not glycosylated, the amino acid sequence showed it was a 2S albumin with a pI of 7.3; the small and the large subunits, forming the whole protein, showed pI values of 6.5 and 6.0.

[Possibility of immunostimulation in patients with lung cancer. Study of lymphocyte subpopulations]

The study concerns 15 patients affected by pulmonary cancer using rosette Et, Ea, EAChu in pre-treatment phase but after leven-Therapy and Finally after surgery. After surgery we also evaluated the Ts population. The conclusions of our studies demonstrate a significant decrease of the rosette Et-Ea population in the pre-treatment phase that becomes normal after treatment and the use of surgery. Very important is the observation of the decrease of rosette Ts and said decrease coned be corolated with the presence in these subjects of inhibitory or facilitary factors which coned limit the immunitary intervention by an inhibitory action on the Ts lymphocytes.