A new nature medicine review has listed clinical trials targeting toll-like receptors. These including 3 preclinical studies using cpG-ODNs against TLR9 by Dynavax Astra-Zeneca, Coley / Sanofi-Aventis and Idera / Novartis. Lets wait and see…
Category Archives: Allergy
One small step for man
Slowly but surely, the hygiene hypothesis is going to be more and more perforated. A new NEJM paper finds Continue reading One small step for man
Pax5 and allergy
Transcription factor Pax5 is a key regulator for the B cell lineage (it may even be reponsible for redifferentiation from B to T cells according to new research from the Busslinger lab). As human CD23a, the low affinity IgE receptor, has a functional Pax-5-binding site, there could be a relationship to allergy inheritance. So far I have only looked into Pax-8 while Pax-5 might be even more important.
No proof of hygiene hypothesis
Yahoo News writes “Doubts cast on hygiene hypothesis“. As far as I know YN highlights the first experimental study of the hygiene hypothesis. Although the authors could achieve a reduction of respiratory infections by controlled randomized hygiene intervention, there was no effect on later asthma or allergy.
DNA to heal asthma?
A new nature medicine review is listing clinical trials targeting Toll-like receptors. These include 3 preclinical studies all using cpG-ODNs against TLR9 by Dynavax Astra-Zeneca, Coley / Sanofi-Aventis and Idera / Novartis. Lets wait and see…
London smog, asthma and the world’s fastest man
Haile Gebrselassie has broken the world record on the Marathon distance in Berlin with 2:04:26! Gratulations!! Earlier this year in London he could not finish due to breathing problems. I wonder if there has been any systematic research on the relationship of air pollution and Marathon results? Munich marathon will start on Oct, 14!
Vitamin A and allergy
No, I am not confusing here vitamin A and vitamin D as done in the early days of vitamin research. This post is really about vitamin A (but with similar nomenclature problem as with vitamin D). Retinol is ingested in a precursor form; animal sources like liver (–>cod liver oil) contain retinyl esters, whereas plants like carrots contain carotenoids. Continue reading Vitamin A and allergy
A short history of steamed cod liver oil
First use of liver cod oil probably originates with the fishing communities of Norway, Greenland and Iceland several centuries ago – an excellent reference is at “Cod liver oil and chemistry” 1895 by Peckel Möller. This book has a nice account on fishing at the Lofotes around the turn of the last century with many details about the cod fish migration.
The first medical use is being dated to 1789 Continue reading A short history of steamed cod liver oil
Castrated data
Nature had some good recommendations —
… there are challenges to making data on individual research participants available to other investigators, every effort should be made to provide researchers with an opportunity to reproduce the reported results and to investigate new hypotheses and methods.
accompanied by a bullet list
* Statement on availability of results and data so that, as far as possible, others can analyse them independently
The new expression paper published 3 days ago, however, ignores that largely Continue reading Castrated data
Genetic databases – the tragedy continues
A new review paper about online genetic databases nicely summarizes the current state of the art (including my own efforts). There are only 13 databases Continue reading Genetic databases – the tragedy continues
Blink Plink
I had the chance to install now the new PLINK GWAS software for a further analysis of recently published ORMDL3 asthma data. It seems that PLINK is some software that I was looking for a long time (paper link|download link). There are great and foolproof functions to check the validity of your data. I discovered for example unnoticed stratification in the German case-control sample by first and second component of the MDS analysis Continue reading Blink Plink
Allergy transplantation
A new paper in Transplantation takes up an old question – can you passively transfer asthma or allergy? It seems so – the current study reports in 5 of 42 patients elevated IgE plus allergy symptoms. This is in line with earlier reports. Sorry to say — you can get allergy also by bone marrow transplantation.
Addendum 10/6/08
Blood
A total of 16 nonallergic recipients with allergic donors were reported to develop allergic disease posttransplant, however, conclusive information was available for only 5 cases. Allergic disease was reported to abate in 3 allergic recipients with nonallergic donors, however, conclusive information was available for only 2 cases. Problems in interpreting the reports include incomplete data on allergic disease in the donor or recipient pretransplant, not knowing the denominator, and the lack of controls. In summary, review of the literature generates the hypothesis that allergic disease is transferable
Addendum 14/7/22
Ann All Asthma Immunol
Design flaws plus delivery flaws equal faux conclusions
— the title of a letter in the most recent Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. So there is no need to comment further studies in the same issue. Continue reading Design flaws plus delivery flaws equal faux conclusions
Protected: ORMDL3 – what?
Allergy – everything from fullerenes to cannabis
Allergy research continues to be one of the most active research fields. New studies show that that fullerenes may inhibit the allergic response
Human MC and peripheral blood basophils exhibited a significant inhibition of IgE dependent mediator release when preincubated with C60 fullerenes.
Continue reading Allergy – everything from fullerenes to cannabis