This study was designed to assess the role of foods with raised IgG antibodies and additives on the symptoms and inflammation of Crohn's disease.
Eight patients with Crohn's disease in remission were ...studied. They followed a strict diet during phase I. Then, provocations with two, three-day periods (phases II and III) followed: in phase II, pure forms of foods with high IgG antibodies and in phase III, off-the-shelf forms of those foods were added. Stool samples were collected for fecal calprotectin assay. Blood samples were taken on the 11th and 17th days for highly sensitive C-reactive protein, ferritin, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, white blood cells, and platelets. Patients kept a diet-symptom diary.
Increased Crohn's disease activity index scores were found statistically significant (p=0.012) between pre- and during the provocation weeks. There were significant increases according to Harvey-Bradshaw Index when the highest values during the phases I, II (p=0.027) and I, III (p=0.027) were compared. The increases in highly sensitive C-reactive protein (p=0.025) and white blood cells (p= 0.036) were found statistically significant. Fecal calprotectin levels showed day-to-day variability. When compared, the levels of fecal calprotectin increased in all patients on the last day of the restriction (10th day) and the first day of the provocation (11th day) with the exception of one patient.
Foods with raised IgG antibody levels and food additives can provoke the symptoms and may stimulate the inflammation in patients with Crohn's disease. Addition of a proper diet with restriction of those foods may be beneficial in the medical treatment.
Summary
Background: Hyposensitization with bee venom leads to full protection in most, but not all patients with IgE‐mediated systemic reactions to bee stings.
Objective: To determine the ...relationship of clinical reactivity to the release of mediators and to changes of antibody concentrations in the peripheral circulation at a bee sting challenge test.
Methods: Blood was sampled before (0 min) and at 15, 60 and 180 min after a sting challenge from 19 patients on hyposensitization. Of these, six still reacted and 13 were protected. Histamine, mast cell tryptase, bee venom‐specific IgE and IgG in the serum, and histamine release from peripheral blood leucocytes (PBL) upon exposure to bee venom were determined.
Results: Tryptase above the detection level was found only at 15 (60)min in 4/6 (1/6) patients who reacted. After the sting challenge there was a significant increase of the histamine levels in patients who reacted at 15 min (P < 0.05) and in patients who did react at 60 and 180 min (P < 0.01). The total histamine content of PBL was significantly decreased after 15 and 60 min in patients who reacted (P < 0.01) and in those that did not (P < 0.05). Bee venom‐induced histamine release was significantly reduced in patients reacting and those that did not at 15 min (P / 0.05), and was significantly decreased in reactors also at 60 and 180 min (P < 0.05/0.01). Specific IgG antibodies showed a minor decrease (P < 0.05) after the sting challenge in both groups, whereas specific IgE did not change significantly.
Conclusion: These results indicate that bee venom anaphylaxis is associated with the release of mediators from both mast cells as well as basophils. Successful hyposensitization does not induce a state of immunological non‐reactivity, but rather alters the magnitude and the pattern of mediator release.
In recent years, it has been possible to demonstrate mediator release into the nasal secretion after nasal allergen challenge in patients with allergic rhinitis. Using the nasal provocation model, we ...determined whether the mediator release was altered in immunotherapy-treated patients. Seventeen grass-pollen-allergic patients were examined under controlled, reproducible conditions. Serial challenges with increasing doses of grass pollen produced increasing numbers of clinical symptoms and release of mediators such as kinins, TAME-esterase activity, and histamine. Ten patients received a semidepot perennial grass-pollen extract for 4 years. Seven patients served as controls and did not receive immunotherapy during the observation period. Data from the group of patients receiving immunotherapy over the first year already showed a partially significant decline in the maximal mediator release after nasal allergen challenges compared to the results of pretreated challenges, whereas controls did not show any significant changes. Nasal allergen challenges after termination of 4 years' immunotherapy significantly modified the mediator release compared to pretreatment values (TAME-esterase activity P < 0.05, kinins P < 0.01, and histamine P < 0.01). Decrease of mediator release paralleled the symptom-medication scores and quantitative skin prick test. Finally, we could demonstrate a significant correlation between specific IgG increase and mediator decrease in the treated group.
Birch pollen allergen specific IgG and IgE antibodies were analysed in the sera of fourteen sibling pairs discordant for atopy. In addition, eight unrelated children free of atopic disease were ...included in the study. The presence of Bet v 1 specific antibodies in the sera were analysed by an immunoblotting assay. All but one (13/14) of the atopic children had detectable anti-Bet v 1 antibodies of the IgG1 and IgG4 subclasses. The child lacking IgG1 and IgG4 antibodies to Bet v 1 was the only allergic child lacking IgE to Bet v 1. In contrast, only one of the non-atopic siblings (1/14) displayed detectable IgG1 antibodies to Bet v 1. Furthermore, among the non-atopic siblings none (0/14), had detectable IgG4 antibodies to Bet v 1. In the unrelated control group no detectable IgG1 or IgG4 anti-Bet v 1 were detected (0/8). Thus of the non-atopic children only one out of 22 children displayed IgG1 anti-Bet v 1 antibodies. Taken together, it appears that the non-atopic children in general have no/low allergen specific IgG to birch pollen.
To evaluate difference in clinical efficacy, side effects, in vivo and in vitro parameters, 25 patients allergic to Yellow Jacket were treated with clustered immunotherapy using either 7 or 14 days ...interval between clusters. Twenty-one patients completed the 6 months' treatment period and four were withdrawn due to adverse reactions (2 cases of anaphylactic shock). Sixteen patients were challenged by in-hospital sting and the clinical efficacy was complete. Local side effects were observed in the majority of patients, but only rarely limited the course of immunotherapy. Skin sensitivity estimated as the venom concentration eliciting a wheal equal to histamine HCl 0.1 mg/ml using intradermal test was significantly reduced after 6 months of treatment. Specific IgE showed an initial increase, thereafter declining to pretreatment levels. IgG subclasses were determined by a triple antibody assay. Only subclasses 1 and 4 showed response. Subclass 4 showed a steady increase contrary to subclass 1 which decreased after reaching maintenance dose. No unambiguous relation between either the absolute value or the change of IgG1 and IgG4 at the time of challenge was observed in the patients who tolerated a sting. Furthermore, the IgG response was not correlated to the cumulative dose of venom administered. No simple regulatory function of IgG subclasses in the skin and IgE response was found, and the occurrence of local side effects did not seem to be determined by IgG antibodies. We conclude that clustered immunotherapy with Yellow Jacket venom is highly effective and that the frequency of side effects is acceptable.
Successive immunization of mice with Fusobacterium nucleatum and Porphyromonas gingivalis has been shown to modulate the specific serum IgG responses to these organisms. The aim of this study was to ...investigate these antibody responses further by examining the IgG subclasses induced as well as the opsonizing properties of the specific antibodies. Serum samples from BALB/c mice immunized with F. nucleatum (gp1‐F), P. gingivalis (gp2‐P), P. gingivalis followed by F. nucleatum (gp3‐PF) F. nucleatum followed by P. gingivalis (gp4‐FP) or saline alone (gp5‐S) were examined for specific IgG1 (Th2) and IgG2a (Th1) antibody levels using an ELISA and the opsonizing properties measured using a neutrophil chemiluminescence assay. While IgG1 and IgG2a subclasses were induced in all immunized groups, there was a tendency towards an IgG1 response in mice immunized with P. gingivalis alone, while immunization with F. nucleatum followed by P. gingivalis induced significantly higher anti‐P. gingivalis IgG2a levels than IgG1. The maximum light output due to neutrophil phagocytosis of P. gingivalis occurred at 10 min using nonopsonized bacteria. Chemiluminescence was reduced using serum‐opsonized P. gingivalis and, in particular, sera from P. gingivalis‐immunized mice (gp2‐P), with maximum responses occurring at 40 min. In contrast, phagocytosis of immune serum‐opsonized F. nucleatum demonstrated peak light output at 10 min, while that of F. nucleatum opsonized with sera from saline injected mice (gp5‐S) and control nonopsonized bacteria showed peak responses at 40 min. The lowest phagocytic response occurred using gp4‐FP serum‐opsonized F. nucleatum. In conclusion, the results of the present study have demonstrated a systemic Th1/Th2 response in mice immunized with P. gingivalis and/or F. nucleatum with a trend towards a Th2 response in P. gingivalis‐immunized mice and a significantly increased anti‐P. gingivalis IgG2a (Th1) response in mice immunized with F. nucleatum prior to P. gingivalis. Further, the inhibition of neutrophil phagocytosis of immune serum‐opsonized P. gingivalis was modulated by the presence of anti‐F. nucleatum antibodies, while anti‐P. gingivalis antibodies induced an inhibitory effect on the phagocytic response to F. nucleatum.
Four kinds of HIV-1 specific serum antibodies were quantitatively measured by biotinstreptavidin ELISA using p24, p17, RT (reverse transcriptase) proteins of recombinant structural gene products and ...nef (negative factor) protein of regulatory gene product of HIV-1 as antigens. Serum samples were collected serially for more than four years from 22 hemophiliac asymptomatic HIV-1 carriers (AC) including 2 cases seroconverted in 1985, and from 2 hemophiliac AIDS cases. Following results were obtained: (1) Antibody levels to both p24 and p17 antigens were relatively well correlated to the changes in CD4+ (T lymphocyte) cell counts. Decrease in CD4+ cell counts related to the decreases in anti-p24 and anti-p17 antibody levels. (2) High levels of binding anitbody to HIV-1 RT protein were maintained in all of the HIV-1 infected hemophiliac patients including AIDS cases, regardless of their CD4+ cell counts. (3) Nef antibody levels were relatively high in early few years of HIV-1 infection, thereafter the antibody levels were variable individually and less correlated to CD4+ cell counts and other antibody levels. Continuous oral administration of glycyrrhizin (GL) to HIV-1 seropositive AC patients and the one of the two seroconverters from an early stage of HIV-1 infection seemed to be effective to maintain the high levels of p24 and p17 antibodies, compared with another seroconverter and other seropositive patinets without administration of GL.
A sensitive and specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for allergen-specific IgG antibodies is described. Various solid-phase supports (microtiter plates), coating procedures, binding ...kinetics, and presentation of allergen in the assay were investigated. Using optimal conditions the indirect ELISA, in which the allergen is coated onto the well, was capable of detecting 2.4 ng/ml specific IgG antibodies to bee venom phospholipase A2(PLA2). The sandwich ELISA, in which the allergen was immobilized via specific antibody precoated onto the well, detected 0.24 ng/ml IgG antibodies to PLA2.
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