No description available.

Perceived increased prevalence and levels of awareness of food allergy has become a global phenomenon, making it a major public health concern. Although little is known about its etiology or prevalence, substantial variation in prevalence on a global scale is evident. Studies on food allergy in Asia are reporting an increase in prevalence, particularly in economically developed regions like Hong Kong. Interestingly, risk perception studies have found that Canadians’ perceived prevalence of food allergy surpasses systematic estimates. Moreover, Canadian immigrants are more likely to rate the risk of food allergy as “high” compared to non-immigrants. To explore these issues further, qualitative interviews were conducted with key informants (n=3) and allergic individuals of Asian descent (n=18) in order to capture their lived experience with food allergies. Interviews lasted 30 minutes on average and they were tape recorded and transcribed verbatim for subsequent thematic analysis using QSR International’s NVivo 9. Results are organized around four major themes: perceived prevalence, risk perception, management and coping, and quality of life. With respect to perceived prevalence and risk, participants found food allergies to be more common in Canada than in Asia. Participants also agreed that having a food allergy is more manageable in Canada as a result of the policy environment (e.g., food labelling and school board policies). In addition, participants had dealt with skepticism and disbelief about their food allergy in Asia, impacting their quality of life. These findings demonstrate the need to recognize the varied impacts and experiences of food allergy among new Canadians, given that immigrants represent a large and growing proportion of the Canadian population.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Univ., 2004. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- Flinders University, School of Medicine, Dept. of Immunology, Allergy and Arthritis. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.

Thesis (doctoral)--Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2004. / Advisor: Dr. Shridhar K. Sathe, Florida State University, College of Human Sciences, Dept. of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Sept. 23, 2004). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (doctoral)--Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany.

Purpose: Pharmacists must ensure the safe and effective use of medication, but often have only the documented patient history to guide assessment of therapy. There is a lack of information on the incidence of claimed drug allergies or the validity of these self-reported drug allergies in the South African population. Mislabelling of patients as being allergic to medication often deprives them of important therapeutic drugs and alternative agents may be more dangerous, less effective and more costly (Hung et al., 1994). The aim of the research was therefore to determine the incidence of drug allergies in patients admitted to a private hospital and to assess the validity of these self-reported drug allergies. Methods: A descriptive, non-experimental study design was used. Data was collected using a concurrent, cross-sectional approach and collected from patients admitted to hospital using Medical Chart Reviews and researcher-led, questionnaire based interviews. During the seven month sampling period, 693 patients were identified with one or more self-reported drug allergies. A subset of 99 patients (14.2%) consented to a researcher-led interview. The allergies were assigned to one of three groups based on the history: (i) High probability: signs and symptoms typical of an immunological reaction. (ii) Low probability: signs and symptoms of the reaction were predictable reactions or side effects of the drug. (iii) Unknown status: no information concerning the reaction history was available. Results: A total of 953 allergies were identified in the 693 patients, with a ratio of drug allergy to patient of 1.4:1. The majority of claimed allergies were to penicillin (39.2%), opioid analgesics (17.6%), other antimicrobials, including co-trimoxazole (13.5%), NSAIDs (9.9%) and unspecified “sulphur” allergy (8.7%). Descriptions of the “allergic” reactions were only recorded on 8.9% (62, n=693) of the reviewed charts. Only 56.5% (35, n=62) of the symptoms recorded as “allergy” were indicative of the event being allergic or immunological in nature. In total, 1.3% (9, n=693) of the patients with a self-reported allergy received the allergen while in hospital. In three cases this was the result of a pharmacist overlooking the recorded allergy, and dispensing the allergen to the patient. A total of 118 allergies were identified in the 99 interviewed patients, with a ratio of drug allergy to patient of 1.2:1. Inaccurate allergy history was found in 9.1% (9, n=99) of the interviewed patients. Overall, the majority of self-reported drug allergies (67.8%) had a “high probability” of being a true drug allergy. Allergies that were assigned into the high probability group were: penicillin (74.1%), co-trimoxazole (91.7%), NSAID‟s (55.6%) and 75.0% of opioids. Conclusion: In summary, the validity of self-reported drug allergies need to be determined before excluding medication from a patient‟s treatment options. Detailed descriptions can assist in the evaluation of self-reported allergies which would be advantageous to both prescribers and patients. Pharmacists need to play a bigger role in ensuring accurate documentation of drug allergy history, with detailed descriptions, in order to ensure safe and effective drug use within the hospital environment.

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that can be subdivided into chronic rhinosinusitis sans nasal polyps (CRSsNP), chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), and aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD). Nasal polyps are a hallmark feature of CRSwNP and AERD. Although, the pathophysiology of polypogenesis is thought to be multifactorial, type 2 (allergic-type) immune responses and epithelial remodeling are considered to be central features. In polyp disease, epithelial remodeling and dysfunction leads to decreased epithelial diversity, with increased basal cells and decreased goblet and ciliated cells. A role for Wnt signaling is well established in cancer and fibrotic diseases, and recent studies have indicated that Wnt signaling is also upregulated in sinonasal polyposis, a non-cancerous disease. Wisp1, a downstream mediator of the Wnt pathway, is significantly increased in polyp disease compared to non-polyp disease. Wnt pathway ligands have been reported to induce the proliferation and impair differentiation of airway basal cells, but the direct effect of the downstream Wnt pathway gene, Wisp1, on respiratory basal epithelial cells is unknown. This study aims to investigate the role of Wisp1 on the proliferation, cell migration, and differentiation of human respiratory epithelial cells. In the current study, we found increased expression of WISP1 in nasal polyps examined directly ex vivo. Histological analysis of nasal polyps and WISP1 expression in primary basal epithelial cell cultures suggested epithelial production of Wisp1 as a feature of nasal polyposis. Using submerged and air-liquid interface (ALI) cell cultures, the effect of Wisp1 on proliferation, cell migration and differentiation was investigated. Increased basal cell accumulation and loss of differentiation are hallmarks of sinonasal polyposis. The chronic inflammatory environment present in polyp disease includes chronic increased WISP1 expression, which endorses a role for this protein in disease. The results of this study suggest that prolonged exposure to Wisp1 may lead to an increase in the cellular mass of respiratory basal epithelial cells, while limiting their ability to differentiate, thus allowing for unchecked accumulation. Taken together, our results suggest that Wisp1 may contribute to central features of nasal polyposis, thus identifying this protein as a potential target for future therapeutic intervention.

No description available.