Active clinical trials for "Hypersensitivity"

Aim To assess the possible food allergy-preventive benefit of using whole cell pertussis(wP) vaccination compared with acelluar pertussis vaccine(aP) for whooping cough vaccination in childhood. Background Whooping cough, caused by the bacteria, Bordetella pertussis, represents a significant public health burden in Australia and around the world. Acellular pertussis vaccination (aP) replaced whole cell vaccination against pertussis (wP) in the late 1990s. This replacement coincides temporally in an observed rapid rise in the occurrence of severe food allergy responses. Previous research has suggested that acellular pertussis vaccination results in the development of immunity that may predispose children to allergic responses. A retrospective case-controlled trial design, targeting cases of previously diagnosed allergy, and comparing case vaccination history to that of the whole population, is a powerful means of assessing the association between immunisation and allergy. Participant Groups 1000 allergy cases, 10,000 controls Project Design This is a retrospective individually-matched case-control study of Australian children born during the period of transition from use of wP vaccines to aP vaccines (year of birth 1997-1999 inclusive) and who are registered on the Australian Children Immunisation Register. Cases will be drawn from allergy clinics associated with tertiary teaching hospitals around Australia. Methods Cases: will be retrospectively identified from patient lists from allergy clinics around Australia, born during the period of pertussis vaccine changeover, and be confirmed to have IgE-mediated food allergy on the basis of 1) a documented history of consistent clinical symptoms following ingestion of an implicated food, and 2) evidence of sensitisation to that food via laboratory testing. Controls: Controls will be sampled from a de-identified database of children born during the transition from wP to aP vaccination appearing on the ACIR. Cases and controls will be matched by date of birth (+/-7 days), jurisdiction and socioeconomic decile. Expected outcomes: Following the study, investigators will be able determine if there is an association between the type of vaccination received and development of IgE mediated food allergy. If whole cell vaccination is found to have a protective association against the development of allergy, this will have profound impact on health policy in Australia and around the world.

Differences in human oral sensitivity for caproic, lauric, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids will be explored. Prior work indicates that there may be a learning effect in measuring detection thresholds for free fatty acids. This study is designed to determine the number of visits necessary to attenuate this learning effect and also to test whether this effect continues across different types of fatty acids or is specific to each fatty acid. This will aid in understanding how many visits are required to obtain reliable data and if less expensive fatty acids can be used to attenuate learning before testing thresholds for more expensive fatty acids.

The number of studies concerning health related quality of life (HRQL) in children with food allergy is very limited. Only one study to date has compared HRQL of a group of children with food allergy to data published on general population and other chronic diseases. This study concluded to lowest HRQL scores in food allergic children compared to type 1 diabetes mellitus with important impact on scores concerning social activities.

In a recent series of studies performed by our group, we have shown that exposure to hyperbaric oxygen (HBOT) leads to an increase in insulin sensitivity in male subjects and that this improvement can be measured in all men, not just those with diabetes. The aim of this study is to investigate the time course of this effect and explore the mechanisms involved when exposure to HBOT induces an increase in peripheral insulin sensitivity. Aims: To determine whether the insulin sensitising effect of HBOT is apparent 24-hours after an HBO session. To examine mechanisms underpinning the increase in insulin sensitivity following HBOT.

Food allergy (FA), defined as an adverse immune response to food allergens, is among the most frequent allergic disorders in childhood and it has recognized as a major paediatric health problem due to the severity of the reactions and the dramatic increase over the past decades. Cow's milk allergy (CMA) is the most frequent FA in children worldwide, and it has been demonstrated that it could be the first manifestation of the so-called "atopic march", characterized by the occurrence of other allergic disorders in the subsequent years after the onset of CMA. In a previous study, involving children with CMA over a period of 5 years, 40% developed asthma, 21% atopic eczema, and 43% allergic rhinitis. Similar results have been reported in a recent study on Finnish children Intestinal microflora appears to have a crucial role in the development of atopic disorders. Children with atopic diseases have different commensal bacterial groups in the gut compared to non-atopic children, and differences are also found between countries with high and low incidence of atopic diseases. There is currently great interest in manipulating the normal microbiota to accrue health benefits through an approach known as "probiotics." Probiotics are defined as "live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host". The conceptual basis of possible use of probiotics in the prevention and treatment of atopic disorders is well grounded. Lactobacillus GG (LGG) is the most studied probiotic in the prevention and treatment of atopic disorders. Wide and well-designed clinical studies have provided several evidences on the efficacy of LGG as preventive or therapeutic strategy in pediatric atopic disorders. More recently, in vitro studies have provided evidences on the potent immunoregulatory role and on the influence on intestinal microflora composition (toward a more beneficial composition in the prevention and treatment of atopic disorders) elicited by LGG. This view has been further reinforced by recent research showing that LGG is able to improve recovery of intestinal symptoms in infants with CMA-induced allergic colitis.

Cow's milk allergy (CMA) is the most common food allergy in early childhood, with an estimated incidence ranging between 2% and 3% in infants and marginally lower in older children. It has been demonstrated that it could be a risk factor for the development of the functional gastrointestinal disorders in children. Intestinal microflora has been indicated as potential target for the management of CMA and FGDIs through the use of probiotics. Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) is the most studied probiotic. Recently, it has been demonstrated that an extensively hydrolyzed casein formula remains hypoallergenic following the addition of LGG, satisfying both the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines. Lactobacillus GG exerts several benefits when added to an extensively hydrolyzed casein formula (Nutramigen LGG), including decreased severity of atopic dermatitis, improved recovery of intestinal symptoms in infants with CMA-induced allergic colitis, and faster induction of tolerance in infants with CMA. The mechanisms of these effects are multiple and exerted at different levels: epithelium, immune system and enteric nervous system. Studies and meta-analyses showed that LGG increases treatment success in children with functional gastrointestinal disorders.

Determination of allergenicity of cat dander samples obtained before and after vaccinating the cat

Iron deficiency and anemia are clearly associated with the onset of allergy and allergic diseases, whereas an improved iron status seems to prevent the onset of allergy in humans. Iron-deficiency can be absolute or functional. Functional iron-deficiency occurs during immune activation and may be reflective for the hyperactive state of atopic subjects. The investigators plan a prophylactic dietary intervention study in atopic/allergic and non-allergic individuals that transport chelated iron to immune cells. Over the course of six months, oral supplementation of placebo or whey protein-bound chelated iron will be given and 1) clinical reactivity 2) iron status and 3) changes in the microflora due to the treatment will be assessed.

This study aims to conduct an initial evaluation of whether online self-help can improve the quality of life of parents of children with food allergies.

To assess the frequency and nature of adverse events in infants fed a free amino acid based infant formula.