21. Systemic and airway oxidative stress in competitive swimmersSabina Škrgat, Peter Korošec, Izidor Kern, Mira Šilar, Julij Šelb, Matjaž Fležar, Robert Marčun, 2018, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Background: The environment in swimming pools, which contain chlorine, might interact with the airway epithelium, resulting in oxidative stress and/or inflammation during high intensity training periods. Methods: We evaluated pulmonary functional (metacholine challenge test, FEV1 and VC), cellular (eosinophils and neutrophils), inflammatory (FeNo, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-[alpha]), oxidative (8-isoprostanes) and angiogenesis factors (VEGF) in induced sputum and peripheral blood of 41 healthy non-asthmatic elite swimmers (median 16 years) during the period of high intensity training before a national championship. The second paired sampling was performed seven months later after training had been stopped for one month. Results: There was a ten-fold increase (median 82-924 pg/ml; P < 0.001) in 8-isoprostanes in induced sputum and five-fold increase (median 82-924 pg/ml; P < 0.001) in sera during training in comparison to the period of rest. However, there was no difference in FEV1 (113 vs 116%), VC (119 vs 118%), FeNo (median 34 vs 38 ppb), eosinophils (2.7 vs 2.9% in sputum; 180 vs 165 cells/[micro]l in blood), neutrophils, different cytokines or VEGF in induced sputum or sera. The only exception was TNF-[alpha], which was moderately increased in sera (median 23 vs 40 pg/ml; P=0.02) during the peak training period. Almost half (18 of 41) of swimmers showed bronchial hyperresponsiveness during the peak training period (PC20 cutoff was 4 mg/ml). There was no correlation between hyperresponsiveness and the markers of oxidative stress or inflammation. Conclusions: High intensity training in healthy, non-asthmatic competitive swimmers results in marked oxidative stress at the airway and systemic levels, but does not lead to airway inflammation. However, we could not confirm that oxidative stress is associated with bronchial hyperresponsiveness (AHR), which is often observed during the peak exercise training period.
Ključne besede: bronchial diseases, swimming, oxidative stress, bronchial hyperresponsiveness, competitive swimmers, training
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 23.11.2020; Ogledov: 1714; Prenosov: 469
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22. The culprit insect but not severity of allergic reactions to bee and wasp venom can be determined by molecular diagnosisPia Gattinger, Christian Lupinek, Lampros Kalogiros, Mira Šilar, Mihaela Zidarn, Peter Korošec, Christine Koessler, Natalija Novak, Rudolf Valenta, Irene Mittermann, 2018, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Background. Allergy to bee and wasp venom can lead to life-threatening systemic reactions. The identification of the culprit species is important for allergen-specific immunotherapy. Objectives. To determine a panel of recombinant bee and wasp allergens which is suitable for the identification of bee or wasp as culprit allergen sources and to search for molecular surrogates of clinical severity of sting reactions. Methods. Sera from eighty-seven patients with a detailed documentation of their severity of sting reaction (Mueller grade) and who had been subjected to titrated skin testing with bee and wasp venom were analyzed for bee and wasp-specific IgE levels by ImmunoCAPTM. IgE-reactivity testing was performed using a comprehensive panel of recombinant bee and wasp venom allergens (rApi m 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10; rVes v 1 and 5) by ISAC chip technology, ImmunoCAP and ELISA. IgG4 antibodies to rApi m 1 and rVes v 5 were determined by ELISA and IgE/ IgG4 ratios were calculated. Results from skin testing, IgE serology and IgE/IgG4 ratios were compared with severity of sting reactions. Results. The panel of rApi m 1, rApi m 10, rVes v 1 and rVes v 5 allowed identification of the culprit venom in all but two of the 87 patients with good agreement to skin testing. Severities of sting reactions were not associated with results obtained by skin testing, venom-specific IgE levels or molecular diagnosis. Severe sting reactions were observed in patients showing < 1 ISU and < 2kUA/L of IgE to Api m 1 and/or Ves v 5. Conclusion. We identified a minimal panel of recombinant bee and wasp allergens for molecular diagnosis which may permit identification of bee and/or wasp as culprit insect in venom-sensitized subjects. The severity of sting reactions was not associated with parameters obtained by molecular diagnosis.
Ključne besede: allergy and immunology -- diagnosis, allergens -- diagnosis, hymenoptera, immunotherapy, bee, wasp, venom, sting reactions, molecular diagnosis, systemic reactions
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 23.11.2020; Ogledov: 12497; Prenosov: 1556
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23. Quantitative, absolute count-based T cell analysis of CD69 upregulation as a new methodology for in vitro diagnosis of delayed-type nickel hypersensitivityAna Koren, Mira Šilar, Helena Rupnik, Mihaela Zidarn, Peter Korošec, 2019, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Background: T cells play a major role in delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions. Their reactivity can be assessed by measuring the upregulation of the activation marker CD69, followed by proliferation and cytokine production. The aim of our study was to develop a novel, whole blood-based, quantitative, absolute count activation index (AI) analysis of CD69 upregulation on different subsets of T cells in nickel hypersensitive patients and compare it with the previously reported approaches. Methods: Ten patients with nickel allergy and nine healthy controls were included. CD69 expression of CD3+, CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD8+ T cells in heparinized blood was determined with flow cytometry after incubation with nickel sulfate for 48 h. The absolute cell count of CD69+ cells was determined with microbeads. The production of the cytokines IL-2, IL-5, IL-13, and IFN-[gamma] was determined after nickel sulfate stimulation of PBMNCs for 48 h. Results: We showed that the most sensitive methodology is the absolute AI, which was calculated as the ratio between the absolute count of CD69-positive T cells stimulated with nickel and the absolute count of CD69-positive T cells in non-stimulated blood. This novel quantitative approach was more discriminative than the previously reported approaches in which T cell CD69 percentage AI and cytokine production are measured. Conclusions: Our results demonstrated that measuring the absolute CD69 AI is an accurate new approach to quantify antigen-specific T cells in the blood of patients with hypersensitivity reactions to nickel. This approach may be useful for better in vitro assessment of patients with delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions.
Ključne besede: allergy and immunology, delayed hypresensitivity, nickel, blood, CD antigenes, CD69
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 18.11.2020; Ogledov: 1215; Prenosov: 311
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24. Epitope mapping of major ragweed allergen Amb a 1Abida Zahirović, Borut Štrukelj, Peter Korošec, Mojca Lunder, 2019, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Ragweed is a prominent cause of seasonal allergies. Thus far, information on IgE-binding sites of major allergen in ragweed pollen, Amb a 1, is very limited. A powerful experimental method to gain insights on the allergen epitopes is the selection of peptides from biological libraries that bind to anti-allergen antibodies. In this work, we aimed to map IgE epitopes of Amb a 1 using epitope-mimicking short peptides % mimotopes that were affinity-selected from phage-displayed random peptide libraries. The peptides weakly aligned with the Amb a 1 primary sequence, thus suggesting that the epitopes are conformational. When the peptides were mapped onto the surface of Amb a 1 homology model, the EpiSearch analysis predicted the location of four potential epitopic sites on surface patches centred at residues K104, S110, H214, and W312. The peptides matching to the predicted epitopes bound selectively to the IgE from pool of ragweed-allergic patients% sera and therefore represent mimetics of Amb a 1 IgE epitopes. The knowledge of IgE epitopes is a prerequisite for the rational design of molecular-based approaches to diagnosis and immunotherapy of allergic diseases.
Ključne besede: allergens, ragweed allergy, Amb a 1, epitope mapping, phage display, mimotopes
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 09.11.2020; Ogledov: 1284; Prenosov: 893
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26. Glycosylation enhances allergenic activity of major bee venom allergen Api m 1 by adding IgE epitopesPia Gattinger, Urška Bidovec, Mihaela Zidarn, Peter Korošec, Rudolf Valenta, Irene Mittermann, 2020, kratki znanstveni prispevek Ključne besede: insect venom allergy, Api m 1, allergen, glycosylation, allergenic activity
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 26.10.2020; Ogledov: 1344; Prenosov: 827
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27. CD3+CD4-CD8- mucosal T cells are associated with uncontrolled chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polypsTanja Soklič, Mira Šilar, Matija Rijavec, Ana Koren, Izidor Kern, Irena Hočevar-Boltežar, Peter Korošec, 2019, kratki znanstveni prispevek Povzetek: Increased mucosal double-negative (DN) CD3+CD4-CD8- T cells were found for the first time in CRS and were much more abundant in uncontrolled CRSwNP than in well-controlled CRSwNP.
Ključne besede: chronic rhinosinusitis, CD3+ T-cells, CD4- T-cells, CD8- T-cells
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 22.10.2020; Ogledov: 1577; Prenosov: 505
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28. Recombinant glycoproteins resembling carbohydrate-specific IgE epitopes from plants, venoms and mitesPia Gattinger, Irene Mittermann, Christian Lupinek, Gerhard Hofer, Walter Keller, Urška Bidovec, Peter Korošec, Christine Koessler, Natalija Novak, Rudolf Valenta, 2019, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Background: N-linked glycans present in venoms, pollen and mites are recognized by IgE antibodies from >20% of allergic patients but have low or no allergenic activity. Objectives: To engineer recombinant glycoproteins resembling carbohydrate-specific IgE epitopes from venoms, pollen and mites which can discriminate carbohydrate-specific IgE from allergenic, peptide-specific IgE. Methods: One or two N-glycosylation sites were engineered into the N-terminus of the non-allergenic protein horse heart myoglobin (HHM) using synthetic gene technology. HHM 1 and HHM 2 containing one or two N-glycosylation sites were expressed in baculovirus-infected High-FiveTM insect cells and a non-glycosylated version (HHM 0) was obtained by mutating the glycosylation motif. Recombinant HHM proteins were analyzed regarding fold and aggregation by circular dichroism and gel filtration, respectively. IgE reactivity was assessed by ELISA, immunoblotting and quantitative ImmunoCAP measurements. IgE inhibition assays were performed to study cross-reactivity with venom, plant and mite-derived carbohydrate IgE epitopes. Results: HHM-glycovariants were expressed and purified from insect cells as monomeric and folded proteins. The HHM-glycovariants exhibited strictly carbohydrate-specific IgE reactivity, designed to quantify carbohydrate specific IgE and resembled IgE epitopes of pollen, venom and mite-derived carbohydrates. IgE-reactivity and inhibition experiments established a hierarchy of plant glcyoallergens (nPhl p 4 > nCyn d 1 > nPla a 2 > nJug r 2 > nCup a 1 > nCry j 1) indicating a hitherto unknown heterogeneity of carbohydrate IgE epitopes in plants which were completely represented by HHM 2. Conclusion: Defined recombinant HHM-glycoproteins resembling carbohydrate-specific IgE epitopes from plants, venoms and mites were engineered which made it possible to discriminate carbohydrate- from peptide-specific IgE reactivity.
Ključne besede: allergy and immunology, allergens, glycoproteins, molecular diagnostic technique, recombinant glycoproteins, molecular allergology, component-resolved diagnosis
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 16.10.2020; Ogledov: 1501; Prenosov: 1096
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29. Transcription factors gene expression in chronic rhinosinusitis with and without nasal polypsTanja Soklič, Matija Rijavec, Mira Šilar, Ana Koren, Izidor Kern, Irena Hočevar-Boltežar, Peter Korošec, 2019, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Background. Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) current therapeutic approaches still fail in some patients with severe persistent symptoms and recurrences after surgery. We aimed to evaluate the master transcription factors gene expression levels of T cell subtypes in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps (CRSsNP) that could represent new, up-stream targets for topical DNAzyme treatment. Patients and methods. Twenty-two newly diagnosed CRS patients (14 CRSwNP and 8 CRSsNP) were prospectively biopsied and examined histopathologically. Gene expression levels of T-box transcription factor (T-bet, TBX21), GATA binding protein 3 (GATA3), Retinoic acid-related orphan receptor C (RORC) and Forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) were analyzed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Results. Eosinophilic CRSwNP was characterized by higher level of GATA3 gene expression compared to noneosinophilic CRSwNP, whereas there was no difference in T-bet, RORC and FOXP3 between eosinophilic and noneosinophilic CRSwNP. In CRSsNP, we found simultaneous upregulation of T-bet, GATA3 and RORC gene expression levels in comparison to CRSwNP; meanwhile, there was no difference in FOXP3 gene expression between CRSwNP and CRSsNP. Conclusions. In eosinophilic CRSwNP, we confirmed the type 2 inflammation by elevated GATA3 gene expression level. In CRSsNP, we unexpectedly found simultaneous upregulation of T-bet and GATA3 that is currently unexplained; however, it might originate from activated CD8+ cells, abundant in nasal mucosa of CRSsNP patients. The elevated RORC in CRSsNP could be part of homeostatic nasal immune response that might be better preserved in CRSsNP patients compared to CRSwNP patients. Further data on transcription factors expression rates in CRS phenotypes are needed.
Ključne besede: sinusitis, nasal polyps, Th1 cells, Th2 cells, Th17 cells, transcription factors, chronic rhinosinusitis
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 09.10.2020; Ogledov: 1484; Prenosov: 820
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30. Worldwide perspectives on venom allergyPeter Korošec, Thilo Jakob, Harfi Harb, Robert Heddle, Sarah Karabus, Ricardo de Lima Zollner, Julij Šelb, Bernard Yu-Hor Thong, Fares Zaitoun, David B. K. Golden, Michael Levin, 2019, pregledni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Venom immunotherapy is the standard of care for people with severe reactions and has been proven to reduce risk of future anaphylactic events. There is a moral imperative to ensure production, supply and worldwide availability of locally relevant, registered, standardized commercial venom extracts for diagnosis and treatment. Insects causing severe immediate allergic reactions vary by region worldwide. The most common culprits include honeybees (Apis mellifera), social wasps including yellow jackets (Vespula and Dolichovespula), paper wasps (Polistes) and hornets (Vespa), stinging ants (Solenopsis, Myrmecia, Pachycondyla, and Pogonomyrmex), and bumblebees (Bombus). Insects with importance in specific areas of the world include the Australian tick (Ixodes holocyclus), the kissing bug (Triatoma spp), horseflies (Tabanus spp), and mosquitoes (Aedes, Culex, Anopheles). Reliable access to high quality venom immunotherapy to locally relevant allergens is not available throughout the world. Many current commercially available therapeutic vaccines have deficiencies, are not suitable for, or are unavailable in vast areas of the globe. New products are required to replace products that are unstandardized or inadequate, particularly whole-body extract products. New products are required for insects in which no current treatment options exist. Venom immunotherapy should be promoted throughout the world and the provision thereof be supported by health authorities, regulatory authorities and all sectors of the health care service.
Ključne besede: allergy and immunology, venoms, Hymenoptera, bee venoms, wasp venoms, insecta, ants hornet, bumblebee, mosquitoes, venom immunotherapy, immunologic desensitization
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 23.09.2020; Ogledov: 1765; Prenosov: 1052
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