We investigated the safety of probiotics for subjects with food allergy.

Material and methods: Labels of probiotics commercially available in Spain were examined to assess their content of cows milk or hens egg. Skin prick tests with these compounds (20 mg/ml) were performed in five children allergic to cows milk, Trichostatin A five children allergic to hens white egg, and five control subjects non-allergic to food. Three serum pools: I (positive-specific IgE to cows milk and hens egg white proteins), II (positive-specific IgE to cows

milk and negative to hens egg white proteins), and III (negative-specific IgE to cows milk and positive to hens egg white proteins) were used to detect cows milk and hens egg white allergens in probiotics. ImmunoCAP (R) (Phadia), in-house ELISA, SDS-PAGE immunoblotting, and inhibition studies of these assays were performed. Proteins were quantified by enzyme-immunoassay.

Results: Eleven probiotics were studied. No label advertised about egg content, eight labels warned about lactose, lactic acid or cows milk, one label claimed to be milk-free, and two gave no information. Cows milk proteins were detected, by at least one lab technique, in 10/11 probiotics, three over 2.5 mg/kg (21, 52, 112 mg/kg). Hens egg white proteins were detected

in 3/11 probiotics, only one had more than 2.5 mg/kg (47 mg/kg).

Conclusion: Probiotic compounds may contain selleck screening library hidden allergens of food and may not be safe for subjects with allergy to cows milk or hens egg.”
“We report a patient with non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy presenting with an electrical storm because of a poorly tolerated monomorphic ventricular tachycardia. Electroanatomical mapping revealed a scar restricted to the epicardium, whereas the endocardial voltage map was completely normal. Epicardial catheter ablation based on substrate mapping and limited pace and entrainment mapping eliminated the tachycardia.”
“P>Varicella zoster virus (VZV) disease is a frequent complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We carried out a trial of 1-year low-dose valacyclovir (VCV) prophylaxis against VZV

disease to evaluate its efficacy and safety. Patients received oral acyclovir (ACV) 1000 mg/day until day 35 after HSCT. Oral VCV 500 mg/day, 3 times a week, was started on day 36 and continued until 1 year after Cl-amidine cost HSCT. The development of VZV disease was monitored until 2 years after HSCT. A total of 40 patients with a median age of 43 years were enrolled. VCV was well tolerated in all but 1 patient who discontinued it on day 224 because of thrombocytopenia of unknown cause. Seven patients developed VZV disease at a median of 479 days (range 145-651) after HSCT, with a cumulative incidence of 18.5%. Two patients developed breakthrough disease during VCV prophylaxis. The other 5 patients developed VZV disease after the discontinuation of VCV, and 3 of these had developed extensive chronic graft-versus-host disease.