Allergy-Associates

By:  Sasha Klemawesch, MD Most people know the Duckbill Platypus as one of the only two mammals that lay eggs rather than give birth to live offspring (the other being the Echidna (spiny anteater) but no one remembers him!).   However, they are ALSO some of the few mammals who produce venom.  Others on the list include vampire bats, hedgehogs, shrews, and moles. Researchers in Australia have discovered that the Platypus’s venom contains a hormone called GLP-1.  Humans also have a…

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Many people suspect they are allergic to garlic owing to “GI tumult” that occurs after eating it.  However, it is more likely due to a genetic deficiency in cytochrome P450 and FAD-linked enzymes which metabolize sulfur containing foods.  Garlic contains very high levels of alkyl and dialkyl sulfide which give it its characteristic taste and smell.

Another less common mimic of food allergy is mushroom intolerance.  In this syndrome the deficient enzyme is Trehalase disaccharidase.   Mushrooms contain “double” (di-) sugar (saccharide).   If the sugar isn’t broken down into single sugar (mono-saccharide) it ferments in the colon causing bloating, gas, and diarrhea.  

By:  Sasha Klemawesch, MD Scientists have known for a while that optimists tend to enjoy better health, and recently, a BU study came out reemphasizing just that.  Their research followed a large and varied group of people for more than a decade, and found that those with the sunniest dispositions lived 11 to 15% longer than their negative counterparts! And the results held even when they accounted for chronic diseases, socioeconomic status, smoking, et al; a Positive Mental Health Attitude…

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Ligelizumab is a “next generation” humanized monoclonal antibody to IgE.  It was designed to be a “better mousetrap” to treat people with severe chronic urticaria.  Chronic urticaria (recurrent hives) is fairly common, occurring in 1 case per 200 people.  In most cases it can be controlled with oral medications primarily in the form of antihistamines.   Many people gain control with a single H1 receptor antihistamine such as Allegra or Zyrtec.  Some patients require the addition of an H2 receptor…

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The “stolen pig” that set-in motion the famous Hatfield and McCoy feud may have been (excuse the pun) a scapegoat for the underlying medical condition that probably caused all the anger.   Because of rural family dynamics and inbreeding among relatives it seems many of these people, especially the McCoy’s may have suffered from a genetic disease, von Hippel-Lindau, that causes tumors on the adrenal glands called pheochromocytoma.   The adrenal glands are a normal part of our adaption to…

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Yes, and yes.  The new drug is Xofluza and it is the first flu drug with a new mechanism of action to come along in 20 years.  It is (hold on to your hat) a polymerase acidic endonuclease inhibitor, (PAEI).  PAEI is essential for the viral RNA messenger that allows the flu virus to replicate itself.  By shutting down viral replication, it shuts down the infection.  It is effective for both influenza A and B.   The only other available…

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