History of the World Allergy Organization: The Miyamoto Years of 1991-1994, ICACI XIV in Kyoto, 1991

History of the World Allergy Organization: In 1951, the leaders in allergy from all over the world came together to form the International Association of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (IAACI). For the next 60 years, the allergy world converged at the IAACI triennial meetings, which became biennial in 2003. The international meetings, originally named the International Congress of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (ICACI), are now the World Allergy Congress (WAC) hosted by the World Allergy Organization (WAO). Everyone who has aspired to have worldwide recognition has played a part in IAACI-WAO. The History of the World Allergy Organization traces the global arc of the allergy field over the past 60 years.The current officers of WAO elected to focus on this rich history, inviting prominent leaders who are interested in being part of this history project to write about their time with IAACI-WAO. This series will be presented in Cancún, México as part of the XXII World Allergy Congress (December 4-8, 2011). Leading up to the Congress in Cancún, the World Allergy Organization Journal is presenting segments of the History as part of the ''Notes of Allergy Watchers Series,'' starting with this issue. Please enjoy.--Michael A. Kaliner, MDHistorian, and Past-President (2006-2007)World Allergy Organizatio

The Role of IgG4 as Blocking Antibodies in Asthmatics and in Bee Keepers

Sera from 40 asthmatic patients and from 77 bee keepers were evaluated by solid-phase radioimmunoassay for their allergen-specific IgG4 antibody levels. The results indicated that allergen-specific IgG4 antibodies become prominent upon repeated parenteral stimulation with antigen, i.e. immunotherapy and bee stings, and suggested the possible association of IgG4 with blocking antibodies in these allergic conditions.</jats:p

Obstruction of the pharyngeal airway space after correction surgery in the cervical spine for dropped head syndrome

Abstract Background Postoperative dysphagia has been reported to occur as the result of narrowing of the pharyngeal airway space (PAS) due to a change in the alignment of the cervical spine. This study aimed to investigate potential risk factors for postoperative PAS obstruction following corrective surgery for dropped head syndrome (DHS) by analyzing clinical and radiographic parameters. Methods This retrospective design included 42 patients (7 men, 35 women; mean age, 71.5 years) who underwent corrective surgery for DHS. The following measurements were obtained: narrowest PAS (nPAS), cervical vertebra 2 (C2)–7 angle, occipito (O)–C1 angle, C1–2 angle, and swallowing line (S-line). The correlations between the postoperative nPAS and clinical and radiographic factors were assessed. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the specific factors for the occurrence of postoperative dysphagia. ROC analysis was also used to determine the cut-off values. P-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results The mean preoperative nPAS was 15.0 ± 4.1 mm, which significantly decreased to 11.4 ± 3.6 mm postoperatively. The mean preoperative O-C1 angle was 7.8 ± 7.1°, which decreased to −7.2 ± 6.6° postoperatively. The mean pre- and postoperative C1–2 angles were 38.9 ± 5.8° and 34.8 ± 5.8°, respectively. Among this cohort, the mean nPAS of patients with S-line(-) was significantly smaller (8.5 ± 2.5 mm) than that of those with S-line(+) (11.7 ± 3.6 mm). Postoperative nPAS was correlated with O–C1 angle (r = 0.55, P < 0.015). Forward stepwise multivariate logistic regression showed that C0-1 angle (odds ratio (OR: 5.774) was the most impactable factor for the occurrence of postoperative dysphagia. ROC analysis revealed that the cut-off value for the occurrence of postoperative dysphagia was nPAS of 10.78 mm. Conclusion The reduction of the O–C1 angle as a reciprocal change after the surgical correction of mid/lower cervical spine kyphosis for DHS may be a key factor in the occurrence of postoperative dysphagia due to airway obstruction