Peanut allergy and hay fever (pollen allergy patients due to) make millions of people miserable, but scientists did not determine why people are allergic to these things. In this paper, the author on this controversial issue and an immunologist discussed.
I (the author) allergy to wasp. That was 12 years old I am a hot summer afternoon, when I accidentally ran into a friend's house nearby bushes there is a hornet's nest big as a football. An angry wasp stung my their quills like a hot needle. I play it and immediately went for help, some other things happened within a few minutes I felt - there have been some thorns around pink rash. These rash swelling, my legs will appear in a new rash. I who appeared in allergic reactions.
My friend's mother used to give me antihistamines and took me to the hospital, the way I am very afraid. I vaguely remember an allergic reaction will bring the worst of the symptoms, rash imagine crawling up my throat and closed up the scene.
Each allergic person has their own story
I was able to live to tell the story: I was in the hospital rash subsided, left me afraid wasp sequelae. Allergy tests showed that I was very sensitive to insects. Emergency room doctor told me that the next time I run into a hornet's nest if we might not be so lucky. She gave me a carry epinephrine pens, tell me if the next time I was stung, it can be injected into my thigh. It can lower my blood pressure, I open the airway, it may save my life. I was lucky: that afternoon 35 years ago, and since then I have never touched a hornet's nest. A few years ago, I lost carry epinephrine pens.
Anyone allergic allergy has its own story, and the story of how they found their immune systems with certain specific binding molecules into the body occurs dysfunction related. There are thousands of versions of these stories. In the United States, approximately 18 million people suffer from hay fever, food allergies have plagued millions of American children. The number of allergy in other countries is also rising. Allergens include but are not limited to milk, gold, pollen (ragweed and pigweed, etc. is even worse), penicillin, insect venom, peanuts, papaya, jellyfish bites, spices, eggs, mite droppings, salmon, beef and nickel.
Once these substances trigger allergic reactions, the symptoms can range from harmless to deadly. Appear rash, swelling of the lips. Hay fever can cause nasal congestion and eye food allergy can cause vomiting and diarrhea. For those unlucky few, the allergies can cause anaphylactic shock.
These things will bring a lot of trouble, but the relevant treatment is extremely limited. Carry epinephrine pen can save lives, but long-term treatment is not ideal. Antihistamines can also relieve the patient's symptoms, but these drugs can cause drowsiness.
Why do we allergy
If scientists can figure out allergies, we may have developed more effective treatment, but too many allergens. Cells were released after the original wake of these allergic chemicals, and it was the signal conveyed out. Scientists can only try to describe this process. The most mysterious question is: Why are we allergic to?
Ruslan Medzhitov that the problem which is of interest to him. Over the past 20 years, he has made fundamental progress in research on the immune system, and was awarded a number of prizes. Although he did not get the Nobel Prize, but many of his colleagues thought he should receive this award.
Why are we allergic to? It seems to be because our immune system to harmless substances made overreact, leading us miserable. Medzhitov think is not the case. Allergy and not just a simple biological error. Rather, they are harmful chemicals important defense - the defense has been the protection of human millions of years, and will continue to protect it. This is a controversial theory. Can Medzhitov that history will prove him right.
Ancient doctors know allergy thing. 3 years ago, Chinese doctors use to describe the plant fever runny nose caused by the fall of things. Egyptian Pharaoh Menes died in 2641 BC wasp bites, 500 years later, the Roman philosopher Lucretius wrote:. "For some people the food is something, for others it is a poison."
More than a century ago, scientists realized that these different symptoms with the same principles. Since then, researchers have found that many bacteria and pathogens caused by the disease, also found with the human immune system to resist the invasion of these substances. Soon they realized that the immune system can also inflict damage. Early 20th century, French scientist Charles Richet and Paul Portier study how toxins affect the body. They extracted from the sea anemone toxins and give the dog a small amount of toxin injection, a week after the injection of a small amount of toxins the dog again. Within minutes the dog died. Dog's immune system not only did not protect them, but also make them more sensitive.
Other researchers have found that some drugs can cause a rash and other symptoms. Austrian physician Clemens von Pirquet used to describe this allergy symptoms. Over the next few decades, scientists have found that the molecular phase of these reactions are very similar. But they only tell us how to produce allergy in our body, but can not say why we will be allergic. The answer is simple, our ancestors continue to be faced with pathogens attack them, prefer natural selection can help them resist the attacks of those mutations, mutations accumulate that we now have become a complex resistance.
It is hard to know how natural selection might create allergies. Allergic person seems to no good. Not all people are allergic to, and only part of the substance is an allergen. Some people will be late allergies, and some people have allergies as a child growing up is no longer allergic. For decades, no one can even identify the specific role of antibodies. It can not prevent any virus or bacteria. It seems we have evolved to make us a painful antibody.
Early evidence appeared in 1964. Bridget Ogilvie is a parasite scientists found that immune system antibodies notification parasite released Sha Zhao. Parasite great harm. Hookworm can cause their intestinal bleeding. Fasciola liver damage tissue and cause cancer. Tapeworms can cause brain cyst. 20 percent of people worldwide suffer from their injuries, most of whom come from low-income countries.
1980s, some scientists to link between these parasites and allergies debate took place. Perhaps our ancestors recognize the parasite's proteins show and reacted with the corresponding antibody.
Medzhitov thinking about how our bodies perceive the outside world. We Grossly World, ears. Medzhitov think that our immune system has another set of identification system - it detects molecules rather than light or sound. Medzhitov when searching for articles on the subject, found Yale immunologist Charles Janeway1989, which changed his life.
Medzhitov think the immune system has a separate identification system
At that time, Janeway thought antibody has a big disadvantage: the immune system needs to spend a few days in order to develop an antibody against the new invaders. He believes that the immune system may have other ways to provide faster protection. Medzhitov have the same idea, he made contact with Janeway, and later he became a member of the Institute of Janeway.
Medzhitov and Janeway found a toll-like receptor, it can quickly surrounded by an intruder and issued a warning of chemical substances, came to help inform other immune cells, this discovery created a new dimension of immune response. Medzhitov basic immune system problems are more interested in, but he said that if the researchers do not know even the basic issues, it never shall find the right answer.
After the toll-like receptor found, Medzhitov wondering if the immune system has a special sensor to sense bacteria and other invaders, then perhaps it is some undiscovered sensors against other enemies.
Although the immune system when it detects antibodies to the parasite. But some studies have shown that the antibody is not important in the face of these invaders. The mouse does not produce antibodies, but they can deal with parasites. Medzhitov suspect allergen can imitate parasite protein. Medzhitov think perhaps these allergens are not tied to their appearance, but they are done.
Allergens often cause physical damage, Medzhitov think maybe allergens hurt too much that our bodies must be resistance. All allergic reactions - runny nose, tears, etc. belong to discharge behavior, so that allergy is not a problem with the body's immune system, but the body when using strategy to get rid of allergens in.
Medzhitov in the study found that this view has repeatedly been proposed, but was rejected again and again. In 1991, evolutionary biologist Margie Profet allergy is considered an act of the body of toxins and combat. Immunologists rejected this view, presumably because Profet a layman.
Medzhitov published the study in 2012. He and his colleagues injected the rat allergen in bee venom PLA2 this discovery. Medzhitov As expected, the mice's immune system does not respond to PLA2. Only when PLA2 torn cells, the immune system will release antibodies.
Medzhitov also believe that allergies can protect the mouse rather than killing them. He and his colleagues gave PLA2 injected mice injected with the second dose slightly larger dose of PLA2, although the needle to make some mice were killed, but an allergic reaction forced them out of the PLA2 little impact.
Like many other adaptations, allergic reactions are not perfect. They reduce the chances of people dying of toxins but can not eliminate risk. But overall, Medzhitov think allergic reactions more good than harm. With the man-made synthetic compounds more and more, it may cause allergic reactions allergens have changed much. Our ancestors by moving to avoid allergens, but we can not easily escape.
Sneezing can protect you, but you do not like sneezing.
Scientists are seriously thinking about this theory. Many researchers are skeptical. Medzhitov hope in a few years with another experiment to convince these people. Although the controversy will not end, but the positive results allow more people to ponder this possibility. And eventually lead to allergic reactions we look revolutionize the way.
But even if the expected results and Medzhitov almost the same, his views can not win quickly, because in the minds of doctors, an allergic reaction on the human body adversely this view is firmly entrenched.
Allergies understanding purposes beneficial to improve their treatment. Medzhitov is that allergies like pain, pain itself is not fatal, Common pain is good, too much pain will be harmful to people.
Although allergies so many people in pain, but Medzhitov hope people do not think of it as a disease. He said: "You sneeze is to protect yourself, but you do not like the way it evolved just do not care how you feel.."
(Translation: via digg)
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