Currently available second-generation H1-antihistamines include a wide group of drugs with a better therapeutic index (or risk-benefit ratio) than the classic antihistamines, although their properties and safety profiles may differ. Bilastine is a newly registered H1-antihistamine for the oral treatment of allergic rhinitis and urticaria, with established antihistaminic and antiallergic properties. Clinical studies in allergic rhinitis and chronic urticaria show that once-daily treatment with bilastine 20 mg is effective in managing symptoms and improving patient's quality of life, with at least comparable efficacy to other nonsedative H1-antihistamines. As far as studies in healthy volunteers, clinical assays and clinical experience can establish, bilastine's safety profile is satisfactory, since it lacks anticholinergic effects, does not impair psychomotor performance or actual driving, and appears to be entirely free from cardiovascular effects.

Objectives: To assess modifications in baseline specific IgE-and anti-IgE-and antigen-specific-mediated basophil activation in egg-allergic children. The values were compared before and after the children completed specific oral tolerance induction (SOTI) with egg. Patients and Methods: We studied 28 egg-allergic children who completed SOTI with egg. The basophil activation test and specific IgE determinations with egg white, ovalbumin, and ovomucoid were performed in all 28 children. Results: A decrease in antigen-specific activation with egg white, ovalbumin, and ovomucoid was observed only at the 2 lowest concentrations used (5 and 0.05 ng/mL). Baseline activation was higher in patients with multiple food allergies and in those who developed anaphylaxis during SOTI; this activation decreased in both groups after completion of SOTI. A significant decrease was also observed in specific IgE values for egg white, ovalbumin, and ovomucoid after tolerance induction. Conclusions: Food tolerance induction is a specific process for each food that can be mediated by immunologic changes such as a decrease in specific IgE values and in specific and spontaneous basophil activation.

We present a case of allergic reaction to buckwheat. Cases of occupational asthma and skin rashes have been reported in Spain after ingestion of this food, although to date, their number is very low [8]. Of note, thermal processing (toasting) of buckwheat would enable the patient's IgE to recognize a greater number of bands and thus increase its allergenicity. It is also important to highlight the role of buckwheat as a cause of allergic reactions because of its increasingly frequent use in cooking. Similarly, we must not forget that it is often a hidden allergen.

Introduction: Oral immunotherapy (OIT) is a new approach in patients with food allergy. Various immunological mechanisms underlie the reversal of food allergy. In this paper, we study possible changes in peripheral cytokine patterns during OIT. Methods: Determinations of cytokines in peripheral blood were made in children who had milk or egg allergy and who received OIT. The determinations were made before and after OIT, and again following a final repeat oral challenge a month after a diet excluding the culprit food. Results: No significant changes were registered in the cytokines studied (IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, IL-17, IFNγ, and TNF) at any of the 3 time points. Similarly, no differences in cytokine pattern were observed between children who had presented anaphylaxis during OIT and those who overcame or did not overcome the final oral challenge. Discussion: Peripheral cytokines do not undergo significant changes during the OIT process. They are not predictors of serious adverse reactions or the final result of the OIT.

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