1. The clinical evaluation and the preparation and standardization of suspensions of a new water-insoluble whole ragweed pollen complex
- Author
-
Margaret B. Strauss and Abner M. Fuchs
- Subjects
Ragweed ,Itching eyes ,biology ,Plant Extracts ,business.industry ,Water ,General Medicine ,Antigens, Plant ,Water insoluble ,medicine.disease_cause ,biology.organism_classification ,medicine.disease ,Ragweed pollen ,Suspension (chemistry) ,Animal science ,Suspensions ,Pollen ,Immunology ,medicine ,Humans ,Hay fever ,Ambrosia ,business ,Clinical evaluation - Abstract
1.1. A suspension of a new water-insoluble whole ragweed pollen complex, believed to be more representative of all the allergenic components as they appear in the pollen and in a form which lends itself to slow absorption, was prepared. 2.2. The suspension can be standardized by a weight method which takes into account all antigenic fractions present. 3.3. A direct correlation between the nitrogen value and weight of the alum-precipitated pyridine whole ragweed complex is obtained. 4.4. A series of seventy-eight adult patients, highly sensitive to ragweed pollen, were treated with the suspension. Ten patients of this group continued their treatment on a monthly basis after having completed a course of preseasonal injections. 5.5. A greater tolerance for the suspension was noted (often twice the amount attained with aqueous extract was given with safety and often with one-half the number of injections). 6.6. Constitutional reactions were mild, delayed, and infrequent. 7.7. Excellent clinical relief was obtained following treatment of extremely sensitive patients treated with the suspension. 8.8. There was a notable absence of itching of the eyes in the hay fever patients treated with the suspension. 9.9. The symptom of itching eyes may be caused by the oil fraction of pollen, and the observed absence of this symptom following treatment may have been the result of successful immunization with the whole pollen extract which also contained the oil fraction.
- Published
- 1959
- Full Text
- View/download PDF