***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
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    Input: Antigen-antibody complexes were made from allergens of the common house dust mite , Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus ( Dpt ) and an excess of purified autologous specific antibodies . These complexes have been used to treat Dpt-hypersensitive patients who suffered from chronic bronchial asthma . Clinical symptoms and medication intake were followed by filling in diary cards . Peak expiratory flow , measured four times a day , was also followed . Intradermal skin tests and bronchial challenge tests were performed with allergen together with an evaluation of nonspecific bronchial reactivity . Specific IgE and IgG antibodies were assayed after separation from the bulk of serum immunoglobulins by immunoadsorption . The study was carried out over two years according to a double-blind protocol . Intradermal inoculation of antigen-antibody complexes result ed in a marked reduction of both clinical and medication scores . No systemic side-effects were observed and only mild wheal and flare reactions were noted at the injection site . The treatment showed a drastic reduction of specific skin and bronchial reactivities with only marginal effects on nonspecific bronchial reactivity . Concentrations of specific IgE antibodies decreased significantly during the first weeks of treatment and remained at these lower values throughout the study . Specific IgG antibodies actually decreased in the majority of treated patients . The total amount of allergen used in this study was less than 1 % of the amount currently used for conventional hyposensitization with the same allergen . These findings show that antigen-antibody complex inoculation is an efficient and safe means of treating allergic bronchial asthma and that the mechanism of action is likely to differ from conventional hyposensitization We design ed a cluster schedule of immunotherapy for patients allergic to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus to reach the maximal recommended dose in 7 weeks . We compared its safety and clinical efficacy with those of a conventional schedule in a controlled trial . Sixty-three patients were r and omized as follows : 29 were treated with the cluster schedule , 15 with a conventional schedule and 19 without immunotherapy .  A st and ardized extract was used . Clinical efficacy was measured by visual analog scale , clinical severity score , symptom/medication diary cards and control of peak expiratory flow ( PEF ) in asthmatic patients , before immunotherapy ( T0 ) , on reaching the maintenance phase ( T1 ) , and after 6 ( T2 ) , 12 ( T3 ) and 18 months of maintenance ( T4 ) . The safety of immunotherapy was found to be good . Visual analog scale improved significantly at T4 in the cluster and conventional schedules , and clinical severity score also improved from T1 in these schedules . Diary cards improved from T1 in the cluster schedule and from T2 in the conventional schedule in asthmatic patients . Significant improvements in diary cards in rhinitis patients and PEF were found only in the cluster schedule . There were no changes in the group without immunotherapy . In conclusion , our cluster schedule showed as good tolerance and clinical efficacy as the conventional schedule in patients allergic to D. pteronyssinus . These clinical improvements did not appear in the group without immunotherapy Background : Although widely practice d for over 80 years , the role of specific immunotherapy ( SIT ) in pediatric asthma treatment is still controversial . We assessed the effects of a 3‐year period of subcutaneous administration of a st and ardized preparation of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus ( D pt ) on the respiratory health in a group of asthmatic children monosensitized to house dust mite ( HDM ) Results from one immunotherapy study can be difficult to extrapolate when physicians use products or dose schedules that differ from the ones used in that particular study . The purpose of this study was to determine if an alum absorbed Alpare D. pteronyssinus extract administered in a maintenance dose of 10,000 - 12,500 BU 's could be shown to improve symptoms in asthmatic patients allergic to D. pteronyssinus . Previous studies using higher doses of extracts suggested efficacy but frequent side effects were noted . A double blind placebo controlled study was performed which included 24 active and 25 placebo patients . We measured skin reactivity , methacholine challenge changes , symptoms by visual analog score , specific IgE levels , and end of study assessment . The results showed significantly greater improvement in actively treated patients versus those given placebo in specific IgE levels , symptoms by visual analog score , and end of study status . We saw no significant differences in skin reactivity , methacholine challenge , or diary medication scores . In addition , no difference in side effects was noted between the two groups . We conclude that the dose administered in this study was safe and well tolerated . Some clinical improvement did seem to occur but the study suggests that higher doses may be indicted in certain patients BACKGROUND Previous studies have suggested that single-allergen-specific immunotherapy ( SIT ) may prevent sensitization to other airborne allergens in monosensitized children . We aim ed to assess the prevention of new sensitizations in monosensitized children treated with single-allergen SIT injections in comparison with monosensitized patients given appropriate pharmacologic treatment for their disease . METHODS A total of 147 children with rhinitis and /or asthma monosensitized to house dust mite were studied ; 45 patients underwent SIT with adsorbed extracts and 40 patients underwent SIT with aqueous extracts for 5 years . The control group was comprised of 62 patients given only pharmacologic treatment for at least 5 years . Skin prick tests , medication scores for rhinitis and asthma , and atopy scores according to skin prick tests were evaluated at the beginning and after 5 years of treatment . RESULTS All groups were comparable in terms of age , sex , and disease characteristics . At the end of 5 years , 64 out of 85 ( 75.3 % ) in the SIT group showed no new sensitization , compared to 29 out of 62 children ( 46.7 % ) in the control group ( P = .002 ) . There were no differences between the SIT subgroups with regard to onset of new sensitization ( P = .605 ) . The patients developing new sensitizations had higher atopy scores ( P = .002 ) and medication scores for both rhinitis ( P = .008 ) and asthma ( P = .013 ) in comparison to patients not developing new sensitizations after 5 years of SIT . CONCLUSION According to our data , SIT has the potential to prevent the onset of new sensitizations in children with rhinitis and /or asthma monosensitized to house dust mite BACKGROUND Although several studies support the efficacy of specific immunotherapy in allergic asthma , its benefit compared with that of st and ardized pharmacologic intervention remains unknown . OBJECTIVE A double-blind , placebo-controlled trial in 72 patients with mild-to-moderate asthma and allergy to house dust mite ( HDM ; Dermatophagoides species ) was conducted to assess the effects of specific immunotherapy added to guideline -adjusted pharmacologic treatment and allergen avoidance . METHODS After 1 observational year of pharmacologic treatment and st and ard measures of HDM avoidance , 2 groups of asthmatic subjects were r and omly assigned to receive specific immunotherapy consisting of subcutaneous injections of either a mixture of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae vaccine ( n=41 ) or placebo ( n=31 ) for 3 years . Medications were adjusted every 3 months according to the Global Initiative for Asthma guidelines . RESULTS The adjustment of treatment was associated with a reduction in asthma symptom scores in all subjects . The addition of specific immunotherapy was associated with a decrease in the number of subjects requiring rescue bronchodilators , an increase in morning and evening peak expiratory flow , and a reduced skin sensitivity to HDM extracts . The addition of specific immunotherapy had no significant effects on the cumulative dose of inhaled corticosteroids , asthma symptoms , lung volumes , or bronchial responsiveness to methacholine . CONCLUSION These results suggest that specific immunotherapy added to pharmacologic treatment and HDM avoidance provides marginal but statistically significant clinical benefits , possibly by reducing the allergic response of asthmatic patients sensitized to HDM Background : It has been reported that both sublingual ( SLIT ) and subcutaneous ( SCIT ) allergen-specific immunotherapy have clinical efficacy , yet there are rather few comparative placebo studies of children . We aim ed to investigate the clinical and immunological efficacy of mite-specific SLIT and SCIT versus a placebo in rhinitis and asthma in children . Methods : The outcomes of this 1-year , r and omized , placebo-controlled , double-blind , double-dummy study were symptom and medication scores , visual analog scores ( VAS ) , titrated skin prick tests , nasal and bronchial allergen provocation doses , serum house dust mite-specific immunglobulin E ( HDM-sIgE ) , sIgG4 , IL-10 and IFN-γ levels . Results : Clinical and laboratory parameters were evaluated in 30 patients .  SCIT significantly diminished symptom and medication scores for rhinitis and asthma ( p = 0.03 and p = 0.05 for rhinitis ; p = 0.01 and p = 0.05 for asthma ) and VAS . SLIT also reduced VAS , symptoms associated with rhinitis and asthma as well as medication usage for rhinitis , but this reduction was not significant when compared with the  placebo . Skin reactivitiy to HDM and HDM-sIgE levels was reduced significantly in both immunotherapy groups . Serum IL-10 levels and nasal provocative doses increased significantly with both SCIT and SLIT . Nasal eosinophil increments after nasal challenge decreased with two treatment modes , but bronchial provocative doses and sputum eosinophil increments after bronchial challenge were reduced only with SCIT . In both treatment arms , there was no change in IFN-γ levels . Serum sIgG4 levels increased significantly only in the SCIT group . Conclusion : Based on the limited number of patients at the end of the 1-year immunotherapy , the clinical efficacy of SCIT on rhinitis and asthma symptoms was more evident when compared with the placebo BACKGROUND dermatophagoides pteronyssinus ( Der PI ) is the major allergen which causes allergic asthma and perennial rhinitis . The extracts of Der PI may be used in treatment of patients who are unresponsive to pharmacological treatment and avoidance of allergens . The success of immunotherapy ( IT ) depends on the selection of appropriate patients and allergens as well as a regular follow up . OBJECTIVE three different groups of IT material s and a placebo were tested on 34 patients with Der PI sensitive asthma . Clinical evaluations of allergen challenge and in vitro immunologic tests were made on the patients before , on the 6th month and at the end of the second year of IT . The results were compared to the placebo treated group . RESULTS there were no significant differences among the groups in regard to age , sex and duration of illness . The time required for reaching the maintenance dose for group I ( Alutard ) , II ( APSI retard Ca ) and III ( Greer ) was 15.40 + /- 0.69 , 18.2 + /- 4.0 and 108 + /- 33 weeks , respectively . Even though there was some significant difference between those receiving aqueous IT and the placebo ( p < 0.05 ) , there was a greater significant difference between those receiving adsorbed IT and placebo ( p < 0.00001 ) . Also there was a significant difference between the I and II groups receiving adsorbed IT . There was no significant difference in the maximum tolerated doses between group I and II ( p > 0.05 ) , but significant differences was found between group III and the other two groups ( p < 0.05 ) . Specific IgE levels were not changed by IT . There were no differences in the side effects scores among the groups ( p < 0.05 ) . The maximum tolerated dose of the diluted skin prick test ( DSPT ) solution increased significantly after 6 months and two years treatment as compared to the dose before specific immunotheraphy ( SIT ) . Significant differences were found between group III and group I or group II as well as between the groups under treatment and that group given a placebo ( p < 0.05 ) . The maximum tolerated dose with the bronchial provocation test ( BPT ) increased significantly after IT ( p < 0.05 ) . The differences between the groups under treatment and that given a placebo were significant ( p < 0.05 ) . A significant increase was detected in the levels of the Der PI specific IgG4 after IT ( p < 0.01 ) . The difference between the treatment groups and the placebo group was significant . There was a significant difference between group I and the other groups ( p < 0 . 05 ) but differences between group II and III was not significant ( p > 0.05 ) . No significant correlation was found between ( 1 ) spIgE and the symptom medication score ( SMS ) ( 2 ) sp IgE and spIgG4 ( 3 ) , DSPT and BPT .  A significant positive correlation was found between the maximum tolerated dose with DSPT  and increase in spIgG4 ( r = 0.33 , p = 0.046 ) . A negative correlation was found between SMS and spIgG4 ( p = 0.012 , r = -0.42 ) after IT . CONCLUSION SIT with Der PI is an effective and reliable treatment in allergic asthmatic children . Adsorbed extracts may be preferable to in childhood because of effectively , safety , tolerability and , fewer numbers of injection . The best IgG4 response and velocity of maintenance doses achieved was found in group I. Easy , cheap and safe parameters such a SMS and D 
    Output:
    
: Our results suggest that SCIT is helpful in alleviating symptoms and reducing medication used in mite-sensitive asthma subjects , but with no improvement in lung function .
The safety of SCIT is acceptable