Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 1, 2026
05:55
High-throughput, Microscale Protocol for the Analysis of Processing Parameters and Nutritional Qualities in Maize (Zea mays L.)
Published on: June 16, 2018
Maize food allergy: a double-blind placebo-controlled study
J Scibilia1, E A Pastorello, G Zisa
1Unit of Allergology and Clinical Immunology, A.O. Niguarda Hospital, Milan, Italy.
Summary
Maize allergy, though uncommon, causes IgE-mediated reactions in children and adults. Nearly half of patients evaluated were confirmed allergic, with some reacting to just 100 mg of maize.
Area of Science:
- Allergy and Immunology
- Food Science
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- IgE-mediated maize allergy is infrequently studied, particularly in European populations.
- Limited research exists on the prevalence and clinical presentation of maize allergy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate patients with a history of maize allergy using double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenges (DBPCFC).
- To identify the range of symptoms during challenges and determine the lowest provocation dose (PD).
- To assess the diagnostic performance of skin prick tests (SPT) and specific IgE for maize allergy.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-seven patients with suspected maize allergy underwent SPT, specific IgE testing, and DBPCFC.
- Standardized protocols were used for all diagnostic procedures.
Main Results:
- 48% of patients tested positive in the DBPCFC.
- The lowest provocation dose (PD) ranged from 0.1 to 25 grams, with 54% reacting to ≤2.5g.
- Specific IgE testing showed high sensitivity (1.00) but low specificity (0.077); SPT had lower sensitivity (0.846) and specificity (0.384).
Conclusions:
- Maize can elicit IgE-mediated allergic reactions in both children and adults.
- DBPCFC confirmed maize allergy in nearly half of the evaluated subjects.
- Maize-induced anaphylaxis occurred in 23% of positive challenge patients, highlighting the risk even at low doses (100 mg).
Related Concept Videos
01:20Taste Buds and Receptors
Gustation, or the sense of taste, is intrinsically linked to the anatomical structures located on the tongue. This organ's surface, along with the entirety of the oral cavity, is adorned with stratified squamous epithelium. Evident on the tongue are elevated structures known as papillae (singular = papilla), which house the mechanisms for the transduction of gustatory stimuli. Four distinct types of papillae exist, each identified by their unique morphological attributes: the circumvallate,...
02:06Allergic Reactions
Overview
01:14Conditioned Taste Aversion
Conditioned taste aversion, also known as sauce béarnaise syndrome, is a phenomenon in which an individual develops an aversion to a certain food taste following a negative experience, typically illness. This form of aversion is a type of classical conditioning in which the taste of the food (conditioned stimulus, CS) is associated with the experience of illness (unconditioned stimulus, UCS).
A notable characteristic of conditioned taste aversion is that it often requires only a single exposure...
A notable characteristic of conditioned taste aversion is that it often requires only a single exposure...
01:15Bioavailability Study Design: Healthy Subjects Versus Patients
Bioavailability studies are essential for evaluating a drug's therapeutic efficacy and understanding its absorption patterns under various physiological conditions. Conducting such studies on target patient populations provides more relevant data by simulating real-world disease states. However, practical challenges often necessitate the use of young, healthy adult volunteers as study subjects.Patients may exhibit altered drug absorption patterns due to the effects of the disease itself,...
02:07Blind Procedures
Ideally, the people who observe and record the children’s behavior are unaware of who was assigned to the experimental or control group, in order to control for experimenter bias. Experimenter bias refers to the possibility that a researcher’s expectations might skew the results of the study. Remember, conducting an experiment requires a lot of planning, and the people involved in the research project have a vested interest in supporting their hypotheses. If the observers knew which child was...