Preface

Chapter 8 **Gamma Radiation Effect on Allergenic Food 139**

Costa Harder

**VI** Contents

Marcia Nalesso Costa Harder, Valter Arthur and Larissa Nalesso

Despite the revolutionary progresses and innovative therapeutic strategies in medical scien‐ ces, mankind has encountered some newly emerging diseases and some previously known but apparently more occurring diseases. One of the serious and immune-mediated illnesses is food allergy. There have been frequent reports indicating the alarmingly increase of food allergy incidence particularly in recent decades as a result of extensive ease of access and availability of processed, enriched, or modified foods. Today, a substantial proportion of the industrially produced foods is genetically modified to be more enriched, especially at their protein content. Food proteins are the main cause of the immune sensitization and thereby subsequent development of food allergy.

In light of unraveling the recent advances from an immunologic perspective in the context of the molecular mechanisms involved in establishment of food allergy and providing a comprehensive review yet free of unnecessary complexity and detail, supporting all aspects contributing to the food allergy such as pathophysiology, diagnosis, management, and treat‐ ment, I collaborated with a group of the eminent experts in the field of immunology, immu‐ notherapy, analytic, and diagnostic methods and food technology to write a book concisely covering the mentioned topics. I organized the chapters logically from the basics to the deeply mechanistic viewpoint to the advanced diagnostic approaches and finally to the managerial and therapeutic strategies. Efforts have been made on each chapter to precisely provide the compendious yet comprehensive information on its topic. I have frequently faced with probing questions during my research and teaching experiences particularly by students who confused by the paradoxical functions of immune system which leads the im‐ munologic responses towards the sensitization in some people, ignoring the potential food allergens in some other people. I think this book can answer these intricacies and help the students for understanding the exact immunological pathways involved in food allergy. Moreover, the material covered in the book stands on its own manner of simplicity but com‐ prehensiveness making it distinct from other books in this field of science. In addition, this book benefits from a superiority of providing the most recent advances to better understand the molecular pathways contributing to the food allergy. I have also written a brief intro simply describing the food allergy basics, definitions, its difference with food intolerance, and most effective treatment methods.

This book is written in an easy and readable way, appropriate for both undergraduate and postgraduate students of biology and medicine. However, the book is also intended to pro‐ vide an advanced knowledge and recent progresses in the field of food allergy appropriate for academic researchers, immunologists, physicians, and clinical specialists. Because of its simplicity and briefness, it can be used also as a guidebook in hospitals or laboratories, pro‐ viding the most usual diagnostic and treatment methods.

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I would like to extend special thanks to Ms Martina Ušljebrka for her kind assistance for organizing and skillfully editing the text of the book. I would also like to acknowledge Pro‐ fessor Mostafa Moin for his valuable comments and guidance in the completion of this book.

### **Dr. Seyyed Shamsadin Athari**

Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran
