Alnus sibirica (AS) geographically distributes in Korea, Japan, Northeast China and Russia. The bark of this plant had been used for antipyretic, expectorant, anti-phlogistic, antitussive, anti-asthmatic and as a health tea for alcoholism. Recently, we studied various biological activities of AS and the isolated diarylheptanoid. In present study, we conducted fermentation of AS (FAS) and isolated two diarylheptanoid (hirsutenone and muricarpone B). Moreover, we established the validation and contents determinations of the two compounds by HPLC on FAS.
Alcoholism ; Alnus* ; China ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Fermentation ; Japan ; Korea ; Plants ; Russia ; Tea

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate hidden allergens of acute idiopathic urticaria (AIU) in childhood by using the component-resolved diagnostics (CRD). METHODS: We applied CRD using pathogenesis-related protein family number 10 (PR-10) and nonspecific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTP). RESULTS: Twenty-two of the 74 AIU children (29.7%) were found to be positive on CRD. Ten children were positive to nMal d 1 for apple (value range, 1.10–40.59), 6 to rConr a 1 for hazelnut (1.53–11.97), 4 to rPru p 1 for peach (1.32–11.83). 6 to rAra h 8 for peanut (1.20–8.12), 6 to nAct d 8 for kiwi (0.85–3.32), 4 to rBet v 1 for birch (2.49–54.28), and 3 to rAln g 1 for alder (2.32–5.74). Six children were positive to nPru p 3 for peach (1.45–18.77), 4 to rCor a 8 for hazelnut (2.56–9.19), 2 to nArt v 3 for mugwort (3.40–7.42), and 3 to rBet v2 to profilin of birch (2.56–17.46). Ten children with AIU were positive to multiple component proteins. For hazelnut, 5 children were positive to PR-10 (rConr a 1) and nsLTP (rConr a 1). For peach, 3 children were positive to PR-10 (rPru p 1) and nsLTP (nPru p 3). CONCLUSION: IgE sensitization to PR-10 or nsLTP may be allergen components for AIU in childhood.
Allergens ; Alnus ; Arachis ; Artemisia ; Betula ; Child* ; Corylus ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Profilins ; Prunus persica ; Urticaria*

Air-borne pollen is known as one of the major causal agents to respiratory allergic reactions. The daily number of pollen grains was monitored using Burkard volumetric spore traps at eight locations including Seoul and Jeju during 1997-2005. Pollen grains were observed throughout the year especially from February to November. They showed similar distribution patterns of species among locations except Jeju, where Japanese cedar vegetation is uniquely found. The peak seasons for pollen grains from trees, grasses, and weeds were from March to May, May to September, and August to October. Tree pollens were mainly composed of pine, oak, alder, and birch. Weed pollens were mainly from Japanese hop, sagebrush, and ragweed. The diameter of pollen grains, which has a typical range of 20~60 micrometer, has close relationship with allergenicity. The allergenicity of trees and weed pollens is higher than that of grass pollens in general. Daily fluctuations in the amount of pollens have to do with a variety of meteorological factors such as temperature, rainfall, and the duration of sunshine. Temperature and rainfall are especially decisive in determining pollen concentrations. Ten weather elements that are thought to affect the concentration of pollens are used to develop equations for the pollen forecasts. Predictive equations for each pollen species and month are developed based on statistical analyses using observed data during the last 5 years in Seoul through a co-work with the Committee of Pollen Study in Korean Academy of Pediatric Allergy and Respiratory Diseases and National Institute of Meteorological Research.
Alnus ; Ambrosia ; Artemisia ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Betula ; Cryptomeria ; Humans ; Humulus ; Hypersensitivity ; Meteorological Concepts ; Poaceae ; Pollen ; Seasons ; Spores ; Sunlight ; Weather

PURPOSE: Airborne pollen is the most common causative agents of allergic disease. Since 2000, there isn't no more report about airborne pollen in Busan. This study is that pollen in one area of Busan was collected to investigate species, particle counts, seasonal distribution, and of its correlation with reactivity to skin prick test in children during 1998-2012. METHODS: Rotorod sampler was installed on the rooftop of St. Mary Hospital in Busan. A 24-hour sampling of airborne allergens over a fifteen-year period was conducted 6 days/wk from January 1, 1998 to December 31, 2012. After staining they were identified, counted and recorded with the weather in Busan. RESULTS: Major pollens collected were Pine, Alder, Oak, Juniperus, Humulus. The pollen season is relatively short and the pollen dispersed mainly during the period from March to May in case of tree pollen, from April to September in case of grass pollen and from August to October in case of weed pollen. Total annual pollen count ranged from 36,412 grains/m3 (2002) to 1,342 grains/m3 (2006). The peak pollen season was seen for spring and autumn, especially in May and September during 1998-2012. In skin prick tests, birch was the highest sensitization rate (15.1%), followed by alder (14.7%), hazel (14.1%) in the tree for 15 years. And in weed, mugwort and ragweed were the highest sensitization rate (10.6%, 10.3%), followed by humulus (5.5%) for 15 years, but since 2008, was increased. CONCLUSION: Analysis of pollens sampled in the atmosphere of Busan, Korea, for a 15-year period identified 24 species of pollens with seasonal variation of some clinically important pollen load. Analysis of data, it showed that alder and birch are main allergen in spring for 15 years, and in 1998-2008, ragweed and artemisia was main allergen in fall, since 2009, followed by humulus.
Allergens ; Alnus ; Ambrosia ; Artemisia ; Atmosphere ; Betula ; Busan ; Child ; Humans ; Humulus ; Hypersensitivity* ; Juniperus ; Korea ; Poaceae ; Pollen* ; Seasons ; Skin ; Weather

PURPOSE: Determining the culprit allergen is important for the diagnosis and management of allergic diseases. The skin prick test (SPT) has been widely used to identify culprit allergens. Skin reactivity to allergens has changed due to changes in lifestyle and outdoor environments. Therefore, the aim of the present paper was to examine changes in allergen sensitization in Korea. METHODS: We enrolled 1,135 patients with respiratory allergic diseases who were diagnosed at Severance Hospital from January 2010 to December 2011. SPTs were performed with inhalant allergens, and were compared to our previous studies of the SPTs in the 1980s and the 1990s. RESULTS: In the 2010s, the SPT positive rate of allergic rhinitis or allergic conjunctivitis was higher than asthma without allergic rhinitis or allergic conjunctivitis. The SPT positive rate was decreased by increments of age (P value <0.01). Skin reactivity to tree pollens was significantly increased to 36.4% in the 2010s from 19.0% in the 1990s and 8.8% in the 1980s. Among tree pollens, skin reactivity to oak (4.7%->14.4%), birch (7.1%->13.6%), alder (6.3%->13.4%) and pine (2.9%->14.3%) was significantly increased in the 2010s compared with the 1990s, respectively. Current skin reactivity to grass pollens (13.9%) and weed pollens (27.0%) has significantly decreased since the 1990s (20.3%, 40.9%, respectively). Skin reactivity to house dust mites showed no difference between the 1990s (55.2%) and the 2010s (55.6%). Skin reactivity to dog (27.3%->20.7%) and cockroach (25.3%->12.3%) have significantly decreased in the 2010s in comparison with the 1990s. CONCLUSIONS: In light of the above results, we revealed the changes in skin reactivity to inhalant allergens that have occurred in Korean allergic patients over the past three decades. Since outdoor environmental factors such as the amount of pollen, global warming and plant distribution causes the changes in skin reactivity, further study and continuous close observation will be needed.
Allergens ; Alnus ; Animals ; Asthma ; Betula ; Cockroaches ; Conjunctivitis, Allergic ; Diagnosis ; Dogs ; Global Warming ; Humans ; Korea ; Life Style ; Plant Dispersal ; Poaceae ; Pollen ; Pyroglyphidae ; Rhinitis ; Skin ; Skin Tests

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: There are many differences in common inhalant allergens between countries and regions. We need to determine the major inhalant allergens in this country with geographical characteristics. To observe the major inhalant allergens and establish essential ones for the skin prick test in Korea, a nation-wide multicenter study was performed. METHOD: The skin prick tests were performed with the same kits of 43 allergens on 2,554 allergy patients who visited their regional hospitals for one year. RESULT: There are significant differences in the sensitization rate to common inhalant allergens among the centers. Twenty three allergens showed > or=5% sensitization rate: D. pteronyssinus, D. farinae, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, Tetranychus urticae, Panonychus citri, Alternaria alternata, Cladosporium tenuis, cat fur, dog hair, American and German cockroach, tree pollen mixture I, alder, hazel, tree pollen mixture II, birch, beech, oak, plane tree, ragweed, mugwort, hop Japanese and chrysanthemum. CONCLUSION: We suggest the major allergens such as D. pteronyssinus, D. farinae, T. putrescentiae, T. urticae, P. citri, outdoor molds, indoor molds, cat fur, dog hair, German and American cockroaches, tree pollens, mugwort, and hop Japanese pollen should be included in skin test battery in Korea.
Allergens* ; Alnus ; Alternaria ; Ambrosia ; Animals ; Artemisia ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Betula ; Blattellidae ; Cats ; Chrysanthemum ; Cladosporium ; Dogs ; Fagus ; Fungi ; Hair ; Humans ; Humulus ; Hypersensitivity ; Korea* ; Periplaneta ; Pollen ; Skin ; Skin Tests

PURPOSE: Allergic diseases have been increased in Korea. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes of sensitization rate to inhalant allergens over 10 years in children with allergic diseases from a tertiary referral hospital. METHODS: Skin prick tests were done in total 2,225 children in 2000, 2005, and 2010. Changes of skin reactivity to 12 major inhalant allergens, including Tree pollen mixture I (Alder, Elm, Hazel, Poplar, Willow), Tree pollen mixture II (Beech, Birch, Oak, Plane tree), Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Dermatophagoides farina, Alternaria, cat dander, and dog dander were investigated. RESULTS: The sensitization rates to Tree pollen mixture I and II were increased as 5.0%, 6.8% in 2000, 8.5%, 9.8% in 2005, and 14.8%, 17.3% in 2010, respectively (trend P<0.001, P<0.001, respectively). And the sensitization rates to D. pteronyssinus cat dander and dog dander were changed as 55%, 4.8%, 4.8% in 2000, 62.2%, 11.9%, 28% in 2005, and 63.1%, 12.7%, 16.7% in 2010, respectively. The distribution of sensitized pollens was oak (12.8%), beech (12.4%), pine (10.3%), birch (10%), hazel (9.6%), alder (8%), elder (6.9%), elm (5.4%) in the study of 2010. When allergen/histamine ratio was compared, rates of strong sensitization over 4+ to tree pollen were increased. CONCLUSION: The sensitization rates to inhalant allergens were increased in children with asthma or allergic rhinitis from a tertiary referral hospital in Seoul over last 10 years. Especially, an increase in the degree of skin reactivity was observed in cat dander, dog dander, and tree pollens. The studies to investigate the etiology of this increase and prevention will be needed.
Allergens ; Alnus ; Alternaria ; Animals ; Asthma* ; Betula ; Cats ; Child* ; Dander ; Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus ; Dogs ; Fagus ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Korea ; Pollen ; Pyroglyphidae ; Rhinitis* ; Seoul ; Skin ; Tertiary Care Centers*

The aim of this study was to investigate role of common pollen in Korean school-aged children with allergic rhinitis (AR) in 5 provinces (Incheon Metropolitan City-Gyeonggi Province, Chungcheongbuk-do, Gwangju Metropolitan City, Busan Metropolitan City, and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province), using a questionnaire and skin prick test, and to assess the differences among the residential regions. Among the enrolled 14,678 total children, 1,641 (22.0%) had AR. The sensitization rate to pollen (38.7%) was the second highest among examined allergens and significant differences were in the sensitization rates to trees, weeds, and grasses among the 5 provinces (P < 0.05). The sensitization to trees (25.2%) was the highest common among the pollen types and significant differences also were observed in the sensitization rates to alder, birch, Japanese cedar, oak, and elm among the 5 provinces. The sensitization rate to weeds (19.9%) was the second highest and significant differences were observed in the sensitization rate to Japanese hop, mugwort, and ragweed among the 5 provinces. The sensitization rate to house dust mite was 86.8%, the highest among examined allergens and that to Dermatophagoides farinae exhibited regional differences (P = 0.003) but not to D. farinae (P = 0.584). The sensitization rate to mold (13.5%) was the highest in Jeju and lowest in Busan, and a statistically significant difference was detected among the 5 provinces. These results support that examined pollen allergens are strongly associated with residential region due to regional causative pollen differences among children with AR within Korea to investigate the main pollen allergens.
Allergens ; Alnus ; Ambrosia ; Artemisia ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Betula ; Busan ; Child* ; Chungcheongbuk-do ; Cryptomeria ; Dermatophagoides farinae ; Fungi ; Gwangju ; Humans ; Korea ; Poaceae ; Pollen* ; Pyroglyphidae ; Rhinitis ; Rhinitis, Allergic* ; Skin ; Trees

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The selection of allergen panels is a prerequisite to effectively test for innumerable allergens scattered throughout the environment. However, the selection of the pre-existing panel has been vague and contains some allergens that have not been verified as being common in Korea. This study was aimed to produce allergen panels in Korea. METHODS: For 12 months in 1996, sera were tested by the chemiluminescent assay of Multiple allergen simultaneous test (MAST-CLA: Immunosystems, Mountain view, U.S.A.). A total of 2, 467 specimens that either tested positive or were negative but had high total IgE level were pooled together. The pooled ser a were assayed for 60 allergens supplied by Dexall Acti Tip System (Dexall biomedical Labs. Inc., Gaithersburg, U.S.A.), a recently developed enzyme immunoassay. According to the Allerg Ens Unit (Allergen Unit:AU), 12 of the most frequently encountered and 6 of the leaot frequent allergens with reactions between classes 3 and trace were selected. RESULTS: The 12 most frequently encountered allergens were : Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Dermatophagoides farinae, house dust, timothy grass, perennial rye, mugwort, birch, oak, hazel nut, common ragweed, alder and dog dander. The 6 least frequently encountered were : wheat, egg-white, cat epithelium, milk, cockroach and shrimp. CONCLUSION: The 12 allergens we chose proposed to be the minimally required panel of frequently encountered allergens in allergy testing. We conclude that the 12 most frequent allergens should be tested with the total IgE level as a major panel (panel-M) and that the 6 least frequently encountered allergens may be tested separately when needed, as a minor panel (panel-m).
Allergens ; Alnus ; Ambrosia ; Animals ; Artemisia ; Betula ; Cats ; Cockroaches ; Dander ; Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus ; Dogs ; Dust ; Epithelium ; Hypersensitivity ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Immunoglobulin E ; Korea ; Luminescent Measurements ; Milk ; Nuts ; Phleum ; Secale ; Triticum

PURPOSE: Pollinosis is one of the major allergic diseases caused by airborne pollens. Alder and birch pollens are the major sensitizing tree pollens in this country. The immunoglobulin E (IgE) reactivity to each pollen allergen is known to be variable according to the region. We determined the major IgE binding components of these tree pollens in sera of adult patients with allergic rhinitis. METHODS: Allergic rhinitis patients, of whom specific IgE level to birch and/or alder pollens (>10 kU/L by ImmunoCAP) were included. The protein bands of two pollen extracts were determined by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and their IgE-binding components were identified by IgE immunoblot analysis. The binding specificity and cross-reactivity between two pollens were evaluated by IgE enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) inhibition test. RESULTS: Six IgE binding components were found in birch pollens in which two (14 kDa and 17 kDa) were major components. Two IgE binding components were found in alder pollens in which the 17 kDa was a major component. The IgE binding component to the major allergen component of 17 kDa was observed in 90.3% of the study subjects sensitive to alder pollens and 72.7% of them sensitive to birch pollens. The ELISA inhibition tests showed significant inhibitions with additions of birch/alder pollen extracts. CONCLUSION: We identified two major IgE binding components (17 kDa and 14 kDa) from birch pollens and one component (17 kDa) from alder pollens. Significant cross reactivity was noted between these two pollens.
Adult ; Allergens ; Alnus ; Betula ; Cross Reactions ; Electrophoresis ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Immunoblotting ; Immunoglobulin E ; Immunoglobulins ; Pollen ; Rhinitis ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal ; Sodium