No abstract available.
Eosinophilia/*diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Abscess/*diagnosis/immunology ; Middle Aged

The present study reports a human case of cutaneous gnathostomiasis with recurrent migratory nodule and persistent eosinophilia in China. A 52-year-old woman from Henan Province, central China, presented with recurrent migratory reddish swelling and subcutaneous nodule in the left upper arm and on the back for 3 months. Blood examination showed eosinophila (21.2%), and anti-sparganum antibodies were positive. Skin biopsy of the lesion and histopathological examinations revealed dermal infiltrates of eosinophils but did not show any parasites. Thus, the patient was first diagnosed as sparganosis; however, new migratory swellings occurred after treatment with praziquantel for 3 days. On further inquiring, she recalled having eaten undercooked eels and specific antibodies to the larvae of Gnathostoma spinigerum were detected. The patient was definitely diagnosed as cutaneous gnathostomiasis caused by Gnathostoma sp. and treated with albendazole (1,000 mg/day) for 15 days, and the subsequent papule and blister developed after the treatment. After 1 month, laboratory findings indicated a reduced eosinophil count (3.3%). At her final follow-up 18 months later, the patient had no further symptoms and anti-Gnathostoma antibodies became negative. Conclusively, the present study is the first report on a human case of cutaneous gnathostomiasis in Henan Province, China, based on the past history (eating undercooked eels), clinical manifestations (migratory subcutaneous nodule and persistent eosinophilia), and a serological finding (positive for specific anti-Gnathostoma antibodies).
Animals ; Anthelmintics/therapeutic use ; Antibodies, Helminth/immunology ; China ; Eosinophilia/diagnosis/drug therapy/immunology/*parasitology ; Female ; Gnathostoma/immunology/*isolation & purification ; Gnathostomiasis/diagnosis/drug therapy/immunology/*parasitology ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Skin Diseases, Parasitic/diagnosis/drug therapy/immunology/*parasitology

Asthma ; drug therapy ; epidemiology ; etiology ; China ; epidemiology ; Cluster Analysis ; Humans ; Phenotype ; Pulmonary Eosinophilia ; etiology ; Smoking ; adverse effects ; Th2 Cells ; immunology

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EGE) is an uncommon disease characterized by eosinophilic infiltration of the gastrointestinal tract, which is usually associated with abdominal pain, diarrhea, ascites, and peripheral eosinophilia. Steroids remain the mainstay of treatment for EGE, but symptoms often recur when the dose is reduced. Macrolides have immunomodulatory effects as well as antibacterial effects. The immunomodulatory effect results in inhibition of T-lymphocyte proliferation and triggering of T-lymphocyte and eosinophil apoptosis. Macrolides also have a steroid-sparing effect through their influence on steroid metabolism. We report a rare case of EGE, which relapsed on steroid reduction but improved following clarithromycin treatment.
Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Clarithromycin/*therapeutic use ; Enteritis/*drug therapy/immunology/pathology ; Eosinophilia/*drug therapy/immunology/pathology ; Gastritis/*drug therapy/immunology/pathology ; Humans ; Immunologic Factors/therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prednisolone/administration & dosage

No abstract available.
Adult ; Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/diagnosis ; Eosinophilia/*diagnosis/radiography ; Eosinophils/immunology/metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Abscess/*radiography/ultrasonography ; Liver Neoplasms/diagnosis ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo investigate adenoviral vector mediated exogenous gene expression in mouse lungs and the effect of mIFN-gamma transgene expression on allergen-induced pulmonary eosinophil infiltration in a murine asthmatic model.

METHODSLacZ marker gene was transduced into CD-1 mouse airway epithelial cells by installation of a replication-deficient adenovirus with LacZ gene (AdCMVLacZ) 5 x 10(9) plaque forming unit (pfu) in the intratrachea or nostril. C57 mice were sensitized intraperitoneally and challenged by aerosol with ovalbumin (OVA) to produce an asthmatic model. AdCMVmIFNgamma 5 x 10(9) pfu was administered via nostril in asthmatic mice 48 h before OVA challenge. Sera, bronchial alveolar lavage (BAL) and lungs were recovered 48 h after OVA challenge.

RESULTSAfter administration with AdCMVLacZ by intratracheal installation or nose-drop, the lungs revealed a high level of widespread LacZ transduction with X-gal staining, mainly along airways. IFN-gamma via adenoviral vector transduction could be overexpressed both in vitro and in vivo (1624.7 +/- 1321.5 pg/ml in BAL 96 h after AdCMVIFNgamma infection). In AdCMVIFNgamma treated asthmatic models, histological evaluation revealed marked suppression of eosinophil peribronchial and perivascular infiltration; the recoverable percentage of eosinophils in BAL was an average of 9.00% +/- 4.58%, which was a statistically significant decrease versus that of the positive control group (75.13% +/- 6.85%) (P < 0.001). The total cell number in BAL ((145 +/- 55.6) x 10(3) cells/ml) in AdCMVmIFNgamma treated mice also was tremendously reduced compared to the positive control group ((216.6 +/- 71.1) x 10(3) cells/ml).

CONCLUSIONSAdenoviral vector was able to overexpress exogenous gene in murine lungs. IFN-gamma overexpression via adenoviral vector in pulmonary epithelia in vivo can abrogate allergen-induced eosinophilic infiltration in lungs in an asthmatic model, which may suggest a new preventively therapeutic method for cytokine immunogenetic transfer in allergic asthma.

Adenoviridae ; genetics ; Animals ; Asthma ; therapy ; Disease Models, Animal ; Eosinophilia ; prevention & control ; Genetic Therapy ; Interferon-gamma ; genetics ; Lung ; pathology ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Ovalbumin ; immunology ; Transgenes

Animals ; Antibodies, Helminth ; blood ; cerebrospinal fluid ; Child, Preschool ; Eosinophilia ; cerebrospinal fluid ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Meningitis ; cerebrospinal fluid ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Neurocysticercosis ; complications ; drug therapy ; parasitology ; Taenia ; immunology

Toxocariasis is one of the causes of pulmonary eosinophilic infiltrate that is increasing in Korea. This study was designed to identify the prevalence of toxocara seropositivity in patients with unexplained pulmonary patchy infiltrate and to evaluate associated factors. We evaluated 102 patients with unexplained pulmonary patchy infiltrate on chest computed tomography (CT) scan. As a control set, 116 subjects with normal chest CT were also evaluated. History of allergic disease, drug use, parasitic disease and raw cow liver intake were taken. Blood eosinophil count and total IgE level were measured. Specific serum IgG antibody to Toxocara canis larval antigen and specific IgG antibodies to 4 other parasites were measured by enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In the infiltrate group, 66.7% subjects were toxocara seropositive whereas 22.4% of the control group were seropositive (p< 0.001). In the infiltrate group, patients with a history of eating raw cow liver (odds ratio [OR], 7.8) and patients with eosinophilia (OR, 5.2) had a higher incidence of toxocara seropositivity. Thirty-five percent of toxocara seropositive patients with infiltrate exhibited migrating infiltrate and 48% had decreased infiltrate on the follow- up CT. We recommend that toxocara ELISA should be performed in patients with unexplained pulmonary patchy infiltrate, and that the eating of raw cow liver should be actively discouraged.
Adult ; Aged ; Animals ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E/blood ; Korea ; Leukocyte Count ; Liver/parasitology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Eosinophilia/diagnosis/*etiology/immunology ; Seroepidemiologic Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Toxocara/immunology ; Toxocariasis/*complications/diagnosis/epidemiology

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We sought to increase our understanding of the rhinitis-asthma relationship and improve strategies for the treatment of patients with these diseases. The aim of this study was to identify a connection between upper airway inflammation and lower airway responsiveness. METHODS: We counted eosinophils on nasal smears, and performed spirometry, allergic skin tests, and methacholine challenge tests in 308 schoolchildren plus a questionnaire on respiratory symptoms. The methacholine concentration causing a 20% fall in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (PC20 < 25 mg/mL) was used as the threshold of bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR). RESULTS: In total, 26% of subjects had positive nasal eosinophils on a smear, and 46.2% of subjects had BHR at < 25 mg/mL methacholine PC20. Nasal symptoms were higher in subjects with than without nasal eosinophils (p = 0.012). Asthma symptoms did not differ between subjects with and without nasal eosinophils. Nasal eosinophils were higher in subjects with atopy than those without (p = 0.006), and there was no difference in PC20 methacholine according to atopy (15.5 +/- 1.07 vs. 17.5 +/- 0.62; p > 0.05). No difference in BHR was detected when comparing subjects with and without nasal eosinophils. There were significant differences in the PC20 between subjects with greater than 50% nasal eosinophils and without nasal eosinophils (11.01 +/- 2.92 mg/mL vs. 17.38 +/- 0.61 mg/mL; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrated that nasal eosinophilic inflammation might contribute to lower airway responsiveness in schoolchildren, based on an epidemiological survey.
Adolescent ; Age Distribution ; Age Factors ; Asthma/diagnosis/*epidemiology/physiopathology ; Bronchial Hyperreactivity/diagnosis/*enzymology/physiopathology ; Bronchial Provocation Tests ; Child ; Eosinophilia/diagnosis/*epidemiology/immunology ; Eosinophils/immunology ; Female ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Intradermal Tests ; Leukocyte Count ; Lung/*physiopathology ; Male ; Nasal Mucosa/*immunology ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Rhinitis/diagnosis/*epidemiology/immunology ; Spirometry ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVEThe aim of the study was to investigate whether Orai1 antibody intraperitoneal injection could improve the condition of allergic rhinitis (AR) in mice.

METHODSTwenty-four BALB/C mice (SPF grade) were classified into 4 groups (AR group, Control group, Experimental group 1 and experimental group 2) according to a random number table. A mouse model of AR was established (Control group was established by phosphate buffered solution), and experimental group 1 and Experimental group 2 were established through intraperitoneal injection of 100 μg and 150 μg Orai1 antibody respectively. The number of sneezing and rubbing and eosinophilia in mice were assessed after different doses of Orai1 antibody intraperitoneal injection were applied. Then Orai1 protein and its mRNA in nasal mucosa, histomine, eosionphil cation protein (ECP), interlukin (IL)-1β, IL-4, IL-5 and IL-6 and their mRNA in nasal lavage fluid (NLF) and nasal mucosa were evaluated using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR). Furthermore, Orai1 protein and its mRNA in Th2 cells in peripheral blood, IL-4 and IL-5 in peripheral serum and their mRNAs in Th2 cells were also examined through ELISA and real-time RT-PCR. The data were analyzed by a statistical software of Graph Pad Prism 5.

RESULTSThere were significant differences in sneezing, nasal rubbing and local invading eosinophils in nasal mucosa after the treatment (t100 μg=7.88, t100 μg=9.92, t100 μg=4.30, respectively; t150 μg=16.43, t150 μg=16.31, t150 μg=9.35, respectively, all P-values<0.01). The Orai1 antibody intervention decreased contents of Orai1 in nasal mucosa, histomine, ECP, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-5 and IL-6. The contents of experimental group 1 were (0.186±0.015) μg/ml, (6.618±0.180) ng/ml, (2.555±0.031) ng/ml, (85.26±2.94) pg/ml, (55.12±1.21) pg/ml, (58.45±2.11) pg/ml and (77.12±2.13) pg/ml, respectively. The contents of experimental group 2 were (0.089±0.003) μg/ml, (4.501±0.310) ng/ml, (1.260±0.017) ng/ml, (48.49±2.12) pg/ml, (33.15±0.87) pg/ml, (38.24±0.95) pg/ml and (51.72±0.81) pg/ml, respectively. The differences were siginificant between group 1, group 2 and AR group(t value was 3.29, 10.44, 9.45, 17.53, 74.53, 87.06, 3.98; 8.54, 13.32, 23.00, 20.89, 80.73, 103.70, 13.34, all P<0.01). However, there were no significant differences in Orai1 protein and its mRNA in peripheral Th2 cells, IL-4 and IL-5 in peripheral serum and their mRNAs in Th2 cells (all P-values>0.05). In addition, the effect of 150 μg Orai1 antibody treatment was better than 100 μg one (all P-values<0.05).

CONCLUSIONOrai1 antibody intraperitoneal injection can improve the symptoms of AR mice, and alleviate the condition of allergic inflammation. Orai1 may become a novel aim in the AR study.

Animals ; Antibodies ; pharmacology ; Calcium Channels ; immunology ; metabolism ; Cytokines ; immunology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Eosinophilia ; therapy ; Eosinophils ; immunology ; Immunotherapy ; Inflammation ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Nasal Mucosa ; metabolism ; ORAI1 Protein ; RNA, Messenger ; Rhinitis, Allergic ; therapy ; Th2 Cells ; immunology