To compare the mediator releasability between atopic and nonatopic asthmatics, we measured basophil histamine releasability (BaHR) using a calcium-ionophore A23187 and anti-IgE in 137 subjects who were treated at Seoul National University Hospital. Subjects were categorized into atopic (group AA, n=77) or nonatopic asthmatics (group NA, n=32), or normal controls (group NC, n=28). Serum total IgE levels were determined and correlation with BaHR was assessed. Anti-IgE-induced maximal BaHR in groups AA, NA, and NC was 41.0+/-3.2, 23.1+/-4.5, and 16.8+/-3.8, respectively (mean+/-SE, %). Anti-IgE-induced BaHR in group AA was significantly higher than that in groups NA and NC (p<0.05). Calcium ionophore A23187-induced maximal BaHR was 43.1+/-2.8, 40.8+/-4.4, and 50.5+/-5.2, respectively (mean+/-SE, %), and there was no significant difference among the groups. Serum total IgE level correlated significantly with anti-IgE-induced maximal BaHR (r=0.281, p<0.01) but not with that induced by calcium ionophore A23187. In conclusion, IgE receptor-related BaHR is higher in atopic asthmatics than in nonatopic asthmatics, and this increased BaHR in atopics is significantly associated with increased serum total IgE level.
Asthma/immunology* ; Basophils/immunology* ; Basophils/drug effects ; Calcimycin/pharmacology ; Child ; Comparative Study ; Histamine Release/immunology* ; Histamine Release/drug effects ; Human ; IgE/immunology* ; IgE/blood ; Ionophores/pharmacology

B-Lymphocytes ; chemistry ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; blood ; Male ; Purpura, Schoenlein-Henoch ; immunology ; Receptors, IgE ; blood

Childhood minimal change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS) has often been associated with allergic symptoms such as urticaria, bronchial asthma, atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis and elevated IgE levels and referred to involve immune dysfunction. Fc epsilon RII is known to be involved in IgE production and response. Interleukin-4 is being recognized as a major cytokine up-regulating IgE production. Hence the present study is aimed at investigating the role of interleukin-4 and Fc epsilon RII in the pathogenesis of MCNS. IgE was measured by ELISA. Fc epsilon RII was analyzed by fluorescence activated cell scanner (FAC-scan) by double antibody staining with anti Leu16-FITC and anti Leu20-PE. Soluble IgE receptor was measured by ELISA using anti CD23 antibody (3-5-14). Interleukin-4 activities were measured by CD23 expression on purified human tonsillar B cells. Serum IgE levels were significantly higher in MCNS (1,507 +/- 680 IU/dl) than in normal controls (123 +/- 99.2 IU/dl). A significantly higher expression of membrane Fc epsilon RII was noted for MCNS (41 +/- 12%) than that in normal controls (18 +/- 6.2%) (p < 0.001). Soluble CD23 levels were also significantly higher in MCNS (198 +/- 39.3%) than in normal controls (153 +/- 13.4) (p < 0.01). Interleukin-4 activity in sera of MCNS (12U/ml) was also significantly higher than normal controls (4.5U/ml). These results indicate that increased production of Fc epsilon RII and interleukin-4 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of MCNS.
B-Lymphocytes/immunology ; Child ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E/blood ; Interleukin-4/*physiology ; Nephrosis, Lipoid/*etiology/physiopathology ; Receptors, IgE/biosynthesis/*physiology ; Solubility

OBJECTIVE: To explore the expression of CD23, CD19 on peripheral blood lymphocytes as well as its association with serum total IgE levels and nasal allergic symptoms in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). METHOD: Symptom scores were evaluated in 46 AR patients, expression of CD23, CD19 on peripheral blood lymphocytes were measured by flow cytometry, and serum total IgE levels were determined by immune chemiluminescence. Thirty two healthy individuals were enrolled as controls. RESULT: The percentage of CD23+, CD19+ and CD23+/ CD19+,on peripheral blood lymphocytes in AR patients were 11.6 +/- 1. , 22.8 +/- 3.3,10.2 +/- 1.7, respectively. Higher frequencies of CD23+, CD19+, and CD23+/CD19+ were found in AR patients compared with controls (P < 0.05). There were positive correlations between expression rates of CD23+, CD19+, CD23+/CD19+ and levels of serum total IgE, nasal allergic symptom scores, respectively. CD23+/CD19+ demonstrated greater correlations with serum total IgE and nasal allergic symptom (r = 0.65 and 0.49, P < 0.05) than CD23+ and CD19+ did. Correlation between CD23+/CD19+ and nasal allergic symptom scores was greater than the corresponding correlations of serum total IgE (r = 0.33, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION CD23 and CD19 are important factors that associated with serum total IgE in the pathogenesis of AR, Analysis on the expression of CD23+/CD19+ on peripheral blood lymphocytes is helpful for evaluating the severity of AR.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Antigens, CD19 ; blood ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; blood ; Lymphocyte Count ; Lymphocytes ; metabolism ; Middle Aged ; Receptors, IgE ; blood ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; blood ; Young Adult

Increased FcepsilonR1alpha expression with upregulated CD203c expression on peripheral basophils is seen in patients with chronic urticaria (CU). However, there has been no published report on the association between CD203c expression level and clinical disease activity in CU patients. To investigate whether the increase of basophil activation is associated with the disease activity of CU, we measured basophil CD203c expression using a tricolor flow cytometric method in 82 CU patients and 21 normal controls. The relationship between the percentage of CD203c-expressing basophils and clinical parameters was analyzed. The mean basophil CD203c expression was significantly higher in CU patients than in healthy controls (57.5% vs 11.6%, P < 0.001). The basophil CD203c expression in severe CU patients was significantly higher than in non-severe CU (66.5% +/- 23.3% vs 54.0% +/- 23.3%, P = 0.033). Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that both > or = 72% basophil CD203c expression and urticaria activity score (UAS)> or = 13 were significant predictors of severe CU (P = 0.005 and P = 0.032, respectively). These findings suggest that the quantification of basophil activation with CD203c at baseline may be used as a potential predictor of severe CU requiring another treatment option beyond antihistamines.
Adult ; Autoantibodies/blood ; Basophils/*immunology ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E/blood/immunology ; Male ; Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases/biosynthesis/*immunology ; Pyrophosphatases/biosynthesis/*immunology ; Receptors, IgE/biosynthesis ; Urticaria/*immunology

Antigens, CD19 ; analysis ; Asthma ; blood ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; blood ; Lymphocytes ; immunology ; Male ; Receptors, IgE ; analysis

Japanese hop (Hop J) pollen has been considered as one of the major causative pollen allergens in the autumn season. We developed a new Hop J immunotherapy extract in collaboration with Allergopharma (Reinbeck, Germany) and investigated immunologic mechanisms during 3 yr immunotherapy. Twenty patients (13 asthma with rhinitis and 7 hay fever) were enrolled from Ajou University Hospital. Sera were collected before, 1 yr, and 3 yr after the immunotherapy. Changes of serum specific IgE, IgG1 , and IgG4 levels to Hop J pollen extracts and serum IL-10, IL-12, TGF-beta1 and soluble CD23 levels were monitored by ELISA. Skin reactivity and airway hyper-responsiveness to methacholine were improved during the study period. Specific IgG1 increased at 1 yr then decreased again at 3 yr, and specific IgG4 levels increased progressively (p<0.05, respectively), whereas total and specific IgE levels showed variable responses with no statistical significance. IL-10, TGF-beta1 and soluble CD23 level began to decrease during first year and then further decreased during next two years with statistical significances. (p<0.05, respectively). In con-clusion, these findings suggested the favorable effect of long term immunotherapy with Hop J pollen extracts can be explained by lowered IgE affinity and generation of specific IgG4 , which may be mediated by IL-10 and TGF-beta1.
Transforming Growth Factor beta/blood ; Receptors, IgE/blood ; Pollen/*immunology ; Poaceae/*immunology ; Interleukin-10/blood ; Immunoglobulin G/blood ; Immunoglobulin E/blood ; Humans ; *Desensitization, Immunologic ; Cytokines/*blood ; Bronchial Hyperreactivity/etiology

Allergen injection therapy may improve nonallergic bronchial hyperresponsiveness, but results at the moment are less than convincing. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of immunotherapy on the degree of nonspecific bronchial hyperresponsiveness in patients with allergic bronchial asthma (BA) and/or allergic rhinitis (AR). Methacholine challenge bronchial provocation test, allergic skin test, serum IgE and peripheral blood eosinophil counts were performed before and after 12 months or more of immunotherapy. The improved group, as determined by a shift of at least two doubling concentrations of methacholine, was 75% of AR (n=16), 41.7% of BA (n=24) and 53.8% of BA+ AR (n=13). The geometric mean of the methacholine provocational concentration (PC20) changed from 3.40 to 14.36 mg/ml (P <0.05) in AR, from 0.73 to 1.04 mg/ml in BA (not significant), and from 1.43 to 5.07 mg/ml (P <0.05) in BA+ AR. In conclusion, nonspecific bronchial hyperresponsiveness was improved by immunotherapy in three quarters of the allergic rhinitis cases and in about a half of the allergic bronchial asthma patients, which suggests that immunotherapy might be helpful at preventing the development of bronchial hyperresponsiveness in allergic rhinitis patients, and that it does not improve bronchial hyperresponsiveness in about a half of allergic bronchial asthma patients.
Adult ; Asthma/therapy* ; Bronchial Hyperreactivity/therapy* ; Hay Fever/therapy* ; Human ; IgE/blood ; Immunotherapy* ; Methacholine Chloride/pharmacology ; Middle Age ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial/therapy*

OBJECTIVETo investigate the association of the polymorphism of I181L, V183L and E237G in the high affinity immunoglobulin E receptor beta-chain (FcepsilonR1beta) with the susceptibility of childhood asthma and the serum total immunoglobulin E (IgE) level.

METHODSThe coding variants of I181L, V183L and E237G and the serum total IgE level were detected using amplification refractory mutation systemdouble ended arrowpolymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR) and double antibody sandwich ELISA respectively in 50 asthmatic children and 40 normal controls from Sichuan Province. The association of gene mutation with the susceptibility of asthma and the serum total IgE level was analyzed.

RESULTSThere were 5 cases of I181L mutation, 2 of V183L mutation, and 7 of E237G mutation in the Asthmatic group. There was no mutation in the Normal control group. The frequency of I181L and E237G mutation in the Asthmatic group were statistically higher than in the Normal control group (P < 0.01). The serum total IgE level in the Asthmatic subgroup with I181L mutation (2.837 +/- 0.407) or E237G mutation (3.044 +/- 0.419) was significantly higher than in the Asthmatic subgroup without gene mutation (2.156 +/- 0.638) and the Normal control group (1.348 +/- 1.291) (P < 0.05 or 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSThe polymorphism of Fc epsilonR1betaI181L and E237G is a susceptible gene of childhood asthma and closely associates with the increased serum total IgE level.

Adolescent ; Asthma ; genetics ; immunology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; blood ; Infant ; Male ; Mutation ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Receptors, IgE ; genetics

A 13-year-old girl presented with multiple skin abscesses. She was diagnosed as having juvenile dermatomyositis (DM) at the age of 7 years. She had suffered from recurrent skin infections, atypical pruritic dermatitis and pneumonia since the age of 8 years. Bacteriologic and fungal cultures for skin abscesses and oral mucosa were positive S. aureus and C. albicans, respectively. Chemotactic defect in peripheral blood neutrophils was observed. The level of serum IgE was markedly elevated, and anti-S.aureus specific IgE was found. A diagnosis of hyperimmunoglobulin E-recurrent infection syndrome (HIE) was made and she was successfully treated with surgical drainage and antibiotics. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of HIE in a patient with juvenile dermatomyositis.
Adolescence ; Case Report ; Dermatomyositis/complications* ; Female ; Human ; IgE/blood ; Job's Syndrome/immunology ; Job's Syndrome/diagnosis ; Job's Syndrome/complications* ; Staphylococcal Infections/immunology ; Staphylococcal Infections/complications ; Staphylococcus aureus/immunology