Serum IgE level and Clonorchis specific IgE in individuals with Clonorchis sinensis were determined by radioimmunosorbent(RIST) and radioallergosorbent technique(RAST) respectively. Highly significant elevations of serum IgE (P<0.001) and specific IgE antibodies (P<0.01) were observed in area from individuals with clonorchiasis. The mean values of serum IgE in individuals with clonorchiasis and healthy individuals were 2,372 IU/ml and 364 IU/ml respectively and specific IgE antibodies of both groups were 52.0 and 4.4%. A close correlation(r=0.9451) between serum IgE level and specific IgE antibodies were observed and correlation (r=0.6056) between serum IgE and EPG and between specific IgE and EPG(r=0.5693) were also observed.
parasitology-helminth-trematoda ; Clonorchis sinensis ; clonorchiasis ; immunology ; radioimmunosorbent test ; radioallergosorbent test ; IgA ; IgE ; serum

Silica is known as a promising osteoconductive material, and polycaprolactone is a bioactive and degradable material. The purpose of this study was to monitor the differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells cultured on the layer-built silica/poly caprolactone non-woven fabric produced by electrospinning. Non-woven fabric (silica, polycaprolactone, PSP, SPS) was made by electrospinning and they were inserted in the 48 well cell culture plate. MC3T3-E1 cells were prepared by subculture. Cells were seeded to each well 1x10(5) concentration per well. Dulbecco's modified eagle medium with 10% FBS and 1% antibiotic-antimycotic solution was used. Confocal laser scanning microscope was taken 4 hours after incubation (95% air, 5% CO2, 37degrees C). Cell proliferation was monitored by spectrophotometer on 1, 7, 14 days, and the morphology of the growing cells was observed by field emission scanning electron microscope. To monitor the differentiation of osteoblasts on the materials, MC3T3-E1 cells were incubated in 48 well culture plate after seeding with the density of 1x10(5) concentration. Then ELISA kit & EIA kit were used on to assess osteocalcin and osteopontin expression respectively. The other conditions were the same as above. MC3T3-E1 cells were proliferated well on all of the materials. There were no statistical differences among them. The osteopontin expression of silica, PSP, SPS was significantly higher than other groups on day 3 (p<0.05), but after that time, there were no statistically signigicant differences. The osteocalcin expression was significantly higher in silica and PSP than other groups on day 14. These findings show that PSP was as good as silica on the effect of osteoblast differentiation. The PSP non-woven fabric may have the possibility as bone graft materials.
Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Proliferation ; Eagles ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Osteoblasts ; Osteocalcin ; Osteopontin ; Silicon Dioxide ; Transplants

BACKGROUND: Hair loss including androgenetic alopecia and chronic telogen effluvium is recognized increasingly as a physically and psychologically harmful medical condition. Mesotherapy is considered as a new therapeutic modality for hair loss. OBJECTIVE: We studied to determine the effect of medications used in mesotherapy on hair organ culture and culture of dermal papilla cells. METHODS: First, occipital hair follicles were collected from patients with androgentic alopecia and separated into single hair follicles. The single hair follicles were cultured in William E media mixed with mesotherapy medications such as lidocaine, placental extract, Pondil(R), CRP-1000(R), and mixture of all these medications at different concentrations (1, 10, 50 microliter). On the 8th day, the cultured single hairs were stained with H&E and the length of those was measured under a microscope to compare with control group. Immunofluorescent study was performed to check expression of Ki-67, Bcl-2 and Bax on the hairs. Second, dermal papilla cells were isolated from occipital anagen hairs of patients with androgenetic alopecia and cultured in Dulbeco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM). The mesotherapy medicines were added to the medium with one and two thousand dermal papilla cells, respectively. At the 3rd day, survival of the cells was evaluated with ELISA method comparing with control group. RESULTS: There were no statistical differences of the length of the hairs and the survival of the dermal papilla cells between experimental and control groups. With Bcl-2, we couldn't see any differences between experimental and control groups. With Ki-67, experimental groups showed less expression than control group. On the contrary, experimental groups showed more expression than control group in case of Bax. CONCLUSION: We can conclude from the results that the four medications used in mesotherapy are not effective for growth of cultured hair follicles and survival of cultured dermal papilla cells. However, more study would be needed for the establishment of objective and scientific evidences supporting mesotherapy and we should be in search for new medications for mesotherapy.
Alopecia ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Hair Follicle ; Hair* ; Humans ; Lidocaine ; Mesotherapy* ; Organ Culture Techniques*

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: The effects of surface roughness have not or insufficiently been analyzed on earlier events such as cell adhesion though cell behavior most germane to implant performance is cell adhesion. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate cell adhesion of osteoblast-like cells (MG63) onto three types of titanium disks with varying roughness using the Elisa assay. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Representative disks from each group (SLA, HA, machined) were subjected to surface analysis and surface roughness was measured by the optical interferometer (Accura 2000, Intekplus Co., Seoul, Korea). Following this, MG63 cells were cultured on the titanium disks and released. Cell adhesion measurements using the Elisa assay were performed specifically at three points: after 24, 48, and 72 hours of culture. RESULTS: Among the 3 types of surface analyzed, the SLA surface was the roughest with a Ra value of 1.114 micrometer followed by HA coated surface and machined surface, consecutively. The optical density values for the SLA surface group was significantly higher than that of the machined and HA coated suface groups following 24 and 48 hours of culture. The cell culture on HA coated surface showed significantly higher values compared to the machined surface following 24, 48 and 72 hours of culture. CONCLUSION. The results suggest that surface treatment of titanium surfaces enhanced cell adhesion of human osteoblast-like cells (MG63).
Cell Adhesion* ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans* ; Seoul ; Titanium*

BACKGROUND: Recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA) or RNA test is considered to be a supplemental test for confirming a HCV infection. A correlation has been reported between the signal-to-cutoff (S/CO) ratios of a third generation HCV enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a confirmed HCV infection. This study examined the results of an evaluation of domestic anti-HCV EIA and immunoblot kit (RIBA) in Korean donors. METHODS: A total of 375,576 donor samples were tested for anti-HCV using the LG third generation HCV ELISA (LG HCD 3.0 TMB, LGphD, Korea) and HCV RNA by NAT (Biomerieux/Roche RT-PCR, 24 pool). The anti-HCV repeat reactive samples were further tested by third generation RIBA (LG HCD Confirm, LGphD, Korea). A positive result by either the nucleic acid amplification test (NAT) or RIBA was interpreted as a confirmed HCV infection. RESULTS: There were 506 out of the 375,576 donor samples (0.13%) that were anti-HCV repeat reactive (RR) by routine screening ELISA. The confirmed HCV prevalence in the donors was 0.01% (RIBA 42/375,570, RNA 36/375,570). 443 samples from the 506 repeat reactive samples in ELISA (87.6%) showed a S/CO ratio <3.0 but did not show positivity in the RIBA and RNA test. The rate of RIBA positivity in the RR specimens was 8.3% (42/506). The RNA detection rate in the RIBA positive samples was 85.7%(36/42). All 36 samples showing a positive result in both the RIBA and RNA test showed a significantly high S/CO ratio, >3.6 (mean 4.40+/-0.80), compared with the negative group (mean 1.54+/-0.64). CONCLUSION: There was a good correlation between a high S/CO ratios and a confirmed HCV infection. In addition, samples showing a low S/CO ratio with an ID (Indeterminate) or negative RIBA result suggest a high probability of nonspecific reactivity in ELISA.
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay* ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques ; Prevalence ; RNA* ; Tissue Donors

Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) is the most important pathogen of nongonococcal urethritis. C. trachomatis was detected by cell culture, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 145 patients with nongonococcal urethritis. In 5 of 63 antibiotic-treated patients, C. trachomatis was identified by at least one method. C. trachomutid was identified in 34 (41.5%) of 82 nontreated patients. The most common symptom of the 34 patients was painful urination. C. trachomafir was identified in 6 cases (17.6%) of 34 patients by cell culture. And C. trachorrdtis was identified in 9 cases (26.5%) by ELISA, while in 33 cases(97.1%) by PCR. When PCR was performed with urines and urinary swabs collected from 38 patients with nongonococcal urethritis, 11(29%) cases showed positive with urine and 10(26%) cases with urinary swab. These results suggested that PCR with urine showed the higher positive detection rate of C. trachomatis in the patient with nongonococcal urethritis than other methods.
Cell Culture Techniques ; Chlamydia trachomatis* ; Chlamydia* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Urethritis* ; Urination

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol with a variety of functions including bactericidal and anticariogenic effects. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying the role of xylitol in bone metabolism are not yet clarified. In our present study, we exploited the physiological role of xylitol on osteoclast differentiation in a co-culture system of osteoblastic and RAW 264.7 cells. Xylitol treatment of these co-cultures reduced the number of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive multinucleated cells induced by 10 nM 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 in a dose-dependent manner. A cell viability test revealed no marked cellular damage by up to 100 mM of xylitol. Exposure of osteoblastic cells to xylitol decreased RANKL, but not OPG, mRNA expression in the presence of 10(-8) M 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, bone resorption activity, assessed on bone slices in the co-culture system, was found to be dramatically decreased with increasing xylitol concentrations. RANKL and OPG proteins were assayed by ELISA and the soluble RANKL (sRANKL) concentration was decreased with an increased xylitol concentration. In contrast, OPG was unaltered by any xylitol concentration in this assay. These results indicate that xylitol inhibits 1alpha,25(OH)2D3-induced osteoclastogenesis by reducing the sRANKL/OPG expression ratio in osteoblastic cells.
Acid Phosphatase ; Bone Resorption ; Cell Survival ; Coculture Techniques ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Isoenzymes ; Osteoblasts ; Osteoclasts ; Proteins ; RNA, Messenger ; Vitamins ; Xylitol

Keloids represent a pathological response to injury interrupting skin integrity, creating disfiguring scars with no definitive pathophysiology. Transforming growth factor-beta1(TGF- beta1) has been regarded as one of the pathogenesis of keloids. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of keloid keratinocytes on TGF-beta1 expression in co-culture system. Recent studies have highlighted the important concept of epithelial- mesenchymal interactions in normal skin biology, and applying this concept to keloids in vitro studies demonstrated significantly increased proliferation of fibroblasts and collagen production in keloid fibroblasts co-cultured with keloid-derived keratinocytes as compared with normal keratinocytes. In this study, normal or keloid fibroblasts in lower chamber were co-cultured with keratinocytes derived either from normal skin or keloid tissue in upper chamber, separated from lower chamber by permeable membrane. Results obtained by ELISA showed equal TGF-beta1 expression when keloid fibroblasts were co- cultured with keloid keratinocytes, as compared with the normal keratinocytes at 24,48 hours, but significantly higher expression at 72 hours(p=0.0358). RT-PCR demonstrated that the TGF- beta1 expression level was not significantly related to the level of mRNA encoding TGF-beta1. These results suggest that overlying keloid keratinocytes play an important role in inducing high level of TGF- beta1 expression in keloid by paracrine effect or epithelial-mesenchymal interaction.
Biology ; Cicatrix ; Coculture Techniques* ; Collagen ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fibroblasts* ; Keloid ; Keratinocytes* ; Membranes ; RNA, Messenger ; Skin ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common autoimmune rheumatic disease, but sensitive and specific test for its diagnosis is lack. This study evaluated the analytical performance and diagnostic role of a new automated ELISA anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibody test. METHODS: Anti-CCP antibody test was done with the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in serum samples from 49 RA patients and 104 non-RA patients, and 51 healthy subjects. Serum pools were used to determine its precision and linearity. The optimal cut-off values were determined by the receiver-operator characteristics (ROC) curve. The rheumatoid factor (RF) by turbidimetry was also assayed in every samle and the results were compared to anti-CCP for sensitivity and specificity. RESULTS: The total imprecision (CV%) was 4.8%, 7.6% for serum pools with low (mean concentration: 2.7 U/mL) and high (mean concentration :82.2 U/mL) concentration, respectively. Linearity data were acceptable (R2=0.9907). At each optimal cut-off value, the sensitivity of anti-CCP was higher than that of RF (81.6 % vs 69.4%), but statistical significance was not defined. Specificity of anti-CCP was higher than that of RF (95.5% vs 75.5%, p<0.001). A combination of anti-CCP and RF increased sensitivity and specificity to 87.7%, 98.0%, respectively. Nine of 15 (60.0%) sera from RF negative RA patients were positive for anti-CCP. CONCLUSIONS: Anti-CCP ELISA antibody test, we examined on a fully automated enzyme immunoassay, is easy to assay in routine laboratory, and showed good analytical performance. And anti-CCP antibody test also showed higher diagnostic specificity than RF. So, anti-CCP antibody may be useful serologic marker for diagnosis and monitoring of RA, if performed concomitantly with RF assay.
Antibodies* ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Diagnosis ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques* ; Nephelometry and Turbidimetry ; Rheumatic Diseases ; Rheumatoid Factor ; Sensitivity and Specificity

The aim of this study was to evaluate probiotic characteristics of Lactobacillus salivarius LS01 and Bifidobacterium breve BR03 alone and in combination and their immunomodulatory activity in asthmatic subjects. Subjects affected by allergic asthma were recruited. Initially, LS01 and BR03 were analyzed for their growth compatibility by a broth compatibility assay. To study the antimicrobial activity of probiotic strains, an agar diffusion assay was performed. Finally, cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) stimulated with LS01 and BR03 was determined by means of specific quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The growth of some clinical pathogens were slightly inhibited by LS01 and LS01-BR03 co-culture supernatant not neutralized to pH 6.5, while only the growth of E. coli and S. aureus was inhibited by the supernatant of LS01 and LS01-BR03 neutralized to pH 6.5. Furthermore, LS01 and BR03 combination was able to decrease the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines by PBMCs, leading to an intense increase in IL-10 production. L. salivarius LS01 and B. breve BR03 showed promising probiotic properties and beneficial immunomodulatory activity that are increased when the 2 strains are used in combination in the same formulation.
Agar ; Asthma ; Bifidobacterium* ; Coculture Techniques ; Cytokines ; Diffusion ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Immune System ; Interleukin-10 ; Lactobacillus* ; Probiotics