OBJECTIVEThis work is an evaluation of the efficiency of a sand-gravel or unwoven fabric bed system and Lolium perenne Lam as plant biofilter in the reduction of solids and nutrients removal from aquaculture discharge water.

METHODSThe first step consisted of the collection of wastewater in the tank and the distribution at three different hydraulic loading regimes (0.5, 1, 1.5 L/hour) to the different experimental systems. The second step was to evaluate the performance of the different systems. The first system consisted of a bucket filled with a substrate of sand/gravel (20 cm in depth), on the bottom of which was a 80 mesh/inch2 of nylon (S1); the second was similar, but was planted with Lolium perenne lam (S2); the third was planted with a grass plate consisting of 7 layers of unwoven fabric planted with L perenne (S3).

RESULTSThe second system showed the best performance in reducing solids as well as in nutrients (TN, TP, and COD) reduction. The removal rates for TS, TN, and TP were negatively correlated with the loading regimes, with 0.5 L/hour being the most efficient and thus taken as the reference.

CONCLUSIONSSolids management using a sand/gravel substrate as bed culture and Lolium perenne L. as plant biofilter has proved to be an efficient technique for solids reduction with low operating cost. This grass plays an important role in wastewater eco-treatment by absorbing dissolved pollutants (TAN) as nutrients for its growth.

Objective : The aim of this study was to evaluate cross - reactivity between pollens in patients with strong skin reactivity to multiple pollens. METHODS: A pool of sera from 20 patients who showed strong skin responses( > or = 3+ ) to all three kinds of pollens ( tree, grass, and weed ) was used. Oak, ryegrass, mugwort, ragweed and hop Japanese pollens were chosen for the subject of study. The level and pattern of bound IgE to each pollen and cross - reactivity between pollens were investigated by ELISA and immunoblot experiments. RESULTS: In ELISA, the IgE of a pool of sera reacted to ryegrass and ragweed in 100%, to mugwort in 95%, to oak in 75%, and to hop Japanese in 65%, respectively. In inhibitory ELI - SA, more than 50% of bound IgE was mutually inhibited in oak vs ryegrass, oak vs mugwort, mugwort vs ryegrass and mugwort vs hop Japanese. In immunoblot, the IgE binding rate to major allergens of each pollen was 95% for hop Japanese, 75% for ragweed, 50% for ryegrass, 35% for mugwort, and 30% for oak, respectively. In inhibitory immunoblot, the mutually inhibited bound IgE could not be observed between major allergens of each pollen, but some minor allergens of oak pollen were mutually inhibited by ryegrass. CONCLUSION: Cross - reactivity between major allergens of oak, ryegrass, mugwort, ragweed and hop Japanese pollens was not observed at all, but some minor allergens of oak pollen cross-reacted with ryegrass and mugwort, and so did those of mugwort pollen with ryegrass and hop Japanese.
Allergens ; Ambrosia ; Artemisia ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Humulus ; Immunoglobulin E ; Lolium ; Poaceae ; Pollen* ; Skin

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The Allergodip(R) multi-allergen screening test is a simple method for measuring serum-specific IgE to common inhalant allergens simultaneously. The dipstick contains nine separate allergen pads including D. pteronyssinus, Alternaria, cat epithelium, dog epithelium, English plantain, mugwort, birch, rye and six-grass mixture pollen extracts, as well as positive and negative controls. This study was performed in order to evaluate sensitivity and specificity of this test in comparison to skin prick test. MATERIALS AND METHOD: We compared the results obtained by skin prick test (PT) to those obtained by Allergodip(R) test (AT) in 30 patients with various allergic diseases. The skin reactivity was presented as allergen to histamine ratio (A/H) and results of the AT test were assessed visually and classified into Allergodip(R) class 0-4. RESULTS: Compared with PT, results of AT gave a sensitivity of 55.3% and a specificity of 93.8% when the A/H > OR = 3 was considered a positive response for PT. The agreement rate between positive PT and positive AT to each antigen was 82.6% in D. pteronyssinus, 82.9% in Alternaria, 71.1% in dog epithelium, 57.2% in mugwort pollen, 57.2% in birch pollen, 49.9% in grasses mixture pollen, 23.6% in cat epithelium and 6.7% in rye grass pollen, respectively. Significant correlations were noted between PT and AT classes in D. pteronyssinus, Alternaria, dog epithelium, mugwort pollen, birch pollen, and in grasses mixture pollen (p < 0.05, respectively), but not in cat epithelium or rye grass pollen. CONCLUSION: We concluded that Allergodip(R) test is useful in screening serum-specific IgE antibodies against multiple allergens at one time.
Allergens ; Alternaria ; Animals ; Antibodies ; Artemisia ; Betula ; Cats ; Dogs ; Epithelium ; Histamine ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity* ; Immunoglobulin E ; Lolium ; Mass Screening* ; Plantago ; Poaceae ; Pollen ; Secale ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Skin

PURPOSE: The AdvanSure™ AlloScreen assay is an advanced multiplex test that allows for simultaneous detection of specific IgE (sIgE) against multiple allergens. For precise identification of causative allergens in allergic patients, we compared this new multiplex sIgE assay with the ImmunoCAP assay, which is currently the gold-standard method for sIgE detection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Serum samples from 218 Korean allergic disease patients were used to compare the ImmunoCAP and AlloScreen assays with respect to the following 13 allergens: Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Dermatophagoides farinae, cat and dog dander, Alternaria, birch, oak, ragweed, mugwort, rye grass, and food allergens (egg white, cow's milk, peanuts). RESULTS: A total of 957 paired tests using the 13 allergens were compared. The total agreement ratio ranged from 0.74 (oak) to 0.97 (Alternaria). With respect to class association analyses, the gamma index ranged from 0.819 (rye grass) to 0.990 (Alternaria). The intra-class correlation coefficients for house dust mites, cat and dog dander, Alternaria, birch, ragweed, egg white, cow's milk, and peanut sIgE titers were >0.8. CONCLUSION: The AlloScreen and ImmunoCAP assays exhibited similar diagnostic performance. However, due to methodological differences between the two systems, careful interpretation of their results is needed in clinical applications.
Allergens ; Alternaria ; Ambrosia ; Animals ; Arachis ; Artemisia ; Betula ; Cats ; Dander ; Dermatophagoides farinae ; Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus ; Dogs ; Egg White ; Humans ; Immunoassay ; Immunoglobulin E* ; Lolium ; Methods ; Milk ; Pyroglyphidae

Background and objectives: Mugwort pollen is one of the major causative allergens in this country. There have been a few reports suggesting a significant association between mugwort pollen and food allergens. The aim of this study was to evaluate the allergenic relationship between mugwort pollen and food allergens based upon skin prick tests. Material and method: Of 2,909 allergy patients who had been skin tested to identify causative allergens at the Allergy Clinic of Ajou University Hospital, 471 patients sensitized to mugwort, ragweed, or Hop Japanese pollens on skin prick test (2+ of A/H ratio) were enrolled for this study. Positive rates to common inhalant or food allergens and their allergenic relationships with other pollens or food allergens were analyzed based upon skin prick test results. RESULTS: The positive rates (2+ of A/H) to nettle, rye grass, Bermuda grass, birch, and alder pollens were significantly higher in those sensitized to mugwort pollen than in those of negative responders (p<0.05, respectively). In regard to food allergens, positive rates to celery (15.3%) and carrot (14.5%) were significantly higher in patients sensitized to mugwort pollen (p<0.05, respectively). Significant association was noted between mugwort pollen and celery allergen (p< 0.05). CONCLUSION: Positive response to mugwort pollen can be associated with celery and carrot sensitivity on skin prick tests.
Allergens* ; Alnus ; Ambrosia ; Apium graveolens* ; Artemisia* ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Betula ; Cynodon ; Daucus carota* ; Humans ; Humulus ; Hypersensitivity* ; Lolium ; Pollen* ; Skin Tests ; Skin*

PURPOSE: Aeroallergens are important causative factors of allergic diseases. Previous studies on aeroallergen sensitization rates investigated patients groups that had visited pediatric allergy clinics. In contrast, we investigated sensitization rates in a general population group of elementary school to teenage students in Incheon, Jeju, and Ulsan. METHODS: After obtaining parental consent, skin-prick tests were performed on 5,094 students between March and June 2010. Elementary school students were tested for 18 common aeroallergens, whereas middle and high school students were tested for 25 allergens. The 25 allergens included Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Dermatophagoides farinae, pollen (birch, alder, oak, Japanese cedar, pine, willow, elm, maple, Bermuda grass, timothy grass, rye grass, orchard grass, meadow grass, vernal grass, mugwort, Japanese hop, fat hen, ragweed, and plantain), and mold (Penicillatum, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, and Alternaria). RESULTS: The sensitization rates in descending order were 25.79% (D. pteronyssinus), 18.66% (D. farinae), 6.20% (mugwort), and 4.07% (willow) in Incheon; 33.35% (D. pteronyssinus), 24.78% (D. farinae), 15.36% (Japanese cedar), and 7.33% (Alternaria) in Jeju; and 32.79% (D. pteronyssinus), 30.27% (D. farinae), 10.13% (alder), and 8.68% (birch) in Ulsan. The dust mite allergen showed the highest sensitization rate among the 3 regions. The sensitization rate of tree pollen was the highest in Ulsan, whereas that of Alternaria was the highest in Jeju. The ragweed sensitization rates were 0.99% in Incheon, 1.07% in Jeju, and 0.81% in Ulsan. CONCLUSION: The differences in sensitization rates were because of different regional environmental conditions and distinct surrounding biological species. Hence, subsequent nationwide studies are required.
Acer ; Allergens ; Alnus ; Alternaria ; Ambrosia ; Artemisia ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Aspergillus ; Child ; Cladosporium ; Cryptomeria ; Cynodon ; Dactylis ; Dermatophagoides farinae ; Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus ; Dust ; Fungi ; Humans ; Humulus ; Hypersensitivity ; Lolium ; Mites ; Parental Consent ; Phleum ; Poaceae ; Pollen ; Population Groups ; Salix

PURPOSE: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is one of the most common childhood diseases in Korea. In this study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence and allergens of childhood AR in Gwangju. METHODS: From April 2013 to September 2013 in Gwangju, skin prick test and questionnaire survey were performed targeting 2,330 children in total (350 kindergartners, 930 elementary school students, 589 middle school students, and 461 high school students). RESULTS: The overall prevalence of AR was 23.5% (female 21.3%, male 26.1%). According to age groups, prevalence of AR was 14.9% (female 10.7%, male 19.8%) in kindergartners, 24.5% (female 18.8%, male 29.4%) in elementary school students, 23.3% (female 18.1%, male 27.6%) in middle school students, 26.2% (female 27.7%, male 23.2%) in high school students. The most common allergen was Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (79.7%), followed by Dermatophagoides farina (72.2%), birch (14.0%), alder (12.0%), Japanese hop (9.2%), Alternaria (8.9%), cat fur (7.2%), Japanese cedar (6.9%), ryegrass (6.6%), willow (6.0%), pine (5.4%), oak (4.9%), mugwort (4.3%), orchard grass (4.0%), sheep fescue (3.7%), fat hen (3.4%), ragweed (3.4%), and maple (3.4%). CONCLUSION: This research figures out the prevalence and the detailed allergens of AR in Gwangju children. We suggest that more vegetation data of Japanese cedar should be surveyed in recent future.
Acer ; Adolescent* ; Allergens* ; Alnus ; Alternaria ; Ambrosia ; Animals ; Artemisia ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Betula ; Cats ; Child* ; Cryptomeria ; Dactylis ; Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus ; Gwangju ; Humans ; Humulus ; Korea ; Lolium ; Male ; Prevalence* ; Pyroglyphidae ; Rhinitis* ; Salix ; Sheep ; Skin ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: To identify the correlation between nasal eosinophilia and aeroallergen sensitization in children and adolescents. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of patients below 18 years of age who had a history of rhinitis that lasted more than 2 weeks or had been repeated more than once a year, received nasal eosinophil examinations, and had serum specific IgE to aeroallergens measured at an Allergy Clinic in a single tertiary teaching hospital in Seoul, Korea. The percentage of nasal eosinophils was calculated by the number of eosinophils per total leukocytes in a high-power field of 1,000×. Data was analyzed to determine the association between nasal eosinophilia and 18 aeroallergens. RESULTS: Of the 245 patients included, 156 (63.7%) were male and the mean age (±standard deviation) was 7.9 years (±3.8). In total, 175 patients (71.4%) were sensitized to at least 1 of the 18 aeroallergens tested, and sensitization to house dust mite was most common. In addition, 118 (48.2%) and 69 patients (28.2%) had nasal eosinophilia of at least 1% and 5%, respectively. There were no significant correlations between serum total IgE or age and the percentage of nasal eosinophils. However, the percentage of nasal eosinophils in the group sensitized to any aeroallergens was significantly increased compared to the nonsensitized group (P=0.002). The percentage of nasal eosinophils was significantly higher in patients who were sensitized to Birch-Alder Mix, oak white, Bermuda grass, orchard grass, timothy grass, sweet vernal grass, rye, mugwort, short ragweed, Alternaria alternata, cats, dogs or Dermatophagoides farinae compared to those nonsensitized. CONCLUSION: Nasal eosinophilia was significantly associated with sensitization to aeroallergens.
Adolescent* ; Alternaria ; Ambrosia ; Animals ; Artemisia ; Cats ; Child* ; Cynodon ; Dactylis ; Dermatophagoides farinae ; Dogs ; Eosinophilia* ; Eosinophils ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Immunoglobulin E ; Korea ; Leukocytes ; Lolium ; Male ; Phleum ; Pyroglyphidae ; Retrospective Studies ; Rhinitis* ; Seoul