BACKGROUND: Recent studies have suggested that house dust mite allergy is an important cause of the atopic dermatitis(A.D). However, it is not clear that. what factors may be related to the development of the mite illergy in patients with AD. OBJECTIVE: This study was done to see whether the presence of a familial background of RA implies a relationship to the mite allergy in AD. METHODS: Skin prick test and fluoroallergosorbent, test (FAST) with house dust mit,e were performed in 47 patients wih AD. RESULTS: 1. In comparison the esult of prick test with that of FAST to house dust mite antigen, it showed a concordance ra!e of 82%. And the prick test was more sensitive than the FAST. 2. The prevalence of positive FAST reactions was significantly increased in the patients with AD who had a family hitory of RA than those in patients with AD who had neither family or personal history of RA. 3. The level of specific IgE against house dust mite did not relate to the presence of family cr personal history of RA. 4. The prevalence of positive prick test results did not relate to the presence of family or personal history of RA. 5. The prevalence of positive FAST reactions, the level of specific IgE, and the rate of positive prick test results did not relate to the severity of skin involvement. 6. The most common allergens which caused positive skin reactions were house dust, cat fur, Dermatophagoides farinac, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, et al. Antigen score of prick test to 55 common antigens wa. significant increased in the patients with AD who had a family history of RA, but did not relat to the severity of skin involvement or the presence of personal history of RA. CONCLUSION: We may conclude that type I allergy to the house dust mit,e is not directly related to AD perse. This type of allergy to the mite seems to occur predominantly in those patient s with AD who have a farilial background of RA.
Allergens ; Animals ; Cats ; Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus ; Dust* ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity* ; Immunoglobulin E ; Mites ; Prevalence ; Pyroglyphidae* ; Skin

PURPOSE: We investigated the protective effect of a mixture of 2 herbal extracts, KH-465, which consisted of Epimedium koreanum Nakai and Angelica gigas Nakai, on spermatogenesis in a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist-induced rat model of male infertility. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-five 12-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 5 groups, containing 15 rats each: a normal control group that received no treatment and 4 experimental groups (I, II, III, and IV) in which an LHRH agonist was administered for 4 weeks to induce spermatogenic failure. Group I received distilled water, and groups II, III, and IV received 200 mg/kg/day of KH-465, 400 mg/kg/day KH-465, and depo-testosterone for 4 weeks, respectively. Weight changes of the testis and epididymis, sperm count motility, and levels of testosterone (T), free T, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) were estimated. RESULTS: Body, testis, and epididymis weight showed no significant differences among the control and experimental groups. Treatment with KH-465 increased the sperm count and motility. Serum hormone levels of T, free T, and FSH were not significantly different in the experimental groups, while the LH level was higher than in the LHRH agonist-induced control group, but not to a significant extent. Levels of SOD were higher and 8-OHdG were lower in the groups that received KH-465 than in the LHRH agonist-induced control group. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that KH-465 increased sperm production via reducing oxidative stress and had a positive effect in a male infertility model.
Angelica* ; Animals ; Epididymis ; Epimedium* ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone* ; Humans ; Infertility, Male* ; Lutein* ; Luteinizing Hormone ; Male ; Male* ; Models, Animal* ; Oxidative Stress ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sperm Count ; Spermatogenesis* ; Spermatozoa ; Superoxide Dismutase ; Testis ; Testosterone ; Water