1.Bird-Egg syndrome diagnosed by ImmunoCap ISAC
Jaeeun CHUNG ; David LEE ; Yoonha HWANG
Allergy, Asthma & Respiratory Disease 2023;11(3):161-163
Adult-onset egg allergy is rare compared to child-onset egg allergy, and the component-resolved diagnosis test is effective in evaluating food allergy. We herein report a 24-year-old woman with late-onset egg-yolk allergy diagnosed as bird-egg syndrome. The prolonged exposure to pet parrots' dander or dropping through the respiratory system caused sensitization to the Gal d 5 component and resulted in a cross-reaction to egg yolk. Since the patient was suspected of the syndrome by her history, the skin prick test, ISAC ImmunoCAP, and serum ImmunoCAP test were performed. By confirming Gal d 5 component by ISAC ImmunoCAP, the patient was diagnosed with the syndrome. In patients with newly adult-onset food allergy, the clinician must identify the environmental conditions which can cause cross-sensitization and perform the causative component test.
2.Update of immunoglobulin E-mediated wheat allergy
Allergy, Asthma & Respiratory Disease 2024;12(1):9-16
Wheat allergy is one of the common causes of food allergies in children. The prevalence varies by age and country, and is known to be 0.04%–0.97% globally and 0.2%–1.3% in Korea. Wheat allergy usually appears with skin symptoms within 2 hours after ingestion, and in severe cases, it causes systemic symptoms and anaphylaxis. Wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis, a serious wheat allergy, may occur after wheat consumption along with cofactors, such as exercise, alcohol, aspirin and/or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Wheat allergy is confirmed by oral food challenge. However, the challenging test is difficult to perform, although it is a confirmative diagnostic method. With the development of component resolved diagnostics, ω-5 gliadin specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) along with wheat sIgE are useful for diagnosis of it. Wheat allergy should be differentiated from oral mite anaphylaxis or crossreactivity to grass pollen allergy. It is recommended to avoid foods containing wheat, however, recently, efforts are being made to improve quality of life with oral immunotherapy.
4.Colonization of Staphylococcus aureus and sensitivity to antibiotics in children with atopic dermatitis.
Yoonha HWANG ; Joon Seok KANG ; Byoung Kuk KIM ; Sung Won KIM
Allergy, Asthma & Respiratory Disease 2017;5(1):21-26
PURPOSE: Staphylococcus aureus colonization exacerbates atopic dermatitis. Local or systemic antibiotics can increase difficulty in controlling skin colonization and the possibility of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Choosing appropriate antibiotics has become more challenging. We investigated the frequency of S. aureus and MRSA colonization and susceptibility to antimicrobial agents. METHODS: We collected and cultivated the skin colonization samples of atopic dermatitis children less than 20 years old from June 2006 to May 2016, and tested the antibiotic sensitivity. We also checked the severity of atopic dermatitis by SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index and analyzed. RESULTS: Out of 2,355 subjects, 1,935 (82.2%) had S. aureus and 762 (39.4%) had MRSA. The frequency of MRSA increased from 13.3% in 2006 to 26.6% in 2007, 18.4% in 2008, 27.1% in 2009, 38.3% in 2010, 42.6% in 2011, 42.4% in 2012, 48.3% in 2013, 44.5% in 2014, 38.1% in 2015, and 37.5% in 2016. Mupirocin resistance started with 0% in 2009, and gradually increased annually to 13.7% in 2010, 14.7% in 2011, 25.4% in 2012, 35.2% in 2013, 34.9% in 2014, 39.8% in 2015, and 35.6% in 2016. The mupirocin resistant group has a higher SCORAD index than the other groups (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: MRSA frequency and mupirocin resistance tended to increase annually. We should choose the methods of managing bacterial colonization in atopic dermatitis carefully in order to prevent antibiotic resistance.
Anti-Bacterial Agents*
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Anti-Infective Agents
;
Child*
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Colon*
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Dermatitis, Atopic*
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Drug Resistance
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Drug Resistance, Microbial
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Humans
;
Methicillin Resistance
;
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
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Mupirocin
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Skin
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Staphylococcus aureus*
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Staphylococcus*
5.Sex Differences in Etiologies of Sleep Disorders
Su Jung CHOI ; Dongyeop KIM ; Yoonha HWANG ; Hyunjin JO ; Eun Yeon JOO
Journal of Sleep Medicine 2020;17(2):138-147
Objectives:
To investigate the etiologies of sleep disorders according to sex.
Methods:
We enrolled 1,270 patients who complained of insomnia (n=328) or sleep apnea (n=942) for more than 6 months and classified them into primary insomnia (PI, n=120), comorbid obstructive sleep apnea with insomnia (COMISA, n=146), and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA, n=884) groups based on their polysomnography (PSG) findings, demographics, sleep-related symptoms, and questionnaire results (Insomnia Severity Index and Epworth Sleepiness Scale).
Results:
The highest prevalence of females was observed in PI (71.7%), and the lowest in the OSA group (15.6%). Males were more prevalent than females in the COMISA group (58.2% vs. 41.8%). Regarding the etiology of insomnia, half of the male patients with complaints of insomnia had OSA, while only one-third of the females had OSA. Thirteen percent of female who complained of OSA-related symptoms were diagnosed as normal. There were few differences in PSG data between female and male patients in the PI and COMISA groups. Females with OSA showed longer total sleep time than males with OSA in PSG. The self-reported questionnaire responses of patients in the COMISA and PI groups were similar, and PSG data of patients in the COMISA and OSA groups were comparable regardless of sex.
Conclusions
Females and males have different sleep perceptions and sleep-related complaints. Thus, PSG must be carried out to clarify the etiology of sleep disorders and ensure appropriate treatment is provided.
6.Sex Differences in Etiologies of Sleep Disorders
Su Jung CHOI ; Dongyeop KIM ; Yoonha HWANG ; Hyunjin JO ; Eun Yeon JOO
Journal of Sleep Medicine 2020;17(2):138-147
Objectives:
To investigate the etiologies of sleep disorders according to sex.
Methods:
We enrolled 1,270 patients who complained of insomnia (n=328) or sleep apnea (n=942) for more than 6 months and classified them into primary insomnia (PI, n=120), comorbid obstructive sleep apnea with insomnia (COMISA, n=146), and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA, n=884) groups based on their polysomnography (PSG) findings, demographics, sleep-related symptoms, and questionnaire results (Insomnia Severity Index and Epworth Sleepiness Scale).
Results:
The highest prevalence of females was observed in PI (71.7%), and the lowest in the OSA group (15.6%). Males were more prevalent than females in the COMISA group (58.2% vs. 41.8%). Regarding the etiology of insomnia, half of the male patients with complaints of insomnia had OSA, while only one-third of the females had OSA. Thirteen percent of female who complained of OSA-related symptoms were diagnosed as normal. There were few differences in PSG data between female and male patients in the PI and COMISA groups. Females with OSA showed longer total sleep time than males with OSA in PSG. The self-reported questionnaire responses of patients in the COMISA and PI groups were similar, and PSG data of patients in the COMISA and OSA groups were comparable regardless of sex.
Conclusions
Females and males have different sleep perceptions and sleep-related complaints. Thus, PSG must be carried out to clarify the etiology of sleep disorders and ensure appropriate treatment is provided.
7.A Novel Pancreatic Imaging Window for Stabilized Longitudinal In Vivo Observation of Pancreatic Islets in Murine Model
Inwon PARK ; Sujung HONG ; Yoonha HWANG ; Pilhan KIM
Diabetes & Metabolism Journal 2020;44(1):193-198
Longitudinal imaging of murine pancreas is technically challenging due to the mechanical softness of the tissue influenced by peristalsis. Here, we report a novel pancreatic imaging window for long-term stabilized cellular-level observation of the islets in the pancreas in vivo. By spatially separating the pancreas from the bowel movement and physiologic respiration with a metal plate integrated in the imaging window, we successfully tracked the pancreatic islets up to three weeks and visualized the dumbbell-shape transformation from the single islet. This window can be a useful tool for long-term cellular-level visualization of the microstructure in the pancreas.
8.Longitudinal Intravital Imaging of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte Motility in Breast Cancer Models
Inwon PARK ; Sujung HONG ; Joon SEOK ; Stephani Edwina LUCIA ; Eunjoo SONG ; Mingyo KIM ; Eunji KONG ; Howon SEO ; Yoonha HWANG ; Soyeon AHN ; Seonghye KIM ; Dong-Hyun JANG ; Jae Hyuk LEE ; Su-Hyung PARK ; Pilhan KIM ; You Hwan JO
Journal of Breast Cancer 2021;24(5):463-473
Immunoreactive dynamics of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) within the tumor microenvironment in breast cancer are not well understood. This study aimed to investigate the spatiotemporal cellular dynamics of TILs in breast cancer models. Breast cancer cells were implanted into the dorsal skinfold chamber of BALB/c nude mice, and T lymphocytes were adoptively transferred. Longitudinal intravital imaging was performed, and the spatiotemporal dynamics of TILs were assessed. In the 4T1 model, TILs progressively exhibited increased motility, and their motility inside the tumor was significantly higher than that outside the tumor. In the MDA-MB-231 model, the motility of TILs progressively decreased after an initial increase. TIL motility in the MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 models differed significantly, suggesting an association between programmed death-ligand 1 expression levels and TIL motility, which warrants further investigation. Furthermore, intravital imaging of TILs can be a useful method for addressing dynamic interactions between TILs and breast cancer cells.
9.Clinical Characteristics of Atopic Dermatitis in Korean School-Aged Children and Adolescents According to Onset Age and Severity
You Hoon JEON ; Kangmo AHN ; Jihyun KIM ; Meeyong SHIN ; Soo-Jong HONG ; So-Yeon LEE ; Bok Yang PYUN ; Taek Ki MIN ; Minyoung JUNG ; Jeongmin LEE ; Tae Won SONG ; Hye-Young KIM ; Sooyoung LEE ; Kyunguk JEONG ; Yoonha HWANG ; Minji KIM ; Yong Ju LEE ; Min Jung KIM ; Ji Young LEE ; Hye Yung YUM ; Gwang Cheon JANG ; Young A PARK ; Jeong Hee KIM ;
Journal of Korean Medical Science 2022;37(4):e30-
Background:
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a heterogeneous disease with different age of onset, disease course, clinical symptoms, severity, and risk of comorbidity. The characteristics of children with AD also vary by age or country. However, little is known about the clinical characteristics of AD in Korean school-aged children and adolescents. Furthermore, there are few studies on phenotypic differences according to onset age. This study aimed to explore the clinical characteristics and phenotypes according to onset age and severity of AD in children and adolescents in Korea.
Methods:
AD patients aged 6–18 years who presented to 18 hospitals nationwide were surveyed.The patients were examined for disease severity by pediatric allergy specialists, and data on history of other allergic diseases, familial allergy history, onset age, trigger factors, lesion sites,treatment history and quality of life were collected. The results of the patient’s allergy test were also analyzed. The patients were classified into infancy-onset (< 2 years of age), preschoolonset (2–5 years of age), and childhood-onset (≥ 6 years of age) groups. Study population was analyzed for clinical features according to onset-age groups and severity groups.
Results:
A total of 258 patients with a mean age of 10.62 ± 3.18 years were included in the study. Infancy-onset group accounted for about 60% of all patients and presented significantly more other allergic diseases, such as allergic rhinitis and asthma (P = 0.002 and P = 0.001, respectively). Food allergy symptoms and diagnoses were highly relevant to both earlier onset and more severe group. Inhalant allergen sensitization was significantly associated with both infancy-onset group and severe group (P = 0.012 and P = 0.024, respectively). A family history of food allergies was significantly associated with infancyonset group (P = 0.036). Severe group was significantly associated with a family history of AD, especially a paternal history of AD (P = 0.048 and P = 0.004, respectively). Facial (periorbital, ear, and cheek) lesions, periauricular fissures, hand/foot eczema, and xerosis were associated with infancy-onset group. The earlier the onset of AD, the poorer the quality of life (P = 0.038). Systemic immunosuppressants were used in only 9.6% of the patients in the severe group.
Conclusion
This study analyzed the clinical features of AD in Korean children and adolescents through a multicenter nationwide study and demonstrated the phenotypic differences according to onset age and severity. Considering the findings that the early-onset group is more severe and accompanied by more systemic allergic diseases, early management should be emphasized in young children and infants.