This study explored the curative effect of Jingfang Mixture on urticaria mice induced by aluminum hydroxide/ovalbumin, and discussed its mechanism. Sixty male Kunming mice were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, three Jingfang Mixture(low-dose, medium-dose, and high-dose) groups, and a positive drug(cetirizine hydrochloride) group. The urticarial model in mice was induced by the intraperitoneal injection of the mixed solution of ovalbumin and aluminum hydroxide. The degrees of pruritus were observed after the second immunization. Pathological changes were detected by hematoxylin and eosin(HE) staining. Levels of interleukin 1β(IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α) in the serum were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). Expressions of NOD-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3) and IL-1β were detected by immunohistochemistry(IHC). Expressions of nuclear factor kappa-B(NF-κB p65), NLRP3, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD(ASC), cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteases 1(caspase-1), and IL-1β proteins were detected by Western blot. The results showed that, except for the normal group, the mice in all groups had different degrees of pruritus. Compared with the model group, the Jingfang Mixture groups and the positive drug group prolonged the scratching latency of mice(P<0.05), and significantly reduced the number of scratching(P<0.05). In addition, the Jingfang Mixture groups and the positive drug group improved the pathological morphology of skin tissue. The expression levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in serum were significantly reduced(P<0.05), and the number of NLRP3 and IL-1β positive cells was decreased(P<0.01). The expressions of p-NF-κB p65, NLRP3, ASC, cleaved caspase-1, and IL-1β protein were significantly down-regulated(P<0.05). The results of the above study indicate that Jingfang Mixture inhibit the inflammatory response in urticaria mice, and the mechanism may be related to the inhibition of activating NF-κB/NLRP3/IL-1β signaling pathway.
Animals ; Male ; Mice ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Interleukin-1beta/metabolism* ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/metabolism* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Ovalbumin ; Aluminum Hydroxide/pharmacology* ; Signal Transduction ; Caspase 1/metabolism* ; Urticaria ; Pruritus

The long-term effect of direct pulp capping and pulpotomy is closely related to the type of pulp capping materials. Various kinds of direct pulp capping materials are available, such as calcium hydroxide and mineral trioxide aggregates. Diverse new pulp capping materials have been reported recently. The excellent performance of calcium silicates has attracted much attention in previous studies. Moreover, enamel matrix derivative (Emdogain), which is capable of regeneration and remineralization, and other materials with similar capabilities have shown potential for use in pulp capping.
Aluminum Compounds ; Calcium Compounds ; Calcium Hydroxide ; Dental Pulp ; Dental Pulp Capping ; Drug Combinations ; Oxides ; Pulp Capping and Pulpectomy Agents ; Pulpotomy ; Root Canal Therapy ; Silicates

Allergen-specific immunotherapy is the only causal treatment for allergic diseases. However, the efficacy of immunotherapy may vary around the world due to differences in climate, the nature of aero-allergens and their distribution. The aim of this study was to describe the effects of subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) in Korean adults with allergic asthma (AA). As a retrospective cohort study, we reviewed medical records for 627 patients with AA in Korea who were sensitized to house dust mite (HDM) and/or pollens and who underwent SCIT with aluminum hydroxide adsorbed allergen extract from 2000 to 2012. Rates of remission, defined as no further requirement of maintenance medication, over time were determined by means of life tables and extension of survival analysis. Herein, 627 asthmatic patients achieved remission within a mean of 4.7 ± 0.2 years. The cumulative incidence rates of remission from AA were 86.9% upon treatment with SCIT. Baseline forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) ≥ 80% (hazard ratio [HR], 3.10; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.79–5.39; P < 0.001), and maintenance of immunotherapy for more than 3 years (HR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.21–2.72; P = 0.004) were significant predictors of asthma remission during SCIT. In 284 patients on SCIT with HDM alone, initial specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae did not show significant difference between remission and non-remission group after adjusting demographic variables. In conclusion, SCIT was effective and safe treatment modality for patients with AA. Initial FEV1 ≥ 80% and immunotherapy more than 3 years were found to be associated with favorable clinical responses to SCIT.
Adult ; Aluminum Hydroxide ; Asthma* ; Climate ; Cohort Studies ; Dermatophagoides farinae ; Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Immunoglobulins ; Immunotherapy* ; Incidence ; Korea* ; Life Tables ; Medical Records ; Pollen ; Pyroglyphidae ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVEThis study aims to investigate the effects of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and calcium hydroxide on proliferation and differentiation of human pulp cells from primary and permanent teeth.

METHODSCell proliferation was detected by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. The mRNA expression levels of dentinogenesis-related factors, including alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP), and odontoclastogenesis-related factors, such as osteo- protegerin (OPG) and receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL), were determined by real time polymerase chain reac- tion (PCR).

RESULTSPrimary and permanent pulp cells treated with calcium hydroxide exhibited significantly lower proli- feration rates than the control cells (P<0.01). By contrast, the MTA-treated group showed significantly higher proliferation rates than the control group (P<0.01). Real time PCR results showed that calcium hydroxide-treated primary pulp cells exhi- bited significantly decreased ALP, DSPP, and OPG expression compared with the control group (P<0.01). Conversely, the MTA-treated group displayed significantly increased ALP, DSPP, and OPG expression (P<0.01). Calcium hydroxide-treated primary pulp cells also exhibited significantly upregulated RANKL expression (P < 0.01); by contrast, MTA-treated cells did not show any change in RANKL expression (P>0.05). Likewise, MTA-treated permanent pulp cells showed significantly upregulated ALP and DSPP expression (P < 0.01). However, the calcium hydroxide-treated group remained almost the same as the control group (P > 0.05). Neither MTA nor calcium hydroxide affected OPG and RANKL expression in per- manent pulp cells (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONMTA is more suitable as a pulp-capping agent, particularly in primary teeth, than calcium hydroxide.

Aluminum Compounds ; Calcium Compounds ; Calcium Hydroxide ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Proliferation ; Dental Pulp ; Dentition, Permanent ; Drug Combinations ; Extracellular Matrix Proteins ; Humans ; Oxides ; Phosphoproteins ; Sialoglycoproteins ; Silicates

Adjuvants improve the adaptive immune response to a vaccine antigen by modulating innate immunity or facilitating transport and presentation. The selection of an appropriate adjuvant has become vital as new vaccines trend toward narrower composition, expanded application, and improved safety. Functionally, adjuvants act directly or indirectly on antigen presenting cells (APCs) including dendritic cells (DCs) and are perceived as having molecular patterns associated either with pathogen invasion or endogenous cell damage (known as pathogen associated molecular patterns [PAMPs] and damage associated molecular patterns [DAMPs]), thereby initiating sensing and response pathways. PAMP-type adjuvants are ligands for toll-like receptors (TLRs) and can directly affect DCs to alter the strength, potency, speed, duration, bias, breadth, and scope of adaptive immunity. DAMP-type adjuvants signal via proinflammatory pathways and promote immune cell infiltration, antigen presentation, and effector cell maturation. This class of adjuvants includes mineral salts, oil emulsions, nanoparticles, and polyelectrolytes and comprises colloids and molecular assemblies exhibiting complex, heterogeneous structures. Today innovation in adjuvant technology is driven by rapidly expanding knowledge in immunology, cross-fertilization from other areas including systems biology and materials sciences, and regulatory requirements for quality, safety, efficacy and understanding as part of the vaccine product. Standardizations will aid efforts to better define and compare the structure, function and safety of adjuvants. This article briefly surveys the genesis of adjuvant technology and then re-examines polyionic macromolecules and polyelectrolyte materials, adjuvants currently not known to employ TLR. Specific updates are provided for aluminum-based formulations and polyelectrolytes as examples of improvements to the oldest and emerging classes of vaccine adjuvants in use.
Adaptive Immunity ; Adjuvants, Immunologic ; Allergy and Immunology ; Aluminum Hydroxide ; Aluminum* ; Antigen Presentation ; Antigen-Presenting Cells ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Chitosan ; Colloids ; Dendritic Cells ; Emulsions ; Immunity, Innate ; Ligands ; Nanoparticles ; Polymers ; Receptors, Pattern Recognition ; Salts* ; Systems Biology ; Toll-Like Receptors ; Vaccines

Allergic rhinitis is a one of the most prevalent disease and its prevalence has been increasing these days. Many researchers have used the mouse models to study the mechanism of allergic rhinitis and development of anti-allergic medications. In the fields of allergic disease, several models such as allergic asthma, allergic contact dermatitis, and allergic rhinitis etc are introduced and several modifications are used. In case of mouse models of allergic rhinitis, it has been developed and modified from allergic asthma model. Most commonly used allergic rhinitis models are acute models and chronic models are used less. Ovalbumin, house dust mite and fungus are most commonly used allergens. Usually, mouse are sensitized with allergen and adjuvant such as aluminum hydroxide gel or Freund adjuvant for 2-3 weeks (once/week) then are challenged with allergen intranasally every day for 1 week. Mouse are sacrificed within 24 hours after final challenge and several parameters of allergic rhinitis are evaluated. They include nasal rubbing and sneezing count, eosinophil count in the nasal mucosa, total and allergen specific immunoglobulin E, nasal cytokine level and splenic cytokine level by splenocyte culture. By revealing those parameters, researchers could identify the allergic status of the mouse. However, there are many variables in mouse model of allergic rhinitis such as mouse strain, type of allergen, sensitization time, adjuvant, acute or chronic type, and allergen administration route etc. In this review, several variables and protocols of mouse model of AR will be discussed in detail.
Allergens ; Aluminum Hydroxide ; Animals ; Asthma ; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact ; Eosinophils ; Freund's Adjuvant ; Fungi ; Immunoglobulin E ; Immunoglobulins ; Mice* ; Nasal Mucosa ; Ovalbumin ; Prevalence ; Pyroglyphidae ; Rhinitis* ; Sneezing

No abstract available.
Alginates/*therapeutic use ; Aluminum Hydroxide/*therapeutic use ; Antacids/*therapeutic use ; Female ; Gastroesophageal Reflux/*drug therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Silicic Acid/*therapeutic use ; Sodium Bicarbonate/*therapeutic use

PURPOSE: Since the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus has been a seasonal flu which still poses great human health concerns worldwide, vaccination would be considered as the most effective strategy to control the influenza virus spreading. Here, we assessed adjuvant efficacy of modified outer membrane vesicle (mOMV) towards the pandemic H1N1 split antigen. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For this study, mice were vaccinated twice with various amount of antigen (0.05, 0.1, and 0.5 microg/dose hemagglutinin [HA]) that were mixed with mOMV, aluminum hydroxide (alum), and MF59, as well as the combined adjuvant comprising the mOMV plus alum. RESULTS: We found that all the adjuvanted vaccines of A/California/04/09 (CA04, H1N1) containing HA antigen more than 0.1 microg/dose protected effectively from lethal challenge (maCA04, H1N1) virus, compared to the antigen only group. Furthermore, vaccinated mice received as low as 0.05 microg/dose of the split vaccine containing the combined adjuvant (10 microg of mOMV plus alum) showed a full protection against lethal challenge with H1N1 virus. Taken together, these results suggest that mOMV can exert not only the self-adjuvanticity but also a synergy effect for the vaccine efficacy when combined with alum. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that mOMV could be a promising vaccine adjuvant by itself and it could be used as a vaccine platform for development of various vaccine formulations to prepare future influenza pandemic.
Aluminum Hydroxide ; Animals ; Hemagglutinins ; Humans ; Influenza A virus ; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype ; Influenza, Human ; Membranes ; Mice ; Orthomyxoviridae* ; Pandemics ; Seasons ; Vaccination ; Vaccines

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of aluminum hydroxide adjuvant on a murine model of allergic rhinitis (AR) and to confirm an appropriate method of establishing a mouse model of AR. METHOD: Establishing two types of BALB/c mice models of AR, one was identified as Local group which was characterized through intranasal sensitization and challenge using ovalbumin (OVA), and the other Systemic group which was made by intraperitoneal sensitization with OVA plus aluminum hydroxide and intranasal challenge through OVA. Then the numbers of sneezing and nasal rubbing were counted after the last challenge and the eosinophils in the nasal mucosa of mice models were observed and counted though Luna stain. Furthermore, morphological hyperplasia was examined in intraepithelial goblet cells and submucosal glands with HE stain. In addition, interlukin (IL) -4, IL-5, OVA specific IgE (sIgE) and interferon (IFN)-gamma in nasal lavage fluid (NLF) and serum of mice were examined u sing enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULT: The counts of sneezing and nasal rubbing in local group were more than those in systemic group and eosinophilia in the nasal mucosa of former group was greater than that in the latter one. Morphological hyperplasia was stronger in intraepithelial goblet cells and submucosal glands in local group compared with that in systemic group. Furthermore, the contents of IL-4, IL-5 and sIgE increased in the NLF and serum of mice of local group compared to those of systemic one. However, the production of IFN-gamma of mice in local group decreased when compared with that in Systemic group. CONCLUSION OVA plus aluminum hydroxide adjuvant may promote Th1 type immune response as well as Th2 response. OVA intranasal sensitization and challenge locally is an appropriate way in the establishment of AR mice models.
Adjuvants, Immunologic ; pharmacology ; Aluminum Hydroxide ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Immunoglobulin E ; immunology ; Interferon-gamma ; immunology ; Interleukin-4 ; immunology ; Interleukin-5 ; immunology ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Rhinitis, Allergic ; immunology

Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are tiny, round dark-signal lesions that are most often detected on gradient-echo MR images. CMBs consist of extravasations of blood components through fragile microvascular walls characterized by lipohyalinosis and surrounding macrophages. The prevalence of CMBs in elderly subjects with no history of cerebrovascular disease is around 5%, but is much higher in patients with ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. Development of CMBs is closely related to various vascular risk factors; in particular, lobar CMBs are thought to be associated with cerebral amyloid angiopathy. The presence of CMBs has been hypothesized to reflect cerebral-hemorrhage-prone status in patients with hypertension or amyloid microangiopathy. Stroke survivors with CMBs have been consistently found to have an elevated risk of subsequent hemorrhagic stroke or an antithrombotic-related hemorrhagic complication, although studies have failed to establish a link between CMBs and hemorrhagic transformation after thrombolytic treatment. A large prospective study is required to clarify the clinical significance of CMBs and their utility in a decision-making index.
Aged ; Aluminum Hydroxide ; Amyloid ; Carbonates ; Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy ; Cerebral Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Macrophages ; Prevalence ; Stroke ; Survivors