Animals ; Asthma/pathology* ; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Immunoglobulin E/blood* ; Incidence ; Lung/pathology* ; Mice ; Pollen/chemistry* ; Populus/adverse effects* ; Prevalence

PURPOSE: Japanese hop (Humulus spp.) and mugwort (Artemisia spp.) are notable causes of autumn pollinosis in East Asia. However, Japanese hop and mugwort pollen extracts, which are widely used for the diagnosis, have not been standardized. This study was performed to standardize Japanese hop and mugwort pollen extracts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Allergen extracts were prepared in a standardized way using locally collected Humulus japonicus and purchased Artemisia vulgaris pollens. The immunoglobulin E (IgE) reactivities of prepared extracts were compared with commercial extracts via IgE immunoblotting and inhibition analyses. Intradermal skin tests were performed to determine the bioequivalent allergy unit (BAU). RESULTS: The IgE reactive components of the extracts via IgE immunoblotting were similar to those of commercial extracts. A 11-kDa allergen showed the strongest IgE reactivity in Japanese hop, as did a 28-kDa allergen in mugwort pollen extracts. Allergenic potencies of the investigatory Japanese hop and mugwort extracts were essentially indistinguishable from the commercial ones. Sums of erythema of 50 mm by the intradermal skin test (SigmaED50) were calculated to be 14.4th and 13.6th three-fold dilutions for Japanese hop and mugwort extracts, respectively. Therefore, the allergenic activity of the prepared extracts was 90827.4 BAU/mg for Japanese hop and 34412 BAU/mg for mugwort. CONCLUSION: We produced Japanese hop and mugwort pollen extracts using a standardized method. Standardized Japanese hop and mugwort pollen extracts will facilitate the production of improved diagnostic and immunotherapeutic reagents.
Allergens/*analysis/*immunology ; Antibody Specificity ; *Artemisia ; Bronchial Hyperreactivity/blood/immunology ; Cross Reactions ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Immunoblotting ; Immunoglobulin E/blood/*immunology ; Pollen/*chemistry/*immunology ; Reference Standards ; Republic of Korea ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal

Wheat dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (WDEIA) is a rare but potentially severe food allergy caused by the combination of wheat ingestion and physical exercise. The impact of WDEIA on quality of life (QOL) is unclear. This study characterized the clinical and laboratory features and investigated the QOL in WDEIA patients from Central China. Twenty-eight WDEIA patients were analyzed, and QOL was measured by validated Chinese version Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire-Adult Form (FAQLQ-AF) and Food Allergy Independent Measure (FAIM) after obtaining the diagnosis. The results showed that half of the patients were females. The median onset age was 37 years old. The symptoms occurred within 1 h after wheat ingestion (26/28). Symptoms of anaphylaxis included cutaneous (26/28), respiratory (11/28), gastro-intestinal (5/28) and cardiovascular manifestations (27/28). Skin prick tests were positive to salt soluble (89.3%) and salt insoluble wheat allergen extracts (100%). Positive rate to wheat, gluten and omega-5 gliadin specific IgE was 64.3%, 92.9% and 92.9% respectively. Specific IgE to omega-5 gliadin with a cut-off value 0.83 KU/L offered highly efficient diagnostic criterion for WDEIA (sensitivity: 89.3%; and specificity: 88.9%). The mean scores of FAQLQ-AF and FAIM were 4.70 and 4.98 respectively and level of anti-omega-5 gliadin IgE had positive correlations with FAQLQ scores. Thereby, WDEIA is commonly found in mid-age adults. In most cases, multi-organs especially skin and cardiovascular systems are involved. Salt insoluble wheat allergen skin test and serum specific IgE to gluten and omega-5 gliadin help to diagnose WDEIA. QOL in WDEIA patients is severely impaired.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Allergens ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; immunology ; Anaphylaxis ; diagnosis ; immunology ; physiopathology ; psychology ; China ; Exercise ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; immunology ; physiopathology ; Gliadin ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; immunology ; Heart ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; blood ; Lung ; immunology ; physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Quality of Life ; Skin ; immunology ; physiopathology ; Skin Tests ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Triticum ; chemistry ; immunology ; Wheat Hypersensitivity ; diagnosis ; immunology ; physiopathology ; psychology

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of essential oil on oxidative stress, immunity, and skin condition in atopic dermatitis (AD) induced mice. METHODS: This study was a 3x3 factorial design. Factors were oil type (Lavender, Thyme, and 2:1 mixture of lavender and thyme oil [blending oil]) and treatment period (0 day, 7 days, and 21 days). The samples were 45 mice with AD and randomly assigned to nine groups of five mice per group. The dependent variables such as superoxide radical, IgE, degranulated mast cells, and epidermal thickness were measured. Data were collected from February to April in 2014. Descriptive statistics, One-way ANOVA, Two-way ANOVA, and Tukey's HSD test were performed using the SPSS WIN 20.0 program. RESULTS: Dependent variables were not statistically significantly different by the three oil types (p >.05). Essential oils such as lavender, thyme, and blending oil were all effective in reducing AD symptoms and especially 2:1 blending oil were most effective. There were statistically significant differences by the three treatment periods in all dependent variables (p <.001). There were statistically significant interactions between oil types and treatment periods in all dependent variables (p <.01). For decreasing superoxide radical, degranulated mast cells, and epidermal thickness, 2:1 mixed oil should be applied for at least 21 days. Otherwise to reduce IgE, 2:1 mixed oil should be used for at least 7 days. CONCLUSION: These findings provide bases for developing effective interventions for AD patients to manage their AD symptoms.
Animals ; Dermatitis, Atopic/chemically induced/*drug therapy/pathology ; Disease Models, Animal ; *Immunity/drug effects ; Immunoglobulin E/blood ; Lavandula/*chemistry/metabolism ; Mast Cells/cytology/metabolism ; Mice ; Oils, Volatile/chemistry/pharmacology/therapeutic use ; *Oxidative Stress/drug effects ; Picryl Chloride/toxicity ; Plant Oils/chemistry/pharmacology/*therapeutic use ; Singlet Oxygen/metabolism ; Skin/drug effects/pathology ; Thymus Plant/*chemistry/metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the changes of the levels of galectin-3 (Gal-3) in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of children with asthma whose have different serum levels of 25-hydroxyl-vitamin D₃[25(OH)D₃].

METHODSFifty children with asthma between January 2013 and December 2014 were enrolled as the asthma group, and they were classified into 25(OH)D₃sufficient (n=7), insufficient (n=12) and deficient subgroups (n=31) according to the serum levels of 25(OH)D₃. Twenty children with abnormal airway or tracheal foreign bodies served as the control group. The levels of 25(OH)D₃, Gal-3 and total IgE in serum and Gal-3 levels in BALF were measured using ELISA.

RESULTThe serum levels of 25(OH)D₃in the asthma group were lower than in the control group (P<0.05). The 25(OH)D₃deficient subgroup displayed the highest percentages of neutrophils, eosinophils and epithelial cells in BALF, followed by the 25(OH)D₃insufficient subgroup and the 25(OH)D₃sufficient subgroup (P<0.05). The percentages of neutrophils, eosinophils and epithelial cells in BALF in the three subgroups were all higher than in the control group (P<0.05). In children with asthma, serum levels of 25(OH)D₃were negatively correlated with the percentages of neutrophils, eosinophils and epithelial cells in BALF (r=-0.683, -0.795 and -0.670 respectively; P<0.05); and a negative correlation was also seen between serum 25(OH)D₃levels and serum Gal-3 and total IgE levels (r=-0.759 and -0.875 respectively; P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe children with asthma have low serum levels of 25(OH)D₃. 25(OH)D₃and Gal-3 may be involved in the airway inflammation and the development of asthma.

Asthma ; etiology ; metabolism ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; chemistry ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Galectin 3 ; analysis ; blood ; physiology ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; blood ; Infant ; Male ; Vitamin D ; analogs & derivatives ; blood ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo investigate whether emodin exerts protective effects on mouse with allergic asthma.

METHODSA mouse model of allergic airway inflflammation was employed. The C57BL/6 mice sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin (OVA) were intraperitoneally administered 10 or 20 mg/kg emodin for 3 days during OVA challenge. Animals were sacrificed 48 h after the last challenge. Inflammatory cell count in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was measured. The levels of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-13 and eotaxin in BALF and level of immunoglobulin E (IgE) in serum were measured with enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay kits. The mRNA expressions of IL-4, IL-5, heme oxygenase (HO)-1 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) were determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTSEmodin induced significant suppression of the number of OVA-induced total inflammatory cells in BALF. Treatment with emodin led to significant decreases in the levels of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and eotaxin in BALF and total IgE level in serum. Histological examination of lung tissue revealed marked attenuation of allergen-induced lung eosinophilic inflammation. Additionally, emodin suppressed IL-4, IL-5 and MMP-9 mRNA expressions and induced HO-1 mRNA expression.

CONCLUSIONEmodin exhibits anti-inflammatory activity in the airway inflammation mouse model, supporting its therapeutic potential for the treatment of allergic bronchial asthma.

Animals ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; cytology ; Chemokines ; metabolism ; Disease Models, Animal ; Emodin ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation ; drug effects ; Heme Oxygenase-1 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Immunoglobulin E ; blood ; Interleukins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Leukocytes ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Lung ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Ovalbumin ; Pneumonia ; blood ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Protective Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism

BACKGROUND: Without appropriate culture systems for hepatitis E virus (HEV), sufficient natural viral proteins are difficult to generate for use in serological tests. Therefore, it is important to produce large amounts of HEV recombinant proteins in an economical way. The present study developed ELISAs using 2 truncated forms of the HEV open reading frame (ORF) 2 protein in order to detect anti-HEV IgG in serum samples. METHODS: Two truncated forms of the ORF2 protein were expressed in Escherichia coli and were purified by Ni2+-chelate-affinity chromatography (Qiagen, Germany). Two ELISAs were developed using these proteins and were compared with DIA.PRO HEV IgG ELISA kit (DIA.PRO. Italy) in 220 serum samples. RESULTS: High yields of the target proteins were obtained through codon optimization. The concentration and purity of the proteins were improved with Amicon filters (EMD Millipore, USA). Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blotting analysis of the resultant proteins showed a protein band of approximately 60 kDa corresponding to ORF2.1 (amino acids 112-660) and a protein band of approximately 55 kDa corresponding to ORF2.2 (amino acids 112-607). Positive agreement, negative agreement, and concordance of the 2 in-house ELISAs compared with DIA.PRO HEV IgG ELISA kit were 87%, 99.5%, and 98.1%, respectively (kappa=0.899, P=0.625). CONCLUSIONS: The newly developed ELISAs are useful for detecting anti-HEV IgG in serum samples and are highly concordant with DIA.PRO HEV IgG ELISA kit.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Antibodies/*blood ; *Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Escherichia coli/metabolism ; Hepatitis E virus/*metabolism ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G/*blood ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Recombinant Proteins/biosynthesis/immunology/isolation & purification ; Sequence Alignment ; Viral Proteins/chemistry/*immunology/metabolism

The present study was performed to estimate the seroprevalence of larval Anisakis simplex infection among the residents health-examined in 3 hospitals in southern parts of Korea. A total of 498 serum samples (1 serum per person) were collected in 3 hospitals in Busan Metropolitan city, Masan city, and Geoje city in Gyeongsangnam-do (Province) and were examined by IgE-ELISA and IgE-western blotting with larval A. simplex crude extract and excretory-secretory products (ESP). The prevalence of antibody positivity was 5.0% and 6.6% with ELISA against crude extracts and ESP, respectively. It was also revealed that infection occurred throughout all age groups and higher in females than in males. A specific protein band of 130 kDa was detected from 10 patients with western blot analysis against crude extract and ESP among those who showed positive results by ELISA. Our study showed for the first time the seroprevalence of anisakiasis in Korea. The allergen of 130 kDa can be a candidate for serologic diagnosis of anisakiasis.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Distribution ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Animals ; Anisakiasis/*epidemiology ; Anisakis/*immunology ; Antibodies, Helminth/*blood ; Antigens, Helminth/chemistry/diagnostic use ; Blotting, Western ; Child ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Hospitals ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E/blood ; Korea/epidemiology ; Larva/immunology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Molecular Weight ; Seroepidemiologic Studies ; Sex Distribution ; Young Adult

B-Lymphocytes ; chemistry ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; blood ; Male ; Purpura, Schoenlein-Henoch ; immunology ; Receptors, IgE ; blood

OBJECTIVETo assess the effect and adverse reaction of total glucosides of paeony capsule (TGPC) in combining with citirizine for the treatment of chronic urticaria.

METHODSA total of 120 patients were assigned to two groups by lottery, 65 in the treated group and 55 in the control group. They all were orally treated with citirizine tablet 10 mg per day, but to the treated group, additional 0.2 g TGPC was given three times per day, the therapeutic course for both groups was 4 weeks. The effectiveness of treatment was observed, and the changes of total symptom score, serum levels of interleukin-4 (IL-4), and immunoglobulin E (IgE) were measured before and after treatment. Moreover, a follow-up was carried out one month after ending the treatment.

RESULTSThe dropped cases were two in the treated group and seven in the control group; so, the study was accomplished on 63 patients in the treated group and 48 patients in the control group. The total effective rate was assessed at 73.02% (46/63) in the treated group, which was significantly higher than 47.92% (23/48) in the control group (P<0.01). After treatment, the total symptom score decreased in both groups, but the decrement in the treated group was more significant (P<0.05). Serum levels of IL-4 and IgE in the treated group lowered significantly, while the changes in the control group were insignificant, so statistical significant differences were shown between groups (P<0.01). A follow-up study showed that the relapse rate in the treated group was 30.00% (6/20), while that in the control group was 90.00% (9/10), and the former was lower than the latter (P<0.01). Adverse reactions, revealed as drowsiness, dizziness, and weakness, were seen in eight cases and seven cases in the two groups, respectively. Besides, mild diarrhea occurred in two cases of the treated group.

CONCLUSIONSThe treatment of TGPC combining citirizine shows definite curative effect in treating chronic urticaria, with low relapse rate and without evident adverse reaction. Its therapeutic effect might be realized by means of regulating patients' immune function. Besides, the medication should be continued for a rather long period to achieve the full effect.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Anti-Allergic Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Capsules ; Cetirizine ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Chronic Disease ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Glucosides ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; blood ; Interleukin-4 ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Paeonia ; chemistry ; Phytotherapy ; Recurrence ; Treatment Outcome ; Urticaria ; blood ; drug therapy ; Young Adult