• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.112-125
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• 2010

Objectives The purpose of this study is to find the relationships between the allergy and weakness in children in Seong-Dong district. Methods 802 day care centers children were participated for survey on allergic disease, risk factors, and weakness. From the result, we analyzed the relationships between the aforementioned factors. Results 1. 802 children were participated for the survey. We eliminated survey answers with unclear answers, and selected 792 survey sheets as our final subject of study. The age of majority of subjects(720 children) were between one to six years old, and the others were under the age of one and over seven. 2. The prevalence rate of asthma in a lifetime was 6.69%, allergic rhinitis was 14.87%, atopic dermatitis was 28.82%, allergic conjunctivitis was 6.29%, food allergies was 9.58%, and drug allergies was 1.4%. In 2009, the prevalence rate of allergies during treatments is 6.69% for asthma, 13.41% for allergic rhinitis, 13.64% for atopic dermatitis, 4.13% for allergic conjunctivitis, 5.23% for food allergies, 0.96% for drug allergies. 3. The significant risk factors were types of dwelling, pet with fur, dirty environments without vacuum cleaners, the numbers of times bed covers were washed, frequency of air ventilation, changes in body after moving, family history. 4. The distribution of the number of children with weakness within the five visceras were respiratory weakness, digestive weakness, psychoneurologic weakness, neuromotor weakness, and urogenital weakness in the order of most to the least. More specifically, children who only has respiratory weakness were the majority, while children who have respiratory and digestive weaknesses, children who have respiratory, digestive, and psychoneurologic weaknesses, children who have respiratory and psychoneurologic were followed. 5. With the exception of children with urogenital weakness, Most of the children with respiratory weakness, digestive weakness, psychoneurologic weakness, and neuromotor weakness had been treated for allergies in 2009, while children who were diagnosed with allergic diseases at least once in their lifetime most likely had weak respiratory, digestive or psychoneurologic systems. Conclusions The results of this study showed that there was a correlation between children with weak viscera and children with allergic diseases. However, further research would be necessary.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.56 no.12
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• pp.505-513
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• 2013

Because the prevalence of allergic diseases has significantly increased in recent years, understanding the causes and mechanisms of these disorders is of high importance, and intense investigations are ongoing. Current knowledge pinpoints immune tolerance mechanisms as indispensable for healthy immune response to allergens in daily life. It is evident that development and maintenance of allergen-specific T cell tolerance is of vital importance for a healthy immune response to allergens. Such tolerance can be gained spontaneously by dose-dependent exposures to allergens in nature or by allergen-specific immunotherapy. Allergen-specific immunotherapy induces regulatory T cells with the capacity to secrete interleukin-10 and transforming growth factor-${\beta}$, limits activation of effector cells of allergic inflammation (such as mast cells and basophils), and switches antibody isotype from IgE to the noninflammatory type IgG4. Although allergen-specific immunotherapy is the only method of tolerance induction in allergic individuals, several factors, such as long duration of treatment, compliance problems, and life-threatening side effects, have limited widespread applicability of this immunomodulatory treatment. To overcome these limitations, current research focuses on the introduction of allergens in more efficient and safer ways. Defining the endotypes and phenotypes of allergic diseases might provide the ability to select ideal patients, and novel biomarkers might ensure new custom-tailored therapy modalities.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.44-58
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• 2010

Silibinin is the major active molecule of silymarin, the mixture of flavonolignans extracted from Cirsium japonicum (CJ). It has been used for treatment of hepatitis and inflammation related diseases. The aim of this study was to prove whether Silibinin has effectiveness for allergic inflammation. Silibinin processes the inflammatory reaction in phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) plus calcium ionophore A23187 (PMA plus A23187) stimulated human mast cell line (HMC-1). Its effect was examined by ELISA, RT-PCR, Western blot, and Luciferase assay. The results were Silibinin inhibited the expression of histamine, TNF-$\alpha$ (tumor necrosis factor-$\alpha$), IL-6 (interleukin-6), and IL-8 (interleukin-8). Silibinin suppressed NF-${\kappa}B$ (nuclear factor kappa B) activation in stimulated HMC-1 (human mast cell-1). This effect was mediated through inhibition of phosphorylation and degradation of $IkB{\alpha}$, an inhibitor of NF-kB. Silibinin significantly inhibited induction of NF-kB promoter mediated Luciferase assay. These results suggest that Silibinin has a potential molecule for therapy of mast cell-derived allergic inflammatory diseases.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.57 no.5
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• pp.205-210
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• 2014

Atopic sensitization is a complex phenomenon that changes dynamically with age throughout childhood; its prevalence increases with age in young children. Additionally, with increasing age, the prevalence of sensitization to inhalant allergens and the prevalence of polysensitization to allergens increase. It is also well established that the development of atopic sensitization is the result of a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors. However, there is considerable heterogeneity in the literature in terms of the effect of different environmental exposures in young children on the subsequent risk of atopic sensitization and allergic diseases. Previous studies on the relationship, in early life, between pet ownership, sex, exposure to secondhand smoke, exposure to traffic-related air pollution components, and atopic sensitization have yielded different results. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of gene-environment interactions, especially during early childhood, on the risk of subsequent atopic sensitization and allergic diseases. Therefore, pediatricians should consider the genetic and environmental determinants of atopic sensitization in infants and young children when diagnosing and treating patients with allergic diseases. Determining ways in which early exposure to these risk factors in young children may be reduced could be beneficial in preventing the likelihood of developing atopic sensitization.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.137-143
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• 2020

Traffic-related environmental factors (TREF) are a major problem in developed countries, leading to increased atopic sensitivity, allergy symptoms, and diseases. This study shows an association between traffic-related pollutants, distance of road and gas station from the children's daycare center, and allergy symptoms. Data was obtained from the 2018 survey, an ongoing allergic diseases prevalence survey for children aged 4-7 (n=1175). This survey considered 36 public daycare centers, across 6 districts in Seoul. Allergic symptoms were defined as the presence of at least 1 or more allergic diseases (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC)). TREF was derived from the distance to the nearest main roads and gas stations. Geographic data processing and variable computation were conducted using ArcGIS version 10.2. The odds ratios for allergy symptoms increased by 1.189 (1.235-2.679) times with decreasing distance to main roads and by 1.846 (1.176-2.896) times with decreasing distance to a gas station. This study concludes that main roads and gas-stations near children's daycare centers are related to the allergy symptoms in children.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.398-404
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• 2010

Complementary and alternative medicines are considered as a promising research field to develop new therapies for various allergic diseases. In this study, we investigated the anti-allergic effect of Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb (AP) by using passive cutaneous anaphylaxis in mice and its mechanism of action in mast cells. The extract of AP reversibly inhibited degranulation in RBL-2H3 cells and bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMCs). AP also suppressed the passive cutaneous anaphylaxis inducing by IgE and antigen (Ag) in a dose-dependent manner. In the study to find its mechanism of action, AP inhibited the phosphorylation of Syk kinase, a pivotal protein which is regulated by Src-family kinase for activation of mast cells. In addition, AP also suppressed activation of Akt and Erk1/2 that are critical for the production of cytokines in mast cells. The results strongly suggest that AP exerts anti-allergic activity in vitro and in vivo through the inhibition of activation of Syk in mast cells.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.201-210
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• 2016

Allergic inflammation requires the orchestration of altered gene expression in the target tissue and in the infiltrating immune cells. The transcription factor STAT6 is critical in activating cytokine gene expression and cytokine signaling both in the immune cells and in target tissue cells including airway epithelia, keratinocytes and esophageal epithelial cells. STAT6 is activated by the cytokines IL-4 and IL-13 to mediate the pathogenesis of allergic disorders such as asthma, atopic dermatitis, food allergy and eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). In this review, we summarize the role of STAT6 in allergic diseases, its interaction with the co-factor PARP14 and the molecular mechanisms by which STAT6 and PARP14 regulate gene transcription.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.117-123
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• 2008

Allergic diseases have been dramarically increased over recent years, especially in industrialized countries. Oxidative stress has been believed to playa significant role in the occurrence of the allergic inflammatory responses. Although previous studies concerning oxidative stress and systemic inflammation have been reported, few data is available, and other allergic diseases, except for asthma, are hardly studied about the association with oxidative stress. This study evaluated the relationship between allergic disease and Malondialdehyde (MDA) as an indicator of oxidative stress. The study population was 197 male adults living in an industrial area. The ISAAC questionnaire was used to confirm wheezing and rhinitis, and atopy was evaluated by skin prick test. MDA was analyzed by spectrophotometer. To examine bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR), methacholine test was performed, and the index of bronchial responsiveness (BR index) was calculated. We used multivariate logistic regression model and general linear model with SAS program. We found significant associations of MDA with brindex (p=0.023), rhinitis (p=0.016), atopy (p=0.03), adjusted by age, smoking, and body mass index (BMI). On the contrary, there was no significant difference of MDA with the status of asthma. Our result suggests that oxidative stress may playa major role in the occurrence of allergic response in male adults.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.1 s.37
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• pp.11-21
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• 1999

Dansam, the root of Salvia miltiorrhiza BGE. (Labiatae), has a bitter and a slightly 'cold' property. and is nontoxic. It has been used for the treatment of diseases such as tumors, bruises, gynecologic diseases, menoxenia, anemia and so forth. As an oriental medicine pathway, anal therapy has many kinds of treatments, Retention enema is one the most useful, advantageous methods of anal therapy. This experiment was performed in order to study the effect of an aqueous extract of Salviae radix root(SRRAE) on Immediate type allergic reaction by Retention enema. The results were obtained as follows, 1. SRRAE inhibited compound 48/80-induced Immediate type allergic reaction 100% with the dose of 0.1g/kg by anal treatment. However, SRRAE showed no significant inhibitory effect on the same reaction by oral treatment. When mice were pretreated with SRRAE at a concentration ranging from 0.001 to 1.0g/kg, by intra-anal treatment, the serum histamine levels were reduced in a dose-dependent manner. 2. SRRAE also inhibited by 79.8% local cutaneous allergic reaction activated by anti-dinitrophenyl (DNP) IgE. 3. SRRAE close-dependently inhibited the histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells(RPMC) by anti-DNP IgE., but SRRAE not inhibited compound 48/80-induced histamine release. 4. SRRAE dose-dependently inhibited tumor necrosis $factor-\;{\alpha}$ $(TNF-\;{\alpha}$) production from RPMC by anti-DNP IgE. Moreover, the level of cAMP in RPMC, when SRRAE was added, significantly increased compared with that of a normal control. According to the above results, anal therapy(Retention enema) of SRRAE may be beneficial in the treatment of systemic and local Immediate type allergic reactions.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.9
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• pp.1387-1394
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• 2013

Allergies are one of the most common chronic diseases during childhood. While the prevalence of allergic disease in children is increasing dramatically, few studies have evaluated the risk and preventive factors related to this health condition, especially in South Korea. The purpose of this case-control study was to evaluate independent determinants of allergic disease, and to examine whether it is associated with growth and other health conditions in childhood. The current study included 209 cases and 311 age and sex-matched controls (fifth and sixth graders) residing in Daegu, South Korea. Environmental data was collected, including child and family histories of allergies, birth information, and reaction to weaning foods during infancy. In addition, current dietary habits (assessed by 2 day-24 hr food records), health conditions, and anthropometric data were obtained through questionnaires and student health check-ups at the school. Based on chi-square tests, cases had a significantly higher prevalence of having a disease at birth, an allergic reaction to weaning foods, frequent hospital visits, and frequent experiences of the common cold and digestive diseases. In addition, significantly more mothers had a higher education in the cases compared to controls. Based on multivariable conditional logistic regression analysis, factors significantly associated with greater odds for having allergies were parental (OR=21.42) and fraternal (OR=14.40) histories of allergies. The anthropometric measures showed that cases tended to be shorter in height and lighter in weight than the controls, but these differences were not statistically significant. These findings may indicate that current nutrient intakes may not be the only critical factor associated with delayed growth delay in the allergic group. A well-planned, large cohort study is warranted to confirm our findings in the future.