• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.210-219
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• 2002

Background and Objectives The diagnosis of allergic rhinitis includes detailed clinical history, physical examination and the use of either in vivo or vitro tests for relevant allergens. Skin test has been used the most commonly. Recently MAST CLA is used for determination of serum spcecific IgE, This study attempted to find out the distribution of Sasang Constitution and to compare the MAST CLA with skin tests in allergic rhinitis patients. Methods Skin tests, MAST CLA and Sasang Constitution study were performed for 35 allergic rhinitis patients who visited Kyunghee Oriental Medical Center from Sept. 2001 to Nov. 2001. Results 1. The ratio between male and female was 1:1.5. the peak age was the thirties(42.9$\%$) 2. 45.7$\%$ of patients had family history of allergic diseases and allergic rhinitis was the most common. 3. 51.4$\%$ of patients lived in A.P.T. and in preference of cool and warm, 54.3$\%$ of patients prefered both of cool and warm. 4. Among 24 cases who were consulted to dept. of Sasang, 45.8$\%$ was Taeumin. 5. 65.7$\%$ of patients reacted positive to skin test and the common offending allergen was D. pteronyssinus(82.6$\%$). 6. 25.7$\%$ of patients reacted positive to MAST CLA and the common offending allergen was D. farinae(88.9$\%$). 7. Among 22 cases who was performed skin test and MAST CLA the sensivity and specificity of MAST CLA was 27.4$\%$ and 94.9$\%$. There was significant correlations between MAST CLA and skin test(p=0.005, r=0.574, 1, spearman correlation coefficienct).

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.236-246
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• 2009

As the allergic diseases in patients are increasing, it is important to find out the allergens. A multiple antigen simultaneous test(MAST) is a simple method for in vitro measurement of allergen-specific IgE antibodies. This study was performed to evaluate the relationship between allergen-specific IgE antibodies, serum total IgE and peripheral eosinophil count in the allergic patients. According to the results of the study, the total IgE positive rate(above class 2) from the inhalent is 96.97%, and that from food panel is 98.06%. The research showed that the positive rate of the allergen-specific IgE was House dust 51.52%, D. farinae 45.46%, Cat 31.99% in inhalent panel, and 55.34%, 42.72%, 34.96% in food panel. Serum total IgE was associated with allergy, however, allergy was not always associated with eosinophilia.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.90-99
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• 2018

Objectives Hwangnyeonhaedok-tang is a Korean herbal medical treatment that removes toxic heat, fever and inflammation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Hwangnyeonhaedok-tang treatment on the relief of atopic dermatitis (AD) through regeneration of skin lipid barrier. Methods Male NC/Nga mice (20 g, 6 week age) were used. Each 10 mice were allocated to the control group (Ctrl), the AD-induced with no treatment group (AE), and the group which induced AD after administering Hwangnyeonhaedok-tang extract (HT). To induce AD-like skin lesions, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) (Sigma-Aldrich, USA) was rubbed on the back of each mouse to remove the lipid lamella of the stratum corneum, and Dermatophagoides (D.) farinae crude extract was applied. HT group was orally administered Hwangnyeonhaedok-tang after induction of AD. IL-4 IL-13, $p-I{\kappa}B$, iNOS, Sudan Black B (SB), loricrin, and filaggrin were observed to confirm the effect. Results In HT group, AD skin score was decreased by 46%. The cytokine IL-4 and IL-13, which can identify Th2 differentiation, was reduced by 73% and 58% each. Anti-inflammatory effects were observed in $p-I{\kappa}B$ and iNOS by 69% and 54%, respectively. Finally, SB showed that the regeneration of the lipid layer and the increase of the regeneration power of loricrin and filaggrin were increased by 437% and 464%, respectively. Conclusions From the study result, we observed that Hwangnyeonhaedok-tang treatment alleviates AD by decreasing skin score, reducing Th2 differentiation, inducing anti-inflammatory, and increasing skin lipid barrier regeneration. Thus, Hwangnyeonhaedok-tang treatment would be considered as an effective AD relieving treatment.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.26-30
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• 2005

The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalent allergens causing canine atopic dermatitis in Daejeon area. Twenty two dogs were diagnosed with atopic dermatitis by an using intradermal skin test (IDST). Allergens used for the IDST included 33 allergen extracts from nine allergen groups: house dust mites (HDM), house dust, moulds, trees, weeds, grasses, insects/fleas, epithelia and others. The 22 purebred dogs with atopic dermatitis enrolled in this study included Shi-tzus (10/22, 45.5%), Yorkshire terriers (5/22, 22.7%), Miniature pinschers (4/22, 18.2%), Pugs (2/ 22, 9.1 %) and Cocker spaniels (1/22, 4.5%). The age of onset of atopic dermatitis ranged from 5 months to 5 years old (median: 1.79 years). The males (12/22, 54.5%) and females (10/22, 45.5%) were almost equal. The number of positive reactions to allergens recorded in each dog with atopic dermatitis was 3 (9/22, 40.9%), 2 (8/22, 36.4%), 1 (3/ 22, 13.6%) and 4 (2/22, 9.1 %), respectively. The most common positive allergen reaction was HDM (52.6%). The other positive allergen reactions recorded were from house dust (17.5%), insects/fleas (15.8%), trees (5.3%), moulds (3.5%), kapok (3.5%), silk (3.5%), epithelia (1.8%), weeds (0%) and grasses (0%), respectively. Positive reactions recorded to Dermatophagoides farinae and D. pteronyssinus were in 53.3% and 46.7%, respectively. The IDST results demonstrate that the most common causative allergens in canine atopic dermatitis in Daejeon area were HDM.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.309-315
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• 2012

Objectives: Animal husbandry workers could be exposed to various work hazards including toxic gases, chemicals such as pesticides or organic dust. Immunological evaluation focusing on respiratory allergic hypersensitivity occurrence was under-taken for swine farm workers as a part of the study on immunologic status of dairy barn, swine confinement, and poultry farm workers. Materials and Methods: Peripheral bloods were collected from 25 workers at the year of 2001 and 12 workers at the year of 2012 from swine farms located at Gyeonggi province, Korea. Seven adults not involved with animal husbandry were recruited at the year of 2001 from the same residential area as the swine farm workers'. Level of plasma IgE and 20 respiratory allergen-specific IgE were evaluated using commercially available ELISA kit. Results: Plasma IgE level was approximately five-fold higher in the swine farm workers regardless of the sampling year than the control subjects. Plant allergens from outdoor environments such as golden rod, pigweed, Russian thistle, or ragweed were the major allergens with positive reaction(allergen specific IgE${\geq}$0.7 IU/mL) for the swine farm workers at 2001 year. Meanwhile, house dust mite(Dermatophagoides farinae, D. pteronyssinus) and cockroach, typical indoor allergens in Korea, were the major respiratory allergens for the swine farm workers at 2012 year. Conclusions: Overall, even though our results are primitive, the results suggest that immunological function of swine farm workers could be modulated toward type-2 reactivity.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.187-189
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• 2008

House dust mites produce inhalant allergens of importance to allergic patients, We measured the major group 1 allergens, Der p 1 and Der f 1, from the house dust mites Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farina, respectively in 100 randomly selected domestic homes from Cheonan, Korea, Dust samples were collected by vacuuming from the living room floor and 1 mattress in each home, Der p 1 and Der f 1 were measured by double mono-clonal ELISA. Der p 1 levels were very low, with geometric mean levels for floors and mattresses being $0.11\;{\mu}g/g$ (range: 0.01-4.05) and $0.14\;{\mu}g/g$ (range: 0.01-30.0), respectively. Corresponding levels of Der f 1 were higher, $7.46\;{\mu}g/g$ (range: 0.01-262.9) and $10.2\;{\mu}g/g$ (range: 0.01-230.9) for floors and mattresses, respectively. D. farinae appears to be the dominant house dust mite in Cheonan.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.104-112
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the general features of allergic patients in northwestern Chungcheongnamdo who visited Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital. The subjects in this study were 1692 suspected allergic patients. After their allergic symptoms were checked and a MAST-CLA test was conducted, the following results were obtained: 1. The mean age of the subjects was 23.1 years old. The male patients represented 56.2% and the female patients accounted for 43.8%. 1387 (82.0%) patients of those investigated suffered from allergic disease. 2. Among the 1387 patients, 1022 (73.7%) patients showed an increased total IgE level. The positive rate of those who were in their 40s (87.0%) was the highest, but their age made no difference to their positive rate of total IgE. 3. Concerning the positive rate for allergen specific antibody by age, those who were in their teens (73.5%) topped the list and similar in all age group except in their 40s. By gender, the positive rate of the male and female were 56.3% and 43.9% respectively. Regarding the positive rates by allergic disease, those who suffered from allergic rhinitis (60.4%) were most vulnerable, followed by the patients with allergic dermatitis (47.4%), with bronchial asthma (47.2%) and with urticaria (39.4%). 4. As for seasonal positive rates, they were most susceptible in April (77.2%) and May (71.1%). We discovered a significant difference according to seasons; Spring (60.1%), Winter (45.4%) and Summer (39.2%). 5. In case of Korean inhalent panel, the most dominant allergen-specific antibodies were "Cockroach mix" (31.1%), followed by "D. pteronyssius" (23.8%) and "Dog" (14.3%). In the event of food panel, the most popular allergen-specific antibodies were "D. farinae" (25.0%), followed by "D. pteronyssinus" (19.8%) and "Hose dust" (12.0%). 6. The residential type made no difference to the positive rates of "House dust", "Cockroach mix" and "Dog" as major antigen but compared with others, positive rates for "Tick" were somewhat higher in apartment buildings.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.163-169
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• 1999

House dust mite allergens have been well established as sensitizing agents that are important in the induction of allergic diseases. In order to analyze epitopes of the allergen and to develop a quantitative method of the allergen exposure, monoclonal antibodies against a recombinant Der p 2 (rDer p 2), one of the major allergens of Dermatophogoides pteronyssinus, were produce. Four monoclonal antibodies produced wee species-specific and did not cross-react to the D. farinae crude extract. Two of the monoclonal antibodies were found to be IgG1 and the others were IgM. For the analysis of epitopes, a Der p 2 cDNA encoding 126 amino acids (aa) was dissected into three fragments with several overlapping peptides, A (aa residues 1-49), B (44-93), and C fragment (84-126). Three monoclonal antibodies showed reactivities to the recombinant B fragment and to the full-length rDer p 2, but one monoclonal antibody reacted only with the full-length rDer p 2. Two-site capture ELISA was developed using two different monoclonal antibodies for quantitating Der p2 in house dust. The sensitivity limit was 4ng/ml with rDer p2 and $8{\;}\mu\textrm{g}/ml$ with the d. pteronyssinus crude extract. The result suggested that the assay using monoclonal antibodies against rDer p2 could be useful for the environmental studies and for the standardization of mite allergen extracts.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.249-258
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• 2015

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the correlations between the prevalence of allergic rhinitis (AR) and cytokines among elementary school children in an industrial city, Ulsan, South Korea, and to identify major environmental risk factors associated with AR prevalence. Methods: We conducted a case-control study in June 2009 and February 2010 in order to evaluate the relationship between AR and related cytokines. Data on physician-treated prevalence over the past 12 months and potential risk factors for AR were compiled through a questionnaire from a survey of 339 schoolchildren living in different urban environments. Logistic regression analysis was carried out with propensity score matched data (n=180) to assess the influences of cytokines (IL-13, IL-33, IL-4 and IL-5) on AR prevalence and to determine which environmental factors affected AR. Results: In univariate analysis, the AR prevalence was influenced by family history of AR (mother and siblings), environmental factors (odor condition and irritated symptoms of air pollution), and indoor allergens (D. farinae and D. pteronyssinus). The t-test demonstrated that eosinophils, Immunoglobulin E (IgE), and interleukins (IL-13 and IL-5) were statistically significantly different according to treatment of allergic rhinitis over the preceeding 12 months. The results of the multiple logistic regression analysis showed that a statistically significant association between several factors (such as irritated symptoms of air pollution (OR 4.075, CI 1.735-9.568), IL-13 (OR 0.825, CI 0.734-0.928), odor condition (OR 2.409, CI 0.908-6.389), and AR history of siblings (OR 2.217, CI 0.999-4.921)) and the prevalence of AR was found after adjusting for confounders. Conclusion: These results suggest that AR prevalence is significantly associated with cytokine level, genetic background, and outdoor environmental factors. Although living in a polluted area and genetic background can contribute to an increased risk of childhood AR, cytokine level should be considered as an important factor in the treatment of AR in the last 12 months.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.182-192
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• 2011

Purpose : Atopic findings may be associated with severity of pneumonia in 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) infection, which could suggest a possible association between atopic findings and the severity of viral infections. Thus, we studied association between atopic findings and severity of disease in children with H1N1 influenza infection. Methods : A retrospective study was performed in 74 children admitted in a single tertiary institute and confirmed as H1N1 patients by reverse transcriptase (RT) - polymerase chain reaction (PCR). They were divided into 2 groups according to the severity of pneumonia. We evaluated whether the atopic finding is risk factor between the two groups. Results : Children with severe pneumonia had higher percentages of serum eosinophilia (88% vs 40%, P <0.001), asthma (65% vs 35%, P =0.011), allergic rhinitis (71% vs 40%, P =0.009), and IgE level (P =0.007). We found positive correlations between aeroallergen sensitizations and severity of pneumonia (82% vs 53%, P =0.007). Conclusion : Among patients with H1N1 pneumonia, asthma and atopic findings are risk factors for severity of pneumonia.