• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.36-41
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• 2008

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the clinical significance of food-specific IgE antibody tests in detecting triggering antigens in food protein-induced proctocolitis (FPIPC). Methods: Between February 2006 and May 2007, data from 16 consecutive FPIPC patients that underwent MAST and Uni-CAP tests on initial visits, were reviewed. The endoscopic criterion used for establishing a diagnosis of FPIPC was an increase in the number of eosinophils in the lamina propria (${\geq}60$ per 10 high power fields). Offending foods were suspected clinically based on elimination and challenge testing to mother or patient diets with the following five highly allergenic foods: dairy products, eggs, nuts and soybean, fish and shellfish, and wheat and buckwheat. We compared the results of initial MAST or Uni-CAP tests with clinically suspected offending foods. Results: For the 16 FPIPC patients, MAST tests showed positive results in 2 patients (12.5%), and Uni-CAP tests showed positive results in 3 patients (18.8%). Through clinical elimination and challenge, the 33 offending foods were identified: 7 fish and shellfish (21.2%), 6 eggs (18.2%), 6 wheat and buckwheat (18.2%), 4 dairy products (12.1%), 3 soybean (9.1%), 3 pork (9.1%), 2 nuts (6.1%), 1 beef (3.0%), and 1 mushroom (3.0%). Clinically suspected offending foods and MAST and Uni-CAP test results were found to be correlated in 1 patient (6.7%) each. Conclusion: Food specific IgE antibody tests are inappropriate for predicting offending foods in FPIPC. Clinical food elimination and challenge testing provide useful means of detecting offending foods.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.265-272
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• 2010

To supply a power distribution network with stable power in a high-speed mixed mode system, simultaneous switching noise caused at the multilayer PCB and package structures needs to be sufficiently suppressed. The uni-planar compact electromagnetic bandgap (UC-EBG) structure is well known as a promising solution to suppress the power noise and isolate noise-sensitive analog/RF circuits from a noisy digital circuit. However, a typical UC-EBG structure has several severe problems, such as a limitation in the stop band's lower cutoff frequency and signal quality degradation. To make up for the defects of a conventional EBG structure, a partially located EBG structure with decoupling capacitors is proposed in this paper as a means of both suppressing the power noise propagation and minimizing the effects of the perforated reference plane on the signal quality. The proposed structure is validated and investigated through simulation and measurement in both frequency and time domains.

• Composites Research
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.207-212
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• 2013

In this study, the thickness optimization for uni-directional (UD) glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) laminates of the spar cap of composite tidal blades was performed under the tip deflection constrains. The spar cap was composed of GFRP composites and carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites. The stress distributions in the blade as well as its material costs for the optimized results were additionally investigated. The optimized thickness was obtained by interacting a sequential quadratic programming (SQP) algorithm and an ABAQUS software to calculate an objective function. It was confirmed that the thickness of UD GFRP increased with a decrease of the restrained tip deflection when a thickness of UD CFRP laminates was constrained to 9 mm. The weight of the optimized spar-cap increased up to 96.2% while the maximum longitudinal tensile stress decreased up to 24.6%. The thickness of UD GFRP laminates increased with a decrease of the thickness of UD CFRP laminates when the tip deflection was constrained to 126.83 mm. The weight increased up to 40.1%, but the material cost decreased up to 16.97%. Finally, the relationships among the weight, internal tensile stress, and material costs were presented based on the optimized thicknesses of the spar cap.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.5 no.5
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• pp.79-84
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• 1996

A $1\;{\mu}m$ thick n-type GaAs layer with Si doping density of $1{\times}10^{17}/cm^{3}$ and a $500{\AA}$ thick undoped single crystalline AlAs layer were subsequently grown by molecular beam epitaxy on the $n^{+}$ GaAs substrate. The AlAs/GaAs layer was oxidized in $N_{2}$ bubbled $H_{2}O$ vapor($95^{\circ}C$) ambient at $400^{\circ}C$ for 2 and 3 hours. From the result of XPS analysis, small amounts of $As_{2}O_{3}$, AlAs, and elemental As were found in the samples oxidized up to 2 hours. After 3 hours oxidation, however, various oxides related to As were dissolved and As atoms were diffused out toward the oxide surface. The as-grown AlAs/GaAs layer was selectively converted to $Al_{2}O_{3}/GaAs$ at the oxidation temperature $400^{\circ}C$ for 3 hours. The oxidation temperature and time is very critical to stop the oxidation at the AlAs/GaAs interface and to form a defect-free surface layer.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.113-121
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• 2011

Food allergies affect 7~8% of infants and young children, and their prevalence appears to have increased in recent years. Food allergy refers to an abnormal immunological reaction to a specific food. These reactions can be recurrent each time the food is ingested. Food allergy manifests itself with a wide spectrum of clinical characteristics including IgE-mediated diseases as immediate reactions, non-IgE-mediated disorders as delayed reactions, and mixed hypersensitivities. As a consequence, the clinical picture of a food allergy is pleomorphic. A well-designed oral food challenge is the most reliable diagnostic test for infants and young children whose clinical history and physical examination point towards a specific food allergy. Food specific IgE antibody tests (RAST, MAST, skin prick test, Uni-CAP, etc) are an alternative tool to determine oral food challenge for IgE-mediated disorders, but not for non-IgE-mediated allergies. Moreover, parents often impose their children on unnecessary diets without adequate medical supervision. These inappropriate dietary restrictions may cause nutritional deficiencies. This review aims to introduce clinical perspectives of food allergy in infants and young children and to orient clinicians towards different strains of diagnostic approaches, dietary management, and follow-up assessment of tolerance development.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.3-8
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• 2013

Buckwheat is known as a health food but is one of the major food allergens triggering potentially fatal anaphylaxis in Asia, especially in Japan and Korea. This study was conducted to investigate the characteristic of enzymatic resistance of buckwheat protein and allergenic potential. Enzymatic resistance of buckwheat protein was performed with in vitro digestibility test in simulated gastric fluid (SGF), pH 1.2, using pepsin and simulated intestinal fluid (SIF) using chymotrypsin. Reactivity of buckwheat proteins to human IgE was performed using six allergic patients sensitized to buckwheat. Buckwheat's IgE levels were measured using the Phadia UniCAP-system. Buckwheat protein, 16 kDa, still remained after 30 min treatment of pepsin on SDS-PAGE. Even though 16 kDa almost disappeared after 60 min treatment, two out of the six buckwheat patients' sera showed reactivity to hydrolysate after 60 min treatment, indicating that allergenicity still remained. In simulated intestinal fluid (SIF) using chymotrypsin, buckwheat protein, 24 kDa, showed resistance to hydrolysis with chymotrypsin on SDS-PAGE, and still had allergenicity based on the result of ELISA. Our results suggest that buckwheat proteins have strong resistance to enzyme degradation. This may be attributed in part to the allergenic potential of buckwheat. Further study should be continued regarding buckwheat allergy.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.54 no.10
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• pp.414-421
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• 2011

Purpose: Recently, an increase in the number of patients sensitized to rice allergen with or without clinical symptoms has been reported. This study was designed to determine the major allergens in rice and their clinical significance. Methods: Twenty-four children (15 boys and 9 girls; mean age, 16.3 months) with allergic disease, who were sensitized to rice antigen (by UniCAP) in the Pediatric Allergy Respiratory Center at Soonchunhyang University Hospital, were enrolled in this study. The allergenicity of various types of rice (raw, cooked, and heat-treated, simulated gastric fluid [SGF], and simulated intestinal fluid [SIF]) was investigated using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and immunoglobulin E (IgE) immunoblots. The patients' medical records, including laboratory data and allergy symptoms after ingestion of rice were reviewed. Results: Patients were sensitized to an average of 13.5 food antigens and their mean total IgE was 6,888.7 kU/L. In SDS-PAGE, more than 16 protein bands were observed in the raw rice, whereas only 14-16 kDa and 31-35 kDa protein bands were observed in cooked rice. The common SDS-PAGE protein bands observed in SGF-, SIF-, and heat-treated rice were 9, 14, and 31 kDa. In a heated-rice IgE immunoblot, protein bands of 9, 14, and 31-33 kDa were found in 27.8%, 38.9%, and 38.9% of all sera, respectively, and in 50%, 50%, and 75%, of ser a from the 4 symptomatic patients, respectively. Conclusion: The 9-, 14-, and 31-kDa protein bands appeared to be the major allergens responsible for rice allergy symptoms.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 2014

Purpose: In this study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of year-round respiratory viral infection in children with lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) and the relationship between respiratory viral infection and allergen sensitization in exacerbating asthma. Methods: We investigated the sources for acute LRTIs in children admitted to our hospital from May 2010 to April 2011. The 6 most common respiratory viruses were isolated from nasopharyngeal aspirate using multiplex reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in 309 children; respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenovirus (AV), parainfluenza virus (PIV), influenza virus (IFV), human metapneumovirus (hMPV), rhinovirus (RV). Atopic sensitization was defined if more than 1 serum specific Immunoglobulin E level measured using UniCAP (Pharmacia) was over 0.35 IU/mL. Results: RSV was the most common pathogen of bronchiolitis in hospitalized children through the year. RV or IFV infection was more prevalent in asthma exacerbations compared to other LRTIs. AV and hMPV were more likely to cause pneumonia. RV and IFV were associated with asthma exacerbations in children with atopic sensitization, but not in nonatopic children. Conclusion: RV and IFV are associated with hospitalization for asthma exacerbation in children with atopic sensitization.

• 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.