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Biomedical subjects

H Agata

Publications and source records attributed to H Agata.

52 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Proliferative responses of CD4+ T-cell population to ovalbumin in patients with atopic dermatitis who are sensitive to hen eggs.

Proliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and T cells with monocytes to ovalbumin were significantly higher than those of B cells with monocytes to ovalbumin in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) who were sensitive to hen eggs. The CD4+ T-cell/CD8+ T-cell ratios (the values obtained by dividing the maximum stimulation index of CD4+ T cells with monocytes to ovalbumin by the maximum stimulation index of CD8+ T cells with monocytes to ovalbumin) were significantly higher in AD patients sensitive to hen eggs than in non-atopic healthy controls. The proliferative responses of CD4+ T cells with monocytes to ovalbumin were more intensive than those of CD8+ T cells with monocytes in patients with AD sensitive to hen eggs compared with non-atopic healthy controls. These results suggest that the cells responding to ovalbumin are predominantly CD4+ T cells. However, there was no relationship between the stimulation index of proliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to ovalbumin and RAST scores for hen eggs. Thus it is possible that the majority of the CD4+ T cells which respond to ovalbumin are not CD4+ helper T cells for IgE production.

Adolescent↗

Interleukin-2 production of lymphocytes in food sensitive atopic dermatitis.

The proliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) to food antigens in 22 patients with food sensitive atopic dermatitis were significantly higher than the responses of healthy children and food sensitive children with immediate symptoms. Moreover, the activity of interleukin-2 (IL-2) in supernatants of food antigen stimulated PBMC cultures from patients with atopic dermatitis was significantly higher than that in healthy children and food sensitive children with immediate symptoms. The activity of IL-2 in culture supernatants of separated cell populations stimulated with food antigens from patients with atopic dermatitis and healthy children was investigated. The activity of IL-2 in supernatants of food antigen stimulated T cell cultures could be detected in patients with atopic dermatitis but not in healthy children. These results suggest that the increased IL-2 production after food antigen stimulation is due to increased T cell activity in food sensitive atopic dermatitis.

B-Lymphocytes↗

[Evaluation of the sensitized condition of patients with allergic diseases in Okinawa using the MAST allergy system].

We determined, using the MAST system, specific IgE antibodies to allergens in the circulating blood of 127 patients with bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis in Okinawa. The positive rates to inhalant allergens in all patients examined by the MAST system were as follows: Dermatophagoides farinae 65%, house dust 58%, cat epithelium 17% and Japanese cedar 9%. In addition, the positive rates to food allergens found in all patients were as follows: wheat 16%, shrimp 14%, egg white, rice and crab 12%. The average number of positive allergens in the patients with atopic dermatitis was larger than that in those with allergic respiratory diseases only. The above five specific IgE antibodies were detected simultaneously in 12 (9%) of the 127 patients. In addition, the average number of overlapping positive allergens was 2.0 in all patients. From these results, it was suggested that the number of overlapping positive allergens in patients on Okinawa is smaller than in other areas of Japan as compared with other papers.

Adolescent↗

Abnormal responses of the autonomic nervous system in food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis.

We investigated abnormal responses of the autonomic nervous system and measured plasma histamine levels before and after exercise challenge following food ingestion in four patients with food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis. The patients' histories and the radioallergosorbent tests showed that food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis resulted from preexercise-ingestion of shrimp, hen's egg, and any food in two patients, one patient and one patient, respectively. The plasma histamine level increased in only one of four patients when the exercise challenge followed the ingestion of nonoffending foods. Our investigation of changes in the autonomic nervous system before and after food-exercise challenge in all patients included comparing results obtained after the food-exercise challenge in controls and comparing results obtained before food-exercise challenge in the patients. After food-exercise challenge, systolic blood pressure significantly decreased and the heart rate increased during the postural test, heart rate tended to decrease in the Aschner test, and the increase of systolic blood pressure was reduced in the cold pressor test. After food-exercise challenge, the parasympathetic nervous activity increased and responsiveness of the sympathetic nervous system was reduced. Food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis may therefore occur in relation to allergic reactions and abnormality of the autonomic nervous system.

Adolescent↗

Lymphocyte responses to food antigens in patients with atopic dermatitis who are sensitive to foods.

The proliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to ovalbumin or bovine serum albumin in children with atopic dermatitis (AD) who are sensitive to hen's egg or cow's milk were significantly higher than responses of PBMCs of healthy children and hen's egg- or cow's milk-sensitive children with immediate symptoms. However, the percentages of positive RAST for hen's egg or cow's milk in the patients with AD were lower than percentages in the patients with immediate symptoms. In the patients with AD, there were no significant correlations between the proliferative responses of PBMCs and the RAST values. There were no significant differences of RAST scores among groups of patients having different degrees of severity of AD. The proliferative responses of PBMCs to ovalbumin or bovine serum albumin in patients with severe AD or moderate AD who were sensitive to hen's egg or cow's milk tended to be higher than responses of patients with mild AD, respectively, but there were no significant differences in those results. Taken together, the combination of RAST and the detection of proliferative responses of PBMCs to each food antigen is very useful in the diagnosis of hypersensitivity in children with AD who are sensitive to food allergens.

Animals↗

Eosinophils are neither migrated nor activated in the skin lesions of atopic dermatitis in infants.

Eosinophils and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) were examined in the skin lesions of 10 infants with atopic dermatitis (aged 4 months to 7 years). In all 10 patients, neutrophils and eosinophils were rarely seen in these lesions. Moreover, in the immunohistochemical study, ECP was scarcely detected in any of them. Our results suggest that eosinophils are neither migrated nor activated in the skin in atopic dermatitis in infants.

Blood Proteins↗

Evaluation of lymphocyte proliferative responses to casein hydrolysate formula in cow's milk-sensitive children: response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to hydrolysate formula.

The proliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to cow's milk proteins and a casein hydrolysate formula were investigated in 10 cow's milk-sensitive patients. The casein hydrolysate formula reduced the symptoms in seven children but not in three. The proliferative responses of PBMCs to cow's milk proteins and the formula were higher in the three patients whose symptoms were not reduced by casein hydrolysate formula. However, the proliferative responses of PBMCs to hydrolysate formula were lower than those to cow's milk proteins in patients whose symptoms were reduced by casein hydrolysate formula. These results suggest that an elimination diet with casein hydrolysate formula may not be as effective in some patients with cow's milk allergy whose PBMCs proliferate to casein hydrolysate formula.

Caseins↗

Effects of the antiallergic drug azelastine hydrochloride on proliferative responses of lymphocytes to food antigens in patients with food-sensitive atopic dermatitis.

We previously reported that the proliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to ovalbumin (OA) or bovine serum albumin (BSA) in children with atopic dermatitis (AD) who are sensitive to hen's egg or cow's milk were significantly higher than those of healthy children and hen's egg- or cow's milk-sensitive children with immediate symptoms. Azelastine hydrochloride is an antiallergic drug used in the treatment of rhinitis and asthma. In this study, we have shown that the proliferative responses of PBMCs to OA are concentration-dependently inhibited by azelastine in patients with AD. Moreover, the inhibition resulted from the effects of azelastine on T-cells.

Animals↗

Evaluation of lymphocyte proliferative responses to food antigens with regard to age and food-specific IgE antibodies in food-sensitive atopic dermatitis.

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), selected for sensitivity to hen's egg or cow's milk, showed significant proliferation in response to food antigens, ovalbumin or bovine serum albumin compared with PBMCs from nonatopic control subjects. The proliferative responses of PBMCs to food antigens were evaluated with regard to age and specific IgE antibodies to food antigens in food-sensitive patients with AD. There were no differences in proliferation between each age group, and the proliferation in patients with AD was significantly higher than in age-matched control subjects. There was no relationship between proliferative responses of PBMCs and specific IgE antibodies to food antigens in patients with AD. These results suggest that the responsiveness of lymphocytes to food antigens is independent of age and food-specific IgE antibodies in food-sensitive patients with AD.

Adolescent↗

Relationship between interferon-gamma, interleukin-4 and IgE production of lymphocytes from hen's egg-sensitive patients.

We measured in vitro interferon-gamma, interleukin-4 and IgE production of peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated with ovalbumin. Interferon-gamma in culture supernatants of ovalbumin-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from hen's egg- sensitive patients with atopic dermatitis was significantly higher than that of healthy children or hen's egg-sensitive patients with immediate symptoms. Furthermore, in patients with atopic dermatitis who were sensitive to hen's egg and patients with immediate symptoms, there was an inverse relationship between interferon-gamma and IgE production (r = -0.535, p <0.05), and significant correlation was found between interleukin-4 and IgE production (r = 0.802, p <0.05). For the above reasons, IgE synthesis of ovalbumin-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells may be suppressed by interferon-gamma in patients with atopic dermatitis. In contrast, in patients with immediate symptoms, interleukin-4 may play a major role in the pathogenesis of increased IgE production.

Animals↗

Proliferative responses of lymphocytes to food antigens are useful for detection of allergens in nonimmediate types of food allergy.

Food allergy is clinically classified into two types, immediate and nonimmediate. Radioallergosorbent test (RAST) is a sensitive procedure for the diagnosis of IgE-mediated hypersensitivity but not for other types of hypersensitivity. There is not yet a sensitive blood examination for detection of allergens in nonimmediate types of food allergy. Of the total number of subjects in our study, twenty-two children had nonimmediate types of food allergy (hen's egg, cow's milk, soybean, or buckwheat flour), atopic dermatitis, allergic tension fatigue syndrome or pulmonary hemosiderosis. For these children, manifestations of the allergy did not appear earlier than 2 hours after ingestion of the offending food. Eighteen children in the study developed acute urticaria, angioedema, or bronchial asthma appearing within 2 hours of the challenge. Fifteen nonatopic healthy children were selected as controls. Proliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to food antigens were measured in nonimmediate types of food allergy. The proliferative responses of PBMCs to each offending food antigen in patients with nonimmediate types of food allergy were significantly higher than those of healthy controls and patients with immediate types of food allergy, respectively. Moreover, in each case with nonimmediate type, the proliferative responses to food antigens other than the offending food were not detected. When PBMCs were twice stimulated with the offending food antigen, the same results were obtained. These results indicate that the proliferative response of PBMCs to food antigens is specific to each offending food antigen in nonimmediate types of food allergy. Taken together, proliferative responses of PBMCs to each food antigen are useful for detection of allergens in nonimmediate types of food allergy.

Adolescent↗