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Biomedical subjects

K H Hsieh

Publications and source records attributed to K H Hsieh.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Asthma induced by ice water ingestion in ethnic Chinese asthmatic children: a challenge.

UNLABELLED: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between ice water ingestion and the induction of asthmatic symptoms and signs in ethnic Chinese asthmatic children. Sixty asthmatic children with a positive history of exacerbation of symptoms after drinking ice water were divided randomly into two groups: 34 children were instructed to drink 250 ml of 0-4 degrees C ice water within one minute, and 26 to drink 250 ml of 25 degrees C warm water. All of the asthmatic children were stable when studied. Twenty-three healthy children as controls were asked to drink 250 ml of 0-4 degrees C ice water. The three groups had forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) performed at baseline and at 5, 15, 30, 60, and 90 minutes after challenge. After the spirometric test at 90 minutes the patients of the two asthmatic groups received three puffs (0.6 mg) of hexoprenaline MDI and a further spirometric test was performed 5 min after the inhalation. Cough and wheeze were monitored throughout the course of the test. The mean FEV1 after challenge decreased significantly only in the ice-water asthmatic group (p = 0.004). Compared with the baseline data, the mean FEV1 at various periods after challenge was only significantly decreased at 60 min (p = 0.035). After hexoprenaline inhalation the FEV1 significantly increased in the two asthmatic groups (p < 0.001). A significant difference in FEV1 change was noted among the three groups (p = 0.015). Nine cases (26%) from the ice water asthmatic group, three (12%) from the warm-water asthmatic group, and none of the ice-water normal control group showed a decrease of FEV1 greater than 15% (p = 0.018). The greatest difference occurred between the two ice water groups. All six cases who developed symptoms after challenge, accompanied by a simultaneous decrease of FEV1 greater than 15%, belonged to the ice-water asthmatic group. Forty-seven percent of the ice-water asthmatic group and 4% each of the two other groups had cough and/or wheeze after challenge (p = 0.0002). IN CONCLUSION: Ice water ingestion may induce or exacerbate asthma in ethnic Chinese asthmatic children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Purification and characterization of a 94 KD high molecular weight allergen from house dust mite, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus.

House dust mite allergens from Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus is an important cause of severe allergic asthma and rhinitis in many countries. Although several low to medium molecular weight allergens had been well characterized, limited studies on the high molecular weight IgE-binding components were reported. In this study, a 94 kD high molecular weight allergen from crude mite body extract of D. pteronyssinus was purified and characterized. Monoclonal antibody (mAb) affinity chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography were used to purify 94 kD allergen. Its antigenicity and allergenicity were confirmed by in vitro and in vivo studies. Two mAbs 2205-3.45 and 2220-7.25 specific to 94 kD high molecular weight component of D. pteronyssinus were generated. The epitopes recognized by these mAbs were species-specific. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) of IgE reactivity in the sera from 40 asthmatic children allergic to D. pteronyssinus showed that 37.5% of them had significantly higher optical density values (range 0.011 to 0.452) than normal (range 0.013 to 0.035). In in vivo skin test showed that 9 out of 20 (45%) asthmatic children were positive to 94 kD allergen. The results demonstrate that 94 kD high molecular weight component is an important allergen existing in house dust mite in Taiwan.

Allergens↗
PubMed1997

Immune effector cells induced by complete Freund's adjuvant exert an inhibitory effect on antigen-specific type 2 T helper responses.

BACKGROUND: It has been well documented that environmental factors such as antigenpresenting cells and related cytokines could affect the development of T helper cells. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of different adjuvants on T cell development. METHODS: Ovalbumin (OVA) combined with aluminum hydroxide (Alum) plus pertussis toxin (PT) or complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) were used to sensitize mice; the production of IgG and IgE anti-OVA antibodies was then followed. In addition, OVA-specific proliferative responses and cytokine production by spleen cells were also investigated. RESULTS: The data showed that the adjuvants themselves could modify the pattern of immune response: (1) IgG2a anti-OVA antibody was higher in mice sensitized with OVA + CFA compared to that of mice sensitized with OVA + Alum + PT; (2) the ratio of IFN-gamma/IL-4 produced by OVA-stimulated spleen cells was higher in mice sensitized with OVA + CFA than that of mice sensitized with OVA + Alum + PT: (3) increased percentage of gamma delta T cells was noted in the peritoneal exudate cells of OVA + CFA immunized mice; and (4) the immune response of mice sensitized with OVA + Alum + PT was inhibited by the adoptively transferred ascitic cells from OVA + CFA immunized mice. CONCLUSION: In general, the data suggested higher IgG2a and the ratio of IFN-gamma/IL-4 was noted in mice sensitized with OVA + CFA. Further elucidation of the regulatory mechanism of allergen-specific T helper cells development and exploration of possible agents for immunotherapy might shed light on the management of atopic diseases.

Aluminum Hydroxide↗
PubMed1997

Latex allergy in hospital employees.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of latex-allergy in hospital personnel and the presence of latex-specific IgE in a latex-allergic group in Taiwan. A total of 1,021 hospital employees were initially screened for latex allergy with a questionnaire, which included sex, age, job categories, number of years of employment, daily working hours, frequency of latex glove wearing, symptoms of immediate reactions to latex gloves and history of previous atopic diseases. Among them, 70 hospital employees (6.8%; 95% confidence interval 1.9%-11.8%) had symptoms associated with glove wearing. The frequencies in different job categories were 28.3% of surgical nurses, 9.2% of surgeons, 5.8% of regular floor nurses, 5.2% of technicians, 4.6% of physicians, and 4.5% of laboratory researchers. The symptoms were significantly related to the frequency of latex glove exposure, surgical work, current hand eczema and history of atopic dermatitis. In contrast, the number of years of employment, daily working hours and previous history of hand eczema were not correlated with the symptoms of latex allergy. Latex-specific IgE was assayed by the dot blot method in 36 hospital employees of the latex allergic group (positive rate, 55.6%). We concluded that the prevalence of latex-allergy among hospital personnel was 6.9% and certain predisposing factors such as atopic dermatitis, current hand eczema ad surgical work may play a critical role in triggering and aggravating the symptoms.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Characterization of the allergen Der f 7 from house dust mite extracts by species-specific and crossreactive monoclonal antibodies.

BACKGROUND: The group 7 mite allergens react with IgE in 50% of sera from allergic patients. OBJECTIVE: To determine the molecular and antigenic characteristics and heterogeneity of Der f 7 in mite extracts. METHODS: Monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) produced from mice immunized with recombinant Der f 7 were examined for crossreactivity to Der p 7 and then used for immunoblotting of 1 and 2-D gel electrophoresis. Deglycosylation was studied with N-glycosidase-F and N-terminal sequencing by Edman degradation. The epitopes of the monoclonal antibodies were compared by cross-inhibitory immunoassays. RESULTS: Immunoblotting of D. farinae extracts with all the anti Der f 7 MoAbs showed major reactivities at 31, 30 and 25 kDa. The strongest immunostaining was at 25 kDa which contrasted with Der p 7 where the 31 and 30 kDa bands were strongest. The relative strength of staining however varied between extracts. The 31 and 30 kDa components were glycosylation products of the 25 kDa form which had the N-terminal sequence predicted from cDNA analysis. Two MoAbs stained an 18 kDa band consistent with a degradation product. The 2-D gels showed that different components with pIs from 5.6-6.4. Both species-specific and Der p 7 crossreactive MoAbs were produced and a two-site ELISA assay for detecting group 7 allergen was developed with MoAbs recognizing different epitopes. CONCLUSIONS: Der f 7 has been defined by its natural N-terminal sequence and MoAbs. It apparently exists as different glycosylation and degradation products in mite extracts, the relative abundance of which differs with different preparations. A two-site ELISA to measure the allergen was developed.

Allergens↗
PubMed1997

Functional assessment for shoulder impingement syndrome after anterior acromioplasty.

BACKGROUND: Impingement syndrome is a common cause of shoulder pain. Conservative treatment should always be initially considered. But for those patients with persistent symptoms, open acromioplasty is a reliable method to relieve pain and improve function. METHODS: From May 1989 to September 1994, a series of 36 anterior acromioplasties for impingement syndrome of the shoulder in 34 patients was retrospectively analyzed. Among them, rotator cuff tear was found in 25, and concomitant cuff repair was performed in 20. Five shoulders were not repaired because of a massive tear with marked cuff retraction. Neer's functional criteria and Constant's functional score were used to evaluate the results of anterior acromioplasty. The postoperative evaluation included patient satisfaction, relief of pain, range of motion and full use of the shoulder. RESULTS: Thirty-four patients with an average follow-up of 34 months were available for assessment. The average Constant's functional score was 94.7 points in the excellent group (55.5%), 77.2 points in the good group (30.5%) and 58.6 points in the poor group (13.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Overall there was an 86% satisfactory rate by Neer's criteria. Anterior acromioplasty appears to be an effective procedure for shoulder impingement syndrome.

Acromion↗
PubMed1997

Sulphasalazine therapy in chronic uveitis of children with chronic arthritis.

Four children with chronic arthritis (3 juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and 1 juvenile ankylosing spondylitis) and poorly controlled chronic uveitis, were given sulphasalazine (SASP) therapy for a mean period of 3.3 years. Three patients showed an excellent response, as evidenced by a reduction of inflammatory cells in the anterior chamber of the eyes and improvement of visual acuity. The response occurred after a mean of 7.7 weeks. These data suggested SASP therapy may have a role in the treatment of chronic anterior uveitis in children with chronic arthritis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Epicutaneous exposure of protein antigen induces a predominant Th2-like response with high IgE production in mice.

Hapten-induced contact hypersensitivity has been well-characterized in humans as well as in animal models. However, it is not clear whether or not protein Ag can directly sensitize epicutaneously and induce a primary immune response. We demonstrated in this study, for the first time, that through epicutaneous exposure protein Ag in the absence of adjuvant sensitizes animals and induces a predominant Th2-like response. Furthermore, mice receiving repeated protein Ag sustained elevated levels of specific IgE. This animal model can be used to investigate the molecular mechanism controlling the differential Th1/Th2 development in skin diseases.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1996

Effect of forms of collagen linked to polyurethane on endothelial cell growth.

Collagen has been widely coated or grafted onto polymer surfaces to improve the biocompatibility of materials. To better support the growth of endothelial cells on polyurethane (PU), collagen was grafted to the carboxyl group enriched PU through 1,2-bis(2,3-epoxypropoxy)ethane linking. Our results demonstrated that collagen in various conditions may result in different forms being grafted to the PU substrate, which subsequently affected the growth of endothelial cells. Collagen predialyzed against physiological phosphate buffered saline (PBS) could be reconstituted into native type fibrils with a bigger diameter at 37 degrees C than could collagen neutralized by titration with NaOH. At low temperature, titrated collagen formed floss-like fibrils packed in a ball with cobblestone-like morphology. The amount of collagen grafted was related to the condition of the collagen used, which in consequence affected the diameter of the collagen fibril formed and the growth of endothelial cells. In conclusion, reconstituted collagen fibrils formed from collagen in PBS at 37 degrees C grafted in the highest amounts to an epoxy-PU substrate and that optimally supported the growth of endothelial cells. Such prepared materials may be potentially good vascular bioprosthetic materials and may provide a wide range of biological applications.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Immunotherapy suppresses the production of monocyte chemotactic and activating factor and augments the production of IL-8 in children with asthma.

BACKGROUND: Histamine-releasing factor consists of a group of cytokines that can cause basophils or mast cells to release histamine. However, the composition of histamine-releasing factor remains undefined. OBJECTIVE: This study was done to measure the concentrations, in plasma and mononuclear cell culture supernatants from children with asthma, of chemokines that are known to contribute to histamine-releasing factor activity. RESULTS: Plasma and mononuclear cell culture supernatants were obtained from 25 children newly diagnosed with asthma, 25 good responders to immunotherapy, 23 poor responders, 25 patients with acute attacks, and 13 normal subjects. All the patient groups produced, spontaneously and after stimulation with phytohemagglutinin and mite allergen, greater amounts of monocyte chemotactic and activating factor, macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha, and RANTES (beta chemokines) and IL-8 and growth-related gene alpha (alpha chemokines) than did normal subjects. Successful immunotherapy resulted in decreased production, especially the spontaneous type, of beta chemokines that cause histamine release and in increased production of a chemokines that inhibit histamine release. CONCLUSION: Abnormal chemokine production may contribute to the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma, and restoration of normal chemokine production may be used to explain, in part, the clinical efficacy of immunotherapy.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1996

Immunoprophylaxis of allergen-induced immunoglobulin E synthesis and airway hyperresponsiveness in vivo by genetic immunization.

The efficacy of an "allergen-gene immunization" protocol in altering allergic response was examined. Intramuscular injection of rats with a plasmid DNA encoding a house dust mite allergen into the muscle results in its long-term expression and the induction of specific immune responses. Significantly, this approach prevents the induction of immunoglobulin E synthesis, histamine release in bronchoalveolar fluids, and airway hyperresponsiveness in rats challenged with aerosolized allergen. Furthermore, this suppression is persistent and can be transferred into naive rats by CD8+ T cells from gene-immunized rats. These findings suggest that allergen-gene immunization is effective in modulating allergic responses, and may provide a novel therapeutic approach for allergic diseases.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Inhibition of specific IgE response in vivo by allergen-gene transfer.

DNA immunization has been an attractive approach in altering the host immune response to antigen. To examine the utility of DNA immunization in allergic response, we examined the in vivo efficacy of an 'allergen-gene immunization' approach in the modulation of allergen-specific IgE responses in mice. Our results showed first that I.m. injection of a gene construct (pCMVD) containing an important house dust mite allergen gene (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus group 5 allergen; Der p 5) results in the induction of Der p 5-specific IgG antibodies, but not IgE antibody. We next examined the effect of transduced allergen gene on the expression of specific IgE response in mice after i.p. challenge with recombinant Der p 5 (rDer p 5). Both vector (mock) control- and pCMVD-treated mice were i.p. sensitized with rDer p 5 at 3 weeks after injection of gene construct. Results showed that there is a 90% reduction in the level of specific IgE in pCMVD-treated mice when compared with mock-treated mice. Furthermore, the suppression of specific IgE response can be adoptively transferred with CD8+ T cells from pCMVD-treated mice and such inhibition is in an antigen-specific manner, since the level of specific IgE to an irrelevant allergen, Der p 1, remained unchanged in comparison to that of the mock-treated group. In addition, Der p 5-specific CD8+ T cells could produce high levels of IFN-gamma which probably inhibit allergen-specific IgE responses. Taken together, our results suggest that allergen-gene transfer is effective in the modulation of allergen-specific IgE responses and may provide a novel therapeutic approach.

Adoptive Transfer↗
PubMed1996

Side reactions in solid-phase peptide synthesis and their applications.

Side reactions in peptide synthesis indicate steps needing improvement as well as opportunities for structural diversification in combinatorial design. Among the side reactions observed in this study, transesterification of Boc-Glu(OBzl) occurred in TMAH-catalyzed resin attachment, leading to Boc-DKKREE(OMe) in solid-phase synthesis of Boc-DKKREE. Acetylation of Boc-Arg(NO2)-resin occurred during resin capping with Ac2O/Et3N, leading to GPR (Ac) in GPR synthesis. His- and Lys-modification occurred during GHRPLDKKREE cleavage from resin by Pd(OAc)2-catalyzed hydrogenation in DMF. To verify these side reactions, model experiments were performed, which indicated rapid transesterification of Boc-Glu(OBzl) in methyl, isopropyl, or tert-butyl alcohol into the corresponding ester by TMAH, but studies of acetylation showed that both Boc-Arg(NO2) and Boc-Arg(Tos) were stable to Ac-Im treatment, but were modified by Ac2O/Et3N. Since transfer hydrogenation of Boc-His(Bzl) and Boc-Lys(Z) in HCOOH or ammonium formate did not generate the formylated side-products of catalytic hydrogenation, DMF and not its decomposed product, HCOOH, appeared involved in side-chain modification. Elimination of the side reactions, by using Cs-derived Boc-Glu(OBzl)-resin for peptide synthesis and catalytic hydrogenation in NMP-HOPr for peptide cleavage, increased the GHRPLDKKREE yield by 1/3. On the other hand, the side reactions provided modified peptides, whose bioassays revealed different importance of the modified side-chains.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1996

Terbutaline nebulization and epinephrine injection in treating acute asthmatic children.

Ninety children with acute asthma, equally divided into two study groups, were studied to compare the efficacy and safety of nebulized terbutaline with injected epinephrine in the treatment of acute exacerbation. The terbutaline group received 2 ml (5,0 mg) terbutaline solution diluted with 2 ml 0.9% saline for inhalation over 10 minutes; the epinephrine group received 0.01 ml/kg of 1:1000 epinephrine (maximum 0,3 ml) through subcutaneous injection at deltoid area. Spirometry, pulse oximetry, and clinical severity scoring system were evaluated at baseline and again 15 minutes after treatment. The baseline data of the two groups were not significantly different. The clinical severity score and spirometry of both groups were significantly improved after treatment. Compared with the terbutaline group, the epinephrine group had better mean oxygen saturation (SaO2; p < 0.001), frequency of oxygen desaturation (p = 0.0028) and forced expiratory flow 25-75% (FEF25-75%, p = 0.027). For those patients with initial forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) lower than 60% of predicted value, epinephrine treatment was more effective in the improvement of FEV1, FEF25-75%, and oxygen saturation (SaO2) (p = 0.011, 0.012, and 0.006, respectively). A Significantly higher rate of adverse effects occurred in patients given epinephrine (47% vs 11%, p = 0.0002); these included pallor, tremor, dizziness, headache, palpitation, soreness of legs, numbness of extremities, cold sweating, general weakness and nausea. Considering the general trend to noninvasive therapy in children and the more frequent adverse effects after epinephrine injection, such nebulized beta-2 agonists as terbutaline appear preferable for initial therapy of acute asthma if oxygen is supplemented to prevent possible hypoxemia. However, parenteral epinephrine still is worth trying, particularly in any severe, life-threatening attack.

Administration, Inhalation↗