Biomedical subjects

Y Kakinoki

Publications and source records attributed to Y Kakinoki.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Microbicidal efficacy of ozonated water against Candida albicans adhering to acrylic denture plates.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Ozone is known to act as a strong antimicrobial agent against bacteria, fungi, and viruses. We examined the effect of ozonated water on Candida albicans on acrylic denture plate. METHODS: The heat-cured acrylic resins were cultured with C. albicans. After treatment of flowing ozonated water, the number of attached C. albicans was counted. In some experiments, the test samples were treated with ozonated water in combination with ultrasonication. RESULTS: After exposure to flowing ozonated water (2 or 4 mg/l) for 1 min, viable C. albicans cells were nearly nonexistent. The combination of ozonated water and ultrasonication had a strong effect on the viability of C. albicans adhering to the acrylic resin plates. There were no significant differences in antimicrobial activity against C. albicans between plates immersed in ozonated water with ultrasonication and those treated with commercially available denture cleaners. In addition, electron microscopic analysis revealed that small amounts of C. albicans remained on the plate after exposure to flowing ozonated water or immersion in ozonated water with ultrasonication. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that application of ozonated water may be useful in reducing the number of C. albicans on denture plates.

Acrylic Resins↗

PubMed2004

A new automatic device for measuring the spinnbarkeit of saliva: the Neva Meter.

OBJECTIVES: We have recently developed a new device for measuring the spinnbarkeit of saliva called the Neva Meter. The purpose of this study was to evaluate this device and to measure spinnbarkeit as well as viscosity, another important property, in the resting saliva of 24 healthy adults. METHODS: We used polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a standard solution to establish the reproducibility of spinnbarkeit tests. We collected resting saliva from 24 employees of a business office (16 males and 8 females, average age: 37.8) and investigated the relationship between spinnbarkeit and viscosity. RESULTS: The spinnbarkeit of PVA increased along with the concentration of the solution, and the reproducibility of the values was acceptable. Spinnbarkeit of resting saliva showed a positive correlation with viscosity at a shear rate of 76.6 s(-1) (r = 0.55, P < 0.05) and 191.5 s(-1) (r = 0.59, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The newly developed Neva Meter was suitable for measuring the spinnbarkeit of saliva quickly and easily at the chair-side in the dental clinic. Results obtained using this new device may be important for understanding and evaluating the condition of the oral cavity.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Pollen immunotherapy inhibits T helper 1 and 2 cell responses, but suppression of T helper 2 cell response is a more important mechanism related to the clinical efficacy.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the allergen-induced IgE synthesis and cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis due to Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) pollens and to elucidate the immunological mechanisms related to the clinical efficacy of immunotherapy (IT) for seasonal allergic rhinitis. DESIGN: This study included 51 patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis due to the pollen and 8 nonatopic healthy volunteers (nonatopic group). Thirty-nine patients had been undergoing IT using the pollen extracts for various lengths of time (IT group). The remaining 12 patients had never been treated with IT (untreated group). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (3.3 x 10(6) cells per milliliter) from each individual were cultured with Cry j 1, 4.17 microg/mL. After 96 hours, culture supernatants were harvested to determine the concentrations of IgE, interleukin (IL) 5, interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). RESULTS: The levels of IgE (P = .02), IL-5 (P<.01), and TNF-alpha (P = .05) were significantly higher in the untreated group than in the nonatopic group. The levels of IFN-gamma did not differ significantly between the untreated and the nonatopic groups (P = .19). The levels of IgE, IL-5, and IFN-gamma, but not of TNF-alpha, were inversely correlated with the duration (in years) of IT, and none of the levels of IgE (P = .74), IL-5 (P = .15), IFN-gamma (P = .61), and TNF-alpha (P = .55) differed significantly between the nonatopic group and those who had been treated with IT for 10 years or more. The levels of IL-5 were significantly lower in the good responders than in the poor responders to IT (P<.001), whereas the levels of total IgE (P = .20), IFN-gamma (P = .16), and TNF-alpha (P = .14) did not differ significantly between them. CONCLUSION: The mechanisms responsible for the clinical efficacy of pollen IT are principally related to the tolerance or anergy of T helper 2 cells.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Allergen-induced mRNA expression of IL-5, but not of IL-4 and IFN-gamma, in peripheral blood mononuclear cells is a key feature of clinical manifestation of seasonal allergic rhinitis.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the allergen-induced messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of interleukin (IL) 4, IL-5 and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from individuals sensitized by Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) pollens, and to elucidate the clinical role of IL-4, IL-5, and IFN-gamma in the allergen sensitization and clinical manifestation of allergic disorders. DESIGN: This study included 30 patients sensitized to the pollen and 14 nonatopic healthy volunteers. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (1.0 x 10(6) cells/mL) of each individual were cultured at 37 degrees C for 24 hours in the presence of 10 microg/mL of Cry j 1, a major allergen of the pollens. Total cellular RNA was extracted from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and IL-4, IL-5, and IFN-gamma mRNA expression was determined with a reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: From the results of a survey of symptom diary cards and interviews regarding nasal symptoms during the pollen season in 1998, we found that 20 patients (symptomatic group), but not 10 patients (asymptomatic group), had typical symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis. Interleukin 4 mRNA was not expressed in the nonatopic subjects but was expressed in 9 asymptomatic patients and in 17 symptomatic patients. Interleukin 5 mRNA was exclusively expressed in the symptomatic patients. Interferon gamma mRNA expression did not differ significantly among the nonatopic subjects, asymptomatic patients, and symptomatic patients. CONCLUSIONS: This study has clearly highlighted an interesting and new concept that IL-4 is implicated in allergen sensitization but not in clinical manifestation, and that IL-5 may not be a feature of atopy in itself but seems to be a hallmark of clinical manifestation of ongoing atopic diseases.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Allergen induced mRNA expression of interleukin-5, but not of interleukin-4 and interferon-gamma, in peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained before the pollen season predicts the clinical efficacy of immunotherapy for seasonal allergic rhinitis.

The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether the allergen-induced synthesis of cytokines by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) obtained immediately before the pollen season could predict the clinical efficacy of immunotherapy during the following pollen season. PBMCs (1.0 x 106 cells/ml) were obtained from 17 nonatopic subjects and from 60 patients receiving immunotherapy for seasonal allergic rhinitis (caused by Japanese cedar pollens) immediately before the pollen season of 1998, and were cultured for 24 h in the presence of 10 mg/ml of Cry j 1, a major allergen of Japanese cedar pollens, at 37 degrees C in a fully humidified 5% CO2 atmosphere. Total cellular RNA was extracted from the PBMCs, and the allergen-induced interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5 and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) mRNA expression was determined using a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. According to the nasal symptoms during the pollen season of 1998, the 60 patients on immunotherapy were divided into 36 good responders (who had no nasal symptoms and no requirement for rescue medications) and 24 poor responders who needed rescue medications to control nasal symptoms. Neither IL-4 mRNA nor IL-5 mRNA was expressed in any of the 17 nonatopic individuals. By contrast, IL-4 mRNA was expressed in 26 good responders and in 22 poor responders, and IL-5 mRNA was expressed in eight good responders (22.2%) and in 23 poor responders (95.8%). IFN-gamma mRNA was expressed in four nonatopic subjects, in nine good responders and in seven poor responders. The expression of IFN-gamma did not differ significantly among the nonatopic subjects, the good responders and the poor responders. The mRNA expression of IL-5 (P < 0.0001), but not of IL-4 (P = 0.0999) and IFN-gamma (P = 0. 7713), differed significantly between the good and poor responders. Therefore, our study has highlighted that positive expression of IL-5 mRNA in PBMCs sampled immediately before the pollen season could be predictive of a poor clinical outcome of immunotherapy during the following pollen season and that the down-regulation of IL-5 mRNA expression in PBMCs could be an important mechanism of pollen immunotherapy related to the clinical efficacy.

Actins↗

PubMed2000

Treatment with low-dose cytosine arabinoside followed by administration of macrophage colony-stimulating factor prolongs the survival of patients with RAEB, RAEB-T, or leukemic phase myelodysplastic syndrome: a pilot study.

The treatment of patients with aggressive subclasses of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) remains a challenge. In an effort to improve the survival of patients with refractory anemia with excess blasts (RAEB), RAEB in transformation (RAEB-t), or acute myelogenous leukemia transformed from MDS (MDS-AML), we conducted a small trial in which 28 such patients were treated with low-dose cytosine arabinoside (LDAraC) followed by administration of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF). The overall rate of response to the treatment was 61%, including 39% with a complete response, which is higher than rates obtained in previous studies in which LDAraC alone was administered to patients with MDS. Median survival was 23.5 months in cases of RAEB, 16.7 months in cases of RAEB-t, and 19.7 months in cases of MDS-AML. The overall survival of the study group appeared to be prolonged in comparison with a historical control group of patients treated with LDAraC alone. It is suggested that M-CSF added to the administration of LDAraC plays an active role in the therapy. No therapy-related death occurred. Some unique actions of M-CSF were suggested in this trial. It is concluded that therapy with LDAraC + M-CSF is a useful treatment option for patients with aggressive subclasses of MDS and MDS-AML to provide better response and survival.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Up-regulation of nuclear PP1alpha and PP1delta in hepatoma cells.

Activities of nuclear type 1 protein phosphatase (PP1) were significantly elevated in human HepG2 and rat AH13 hepatoma cells compared with primary cultured hepatocytes. We examined and compared the nuclear PP1 activities during the cell cycle between synchronized HepG2 cells and HGF-stimulated hepatocytes. Nuclear PP1 activity was significantly and more elevated at the G1/S transition in hepatoma cells compared with hepatocytes, although the amounts of PP1 isoforms remained constant. On the contrary, it was found that the basal levels of nuclear PP1 activity were significantly higher in hepatoma cells and that the amounts of PP1alpha and PP1delta were dramatically increased in the nuclear fraction of hepatoma cells.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Clinical role of soluble adhesion molecules during immunotherapy for perennial allergic rhinitis.

BACKGROUND: Soluble forms of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) have recently been identified in serum samples from atopic patients, but their clinical significance in the treatment of allergic diseases remains to be established. OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical roles of serum sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1 during immunotherapy for perennial allergic rhinitis. DESIGN: Our study included 30 nonatopic volunteers and 60 patients with perennial allergic rhinitis due to Dermatophagoides farinae. The 60 patients had been treated for variable periods (7.3+/-3.0 years [mean+/-SD]) with immunotherapy using a standardized D. farinae antigen. Serum samples were collected from each patient before and after immunotherapy to determine sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1 with sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. RESULTS: Serum levels of sICAM-1 in the patients before immunotherapy were higher than those in the nonatopic volunteers (P<.001). The levels of sICAM-1 in the patients' serum samples were decreased significantly after immunotherapy (P<.001), and the percentage of the decrease in the sICAM-1 levels was significantly correlated with the duration of immunotherapy (P=.04) and with the percentage of the decrease in symptom scores (P<.001). The levels of sVCAM-1 in the serum samples from the patients with severe symptoms were significantly higher before immunotherapy than those in the nonatopic volunteers (P=.002) and were significantly decreased after immunotherapy (P=.05). However, the percentage of the decrease in the sVCAM-1 levels was not correlated with the duration of immunotherapy (P=.89) or with the percentage of the decrease in symptom scores (P=.89). CONCLUSION: Decrease in serum sICAM-1 levels during immunotherapy is probably involved in the working mechanisms of immunotherapy, but modulation of serum sVCAM-1 levels is not likely related to the clinical effect of immunotherapy.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Serologic study of the working mechanisms of immunotherapy for children with perennial allergic rhinitis.

BACKGROUND: Recent double-blind placebo-controlled trials have clearly shown the efficacy of immunotherapy for perennial allergic rhinitis. However, the exact working mechanisms related to the clinical effect of immunotherapy remain unclear. OBJECTIVES: To monitor the changes over time in immunologic parameters in children who received immunotherapy for perennial allergic rhinitis, and to elucidate the working mechanisms of immunotherapy related to its clinical efficacy. DESIGN: Nineteen children with perennial allergic rhinitis due to Dermatophagoides farinae enrolled in this prospective open study. Venous blood was collected to determine levels of specific IgE, specific IgG4, soluble interleukin 2 receptor, interleukin 4, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1, and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 at enrollment and 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10 years after enrollment. RESULTS: Immunotherapy affected serum levels of specific IgE, specific IgG4, soluble interleukin 2 receptor, interleukin 4, and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1, but not soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1. The rates of increase of levels of specific IgG4 and the rates of decrease of levels of soluble interleukin 2 receptor were correlated with the rates of decrease of symptom scores during the first 3 years of treatment, but not after 5 years. The rates of decrease in levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 were correlated with the rates of decrease in symptom scores at 3 and 5 years after the beginning of the course of immunotherapy. The rates of decrease in levels of specific IgE and interleukin 4 were correlated with the rates of decrease in symptom scores after 5 and 10 years of treatment, but not during the first 3 years. CONCLUSION: Each modulation in levels of specific IgE, specific IgG4, soluble interleukin 2 receptor, interleukin 4, and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 contributed to the clinical effect of immunotherapy in particular phases of treatment for children with perennial allergic rhinitis.

Anti-Asthmatic Agents↗

PubMed1998

The clinical role of specific IgE and IgG4 antibodies in patients having immunotherapy for seasonal allergic rhinitis.

This study was designed to investigate the clinical role of specific IgG4 and IgE responses in patients during immunotherapy for seasonal allergy. The study included 109 patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis due to Japanese cedar pollens. They were divided into the control group and the immunotherapy group. Serum samples were obtained at the start of immunotherapy, before the pollen season and during the season, to determine serum specific IgE and IgG4. In the control group specific IgE was significantly increased, but specific IgG4 was not changed during the pollen season. In the immunotherapy group specific IgE was not significantly increased, but specific IgG4 was significantly increased during the season. In the patients having immunotherapy for 2 years or less, the seasonal increase in specific IgG4 related to the magnitude of the clinical effect. In the patients having immunotherapy for 3 years or more, the seasonal increase in specific IgE related to the magnitude of the clinical effect. In conclusion, the specific IgG4 response and specific IgE response during the pollen season make a significant contribution to the clinical effect of immunotherapy. However, modulation of specific IgE and IgG4 responses out of the pollen season was unlikely to be an important phenomenon related to the clinical effect of immunotherapy.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Soluble adhesion molecules in middle ear effusions from patients with chronic otitis media with effusion.

Soluble forms of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) have been identified in the peripheral blood and other body fluids. These soluble adhesion molecules have been reported to reflect the upregulation of cell surface ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression in inflammatory diseases. The levels of soluble ICAM-1 and soluble VCAM-1 in 37 middle ear effusions from 37 patients with chronic otitis media with effusion (OME) were quantitatively determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The levels of soluble ICAM-1 in mucoid effusions were significantly higher than those in serous effusions, but the levels of soluble VCAM-1 did not differ significantly between the two types of effusion. The levels of soluble VCAM-1 in effusions from atopic patients were significantly higher than those from non-atopic patients, whereas the levels of soluble ICAM-1 in samples from atopic patients were significantly lower than those from non-atopic patients. Therefore, our data suggest that an increase in soluble VCAM-1 plays a more important role in the pathogenesis of OME in atopic patients than in non-atopic patients. In addition, soluble ICAM-1 is likely to play a more important role in the pathogenesis of OME in nonatopic patients than soluble VCAM-1.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Ten-year follow-up study of allergen-specific immunoglobulin E and immunoglobulin G4, soluble interleukin-2 receptor, interleukin-4, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 in serum of patients on immunotherapy for perennial allergic rhinitis.

Recent double-blind placebo-controlled trials for perennial allergic rhinitis have all clearly shown the efficacy of immunotherapy. Although several mechanisms for the clinical efficacy of immunotherapy have been proposed, the exact mechanisms related to the clinical effect still remain unclear. Since immunotherapy is a form of systemic treatment and its clinical benefit is likely to be, at least in part, a consequence of its systemic effects on different phases of immunological events, our study focused exclusively on several immunological parameters in serum. A total of 47 patients with perennial allergic rhinitis due to Dermatophagoides farinae enrolled in this prospective study. Venous blood was collected for determination of specific immunoglobulin (Ig)E, specific IgG4, soluble interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R), interleukin-4 (IL-4), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), six times from 20 untreated patients and 27 patients on immunotherapy, at enrolment, and 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10 years after enrollment. No specific IgE, IgG4, soluble IL-2R, IL-4 and soluble ICAM-1 levels changed significantly for a span of 10 years in the untreated patients. By contrast, immunotherapy affected serum levels of specific IgE, specific IgG4, soluble IL-2R, IL-4 and soluble ICAM-1, but not of soluble VCAM-1. The rates of increase in specific IgG4 and the rates of decrease in soluble IL-2R were correlated with the rates of decrease in symptom scores during the first 3 years, but not 5 and 10 years after the course of immunotherapy. On the other hand, the rates of decrease in specific IgE, IL-4 and soluble ICAM-1 were significantly correlated with the rates of decrease in symptom scores at 5 and 10 years, but not during the first 3 years. Each immunological modulation by immunotherapy was likely to be involved in the working mechanism related to clinical efficacy at different phases of immunotherapy.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Allergen-induced synthesis of interleukin-5, but not of IgE, is a key mechanism linked to symptomatic episodes of seasonal allergic rhinitis in sensitized individuals.

Some individuals with detectable levels of Japanese cedar (Criptomeria japonica) pollen-specific immunoglobulin (Ig)E in serum have no apparent nasal symptoms during the pollen season. The response of CD4+ T-helper (Th) cells to the pollen allergen might differ fundamentally between asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals who are already sensitized to the pollen. The aim of this study was to discern the possible differences in responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to the pollen allergen between asymptomatic and symptomatic subjects who have been sensitized to the pollen. This study included 20 non-atopic healthy volunteers (non-atopic group) and 48 patients who had detectable levels of the pollen-specific IgE before the pollen season in 1997. In the review of nasal symptoms during the pollen season 1997, 24 patients had typical symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis (symptomatic group), and the remainder had no seasonal aggravation of nasal symptoms (asymptomatic group). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (1.0 x 10(7) cells/well) were obtained from each individual during the pollen season and cultured in the absence or presence of 12.5 microg of Cry j 1 for 4 days. The concentrations of IgE, interleukin-5 (IL-5), and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in the culture supernatants were measured. The levels of IgE produced by Cry j 1-stimulated PBMCs of the asymptomatic and symptomatic groups were significantly higher than those of the non-atopic group, but did not differ between the asymptomatic and symptomatic groups. The levels of IL-5 produced by Cry j 1-stimulated PBMCs did not differ significantly between the non-atopic group and the asymptomatic group, but the levels of IL-5 were significantly higher in the symptomatic group than in the asymptomatic group as well as the non-atopic group. The levels of IFN-gamma produced by Cry j 1-stimulated PBMCs did not differ significantly among the three groups. In conclusion, our study has suggested that Japanese cedar pollen-induced synthesis of IL-5, but not of IgE or IFN-gamma, is likely to be a key mechanism linked to the symptomatic episode of seasonal allergic rhinitis in individuals sensitized to the pollen.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Immunotherapy suppresses both Th1 and Th2 responses by allergen stimulation, but suppression of the Th2 response is a more important mechanism related to the clinical efficacy of immunotherapy for perennial allergic rhinitis.

Increased attention has recently been directed at the possibility that the clinical efficacy of immunotherapy might be elaborated by alteration of T-cell reactivity. However, there is no general agreement among different investigators regarding the effect of immunotherapy on Th-cell reactivity. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 15 nonatopic subjects and 76 patients with perennial allergic rhinitis (18 untreated patients and 58 patients on immunotherapy) were cultured in the absence and in the presence of a major Dermatophagoides farinae allergen, Der f 1, and the levels of IgE, interleukin-5 (IL-5), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in the culture supernatants were determined. The difference between the absence and presence of Der f 1 was calculated to consider the Der f 1-dependent synthesis of IgE, IL-5, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha. The levels of Der f 1-dependent synthesis of IgE, IL-5 and TNF-alpha were significantly higher in the untreated group than in the nonatopic group, whereas Der f 1-dependent synthesis of IFN-gamma was significantly lower in the untreated group than in the nonatopic group. Immunotherapy decreased the enhanced Der f 1-dependent synthesis of IgE, IL-5 and TNF-alpha, and further decreased the suppressed Der f 1-dependent synthesis of IFN-gamma as the therapy proceeded. The levels of Der f 1-dependent synthesis of IgE and IL-5 did not differ between nonatopic individuals and patients whose duration of immunotherapy was 10 or more years. The levels of Der f 1-dependent synthesis of IgE and IL-5, but not of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha, were correlated significantly with the levels of symptom scores. In addition, the levels of Der f 1-dependent synthesis of IgE and IL-5, but not of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha, differed significantly between good and poor responders. In conclusion, immunotherapy for perennial allergic rhinitis may possibly work via induction of tolerance or anergy of both Th1- and Th2 cells. However, our study is likely to support a view that the mechanisms responsible for the clinically beneficial effects of immunotherapy principally involve the tolerance of Th2- rather than Th1 cells. In addition, suppression of IgE synthesis is also likely to be linked to the clinical efficacy of immunotherapy for perennial allergic rhinitis.

Allergens↗

PubMed1998

Seasonal rise in interleukin-4 during pollen season is related to seasonal rise in specific IgE for pollens but not for mites.

Since IL-4 plays a key role in inducing and increasing the generation of not only primary polyclonal but also secondary specific IgE responses by B lymphocytes, a seasonal increase in IL-4 is likely to be involved in such seasonal rises in specific IgE in seasonal allergic rhinitis. The first aim of this study was to investigate the possible seasonal increase in serum IL-4 in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis due to Japanese cedar pollens. If serum IL-4 increases in response to seasonal pollen exposure and is responsible for the seasonal increase in pollen-specific IgE in sera, this increase in IL-4 might theoretically affect specific IgE synthesis for other allergens. The second aim was to investigate the effect of natural pollen exposure on serum concentrations of house dust mite-specific IgE in patients who have seasonal allergic rhinitis and concurrent perennial allergic rhinitis due to house dust mites. This study included 55 adult patients with seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis due to Japanese cedar pollens and Dermatophagoides farinae (D. farinae). Venous blood was collected twice from each patient, before and during the cedar pollen season 1996, to determine IL-4, cedar pollen-specific IgE and D. farinae-specific IgE in sera. Both IL-4 and pollen-specific IgE in sera were significantly increased during the pollen season, and the seasonal increase rate in pollen-specific IgE was significantly correlated with the seasonal increase rate in IL-4. By contrast, D. farinae-specific IgE was not changed during the pollen season in these patients. In conclusion, an elevation of IL-4 in sera during the pollen season may play an important part in the seasonal rise in pollen-specific IgE, and enhancement of specific IgE synthesis is likely to need not only an increase in IL-4 but also an increase in the number and/or capacity of specific IgE-secreting B cells.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 in perennial allergic rhinitis.

Since the expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) on endothelial cells plays a central part in the selective recruitment of eosinophils into allergic inflammatory lesions, VCAM-1 may be a key molecule in allergic inflammatory diseases. Soluble forms of VCAM-1 (sVCAM-1) have recently been identified in the circulation, but there is limited published information on levels of sVCAM-1 in the circulation. If the levels of sVCAM-1 vary between patients with allergic diseases and normal controls, this variance would be very useful to investigate the state of the allergic disease and underlying inflammation. This study investigated the serum sVCAM-1 level in patients with perennial allergic rhinitis (rhinitis group) in comparison with non-atopic healthy volunteers (control group). No significant difference in the serum sVCAM-1 level was seen between the two groups (p = 0.4342). However, the serum sVCAM-1 levels in the severe rhinitis group were significantly higher than those in both the control group (p = 0.0067) and the mild rhinitis group (p = 0.0015), whereas no significant difference was observed between the mild rhinitis group and the control group (p = 0.1113). In addition, the serum levels of sVCAM-1 were significantly correlated with the nasal symptoms in the rhinitis group (rs = 0.486, p < 0.0001). In conclusion, serum concentrations of sVCAM-1 are increased in patients with severe perennial allergic rhinitis, and measurement of sVCAM-1 concentrations in sera is likely to be a useful tool for investigation of the severity of allergic rhinitis and underlying inflammatory reactions.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Suppression of seasonal increase in serum interleukin-5 is linked to the clinical efficacy of immunotherapy for seasonal allergic rhinitis.

Although immunotherapy is recognized as a highly effective form of treatment for allergic rhinitis, especially pollen-induced seasonal allergic rhinitis, the mechanisms have not been fully established. In the present study, we investigated whether immunotherapy could affect the seasonal increase in interleukin-5 (IL-5) in the serum of patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis and whether the effect on IL-5 in serum is related to the clinical efficacy of immunotherapy. Venous blood was collected twice from each patient with seasonal allergic rhinitis due to Japanese cedar pollens, before and during the cedar pollen season in 1997, to determine the cedar pollen-specific IgE and IL-5 in serum. Both specific IgE and IL-5 in serum were significantly increased during the pollen season, not only in the poor responders to antihistamines but also in the good responders. Neither the rate of seasonal increase in specific IgE nor the rate of seasonal increase in IL-5 differed significantly between the good responders and the poor responders to antihistamines. Both specific IgE and IL-5 were significantly increased during the pollen season in the poor responders to immunotherapy, whereas neither specific IgE nor IL-5 was increased during the pollen season in the good responders to immunotherapy. The rate of seasonal increase in specific IgE as well as IL-5 was significantly smaller in the good responders than in the poor responders to immunotherapy. The rates of seasonal increase in specific IgE and in IL-5 were inversely correlated with the length of time on immunotherapy. However, the rate of seasonal increase in specific IgE was not significantly correlated with the rate of seasonal increase in IL-5. In conclusion, the suppression of the seasonal increase in IL-5 in serum is a working mechanism of immunotherapy related to the clinical efficacy of the treatment.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Seasonal changes in phytohemagglutinin-induced cytokine synthesis by peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis due to Japanese cedar pollens.

We investigated the seasonal changes in non-specific stimulation-induced cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis due to Japanese cedar pollen. This study included 16 non-allergic healthy adult volunteers and 115 patients with detectable levels of Japanese cedar pollen-specific IgE in their serum. The 115 patients were divided into five groups, an asymptomatic group (specific IgE was positive but there were no nasal symptoms), a medication group (typical symptoms of Japanese cedar pollinosis and treated with antihistamine tablets), a good-IT group (responded well to immunotherapy), a poor-IT group (responded poorly to immunotherapy) and a cure group (no symptoms after discontinuation of immunotherapy). PBMCs (1.0 x 10(6) cells/ml) were collected before and during the cedar pollen season in 1998, and were cultured for 24 h in the presence of 10 micrograms/ml phytohemagglutinin. The concentrations of IL-4, IL-5 and IFN-gamma in the culture supernatants were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. None of the levels of IL-4, IL-5 and IFN-gamma synthesized by PBMCs in the asymptomatic group, medication group, good-IT group, poor-IT group or cure group were significantly different from those in the non-atopic group. In the medication group, the synthesis of TH2-type cytokines (both IL-4 and IL-5), but not of TH1-type cytokine (IFN-gamma) was significantly increased during the pollen season compared with before the pollen season, whereas in the non-atopic group, the synthesis of IL-4, IL-5 and IFN-gamma did not differ significantly before and during the pollen season. The synthesis of both IL-4 and IL-5 was significantly increased during the pollen season in the poor-IT group, whereas the synthesis of IL-4 and IL-5 was not increased during the pollen season in the good-IT or cure groups. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that T-cell reactivity to non-specific stimulation outside of the pollen season did not differ between the patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis and non-atopic individuals, that T-cells in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis are affected or primed by the natural pollen exposure to synthesize TH2-type cytokines even in response to non-specific stimulation, and that successful immunotherapy could decrease the natural pollen exposure-primed hyperreactivity of TH2 cells to non-specific stimulants.

Adult↗