Biomedical subjects

Y Park

Publications and source records attributed to Y Park.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed2001

Evaluation of the efficacy of the combination of multiple autoantibodies to islet-specific antigens in Korean type 1 diabetic patients.

With the recent cloning and recombinant expression of novel islet autoantigens, it is possible to investigate whether the quantitative expression of autoantibodies to these molecules is correlated with the semiquantitative titration of islet cell antibodies (ICA). To estimate the regional difference in the degree of association between these autoantibodies, autoantibodies reacting with ICA512/IA-2 (ICA512) and GAD65 in addition to ICA were analyzed in 131 Korean children with type 1 diabetes. Among the 131 type 1 diabetes patients, 36% was ICA512-positive, 56% was anti-GAD65-positive, and 43% was ICA-positive. However, in a subset of these with recent onset (<1 year), the prevalences of ICA512, anti-GAD65, and ICA were 75%, 75%, and 87.5%, respectively. ICA512 as well as anti-GAD65 were significantly associated with the presence of ICA. Among type 1 diabetes patients, 69% had one or more and 43% had two or more of these autoantibodies. Autoantibodies to ICA512 and anti-GAD65 were observed in 40 and in 41 of 56 ICA-positive subjects, respectively. Furthermore, ICA512 or anti-GAD65 were positive in 97% (34 of 35) and 100% (22 of 22) of patients with ICA levels > or =20 JDF-u and > or =40 JDF-u, respectively. The titer of ICA correlated with those of ICA512 (r=0.41, p<0.001) and anti-GAD65 (r=0.49, p<0.001). Both the prevalences and the titers of ICA512 or anti-GAD65 were strongly correlated with those of ICA even in Korean type 1 diabetes patients. ICA512 and anti-GAD65 in combination may be considered to be an alternative to ICA.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Measurement of human chylomicron triglyceride clearance with a labeled commercial lipid emulsion.

Human chylomicron triglyceride (TG) kinetics has been difficult to determine directly owing to technical limitations. This report describes a new method for studying chylomicron metabolism. Healthy volunteers (n = 10) sipped a drink providing 175 mg fat x kg(-1) h(-1) for 7.5 h to produce a steady-state chylomicronemia. A commercial 10% intravenous lipid emulsion was labeled with [3H]triolein, purified by high-performance liquid chromatography, and sterilized. A trace amount of labeled emulsion was injected intravenously 30 min before (i.e., in the fasting state) and 5, 6, and 7 h after sipping began (i.e., triplicate determinations in the fed state). Chylomicron half-lives were calculated from the monoexponential decay curves, and apparent distribution volumes were estimated by back-extrapolation to time zero. Plasma and estimated chylomicron TG concentrations increased from 89+/-13 and 0.8+/-0.3 to 263+/-43 and 91+/-39 mg/dL (mean +/- SEM), respectively, with feeding. Tracer-determined chylomicron TG half-lives were 5.34+/-0.58 and 6.51+/-0.58 min during the fasting and fed states, respectively (P < 0.01). The apparent distribution volume during the fasting state was 24% greater than plasma volume (4515+/-308 vs. 3630+/-78 mL, P < 0.02), consistent with significant margination of lipid emulsion particles to endothelial binding sites. Margination was reduced during the fed state, suggesting that native chylomicrons competed with lipid emulsion particles for endothelial lipoprotein lipase. The results indicate that a radiolabeled commercial lipid emulsion is metabolized in a fashion similar to native chylomicron TG, and thus can be used to study chylomicron TG kinetics.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Trans-10,cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid reduces triglyceride content while differentially affecting peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma2 and aP2 expression in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes.

A series of experiments was conducted using 3T3-L1 preadipocytes as the cell model to determine: (i) whether the triglyceride (TG)-lowering effects of a crude mixture of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers were due to a specific isomer of CLA and the timing of treatment, (ii) if CLA reduced TG content by inhibiting a key regulator of adipogenesis, (iii) if CLA incorporated into either neutral lipid or phospholipid cell fractions, and (iv) whether the effects of CLA treatment were reversible. Trans-10,cis-12 CLA reduced TG content, whereas the cis-9,trans-11 isomer increased TG content compared to vehicle [bovine serum albumin (BSA)] controls. Treatment with 50 microM trans-10,cis-12 CLA during the entire 6 d of differentiation reduced TG content to a greater extent than treatment during either the first 3 d or last 3 d of differentiation. Trans-10,cis-12 CLA treatment of preadipocyte cultures for 48 h increased peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma2 (PPARgamma2) protein expression compared to cultures treated with linoleic acid (LA) or the BSA controls. CLA had no effect on adipose P2 (aP2), a fatty acid-binding protein regulated by PPARgamma2. Both the cis-9,trans-11 and the trans-10,cis-12 isomers of CLA were incorporated into neutral lipids and phospholipids. However, cis-9,trans-11 CLA levels were one- to twofold higher than trans-10,cis-12 CLA levels. Moreover, trans-10,cis-12 CLA treatment reduced cis-11 18:1 concentrations in both neutral lipids and phospholipids while increasing cis-9 18:1 and 18:2 concentrations. Palmitoleic acid (16:1) levels were also lower in the neutral lipid fraction of cultures treated with trans-10,cis-12 CLA. Supplementing trans-10,cis-12 CLA-treated cultures (50 microM) with increasing levels of LA resulted in a dose-dependent increase in TG content compared to cultures treated with 50 microM CLA alone. LA supplementation also prevented some of the morphological changes associated with trans-10,cis-12 CLA treatment as seen with scanning electron microscopy. Treatment with 50 microM trans-10,cis-12 CLA for 6 d decreased PPARgamma2 levels, and supplementation of CLA-treated cultures with LA increased PPARgamma2 levels compared with cultures treated with CLA alone. Taken together, these data indicate that in cultures of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes: (i) trans-10,cis-12 CLA is the TG-lowering isomer of CLA, and its effects are dependent on dose, duration of treatment, and the amount of LA in the cultures; (ii) trans-10,cis-12 CLA treatment alters the monounsaturated fatty acid profile of neutral- and phospholipids of the cultures; and (iii) although acute (2-d) trans-10,cis-12 CLA treatment increased PPARgamma2 protein levels, chronic (6-d) treatment decreased PPARgamma2 levels.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed2001

The biologically active isomers of conjugated linoleic acid.

Numerous physiological effects are attributed to conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). The purpose of this presentation is to consider these effects with respect to the cis-9,trans-11 and trans-10,cis-12 CLA isomers. We review previously published data and present new findings that relate to underlying biochemical mechanisms of action. Both isomers are natural products. The cis-9,trans-11 isomer is the principal dietary form of CLA, but the concentrations of this isomer and the trans-10,cis-12 isomer in dairy products or beef vary depending on the diet fed to cows or steers, respectively. The trans-10,cis-12 CLA isomer exerts specific effects on adipocytes, in particular reducing the uptake of lipid by inhibiting the activities of lipoprotein lipase and stearoyl-CoA desaturase. The trans-10,cis-12 CLA isomer also affects lipid metabolism in cultured Hep-G2 human liver cells, whereas both the cis-9,trans-11 and trans-10,cis-12 CLA isomers appear to be active in inhibiting carcinogenesis in animal models. We present new findings indicating that the cis-9,trans-11 CLA isomer enhances growth and probably feed efficiency in young rodents. Accordingly, the effects of CLA on body composition (induced by trans-10,cis-12 CLA) and growth/feed efficiency (induced by cis-9,trans-11 CLA) appear to be due to separate biochemical mechanisms. We also show that a 19-carbon CLA cognate (conjugated nonadecadienoic acid, CNA) inhibits lipoprotein lipase activity as effectively as CLA in cultured 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Presumably, CNA is metabolized differently than the 18-carbon CLA isomers, so this finding indicates direct activity of the administered compound as opposed to acting via a metabolite.

Adipocytes↗

PubMed2001

Absence of mutation in the region (nt. 710-1010) of pbp4 gene in clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus with low-level teicoplanin resistance.

Resistance to teicoplanin in clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus has increased in frequency. Detection is difficult due to heterogeneous phenotypes of these strains. Two mutations in pbp4 have recently been identified in glycopeptide resistant laboratory strains. We investigated to determine if these mutations could be used to screen clinical isolates for teicoplanin resistance. Of 41 clinical isolates screened, none contained the mutations in pbp4 indicating these mutations cannot be used as a molecular diagnostic tool for glycopeptide resistance.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

PubMed2001

A synthesis procedure for associative memories based on space-varying cellular neural networks.

In this paper, we consider the problem of realizing associative memories via space-varying CNNs (cellular neural networks). Based on some known results and a newly derived theorem for the CNN model, we propose a synthesis procedure for obtaining a space-varying CNN that can store given bipolar vectors with certain desirable properties. The major part of our synthesis procedure consists of solving generalized eigenvalue problems and/or linear matrix inequality problems, which can be efficiently solved by recently developed interior point methods. The validity of the proposed approach is illustrated by a design example.

Memory↗

PubMed2001

Role of proline, glycerol, and heparin as protein folding aids during refolding of rabbit muscle creatine kinase.

Aggregation of 3 M guanidine hydrochloride denatured creatine kinase (ATP: creatine N-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.3.2) occurs after dilution into the refolding solution. Proline, glycerol and heparin sodium act as folding aids which can effectively inhibit aggregation of creatine kinase during refolding. Proline at 1 M concentration, glycerol at 10% concentration and heparin at 25 mg/ml not only completely prevented creatine kinase aggregation but also enabled the creatine kinase to return to its native state as well as to recover most of its native activity. The reactivity after the aggregation was completely blocked by the presence of each folding aid reached 65-80% of the native activity. Results of turbidity, activity, intrinsic fluorescence and 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonate binding fluorescence measurements suggested that the effect of heparin differs from that of proline and glycerol in its artificial chaperone-like behavior. Heparin may bind with creatine kinase both in the native state and during the refolding course. The results showed that this heparin-creatine kinase complex favorably restored the creatine kinase reactivity.

Anilino Naphthalenesulfonates↗

PubMed2001

Comparison of methylation procedures for conjugated linoleic acid and artifact formation by commercial (trimethylsilyl) diazomethane.

Four different methods for methylating conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) were compared. The HCl/MeOH and BF(3)/MeOH methods were tested under different time and temperature combinations. Increasing temperature and/or incubation time for either method decreased the cis-9,trans-11 and trans-10,cis-12 isomers, but trans-9,trans-11/trans-10,trans-12 isomers and artifacts (allylic methoxide) were increased. In addition, the triacylglyceride form of CLA was tested using the above methods and NaOMe at various temperatures for 20 min. The NaOMe did not generate methoxy artifacts. However, there were impurities in GC after methylation with NaOMe as well as with BF(3)/MeOH. The (trimethylsilyl)diazomethane method, which is a mild and easy alternative, was tested. Free forms of fatty acids were easily, but not completely, methylated by this method. Also, the method generated artifacts (trimethylsilyl CLA esters) and impurities (trimethylsilyl) that would interfere with short-chain fatty-acid analysis by GC.

Artifacts↗

PubMed2001

Decreased circulating levels of estrogen alter vaginal and clitoral blood flow and structure in the rabbit.

Aging and menopause related decline in circulating levels of estrogen has been shown to adversely affect female sexual arousal function. Our aim was to study the effects of circulating levels of estrogen on the hemodynamic mechanism of vaginal and clitoral engorgement and on the structure of the vaginal and clitoral cavernosal tissue in the rabbit. New Zealand White female rabbits (3.5-4 kg) were randomly divided into three groups with five rabbits in each group: control; bilateral oophorectomy; bilateral oophorectomy undergoing subcutaneous injection of estrogen (40 microg/kg/day). After 6 weeks, the serum levels of 17 beta-estradiol were measured and systemic blood pressure was monitored. Vaginal and clitoral cavernosal blood flows were measured with laser Doppler flowmeter before and after pelvic nerve stimulation. Cross sections of the clitoris and vagina were processed for histologic examination and histomorphometric image analysis. Serum level of 17 beta-estradiol (pg/ml; mean+/-s.d.) revealed a significant decrease in the oophorectomy group (25.4+/-5.1) compared with the control (38.5+/-7.6) and estrogen replacement (115.9+/-57.3) groups (P<0.05). Nerve stimulation-induced peak vaginal and clitoral intracavernosal blood flows in the oophorectomy group (28.9+/-16.3 and 6.1+/-1.4, respectively) were significantly less than those recorded in the control (48.9+/-6.5 and 11.0+/-2.4, respectively) or estrogen replacement (48.7+/-12.2 and 10.1+/-2.8, respectively) group (P<0.05). In histology, marked thinning of the vaginal epithelial layers, decreased vaginal submucosal microvasculature, and diffuse clitoral cavernosal fibrosis were evident in the oophorectomy group but not in the estrogen supplement and control groups. In histomorphometry, the percentage of clitoral cavernosal smooth muscle in the oophorectomy group (49.6+/-6.2) was significantly decreased compared with the control (56.8+/-2.6) and estrogen replacement (58+/-3.0) groups (P<0.05). Our studies show that decline in circulating levels of estrogen impairs the hemodynamic mechanism of vaginal and clitoral engorgement and leads to histopathologic changes in the vagina and clitoral cavernosal tissue. These observations suggest that decreased circulating levels of estrogen, a physiologic change in the menopausal state, may play a role in the development of female sexual arousal dysfunction.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Searching the Porphyromonas gingivalis genome with peptide fragmentation mass spectra.

An approach is described for genomic database searching based on experimentally observed proteolytic fragments, e.g., isolated from 1D or 2D gels or analyzed directly, that can be applied to unfinished prokaryotic genomic data in the absence of annotations or previously assigned open reading frames (ORFs). This variation on the database search is in contrast to the more familiar use of peptide mass spectral fragmentation data to search fully annotated inferred protein databases, e.g., OWL or SWISS-PROT. We compared the SEQUEST search results from a six reading frame translation of the Porphyromonas gingivalis genome DNA sequence with those from computationally derived ORFs created using publicly available genomics software tools. The ORF approach eliminated many of the artifacts present in output from the six reading frame search. The method was applied to uninterpreted tandem mass spectrometric data derived from proteins secreted by the periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis in response to the gingival epithelial cell environment, a model system for the study of host-pathogen interactions relevant to human periodontal disease.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed2001

The enhanced effect of a hexameric deoxyriboguanosine run conjugation to CpG oligodeoxynucleotides on protection against allergic asthma.

BACKGROUND: Oligodeoxynucleotides containing a CpG motif (CpG ODNs), as potent inducers of T(H)1 immunity, are considered promising candidates for immune modulation in asthma. We have previously demonstrated that conjugation of a hexameric deoxyriboguanosine run to the 3' terminus (3' dG(6)-run) of phosphodiester (PE) CpG ODNs enhanced their immuno-stimulatory activities in vitro. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a 3' dG(6)-run conjugation to PE or phosphorothioate (PS) CpG ODNs on protection against murine allergic asthma in vivo. METHODS: Balb/c mice were sensitized to ovalbumin by intraperitoneal injection with or without CpG ODNs (PS CpG ODNs, PE CpG ODNs, and those with 3' dG(6)-run) and subsequently challenged with ovalbumin. We evaluated airway hyperresponsiveness, eosinophil proportion in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, airway inflammation, and ovalbumin-specific antibody responses. RESULTS: The conjugation of a 3' dG(6)-run to PE CpG ODNs enhanced the production of IFN-gamma from ovalbumin-specific T(H) cells and prevented the development of asthma in terms of airway hyperresponsiveness, airway eosinophilia, and ovalbumin-specific IgE responses; these effects were comparable to those of PS CpG ODNs. Enhanced effects of the 3' dG(6)-run were also observed in PS CpG ODNs, though they were lower than those in PE CpG ODNs. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that conjugation of a 3' dG(6)-run to CpG ODNs might provide an effective method for immune modulation of allergic asthma.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Immunological characterization of a mucin-associated protein from hamster tracheal epithelial cell culture.

Airway mucins are high molecular mass (>10(6) dalton) glycoproteins with various types of associated molecules including glycoproteins, lipoproteins, and lipids. The study of mucin-associated proteins is limited largely due to the lack of specific probes. In this study, we produced a monoclonal antibody, MAbHT10, against a 190-kDa mucin associated-protein by immunizing mice with hamster airway mucin purified in nondissociative condition. Using HT10, the 190-kDa mucin-associated protein was characterized immunologically. The 190-kDa mucin-associated protein is glycoprotein and HT10 recognized carbohydrate containing portion of the protein. The association of 190-kDa protein with mucin is strong enough that heat and detergent treatment is required to dissociate it from mucin as evidenced by gel filtration chromatography, Western blot, enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA), and co-immunoprecipitation. The expression of the 190-kDa protein is increased with the development of hamster tracheal epithelial cells in culture, but showed differences with the pattern of the regulation of mucin expression. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a known strong mucin secretagogue, dose-dependently increased mucin release but caused only marginal increase in the release of the 190-kDa protein. The MAb should be useful in the structural and functional analysis of the 190-kDa mucin-associated proteins in physiological and pathological situations such as chronic airway diseases.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

PubMed2001

Signaling system in Porphyromonas gingivalis based on a LuxS protein.

The luxS gene of quorum-sensing Vibrio harveyi is required for type 2 autoinducer production. We identified a Porphyromonas gingivalis open reading frame encoding a predicted peptide of 161 aa that shares 29% identity with the amino acid sequence of the LuxS protein of V. harveyi. Conditioned medium from a late-log-phase P. gingivalis culture induced the luciferase operon of V. harveyi, but that from a luxS insertional mutant did not. In P. gingivalis, the expression of luxS mRNA was environmentally controlled and varied according to the cell density and the osmolarity of the culture medium. In addition, differential display PCR showed that the inactivation of P. gingivalis luxS resulted in up-regulation of a hemin acquisition protein and an arginine-specific protease and reduced expression of a hemin-regulated protein, a TonB homologue, and an excinuclease. The data suggest that the luxS gene in P. gingivalis may function to control the expression of genes involved in the acquisition of hemin.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2001

Intrachromatid excision of telomeric DNA as a mechanism for telomere size control in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

We have previously identified a process in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae that results in the contraction of elongated telomeres to wild-type length within a few generations. We have termed this process telomeric rapid deletion (TRD). In this study, we use a combination of physical and genetic assays to investigate the mechanism of TRD. First, to distinguish among several recombinational and nucleolytic pathways, we developed a novel physical assay in which HaeIII restriction sites are positioned within the telomeric tract. Specific telomeres were subsequently tested for HaeIII site movement between telomeres and for HaeIII site retention during TRD. Second, genetic analyses have demonstrated that mutations in RAD50 and MRE11 inhibit TRD. TRD, however, is independent of the Rap1p C-terminal domain, a central regulator of telomere size control. Our results provide evidence that TRD is an intrachromatid deletion process in which sequences near the extreme terminus invade end-distal sequences and excise the intervening sequences. We propose that the Mre11p-Rad50p-Xrs2p complex prepares the invading telomeric overhang for strand invasion, possibly through end processing or through alterations in chromatin structure.

Chromatids↗

PubMed2001

even skipped is required to produce a trans-acting signal for larval neuroblast proliferation that can be mimicked by ecdysone.

Development of a multicellular organism requires precise coordination of cell division and cell type determination. The selector homeoprotein Even skipped (Eve) plays a very specific role in determining cell identity in the Drosophila embryo, both during segmentation and in neuronal development. However, studies of gene expression in eve mutant embryos suggest that eve regulates the embryonic expression of the vast majority of genes. We present here genetic interaction and phenotypic analysis showing that eve functions in the trol pathway to regulate the onset of neuroblast division in the larval CNS. Surprisingly, Eve is not detected in the regulated neuroblasts, and culture experiments reveal that Eve is required in the body, not the CNS. Furthermore, the effect of an eve mutation can be rescued both in vivo and in culture by the hormone ecdysone. These results suggest that eve is required to produce a trans-acting factor that stimulates cell division in the larval brain.

Alleles↗

PubMed2001

Identification, sequence and expression of a crustacean cardioactive peptide (CCAP) gene in the moth Manduca sexta.

The crustacean cardioactive peptide (CCAP) gene was isolated from the tobacco hawkmoth Manduca sexta. The gene has an open reading frame of 125 amino acid residues containing a single, complete copy of CCAP. Analysis of the gene structure revealed three introns interrupting the coding region. A comparison of the M. sexta CCAP gene with the Drosophila melanogaster genome database reveals significant similarities in sequence and gene structure. The spatial and temporal expression patterns of the CCAP gene in the M. sexta central nervous system were determined in all major post-embryonic stages using in situ hybridization techniques. The CCAP gene is expressed in a total of 116 neurons in the post-embryonic M. sexta central nervous system. Nine pairs of cells are observed in the brain, 4.5 pairs in the subesophageal ganglion, three pairs in each thoracic ganglion (T1-T3), three pairs in the first abdominal ganglion (A1), five pairs each in the second to sixth abdominal ganglia (A2-A6) and 7.5 pairs in the terminal ganglion. The CCAP gene is expressed in every ganglion in each post-embryonic stage, except in the thoracic ganglia of first- and second-instar larvae. The number of cells expressing the CCAP gene varies during post-embryonic life, starting at 52 cells in the first instar and reaching a maximum of 116 shortly after pupation. One set of thoracic neurons expressing CCAP mRNA shows unusual variability in expression levels immediately prior to larval ecdysis. Using previously published CCAP immunocytochemical data, it was determined that 91 of 95 CCAP-immunopositive neurons in the M. sexta central nervous system also express the M. sexta CCAP gene, indicating that there is likely to be only a single CCAP gene in M. sexta.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2001

Optimization of tylosin feeding rate profile in production of acetyl-isovaleryl tylosin (AIV) from tylosin by Streptomyces thermotolerans YN554.

An optimal feed rate profile of a substrate (tylosin) for a novel antibiotic, acetyl-isovaleryl tylosin (AIV) production process was investigated. In the first step of optimization, a kinetic model for production of AIV from tylosin by Streptomyces thermotolerans was established properly using the least square method, followed by the confirmation that the proposed model could be used to predict the production process of AIV from tylosin. An objective function, state equations and an inequality constraint with respect to the tylosin feeding rate profile were applied to maximize the amount of AIV produced from tylosin in a fed-batch culture. The optimized tylosin feeding rate profile was determined using a direct iterative search algorithm based on the modified complex method. The simulation of AIV production at the optimal tylosin feeding profile indicates that the final amount of AIV is expected to be about 30% higher than that at the conventional constant tylosin feeding rate, which was also confirmed experimentally using a 30-l jar fermentor.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2001

Levels of interleukin-2, interferon-gamma, and interleukin-4 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from patients with Mycoplasma pneumonia: implication of tendency toward increased immunoglobulin E production.

OBJECTIVE: In connection with the possible relationship between Mycoplasma infection and the onset of asthma, several studies have shown not only a high level of serum total immunoglobulin E (IgE) but also the production of IgE specific to Mycoplasma or common allergens during the course of Mycoplasma infection. It has been suggested that the balance of T helper type 1 (TH1)/T helper type 2 (TH2) immune response may regulate the synthesis of IgE. The objective of this study was to investigate the pattern of cytokine response (TH1 or TH2) during an episode of acute lower respiratory tract infection caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae. STUDY DESIGN: Using a bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) with flexible bronchoscopy procedure, this study determined the levels of interleukin (IL)-2, interferon (IFN)-gamma (TH1), and IL-4 (TH2) in the supernatant of BAL fluid as well as the BAL cellular profiles of patients with Mycoplasma pneumonia (n = 14). These results were compared with those of patients with pneumococcal pneumonia (n = 12) or those of children with no identifiable airway infections (control group: n = 8). RESULTS: The BAL cellular profile in the Mycoplasma pneumonia group was characterized by a high percentage of neutrophils and lymphocytes. A significantly increased level of IL-2 was found in both pneumonia groups, compared with the control group. In contrast, the IFN-gamma level was not different for the 3 groups. The level of IL-4 and ratio of IL-4/IFN-gamma were significantly elevated in the Mycoplasma pneumonia group, but not in the pneumococcal pneumonia group, compared with the controls. CONCLUSIONS: IL-4 levels and IL-4/IFN-gamma ratios in BAL fluid are significantly higher in patients with Mycoplasma pneumonia than in patients with pneumococcal pneumonia or control participants. The BAL cytokine data suggest a predominant TH2-like cytokine response in Mycoplasma pneumonia, thus representing a favorable condition for IgE production.

Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid↗