OBJECTIVE We examined prospective connections among parental depressive symptoms, family dysfunction, and eosinophil activity in children with asthma. METHODS 81 children with asthma and their parents completed two laboratory visits across a 1-year period. At baseline and 1 year later, parents reported about their depressive symptoms and family dysfunction. We collected peripheral blood in ch...

BACKGROUND Eczema herpeticum (EH) is a herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection superimposed on atopic dermatitis (AD). OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between clinical features and laboratory tests, including skin cultures, total IgE, eosinophil count, eosinophil cationic protein, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25-(OH)D3), in Korean children with AD according to the ...

We evaluated the levels of mRNAs encoding cationic proteins in peripheral blood eosinophils (PBE) purified from patients with eosinophilia and in eosinophils differentiated from cord blood cells (CBC) by culture with recombinant human interleukin-3 (rhIL-3), rhGM-CSF, and rhIL-5. Messenger RNAs encoding eosinophil peroxidase (EPO), major basic protein (MBP), eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN),...

The method that we have previously reported for sputum induction involves collecting the entire expectorate produced over a 20 min inhalation of 3% saline aerosol. This method presents the potential disadvantage of a considerable and variable salivary contribution to the induced sputum sample. In this study, we examined whether separate collection of saliva and sputum represents a better method...

BACKGROUND Exercise-induced asthma (EIA) is increasingly encountered among school children in Kuwait. Available evidence has shown that inflammatory mediators may be involved in the pathogenesis of EIA. Studies on release of inflammatory mediators have been carried out in adult patients with asthma in Kuwait, but no study on EIA involving children has taken place in this region. OBJECTIVE To ...

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxins (SEs) in the serum from patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and its involvement in the condition. Thirty CRS patients without nasal polyps (CRSsNP), 40 CRS patients with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), and 30 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Peripheral blood was obtained and analyzed to measur...

Human mast cells (MCs) and eosinophils were first described and named by Paul Ehrlich. These cells have distinct myeloid progenitors and differ morphologically, ultrastructurally, immunologically, biochemically, and pharmacologically. However, MCs and eosinophils play a pivotal role in several allergic disorders. In addition, these cells are involved in autoimmune disorders, cardiovascular dise...

Although ribonucleases fold into correct tertiary conformation in vitro guided solely by information contained in the primary amino acid sequence (Sela, M., White, F. H., and Anfinsen, C. B. (1957) Science 124, 691-693), it is not clear whether folding of these proteins proceeds unassisted in a complex intracellular environment. We describe here the specific and high affinity binding of groEL, ...

The objective of this study was the evaluation of the usefulness of the nasal challenge test in the diagnosis of allergic respiratory diseases in subjects occupationally exposed to flour. A single-blind, placebo controlled study was conducted in 100 subjects with occupational atopic asthma with rhinitis. The control groups consisted of 20 atopic subjects not sensitized to investigated allergens...