ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Little data is currently available on the use of the impulse oscillometry system (IOS) parameter in analyzing the lung function of young children with cough-variant asthma (CVA) and classic asthma. The aims of this study were to evaluate the bronchial responsiveness between patients with CVA and those with classic asthma using dose-response slope and various cutoff values. METHODS: A methacholine challenge test and a pulmonary function test were performed in 43 children with classic asthma and 26 children with CVA using IOS, and the respiratory resistance (Rrs) and reactance (Xrs) were obtained. The bronchial responsiveness were assessed by provocative concentration causing an 80% fall from baseline in reactance at 5 Hz (PC80_Xrs5) and a 40% increase in resistance at 5 Hz (PC40_Rrs5) and calculating from the degree of dose-response slope (DRS) for airway resistance and reactance. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in base lung function between the two groups. However, the mean DRS_Xrs5 and the number who showed more than an 80% fall in reactance were significantly higher in classic asthma group than those in CVA group (P=0.040 and P=0.040, respectively). CONCLUSION: The use of DRS in oscillatory reactance at 5 Hz is useful for the differential diagnosis of classic asthma and CVA based on bronchial hyperresponsiveness.
Subject(s)
Child , Humans , Airway Resistance , Asthma , Bronchial Hyperreactivity , Cough , Diagnosis, Differential , Lung , Methacholine Chloride , Oscillometry , Respiratory Function TestsABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to explore the effect of the Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) expressed in plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) that respond to antigen to Th2 immune deviation in allergic patients. METHODS: Subjects consisted of 19 allergic patients and 17 healthy volunteers. Skin prick tests and nasal provocation tests were performed for the two groups. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected from subjects and analyzed for the Lineage Cocktail (CD3, CD14, CD16, CD19, CD20, CD56) (-), HLA-DR (+), and CD123 (+) using flow cytometry. In addition, we analyzed TLR9 mRNA by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. The level of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) of the PBMCs following stimulation with the TLR9 ligand CpG-ODN 2216 was also evaluated. RESULTS: Analyses of CD123 (+) revealed a nearly similar distribution for the classical pDC markers in the allergic group (0.1%+/-0.04%) and in the controls (0.25%+/-0.23%). The mRNA levels of TLR9 on PBMCs were not different between the allergic group and the controls (1.29+/-0.41 vs. 1.25+/-0.23, respectively). Additionally, the level of IFN-alpha in PBMCs exposed to stimuli of the TLR9 ligand CpG-ODN 2216 was not significantly different between the two groups (911+/-829 vs. 1,095+/-888 pg/mL, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence that TLR9-dependent immune responses in human pDCs are associated with allergic status.
Subject(s)
Humans , Dendritic Cells , Flow Cytometry , HLA-DR Antigens , Hypersensitivity , Interferon-alpha , Nasal Provocation Tests , Oligodeoxyribonucleotides , RNA, Messenger , Skin , Toll-Like Receptor 9 , Toll-Like ReceptorsABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to explore the effect of the Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) expressed in plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) that respond to antigen to Th2 immune deviation in allergic patients. METHODS: Subjects consisted of 19 allergic patients and 17 healthy volunteers. Skin prick tests and nasal provocation tests were performed for the two groups. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected from subjects and analyzed for the Lineage Cocktail (CD3, CD14, CD16, CD19, CD20, CD56) (-), HLA-DR (+), and CD123 (+) using flow cytometry. In addition, we analyzed TLR9 mRNA by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. The level of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) of the PBMCs following stimulation with the TLR9 ligand CpG-ODN 2216 was also evaluated. RESULTS: Analyses of CD123 (+) revealed a nearly similar distribution for the classical pDC markers in the allergic group (0.1%+/-0.04%) and in the controls (0.25%+/-0.23%). The mRNA levels of TLR9 on PBMCs were not different between the allergic group and the controls (1.29+/-0.41 vs. 1.25+/-0.23, respectively). Additionally, the level of IFN-alpha in PBMCs exposed to stimuli of the TLR9 ligand CpG-ODN 2216 was not significantly different between the two groups (911+/-829 vs. 1,095+/-888 pg/mL, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence that TLR9-dependent immune responses in human pDCs are associated with allergic status.