• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.160-165
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• 2009

Contact dermatitis is induced by allergy response from a lot of chemical substances brought on by environmental contamination. In this study, we investigated allergy prevention effect of baicalein which is Scutellaria radix extract. Scutellaria radix is the dried roots of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi (Labiatae). It has been used in oriental traditional medicine for treatment of fever, diarrhea and inflammation. We have induced allergy by PCL after oral administration of 0 mg/kg, 50 mg/kg or 100 mg/kg baicalein dose for 8 times during 8 days in BALB/c mice and measured ear thickness, IgE level, histamine level, mast cell number and histopathological changes. The ear thickness of the 100 mg/kg baicalein group was thinner than that of the 0 mg/kg baicalein group. IgE level and histamine level of the 100 mg/kg baicalein group were lower than those of 0 mg/kg baicalein group. The number of mast cells of 0 mg/kg baicalein group more than that of 100 mg/kg baicalein group in the ear tissue. In addition, intradermal edema with prominent inflammatory cell infiltration was observed at 0 mg/kg baicalein group more than 100 mg/kg baicalein group in the ear tissue. These results suggest that baicalein has allergy prevention effect in BALB/c mice.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.366-386
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• 2023

Objective: In this study, a questionnaire survey was conducted for doctors and patients to obtain basic data necessary for the development of an integrated medical system for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Methods: Questionnaires were developed separately for doctors and patients through an expert group meeting. The survey subjects were recruited online and offline, and finally, responses from 231 doctors and 59 patients were used for statistical analysis. Results: The most important parts in the treatment of IPF for both doctors and patients were the "improvement of respiratory symptoms," "improvement of quality of life," and "prevention of disease progression." Antifibrotic agents were prescribed at a high rate, and 100% of the specialists in Western medicine (WM) and 45.8% of patients reported experiencing side effects. As for the additional payment costs that patients considered as affordable for an integrated medical system, "under 50,000 won (about 38$)" was reported the most in both doctor and patient groups. With regard to the reasons for their reluctance to recommend an integrated medical system for IPF, specialists in WM responded highly to "uncertain evidence for treatment effectiveness." Regarding complementary and alternative medicine therapies that can be beneficial in patients with IPF, "lifestyle management," "diet management," "herb," "relaxation therapy," and "psychotherapy" were ranked high in both doctor and patient groups. Conclusions: In this study, a questionnaire survey on IPF was conducted to review actual treatment status, analyze shortcomings, and identify considerations for the development of an integrated medical system for IPF in the future.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.29-35
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• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the prevalence of allergic disease among elementary school students in rural and urban areas. Methods: In this study, 1,513 elementary students (1,163 in urban areas, 350 in rural areas) were surveyed. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage of allergic symptoms and $X^2$ test was used to identify differences in the prevalence of allergic symptoms between urban and rural area students. The SAS program was used in the data analysis. Results: There were significant differences in the prevalence of allergic disease according to whether there was a family member with a prior history of allergy symptoms. 48.7% of surveyed students (49.4% in urban, 46.3% in rural) had allergic symptoms. Allergic rhinitis was the most frequent allergic symptom in both urban and rural students. Conclusion: These results suggest that there is a need to prevent and manage allergies among elementary students. The family history should be considered an important factor when a program for allergy prevention and management is developed. Interventions are needed in both areas, especially for students with allergic rhinitis.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.512-521
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• 2022

Since the main symptoms of COVID-19 involve the respiratory system, the infection rate of this disease is predicted to be higher in patients with other respiratory conditions such as allergic rhinitis. In such a situation, it will be meaningful to conduct research on an allergy treatment that has fewer side effects and can effectively reduce allergy symptoms. Here, we prepared experimental samples under various fermentation conditions with mixed extracts of six medicinal plants. To examine the anti-allergic efficacy of these samples, an egg albumin-induced allergic rhinitis animal model experiment, a serum histamine and IgE experiment, and a COX and LO inhibitory activity experiment were conducted. As a result of animal experiments, OVA+SP-4 showed superior efficacy compared to OVA+SP-1 in nasal rubbing and sneezing experiments and had anti-allergic efficacy similar to that of OVA-cetirizine. The serum histamine concentration of OVA+SP-4 was also 1.3 times higher than that of the OVA+cetirizine group, showing a high histamine reduction ability, and IgE showed the same trend. An analysis of COX inhibitory efficacy also confirmed that COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitory efficacy is high, and the longer the fermentation time, the higher the antiallergic efficacy. The composition proposed by this study is expected to have a significant effect on sustainable allergy prevention and treatment in the future by applying it to human patients.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.681-693
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• 2007

Background and Objective : Atractylodes japonica (AJ) is a commonly-used herbal medicine in Asian countries such as Korea, China and Japan. The present study was designated to evaluate the direct effects of AJ on helper T cell activities and on Th1/Th2 lineage development in vitro. Materials and Methods : Spleen cells from 8-week BALB/c mice were cultured in CR extracts containing medium without activation for 24 hours and with activation for 48 hours. CD4+ T cells were isolated and analyzed for mRNA expression levels of INF-$\gamma$, IL-4, T-bet and GATA-3 by RT-PCR and secretion cytokines levels of INF-$\gamma$, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5 and IL-10 by ELISA. Results : The results demonstrated that AJ had no mitogenic effects on unstimulated CD4+ T cells, but augmented CD4+T-cell proliferation upon activation with anti-CD3/anti-CD28 antibodies in a dose-dependent manner. AJ treatment significantly increased CD4+ T cell population and IFN-$\gamma$ expression was significantly enhanced, while IL-4 expression significantly decreased. In addition, in vitro Th1/Th2 polarization experiments revealed that AJ enhanced IFN-$\gamma$ secretion in Th1 cells, but reduced the IL-4 in Th2 cells in dose-dependent manner. Conclusion : These results suggest that AJ treatment could be a desirable alternative therapy for the prevention or correction of Th2 dominant pathological disorders, such as allergy and asthma.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.530-541
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• 2015

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine the prevalence of food allergy, food allergy knowledge, and perception on food allergen labelling along with management of substitute meals in school foodservice in elementary school students in Jeju, South Korea. Methods: Six elementary schools in Jeju-si were randomly selected, and the higher grade elementary school students (n=1,500), from fourth graders to sixth graders, were surveyed using a questionnaire in July 2014. A total of 1,000 responses were used for data analysis. Results: The percentage of students who had experienced food allergy was 16.7%; 26.4% had been diagnosed as having a food allergy by doctors. Milk, crabs, and shrimps were the most frequent allergenic foods with common symptoms including urticaria followed by itching, and vomiting. As the student's grade went up, the knowledge scores on food allergy showed a significant increase. Although students with and without food allergy experience had a similar level of knowledge on food allergy and perception on food allergen labelling, students with food allergy experience had a significantly lower level of healthy dietary practices. Last, only 20.4% of students with food allergies were offered substitute meals by school foodservices, and 30.8% of students received food allergy education. Conclusion: For prevention and management of food allergies in school foodservice, schools should provide an individualized substitute meal plan and food allergy education to students, parents, and teachers.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.664-678
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• 2021

Purpose: Food allergies in children are known to impact the quality of life for growing children as well as their parents. This study investigates the status of food allergy and its management among preschoolers, and evaluates the effect on parental burden. Methods: In May 2019, five kindergartens and daycare centers in Jeju area were randomly selected, and parents (n = 638) who had preschoolers younger than 6-year-old were surveyed using a questionnaire. A total of 387 participants were included in the final data analysis. Results: The percentage of children (aged 3 to 6 years old) who experienced food allergies was 16.8%; 44.6% had been diagnosed as having a food allergy by doctors. Food allergies were first experienced in more than two-thirds of the subjects when they were less than a year old. Egg and milk were the most frequent allergenic foods with some skin related symptoms. A mere 15.4% children suffering from food allergies were offered substitutes for their allergenic foods. Lastly, as compared to other parents, the parents of children who experienced food allergies had not only higher nutritional knowledge, but also heavier parental burden including emotional distress. Regardless of their nutritional knowledge, parents of children with food allergy expressed their willingness to attend nutrition education classes, if available in future. Conclusion: For prevention of food allergies and proper nourishment of children with food allergies, there is a necessity to provide customized-nutritional education for the affected parents to help alleviate their parental burden, especially for reducing emotional distress.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.319-329
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• 2010

Bifidobacteria comprises up to 25% of the cultivable fecal bacteria in adults and 80% in infants. Many in vivo and clinical research results supporting its efficacy in the prevention and improvement of gastrointestinal health have been accumulated. As a consequence, expert committee WHO/FAO expert committee recommended Bifidobacterium as representative probiotics together with Lactobacillus acidophilus. In this review, research trends in bifidobacteria concerning the classification and identification of the genus Bifidobacterium, modulation of intestinal microflora, improvement of constipation, prevention of diarrhea, alleviation of atopy and allergy, barrier function through antimicrobial activity andimmune enhancement of the host will be introduced. Several gene expression systems based on bifidobacterial plasmids have been developed and successfully used to express several heterologous genes including anticancer proteins in Bifidogacterium. In animal test, bifidobacteria was proven to be a promising candidate for safe gene delivery system which can specifically colonize in the solid tumor.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.596-606
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to find out the factors influencing asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis among Korean adolescents. Data of 72,060 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years were derived from the 10th Korean youth's risk web-based study, which was conducted in 2014. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that factors influencing asthma was sex, age, BMI, subjective socioeconomic status, smoking, and subjective perception of stress. Factors influencing allergic rhinitis was age, place of residence, subjective socioeconomic status, drinking, and subjective perception of stress. Factors influencing atopic dermatitis was sex, age, subjective socioeconomic status, drinking, and subjective perception of stress. In conclusion, regulatory policy of lifestyle, such as smoking and drinking adversely affect allergy related disease in adolescents strengthening comprehensive prevention education and stress management are probably the two need to be implemented at national side.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.59 no.8
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• pp.319-327
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• 2016

Allergic diseases such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, and food allergy, are most common chronic, noncommunicable diseases in childhood. In the past few decades, the prevalence has increased abruptly worldwide. There are 2 possible explanations for the rising prevalence of allergic diseases worldwide, that an increased disease-awareness of physician, patient, or caregivers, and an abrupt exposure to unknown hazards. Unfortunately, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Despite the continuing efforts worldwide, the etiologies and rising prevalence remain unclear. Thus, it is important to identify and control risk factors in the susceptible individual for the best prevention and management. Genetic susceptibility or environments may be a potential background for the development of allergic disease, however they alone cannot explain the rising prevalence worldwide. There is growing evidence that epigenetic change depends on the gene, environment, and their interactions, may induce a long-lasting altered gene expression and the consequent development of allergic diseases. In epigenetic mechanisms, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure during critical period (i.e., during pregnancy and early life) are considered as a potential cause of the development of childhood allergic diseases. However, the causal relationship is still unclear. This review aimed to highlight the impact of ETS exposure during the perinatal period on the development of childhood allergic diseases and to propose a future research direction.