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Biomedical subjects

B C Kang

Publications and source records attributed to B C Kang.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Characteristics and diagnoses of cockroach-sensitive bronchial asthma.

Bronchial asthma with cockroach hypersensitivity is prevalent among urban asthmatic populations. To elucidate characteristics of cockroach asthma, we analyzed 592 consecutive urban Chicago asthmatic patients retrospectively. Allergy skin testing (AST) with common inhalants, serum total IgE, and cockroach-specific IgE (IgE-CR) antibodies were measured. Some cockroach asthmatics were studied further for bronchial reactivity in vivo and histamine releasability (HR) in vitro against cockroach allergen (CRa), and diagnostic accuracy for asthma was analyzed. Clinical characteristics were evaluated and compared with those of ragweed asthmatics and asthmatics in general. Two hundred eighty-three (196 women, 87 men) were reactive to CRa by AST. The average age and duration of cockroach asthma were 30.4 and 15.1 years, respectively. Steroid dependency of the cockroach asthma was higher (32%) than those of general asthmatics (P less than .05) and ragweed asthma (P less than .05). IgE level was elevated (geometric mean 413.2 IU/mL), higher than that of general asthmatics (P less than .001), and 87% showed IgE level higher than 100 IU/mL. IgE-CR and BPT-CR were positive in 61% (175 tested) and in 87% (166 tested), respectively. Sensitivity and specificity of skin test were 99% and 40%, while those of IgE-CR were 91% and 58%, respectively. IgE-CR increased probability of cockroach asthma from 87% to 91%. BPT with CRa was correlated well with the HR of leukocytes (P less than .0001). Thus, cockroach asthma is a severe allergic asthma and can be diagnosed accurately by skin test plus BPT or skin test plus HR.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Cockroach-allergen study: allergen patterns of three common cockroach species probed by allergic sera collected in two cities.

Antigens/allergens of three common cockroach extracts, crude whole body extract of the American cockroach (CRa-A), crude whole body extract of the German cockroach (CRa-G), and crude whole body extract of the Oriental cockroach (CRa-O), were studied with crossed immunoelectrophoresis, crossed radioimmunoelectrophoresis, and Western blot analysis. Sera of cockroach-allergic patients with asthma, 10 from Chicago, Ill. (C group) and six patients from Lexington, Ky. (L group), were used; results were then compared with sera of control subjects with asthma. Qualitative differences in protein bands were noted among CRa-A, CRa-G, and CRa-O by crossed immunoelectrophoresis and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Allergen bands on Western blot were analyzed for distribution by molecular weight (MW) with relative intensity scores. Results were compared by species and by geography. Two to 12 allergenic bands of variable MW (14 kd to greater than 116 kd) were identified by 13 of 16 individual sera from cockroach-allergic patients from all three extracts. CRa-A demonstrated 55 bands with an intensity score of 125; CRa-G, 58 bands with an intensity score of 100; and CRa-O, 51 bands with an intensity score of 108. Allergenic bands of CRa-A were identified by six sera of the C group and one sera of the L group, whereas bands of both CRa-G and CRa-O were noted by nine sera of the C group and four sera of the L group. All three species had an allergen band in MW range of 40 to 45 kd that reacted to most sera from cockroach-allergic patients with asthma.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Characterization and partial purification of the cockroach antigen in relation to housedust and housedust mite (D.f.) antigens.

Allergens in crude cockroach antigens (CRa) have not been well defined. In order to characterize the CRa, the authors partially purified CRa by gel filtration (G-75) and analyzed it by polyacrylamide electrophoresis (PAGE) and allergy skin testing (AST). Hyperimmune serum was produced against CRa in rabbit (R anti-CRa) and used for immunoelectrophoresis (IEP), double immunodiffusion (DID), crossed immunoelectrophoresis (CIE), and crossed radio immunoelectrophoresis (CRIE) to further characterize the CRa. The crude CRa contained 9 and 15 precipitating arcs by IEP and CIE, respectively. Indirect CRIE revealed that CRa contained nine to 15 different allergens. There were no lines of identity between the CRa and housedust mite (D.f.) or between the CRa and commercial housedust by DID or IEP. Autologous housedust of cockroach asthmatic subjects showed lines of identity with the CRa. Fractionation of CRa on a Sephadex G-75 column chromatography showed two distinct peaks (B1 and B2) separated by a broad valley. The high molecular fraction B1 was most allergenic (100%) and contained three antigens of high molecular weight. These three antigens were identifiable by the techniques of IE, CIE, and DID. B2, the low molecular fraction (molecular weight less than 13,000 dalton) contained minor allergen(s). B2 elicited positive AST in 55% of cockroach-sensitive individuals, but it was not detected by IEP, CIE, nor by DID.

Allergens↗
PubMed1989

Multidisciplinary approach in the management of gestational trophoblastic tumor (GTT).

In summary of our 15 years experiences it is obvious that at least about 15% of GTT patients still do not get complete remission in spite of development of multiagent chemotherapy. To obtain better therapeutical result in unceasing problems should be solved and the improvement in newer methods of management as listed below is mandatory: (1) Prediction on risk factors and early diagnosis of the persistent GTT before and after molar evacuation (2) "Clinico-biochemical classification" based on more collective tumor markers (3) New chemotherapeutic agents (4) Regimen for prevention and/or modulation of drug resistance (5) Multimodality treatment including initial and adjuvant surgery, irradiation and immune response modifiers. (6) Remission consolidation

Adult↗
PubMed1988

In vivo release of beta human chorionic gonadotropin by luteinizing hormone releasing hormone stimulation and its clinical application as a remission criterion in patients with gestational trophoblastic disease.

In vivo responses of trophoblasts to luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) stimulation in 48 gestational trophoblastic disease patients were observed. Serum beta human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) levels after LHRH injection were significantly increased in patients with hCG values between 5 and 20 mIU/ml (minimal resistance group) but not in patients whose hCG levels were less than 5 mIU/ml (possible remission group). The sensitivity, specificity and the predictive values of LHRH stimulation test were 75.0, 91.3 and 95.5% in the possible remission group and 87.5, 20.0 and 77.8% in the minimal resistance group.

Chorionic Gonadotropin↗
PubMed1988

The role of immunotherapy in cockroach asthma.

To evaluate the preventive role of immunotherapy in severe perennial asthma, we investigated cockroach asthma as a model. Twenty-eight subjects with bronchial asthma due to cockroach hypersensitivity (BACR) were divided into two groups in alternating order: 15 were started with cockroach antigen immunotherapy (CRa-IT) and 13 were given control immunotherapy. Eleven in the former group and two in the latter group completed the study after 5 years. The changes in symptoms and medication scores were assessed; blocking antibody factor in the paired pre- and postimmune serum of the two groups was measured and compared. Cellular sensitivity (HR50) was measured using the basophil-rich leukocytes (BRLs) obtained from the two treated asthma groups, and the result was compared with that of the untreated cockroach asthmatic cells. The average symptom score changed from 7.2 +/- 2.7 to 1.2 +/- 0.4 in the CRa-IT group. The control-IT group showed no change. The medication score changed from 11.4 +/- 1.6 to 5.2 +/- 1.4 in the CRa-IT group only (p less than 0.01). The mean blocking antibody factor in the immune serum of the CRa-IT group showed a 2.5 x 10(2)-fold increase [1.3 +/- 0.3 x 10(-1) in postimmune serum/5.2 +/- 2.0 +/- 10(-4) in preimmune serum (p less than 0.001)]. No difference was noted in the HR50 of the BRLs in the post- and preimmune serum of the control-IT group. Antihuman IgG absorption of the post-CRa-IT serum reduced the blocking antibody to 1/1000-fold; no difference in the HR50 of the BRLs was noted between the post-control-IT and the pre-CRa-IT serum (p greater than 0.2). The BRLs of the CRa-IT asthmatics, however, showed blunted sensitivity not affected by the serum factor (5.8 +/- 1.5 x 10(-2) micrograms/ml in post-CRa-IT serum and 5.6 +/- 1.3 x 10(-2) micrograms/ml in pre-CRa-IT serum) (p greater than 0.2). The BRLs of the control-IT group retained their cell sensitivity as well as the blocking effect of the CRa-immune serum. This study thus demonstrated that CRa-IT reduces symptom and medication scores clinically in cockroach-asthmatic subjects, and the CRa-IT produces the CRa-specific blocking antibody of the IgG type. It also reduces anaphylactic leukocyte sensitivity, which is not affected by humoral factor.

Anaphylaxis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Response of human chorionic gonadotrophin to luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone stimulation in the culture media of normal human placenta, choriocarcinoma cell lines, and in the serum of patients with gestational trophoblastic disease.

In vitro and in vivo responses to luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) stimulation of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) production were evaluated. We cultured placental tissues of ten weeks and term pregnancy, choriocarcinoma tissues, and monolayers of the BeWo cell line, and added serial dilutions of LHRH (1, 5 and 10 micrograms) to the media for five to seven days. In in vivo experiments, 100 micrograms LHRH was intravenously administered to 20 normally cycling women (control group), 27 women who were 'possible remission', and 21 women with 'minimal resistance' to gestational trophoblastic disease. After injection of LHRH, blood samples were collected at 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes. The concentrations of immunoreactive beta-hCG in in vitro culture media, and in sera from patients, were measured before and after LHRH stimulation by double-antibody radioimmunoassay. These in vitro and in vivo experiments revealed that normal and malignant trophoblastic cells responded to the LHRH stimulation by producing immunoreactive beta-hCG. Therefore, LHRH stimulation may be useful in detecting residual choriocarcinoma cells in gestational trophoblastic disease patients during their periremission periods.

Cell Line↗