Serum-free immunoglobulin E: A useful biomarker of atopy and type 2 asthma in adults with asthma.

Background: It has been known that a high serum total immunoglobulin E (IgE) level is a predisposing factor of allergic asthma; however, there are considerable limitations to apply it in clinical practice.

Objective: To determine the clinical significance of the serum-free IgE level in patients with adult asthma.

Methods: We measured free IgE levels using our homemade enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay by applying a novel IgE TRAP protein (GI innovation, Seoul, Republic of Korea) in sera of adults with asthma (n = 116) compared with healthy controls (n = 32); enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay inhibition test was performed to validate its binding specificity.

Long-term Intraocular Pressure Elevation after Primary Angle Closure Treated with Early Phacoemulsification.

Purpose: To assess long-term changes in intraocular pressure (IOP) and the development of glaucoma after early phacoemulsification in acute primary angle closure.

Methods: Retrospective chart review of acute primary angle closure patients treated with phacoemulsification in attack eyes versus fellow eyes. Within a month after the angle closure attack, all subjects underwent cataract surgery and were divided into two groups: group A received cataract surgery on their attack eyes.

Periorbital changes associated with prostaglandin analogs in Korean patients.

Background: Prostaglandin analogs (PGAs) are commonly used to treat glaucoma because of their powerful intraocular pressure lowering effect. However, various periorbital changes associated with the use of PGAs have been reported. We investigated the incidence of periorbital changes in Korean patients who were treated with PGAs, and analyzed clinical factors associated with superior sulcus deepening.

An effective strategy to prevent allopurinol-induced hypersensitivity by HLA typing.

Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate the usefulness of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing in preventing allopurinol-induced severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs) through the application of an allopurinol tolerance induction protocol or prescription of other alternative medications in high-risk patients.

Methods: HLA typing was performed in patients with chronic renal insufficiency who needed allopurinol. HLA-B*58:01-negative patients were prescribed the usual dose of allopurinol.

Peroxiredoxin-2 represses melanoma metastasis by increasing E-Cadherin/β-Catenin complexes in adherens junctions.

In melanoma, transition to the vertical growth phase is the critical step in conversion to a deadly malignant disease. Here, we offer the first evidence that an antioxidant enzyme has a key role in this transition. We found that the antioxidant enzyme peroxiredoxin-2 (Prx2) inversely correlated with the metastatic capacity of human melanoma cells.

Overview of ocular complications in patients with electrical burns: an analysis of 102 cases across a 7-year period.

Background: Ocular complications from electrical burns are uncommon. Thus far, there has been no systematic review on ocular electrical trauma with emphasis on patients' ophthalmic complications and visual symptoms. Herein, we retrospectively analyzed records of patients with electrical injuries to summarize the ophthalmic characteristics and explore their relationships with visual symptoms.

Interaction of HLA-DRB1*09:01 and *04:05 with smoking suggests distinctive mechanisms of rheumatoid arthritis susceptibility beyond the shared epitope.

Objective: Although HLA-DRB1 shared epitope (SE) alleles and HLA-DRB1*09:01 have repeatedly been shown to be associated with susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the effect of each allele on levels of anticyclic citrullinated peptide autoantibodies (anti-CCP) and interaction with cigarette smoking in RA remains to be fully defined. We investigated whether HLA-DRB1 risk alleles influence anti-CCP levels and whether each allele interacts with smoking in anti-CCP-positive or -negative RA.

Methods: All patients with RA (n = 1924) and controls (n = 1119) were Korean.

Antituberculosis drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome and its association with human leukocyte antigen.

Antituberculosis drug (ATD)-induced hypersensitivity syndrome (HSS) is a serious adverse reaction to ATDs, but much remains to be determined regarding its characteristics and genetic risk factors. In this study, we have collected cases of ATD-induced HSS and their clinical features, and investigated the associations of ATD-induced HSS with human leukocyte antigen (HLA). Subjects with ATD-induced HSS and ATD-tolerant controls were recruited through analysis of a multicenter adverse drug reaction registry in Korea.

Use of PCR with sequence-specific primers for high-resolution human leukocyte antigen typing of patients with narcolepsy.

Background: Narcolepsy is a neurologic disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, symptoms of abnormal rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and a strong association with HLA-DRB1*1501, -DQA1*0102, and -DQB1*0602. Here, we investigated the clinico-physical characteristics of Korean patients with narcolepsy, their HLA types, and the clinical utility of high-resolution PCR with sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP) as a simple typing method for identifying DRB1*15/16, DQA1, and DQB1 alleles.

Methods: The study population consisted of 67 consecutively enrolled patients having unexplained daytime sleepiness and diagnosed narcolepsy based on clinical and neurological findings.

Peroxiredoxin II is an essential antioxidant enzyme that prevents the oxidative inactivation of VEGF receptor-2 in vascular endothelial cells.

Cellular antioxidant enzymes play crucial roles in aerobic organisms by eliminating detrimental oxidants and maintaining the intracellular redox homeostasis. Therefore, the function of antioxidant enzymes is inextricably linked to the redox-dependent activities of multiple proteins and signaling pathways. Here, we report that the VEGFR2 RTK has an oxidation-sensitive cysteine residue whose reduced state is preserved specifically by peroxiredoxin II (PrxII) in vascular endothelial cells.

Carbamazepine-induced severe cutaneous adverse reactions and HLA genotypes in Koreans.

Background: Although the US FDA recommends screening for HLA-B*1502 allele in most of Asian ancestry before initiating carbamazepine therapy, the HLA associations with carbamazepine hypersensitivity in non-Chinese Asian populations remain unclear. This study investigated the association between the HLA class I genotype and carbamazepine-induced severe cutaneous adverse reaction (SCAR) in Koreans.

Methods: Twenty-four patients who had developed carbamazepine-induced SCAR (7 Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), 17 drug hypersensitivity syndrome (HSS)), 50 carbamazepine-tolerant controls from the Korean Pharmacogenetic Adverse Drug Reaction Research Network and data of 485 Korean general population from a previously published study were recruited.

Refined information on alleles belonging to the C*07:01/07:06/07:18 group in the Korean population.

Alleles of the C*07:01/07:06/07:18 group is distinguished by polymorphisms in exons 5-6. In a previous study, we focused on exons 2-3 of the gene and showed that 6.8% of Koreans express alleles in this group.

HLA-B58 can help the clinical decision on starting allopurinol in patients with chronic renal insufficiency.

Background: Although allopurinol is a very effective urate-lowering drug for complicated hyperuricemia, in some patients, it can induce severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs). Recent investigations suggest that HLA-B*5801 is a very strong marker for allopurinol-induced SCARs, especially in the population with a high frequency of HLA-B*5801. Korea is one of the countries with a high frequency of HLA-B*5801 which is the only subtype of HLA-B58 in the Korean population.

Positive and negative associations of HLA class I alleles with allopurinol-induced SCARs in Koreans.

Recent investigations suggest genetic susceptibility of allopurinol-induced severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs). However, the strength of association was variable according to phenotypes and ethnic backgrounds. To explore genetic markers for allopurinol-induced SCARs in Koreans, we genotyped human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I alleles of 25 cases of allopurinol-induced SCARs (20 cases of drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome and five cases of Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis) and 57 patients tolerant to allopurinol.

Peroxiredoxin II restrains DNA damage-induced death in cancer cells by positively regulating JNK-dependent DNA repair.

The 2-Cys peroxiredoxins (Prx) belong to a family of antioxidant enzymes that detoxify reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and are distributed throughout the intracellular and extracellular compartments. However, the presence and role of 2-Cys Prxs in the nucleus have not been studied. This study demonstrates that the PrxII located in the nucleus protects cancer cells from DNA damage-induced cell death.

Increased expression of L-amino acid transporters in balloon cells of tuberous sclerosis.

Objects: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a dysgenetic syndrome involved in multiple organs, and the pathognomonic cortical tuber act as an epileptic substrate. The amino acid transport system L (LAT) is a major nutrient transport system, and LAT1 is highly expressed in malignant tumors to support tumor cell growth. To study the life-long epilepsy from the cortical tuber, the expression of LAT1 in balloon cells and dysplastic neurons of the cortical tuber is investigated.

[New HLA nomenclature (2010) and its clinical application in Koreans].

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene region encodes a set of HLA molecules functioning critical roles in immune response. Each HLA gene locus shows extensive polymorphism with ever-increasing number of alleles. The HLA nomenclature system for alleles defined by DNA typing was first established in 1987 and has been revised several times.

HLA-B*5901 is strongly associated with methazolamide-induced Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis.

Aims: The carbonic anhydrase inhibitor methazolamide infrequently causes Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). An association between these diseases and the HLA-B59 serotype has been suggested in case reports. This study examined the disease-associated B*59 allele and investigated the association of these diseases with other HLA class I alleles.

Cytosolic Hsp60 is involved in the NF-kappaB-dependent survival of cancer cells via IKK regulation.

Cytoplasmic presence of Hsp60, which is principally a nuclear gene-encoded mitochondrial chaperonin, has frequently been stated, but its role in intracellular signaling is largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that the cytosolic Hsp60 promotes the TNF-alpha-mediated activation of the IKK/NF-kappaB survival pathway via direct interaction with IKKalpha/beta in the cytoplasm. Selective loss or blockade of cytosolic Hsp60 by specific antisense oligonucleotide or neutralizing antibody diminished the IKK/NF-kappaB activation and the expression of NF-kappaB target genes, such as Bfl-1/A1 and MnSOD, which thus augmented intracellular ROS production and ASK1-dependent cell death, in response to TNF-alpha.

Smoking increases rheumatoid arthritis susceptibility in individuals carrying the HLA-DRB1 shared epitope, regardless of rheumatoid factor or anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody status.

Objective: Smoking is associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in individuals with the HLA-DRB1 shared epitope (SE). SE alleles have been shown to be predominantly associated with anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP)-positive RA. These risk factors have not been identified for anti-CCP-negative RA.

Association of the human leukocyte antigen class II alleles with chronic atrophic gastritis and gastric carcinoma in Koreans.

Objective: Gastric carcinogenesis is a multi-step process and is influenced by several etiological agents, including the host's genetic factors. Since whether a patient remains with chronic superficial gastritis (CSG) or progresses to either chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) or gastric carcinoma (GC) could be a genetic predisposition unique in each population, we hypothesized that host human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles could be discriminative in predicting the risk of CSG progression to precancerous CAG and GC in Koreans.

Methods: A total of 165 patients with gastric disorders (CSG, 62; CAG, 69 and GC, 34), were selected to investigate the association of HLA class II alleles with the progression of CSG to CAG or GC.

Clinical efficacy of direct DNA sequencing analysis on sputum specimens for early detection of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a clinical setting.

Background: Early detection of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis is important for the control and prevention of disease transmission. However, conventional drug susceptibility tests for drug-resistant M tuberculosis take at least 3 to 8 weeks. Here, we report the clinical efficacy of direct DNA sequencing analysis for detecting drug-resistant TB on sputum specimens in a clinical setting.

The HLA DRB1*1501-DQB1*0602-DPB1*0501 haplotype is a risk factor for toluene diisocyanate-induced occupational asthma.

Background: Although the pathogenesis of toluene diisocyanate (TDI)-induced occupational asthma (TDI-OA) is incompletely understood, several studies have suggested immunologic mechanisms, including specific IgE responses. A few studies have suggested human leukocyte antigen (HLA) associations with TDI-induced asthma in Western countries, but this is the first investigation of associations between HLA class I and II alleles and TDI-induced asthma patients in Asia, using high-resolution analysis.

Methods: Patients with TDI-OA (n = 84), asymptomatic exposed controls (AECs, n = 47) and unexposed normal controls (NCs, n = 127) were enrolled.

Additional sequence analysis outside exon 2 clarifies DRB1*12 and DRB1*14 allelic frequencies in Koreans.

Polymorphisms outside exon 2 of the DRB1 coding region exhibit increased ambiguities in allele assignments in typing laboratories analyzing the exon 2 sequence alone. This study investigated the frequencies of alleles in DRB1*120101/1206/1210 and DRB1*140101/1454 groups by DNA sequencing of exons 1 and/or 3 and examined their associations with class II alleles at adjacent loci in Koreans. Of 103 individuals, 97 were DRB1*120101 and 6 were DRB1*1210.