Clinical value of serum soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products in evaluating the condition of patients with bronchial asthma.

This study focused on the clinical value of serum soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products (sRAGE) levels in evaluating the severity of bronchial asthma (BA). Serum sRAGE expression was measured by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, eosinophils (EOS) count was measured by using an automatic blood cell counter, and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV) was measured by pulmonary function analyzer in 120 patients with BA, 40 patients with non-BA pulmonary disease, and 40 healthy controls. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to analyze the clinical value of sRAGE expression levels, EOS counts, and FEV level to assess the severity of illness in the patients with BA.

Clinical features of psittacosis in 46 Chinese patients.

Background: Psittacosis is a relatively uncommon cause of community-acquired pneumonia, often leading to diagnostic difficulty.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on the clinical features of psittacosis patients in China. Forty-six cases of Chlamydophila psittaci infection with atypical pneumonia of varying severity in the last two years were described retrospectively.

Occupational exposure to formaldehyde and alterations in lymphocyte subsets.

Background: Formaldehyde is used in many occupational settings, most notably in manufacturing, health care, and embalming. Formaldehyde has been classified as a human carcinogen, but its mechanism of action remains uncertain.

Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional study of 43 formaldehyde-exposed workers and 51 unexposed age and sex-matched controls in Guangdong, China to study formaldehyde's early biologic effects.

[Cytotoxicity of dichloroacetic acid in lymphocyte and expression of chemokine receptor CXCR2 and chemokine receptor CXCR3 mRNA].

Objective: To explore the effects of trichloroethylene (TCE) and its by-products (trichloroacetic acid, TCA; dichloroacetic acid, DCA) on the normal human peripheral blood lymphocyte and the role of DCA in dermatitis medicamentosa- like induced by trichloroethylene (DMLT).

Methods: Lymphocyte was isolated from peripheral venous blood, and cytotoxicity of human lymphocytes treated with different concentrations (0.02 approximately 30.

Occupational exposure to formaldehyde, hematotoxicity, and leukemia-specific chromosome changes in cultured myeloid progenitor cells.

There are concerns about the health effects of formaldehyde exposure, including carcinogenicity, in light of elevated indoor air levels in new homes and occupational exposures experienced by workers in health care, embalming, manufacturing, and other industries. Epidemiologic studies suggest that formaldehyde exposure is associated with an increased risk of leukemia. However, the biological plausibility of these findings has been questioned because limited information is available on the ability of formaldehyde to disrupt hematopoietic function.

Characterization of liver injury associated with hypersensitive skin reactions induced by trichloroethylene in the guinea pig maximization test.

Trichloroethylene (TCE) can induce non-dose-related hepatitis, possibly classified as delayed-type hypersensitivity (immune-mediated hepatitis), as well as dose-related toxic liver injury. However, the difference in pathophysiology between the two kinds of hepatitis remains unknown. This study aimed to characterize the liver injury associated with hypersensitive skin reactions induced by TCE in guinea pigs.

Human herpesvirus 6 reactivation in trichloroethylene-exposed workers suffering from generalized skin disorders accompanied by hepatic dysfunction.

Idiosyncratic generalized skin disorders resembling serious drug hypersensitivities have reportedly occurred after occupational exposure to trichloroethylene. However, factors associated with the disorders remain unknown except for trichloroethylene exposure. This study aimed at clarifying whether infectious diseases contributed to the development of rash or hepatitis in patients with trichloroethylene-related generalized skin disorders.

[The level of serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha and epidermal growth factor in patients with medicament-like dermatitis by trichloroethylene and its clinical significance].

Objective: To investigate the level of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) in patients with medicament-like dermatitis by trichloroethylene (DMLT).

Methods: Using radioimmunoassay methods, serum TNF-alpha, EGF were measured in 39 patients with DMLT and in 20 controls.

Results: The levels of serum TNF-alpha, EGF in patients with DMLT [(0.