[Allergen Analysis of 4622 Children with Allergic Diseases in Shaanxi Province].

OBJECTIVE: To study the distributional characteristics of allergens in children with allergic diseases in Shaanxi province. METHODS: A total of 4 622 children diagnosed with allergic diseases in the Asthma Center, Department of Pediatrics, Xijing Hospital from March 2015 to February 2019 were selected. Serum allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) of 19 common kinds of allergens were examined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The children were divided into different groups according to sex, age and geographical regions, and the distributional characteristics of allergens of the different groups were compared. RESULTS: The overall positive rate for the 19 allergens of the 4 622 children was 62.8%. The ranking of the positive rates for individual allergens from high to low were as follows: 24.2% for milk, 18.0% for mold mix, 16.7% for dog dander, 16.4% for house dust mite, 11.7% for cat dander, 10.7% for cashew, 10.6% for weed pollen, 8.8% for egg white, 7.8% for house dust, 7.7% for tree pollen, 5.6% for amaranth, 4.9% for mulberry tree, 3.6% for mango, 3.2% for beef, 2.8% for cockroach, 2.1% for crab, 1.5% for shrimp, 0.8% for pineapple, and 0.3% for shellfish. Analysis based on sex showed that the allergen positive rates in boys were higher than those in girls. Analysis by age difference showed that generally the positive rates for inhaled allergens increased along with the increase in patient age, while the positive rates for ingested allergens decreased along with the increase in patient age. Analysis by geographical regions showed that the positive rate of house dust mite in the patients from the southern part of Shaanxi, the positive rate of weed pollen in the patients from the northern part of Shaanxi and the positive rates of milk and egg white in the patients from the central part of Shaanxi were higher than those in other areas. The cluster analysis and correlation analysis showed that the 19 allergens could be roughly divided into 4 categories. There were moderate correlations among tree pollen, mulberry tree and amaranth. There were moderate correlations among mulberry tree, mango and amaranth. There was moderate correlation between shrimp and crab, and there were mild or weak correlations among most of the other allergens. CONCLUSION: Among the 4 622 children with allergic diseases in Shaanxi Province who were treated in the Asthma Center, Department of Pediatrics, Xijing Hospital, male patients showed higher sensitivity to allergens. The positive rates of inhaled allergens increased, while the positive rates of ingested allergens decreased with increase in patient age. There were regional differences in the distribution of allergens. Some allergens were correlated with each other, which may be related to cross-reaction.

Protocatechuic acid inhibits TGF-ß1-induced proliferation and migration of human airway smooth muscle cells.

Protocatechuic acid (3, 4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, PCA) is a major metabolite of anthocyanins and was reported to possess anti-allergic response. However, the effects of PCA on airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) proliferation and migration remain unclear. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effects of PCA on proliferation and migration of ASMCs. ASMCs were pre-incubated with various concentrations of PCA for 30 min before stimulation with transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) for different times. Cell proliferation was determined using the colony formation assay. Cell migration was detected using the Transwell chamber assay. The levels of type I collagen, fibronectin, phosphorylated Smad2, Smad2, phosphorylated Smad3 and Smad3 were detected by western blot analysis. Our results demonstrated that PCA inhibited the proliferation and migration of ASMCs, as well as suppressed the expression levels of type I collagen and fibronectin in ASMCs induced by TGF-ß1. Furthermore, PCA obviously down-regulated the phosphorylation levels of Smad2/3 in ASMCs exposed to TGF-ß1. Taken together, the present results have revealed that PCA inhibits asthma airway remodeling by suppressing proliferation and extracellular matrix (ECM) protein deposition in TGF-ß1-mediated ASMCs via the inactivation of Smad2/3 signaling pathway. Therefore, PCA may be useful for the prevention or treatment of asthma airway remodeling.