title: TH1 and TH2 cytokine production among asthmatic children after immunotherapy.
abstract: Allergen immunotherapy results in a number of changes in clinical and immunological parameters. To study the kinetic influence of immunotherapy on cytokine production, we evaluated the ratios of Th1/Th2 for patients receiving mite-extract immunotherapy with 3-month intervals. Changes in Th1/Th2 ratio were calculated based on the intracellular cytokine and surface CD4 staining of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). No significantly different Th1/Th2 ratios were detected after immunotherapy, although ratios were lower for asthmatic children when compared with normal controls. Cytokine production was also determined on supernatants from mite- or mitogen-activated PBMC cells. A significantly increased production of all cytokines was detected from activated PBMC from patients after immunotherapy. Thus hyposensitization with mite extract for 1 year might improve the cytokine production capacity of asthma patients' PBMC.
authors.affiliation: Division of Allergy, Asthma and Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Children's Hospital and Chang Gung University, Kweishan, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jing-Long
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Li-Chen
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Kno-Wei
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: Syh-Jae
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Kue-Hsiung
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: Ming-Ling
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Kuo
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology; D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology; D039981:Pyroglyphidae / Q000276:immunology; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D016207:Cytokines