A Quantitative Immunochromatography Assay of Whole Blood Samples for Antigen-specific IgE—A New Method for Point of Care Testing for Allergens—

ABSTRACTBackgroundThe development of an inexpensive point-of-care testing system for antigen-specific IgE is greatly needed. We, therefore, tried to develop a quantitative enzyme immunochromatography assay system for antigen-specific IgE in fresh whole blood.MethodsWhole blood sample was mixed with a reagent containing detergent to lyse red blood cells, and the mixture was applied to an immunochromatography strip. The lysate was observed to migrate in the strip and was washed away by the substrate buffer. When the sample contained the specific IgE, the antigen-specific IgE line was clearly observed on the strip macroscopically.ResultsResults were obtained 20 minutes after the application of hemolysed blood sample to immunochromatography, and these results showed positive correlation with those obtained by the AlaSTAT system, which is one of the popular assay kits for specific IgE. The results were not affected significantly by the hematocrit value of the blood sample, by the kind of anticoagulant in the blood collection tube, or by the concentration of the total IgE, provided it was lower than 20000IU/ml.ConclusionsThese results indicate that our system is applicable for point-of-care testing for antigen-specific IgE

Preface

No Abstract.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/77506/1/1700_ftp.pd

Potential of Panoramic Radiography as a Screening Method for Oral Hypofunction in the Evaluation of Hyoid Bone Position

The hyoid bone is located in the middle of the cervical muscles involved in oral masticatory function. The position of the hyoid bone is commonly determined by lateral cephalometric analysis. Although cephalometric radiography is commonly used in orthodontic treatment, the modality remains rare; routine dental care would benefit from precise identification of hyoid bone location using a more common modality, such as panoramic radiography. The purpose of this study was to investigate the usefulness of panoramic radiography compared to lateral cephalometric radiography for evaluating hyoid bone position as a potential screening method for oral hypofunction. The study included 347 patients referred for both a panoramic radiograph and a lateral cephalometric radiograph. The patients were divided into the following five groups according to the appearance of the hyoid bone in the panoramic radiograph: Group 1: hyoid bone could not be observed, or part of the greater horn was observed; Group 2: part of the hyoid body was observed, but not the most supero-anterior point of the hyoid bone; Group 3: the most supero-anterior point of the hyoid bone was observed; Group 4: all of the hyoid body was observed; Group 5: the hyoid body overlapped the mandible. The gold standard for measurement of hyoid bone position is the lateral cephalometric radiograph. Hyoid bone position as revealed by lateral cephalometric radiograph was compared among the groups. Hyoid bones that were observed in higher positions on lateral cephalometric radiograph were also observed in higher positions on panoramic radiograph. Hyoid bone position can be assessed by panoramic radiography, and this modality might be useful as a screening method for oral hypofunction

A novel dysphagia screening method using panoramic radiography

The purpose of this study was to establish a screening method for dysphagia using panoramic radiography. Seventy patients who had undergone panoramic radiography and videofluorographic swallowing study（VF）were selected. Exclusion criteria were surgery related to tumors, jaw deformity, and poor-quality panoramic radiograph images. Patients were diagnosed with dysphagia based on VF findings and accordingly categorized into Dysphagia（＋）or Dysphagia（−）groups. The control group consisted of 129 individuals who had undergone panoramic radiography for dental treatment. Exclusion criteria were the same as in the Dysphagia（＋）and Dysphagia（−）groups. Two maxillofacial radiologists assessed the vertical and horizontal position of the hyoid bone and measured the distance from the tongue to the palate. The vertical hyoid bone position was significantly lower in the Dysphagia（＋）group than in the control group. The distance from the tongue to the palate was significantly shorter in the control group, measuring 8.5±5.9mm as compared to 15.0±9.5 in the Dysphagia（＋）group and 14.9±10.0 in the Dysphagia（−）group. At least 77％ of patients were diagnosed with dysphagia or suspected of dysphagia because the hyoid body was below the mandibular line on panoramic radiography. Panoramic radiography may be a useful tool for predicting the risk of dysphagia as it reveals the vertical hyoid bone position and the distance from the tongue to the palate

T1DM complication in continuous insulin

To evaluate whether continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion attenuates the progression of diabetic complications, we retrospectively extracted data from 35 individuals who had developed type 1 diabetes mellitus aged ≤20 years and whose treatment had been changed from multiple daily injections to continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion. The annual changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate, urinary albumin excretion rate, carotid intima-media thickness and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity during each treatment period were calculated. Although mean glycated hemoglobin under the continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion treatment was lower than that under the multiple daily injection treatment, there were no significant differences in annual changes in diabetic nephropathy and atherosclerosis between the two treatment periods. This pilot study showed that, in Japanese patients with juvenile-onset type 1 diabetes mellitus, there was no significant difference in the progression of diabetic nephropathy and atherosclerosis, at least in the early stage, between the two treatments

A Case of Hypocalcemia with Severe Vitamin D Deficiency following Treatment for Graves’ Disease with Methimazole

We herein report the case of a 41-year-old Japanese female office worker who developed symptomatic hypocalcemia with severe vitamin D deficiency following treatment for Graves' disease with methimazole. The patient's hypocalcemia was mainly caused by vitamin D deficiency due to unbalanced diets and inadequate exposure to sunlight in addition to the resolution of hyperthyroidism. Vitamin D deficiency is increasing worldwide, and it has been more recently shown to relate to the pathogenesis of Graves' disease. However, vitamin D deficiency as a cause of hypocalcemia has received little attention. Taken together, this case suggests that we should take more care in calcium kinetics and vitamin D status during treatment for Graves' disease with antithyroid drugs