Objective To assess the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms of FcεRIαgene and atopic dermatitis. Methods Genomic DNA samples were extracted from peripheral blood of 97 patients with atopic dermatitis and 283 normal human controls. The polymorphism at the distal promoter region of FcεRIα gene was determined by PCR-ligase detection reaction assay followed by gene sequencing. Results A G/T polymorphism was observed at position rs61828219 in the promoter region of FcεRIα gene, while all the tested individuals were homozygous for T/T at position rs12135235 and A/A at position rs36233780 in the promoter region of FcεRIα gene. The mutation frequency at position rs61828219 was 1.04% and 2.17% in patients with AD and normal human controls, respectively (both P ＞ 0.05). Conclusions In the Chinese Han population, there is a G/T polymorphism at position rs61828219 in FcεRIα gene promoter region, which is unlikely related to the development of AD; however, no polymorphism is detected at position rs12135235 or rs36233780.

OBJECTIVESTo detect telomerase activity in patients with mycosis fungoides (MF) and to study the role of telomerase in the tumorigenesis of MF.

METHODSThe technique of PCR-ELISA was employed to detect telomerase activity in 35 patients with various stages of MF.

RESULTS92.3% tumor stage of MF, 78.6% plaque stage of MF and 75.0% patch stage of MF had positive telomerase activity. The control samples had no telomerase activity. Telomerase activity in tumor stage of MF was significantly higher than that in plaque stage, while the latter was higher than that in patch stage. Telomerase activity was correlated with the stage of MF.

CONCLUSIONHigh level of telomerase activity frequently occurred in patients with MF, suggesting that telomerase might play an important role in the tumorigenesis of MF and is a useful marker for the diagnosis of MF possibly.

Humans ; Mycosis Fungoides ; enzymology ; pathology ; Neoplasm Staging ; Skin Neoplasms ; enzymology ; pathology ; Telomerase ; metabolism