Objective To explore the role of mouse dermis-derived mesenchymal stem cells (mdMSC) on skin repair. Methods mdMSC and human dermal fibroblasts were isolated and identified. Human dermal fibroblasts were cultured alone or eoeultured with mdMSC in Transwell chambers with the density ratio of human dermal fibroblasts to mdMSC being 2/5, 1/1, and 2/1. On day 4 and 8 of culture, the expression levels of hydroxyproline and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) 1 were measured in the supematant of monoculture and coculture by alkaline hydrolysis and ELISA respectively. Results The level of hydro-xyproline was significantly higher in the supematants of coculture system with a density ratio of 2/5 and 1/1 than that in monoculture supematants of human dermal fibroblasts on day 8 (both P < 0.05). Elevated level of TGF-betal was observed in all coculture supematants on day 8 (all P < 0.01) and in the supernatants of coculture system with a density ratio of 1/1 on day 4 (P < 0.05). There was no significant correlation between the expression level of TGF-betal and hydroxyproline in the coculture supernatants (r = 0.108, P ＞ 0.05). Conclusion In vitro coculture with mdMSC can increase the production of hydroxyproline and TGF-betal by fibroblasts, which may be a mechanism underlying the facilitation of skin repair by mdMSC.

Objective To observe the treatment outcome of different surgical strategies in nevus-like benign melanocytic tumors with various size and shape in the head and face. Methods A total of 180 cases with nevus-like benign melanocytic tumors received surgical treatment from February 2005 to February 2008.The following surgical strategies were selected, including direct excision, partial excision, skin grafting, skin soft tissue expanding and application of local flaps (inter-flap, diamond-shaped flap, A-T flap, kite flap, etc),to treat skin lesions in the head, nose, cheek and eyelid. All patients were followed up for 3 to 6 months. Results The incisions for direct and partial excision were well healed without infection or recurrence. Of those cases treated with local flaps or expander, 3 (1 on the face and 2 on the head) experienced recurrence, 2 on the head suffered from post-operational infection. Conclusion To select different surgical strategies according to lesion size, sites and shape may lead to a favorable cosmetic result in the treatment of nevus-like benign melanocytic tumors in the head and face.

Objective To investigate the effects ofendothelin-1 (ET-1) and endothelin-3 (ET-3) on the expression of transformation growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) and phosphorylation of Smad 3 in malignant melanoma cell line, A375. Methods Cultured A375 cells were classified into 5 groups, i.e. control group (no stimulation), ET-1 group (stimulated with ET-1), ET-1+BQ123 group (treated with ET-1 and BQ123),ET-1 + BQ788 group (treated with ET-1 and BQ788), ET-3 group (stimulated with ET-3), to receive different stimulation. The working concentrations were 0, 0.1, 1, 10, 100 nmol/L for ET-1 and ET-3, 10 μmol/L for BQ123 and BQ788. After another 12- and 24-hour culture, ELISA, RT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect the expression of TGF-β1 protein and mRNA as well as phosphorylated Smad 3 (P-Smad 3). Results The expression of TGF-β1 in A375 cells was up-regulated by ET-1, but down-regulated by ET-3, and both of the effects were in a concentration-dependent manner. Under the stimulation with ET-1 and ET-3 of 100 nmol/L, the level of TGF-β1 reached 1289.38 ± 89.42 ng/L per 105 cells and 85.09 ± 9.37 ng/L per 105 cells, respectively, significantly different from that in unstimulated cells (both P < 0.05). BQ123 signifi-cantly blocked the up-regnlatory effect of ET-1 on the expression TGF-β1 protein(P < 0.05), but BQ788 had no significant influence on the effect, so was the case with TGF-β1 mRNA. Western blot revealed that ET-1significantly elevated the expression of P-Smad 3 in A375 cells (P <0.05), and the elevation was significantly inhibited by BQ123, but not by BQ788. The expression of P-Smad 3 was statistically decreased by ET-3 in A375 cells (P <0.05). Conclusions The expression of TGF-β1 could be enhanced by ET-1, but suppressed by ET-3. It is likely that endothelin receptor A mediates the phosphorylation of Smad 3 induced by ET-1.

Objective To investigate the role of nentrophils in the pathogenesis of psoriasis vulgaris. Methods Neutrophils were isolated from venous blood samples of 25 patients with psoriasis vulgaris (including 13 cases of active psoriasis and 12 cases of inactive psoriasis) as well as 25 normal human con-trols, and cultured. Then, these neutrophils were grouped and treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 100 g/L),CpG-A (50 mg/L), CpG-B (50 mg/L), and RPMI 1640 culture medium, respectively, for 24 hours followed by the collection of culture supematants. Human keratinocytes (HaCaT) were cultured in the presence of su-pematants of treated or untreated nentrophils for 72 hours followed by the detection of cell proliferation with MTT assay. To determine the role of proinflammatory factors, SOD/CAT and monoclonal antibody to IL-8 and TNF-alpha of 400 u/mL were used to pretreat HaCaT cells 1 hour prior to the stimulation with super-natants of neutrophils. Results Compared with culture medium, the supematant of unstimulated neutrophils from normal controls or patients with inactive psoriasis had no significant effect on the proliferation of HaCaT cells (P ＞ 0.05), but that from patients with active psoriasis markedly promoted the proliferation of HaCaT cells (t = 2.41, P < 0.05). ARe, stimulation by LPS, CpG-A and CpG-B, the supematant of active patient-derived neutrophils significantly promoted the proliferation of HaCaT cells compared with that of normal control-derived nentrophils (t = 3.11, 2.89, 2.29, respectively, all P < 0.05). In comparison with tmstimulated neutrophils, the supematant from LPS- and CpG-A stimulated nentrophiles significantly accelerated the pro-liferation of HaCaT cells. Furthermore, the proliferation of HaCaT cells induced by the supematants of LPS-,CpG-A-, CpG-B-stimulated neutrophils from psoriatic patients was statistically suppressed by the pretreat-ment with the monoclonal antibody to IL-8, TNF-alpha and SOD/CAT (all P < 0.05). Conclusions In patients with psoriasis vulgaris, there is an abnormal secretion of IL-8, TNF-alpha and superoxide by neutrophils in peripheral blood, and these proinflammatory factors could promote the proliferation of HaCaT cells.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy and safety of gahapentin in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia. Methods A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel design, 6-week study was performed. Patients with postherpetic neuralgia were recruited into this study and randomly divided into two groups to receive gabapentin or placebo 1800 mg daily in three divided doses with a forced titration schedule, respectively. The primary efficacy measure was change in the pain score based on a visual analogue scale from baseline to the final week of therapy, and secondary measure was the improvement in sleep quality scored on a 5-point severity scale. Efficacy and safety evaluation was performed at baseline, and 1, 3, and 6 weeks atter the treatment. Results One hundred and forty-one patients were recruited in four clinical centers, and 125 patients completed the trial, of whom 66 were in the treatment group and 59 in the control group. An improvement was observed in both pain scores and sleep scores on week 1, 3 and 6 in both two groups, and the improvement was greater in gabapentin-treated group than that in the control group. The response rate was 29.58% and 57.75%, respectively in gabapentin-treated group on week 1 and 3, com-pared to 13.04% and 40.58%, respectively, in the control group (t = 5.94, 4.12, respectively, both P ＜0.05).Gabapentin was well tolerated, and the most common adverse events were dizziness, vertigo, somnolence and transient abnormality of hepatic function. Conclusion Gabapentin could markedly reduce pain intensity and improve sleep quality with a low incidence of adverse events in patients with postherpetic neuralgia.

The histological and immunohistological features of two cases of cutaneous lymphadenoma was studied. A single, erythematous nodule with smooth surface developed on the face of both patients. The lesion slowly progressed. Histology revealed irregular epithelial lobules in the dermis which showed a peripheral palisaded border of basaioid-like cells as well as a center composed of clear cells. Some epithelial lobules and surrounding stroma were infiltrated by numerous small lymphocytes. Immunohistological study showed that the lymphocytic infiltration was predominantly composed of T cells (CD3 positive) along with a small number of B cells (CD20 positive). Within epithelial lobules and surrounded stroma, there were numerous dendritic cells that were positive for S-100 and CDia but negative for cytokeratin 7, cytokeratin 20 or carcino-embryonic antigen. In the center of epithelial lobules in one case, a few cells positive for epithe-lial membrane antigen and CD30 was observed. The diagnosis of cutaneous lymphadenoma was made according to the pathological and immunohistochemical findings, and the infiltration was predominated by CD3-positive lymphocytes in this uncommon epithelial neoplasm.

Objective To investigate the effects of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) on the production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and intedeukin-10 (IL-10) by peri-pheral blood monohuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with psoriasis vulgaris. Methods Heparinized peri-pheral blood was obtained from 20 patients with psoriasis vulgaris and 10 healthy human controls. PBMCs were isolated, cultured in complete medium, and stimulated with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) alone, the com-bination of PHA and various concentrations of alpha-MSH, or nothing. After another 48-hour culture, ELISA and real-time PCR were performed to measure the secretion levels of TNF-alpha and IL-10 in the super-natants of cultured PBMCs as well as the mRNA expression levels of TNF-alpha and IL-10 in PBMCs. Results The secretion level of TNF-alpha in the supematants of patient-derived PBMCs stimulated by nothing or PHA alone was significantly higher than that from normal control-derived PBMCs (329.87 ± 99.33 ng/L vs 116.95 ± 37.15 ng/L, 1756.01 ± 183.60 ng/L vs 1287.30 ± 152.36 ng/L, both P<0.01). alpha-MSH of all tested concentrations (10-13, 10-11, 10-7,mol/L) could inhibit the secretion of TNF-alpha by PBMCs com-pared with PHA alone (all P < 0.01), and the maximum effective concentration was 10-13 mol/L. On the con-Wary, a significant decrease was observed in the secretion level of IL-10 in the supematants of patient-derived PBMCs stimulated by nothing or PHA alone compared with normal control-derived PBMCs (P <0.05 or 0.01). Moreover, the secretion of IL-10 by PBMCs was promoted by alpha-MSH of all tested con-centrations (P < 0.01 or 0.05), with the maximum effective concentration being 10-13 mol/L (P < 0.01). The alpha-MSH of 10-13 mol/L down-regulated the mRNA expression of TNF-alpha (P < 0.001), but up-regnlated that of IL-10 (P < 0.001) in PHA-stimulated PBMCs from patients. Conclusion alpha-MSH can regulate the production of TNF-alpha and IL-10 by PHA-stimulated PBMCs from patients with psoriasis vulgaris.

Objective To investigate the mRNA expressions of IFN-gamma receptor and TNF-alpha receptor in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with psoriasis vulgaris and their role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Methods Fifty patients with psoriasis vulgaris (37 cases of active psoriasis and 13 cases of stable psoriasis) and 24 healthy human controls were included in this study. PBMCs were isolated from blood samples obtained from all patients and controls. The mRNA expressions of IFN-gamma receptor and TNF-aipha receptor in PBMCs were detected by RT-PCR. The disease severity in patients was evaluated by psoriasis area and severity index (PASI). Results The mRNA expressions of IFN-gamma receptor and TNF-alpha receptor were observed in the PBMCs of all subjects. The mRNA expression levels of IFN-gamma receptor were 0.72 ± 0.17 in healthy controls, 1.11 ± 0.55 in all patients with psoriasis, 1.13 ±0.57 in patients with active psoriasis and 1.03 ± 0.52 in patients with stable psoriasis, respectively. A signifi-cant increase was observed in the expression levels of IFN-gamma receptor mRNA in all psoriatic patients and in patients with active psoriasis compared with those in healthy controls (both P < 0.05), but there was no significant difference between the healthy controls and patients with stable psoriasis (P ＞ 0.05). The expres-sion levels of TNF-alpha receptor mRNA were 2.05 ± 1.34 in healthy controls, 2.70 ± 3.80 in all psoriatic patients, 2.90 ± 4.40 in patients with active psoriasis, 2.14 ± 1.05 in patients with stable psoriasis, respectively;there was no significant difference between psoriatic patients and healthy controls (P ＞ 0.05). However, no correlation was found between the mRNA expression of IFN-gamma receptor, that of TNF-alpha receptor,and disease severity in psoriatic patients. Conclusions The mRNA expression of IFN-gamma receptor in PBMCs is up-regulated in patients with psoriasis vulgaris, which is unrelated to the activity of psoriasis.

Objective To observe whether peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) can induce the adhesion of T lymphocytes to endothelial cells. Methods Sera and PBMCs were obtained from patients with active SLE and normal human controls. PBMCs were cultivated and culture supematants were harvested. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured in vitro with or without the presence of the sera or culture super-natants of PBMCs. Some cells were pretreated with the antibody to IL-17 before the treatment with the sera or supematants. After another 48-hour culture, RT-PCR and real-time PCR were used to detect the mRNA expressions of adhesion molecules, including intercellular adhesion moleeule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and E-cadherin in HUVECs, wound healing assay to estimate the motility of HUVECs. Additionally, T lymphocytes were added to HUVECs 48 hours after stimulation with the sera or supematants, the adhering of T lymphocytes to HUVECs was observed by microscopy. Results After stimulation with supematants of PBMCs from patients with active SLE, the mRNA expressions of ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and E-cadherin were significantly increased in HUVEC, while the increase could be inhibited by the antibody to IL-17. The elevation of adhesion molecule expression subsequently promoted the motility of HUVEC, mediated the adhesion of T lymphocytes to HUVEC, and the antibody to IL-17 could suppress the adhesion of T lymphocytes and motility of HUVEC. Conclusion The culture supematants of PBMCs from patients with active SLE can induce the expression of vascular cell adherin molecules and promote the adherin of T lymphocytes, which may in turn mediate the development of lupus vasculitis.

Objective To investigate the effect ofpeptidoglycan from Staphylococcus aureus on the release of several chemokines including intedeukin 8 (IL-8), regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC) by normal human epidermal keratinocytes (KCs) and the role of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) in this process. Methods KCs were derived from the foreskin of a healthy boy and propagated. After 2 - 4 passages, KCs were collected and treated with various concentrations (3, 10, 30 and 100 mg/L) of peptidoglycan for 24 hours or with peptidoglycan of 100 mg/L for varying durations (3, 6, 12, 36 hours). A fi'action of KCs were pretreated with functional grade purified anti-TLR2 monoclonal antibody before the treatment with peptidoglycan of 100 mg/L. After additional 12-hour culture following the treatment, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the level of IL-8, RANTES and MDC in culture supernatants of KCs. Results KCs spontaneously released IL-8 and RANTES. Peptidoglycan increased the production of IL-8 but decreased that of RANTES by KCs. The levels of IL-8 were 209.96 ± 10.31 ng/L, 250.28 ± 9.52 ng/L, 285.11 ± 10.28 ng/L, 359.40 ± 6.93 ng/L in KCs treated with peptidoglycan of 3, 10, 30, 100 mg/L, respectively, compared to 135.41 ± 14.37 ng/L in untreated KCs (all P < 0.05). On the contrary, a significant decrement was seen in the secretion of RANTES by KCs treated with peptidoglycan of 10, 30, 100 mg/L compared with untreated KCs (110.72 ± 8.51 ng/L, 90.50 ±2.45 ng/L, 49.89 ± 13.74 ng/L vs 149.94 ± 18.71 ng/L, all P < 0.05). The monoclonal antibody to TLR-2 could markedly suppress the promotion of IL-8 production by peptidoglycan, but had no obvious influence on the inhibition of RANTES production by peptidoglycan. MDC could not be detected in the culture super-natants of KCs with or without peptidoglycan stimulation. Conclusion Peptidoglycan could inhibit RANTES secretion but induce IL-8 production by KCs likely via TLR2.