Objective To investigate the changes of disease activity and clinical significance in the course of treatment in patients with SLE.Method 286 cases of SLE were reviewed and compared the changes of SLEDAI scores in different disease duration.Results The SLEDAI scores of patients whose first treatment courses less than 1 month and 1 to 3 months were significantly lower than those patients whose were 4 to 6 months and more than 6 months. After treatment for 2 months to 3 years, the SLEDAI scores were not correlated with cumulated dosage of corticosteroids.Conclusions For the patients of short first treatment course, the treatment could relieve SLE disease activity rapidly and effectively to some extent; while for the patients whose first treatment courses were relatively long ,the relif of disease activity was relatively slow. After treatment for 2 to 3 months, the disease of SLE patients was more active than other periods, and it was inclined to produce visceral damage. As mentioned above ,we should pay attention to this phenomenon.

Objective To investigate the cumulative organ damage of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and It's affecting factors.Methods 162 cases of SLE patients were reviewed and evaluated in the cumulative organ damage of them . At the same time, It's affecting factors were analysed by multifactorial analysis.Results The cumulative organ damage of SLE was obviously correlated with the first time of treatment, treatment with CTX ,the numbers of recurrence rate and level of complements;but were not correlated with disease duration and cumulative dosage of corticosteroid.Conclusions The cumulative organ damage was one of the evaluating factors of SLE disease, and it's occurence and development were affected by multiple factors .So, the patients should be treated with hormone and control the beneficial factors to protect organs,such as,observation on complemets level,high dosage cyclophosphamide pulse treatment etc.

Objective To investigate whether baicalein inhibits the proliferation, cell cycle of and pseudopod formation in A431, a skin squamous cell carcinoma cell line, by suppressing the expression of ezrin protein. Methods A431 cells were grouped to be transfected with ezrin-targeting siRNA (siRNA group), treated with baicalein of 5, 10, 20, 40 μmol/L, respectively (baicalein group), or remain untreated (control group). After additional culture, wound healing assay and Transwell assay were performed to observe the migration and invasion of A431 cells, RT-PCR to detect the mRNA expression of ezrin in A431 cells, Western blot and immunoflu-orescence to measure the expression of ezrin protein and its phosphorylation. The pseudopod formation in A431 cells was observed by using scanning electron microscopy. Results After 24-hour culture, wound healing assay displayed that the percent wound closure was 13.3 ± 1.7, 7.6 ±1.6 and 5.9 ± 1.3, respectively, in A431 cells treated with baicalein of 5, 10, 20μmol/L, significantly lower than that in untreated A431 cells (16.3 ± 2.3, all P < 0.01), and the inhibition of baicalein on the migration of A431 cells was concentration-dependent. In the Transwell assay, a significant decrease was observed in the number of A431 cells per high power field permeating through the artificial basement membrane in the groups treated with baicalein of 5, 10, 20 μmol/L for 48 hours compared with the control group (46.5 ± 3.8, 34.3 ± 3.4, 25.3 ± 2.3 vs 56.3 ± 3.8, all P < 0.01), whereas no significant difference was noted between these baicalein-treated groups and siRNA-transfected group (28.3 ± 2.1, all P > 0.05). RT-PCR analysis showed that the mRNA expression of ezrin in baicalein-treated A431 cells significantly decreased compared with that in untreated cells (all P< 0.01), but showed no difference from that in siRNA group (P > 0.05). A statistical difference was also observed in the expression of ezrin and phosphorylated ezrin protein between baicalein-treated A431 cells and untreated cells (all P< 0.05), but not between 40 μmol/L baicalein-treated A431 cells and siRNA-transfected cells (P> 0.05). Furthermore, the suppression of baicalein on ezrin protein and mRNA expression was concentration dependent. The number of pseudopod per cell was significantly lower in 20 μmol/L baicalein-treated A431 cells and siRNA-transfected cells than that in untreated A431 cells (5.3 ± 1.9, 4.5 ± 2.8 vs 22.6 ± 2.8, both P < 0.01), while no significant difference was observed between the former two groups of cells (P > 0.05); the length of pseudopodia also reduced in baicalein-treated cells. Conclusions Baicalein may inhibit the proliferation and invasion of A431 cells by directly or indirectly suppressing the expression of ezrin and phosphorylated ezrin, which in turn contributes to the effect of baicalein against tumor proliferation and metastasis.

Two patients who developed typical skin eruptions 24 hours after consumption of shiitake mushrooms are reported.Case 1:a 56-year-old woman suddenly developed widespread itching eruptions one day after intake of shiitake mushrooms.On examination,there were erythematous and edematous linear streaks (flagellate erythema) over the neck,trunk and limbs.Case 2:a 60-year-old man presented with edematous flagellate erythema over the trunk and limbs for four days.He reported intake of shiitake mushroom several days prior to the presentation.Pathological examination revealed focal parakeratosis,intracellular and intercellular edema in the prickle cell layer,severe edema of papillary dermis,evident widening of interfibrous spaces,dilation and congestion of capillaries in the superficial dermis with a mixed perivascular infiltrate of massive lymphocytes and sparse neutrophils.Both patients were diagnosed with shiitake dermatitis,and treated with prednisone and antihistamines.The lesions subsided after 3 and 4 days of treatment in patient 1 and 2 respectively.

Objective To investigate the association betw een systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)and polymorphismof Fc gamma receptor ty peⅢin Han patients fromHunan province.Methods Genotypes of Fc?RⅢa-158V/F were determined by polymerase chain reaction(PCR)and restriction fragment length polymorphism(RFLP)analysis in 65patients with SLE and 60normal controls.Results①It was found that the frequency of homozygous Fc?RⅢa-158F /F genotype was significantly h igher in patients with SLE than that i n controls(OR=2.23,? 2 =4.69,P=0.03).②The frequencies of both homozygous Fc?RⅢa-158F /F genotype and Fc?RⅢa-158F allele were significantly high er in patients with lupus nephritis c ompared with those in controls(OR=2.67,? 2 =5.36,P=0.02;OR=2.00,? 2 =4.91,P=0.03).Conclusions These results suggest that an abnorm al distribution of Fc?RⅢa-158V/F polymorphism is associated with SLE in the Hans of Hunan province,and the presence of Fc?RⅢa-158F allele is a risk factor for lupus nephritis.These findings support t he hypothesis of a genetic mechanism in the pathogenesis of SLE.[

Objective To investigate the expression and role of CD147in the differentiation of nor-mal keratinocytes and squamous cell carcinoma(SCC)cells.Methods CD147expression was analyzed immunohistochemically in20cases of verruca vulgaris(VV),various benign,premalignant and malignant epidermal tumors including21cases of seborrheic keratosis(SK),20actinic keratosis(AK),20Bowen' s disease(BD)and57squamous cell carcinoma.SCCs were classified using Broder's system of grading.Im-munoblot analysis was used to observe CD147expression in normal keratinocyte(HaCaT)and SCC cell(HSC-5)in vitro during their differentiation process induced by calcium.The effects of high-calcium medi-um culture and CD147antibody on the differentiation-related morphology of HaCaT and HSC-5cells were also observed.Results The same staining pattern of CD147was shown in20VV and21SK specimens as in normal epidermis.Positive CD147staining throughout the lesion was shown in4of20AK and7of20BD specimens.Positive CD147staining at the periphery of tumor nests was shown in8of20gradeⅠSCC specimens.CD147expressed throughout tumor nests in16of20gradeⅡSCC and all of the17gradeⅢSCC specimens.Immunoblot analysis revealed decreased CD147expression in both HaCaT and HSC-5cells during differentiation process induced by calcium.Not only high-calcium medium but also CD147antibody could induce differentiation-related morphology of both HaCaT and HSC-5cells in vitro.Conclusion These results suggest that CD147is a novel low-differentiation marker of keratinocyte,which might inhibit the dif-ferentiation of both normal keratinocyte and SCC cell.

Objective To obtain the short peptides from phage-displayed random peptide library through screening the epitope of monoclonal antibody against tumor necrosis factor(TNF-?). Methods Anti-TNF-? was used to immunoscreen a phage random peptide library of 12 amino-acidresidues displayed as a fusion to protein Ⅲ of filamentous phage M13. The positive clones were obtained by three rounds of biopanning, and the reactivity of each clone binding to anti-TNF-? was examined by double-antibody sandwich ELISA and Dot-ELISA. Mixed positive phage clones were used to detect the serum from SLE patients and healthy persons by Dot-ELISA. Results The eluted phages were enriched nearly 100 fold through three rounds of biopanning, 7 phage clones from the third round biopanning were randomly selected and 5 clones of them could bind to the anti-TNF-?. The binding rate of mixed clones with SLE patients was significantly higher than that of healthy persons. Conclusion The phage display technique can be applied to study the anti-TNF-? antigenic peptides, and these epitopes provide the potential for developing immunodiagnostic reagents of vaccines.

Objective To examine the cellular distribution and the role of a-catenin in epidermal tumors. Methods Expression of a-catenin was investigate d by immunohistochemical staining in 20 patients with Bowen′s disease (BD), 20 squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), 20 basal cell carcinoma (BCC), and 40 normal cont rols. Results Expression of a-catenin was strongest on the cell membranes of b asal cells, but nearly negative in the cytoplasm and the nuclei of epidermal cel ls in normal controls. Expression of a-catenin was significantly lower on the cell membranes in SCC and BCC cells than that in normal epidermal cells (P

Objective To construct CD147 siRNA expression vector in o rder to analyze the role of CD147 in the invasion and metastasis of tumors deriv ed from skin.Methods According to CD147 cDNA sequence in the Genebank,a pair of 64-nt oligonucleotides,each containing the sites of restriction endonucleas e at both ends,were designed and synthesized.Oligonucleotides were annealed an d ligated with linearized pSUPER by T4DNA ligase.The recombinants (named pSUPER /CD147 siRNA ) were finally sequenced and identified by PCR and restriction end onuclease digestion.Results CD147 siRNA expression vector was successfully co nstructed and identified by double endonuclease digestion.Sequence analysis of inserted fragment revealed the same sequence as synthesized siRNA oligonucleotid es.Conclusions CD147 siRNA expression vector has been successfully constructed,which paves the way for studying the role of CD147 in the invasion and metasta sis of tumor cells derived from skin as well as in tumor therapy.

Objective To observe the changes of β-catenin expression in human skin fibroblasts (HSFs) after induced by oxidative stress, and to explore its possible roles in oxidative stress-induced premature senescence (SIPS) of HSFs. Methods Fibroblasts were isolated from the foreskin of a child and subjected to a primary culture. The fibroblasts of second to fourth passage were treated with various concentrations of H2O2 for 2 hours to establish an optimized model of stress-induced premature senescence, β-galactosidase assay kit was used to detect the activity of β-galactosidase in H2O2rinduced HSFs, RT-PCR and Western blot to measure the mRNA and protein expressions of β-catenin in control and senescent HSFs. Results Premature senescence of HSFs could be induced by the treatment with H2O2 of 150 μmol/L for 2 hours. The proportion of β-galactosidase-positive cells was (2.97 ± 0.25)% in control HSFs and (37.67 ± 1.53)% in senescent HSFs (P< 0.01). A significant increase was observed in the β-catenin/GAPDH protein ratio and β-catenin/GAPDH mRNA ratio in control HSFs compared with the senescent HSFs (0.62 ± 0.03 vs. 0.31 ± 0.01, t = 14.97, P < 0.01; 0.59 ± 0.04 vs. 0.29 ± 0.30, t = 10.06, P < 0.01). Conclusions The two-hour treatment with H2O2 of 150 μmol/L could induce the premature senescence of HSFs, and there is a notable decrease in the expression of β-catenin in prematurely senescent HSFs induced by oxidative stress, implying that β-catenin is an important target gene for the regulation of skin aging.