BACKGROUND: The class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigen, HLA-B27 appears to be the major genetic susceptibility factor for ankylosing spondylitis (AS), anterior uveitis, and reactive arthritis, but the mechanism underlying the association remains unknown. HLA-B27 consists of eleven closely related alleles (B*2701-B*2711) which differ in a restricted number of nucleotide substitutions. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency and the contribution of the HLA-B27 subtypes to AS. METHODS: Forty-six patients (36 AS, 4 anterior uveitis, and 2 psoriatic arthritis, 2 reactive arthritis, 1 erythema nodosum, 1 rheumatic valvular disease) were analysed. The polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP) method was used to define B27 allele subtypes. The primers were specifically designed for the discrimination of HLA-B*2701-B*2711. RESULTS: Thirty-two out of forty-six patients were typed. Among them, 27 AS patients were typed. Only two subtypes were identified : 88.9% (24 out of 27) were typed as B*2705 and 11.1% (3 out of 27) were typed as B*2704. Other 5 non-AS patients ( 4 anterior uveitis & 1 psoriatic arthritis) were also typed as B*2705. CONCLUSIONS: No difference in the distribution of HLA-B27 subtypes between patients and healthy controls could be found (Fisher's exact test : P= 0.867, P>0.05). Any specific B27 subtypes don't appear to contribute to AS susceptibility.
Alleles ; Arthritis, Psoriatic ; Arthritis, Reactive ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Erythema Nodosum ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; HLA-B27 Antigen* ; Humans ; Major Histocompatibility Complex ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing* ; Uveitis, Anterior

BACKGROUND: The determination of blood donor eligibility has become critical and challenging to blood operators as so many conditions and restrictions should be considered to correctly decide the donor eligibility. Since the launching of the BIMS (Blood Information Management System) in May 2003, the demand of developing a more intelligent system to assist the determination of donor eligibility has been growing. The Korean Red Cross Blood Service intended to develop an expert system for donor eligibility determination with high efficiency and ease of use. METHODS: The content of the system was determined through the activity of a team consisting of medical doctors, nurses, safety managers, and the system developers. Algorithms were developed according to the donor history taking process. The efficiency of the system was tested by the comparison of the time needed for inquiries and the number of inappropriate blood collections before and after the implementation of the new system. RESULTS: The new system's user interface integrated many complicated work processes with a user-friendly flexibility. The types of decision included the restricted donations. The donor interviewers were highly satisfied with the system because almost all cases were correctly determined in a relatively short time. Using this system, the number of inappropriate blood collections was significantly lowered. CONCLUSION: We developed an expert system that can aide the donor eligibility determination process and prevent the violation of the related regulations. This system will contribute to enhancement of the blood safety as well as donor protection for our blood services.
Blood Donors ; Blood Safety ; Eligibility Determination ; Expert Systems ; Humans ; Information Management ; Pliability ; Red Cross ; Social Control, Formal ; Tissue Donors

BACKGROUND: The determination of blood donor eligibility has become critical and challenging to blood operators as so many conditions and restrictions should be considered to correctly decide the donor eligibility. Since the launching of the BIMS (Blood Information Management System) in May 2003, the demand of developing a more intelligent system to assist the determination of donor eligibility has been growing. The Korean Red Cross Blood Service intended to develop an expert system for donor eligibility determination with high efficiency and ease of use. METHODS: The content of the system was determined through the activity of a team consisting of medical doctors, nurses, safety managers, and the system developers. Algorithms were developed according to the donor history taking process. The efficiency of the system was tested by the comparison of the time needed for inquiries and the number of inappropriate blood collections before and after the implementation of the new system. RESULTS: The new system's user interface integrated many complicated work processes with a user-friendly flexibility. The types of decision included the restricted donations. The donor interviewers were highly satisfied with the system because almost all cases were correctly determined in a relatively short time. Using this system, the number of inappropriate blood collections was significantly lowered. CONCLUSION: We developed an expert system that can aide the donor eligibility determination process and prevent the violation of the related regulations. This system will contribute to enhancement of the blood safety as well as donor protection for our blood services.
Blood Donors ; Blood Safety ; Eligibility Determination ; Expert Systems ; Humans ; Information Management ; Pliability ; Red Cross ; Social Control, Formal ; Tissue Donors