Objective To investigate the possible association between HLA-B51 alleles and Behcet's disease (BD). Methods Totally, 61 Chinese patients of Han nationality, who were diagnosed with BD according to the International Study Group (ISG) criteria, were recruited. The control cohort consisted of 100 healthy individuals. Blood samples were obtained from all the subjects. PCR-sequenee specific primers (SSPs) were used to for the genotyping of HLA-B51 alleles (HLA-B5101-HLA-B5109). Results Com- pared with the control group (11 positive, 11% ), the frequency of HLA-B51 (18 positive, 29.5% ) was sig- nificantly increased in BD patients (χ2=8.79, P<0.01, RR=3.39). The HLA-B51-positive patients and controls consistently carried HLA-B5101 allele with no other alleles observed. There were 15 males and 3 females in HLA-B51 positive patients, 22 males and 21 females in HLA-B51-negative patients, and signifi- cant differences in gender distribution was observed between HLA-B51-positive and negative patients (P<0.05 ). Moreover, the average age of onset in HLA-B51-positive patients significantly differed from that in HLA-B51-negative patients (28.4±10 years vs 37.3±12 years, P<0.05). However, no significant differ- ences were noticed in the clinical types, course, skin lesions, prevalence of genital ulcer, eye damage, joint involvement, or pathergy reaction between HLA-B51-positive and -negative patients (P0.05). Conclu- sions This study supports that HLA-B5101 allele is associated not only with the development of BD, but also with the gender and onset age of patients with BD of Chinese Han nationality.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the immediate and 1-year outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with domestically made drug-eluting stent (DES) in patients with previous coronary bypass graft surgery (post-CABG) in order to determine the relationship between related factors and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebral events (MACCE) after PCI. Methods From September 2008 to October 2009, 83 consecutive post-CABG patients had implantation of 176 domestically made DES for 126 coronary lesions. Each patient was followed up at least for 1 year after the procedure done for the evaluation of the efficacy and safety of DES implanted in post-CABG patients. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between major factors and MACCE.Results The success rate of operation procedure was 97. 5％. MACCE occurred in 10 patients including death in 1 patient, stroke in 1 patient,myocardial infarction in 1 patient, and those were treated with repeated coronary revascularization in 8patients and target lesion revascularization (TLR) in 1 patient. ConclusionsImmediate and medium-term results showed the safety and efficacy of revascularization with domestically made DES in post-CABG patients. Complete revascularization was an independent predictor of MACCE.

Objective To investigate the mRNA expression of CC Chemokines, including RANTES (regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted), monocyte chemoattracctant protein-1 (MCP-1), monocyte chemoattracctant protein-3 (MCP-3) and macrophage inhibitory protein 1? (MIP-1?), in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with chronic urticaria, their mutual correlation, and the relationship between the expression level of CC chemokines and the serum level of IgE and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) in the patients. Methods Reverse transcription-polymerase reaction (RT-PCR) was applied to semiquantitatively analyze the mRNA expression of RANTES, MCP-1, MCP-3 and MIP-1? in PBMCs from 31 patients with chronic urticaria and 22 healthy subjects. Results The mRNA expression of RANTES, MCP-1, MCP-3 and MIP-1?was significantly higher in the patients than those in the normal controls (P 0.05). In the patients, the mRNA expression of RANTES negatively correlated with the serum level of IgE and ECP (P

Objective To discuss the ideas and specific implementation steps of Oracle database upgrading.Methods By using the EXP and IMP which are provided by the Oracle database,import and export of entire database are implemented and complete database upgrading.Results The database is upgraded form Oracle 8i to Oracle 10g,which is the foundation of our hospital follow-up implementation of PACS and RAC technology.Conclusion Because the environment of practical application is different and complex,the Oracle database must test before the upgrading;the appropriate parameters are set according to different front-end application environment,and then enhance server performance significantly.

Objective To investigate the melanocyte lymphocyte reacion when the allogeneic lymphocytes are cultured with normal melanocytes. Methods 3H-thymidine was incorporated into the mixed culture and the transformation and proliferation rates of lymphocytes were detected by liquid scintillation counting and expressed as cpm. Electron microscopy was used to observe the ultrastructure of melanocytes after mixed culture. Results The results of lymphocyte proliferation were expressed by the stimulation indexes. The stimulation indexes in active vitiligo group was significantly different from that in stable vitiligo group and normal controls. The stimulation indexes of the melanocyte stimulated group was significantly different from that of ConA stimulated group. In the mixed melanocyte lymphocyte reaction, the allogeneic lymphocytes had little effect on the melanocytes. The ultrastructure of the melanocytes in the mixed culture showed normal morphology and normal function of synthesis of melanin. Conclusion As a specific antigen in mixed melanocyte lymphocyte reaction, melanocyte has a weak effect on the lymphocytes. The melanocytes from stable stage vitiligo patients seem more suitble to be allografted.

Objective To report a consanguineous family with lamellar ichthyosis and to detect the mutations in transglutaminase 1 (TGM1) gene in this family. Methods Genomic DNA was extracted from the blood samples of a 19-year-old male patient with lamellar ichthyosis, his family members and 100 normal human controls. PCR was carried out to amplify all the encoding sequences (15 exons) and adjacent flanking sequences of TGM1 gene followed by bidirectional sequencing. Results A C1666T mutation in the 11th exon in TGM1 gene, which resulted in the substitution of ACA (threonine) by ATA (isoleucine) at codon 529, was detected in the proband, while both his parents carried the C1666T mutation in heterozygous form, and his sister was a C/C homozygote. None of the 100 normal control individuals carried the mutation in TGMlgene. Conclusions The de novo mutation from ACA (threonine) to ATA (isoleucine) at codon 529, may contribute to the development of lamellar ichthyosis. Consanguineous marriage can increase the risk for lamellar ichthyosis by raising the probability of homozygosis of C 1666T mutation in TGM 1 gene.

Objective To investigate the serum levels of CXC, CC and C chemokines, and to esti-mate the relationship among the three kinds of chemokines as well as that between these chemokines and other Th1 and Th2-related cytokines, in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). Methods Fifty-one patients with atopic dermatitis, including 35 males and 16 females with an average age of 17 years and disease course of 13.6 years were enrolled into this study together with 34 normal human controls. ELISA was used to measure the serum levels of monokine induced by IFN-γ (Mig), thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC), cutaneous T cell-attracting chemokine (CTACK) and lymphotactin (Ltn) in these subjects. Severity of AD was assessed according to SCORAD. Results The serum levels were 79.6±28.0 ng/L for Mig, 349.9±91.5 ng/L for TARC, 747.4±359.4 ng/L for CTACK and 141.0±68.4 ng/L for Ltn in patients, significantly higher than those in the normal controls (63.8±26.5 ng/L, 219.4±82.1 ng/L, 294.3± 64.9 ng/L, 80.9±54.2 ng/L, P < 0.05, 0.01, 0.01, 0.01 respectively). A significant correlation was observed between the serum level of CTACK and SCORAD score in patients (r = 0.343, P < 0.05). Similarly, the percentage of body surface area (BSA) involved positively correlated with the serum levels of Mig, TARC, CTACK and Ltn. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between the serum level of Ltn and TARC (r=0.444, P< 0.01) as well as CTACK (r=0.572, P< 0.01), between that of CTACK and TARC (r=0.524, P< 0.01), and between that of TARC and Mig (r=0.313, P< 0.05). Conclusion The CXC, CC and C chemokines might be involved in the pathogenesis of AD. Further more, CTACK level could serve as a good indicator for the severity of AD.

Objective To detect the mutations of pigment epithelium derived factor (PEDF) gene in a human malignant melanoma cell line A375. Methods A375 cells and control melanocytes obtained from circumcised prepuce were cultured, genomic DNA was extracted from these cells. All eight exons of PEDF gene were scanned by single strand conformation polymorphism analysis ofpolymerase chain reaction products (PCR-SSCP) in both A375 cells and control melanocytes. DNA sequencing was performed for the PCR products separated into electrophoretic bands with altered mobility. Results Altered mobility was observed with SSCP analysis in amplicons of exon 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, with the most obvious alteration occurred in exon 5 and 6. DNA sequencing revealed mutations in both exon 5 and 6. The common type of mutations was single base-deletion in exon 5 and single base-substitution in exon 6. Conclusion Mutations of PEDF gene may contribute to the development of human malignant melanoma.

Objective To study the clinical, histopathologic and ultrastructural characteristics of achromic naevus (AN). Methods Clinical data, including sex, age, age of onset, pattern of lesions, involved sites, shape and number of lesions and associated systemic diseases, were collected from 85 patients with AN. Skin melanin index was detected in 34 lesions of 19 patients with AN, 30 lesions of 12 patients with vitiligo and 64 contralateral normal skin islands of the 31 patients. Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) was performed to analyze the lesion, normal skin and junctional area between lesional and normal skin of 62 patients with AN. Tissue samples were obtained from lesions and perilesional normal skin of 17 patients with AN and subjected to pathological examination as well as ultrastructural study with transmission electron microscopy; also, skin biopsy specimens were immunostained for tyrosinase, HMB45, tyrosinase-related protein-1 (TRP-1), TRP-2 and CD117. Results Of the 85 patients with AN, 23 (27.1%) developed lesions at birth, and 21 (24.7%) after 3 years of age; 72 (84.7%) had irregularly shaped lesions, 54 (63.5%) had only a single lesion. The mean melanin index and relative melanin index of AN lesions were 186.56 ± 52.86 and 80 ± 11, respectively, significantly lower than those in normal skin islands (223.88 ± 63.19 and 100, both P < 0.01), but higher than those in depigmented lesions from 12 patients with vitiligo (128.57 ± 64.31 and 60 ± 20, both P < 0.01). RCM revealed a decline in the number of melanocytes and brightness of melanin caps, even distribution of melanin in lesions, as well as obscure demarcation between lesions and normal skin from patients with AN. Fontana-Masson stain showed that the melanin content was lower in lesions than in perilesional skin (1810.12 ± 327.96 vs 2064.24 ± 260.41) from patients with AN. Microscopic examination demonstrated a decrease in melanocyte and melanosome number, presence of immature melanocytes at stage Ⅱ and Ⅲ in cytoplasm and dendrites of melanocytes and keratinocytes, aggregated melanosomes in affected keratinocytes in lesions of AN. In 17 patients with AN, the relative expression levels of tyrosinase and TRP-1 were 1827.35 ± 307.09 and 6102.54 ± 1642.64, respectively, in normal skin specimens, significantly higher than those in lesional skin (1477.35 ± 224.05, 5322.33 ± 1565.26, both P< 0.01); no statistical difference was observed in the expression levels of HMB45, TRP-2 or CD117 between lesional and normal skin. Conclusions AN is an early-onset, nonfamilial aggregated, stable leukoderma with irregular margins, and in lesions of AN, the number of both melanocytes and melanosomes is decreased with the presence of immature melanosomes. The measurement of relative melanin index and reflectance confocal microscopy may offer a non-invasive approach to the diagnosis of AN.