Prototype development of bilateral arm mirror-like-robotic rehabilitation device for acute stroke patients.

During the early six months after the onset of a stroke, patients usually remain disabled with limbs weakness and need intensive rehabilitation. An increased number of stroke patients is countered with a reduced number of physical therapists. The development of medical robots to substitute therapists' work should be helpful.

HLA alleles and haplotypes in Burmese (Myanmarese) and Karen in Thailand.

This is the first report on human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allele and haplotype frequencies at three class I loci and two class II loci in unrelated healthy individuals from two ethnic groups, 170 Burmese and 200 Karen, originally from Burma (Myanmar), but sampled while residing in Thailand. Overall, the HLA allele and haplotype frequencies detected by polymerase chain reaction sequence-specific primer (PCR-SSP) at five loci (A, B, C, DRB1 and DRQB1) at low resolution showed distinct differences between the Burmese and Karen. In Burmese, five HLA-B*15 haplotypes with different HLA-A and HLA-DR/DQ combinations were detected with three of these not previously reported in other Asian populations.

FCGR3B gene frequencies among ethnic Thai blood donors from a regional hospital in Eastern Thailand.

The FCGR3B gene encodes three human neutrophil antigens which consist of HNA-1a, HNA-1b, and HNA-1c. These antigens are encoded by three alleles in the FCGR3B locus: FCGR3B*01, FCGR3B*02, and FCGR3B*03 alleles, respectively. The frequencies of FCGR3B alleles have been reported in different ethnic populations.

HLA class I and II alleles and haplotypes in ethnic Northeast Thais.

Allele frequencies (AFs) and haplotypic associations of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I and II were investigated in 400 unrelated, healthy, ethnic Northeast Thais. HLA-A, -B, -Cw, -DRB1 and -DQB1 were typed by polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific primer, -sequence specific oligonucleotide probe and -single-strand conformation polymorphism methods. In this population, 17 HLA-A, 26 HLA-B, 15 HLA-Cw, 26 HLA-DRB1 and 13 HLA-DQB1 alleles (or groups of alleles) were found.

HLA-B*15 subtypes in Burmese population by sequence-based typing.

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B*15 encompasses an increasing number of subtypes of more than 150. Frequency studies and a strong genetic association between HLA subtypes and susceptibility to drug hypersensitivity have been reported in different ethnic populations. To identify HLA-B*15 subtypes in Burmese using sequence-based typing (SBT) method, we selected 65 HLA-B*15-positive samples from 170 unrelated healthy Burmese who were genotyped HLA-B* by polymerase chain reaction with the sequence-specific primer method.