A New Assessment Method of Vitiligo by Combination of Dermoscopy and Reflectance Confocal Microscopy.

Purpose: The aim is to investigate the application value of dermoscopy combined with reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) in assessing vitiligo disease activity and treatment response.

Patients And Methods: We enrolled 279 patients with vitiligo and evaluated the disease activity by Vitiligo Disease Activity (VIDA) score, dermoscopy, RCM and dermoscopy combined with RCM respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of different assessment techniques were compared with VIDA score by the differences and consistency.

Dermoscopy and reflection confocal microscope features of pigmented prurigo.

Background: Pigmented prurigo (PP) is a chronic and recurrent inflammatory skin disease. PP is not common clinically, but it is easily misdiagnosed because of its diversified clinical manifestations in different stages.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical, histopathological, dermoscopy, and reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) features of 20 patients diagnosed as PP.

Fatal Balamuthia mandrillaris infection with red plaques on the nasal dorsum as the first presentation.

Balamuthia mandrillaris infection is a rare infectious disease around the world, with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Its early and correct diagnosis is a big challenge for us, and without it the delay in starting effective treatment can lead to the development of encephalitis. This is a report of a case of Balamuthia mandrillaris infection in a Chinese boy, with red plaques on the nasal dorsum as the first presentation, who finally developed into fatal encephalitis.

Single-nucleotide polymorphism and haplotypes of TNIP1 associated with systemic lupus erythematosus in a Chinese Han population.

Objective: To determine the association of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the TNIP1 gene and compare the expression of this gene in cases and controls from a Chinese Han population in this replication study.

Methods: Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to genotype 19 SNP in TNIP1 in Chinese Han patients with SLE (n = 341) and controls (n = 356). Genotypes were analyzed by codominant, dominant, and recessive models.

[Effects of HS1-associated protein X-1 on the lupus activities: experiment with MRL/lpr lupus-like mice].

Objective: To investigate the effects of HS1-associated protein X-1 (HAX-1) on the lupus activity of MRL/lpr lupus-like mice.

Methods: Fifteen MRL/lpr mice were divided into 3 equal groups: Group A, injected with phosphate-buffered saline, Group B, injected intraperitoneally with control virus AdEGFP and Group C, injected intraperitoneally with recombinant AdHAX-1 twice a week for 4 weeks. Peripheral blood samples were collected before the injection, and 2 and 4 weeks after the injection to be detected the white blood cell count, antinuclear antibody (ANA), anti-double strand-DNA antibodies, circulating immune complex (CIC), anti-histone antibodies, and interferon (IFN)-gamma.

[Inhibitory effect of short hairpin RNA on expression of Hax-1 gene in HeLa cells].

Aim: To construct the short hairpin RNA (shRNA) eukaryotic expression vector specific for HS1-associated protein X-1 (Hax-1) and investigate the inhibitory effect of it on Hax-1.

Methods: According to the design rules of shRNA, the specific sequence of 19 nucleotides were selected from Hax-1 cDNA sequence and designed as the cDNA template of siRNA. ShRNA vector pGenesil-Hax-1 was constructed by recombining the synthesized specific sequence with siRNA expression vector pGensil-1.