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Objective To analyze results of atopy patch test (APT) with dust mite allergens at different concentrations in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD),and to evaluate the diagnostic value of APT.Methods Totally,85 patients with AD were enrolled into this study.All the patients underwent APT with 5 concentrations (3 000,5 000,7 000,10 000 and 12 000 pnu/g) of dust mite allergens,as well as skin prick test (SPT) with dust mite allergens.Dust mite allergens were obtained from two different manufacturers (group 1 and 2).Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to detect allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (SIgE) in sera from these patients.The sensitivity,specificity and positive predictive value of APT,SPT and SIgE assay were compared,and the results of APT were compared among different concentrations of allergens and between allergens from different manufacturers.Results When SIgE assay served as the gold standard,the sensitivity,specificity and positive predictive value in the diagnosis of dust mite allergy were 79.41％,76.12％,and 64.29％ respectively for APT,73.53％,80.95％ and 67.57％ respectively for SPT with group 1 dust mite allergens,and 81.53％,77.78％ and 65.09％ respectively for APT,76.02％,79.85％ and 66.07％ respectively for SPT with group 2 allergens.When SPT was regarded as the gold standard,the sensitivity,specificity and positive predictive value in the diagnosis of dust mite allergy were 78.38％,77.42％,67.44％ respectively for APT,67.57％,84.21％,73.53％ respectively for SIgE assay with group 1 dust mite allergens,79.25％,80.63％ and 69.55％ respectively for APT,61.07％,82.54％ and 77.21％ respectively for SIgE assay with group 2 allergens.There were no significant differences in the sensitivity,specificity or positive predictive value of APT or SPT between the two groups of allergens.The positive rate of APT was 8.24％,22.35％,29.41％,44.71％ and 41.18％ respectively with group 1 allergens at 3 000,5 000,7 000,10 000 and 12 000 pnu/g,and 3.53％,23.53％,31.76％,34.12％ and 35.29％ respectively with group 2 allergens.No significant differences were observed in the positive rate of APT between group 1 and 2 allergens at same concentrations (all P ＞ 0.05),but a significant difference was observed in that between different concentrations of group 1 or 2 allergens (both P＜ 0.05).The positive rate of APT increased with the increase of allergen concentrations,but stopped rising when the concentrations of group 1 and 2 allergens reached 7 000 pnu/g and 5 000 pnu/g respectively.Conclusions The sensitivity of APT is relatively high for the diagnosis of dust mite allergy.The positive rate of APT increased with the increase in allergen concentrations,but stopped rising when the concentrations reached a certain level.
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[ ABSTRACT] Chemokines and their receptors have been implicated mostly in tumor progression and metastasis. Atypical chemokine receptors ( ACKRs) comprise a group of 7-transmembrane domain proteins structurally similar to G pro-tein-coupled receptors.However, ACKRs do not induce classical signaling via the typical G protein-mediated pathways. ACKRs efficiently internalize the cognate chemokine ligands and act as scavengers instead.ACJRs are composed of at least 3 members of chemokine receptors: Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines ( DARC, also known as ACKR1 ) , D6 ( also known as ACKR2) and ChemoCentryx chemokine receptor (CCX-CKR, also known as ACKR4).These receptors bind to and/or internalize their chemoattractant ligands without activating signal transduction cascades leading to cell migration.In this review, we summarize the recent progress regarding the roles of ACKRs in the progression and metastasis of tumor.
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Objective To investigate the effect of construct the Notch1 (NICD) eukaryotic expression vector on the proliferation and differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in vitro. Methods Rat BMSCs were experimented as the object. NICD eukaryotic expression vector was constructed. pEGFP-N1-NICD expressing plasmids were used to transfect BMSCs. The study included control group (CON group), empty vector group (VEC group) and the trans-fection group (TRA group). After 48-hour transfection, BMSCs were observed for general morphology. The protein expres-sions of NSE, GFAP and Notch1 were detected by real-time PCR and Western blotting assay respectively. The apoptosis, cy-cle distribution and cell proliferation were evaluated by flow cytometry and MTT assay. Results The DNA sequencing con-firmed that the pEGFP-N1-NICD recombinant plasmid was successfully constructed, and both VEC group and TRA group expressed green fluorescence after 48-hour transfection. The relative expression levels of Notch1 and GFAP mRNA and pro-tein were significantly higher in TRA group than those in VEC group and CON group (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference between VEC group and CON group. After 48-hour transfection, the ratio of living cells was significantly lower in TRA group than that of CON group and VEC group, and the early apoptotic rate and late apoptotic rate were significantly higher in TRA group than those of CON group and VEC group (P<0.05). The late apoptotic rate was significantly higher in VEC group than that of CON group. The proportion of G1/G0 cells was significantly higher in TRA group than that of CON group and VEC group, but S and G2/M cells were significantly lower (P<0.05). The value of growth curve was gradually de-creased in TRA group than that of CON group and VEC group (P<0.05). Conclusion The high expression of NICD gene might induce apoptosis of BMSCs, inhibit the proliferation in part, and induce into glial-like cell differentiation.
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Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Qingpeng ointment in the treatment of eczema.Methods A multi-center,randomized,double-blind and placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted.A total of 246 patients with eczema were randomly assigned with a ratio of 2∶1 to the treatment group and control group to topically apply Qingpeng ointment and placebo respectively twice daily for 3 weeks.Total symptom scores were calculated for the patients at the baseline,on week 1,2 and 3 during the treatment according to the individual scores for pruritus,lesions including erythema,papules,papulovesicles or vesicles,desquamation,crusting,infiltration and lichenification.The occurrence of adverse events was recorded.Results Totally,228 patients completed the trial,including 154 patients in the treatment group and 74 patients in the control group.After 3 weeks of treatment,a statistical difference was observed in the response rate (85.71％ vs.41.89％,Z=47.16,P＜ 0.01) and cure rate (31.82％ vs.12.16％,Z=12.30,P＜ 0.01) between the treatment and control group.There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse events between the two groups (2.48％ vs.2.56％,x2 =0,P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion Qingpeng ointment displays a promising efficacy for the treatment of mild to moderate eczema with a rapid onset and high safety.