Molecular Identification of Atractylodes Plants Based on ITS2 Sequence / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective: To identify the genetic relationship of cultivated and wild Atractylodes and its closely related species by using the Internal Transcribed Spacer 2(ITS2)barcode,in order to explore the cultivation origin of A. coreana from Northeast China. Method: Genomic DNAs were extracted from 40 samples of Atractylodes and its closely related species from different cultivated habitats,and 7 samples of wild A. coreana. were also extracted. The ITS2 sequences of these samples were amplified, and bidirectional sequencing was conducted by polymerase chain reaction(PCR). Totally 47 ITS2 sequences were aligned by using MEGA 5.0,5.8S and 28S sequences were removed to obtain the complete ITS2 sequence and build neighbor-joining (NJ) tree. Result: The lengths of ITS2 sequences of all samples were 232 bp. The NJ tree and the secondary structures of ITS2 showed that various varieties could be distinguished obviously except A. chinesis and A. coreana,which showed a good monophyly. The NJ tree showed that cultivated and wild A. coreana can also get together very well. Conclusion: As a DNA barcode,ITS2 sequences can be used to stably and accurately distinguish various varieties of Atractylodes. The relationship between A. chinesis and A. coreana is very close. A. coreana can be considered as a variant of A. coreana in North China. It is recommended to incorporate A. coreana into A. chinesis. The large-scale cultivation of A. coreana may originate from local wild population in Liaoning province,and the provenance may come from Xiuyan and other places in Liaoning province.

Effect of high-dose dexamethasone on BAFF and Tregs in patients with immune thrombocytopenic purpura / 中华血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the change of B-cell activating factor of the TNF family (BAFF) and regulatory T-cells (Tregs) before and after high-dose dexamethasone(HD-DXM) therapy and assess the effect of BAFF on Treg cells in immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The plasma BAFF concentration was measured by ELISA, and Treg cell numbers by flow cytometry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The plasma BAFF level \[(599.70 +/- 199.40) pg/ml\] was significantly increased (P < 0.05), and the percentage of Treg cells \[(1.56 +/- 0.73)%\] was significantly decreased (P < 0.01) in ITP patients before treatment as compared with that in controls \[(454.5 +/- 132.5) pg/ml and (4.08 +/- 1.08)%, respectively\]. After treatment with HD-DXM, the plasma BAFF level \[(296.9 +/- 119.7) pg/ml\] was significantly decreased (P < 0.01), and the percentage of Treg cells \[(5.94 +/- 2.22)%\] was significantly increased (P < 0.01). The BAFF level and Treg proportion had no significant correlation with platelets count (P > 0.05). In in vitro assays, no difference was found in the number of Treg cells between rhBAFF0 group and rhBAFF20 group \[(1.53 +/- 0.69)%, (1.49 +/- 0.67)%, P = 0.89)\].</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>BAFF level was increased and Treg cells decreased in ITP patients. HD-DXM might play a role in ITP treatment by down-regulating BAFF expression and up-regulating Treg cells number. BAFF had no influence on the number of Treg cells.</p>

Chromosomal aberrations in chronic lymphocytic leukemia by interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization and their association with clinical features / 中国实验血液学杂志

This study was aimed to investigate the common chromosomal aberrations in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and to explore the relationship between these chromosomal aberrations and clinical features of CLL. Sequence-specific DNA probes (D13S25, RB1, p53, ATM) and one centromeric probe CSP12 were applied to detect del(13q14), del(17p13), del(11q22-q23) and trisomy 12 by using interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (I-FISH). 9 CLL patients with negative conventional cytogenetics or without mitotic figure were enrolled in this study. The threshold was established using 10 controls without hematopoietic malignancies. The results indicated that compared with the established threshold, all of the 9 CLL patients showed cytogenetic abnormalities. The detection using p53 and D13S25 showed positive in 7 cases, positive was observed in 5 cases by using ATM and in 4 cases by using both RB1 and CSP12. There was significant correlation between the ATM and the hemoglobin level of the patients. In addition, the elevated probability of gaining bulky lymphadenopathy was found in ATM positive patients. It is concluded that the I-FISH is a more rapid and sensitive technique for analysis of chromosome aberrations in CLL. A large series study with long-term follow-up is needed to reveal the role of cytogenetic abnormalities in the determination of CLL prognosis.

Analysis and clinical significance of ETV6 rearrangement in myelodysplastic syndromes patients / 中华血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To identify the ETV6 gene rearrangement in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and explore its relationship with prognosis and disease stages.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>ETV6 rearrangement in 58 MDS cases were detected by conventional cytogenetics and Split-signal FISH. RT-PCR was used to detect 9p24-12p13 balance translocation with special designed primers ETV6F1/F2 and JAK2R1/R2. The relationship between ETV6 rearrangement and prognosis and disease staging in MDS patients was analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>ETV6 rearrangement were found in 4 (6.9%) of 58 cases, among which ETV6/JAK2 fusion was identified by RT-PCR in 1 (1.7%) case. The mean follow-up duration was 12 months. All 4 patients (100%) with rearrangement transformed into acute leukemia, with a median survival time (MS) of 7 months; while 10 patients (17%) in the non-translocation group transformed to acute leukemia, with a MS of 28 months. In addition, all 4 patients (100%) with rearrangement were in advanced stage of MDS( RAEB), while 17 cases (31.5%) in non-rearrangement group were in that stage.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>ETV6 rearrangement has higher expression rate (6.9%), and is closely associated with disease stage and prognosis in MDS.</p>

Study on the direct MAIPA technique in the differential diagnosis of immune and non-immune thrombocytopenia / 中华血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the clinical usefulness of direct monoclonal antibody immobilization of platelet antigen (MAIPA) technique in the differential diagnosis of immune and non-immune thrombocytopenia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Platelet-bound autoantibodies in thrombocytopenic patients (immune and non-immune) were measured by direct MAIPA. Monoclonal antibodies against GP II b/III a, GPIb and GP I a/II a were used.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The positive rates of platelet-bound GP-specific autoantibodies between immune (76.4%) and non-immune thrombocytopenia (3.6%) were significantly different (P < 0.05). The direct MAIPA had a sensitivity of 76.4%, a specificity of 96.4%, and a positive predictive value of 97.1% for the diagnosis of immune thrombocytopenia. There was a significant inverse correlation between platelet-bound GP II b/III a specific autoantibody levels and platelet counts (r = -0.338, P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The direct MAIPA technique can be used to differentiate immune from non-immune thrombocytopenias.</p>