Analysis of the autoimmune response to BP180 in Chinese stroke patients

Abstract Background Significant association between bullous pemphigoid (BP) and stroke has been reported. This study aimed to evaluate the level of anti-BP180 antibody in stroke patients to explore the relationship between BP and stroke in their pathogenesis. Methods We collected serum samples from stroke patients and matched controls between February 2019 and June 2020. The anti-BP180 antibody levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results A total of 1183 stroke patients including 970 with cerebral infarction (CI), 192 with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), 21 with CI and ICH, and 855 controls were enrolled in this study. Anti-BP180 autoantibody values were significantly higher in stroke patients than in controls (p < 0.001). Anti-BP180 autoantibody-positive rates were 12.51% (148) in stroke patients and 4.68% (40) in controls (p < 0.001, OR = 2.65). In anti-BP180 autoantibody-positive subjects, the values were significantly higher in stroke patients than in controls (p < 0.001). However, only 10 (6.76%) stroke patients and 3 (7.5%) controls had high values (> 100 RU/mL) (p = 0.87). Stratified analysis showed that anti-BP180 antibody positive rates were independent of age, sex, and stroke subtypes in the stroke group. Positive rates in patients with both CI and ICH were nearly two times higher than those in patients with either CI or ICH alone (p = 0.11, OR = 1.94). Study limitations This study had a limited sample size and lacked quantitative criteria for stroke severity. Conclusions Anti-BP180 antibody values and positive rates were higher in stroke patients than in controls, suggesting that stroke patients may have higher of developing BP.

Treatment of atypical trigeminal neuralgia with microvascular decompression.

AIM: To explore the methods for achieving pain relief in patients with atypical trigeminal neuralgia (TN) using microvascular decompression (MVD). STUDY DESIGN AND SETTINGS: Retrospective study of 26 patients treated during the years 2000 to 2004. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-six patients in whom vascular compression of the trigeminal nerve was identified by high definition magnetic resonance tomographic angiography (MRTA) were treated with MVD for atypical TN in our department. Clinical presentations, surgical findings and clinical outcomes were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: In this study, single trigeminal division was involved in only 2 patients (8%) and two or three divisions in the other 24 patients (92%). Of prime importance is the fact that in 46.2% of the patients, several conflicting vessels were found in association. Location of the conflicts around the circumference of the trigeminal root was supero-medial to the root in 53.5%, supero-lateral in 30.8% and inferior in 15.7%. MVD for atypical TN resulted in complete pain relief in 50% of the patients with complete decompression, partial pain relief in 30.8% and poor pain relief or pain recurrence in 19.2% of the patients without complete decompression postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: Complete decompression of the entire trigeminal root plays an important role in achieving pain relief in patients with atypical TN with MVD.

Development of ZM-1 tissue microarrayer / 中国医疗器械杂志

ZM-1 tissue microarrayer designed by our group is manufactured in stainless steel and brass. It features an easier and faster preparation for tissue microarrays. By means of it, a group of biopsy needles are used to punch the donor tissue specimens respectively, and all the needles with the punched specimen cylinders are arranged into the array-board, where small holes have been digged to fit the needles. All the specimen cylinders arraying and the tissue microarray block's shaping are finished simultaneously. ZM-1 tissue microarrayer with a lower cost of manufacture, is capable of preparing the tissue microarrays conveniently, efficiently and quality-controllably.

Application of new tissue microarrayer-ZM-1 without recipient paraffin block / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

The ZM-1 tissue microarrayer designed by our groups is manufactured in stainless steel and brass and contains many features that make TMA (tissue microarray) paraffin blocks construction faster and more convenient. By means of ZM-1 tissue microarrayer, biopsy needles are used to punch the donor tissue specimens respectively. All the needles with the punched specimen cylinders are arrayed into the array-board, with an array of small holes dug to fit the needles. All the specimen cylinders arraying and the TMA paraffin block shaping are finished in only one step so that the specimen cylinders and the paraffin of the TMA block can very easily be incorporated and the recipient paraffin blocks need not be made in advance, and the paraffin used is the same as that for conventional pathology purpose. ZM-1 tissue microarrayer is easy to be manufactured, does not need any precision location system, and so is much cheaper than the currently used instrument. Our method's relatively cheap and simple ZM-1 tissue microarrayer technique of constructing TMA paraffin block may facilitate popularization of the TMA technology.