Atrophic dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans with the fusion gene COL1A1-PDGFB detected by RT-PCR using only a single primer pair.

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSPs) is an uncommon dermal tumor of intermediate to low-grade malignancy. A few patients have clinically persistent plaques that might be atrophic, and they are difficult to be diagnosed clinically. With the development of cytogenetic and molecular biology techniques, the detection of fusion transcripts of the collagen type 1a1 (COL1A1) and platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGFB) genes has been recognized as a reliable and valuable molecular tool for the diagnosis of DFSPs. We reported a 24-year-old woman who had a 2 years history of atrophic DFSPs, and detected the gene fusion between COL1A1 to PDGFB by one-step method of RT-PCR using only a single primer pair. The gene fusion detected by this rapid and efficient one-step method in our patient appears to be the first report of atrophic DFSPs, and we detected a novel COL1A1 breakpoint between exon 2 and exon 3.

Immunosuppressive effect of Chinese medicine on T helper 17 cells.

T helper (Th)17 cells have been proposed to play important roles in several human diseases. The literatures about Chinese medicine studies, which related to inhibiting Th17, were reviewed, and the Chinese medicine which could inhibit Th17 cells was summarized in this paper.

Distribution and development of the TCM syndromes in psoriasis vulgaris.

OBJECTIVE: To study the distribution and development rules of the TCM syndromes in psoriasis vulgaris. METHODS: Based on the clinical epidemiologic mass survey, the study was carried out by means of a status survey, multi-center and large-sample research. The data base was set up by EPIINFO6.0. The SPSS was used to do the statistical analyses in 2651 cases of psoriasis vulgaris to study the correlations among the distribution and development of the TCM syndromes, the stages of the disease, nationality, psoriasis history, family history, smoking history, alcohol drinking history, and severity of the disease. RESULTS: The TCM syndromes in psoriasis vulgaris mainly include the blood-heat syndrome (53.8%), blood-dryness syndrome (27.4%), and blood-stasis syndrome (18.1%). Other syndromes were rarely seen, covering 0.6%. The concurrent syndromes mainly involve dampness, heat, blood stasis and toxin. The distribution differences of the main syndromes at different stages of the disease had statistical significance (P < 0.01). The syndrome distribution is not related with nationality and family history (P > 0.05), but it was closely related with the psoriasis history, smoking history, alcohol drinking history, and severity of the disease (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: At the initial stage, psoriasis vulgaris usually manifests itself as the blood-heat syndrome, and later it may be improved or turn into the blood-dryness or blood-stasis syndrome. Smoking, alcohol consumption, and severity of the disease may play a role in the syndrome's transformation.