AbstractThe current study investigates the role of regulatory T (Treg) cells in the pathogenesis of ocular attack in patients with Behcet’s disease (BD). Nineteen BD patients with ocular complications (BDo), including 11 BD patients with ocular attack (BDa) and eight BD patients with inactive ocular complications (BDi), were studied. Four BD patients without ocular complications (BDwo) were also evaluated as controls. All patients were prospectively followed by our outpatient clinic between autumn 2004 and spring 2005. CD4+ CD25+bright T cells (Treg cells) from peripheral blood were measured by flow cytometry. The percentages of Treg cells in CD4+ T cells from BDo were significantly decreased before ocular attack compared with those after ocular attack. Moreover, surprisingly, these levels before attack were significantly lower than normal level, whereas the percentages of Treg cells in both BDi and BDwo patients were normal. Treg cells were significantly decreased in BDa before active ocular attack. These findings suggest that Treg cells play an important role in ocular attack in BD patients. In addition, decreased percentages of Treg cells may be a predictive marker of ocular attack in BD patients allowing treatment of BD patients before an ocular attack. 相似文献
Over the vast Northwest China, arid desert contains high concentrations of sulfate, chloride, and other chemicals in the ground water, which poses serious challenges to infrastructure construction that routinely utilizes portland cement concrete. Rapid industrialization in the region has been generating huge amounts of mineral admixtures, such as fly ash and slags from energy and metallurgical industries. These industrial by-products would turn into waste materials if not utilized in time. The present study evaluated the suitability of utilizing local mineral admixtures in significant quantities for producing quality concrete mixtures that can withstand the harsh chemical environment without compromising the essential mechanical properties. Comprehensive chemical, mechanical, and durability tests were conducted in the laboratory to characterize the properties of the local cementitious mineral admixtures, cement mortar and portland cement concrete mixtures containing these admixtures. The results from this study indicated that the sulfate resistance of concrete was effectively improved by adding local class F fly ash and slag, or by applying sulfate resistance cement to the mixtures. It is noteworthy that concrete containing local mineral admixtures exhibited much lower permeability (in terms of chloride ion penetration) than ordinary portland cement concrete while retaining the same mechanical properties; whereas concrete mixtures made with sulfate resistance cement had significantly reduced strength and much increased chloride penetration comparing to the other mixtures. Hence, the use of local mineral admixtures in Northwest China in concrete mixtures would be beneficial to the performance of concrete, as well as to the protection of environment. 相似文献