P1-019 CRYOPRESERVATION OF VITAMIN D3 [1,25(OH)2D3]-TREATED DENDRITIC CELLS : A CRUCIAL STEP TOWARDS CLINICAL APPLICATION OF TOLEROGENIC DC VACCINATION

While emerging evidence indicates that dendritic cells (DC) play a central role in the initiation and progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), their modulation with immunoregulatory agents provides prospect as immunosuppressive therapy. The aim of this study is to investigate the capacity of tolerogenic DC (tolDC) to restore or modulate pathogenic responses in MS. Our observations reveal that 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ (10^-5M) treatment of DC results in a maturation-resistant phenotype and anti-inflammatory cytokine profile as compared to conventional IL-4-treated-DC. Importantly, we demonstrate the ability of vitD₃-treated-DC loaded with myelin-derived peptides to induce stable antigen-specific hyporesponsiveness in myelin-reactive T-cells derived from healthy volunteers and MS-patients. Indeed, T-cells were still responsive to an unrelated antigen, such as the cytomegalovirus pp65 peptide, indicative of antigen-specific T-cell hyporesponsiveness. Moreover, induced hyporesponsiveness was stable, since these T-cells did not reactivate upon stimulation with fully mature conventional DC. Finally, we developed a cryopreservation protocol which yielded 78% recovery and 75% viability of immature vitD₃-treated-DC following a freeze-thaw cycle. Furthermore, no differences regarding the expression of typical DC membrane-markers and T-cell stimulatory function could be observed before and after cryopreservation.

In conclusion, we demonstrate, to our knowledge for the first time, the feasibility of cryopreservation of tolDC. In this perspective, our results contribute to potential large scale production and preservation of tolDC and further underline their possible clinical applicability in order to correct the immunological imbalance in MS.
P1-020 DIAGNOSIS CHALLENGE IN A SEVERE CASE OF ACRODERMATITIS CONTINUA OF HALLOPEAU
I. Florea¹, I. Vais¹, C. Tutunaru¹, L. Predoi¹, N. Florea<sup>2


1</sup>dermatology, emergency clinical hospital, craiova, Romania
²Radiology, emergency clinical hospital, craiova, Romania

Acrodermatitis continua of Hallopeau is a rare variant of pustular psoriasis with chronic evolution that tends to be resistant to topical and systemic treatment.

We present a case of a 63 year-old male, who checked in repeatedly for erythematous and pustular quasi-generalized eruption with severe involvement of the fingers and toes. The patches are sharply demarcated from healthy skin with multiple intraepidermic pustules that break easily leaving behind a bright red, glazed, slightly atrophic epiderma that in evolution is covered by crusts. In addition, the actual episode is accompanied by functional limitation of the hands and feet due to extension of the disease. Also the nail examination revealed severe onychodystrophy, onycholysis and anonychia. The onset of the disease was in January 2011 with small palmoplantar pustules either isolated either grouped forming plycyclic lakes of pus.

The tests revealed hyperleukocytosis, hyperglycemia, increased ESR and elevated liver enzymes and the bacteriologic examination was negative.

The histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of acrodermatitis continua of Hallopeau and the x-ray showed diffuse demineralization of the distal phalanx, arthropathy of the interphalangeal joints and diffuse osteoporosis due to postinfectious left calcaneal geostoza.

Because the corticotherapy has proven effective only in the short-term we started systemic therapy with retinoids and local applications with calcipotriol and betamethasone propionate. Evolution was favorable with complete resolution of lesions.

Acrodermatitis continua of Hallopeau is a localized form of pustular psoriasis.

Retinoids are the treatment of choice with the best long-term risk benefit.

Type 2 diabetes is associated comorbidity.
P1-021 PATTERN OF LUPUS NEPHRITIS IN THE MILITARY HOSPITAL:A HISTOLOGICAL AND IMMUNOFLUORESCENCE STUDY
N. Al sheikh<sup>1


1</sup>Immunology, Institute of Endemic diseases, khartoum, Sudan

Introduction: Lupus nephritis (LN) is the most common and serious manifestation of systemic lupus erythematousus (SLE). There is a wide variation in the natural history of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) among different ethnic and geographical groups. Studies in Arabs are few and those in North Africans and especially in the Sudanese population donÕt exist. This study aims to characterize the pattern of Lupus nephritis among Sudanese patients. Objectives: To demonstrate the clinical, laboratory features of the disease. The study was conducted at the Renal Dialysis unit at The Military Hospital, Sudan. From April 2009 * May 2010.Atotal of 34 patients were studied. Results: Of the 34 patients there were 33 females and one male between 10 -75 years with a median age of 24 years. The histological pattern of lupus nephritis using World Health Organization classification, class I (n = 2, 5.9%); class II (n = 7, 20.6%); class III (n = 9, 26.5%); class IV (n = 8, 23.5%); class V (n = 3, 8.8%); class VI (n = 5, 14%). There was no significant correlation between immunoglobulins & complement components performance and the WHO classes (p value > 0.05 for all classes).The most common significant features at the time of biopsy were ≥ 3.5g of 24 hours urine protein detected in (94.1%)of the patients and edema in (73.5%) of them. Conclusion: I conclude that focal segmental glomerulonephritis (class III) is the most common histopathological pattern of Lupus nephritis. The Sudanese pattern resembles that reported in some Arab countries such as Kuwait and KSA and differs from those reported in African countries and other parts of the world.

Poster Session: Session 1: Autoimmunity, the heart and Artherosclerosis

P1-022 CLINICAL DETERMINANTS AND SIGNIFICANCE OF IMMUNOGENIC OXIDIZED LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN/BETA2-GLYCOPROTEIN I (OXLDL/B2GPI) COMPLEXES IN ATHEROTHROMBOTIC CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES
L.R. Lopez¹, K. Guyer², E. Matsuura³, C.B. Rockman⁴, J.S. Berger<sup>5


1</sup>Clinical Affairs, Corgenix Inc., Broomfield, USA
²Chemistry, Indiana University South Bend., South Bend, USA
³Cell Chemistry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan
⁴Vascular Surgery, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USA
⁵Cardiology and Hematology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USA

Background and Aims: OxLDL/β2GPI complexes have been implicated in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. The clinical determinants and significance of oxLDL/β2GPI complexes were evaluated in arterial and venous disease. Methods: 146 study subjects were recruited from a vascular surgery outpatient clinic: 61 had arterial disease (21 carotid artery disease, 17 peripheral artery disease, and 23 abdominal aortic aneurysm), 32 had venous disease, and 53 were healthy controls. Serum was obtained to measure oxLDL/β2GPI by ELISA. Results were expressed in U/mL. Results: Mean oxLDL/β2GPI levels were significantly elevated in arterial (0.69±0.50 U/mL, p=0.004) and venous groups (0.54±0.37 U/mL, p=0.025) compared to controls (0.39±0.33 U/mL). There was a significant association of oxLDL/β2GPI with the following demographic and clinical variables: sex (female 0.26 vs male 0.55 U/mL, p=0.005); age (r=0.299, p=0.002); hypertension (0.54 vs 0.27 U/mL, p=0.024) and family Hx of previous clotting episode (0.95 vs 0.37 U/mL, p=0.035). Subjects with oxLDL/β2GPI values above the median (0.25 U/mL) were significantly more likely to have arterial disease (OR 2.5, 1.15-5.32, p=0.019) and venous disease (OR 2.8, 1.11-7.33, p=0.026). After excluding subject on statins, the odds for arterial disease was 4.5 (1.54-13.14, p=0.004) and venous disease was 4.1 (1.38-11.99, p=0.008). Multivariate regression models with oxLDL/β2GPI as a dependent variable indicated male gender (t=2.34, p=0.021), high cholesterol (t=2.58, p=0.011) and the CAD phenotype (t=2.32, p=0.023) as significant predictors of oxLDL/β2GPI. Conclusions: OxLDL/β2GPI complexes are elevated in patients with atherothrombotic vascular diseases. Male gender, hypercholesterolemia and the CAD phenotype were significant independent predictors of oxLDL/β2GPI.

Autoimmune dermatitis herpetiformis is infectious. The author transferred this disease to himself by touching the diseased fluid of a patient and then his own mucous membranes. Ten months later, dermatitis herpetiformis occurred on the skin of abdomen under his iron belt buckle. The disease appears on his arms under the sunlight in summer, and on his thigh when copper and iron keys touched the skin in his pocket, indicating that disease risk factors trigger and accelerate disease progression. It showed that an infectious agent is involved in the pathogenesis of dermatitis herpetiformis. An increasing number of autoimmune diseases were transferred to animals and individuals. Cancer was transferred by both intact tumor cells and cell-free filtrates. Niu MC, DeCarvalho S and colleagues transferred cancer with tumor RNA in animals. Among disease molecules, only tumor RNA can transfer the disease to new host. Nuclease degrades exogenous nucleic acids in blood plasma. Oxidants reduce nuclease activity and promote the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases and cancer. This raised a possibility that exogenous DNA and RNA molecules named molecular pathogens are involved in pathogenesis of these diseases. These nucleic acids have low toxicity and infectivity, thus, oxidants are required to reduce nuclease activity as prerequisite. Three key evidences support the idea that a special category of exogenous nucleic acids is involved in the pathogenesis of these diseases. 1: Increasing autoimmune diseases are transferred from the patients to other individuals and animals. 2: Oxidants deactivate nuclease in disease development. 3: Cancer was transferred by tumor RNA.

We assessed the effects of ingesting caffeine before half bath in hot water on serum leptin and sweating responses, which are both physiological responses associated with energy expenditure. The subjects were nine male university students. This study used a within-subject, random, crossover design. Tests were performed twice at the same time (2*5 p.m.) at a 1-week interval following 3 mgákg^-1 caffeine ingestion or not. Half bath in hot water (42 ± 0.5¡C for 30 minutes) in a thermoneutral climate chamber (25 ± 0.5¡C, 60 ± 3% relative humidity, < 1 m/second air velocity). Leptin, free fatty acids, waist size, mean whole body output volume and mean active sweat gland density increased significantly after a single PHL session (P < 0.05). Leptin and all other parameters were significantly higher than those after a single PHL session and caffeine ingestion before PHL (P < 0.05). A single PHL session not only increased leptin secretion, lipolysis, and the sweating response but also increased energy expenditure via changes in sympathetic nerve activity. The results suggest that ingesting caffeine before PHL is more energy efficient than that of a single PHL session.

Background and aims: