Our findings show marked associations between severity of AA, atopic dermatitis, thyroid disease and other autoimmune diseases, and extensive family history of AA, suggesting two clinically distinct subtypes of AA with the severe subtype possibly associated with greater familial autoimmunity. Further research exploring the possibility of a genetic basis to explain these clinical findings will be helpful in clarifying our understanding of AA, leading to improvements in diagnosis and treatment.

The ability to discriminate between self and nonself antigens is vital to the functioning of the immune system as a specific defense against invading microorganisms. Failure of the immune system to "tolerate" self tissues can result in pathological autoimmune states leading to debilitating illness and sometimes death. The induction of autoimmunity involves genetic and environmental factors that have focused the attention of researchers on the trimolecular complex formed by major histocompatibility complex molecules, antigen, and T cell receptors. Detailed molecular characterization of these components points to potential strategies for disease intervention.

Objective. To evaluate the role of the T cell receptor /3 chain locus (TCRB) in genetic susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods. Twenty-eight multiplex RA families were recruited from 3 rheumatology outpatient departments. All members were genotyped for a highly informative microsatellite (Vpd.7), a V d 2 . 2 SSCP marker, and a biallelic C , restriction fragment length polymorphism. Data were analyzed by the SIBPAL program to assess identity-by-descent in affected sib-pairs.Results. Using the Vp12.2 marker, there was suggestive evidence of increased sib-pair sharing (P = 0.005) in affected offspring (a P value of 0.001 is generally

Motor driven lentulo spiral technique demonstrated more number of optimal fills with fewer voids when compared to hand held lentulo spiral technique and reamer.

No abstract