The drug-induced lymphocyte stimulation test (DLST), or lymphocyte transformation test (LTT), is used to identify the culprit drug in severe cADR cases.\n\nObjective: The aim

of this study was to examine the immune reactions in cADR patients through the identification of the drug-specific proliferating cells by flow cytometric PHA-848125 DLST (FCM-DLST).\n\nMethods: The peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 16 anticonvulsant-induced cADR patients were investigated by conventional DLST and a FCM-DLST protocol in which CFSE dilution and BrdU incorporation were combined. FCM-DLST allowed for the identification of the drug-specific proliferating cells in six cases. Three of these cases were DIHS cases, whereas there was one case of SJS, one case of maculopapular rash (MP), and one case MG0103 of erythema multiforme (EM) among the six cases.\n\nResults: In FCM-DLST, drug-specific proliferating T cells were detected as CFSElow BrdU(high) cells. These cells corresponded to the cells incorporating H-3-thymidine in conventional DLST. Although CD4(+) T-cell proliferation dominated the

observed proliferation in most of the cases (in the recovery stage of the three DIHS cases, the MP case, and the EM case), drug-specific CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) were detected, especially in the acute stages of the SJS case and one of the DIHS cases. There was a dramatic switch in the predominant drug-specific proliferating T-cell population in the course of one of the cases of DIHS ACY-738 in which CD8(+) CTLs were predominant initially, whereas CD4(+) T cells were predominant later. Moreover, drug-specific CD4(+) CD25(+) Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs) proliferated during the recovery stage in one DIHS case.\n\nConclusions: FCM-DLST revealed that the cell proliferation detected by conventional DLST is a heterogeneous proliferation of both CD8(+) CTLs

and CD4(+) T cells that likely includes Tregs. However, the number of cADR cases in this study was limited, which limits the conclusions that can be drawn from it. (C) 2011 Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“A survey was conducted at 32 different rice fields in coastal zone of Sebarang Perak in West Malaysia to identify most common and prevalent weeds associated with rice. Fields surveyed were done according to the quantitative survey method by using 0.5m x 0.5m size quadrate with 20 samples from each field. Weeds present in each field were identified and the data were used to calculate frequency, field uniformity, density and relative abundance values for each species.