Vitiligo is an acquired chronic depigmentation disorder that can have a negative impact on the quality of life (QoL). This is especially true for patients with non-white skin. Only few studies have investigated the QoL of Asian patients with vitiligo. We aimed to investigate the QoL in Taiwanese vitiligo patients and identify the factors that influence their QoL. The cross-sectional study recruited 100 vitiligo patients and 100 controls with general skin diseases in the Department of Dermatology of Changhua Christian Hospital. Data were obtained using a structured questionnaire for demographic information and modified Skindex-21 instruments. The QoL was not significantly different between vitiligo patients and controls. Among the vitiligo patients, adults exhibited deteriorated emotional levels and total QoL as compared with non-adults. Married females reported greater levels of emotional disturbance than the unmarried ones. A higher educational level and shorter history of disease were associated with greater emotional impacts. The patients with a generalized type of vitiligo suffered more in total QoL. After multivariate adjustment, the young adult patients aged 20-39 were associated with poorer total QoL. It is suggested that vitiligo patients who are aged between 20 and 39, are married females, are highly educated, have a shorter disease history, and suffer from the generalized type of this disease demonstrate more deterioration in their life quality compared with other vitiligo patients. Care providers should tailor the psychological counseling and treatment accordingly.

OBJECTIVE: Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DRB1*15:140 is a low-frequency allele in the HLA-DRB1 locus. The aim of this study is to confirm the ethnicity of DRB1*15:140 and to deduce a probable HLA-DRB1*15:140-associated HLA haplotype in Taiwanese individuals.
METHODS: A total of 1815 healthy unrelated Taiwanese individuals and 14,562 unrelated mainland Chinese individuals were tested for HLA using a sequence-based typing method. Polymerase chain reaction was performed to amplify exons 2 and 3 of the HLA-A and HLA-B loci and exons 1 and 2 of the HLA-DRB1 locus using group-specific primer sets. The amplicons were sequenced in both directions with the BigDye Terminator Cycle Sequencing Ready Reaction Kit according to the manufacturer\'s protocols.
RESULTS: The DNA sequence of HLA-DRB1*15:140 is identical to DRB1*15:02:01:01 in exons 1 and 2, except at residue 91 of DRB1*15:02:01:01 where a G in DRB1*15:02:01:01 is replaced by an A in DRB1*15:140 (codon 2; GAC->AAC). The nucleotide substitution in exon 1 introduces a one amino acid substitution at residue 2 where an aspartic acid (D) in DRB1*15:02:01:01 is replaced by an asparagine (N) in DRB1*15:140. We deduced the probable HLA haplotype associated with DRB1*15:140 in Taiwanese to be HLA-A*33:03-B*58:01-DRB1*15:140.
CONCLUSIONS: Information on the ethnicity and distribution of DRB1*15:140 and its deduced probable HLA haplotype in association with the low-incidence allele is of value for HLA-testing laboratories for reference purposes and can help bone marrow donor registries find compatible donors for patients with this uncommon HLA allele.

UNASSIGNED: HLA-B*40:247 is a low incidence allele in the HLA-B locus. The aim of this study is to confirm the ethnicity of B*40:247 and its deduced probable HLA- associated haplotype in Taiwanese individuals.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 2,329 unrelated Taiwanese individuals and 66,212 unrelated mainland Chinese individuals were tested for HLA using a sequence-based typing method. We confirmed the low incidence allele B*40:247 in Taiwanese. Polymerase chain reaction was performed to amplify exons 2, 3 and 4 of the HLA-A and HLA-B loci and exon 2 of the HLA-DRB1 locus using group-specific primer sets. The amplicons were sequenced in both directions with the *BigDye Terminator Cycle Sequencing Ready Reaction Kit according to the manufacturer\'s protocols.
UNASSIGNED: The DNA sequence of B*40:247 is identical to B*40:01:01 in exons 2, 3 and 4 except for residue 853, where G of B*40:01:01 is changed to A in B*40:247 (codon 261, GTA->ATA). The nucleotide replacement causes a one amino acid change at codon 261 where V (valine) of B*40:01:01 is replaced by I (isoleucine) in B*40:247. We deduced the probable HLA haplotype associated with B*40:247 in Taiwanese to be HLA-A*24:02-B*40:247-C*03:04-DRB1*16:02.
UNASSIGNED: Information on the ethnicity and distribution of B*40:247 and its deduced probable HLA haplotype in association with the low incidence allele is of value for HLA testing laboratories for reference purposes and can help bone marrow donor registries find compatible donors for patients with this uncommon HLA allele.

UNASSIGNED: HLA-A*11:256Q and HLA-A*02:621 are two low-frequency HLA-A alleles. The aim here is to report the ethnicity of A*11:256Q and A*02:621 and associated human leukocyte antigen (HLA) haplotypes among Taiwanese individuals.
UNASSIGNED: HLA data from randomized Taiwanese registered in the Tzu Chi Stem Cells Centre and China Shanghai Tissuebank Diagnostics were analyzed. HLA typing of the donors was carried out using a sequence-based typing method to confirm the two low-incidence alleles. Polymerase chain reaction was performed to amplify exons 2 and 3 of the HLA-A and HLA-B loci and exon 2 of the HLA-DRB1 locus using group-specific primer sets. The amplicons were sequenced in both directions using BigDye Terminator Cycle Sequencing Ready Reaction kits and the manufacturer\'s protocols. Exon 1 and exons 4-8 of the A*11:256Q allele were also sequenced and analyzed.
UNASSIGNED: The Taiwanese ethnicity for both A*11:256Q and A*02:621 alleles was confirmed in this study. Further, the DNA sequence of A* 11:256Q was confirmed to be identical to A*11:02:01from exon 1 to exon 8 except for the residues from 409 to 417 where a segment of nine nucleotides (TACCGGCAG) is deleted in A*11:256Q. The HLA haplotype associated with A*11:256Q was deduced as A*11:256Q-B*27-DRB1*12. In exons 2 and 3, the DNA sequence of A*02:621 is identical to A*02:01:01:01 except at residue 169 where T of A*02:01:01:01 is replaced by C in A*02:621 (at codon 33; TTC->CTC). The HLA haplotype in association with A*02:621 was deduced as A*02:621-B*15:18-DRB1*12:02.
UNASSIGNED: The information on the ethnicity of the A*11:256Q and A*02:621 alleles and the deduced probable HLA haplotypes associated with the two low-incidence alleles reported here are valuable to HLA testing laboratories for reference purposes. In addition, they can be used by stem cell transplantation donor search coordinators to aid in finding compatible donors in unrelated bone marrow donor registries when a patient carries these uncommon HLA alleles.

OBJECTIVE: Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) DRB1*04:36 is a low-frequency HLA-DRB1 allele. The aim here is to report the ethnicity of DRB1*04:36 and its associated HLA haplotypes among Taiwanese individuals.
METHODS: A sequence-based typing method was employed to confirm this low incidence allele. Polymerase chain reaction was performed to amplify exons 2 and 3 of the HLA-A and HLA-B loci and exon 2 of the HLA-DRB1 locus using group-specific primer sets. The amplicons were sequenced in both directions using BigDye Terminator Cycle Sequencing Ready Reaction kits and the manufacturer\'s protocols. One group of unrelated blood donors used in this study consists of randomized individuals with Taiwanese ethnicity who participate in the Tzu Chi Bone Marrow Donor Registry and the other group are randomized unrelated individuals from mainland China. The family members in the family part of the study are volunteer blood donors.
RESULTS: In exon 2, the DNA sequence of DRB1*04:36 is identical to DRB1*04:03:01 except for a nucleotide segment from residue 286 to residue 308. The nucleotide segment from residue 286 to residue 308, incidentally, is identical to that of DRB1*11:01:01:01. These observations suggest that DRB1*04:36 may have been derived through a gene recombination event involving DRB1*04:03:01 and DRB1*11:01:01:01. Our family study indicated that the HLA haplotype in association with DRB1*04:36 can be deduced to be A*24:02-B*39:01-DRB1*04:36. A randomized population study using Taiwanese suggests that additional DRB1*04:36 associated HLA haplotypes seem to exist.
CONCLUSIONS: The information on the ethnicity of the DRB1**04:36 allele, and the deduced probable HLA haplotypes associated with the low incidence DRB1*04:36 allele that we report here, is of value to HLA testing laboratories for reference purposes. In addition, they can be used by stem cell transplantation donor search coordinators to aid the creation of strategy for finding compatible donors who are part of unrelated bone marrow donor registries when a patient carries this uncommon HLA allele.