Impaired water barrier function in acne vulgaris

In acne vulgaris, abnormal follicular keratinization is important for comedo formation, yet the precise mechanisms of comedogenesis are not known. The present study examined the interrelationship between sebum secretion rate (SSR), lipid content and water barrier function (WBF) of the stratum corneum (SC) in 36 acne patients and 29 control subjects. All major SC lipid classes were separated and qantified by thin-layer chromatography/photodensitometry. WBF was evaluated by measuring transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and the hygroscopic properties and water-holding capacity of the SC. The SSR over a period of 3 h was significantly higher in patients with moderate acne than in control subjects, but no significant difference was noticed between patients with mild acne and control subjects. Significant differences between patients with both moderate and mild acne and control subjects were noted in the amount of sphingolipids (ceramides and free sphingosine), but not for any other lipid classes. Furthermore in acne patients, lower amounts of sphingolipids were observed corresponding with a diminished WBF. These results suggest that an impaired WBF caused by decreased amounts of ceramides may be responsible for comedo formation, since barrier dysfunction is accompanied by hyperkeratosis of the follicular epithelium.     

An immunohistochemical study of sinonasal hemangiopericytoma

We present herein the imaging and pathological features of a 28-year-old male with a sinonasal hemangiopericytoma-like tumor occupying the left nasal meatus. At the initial visit, a nasal polyp was suspected, but, as the patient was bleeding readily, an angiomatoid lesion was also regarded as a possible diagnosis.Based on a thorough histopathological analysis, a sinonasal hemangiopericytoma-like tumor was diagnosed. Hematoxylin and eosin staining also showed a mild degree of nuclear pleomorphism and a slight increase in mitotic activity, and immunohistochemical studies using anti-CD34, MIB-1, and Vimentin antibodies were useful for distinguishing the hemangiopericytoma-like tumor from true hemangiopericytoma and a solitary fibrous tumor.     

Influence of plasma glucagon levels on glycemic control in children with type 1 diabetes

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between plasma glucose (PG), HbA1c and plasma glucagons levels in children with type 1 diabetes to determine the influence of plasma glucagon on their glycemic control. Methods: The study was conducted in 60 Japanese children, aged 13.3 ± 4.6 years, with type 1 diabetes for at least 3 years of diabetes. Most of the subjects had absent pancreatic β‐cell function. We compared the glucagon levels among patient groups stratified according to the 2‐hour postprandial levels (<50, 50–99, 100–199, 200–299, and ≥300 mg/dL), and the HbA1c levels (<7.0, 7.0–7.9, 8.0–8.9, and ≥9%). Results: The mean 2‐hour postprandial PG, HbA1c and plasma glucagon levels were 174 ± 97 mg/dL, 7.7 ± 1.3% and 84.0 ± 32.6 pg/mL, respectively. The glucagon levels were highly correlated with the PG levels (r = 0.553, P < 0.0001) and mildly correlated with the HbA1c levels (r = 0.301, P = 0.0192). Patients with high PG levels had significantly higher levels of glucagon as compared with those with lower PG levels (139.4 ± 47.2, 78.4 ± 17.3, 82.4 ± 21.0, 98.3 ± 29.2 and 93.8 ± 18.3 pg/mL, P = 0.0009). On the other hand, there were no significant differences in plasma glucagon levels among patient groups stratified according to HbA1c levels (P = 0.1566), however, patients with HbA1c levels ≥ 9% had significantly higher levels of glucagon than those with HbA1c levels < 7% (113.3 ± 53.4 vs 80.8 ± 18.4 pg/mL, P = 0.0291). Conclusion: These results suggest that patients with high PG are likely to have high concentrations of plasma glucagon, which may aggravate glycemic control progressively, leading to elevation of HbA1c levels.     

Effective method for screening for respiratory inhibition after crying in infants

Background: In order to establish an effective screening method for respiratory inhibition after crying (RIAC), we prospectively studied the correlations between infant RIAC and perinatal factors. Methods: We monitored infants (n = 141) born from May through July 2009 with polygraphy and evaluated the presence of RIAC and respiratory pause that occurred when feeding was initiated immediately after crying with a decrease in oxygen saturation (SpO₂) to <60%. The infants were screened for increased echogenicity, a cyst in the ganglionic eminence (GE), or a subependymal cyst by cranial ultrasound. Furthermore, we evaluated the correlations between RIAC and perinatal factors. Results: Eleven infants displayed RIAC and 31 experienced respiratory pause during feeding with a decrease in SpO₂ to <60%. There were no significant correlations between RIAC and perinatal factors. Forty infants had ultrasound abnormalities (increased echogenicity in the GE, 26; cyst in the GE, nine; and subependymal cyst, seven). Sensitivity, specificity, and efficiency of abnormal cranial ultrasound findings for RIAC were 1.00, 0.777, and 0.794, respectively. The odds ratio, sensitivity, specificity, and efficiency of the combination of abnormal cranial ultrasound findings and respiratory pause during feeding with a decrease in SpO₂ to <60% and RIAC were 35.9 (P < 0.001), 0.727, 0.931, and 0.915, respectively. Conclusion: The combination of abnormal cranial ultrasound findings and respiratory pause during feeding with a decrease in SpO₂ appears to be an effective method of screening for RIAC.     

Comparison in Accumulation of Lanthanide Elements Among Three Brassicaceae Plant Sprouts

Three kinds of sprouts in the Brassicaceae family of plants, namely, pink kale, radish and mustard were evaluated for the possibility of phytoremediation of lanthanides. The mustard sprout more efficiently accumulated lanthanides (e.g. 0.26 nmol La/g) than other Brassicaceae family plant sprouts (0.16 nmol La/g in the radish), however the radish sprout showed the fastest growth among three sprouts. Faster growth compensated for less efficiency in lanthanide accumulation (28 pmol La in the radish vs. 12 pmol La in the mustard) indicating that the radish is the most preferable sprout for the phytoremediation of lanthanides.     

MEM spectral analysis for predicting influenza epidemics in Japan

Objectives  

The prediction of influenza epidemics has long been the focus of attention in epidemiology and mathematical biology. In this study, we tested whether time series analysis was useful for predicting the incidence of influenza in Japan.     

Phosphatidic acid has a potential to promote hair growth in vitro and in vivo,and activates mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase in hair epithelial cells

Phospholipids have recently been discovered to play an important role in cellular regulation. In this study, we focused on phosphatidic acid and lysophosphatidic acid, which are phospholipids known to possess growth-hormonal effects on several types of cells, and examined their growth-promoting effects on murine hair epithelial cells. We discovered that phosphatidic acid possesses intensive growth-promotional effects on hair epithelial cells and epidermal keratinocytes. In contrast, lyso-phosphatidic acid showed lower growth-promoting effects on hair epithelial cells relative to phosphatidic acid and showed minimal or no growth-promoting activity on epidermal keratinocytes. Phosphatidic acid was also shown to have hair-growing activity to induce the anagen phase of the hair cycle in the in vivo murine model. For the purpose of examining the hair-growing mechanisms of phosphatidic acid, we examined its relationship to the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade linked to cell proliferation and the transforming growth factor beta signal pathway known to be a regulator of catagen induction. We confirmed that phosphatidic acid activates MEK-1/2 and upregulates the expression of MEK-1/2 in cultured murine hair epithelial cells. Addition of transforming growth factor beta1 to hair epithelial cell cultures concentration-dependently decreased cell growth and induced apoptosis; however, addition of phosphatidic acid to the culture neutralized the growth-inhibiting effects of transforming growth factor beta1 and protected the cells from apoptosis. We speculate that the hair-growing activity of phosphatidic acid is at least linked to its growth-promoting effects on hair epithelial cells that follow mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase activation and its protective action on transforming-growth-factor-beta1-induced apoptosis that is assumed to trigger catagen induction in the hair cycle.