肉毒毒素治疗难治性玫瑰痤疮研究进展

本文总结了难治性玫瑰痤疮的临床表现及治疗难点,分析了肉毒毒素对人体的相关作用机制,并将肉毒毒素与难治性玫瑰痤疮的治疗机制相结合,总结两者之间的联系,综述了肉毒毒素治疗难治性玫瑰痤疮的相关研究进展,就近年来肉毒毒素治疗玫瑰痤疮的方法、疗效及安全性进行评估,希望对提高难治性玫瑰痤疮的疗效提供参考和帮助。     

基于胶质淋巴系统探讨“毒损脑络”

络脉是经脉系统的分支,具有沟通表里上下、联系脏腑的作用,在支持气血运行方面呈现双向流动的特性,具有物质交换和新陈代谢的功能。脑为诸阳之会,脑络纵横交错,脑络渗灌气血以充实脑髓并敷布阳气以温煦脑神,为"脑主神明"提供物质基础和源动力。病理情况下脑络不通,毒邪内生,而致"毒损脑络"。"毒损脑络"病机学说不仅应用于中风病机研究中,而且拓展到痴呆等其他脑病中,推动了中医脑病病机理论的发展。新近发现脑内存在"胶质淋巴系统",是星形胶质细胞介导的脑脊液-脑间质液的交换流动系统。胶质淋巴系统把脑脊液中的葡萄糖、脂质、电解质和载脂蛋白E等营养物质和神经活性物质运送到脑组织,也能清除脑内代谢产物(如乳酸)、可溶性蛋白(如β-淀粉样蛋白和Tau蛋白)和异物,这是维持脑内环境稳态的重要液体流动系统。胶质淋巴系统的发现为神经系统疾病病理机制的研究提供了新视角,可能成为脑血管疾病、神经退行性疾病等神经精神系统疾病干预的新靶点。作为脑内广泛分布的代谢废物排出途径和物质运送系统的胶质淋巴系统可能是"脑络"病变的生物学基础,是中西医对"毒损脑络"认识的交叉点,从胶质淋巴系统探析"毒损脑络",有可能为揭示"毒损脑络"的现代内涵提供新的靶点。     

Effects of dynamic lycra orthosis as an adjunct to rehabilitation after botulinum toxin-A injection of the upper-limb in adults following stroke: A single-blinded randomized controlled pilot study

ABSTRACT

Background

Dynamic lycra splints are proposed to modify hypertonicity due to their characteristics – neutral warmth, circumferential pressure, and creating a low-intensity prolonged stretch on hypertonic muscles – to contribute to increased sensory awareness of the involved limb.     

Guideline for Botulinum Toxin Injections in the Effective Treatment of Fibular Spasticity

This study used a modified Sihler's staining method to analyze the nerve distributions of the fibularis muscle to identify the most effective sites for botulinum toxin injection for fibular spasticity treatment. Ten specimens of the fibularis longus and brevis were obtained bilaterally from five fixed cadavers. The applied method of modified Sihler's staining was designed to reveal the intramuscular nerve distribution of the fibularis muscles. We divided the fibularis muscles into four quarters, which were defined as Sections 1–4 starting from the proximal part of the leg. There were one, two, and three nerve entry points in one (10%), six (60%), and three (30%) of the fibularis longus specimens, respectively, and in four (40%), five (50%), and one (10%) of the fibularis brevis specimens, respectively. We counted the number of nerve endings in each section: 321 and 195 points were identified in the fibularis longus and brevis, respectively. The densities of nerve endings were highest in Section 2 of the fibularis longus (147 of 321, 46%) and in Section 3 of the fibularis brevis (78 of 195, 40%). The landmarks used in this study (the fibular head and lateral malleolus) are easily palpable on the skin's surface, allowing clinicians to target the effective injection site (Section 2) without requiring ultrasound guidance, especially for the fibularis longus. Clin. Anat. 33:365–369, 2020. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Breast cancer cells promote CD169+ macrophage-associated immunosuppression through JAK2-mediated PD-L1 upregulation on macrophages

Macrophages are recognized as one of the major cell types in tumor microenvironment, and macrophage infiltration has been predominantly associated with poor prognosis among patients with breast cancer. Using the murine models of triple-negative breast cancer in CD169-DTR mice, we found that CD169⁺ macrophages support tumor growth and metastasis. CD169⁺ macrophage depletion resulted in increased accumulation of CD8⁺ T cells within tumor, and produced significant expansion of CD8⁺ T cells in circulation and spleen. In addition, we observed that CD169⁺ macrophage depletion alleviated tumor-induced splenomegaly in mice, but had no improvement in bone loss and repression of bone marrow erythropoiesis in tumor-bearing mice. Cancer cells and tumor associated macrophages exploit the upregulation of the immunosuppressive protein PD-L1 to subvert T cell-mediated immune surveillance. Within the tumor microenvironment, our understanding of the regulation of PD-L1 protein expression is limited. We showed that there was a 5-fold higher relative expression of PD-L1 on macrophages as compared with 4T1 tumor cells; coculture of macrophages with 4T1 cells augmented PD-L1 levels on macrophages, but did not upregulate the expression of PD-L1 on 4T1 cells. JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway was activated in macrophages after coculture, and we further identified the JAK2 as a critical regulator of PD-L1 expression in macrophages during coculture with 4T1 cells. Collectively, our data reveal that breast cancer cells and CD169⁺ macrophages exhibit bidirectional interactions that play a critical role in tumor progression, and inhibition of JAK2 signaling pathway in CD169⁺ macrophages may be potential strategy to block tumor microenvironment-derived immune escape.     

Pretarsal blepharospasm: Clinical and electromyographic characteristics

ObjectiveTo describe the clinical and electromyographic characteristics of blepharospasm caused by selective involvement of the pars pretarsalis of the orbicularis oculi muscle.MethodsClinical assessment and simultaneous electromyographic recordings from levator palpebrae superioris and pars orbitaria and pretarsalis of orbicularis oculi muscles were performed in patients with blepharospasm and primary failure to botulinum toxin injections. Patients with selective abnormal electromyographic activity of the pars pretarsalis of the orbicularis oculi muscle were identified and treated with selective pretarsal injections of botulinum toxin.ResultsWe found 24 patients with pretarsal blepharospasm confirmed by the electromyographic assessment. All of them were functionally blind. Three clinical-electromyographic patterns were identified: (a) Impairment of eyelid opening; (b) Increased blinking; (c) Spasms of eye closure combined with varying degrees of excessive blinking and impairment of eye-opening. Pretarsal injections of botulinum toxin induced a significant improvement in all patients and 50 % regained normal or near-normal vision. The clinical improvement was sustained after repeated pretarsal injections.ConclusionsPretarsal blepharospasm can be suspected on clinical grounds and it can be confirmed by electromyographic recordings.SignificanceRecognition of this type of blepharospasm is important because of its excellent response to botulinum toxin injections applied into the pretarsal part of the orbicularis oculi muscle.     

Analysis of therapeutic methods for treating vocal process granulomas

Conclusion: The combination of laryngeal microsurgery and local injections of botulinum toxin type A (BTA) can increase the cure rate of patients with vocal process granulomas (VPGs). Objective: To analyze the therapeutic effects of conservative treatments, microsurgical resection with suturing and microsurgery in combination with local injections of BTA for the treatment of VPGs. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 168 cases of VPG was performed. All of the patients initially received a conservative treatment. Some of the patients who did not respond to the conservative treatments were treated using microsurgical resection and microsuturing using an 8-0 absorbable filament. Other patients additionally received a four-point injection of BTA into the thyroarytenoid muscle and the arytenoid muscle on the operated side. Results: The lesions of 41.3% (71/168) of the patients who were given the conservative treatments (including acid suppression, vocal rest, and voice therapy) disappeared, and the lesions of 10.7% (18/168) of the patients were reduced. The conservative treatments were unsuccessful for 47% (79/168) of the patients. The cure rate was 78.4% (29/37) for the patients who were treated by microscope resection using a CO₂ laser and microsuturing of the surrounding mucosa. Of the eight patients who experienced a recurrence, five of them had lesions that disappeared after 3 months of conservative treatment, whereas the other three patients recovered after a second operation. The cure rate of the 42 patients who were treated using microsurgery combined with local injections of BTA was 95.2% (40/42), with only 2 cases of recurrence at 2 months post-treatment.     

Postmenopausal craniofacial hyperhidrosis treated with botulinum toxin type B

Hyperhidrosis can seriously impair patients’ quality of life. Medical history, including heredity and hyperhidrosis during youth, as well as current age and time elapsed since menopause, is important to consider when distinguishing between postmenopausal hyperhidrosis and vasomotor symptoms to enable adequate treatment. This report concerns a subgroup of eight postmenopausal patients participating in a randomized controlled trial regarding botulinum toxin (Btx) type B treatment in craniofacial hyperhidrosis. Even though the sample size is small and the enrolment is not yet completed, the promising data collected hitherto are interesting to present in advance because this subtype of craniofacial hyperhidrosis is often underrecognized and challenging to treat. Patients were randomized to receive Btx type B or placebo. Measurements were performed before treatment and 3 ± 1 weeks after. The Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) score was improved for all patients after Btx type B treatment (n = 3) with a median decrease of 9 points (90% median improvement). The placebo group (n = 5) had a median increase of 2 points (–18% median decline). When the same group (n = 5) received Btx type B (open) the DLQI score decreased with a median of 7 points compared with baseline (91% median improvement). Treatment‐related adverse events were temporary and did not prevent improvement of life quality. Furthermore, background data evaluation uncovered interesting findings regarding vasomotor symptoms in relation to postmenopausal hyperhidrosis. In conclusion, the results indicated that Btx type B seems to be a safe and effective treatment in postmenopausal craniofacial hyperhidrosis. Further research is encouraged.