Clinical efficacy of dialkylcarbamoylchloride‐coated cotton acetate dressing versus combination of normal saline dressing and 2% mupirocin ointment in infected wounds of epidermolysis bullosa

Dialkylcarbamoylchloride (DACC)‐coated cotton acetate dressing works directly through hydrophobic interaction to reduce the number of bacteria without the risk of resistance. It is easy to use and therefore expected to improve patient's compliance. This study aimed to assess the clinical efficacy of DACC‐coated cotton acetate dressing compared to a combination of normal saline dressing and 2% mupirocin ointment. A single‐blind controlled trial was conducted and included 14 infected epidermolysis bullosa (EB) wounds which were divided into two groups. Group I received DACC‐coated cotton acetate dressing, and Group II received the combination of normal saline dressing and 2% mupirocin ointment. Study results showed that the average time required for complete wound closure was 8.6 and 11.1 days in Groups I and II, respectively (p = .014), which was statistically significant. Both groups showed complete bacterial elimination on Day 3 based on negative Gram stain results and on Day 6 based on clearance of clinical manifestations (p = 1.000). This is a novel study in EB‐infected wounds, which shows that DACC‐coated cotton acetate dressing promotes faster wound closure and is as effective as the combination of normal saline dressing and 2% mupirocin ointment in eliminating bacterial infection.     

Limitations in daily activities and general perception of quality of life: Long term follow‐up in patients with anti‐myelin‐glycoprotein antibody polyneuropathy

In this study, we assessed the modifications over time of daily activities and quality of life (QoL) in 32 subjects with anti‐myelin‐glycoprotein (MAG) antibody neuropathy. A widespread panel including clinical scores and patient‐reported questionnaires, in compliance of the terms by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) of the World Health Organization (WHO), was employed at enrollment (T0) and at follow‐up evaluation (T1) after a mean interval of 15.4 ± 5.7 months. The Sensory Modality Sum score (SMS) at four limbs showed a significant worsening over time (mean score 27.2 ± 3.9 at T0 vs 25.7 ± 3 at T1 at upper limbs, P = .03; 20.5 ± 4.8 at T0 vs 18.6 ± 5.9 at T1 at lower limbs, P = .04). The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain significantly worsened at upper limbs at T1 (mean values 0.84 ± 1.95 at T0 vs 1.78 ± 2.6 at T1, P = .03). All the other tests did not show significant differences between T0 and T1. In the subgroup who underwent rituximab (15/32 treated before T0, 3/32 patients treated between T0 and T1 with median interval of 1 year), no significant differences were observed between T0 and T1. Despite the quite long follow‐up, statistical significance was not achieved either for the limited number of patients or for the lack of sensitive outcome measures. In our cohort, the significant worsening of the SMS and VAS after a median of 14 months can be considered as a reliable expression of the natural history of the disease, and suggest that these scales might represent possible outcome measures in anti‐MAG antibody neuropathy.     

3‐O‐Laurylglyceryl ascorbate improves the development of sensitive skin through the reduction of oxidative stress

Skin sensitivity is a serious problem for many people, and it can be induced by various factors such as UV irradiation, physical and mental stresses, air pollution, dry air and so on. Skin dryness triggered by UV and dry air is one of the most important causes inducing the development of sensitive skin, and it has been reported that oxidative stress contributes to skin dryness. In this study, we investigated whether treatment with 3‐O‐laurylglyceryl ascorbate (VC‐3LG), which is an amphipathic ascorbic acid derivative, can suppress the development of sensitive skin. The results demonstrate that VC‐3LG restores the expression levels of interleukin‐1α, nerve growth factor and matrix metalloprotease‐9 in the dry skin models of reconstructed human epidermal equivalents (RHEEs) and in H₂O₂‐treated keratinocytes. In addition, VC‐3LG suppresses the dendrite elongation of nerve cells induced in RHEEs by dry skin conditions and by H₂O₂ treatment of keratinocytes. Therefore, we consider that treatment of the skin with VC‐3LG is an effective approach to improve the development of sensitive skin.     

The role of diversity in data‐driven analysis of multi‐subject fMRI data: Comparison of approaches based on independence and sparsity using global performance metrics

Data‐driven methods have been widely used in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data analysis. They extract latent factors, generally, through the use of a simple generative model. Independent component analysis (ICA) and dictionary learning (DL) are two popular data‐driven methods that are based on two different forms of diversity—statistical properties of the data—statistical independence for ICA and sparsity for DL. Despite their popularity, the comparative advantage of emphasizing one property over another in the decomposition of fMRI data is not well understood. Such a comparison is made harder due to the differences in the modeling assumptions between ICA and DL, as well as within different ICA algorithms where each algorithm exploits a different form of diversity. In this paper, we propose the use of objective global measures, such as time course frequency power ratio, network connection summary, and graph theoretical metrics, to gain insight into the role that different types of diversity have on the analysis of fMRI data. Four ICA algorithms that account for different types of diversity and one DL algorithm are studied. We apply these algorithms to real fMRI data collected from patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Our results suggest that no one particular method has the best performance using all metrics, implying that the optimal method will change depending on the goal of the analysis. However, we note that in none of the scenarios we test the highly popular Infomax provides the best performance, demonstrating the cost of exploiting limited form of diversity.     

Effects of age,gender and menstrual cycle on platelet function assessed by impedance aggregometry

Platelets are needed to prevent or arrest bleeding and aggregate at the site of injury upon vascular damage. Platelets express receptors for estrogens which might affect the function of the platelets and their hemostatic ability. The aim was to identify possible differences in platelet function related to age, gender, and phases of the menstrual cycle by use of impedance aggregometry with Multiplate. In the first part of the study, platelet function was assessed in 60 healthy individuals (30 men and 30 women) in each of three age groups (20–25, 40–45, and 60–65 years). In the second part of the study, the platelet function was analyzed on four occasions during the menstrual cycle in women without oral contraceptives (OCs) (n = 17) and compared to 19 women on OCs and 18 men of similar age (20–40 years). For the women on OCs, aggregation was analyzed once during the tablet-free week and once late during the period with OCs. The men were sampled once. Women of younger age (<45 years) had significantly higher agonist-induced aggregation response than both men and post-menopausal women (60–65 years). The agonist-induced aggregation response did not differ between phases of the menstrual cycle or OC use. The results suggest that estradiol and/or progesterone affect spontaneous aggregation since it was found to be lowest in the mid-luteal phase. Spontaneous aggregation was significantly lower in women on OCs than in both men and women without OCs. Our findings indicate that fertile age is associated with higher aggregation response capacity of the platelets, possibly to prevent excessive bleeding during menstruation, but this response capacity is not altered during the menstrual cycle or by use of OCs.     

Dietary habits in Japanese patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis: Low intake of meat in psoriasis and high intake of vitamin A in psoriatic arthritis

Psoriasis is characterized by T‐helper 17 cell‐dominant abnormal immunity, and hyperproliferation and abnormal differentiation of epidermal keratinocytes. Some patients are associated with arthritis. Dietary habits can modulate the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Previous studies in Western countries showed higher body mass indices, higher intake of fat and lower intake of fish or vegetables in psoriatic patients compared with the reference groups. We evaluated dietary habits in adult Japanese psoriatic patients, using a validated brief‐type self‐administered dietary history questionnaire, and compared the results to those of age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls. The results in psoriatic patients with arthritis were compared with those in the patients without. Japanese psoriatic patients showed higher body mass indices, higher intake of fish/shellfish, pulses, sugar/sweeteners, vitamin B₁₂ and vitamin D, and lower intake of meat, compared with those of healthy controls. The logistic regression analysis showed that psoriasis was associated with high body mass index and low intake of meat. The intake of confection in patients with high Psoriasis Area and Severity Index was higher than that in those with low index. The intake of β‐carotene, vitamin A and green/yellow vegetables in psoriatic patients with arthritis were higher than those in the patients without. The dietary habits in Japanese psoriatic patients are rather different from those in Western patients. This is the first study showing the differences in dietary habits between psoriatic patients with arthritis and those without. Further studies should elucidate the relationships of these results with skin and joint lesions in psoriatic patients.