Rosacea and the cardiovascular system

Rosacea and the cardiometabolic syndrome are both associated with chronic inflammation and a pro‐inflammatory phenotype. Emerging clinical evidence supports the relationship between rosacea and cardiometabolic syndrome hypertension and obesity. This article reviews our current findings and understanding in the skin and cardiovascular relationship in rosacea. Rosacea appears to be associated with hypertension, dyslipidemia, and obesity. The role of smoking in rosacea is currently less clear. It remains uncertain whether treatment of these risk factors will aid improvement of rosacea. Greater understanding of rosacea and its association with the cardiovascular system and underlying risk factors could allow for a greater understanding of the body's inflammatory response as well as the formulation of new guidelines for attending clinicians. Dermatologists treating rosacea patients might need to consider enquiring and evaluate their patients' underlying cardiovascular risk factors.     

Alkaline Phosphatase: Does it have a Role in Predicting Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence?

Backgrounds  

Surgical resection remains the first line of treatment for earlier stages of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and it offers the best prognosis for long-term survival. Nevertheless, the recurrence rates after resection are still high in reports. Therefore, it is still essential to explore any potential prognostic factors to attain relatively longer-term survival of HCC patients.     

Telmisartan in the Treatment of Cohen-Rosenthal Diabetic Hypertensive Rats: The Benefit of PPAR-γ Agonism

The antihypertensive and hypoglycemic effects of telmisartan, which has dual angiotensin II antagonist-PPAR-γ agonist properties, was studied in Cohen-Rosenthal Diabetic Hypertensive rats (CRDH), a model in which hypertension, insulin resistance, and diabetes co-exist. CRDH, Cohen-diabetic rats (CDR), and SHR received telmisartan (3 mg/kg/day in drinking water) for five months. Telmisartan significantly lowered systolic and diastolic BP in SHR and CRDH, independent of body weight, and remained fairly constant in controls throughout the experiment. Blood glucose levels fell rapidly in the treated animals and remained steady in controls. Results indicate that telmisartan is a prototype of a new approach to treating coexisting diabetes and hypertension.     

S-Allyl-Mercapto-Captopril: A Novel Compound in the Treatment of Cohen-Rosenthal Diabetic Hypertensive Rats

J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2010;12:451–455. ^©2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. S-allyl-mercapto-captopril (CPSSA) is a conjugate of captopril with allicin, an active principle in garlic with multiple beneficial actions on metabolic syndrome abnormalities, including weight preservation, observed by the authors in fructose-induced hypertensive hyperinsulinemic rats and in Koletsky rats. The aim of the study was to examine blood pressure (BP) and glucose levels in the Cohen-Rosenthal Diabetic Hypertensive (CRDH) model as well as to follow their weight preservation. CRDH rats (n=14) were fed the sugar-rich copper-free diet essential for the development of diabetes mellitus. Two months later BP and blood glucose levels were measured. CPSSA was diluted in drinking water and administered at a final dose of 53.5 mg/kg/d (n=8). Control rats (n=6) received no drug (vehicle group). In contrast to control group, CPSSA prevented progressive weight gain, without a detectable effect on food and water intake. CPSSA was effective in attenuating systolic and diastolic BP (P<0.01) as well as significantly reducing glucose levels (P<0.01). Control rats continued to gain weight, whereas the groups fed CPSSA did not. CPSSA was shown to have additional beneficial effects on improving BP and glucose level, as well as preserving weight gain. The authors conclude that the combined molecule CPSSA integrates the antihypertensive feature of both allicin and captopril, making it a potential antidiabetic and cardiovascular protective agent.     

Molluscum Contagiosum: Review and Update on Management

Molluscum contagiosum (MC) is an infectious dermatosis that commonly presents in children and immunocompromised individuals. Although lesions usually resolve spontaneously after several months, they can be symptomatic and cause psychosocial distress. We review the evidence underlying treatment methods available for MC lesions, including potassium hydroxide, salicylic acid, hydrogen peroxide, retinoids, cantharidin, cryotherapy, curettage, and pulsed dye laser to aid practicing dermatologists in therapy selection.     

Anti-complement strategies in experimental sepsis

Using the cecal ligation/puncture (CLP) model of sepsis in rodents, evidence was obtained for excessive activation of the complement system, which leads to nearly total loss of innate immune protective functions of blood neutrophils. These defects are associated with profound defects in chemotaxis, respiratory burst (H2O2 production) and phagocytosis. The molecular mechanisms of these defects are linked to the complement activation product C5a. In CLP rats and mice, the C5a receptor (C5aR) is widely up-regulated in organs, in part owing to the production of interleukin-6 (IL-6). The up-regulation of C5aR in the thymus is linked to C5a-dependent induction of apoptosis in thymocytes, as revealed by caspase activation, increased binding of C5a and DNA laddering. Such events in thymocytes are prevented if rats first are treated with anti-C5a or with anti-C5aR at the time of CLP. Treatment of CLP rats and mice with anti-C5a, anti-IL-6 or anti-C5aR dramatically improves survival rates after CLP, indicating a linkage between C5a and C5aR in the harmful outcomes of sepsis in rodents. Studies are underway in humans with sepsis to determine whether similar mechanisms are in play.     

Early detection of chemoradioresponse in esophageal carcinoma by 3'-deoxy-3'-3H-fluorothymidine using preclinical tumor models.

PURPOSE: Early identification of esophageal cancer patients who are responding or resistant to combined chemoradiotherapy may lead to individualized therapeutic approaches and improved clinical outcomes. We assessed the ability of 3'-deoxy-3'-(18)F-fluorothymidine positron emission tomography (FLT-PET) to detect early changes in tumor proliferation after chemoradiotherapy in experimental models of esophageal carcinoma. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: The in vitro and ex vivo tumor uptake of [(3)H]FLT in SEG-1 human esophageal adenocarcinoma cells were studied at various early time points after docetaxel plus irradiation and validated with conventional assessments of cellular proliferation [thymidine (Thd) and Ki-67] and [(18)F]FLT micro-PET imaging. Imaging-histologic correlation was determined by comparing spatial Ki-67 and [(18)F]FLT distribution in autoradiographs. Comparison with fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) was done in all experiments. RESULTS: In vitro [(3)H]FLT and [(3)H]Thd uptake rapidly decreased in SEG-1 cells 24 hours after docetaxel with a maximal reduction of over 5-fold (P = 0.005). The [(3)H]FLT tumor-to-muscle uptake ratio in xenografts declined by 75% compared with baseline (P < 0.005) by 2 days after chemoradiotherapy, despite the lack of change in tumor size. In contrast, the decline of [(3)H]FDG uptake was gradual and less pronounced. Tumor uptake of [(3)H]FLT was more closely correlated with Ki-67 expression (r = 0.89, P < 0.001) than was [(3)H]FDG (r = 0.39, P = 0.08). Micro-PET images depicted similar trends in reduction of [(18)F]FLT and [(18)F]FDG tumor uptake. Autoradiographs displayed spatial correlations between [(18)F]FLT uptake and histologic Ki-67 distribution in preliminary studies. CONCLUSIONS: FLT-PET is suitable and more specific than FDG-PET for depicting early reductions in tumor proliferation that precede tumor size changes after chemoradiotherapy.