Psychological problems related to visible differences in appearance: developmental perspectives

This article reviewed research from the developmental perspective on psychological problems associated with congenital Visible Differences in appearance, such as a cleft lip and/or palate, or a port wine stain. People with such congenital Visible Differences, often experience psychological problems from an early age. At each developmental stage, they report distinct psychological problems because of their Visible Difference such as negative self concept, and social difficulties such as teasing, difficulty obtaining a job, difficulty making friends. To prevent these various psycho-social problems, the needs for liaison support by psychologists, school teachers, medical doctors and nurses from their early age are discussed. Further research in this area is needed to understand their problems and construct support for each their developmental stage.     

Cutaneous and hemodynamic responses during hot flashes in symptomatic postmenopausal women

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the postmenopausal hot flash is accompanied by rapid decreases in arterial blood pressure and increases in cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC), as evaluated by continuous measurements of these variables in symptomatic women. DESIGN: Twelve healthy, normotensive, postmenopausal women rested in a temperature-controlled laboratory (26 degrees C) for approximately 90 minutes. The onset of a hot flash was objectively identified as a transient and pronounced elevation of sternal sweat rate (capacitance hygrometry). RESULTS: Twenty-three hot flashes were recorded during the experimental sessions (3.4 +/- 1.4 min; range, 1.3-6.5 min). Mean arterial blood pressure decreased 13 +/- 2 mm Hg during 11 hot flashes in five participants. Data from these participants, categorized as responders, were analyzed separately from data for those participants whose blood pressure did not change during their hot flashes (n = 7, 12 hot flashes). Heart rate (obtained from an electrocardiogram) significantly increased during the hot flashes, but there was no difference between the responder and nonresponder groups (9 +/- 2 vs 10 +/- 1 beats/min, respectively; P > 0.05). The increase in CVC was not different between groups at either the forearm (15% +/- 3% vs 12% +/- 3% maximal CVC, P > 0.05) or sternum (24% +/- 5% vs 21% +/- 3% maximal CVC, P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate that in a subset of participants, the hot flash is accompanied by a significant reduction in blood pressure, but there is no difference in CVC between these women and women with no drop in blood pressure.     

The relation between carotid plaque echogenicity and oxidative stress marker 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α

Echolucent plaques are associated with high risk of ischemic cerebrovascular events. Oxidative stress has been implicated in the process of atherosclerotic plaque development from initiation to progression. We assessed the relation between carotid plaque echogenicity and urinary 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α, as an index of oxidative stress. This cross-sectional study was conducted prospectively on 290 consecutive outpatients. Each patient was evaluated for carotid plaque echogenicity using the gray-scale median at the maximal thickness plaque and urinary 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. By Pearson correlation analysis, we found significant negative linear relation between gray-scale median values and the urinary 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α levels (r = -0.133, p = 0.023). This correlation remained significant after adjustment for atherosclerotic risk factors, thickness of the maximal plaque and medication use (β = -0.137, p = 0.031). We herein show that higher levels of urinary 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α is associated with lower plaque echogenicity.     

Development and evaluation of tetrapod-shaped granular artificial bones

We have developed a novel form of granular artificial bone "Tetrabones" with a homogeneous tetrapod shape and uniform size. Tetrabones are four armed structures that accumulate to form the intergranular pores that allow invasion of cells and blood vessels. In this study we evaluated the physicochemical characteristics of Tetrabones in vitro, and compared their biological and biomechanical properties in vivo to those of conventional β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) granule artificial bone. Both the rupture strength and elastic modulus of Tetrabone particles were higher than those of β-TCP granules in vitro. The connectivity of intergranular pores 100, 300, and 400 μm in size were higher in Tetrabones than in the β-TCP granules. Tetrabones showed similar osteoconductivity and biomechanical stiffness to β-TCP at 2 months after implantation in an in vivo study of canine bone defects. These results suggest that Tetrabones may be a good bone graft material in bone reconstruction.     

Therapeutic efficacy of an antibiotic-loaded nanosheet in a murine burn-wound infection model

Polymeric ultra-thin films (nanosheets) possess unique properties that make them suitable materials for various biomedical applications. In our previous study, we assessed the use of an antibiotic (tetracycline, TC)-loaded nanosheet (or "TC-nanosheet") for the treatment of gastrointestinal tissue defects. The nanosheet consisted of three functional layers: layer-by-layer nanosheet as a stable platform, TC as an antimicrobial agent with autofluorescence for tracing, and a poly(vinyl acetate) nanosheet to act as a protecting layer. The TC-nanosheet has high flexibility, adhesive strength and transparency. Here, we evaluated the effectiveness of the TC-nanosheet in preventing full thickness burn-wound infections. In an in vivo study, murine dorsal skin was injured by full-thickness burns and then infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), a common bacterium causing burn-associated infections. The wound site was treated either with a TC-nanosheet, TC-unloaded nanosheet or left untreated. Wound management was facilitated by the high transparency of the TC-nanosheet. The TC-nanosheet significantly improved burn-wound infection by P. aeruginosa in mice. Indeed, all mice treated with the TC-nanosheet survived, whereas the other treatment groups displayed increased rates of mortality due to bacterial infection. According to histological analyses and viable bacterial counting in the liver (bacterial translocation), the TC-nanosheets were able to prevent not only the local inflammation but also systemic inflammation. We conclude that the TC-nanosheet can act as an effective treatment for full-thickness burn-wound infection. Hence, the TC-nanosheet is a promising therapeutic tool for burn-wound management in severely burn-injured patients.     

Deficiency of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist promotes spontaneous femoral artery aneurysm formation in mice

Femoral artery aneurysms (FAAs) are very rare, and their natural history is not well understood. In this study, we sought to analyze the pathogenesis of inflammatory FAAs in interleukin-1 receptor antagonist-deficient (IL-1Ra(-/-)) B6 mice. Systolic arterial pressures and plasma lipid levels of IL-1Ra(-/-) mice and wild-type (WT) mice did not differ significantly. However, IL-1Ra(-/-) mice spontaneously developed fusiform FAAs. Real-time PCR of 9-month-old IL-1Ra(-/-) mice revealed significantly increased mRNA levels of IL-1β (6.6-fold), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (12.4-fold), and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (6.0-fold) compared with WT mice. Histological analysis revealed numerous inflammatory cells around the FAAs in IL-1Ra(-/-) mice, and elastin staining showed destruction of both the internal and external elastic lamina in IL-1Ra(-/-) mice. Afterward, macrophage function was studied. After lipopolysaccharide (1 μg/mL) stimulation, IL-1Ra-deficient macrophages produced much higher levels of TNF-α than those from WT mice. Finally, we performed bone marrow cell transplantation. FAAs with many inflammatory cells in the adventitia were detected in several WT mice that received bone marrow cells from IL-1Ra(-/-) mice (44%), but not from WT mice (0%). Our study is the first to demonstrate that IL-1Ra deficiency in inflammatory cells disrupts immune system homeostasis and induces inflammatory FAAs in IL-1Ra(-/-) B6 mice. We believe that these mice will provide much information about the natural history and management of FAAs.     

A novel feedback mechanism by Ephrin-B1/B2 in T-cell activation involves a concentration-dependent switch from costimulation to inhibition

Bidirectional signals via Eph receptors/ephrins have been recognized as major forms of contact-dependent cell communications such as cell attraction and repulsion. T cells express EphBs, and their ligands, the ephrin-Bs, have been known as costimulatory molecules for T-cell proliferation. Recently, another remarkable feature of ephrin-As has emerged in the form of a concentration-dependent transition from promotion to inhibition in axon growth. Here we examined whether this modification plays a role in ephrin-B costimulation in murine primary T cells. Low doses of ephrin-B1 and ephrin-B2 costimulated T-cell proliferation induced by anti-CD3, but high concentrations strongly inhibited it. In contrast, ephrin-B3 showed a steadily increasing stimulatory effect. This modulation was virtually preserved in T cells from mice simultaneously lacking four genes, EphB1, EphB2, EphB3, and EphB6. High concentrations of ephrin-B1/B2, but not ephrin-B3, inhibited the anti-CD3-induced phosphorylation of Lck and its downstream signals such as Erk and Akt. Additionally, high doses of any ephrin-Bs could phosphorylate EphB4. However, only ephrin-B1/B2 but not ephrin-B3 recruited SHP1, a phosphatase to suppress the phosphorylation of Lck. These data suggest that EphB4 signaling could engage in negative feedback to TCR signals. T-cell activation may be finely adjusted by the combination and concentration of ephrin-Bs expressed in the immunological microenvironment.     

Toll like receptor 5 ligand induces monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in mouse osteoblastic cells

Flagellin, the ligand of Toll like receptor 5, is the major subunit of bacterial flagella. Flagellin stimulates various cells to release chemokines. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is a member of the CC chemokine family that is involved in monocyte infiltration in inflammatory diseases. It has been reported that serum MCP-1 levels increase proportionally with the severity of periodontal disease. Inflammatory mediators induce MCP-1 production in various cells, including osteoblasts. However, it remains unclear whether MCP-1 is released from osteoblasts in response to flagellin. In the present study, we investigated the effects of flagellin on the expression of MCP-1 in the mouse osteoblastic cell line, MC3T3-E1 (E1) cells. Flagellin markedly increased MCP-1 mRNA level in a dose-dependent manner. The effect of flagellin on MCP-1 mRNA expression in E1 cells was transient, with a peak at 1 h. Concomitant with MCP-1 mRNA expression, MCP-1 protein levels were clearly elevated at 3 h after flagellin exposure. In addition, we revealed that JNK and MEK-ERK1/2 are involved in flagellin-induced MCP-1 expression in E1 cells. These results indicated that bacterial flagellin may play an important role in the progression of periodontitis. Results of further studies will provide more clues to the prevention of periodontal diseases.