Estrogen receptor alpha,but not estrogen receptor beta,is involved in the regulation of the hair follicle cycling as well as the thickness of epidermis in male mice

Estrogen is of importance for the regulation of hair growth and epidermal thickness. The effects of estrogen have predominantly been studied in females; however, recent studies demonstrate that estrogen also is critical for males. The aim of this study was to investigate the relative functional importance of estrogen receptor alpha and estrogen receptor beta in the regulation of the hair follicle cycling and epidermal thickness in male mice. Seven month old transgenic male mice, lacking estrogen receptor alpha (ERKO), estrogen receptor beta (BERKO), or both receptors (DERKO), were orchidectomized and treated for 3 week with 17beta-estradiol or vehicle. Orchidectomy induced a synchronized anagen phase of the hair follicles, which was inhibited by 17beta-estradiol treatment in wild-type and BERKO mice, but not in ERKO and DERKO mice. Furthermore, 17beta-estradiol treatment increased the thickness of epidermis in wild-type and BERKO mice, but not in ERKO and DERKO. This study demonstrates that estrogen is of importance for the regulation of hair follicle cycling and epidermal thickness in male mice. The effect on hair follicle cycling is caused by an estrogen receptor alpha mediated inhibition of telogen-anagen transition and the effect of estrogen to increase epidermal thickness is associated with an estrogen receptor alpha mediated increase in the proliferative rate of the keratinocytes in the basal cell layer of the epidermis.     

Assessment of Remote Myocardium Heterogeneity in Patients with Ventricular Tachycardia Using Texture Analysis of Late Iodine Enhancement (LIE) Cardiac Computed Tomography (cCT) Images

Purpose

Diffuse remodeling of myocardial extra-cellular matrix is largely responsible for left ventricle (LV) dysfunction and arrhythmias. Our hypothesis is that the texture analysis of late iodine enhancement (LIE) cardiac computed tomography (cCT) images may improve characterization of the diffuse extra-cellular matrix changes. Our aim was to extract volumetric extracellular volume (ECV) and LIE texture features of non-scarred (remote) myocardium from cCT of patients with recurrent ventricular tachycardia (rVT), and to compare these radiomic features with LV-function, LV-remodeling, and underlying cardiac disease.

Procedures

Forty-eight patients suffering from rVT were prospectively enrolled: 5/48 with idiopathic VT (IVT), 23/48 with post-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (ICM), 9/48 with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM), and 11/48 with scars from a previous healed myocarditis (MYO). All patients underwent echocardiography to assess LV systolic and diastolic function and cCT with pre-contrast, angiographic, and LIE scan to obtain end-diastolic volume (EDV), ECV, and first-order texture parameters of Hounsfield Unit (HU) of remote myocardium in LIE [energy, entropy, HU-mean, HU-median, standard deviation (SD), and mean absolute deviation (MAD)].

Results

Energy, HU mean, and HU median by cCT texture analysis correlated with ECV (rho?=?0.5650, rho?=?0.5741, rho?=?0.5068; p?<?0.0005). cCT-derived ECV, HU-mean, HU-median, SD, and MAD correlated directly to EDV by cCT and inversely to ejection fraction by echocardiography (p?<?0.05). SD and MAD correlated with diastolic function by echocardiography (rho?=?0.3837, p?=?0.0071; rho?=?0.3330, p?=?0.0208). MYO and IVT patients were characterized by significantly lower values of SD and MAD when compared with ICM and IDCM patients, independently of LV-volume systolic and diastolic function.

Conclusions

Texture analysis of LIE may expand cCT capability of myocardial characterization. Myocardial heterogeneity (SD and MAD) was associated with LV dilatation, systolic and diastolic function, and is able to potentially identify the different patterns of structural remodeling characterizing patients with rVT of different etiology.

     

Post-exercise hypotension following different resistance exercise protocols

Sport Sciences for Health - To investigate the hemodynamic responses, especially HPE following different resistance exercises RE protocols in young adult subjects. Eighty-nine men...