Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in psoriatic patients treated with biologics: Real-world data from 18 Japanese facilities.

Although rare, tuberculosis has been reported with biologic treatment against psoriasis in Japan, a tuberculosis medium-burden country. Mycobacterial infection often develops after a long incubation period and might not have been adequately identified in clinical trials or post-marketing surveillance. To determine the real-world incidence of tuberculosis in psoriatic patients treated with biologics, we conducted a retrospective, multicenter, observational study in 18 facilities in Western Japan.

Influence of dioxin-related compounds on physical function in Yusho incident victims.

Purpose: Few studies have examined the influence of dioxin-related compounds on human physical function, and existing results are inconsistent. In 1968, accidental human exposure to rice oil contaminated with dioxin-related compounds resulted in the development of Yusho oil disease in Japan. We aimed to determine whether the degree of exposure to dioxin-related compounds was associated with physical function in Yusho patients.

Cross-sectional multicenter observational study of psoriatic arthritis in Japanese patients: Relationship between skin and joint symptoms and results of treatment with tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors.

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an inflammatory arthritis with as yet unclear pathophysiology. This retrospective, multicenter, cross-sectional study was conducted in 19 facilities in western Japan and aimed to identify patients' characteristics and factors that affect the results of treatment with biologic agents. Of 2116 patients with psoriasis, 285 (13.

NRF2 Activation Inhibits Both TGF-1- and IL-13-Mediated Periostin Expression in Fibroblasts: Benefit of Cinnamaldehyde for Antifibrotic Treatment.

Systemic fibrosing or sclerotic disorders are life-threatening, but only very limited treatment modalities are available for them. In recent years, periostin (POSTN), a major extracellular matrix component, was established by several studies as a novel key player in the progression of systemic fibrotic disease. In this research, we revealed the involvement of oxidative stress in the expression of POSTN induced by TGF-1 and IL-13 in dermal fibroblasts.

Implications of tryptophan photoproduct FICZ in oxidative stress and terminal differentiation of keratinocytes.

Ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation activates aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mediates photocarcinogenesis and photoaging. 6-Formylindolo[3,2-b]carbazole (FICZ) is a tryptophan photoproduct generated by UVB exposure. FICZ exhibits similar biological effects to UVB, including AHR ligation and ROS production.

Therapeutic Agents with AHR Inhibiting and NRF2 Activating Activity for Managing Chloracne.

Chloracne is the major skin symptom caused by dioxin intoxication. Dioxin activates the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR)⁻cytochrome p450 1A1 (CYP1A1) system, generates oxidative stress, and induces hyperkeratinization of keratinocytes and sebocytes leading to chloracne. Nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor-2 (NRF2) is a master switch that induces the expression of various antioxidative enzymes, such as heme oxygenase-1.

Corrigendum to "Perillaldehyde Inhibits AHR Signaling and Activates NRF2 Antioxidant Pathway in Human Keratinocytes".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2018/9524657.].

Sleep disorders among Yusho patients highly intoxicated with dioxin-related compounds: A 140-case series.

Purpose: Patients with Yusho, a condition caused by exposure to dioxins and dioxin-like compounds, have diverse mental and physical complaints. However, the relationship between dioxins and sleep disorders has not yet been examined. This cross-sectional study was designed to investigate problems associated with sleep among patients with Yusho.

Tryptophan photo-product FICZ upregulates AHR/MEK/ERK-mediated MMP1 expression: Implications in anti-fibrotic phototherapy.

Background: Scleroderma is caused by aberrant transforming growth factor-ß signaling. The degradation of extracellular matrix proteins is regulated by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). Ultraviolet (UV) radiation has been a therapy for scleroderma.

Perillaldehyde Inhibits AHR Signaling and Activates NRF2 Antioxidant Pathway in Human Keratinocytes.

The skin covers the outer surface of the body, so the epidermal keratinocytes within it are susceptible to reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by environmental pollutants such as benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), a potent activator of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR). Antioxidant activity is generally mediated by the nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor-2 (NRF2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO1) axis in human keratinocytes. Perillaldehyde is the main component of , which is a medicinal antioxidant herb traditionally consumed in East Asia.

The role of the OVOL1-OVOL2 axis in normal and diseased human skin.

OVOLs (OVO-like proteins) are ubiquitously conserved genes encoding a CH zinc finger transcription factor in mammals. Functional studies on OVOL1 and OVOL2 using knockout mice have suggested that these genes play a pivotal role in the development of epithelial tissues arising from germ cells; however, the role of the OVOL1-OVOL2 axis in normal and diseased tissues remains unclear. This review highlights recent advances in understanding how the OVOL1-OVOL2 axis modulates cell differentiation and proliferation in human keratinocytes, hair follicles, and benign or malignant skin tumors including squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma.

Long-Term Health Effects of PCBs and Related Compounds: A Comparative Analysis of Patients Suffering from Yusho and the General Population.

Yusho, which refers to a mass poisoning caused by the ingestion of rice bran oil contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, and polychlorinated dibenzofurans, was first reported in October 1968 in Japan. Yusho patients suffer from various symptoms; however, after 40 years, some emerging symptoms have been attributed to aging. The prevalence of symptoms and diseases among Yusho patients and the general population was compared in this study.

Current state of yusho and prospects for therapeutic strategies.

The mass food poisoning incident yusho occurred in Japan in 1968. It was caused by the ingestion of rice bran oil contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls and various dioxins and dioxin-like compounds including polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs). Notably, PCDFs were found to contribute to approximately 65% of the total toxicity equivalent in the blood of yusho patients.

Protective role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α agonists in skin barrier and inflammation.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) is one of the three isoforms of PPARs, which are ligand-activated nuclear transcription factors. PPARα is highly expressed in liver and its agonists are widely used to treat hyperlipidemia. Epidermal keratinocytes express all three isoforms (α, β/δ, and γ) of PPARs and PPARα is particularly important for regulating the epidermal barrier and inflammation.

An endogenous tryptophan photo-product, FICZ, is potentially involved in photo-aging by reducing TGF-β-regulated collagen homeostasis.

Background: Persistent ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the form of sunlight causes photo-aging of the skin by reducing the production of type I collagen, the major constituent of the extracellular matrix of the dermis. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β transforms dermal fibroblasts into α2-smooth muscle actin (ACTA2)-expressing myofibroblasts. Myofibroblasts produce a precursor form of type I collagen, type I procollagen (collagen I), consisting of pro-alpha1 (produced by the COL1A1 gene) and pro-alpha2 chains (produced by the COL1A2 gene).

Highlighting Interleukin-36 Signalling in Plaque Psoriasis and Pustular Psoriasis.

Plaque psoriasis and pustular psoriasis are overlapping, but distinct, disorders. The therapeutic response to biologics supports the pivotal role of the tumour necrosis alpha (TNF-?)/ interleukin (IL)-23/IL-17/IL-22 axis in the pathogenesis of these disorders. Recently, functional activation of the IL-36 receptor (IL-36R) was discovered to be another driving force in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.

Compound-specific isotopic and congener-specific analyses of polychlorinated biphenyl in the heat medium and rice oil of the Yusho incident.

Compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) can be used to examine the source and transformation processes of organic pollutants in the environment. We performed a carbon stable isotope analysis of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners in the PCB heat-transfer medium (heat medium) and the original Kanechlor-400 (KC-400, a commercial brand of PCBs) involved in the Yusho incident. The main purpose is to investigate whether isotope fractionation occurred in the rice oil deodorization process that caused the incident.

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor activation restores filaggrin expression via OVOL1 in atopic dermatitis.

Filaggrin (FLG) mutation is a well-confirmed genetic aberration in atopic dermatitis (AD). Genome-wide association studies on AD have revealed other susceptibility genes, for example, Ovo-like 1 (OVOL1). Nonetheless, the relation between FLG and OVOL1 is unclear.

Accumulation properties of polychlorinated biphenyl congeners in Yusho patients and prediction of their cytochrome P450-dependent metabolism by in silico analysis.

In what has become known as the Yusho incident, thousands of people in western Japan were poisoned by the accidental ingestion of rice bran oil contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and various dioxins and dioxin-like compounds. In this study, we investigated the accumulation patterns of 69 PCB congeners in the blood of Yusho patients in comparison with those of non-exposed controls. The blood samples were collected at medical check-ups in 2004 and 2005.

6-Formylindolo[3,2-b]Carbazole Accelerates Skin Wound Healing via Activation of ERK, but Not Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor.

Wound healing is an elaborate process composed of overlapping phases, such as proliferation and remodeling, and is delayed in several circumstances, including diabetes. Although several treatment strategies for chronic wounds, such as growth factors, have been applied, further alternatives are required. The skin, especially keratinocytes, is continually exposed to UV rays, which impairs wound healing.