The role and safety of UVA and UVB in UV-induced skin erythema.

Background: Different wavelengths of ultraviolet (UV) light cause skin damage through different mechanisms. Minimal erythema dose (MED) is usually used to clinically evaluate skin sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation by inducing skin erythema using ultraviolet B (UVB) or ultraviolet A (UVA) + UVB.

Aims: In this study, we detected changes in the blood flow at the MED erythema caused by UVB and UVA + UVB radiation through optical coherence tomography (OCT) to explain the role of different bands of ultraviolet rays in erythema induction.

Evaluation and detection of early nail damage caused by nail enamel.

Background: Many nail cosmetics have components that are considered irritants or allergens. Due to the current clinical assessment limitations, it is often too late to identify nail enamel hazards until they cause disease. Thus, it is essential to investigate effective methods of detecting minor changes and early lesions in nails before they worsen.

RTL1 promotes melanoma proliferation by regulating Wnt/β-catenin signalling.

Cutaneous melanoma is a highly malignant and metastatic skin cancer with high mortality. However, its underlying mechanisms remain largely unclear. Here, we found that retrotransposon-like 1 (RTL1) is highly enriched in melanoma tissue, especially in early and horizontal growth tissues.

Pre-clinical assessment of A-674563 as an anti-melanoma agent.

The present study aims to investigate the anti-melanoma activity by an Akt1 specific inhibitor A-674563. We showed that A-674563 was anti-proliferative and cytotoxic when added to human melanoma cells (A375, WM-115 and SK-Mel-2 lines). A-674563 induced caspase-dependent apoptotic death of human melanoma cells, and its cytotoxicity was inhibited with pre-treatment of caspase inhibitors.

Relationship between skin parameters (darkness or thickness) and photoreaction of Chinese Han skin.

Background: Skin pigmentation and the stratum corneum are the two primary natural factors that protect against UV damage. Although several classification systems exist to quantify the ability of the skin to protect itself from damaging UV radiation, few reports have assessed skin parameters and photoreaction in persons of Han Chinese descent.

Aims: To understand the relationship between skin darkness, skin thickness, and photoreaction in Chinese Han subjects.

Changes of oxygen content in facial skin before and after cigarette smoking.

Background/purpose: Cigarette smoking not only causes systemic health problems, but may also be an underlying cause of premature skin aging. Cigarette smokers frequently have morphological changes in facial skin that may be attributed to reduced oxygen in this region. The purpose of this study was to measure the oxygen content in facial skin before and after smoking.