Activation of TLR2 by a small molecule produced by Staphylococcus epidermidis increases antimicrobial defense against bacterial skin infections.

Production of antimicrobial peptides by epithelia is an essential defense against infectious pathogens. In this study we evaluated whether the commensal microorganism Staphylococcus epidermidis may enhance production of antimicrobial peptides by keratinocytes and thus augment skin defense against infection. Exposure of cultured undifferentiated human keratinocytes to a sterile nontoxic small molecule of <10 kDa from S.

The classical NFkappaB pathway is required for phloroglucinol-induced activation of murine lymphocytes.

Background: Phloroglucinol (PG), a polyphenolic compound, has been proposed to show free radical scavenging, anti-tumor, and immunomodulation effects on immune cells. In this study, we investigated PG for its immunological activity and their molecular mechanisms, specifically focusing on the functional activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NFkappaB), an important transcription factor involved in the activation and differentiation of lymphocytes, and subsequent recruitment of murine lymphocytes.

Methods: We tested whether PG may contribute to the activation of immune response through the NFkappaB pathway by (3)H-thymidine incorporation assay, Western blot, intracellular cytokine assays and Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) in murine lymphocytes.

Vitamin C attenuates ERK signalling to inhibit the regulation of collagen production by LL-37 in human dermal fibroblasts.

Vitamin C is used as an anti-ageing agent because of its collagen enhancing effects. The precise cellular signalling mechanism of vitamin C is not well known. Here, we investigate the profibrotic mechanism of vitamin C against LL-37.

Pulmonary inflammation after intraperitoneal administration of ultrafine titanium dioxide (TiO2) at rest or in lungs primed with lipopolysaccharide.

Nanoparticles are widely used in nanomedicines, including for targeted delivery of pharmacological, therapeutic, and diagnostic agents. Since nanoparticles might translocate across cellular barriers from the circulation into targeted organs, it is important to obtain information concerning the pathophysiologic effects of these particles through systemic migration. In the present study, acute pulmonary responses were examined after intraperitoneal (ip) administration of ultrafine titanium dioxide (TiO(2), 40 mg/kg) in mice at rest or in lungs primed with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, ip, 5 mg/kg).

Molecular cloning and characterization of the germ cell-related nuclear orphan receptor in chickens.

Nuclear receptor subfamily 6, group A, member 1 (NR6A1), also known as germ cell nuclear factor/retinoid receptor-related testis-associated receptor and neuronal cell nuclear factor, is a member of the nuclear orphan receptor superfamily. NR6A1 has been cloned in various species including humans and mice, but it has been scarcely investigated in avian species. In the present study, we cloned the chicken NR6A1 (cNR6A1) from a testis cDNA library.

N-acetylcysteine inhibits RhoA and promotes apoptotic cell clearance during intense lung inflammation.

Rationale: The resolution of pulmonary inflammation seen in various inflammatory lung conditions depends on the clearance of apoptotic cells to prevent permanent tissue damage or progressive disease. Uptake of apoptotic cells by alveolar macrophages is suppressed by oxidants through the activation of Rho signaling.

Objectives: We hypothesized that antioxidant exposure would increase the ability of alveolar macrophages to clear pulmonary apoptotic cells through the inhibition of RhoA.

Luteinizing hormone-stimulated pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide system and its role in progesterone production in human luteinized granulosa cells.

The present study examined the gonadotropin regulation of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) and PACAP type I receptor (PAC(1)-R) expression, and its role in progesterone production in the human luteinized granulosa cells. The stimulation of both PACAP and PAC(1)-R mRNA levels by LH was detected using a competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). PACAP transcript was stimulated by LH reaching maximum levels at 12 hours in a dose dependent manner.

IL-18 downregulates collagen production in human dermal fibroblasts via the ERK pathway.

Excessive accumulation of collagen contributes to the fibrotic process. Several experimental studies have shown that IFN-gamma is effective in preventing fibrogenesis. IL-18, originally identified as an IFN-gamma-inducing factor, is a key mediator of inflammation and host defense responses.

Tumor detection and serosal invasion of bladder cancer: role of three-dimensional volumetric reconstructed US.

Background: Accurate evaluation of local extent in bladder cancer is important to determine the optimal therapeutic strategy and to predict the outcome of treatment. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of 3D volumetric reconstructed US in the assessment of tumor detection and serosal invasion in patients with bladder cancer.

Methods: A total of 14 patients with findings of bladder cancer determined with the use of cystoscopy was examined with the use of bladder two-dimensional (2D) US and subsequent 3D US.

A case of steatocystoma multiplex limited to the scalp.

We report here on a 63-year-old woman who had several small, yellowish papules on the scalp for the previous 2 years. There was no family history of similar lesions. Yellowish, creamy material was expressed from a papule during punch biopsy.

A patient with delayed contact dermatitis to coral and she displayed superficial granuloma.

CONTACT WITH CORAL MAY CAUSE A RARE TYPE OF CONTACT DERMATITIS, AND THE RESULTING SKIN REACTION CAN BE DIVIDED INTO DIFFERENT REACTIONS: the acute, delayed and chronic types of coelenterate dermatitis. Granulomas of delayed skin reactions have rarely been reported. Herein, we report on a rare case of a delayed reaction of the skin to coral injury, and the patient displayed superficial granulomas and atypical CD30+ lymphocytes.

Case of dystrophic calcinosis cutis in epidermal cyst arising from verrucous epidermal nevus.

Dystrophic calcinosis cutis is diagnosed when calcium is deposited into previously damaged tissue by connective tissue disease, panniculitis, pseudoxanthoma elasticum or trauma. We report a case of dystrophic calcinosis cutis arising from the lesion of an epidermal cyst on the verrucous epidermal nevus. A 20-year-old woman presented with a polypoid pinkish tumor on a brownish, verrucous plaque.

Collagen synthesis is suppressed in dermal fibroblasts by the human antimicrobial peptide LL-37.

LL-37 is a human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide that is released in the skin after injury and acts to defend against infection and modulate the local cellular immune response. We observed in human dermal keloids that fibrosis was inversely related to the expression of cathelicidin and sought to determine how LL-37 influenced expression of types I and III collagen genes in dermal fibroblasts. At nano-molar concentrations, LL-37 inhibited baseline and transforming growth factor-beta-induced collagen expression.

Hormonal regulation of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 5 expression during ovarian follicle development in the rat.

The proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin (PCSKs), a family of subtilisin-like proteases, is the processing enzymes for the activation of many hormone precursors. The present study was designed to identify the PCSK isoform expressed in the ovary and to examine its expression in gonadotropin-stimulated rat ovary. Northern blot analysis of ovaries obtained from prepubertal rats revealed an increased expression of Pcsk5 messenger RNA (mRNA) during development with the highest levels at 21 days of age.

Mail education is as effective as in-class education in hypertensive Korean patients.

Many Korean American persons have hypertension, but competing life priorities often prevent them from attending health-promotion educational activities. Using principles of community-based participatory research, the authors conducted a prospective clinical trial to determine the effectiveness of a mailed vs an in-class culturally tailored education intervention. A total of 380 hypertensive Korean American persons from the Baltimore/Washington area were assigned to a more intense in-class education group or a less intensive mail education group.

A Case of Amelanotic Subungual Melanoma.

Amelanotic subungual melanoma is a rare dermatosis, and it is frequently misdiagnosed probably because of its nonspecific clinical features. We herein report on a case of amelanotic subungual melanoma extended to the adjacent skin in a 36-year-old Korean woman. This case is interesting in that clinically, it needed differentiation from Bowen's disease, lichen planus, sarcoidosis, etc.

Influence of skin peeling procedure in allergic contact dermatitis.

Background: The prevalence of allergic contact dermatitis in patients who have previously undergone skin peeling has been rarely studied.

Objectives: We compared the frequency of positive patch test (PT) reactions in a patient group with a history of peeling, to that of a control group with no history of peeling.

Patients/methods: The Korean standard series and cosmetic series were performed on a total of 262 patients.

Gonadotropin regulation of RIP140 messenger ribonucleic acid expression in the rat ovary.

Female mice null for receptor-interacting protein 140 (RIP140) are infertile because of the failure of follicle rupture. The present study examined gonadotropin regulation of RIP140 expression in immature rat ovary. Treatment with PMSG increased ovarian RIP140 mRNA and protein levels.

Adrenocorticotropin hormone stimulates interleukin-18 expression in human HaCaT keratinocytes.

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is activated by stress. This involves the production of corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) with the subsequent release of proopiomelanocortin (POMC) peptides, of which adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) is most important. Although the skin has the capacity to produce CRH and POMC peptides, the immunomodulatory roles of ACTH in skin are yet unknown.

Expression of the corticotropin-releasing hormone-proopiomelanocortin axis in the various clinical types of psoriasis.

Psychological stress is known to aggravate inflammatory skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and contact sensitivity by altering the cellular constituents of the immune system. The skin appendages function dually as prominent targets and sources of the peripheral corticotropin-releasing hormone-proopiomelanocortin (CRH-POMC) axis. In this study, we examined the expression level of CRH-POMC axis constituents in psoriasis, a well-known stress-related inflammatory skin disease.

UVB-induced interleukin-18 production is downregulated by tannic acids in human HaCaT keratinocytes.

Tannic acids (TAs) are believed to be the key active components in plants, and are believed to be responsible for their anti-inflammatory, anti-viral effects and chemoprevention of cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms for the action of TA are unclear. This study examined the effects of TA on cutaneous inflammation with a human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT).

Immunoreactivity of corticotropin-releasing hormone, adrenocorticotropic hormone and alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone in alopecia areata.

Psychological factors are believed to play a role in the pathogenesis of alopecia areata (AA), a frequently encountered hair disorder. In our study, statistically significant elevation of psychological stress was felt by AA patients prior hair loss compared with control, which was strongly believed contributory to hair loss (t-test, P < 0.01).