Subcutaneous Pleomorphic Adenoma in an Accessory Parotid Gland in the Cheek.

The accessory parotid gland (APG) is a distinct salivary tissue in the cheek that is located on the masseter muscle and is separate from the main parotid gland. APG tumors (APGTs) are rare. Due to aesthetic reasons and the risk of both malignancy and recurrence, APGTs are best treated with surgical resection.

The effects of systemic diseases, genetic disorders and lifestyle on keloids.

Keloid are a fibroproliferative disorder caused by abnormal healing of skin, specifically reticular dermis, when subjected to pathological or inflammatory scars demonstrating redness, elevation above the skin surface, extension beyond the original wound margins and resulting in an unappealing cosmetic appearance. The severity of keloids and risk of developing keloids scars are subjected to elevation by other contributing factors such as systemic diseases, general health conditions, genetic disorders, lifestyle and natural environment. In particular, recently, daily physical work interpreted into mechanical force as well as the interplay between mechanical factors such as stress, strain and stiffness have been reported to strongly modulate the cellular behaviour of keloid formation, affect their location and shape in keloids.

The Biocatalytic Potential of Aromatic Ammonia-Lyase from Loktanella atrilutea.

Characterization of the aromatic ammonia-lyase from Loktanella atrilutea (LaAAL) revealed reduced activity towards canonical AAL substrates: l-Phe, l-Tyr, and l-His, contrasted by its pronounced efficiency towards 3,4-dimethoxy-l-phenylalanine. Assessing the optimal conditions, LaAAL exhibited maximal activity at pH 9.5 in the ammonia elimination reaction route, distinct from the typical pH ranges of most PALs and TALs.

The HEDGEHOG-GLI1 pathway is important for fibroproliferative properties in keloids and as a candidate therapeutic target.

Keloids are benign fibroproliferative skin tumors caused by aberrant wound healing that can negatively impact patient quality of life. The lack of animal models has limited research on pathogenesis or developing effective treatments, and the etiology of keloids remains unknown. Here, we found that the characteristics of stem-like cells from keloid lesions and the surrounding dermis differ from those of normal skin.

A Case of Axillary Fibroadenoma That Grew Rapidly from Axillary Accessory Breast Tissue over 40 Days.

Axillary accessory breast (AAB) occurs in 2%-6% of women. Like normal breast tissue, ABB can undergo changes, including periodic enlargement that can result in a palpable axillary mass. Fibroadenoma is the most common benign subcutaneous tumor of the breast: it occurs in approximately 25% of women and accounts for 50% of all breast biopsies.

Bighorn sheep associations: understanding tradeoffs of sociality and implications for disease transmission.

Sociality directly influences mating success, survival rates, and disease, but ultimately likely evolved for its fitness benefits in a challenging environment. The tradeoffs between the costs and benefits of sociality can operate at multiple scales, resulting in different interpretations of animal behavior. We investigated the influence of intrinsic (, relatedness, age) and extrinsic factors (, land cover type, season) on direct contact (simultaneous GPS locations ≤ 25 m) rates of bighorn sheep () at multiple scales near the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.

Keloidal Collagen May Be Produced Directly by αSMA-positive Cells: Morphological Analysis and Protein Shotgun Analysis.

Unlabelled: Keloids are fibroproliferative lesions caused by abnormal dermal wound healing. Keloidal collagen (KC) is a pathognomic feature of keloids, but the mechanism by which it forms is unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the histopathology of KC and thereby gain clues into how it forms.

Hemodynamics and Vascular Histology of Keloid Tissues and Anatomy of Nearby Blood Vessels.

Unlabelled: Keloids are red' invasive scars that are driven by chronic inflammation in the reticular dermis. The role of blood vessels in keloid behavior remains poorly understood. In the present study with 32 keloid patients, we examined the hemodynamics of keloid tissue, the anatomy of the blood vessels feeding and draining the keloids, and the vascular histology of keloids.

Endoscopic radial incision and cutting for benign stenosis of the lower gastrointestinal tract: An investigation of novel endoscopic treatment in multicenter trial.

Background And Aim: The standard therapies for benign gastrointestinal stenosis are endoscopic balloon dilation or surgery; each have their advantages and disadvantages. In contrast, radial incision and cutting (RIC) is a novel approach for such stenosis. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of RIC.

Secondary Cutaneous Ossification in Keloids of the Lower Abdomen: A Report of Two Cases.

Cutaneous ossification is a rare benign dermatological condition in which bone forms in the dermis or subcutaneous tissue. It is classified as primary when it emerges without a pre-existing condition and secondary when it is associated with an underlying condition such as trauma, scars, inflammation, or neoplastic disease. The secondary form accounts for most cases of cutaneous ossification.

Preparation and Characterization of Doxycycline-Loaded Electrospun PLA/HAP Nanofibers as a Drug Delivery System.

The present study aimed to prepare nanofibers by electrospinning in the system polylactic acid-hydroxyapatite-doxycycline (PLA-HAP-Doxy) to be used as a drug delivery vehicle. Two different routes were employed for the preparation of Doxy-containing nanofibers: Immobilization on the electrospun mat's surface and encapsulation in the fiber structure. The nanofibers obtained by Doxy encapsulation were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric (TG) and differential thermal analyses (DTA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Robust, site-specifically immobilized phenylalanine ammonia-lyases for the enantioselective ammonia addition of cinnamic acids.

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyases (PALs) catalyse the non-oxidative deamination of l-phenylalanine to -cinnamic acid, while in the presence of high ammonia concentration, the synthetically attractive reverse reaction occurs. Although they have been intensively studied, the wider application of PALs for the large scale synthesis of non-natural amino acids is still rather limited, mainly due to the decreased operational stability of PALs under the high ammonia concentration conditions of ammonia addition. Herein, we describe the development of a highly stable and active immobilized PAL-biocatalyst obtained through site-specific covalent immobilization onto single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), employing maleimide/thiol coupling of engineered enzymes containing surficial Cys residues.

A Case of Scapular Hidradenoma Treated as a Keloid.

Hidradenomas are relatively rare benign tumors in the dermis that differentiate into eccrine or apocrine sweat glands. They often present as round or oval nodules and vary in color. Generally, they occur in the head and neck region.

Combination Therapy Composed of Surgery, Postoperative Radiotherapy, and Wound Self-management for Umbilical Keloids.

Background: A universally accepted therapeutic strategy for umbilical keloids has not been determined. Our team has had considerable success with combination therapy composed of surgical excision followed by postoperative radiotherapy and steroid plaster/injection.

Methods: All consecutive patients with umbilical keloids that developed from endoscopic surgical scars and underwent minimal-margin keloid excision followed by umbilicoplasty with a flap if needed, tension-reduction suturing, and postoperative radiotherapy in 2013-2017 in the keloid/scar-specialized clinic at the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery of Nippon Medical School.

Fluorescent enzyme-coupled activity assay for phenylalanine ammonia-lyases.

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyases (PALs) catalyse the non-oxidative deamination of L-phenylalanine to trans-cinnamic acid, while in the presence of high ammonia concentration the reverse reaction occurs. PALs have been intensively studied, however, their industrial applications for amino acids synthesis remained limited, mainly due to their decreased operational stability or limited substrate specificity. The application of extensive directed evolution procedures to improve their stability, activity or selectivity, is hindered by the lack of reliable activity assays allowing facile screening of PAL-activity within large-sized mutant libraries.

The Latest Strategy for Keloid and Hypertrophic Scar Prevention and Treatment: The Nippon Medical School (NMS) Protocol.

In 2006, we established a scar/keloid-specialized unit in the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery at Nippon Medical School (NMS) in Tokyo, Japan. In the ensuing 15 years, we treated approximately 2,000 new scar/keloid patients annually. This extensive experience has greatly improved the efficacy of the treatments we offer.

Photodynamic therapy for keloids and hypertrophic scars: a review.

Purpose: Keloid is a poorly understood disease that is unique to humans. Hypertrophic scars are similar to keloids and may transform into keloids over time. The standard treatments for these scars are limited by inconsistent efficacy and long treatment/follow-up times.

Photodynamic Therapy Delays Cutaneous Wound Healing in Mice.

Background: Cutaneous wound healing is a complex, dynamic physiological process. Traditional methods of promoting wound healing are not always effective. Consequently, alternative modalities, such as photodynamic therapy (PDT), are needed.

Effect of network homogeneity on mechanical, thermal and electrochemical properties of solid polymer electrolytes prepared by homogeneous 4-arm poly(ethylene glycols).

Mechanically tough solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) are required to meet the demand for flexible and stretchable electrochemical devices for diverse applications, especially for wearable devices. It is well known that the inhomogeneity of a polymer network greatly affects its mechanical properties, but the evaluation of its effect on electrolyte properties including mechanical properties has not been accomplished yet because of the coexistence of various inhomogeneities (e.g.

Efficient Biodiesel Production Catalyzed by Nanobioconjugate of Lipase from .

The Amano lipase from (L-AK) was covalently immobilized on various carbon nanomaterials (functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes and graphene oxide) and tested for biodiesel production. Using the most active lipase preparation (covalently immobilized L-AK on SwCNT derivatized with glycerol diglycidyl ether) under optimal conditions, quasi-complete conversion (>99%) of sunflower oil was obtained after only 4 h reaction time. Moreover, the biocatalyst maintained more than 99% of its initial activity in the batch system after multiple recycling experiments.

Efficient and Stable Magnetic Chitosan-Lipase B from Bioconjugates in the Enzymatic Kinetic Resolution of Racemic Heteroarylethanols.

Lipase B from immobilized by covalent binding on sebacoyl-activated chitosan-coated magnetic nanoparticles proved to be an efficient biocatalyst (49.2-50% conversion in 3-16 h and >96% enantiomeric excess) for the enzymatic kinetic resolution of some racemic heteroarylethanols through transesterification with vinyl acetate. Under optimal conditions (vinyl acetate, -hexane, 45 °C), the biocatalyst remains active after 10 cycles.