Identification of trophoblast-specific binding sites for GATA-2 that are essential for rat placental lactogen-I gene expression.

We identified a 3.4-kb 5'-flanking region of the rPL-I gene and examined its promoter activity using rat trophoblast Rcho-1 cells. A regulatory element between base pairs (bp) -2,487 and -2,310 in the 5'-flanking region was essential for maximum promoter activity of the rPL-I gene.

Clinical efficacies of topical agents for the treatment of seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp: a comparative study.

Previous studies have shown that topical steroid and shampoo containing zinc pyrithione provide clinical benefits for treatment of scalp seborrheic dermatitis. But the clinical efficacy of topical tacrolimus, a newly developed calcineurin inhibitor on seborrheic dermatitis, is not well investigated yet. We wanted to compare the clinical efficacy of topical tacrolimus with that of conventional treatment (zinc pyrithione shampoo and topical betamethasone) for treatment of seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp.

PEG-modified biopharmaceuticals.

PEGylation is a process in which one or more units of chemically activated polyethylene glycol reacts with a biomolecule, usually a protein, peptide, small molecule or oligonucleotide, creating a putative new molecular entity possessing physicochemical and physiological characteristics that are distinct from its predecessor molecules. In recent years, PEGylation has been used not only as a drug delivery technology but used also as a drug modification technology to transform existing biopharmaceuticals clinically more efficacious than before their PEGylation. PEGylation bestows several useful properties upon the native molecule, resulting in improved pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties, which in turn enable the native molecule to achieve maximum clinical potency.

Facial verruca plana that developed after semipermanent tattooing.

Tattooing is becoming more popular around the world. As a result, the reported complications of tattoo are increasing. Local inflammation, infection and allergic reactions are the most common adverse effects.

Aneurysmal benign fibrous histiocytoma with atrophic features.

Aneurysmal benign fibrous histiocytoma is an uncommon pathologic variant of dermatofibroma. In addition to the features of a typical dermatofibroma, it has large cleft-like or cavernous blood-filled spaces with numerous hemosiderin pigments. It should be differentiated from angiomatoid malignant fibrous histiocytoma, malignant melanoma, and vascular tumors such as Kaposi's sarcoma and angiosarcoma.

Dietary Aloe Vera Supplementation Improves Facial Wrinkles and Elasticity and It Increases the Type I Procollagen Gene Expression in Human Skin in vivo.

Background: No studies have yet been undertaken to determine the effect of aloe gel on the clinical signs and biochemical changes of aging skin.

Objective: We wanted to determine whether dietary aloe vera gel has anti-aging properties on the skin.

Methods: Thirty healthy female subjects over the age of 45 were recruited and they received 2 different doses (low-dose: 1,200 mg/d, high-dose: 3,600 mg/d) of aloe vera gel supplementation for 90 days.

Implemented edge shape of an electrical stimulus capsule.

Background: Recently, a capsule endoscope has been developed and many researchers have been trying to develop locomotive capsules. To develop locomotive capsules, the inner volume of the capsule has to be large enough to insert actuators, and the edge shape of the exterior capsule has to be suitable for locomotion. There are many locomotional methods, but an electrical stimulus method provides the appropriate power consumption, plus the shape of the capsule is the same as general telemetry capsules.

Estimation of operative line of resection using preoperative image and nonrigid registration.

Even though accurate diagnosis of organs is done using preoperative images such as CT or MRI, these information are not directly used in the operating room, because organs are nonrigid and their shapes change with time. In this paper, we propose to obtain an intraoperative image of an open organ and fuse the image with a preoperative image. The intraoperative image is obtained from a three-dimensional laser scanner.

Disseminated Superficial Porokeratosisin a Patient with Gastric Cancer.

Disseminated superficial porokeratosis (DSP) is a rare variant of porokeratosis, which is characterized histologically by cornoid lamella and clinically by central atrophy with elevated borders. DSP is usually associated with immunosuppressive states and hematopoietic malignancies, but rarely with malignancies of visceral organs. A 65-year-old male presented with numerous brownish macules with elevated borders on the trunk and limbs that had been present for 1 year.

LYR71, a derivative of trimeric resveratrol, inhibits tumorigenesis by blocking STAT3-mediated matrix metalloproteinase 9 expression.

Tumor migration/invasion is the main cause of tumor progression and STAT3 is needed to enhance tumor migration/invasion by up-regulating MMP-9. Thus, agents that inhibit STAT3 activation may be used as an anticancer drug. We present herein that 6-methyl-2-propylimino-6, 7-dihydro-5H-benzo [1, 3]-oxathiol- 4-one (LYR71) , a derivative of trimeric resveratrol, has an anticancer activity through inhibition of STAT3 activation.

Biological and antibacterial activities of the natural herb Houttuynia cordata water extract against the intracellular bacterial pathogen salmonella within the RAW 264.7 macrophage.

Salmonellosis is a major bacterial zoonosis that causes a variety of disease syndromes, from self-limiting enteritis to fatal infection in animals and food-borne infection and typhoid fever in humans. Recently, the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains of Salmonella sp. has caused more serious problems in public health.

Water phase transition induced by a Stone-Wales defect in a boron nitride nanotube.

Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) have been reported to possess superior water permeation properties. In this work, using molecular dynamics simulations with partial charges, capturing BNNT polarization effects obtained from quantum calculations, we found that Stone-Wales (SW) defects in a (5,5) BNNT result in phase transition of water, i.e.

Coenzyme Q_{10} effects on manganese superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase in the hairless mouse skin induced by ultraviolet B irradiation.

Coenzyme Q_{10} (CoQ_{10}) is a naturally occurring antioxidant and a prominent component of mitochondrial electron transport chain. In the present study, we investigated the effect of CoQ_{10} nanoparticle against photoaging using immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis in the hairless mouse skin induced by ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation (300 mJ/cm;{2}, 3 min/day for 21 days). In the UVB-irradiated distilled water (DW)-treated group, manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD2) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) immunoreactivity and their protein levels in the skin were significantly lower than those in the control group.

Kinetin enhances in vitro development of parthenogenetic and nuclear transfer porcine embryos.

Culture conditions affect the development of mammalian embryos in vitro. Kinetin belongs to the family of N(6)-substituted adenine derivates and promotes cell division, synthesis of DNA repair enzymes, superoxide dismutase activity, and ribosomal RNA transcription. We investigated the effects of kinetin on in vitro development of parthenogenetic and nuclear transfer (NT) porcine embryos.

Estradiol attenuates the focal cerebral ischemic injury through mTOR/p70S6 kinase signaling pathway.

We previously showed that estradiol prevents neuronal cell death through the activation of Akt and its downstream targets Bad and FKHR. This study investigated whether estradiol modulates the survival pathway through other downstream targets of Akt, including mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and p70S6 kinase. It is known that mTOR is a downstream target of Akt and a central regulator of protein synthesis, cell growth, and cell cycle progression.

Dermal fibrosis in male pattern hair loss: a suggestive implication of mast cells.

A relationship has been suggested between mast cells (MCs) and male pattern hair loss (MPHL), because of histological evidence of perifollicular fibrosis and increased mast cell numbers. Two paired punch biopsies were taken from balding vertexes and non-balding occipital promontory areas of ten patients with MPHL (Ludwig-Hamilton IIIv to IV) and from five normal subjects aged from 20 to 35 years. Masson trichrome and Victoria blue staining were performed to observe collagen frameworks and elastic fiber structures.

Surgical treatment of obstructive sleep apnea: upper airway and maxillomandibular surgery.

Upper airway surgery is an important treatment option for patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), particularly for those who have failed or cannot tolerate positive airway pressure therapy. Surgery aims to reduce anatomical upper airway obstruction in the nose, oropharynx, and hypopharynx. Procedures addressing nasal obstruction include septoplasty, turbinectomy, and radiofrequency ablation (RF) of the turbinates.

What is the Optimal Duration of Participation in a Community-Based Health Promotion Program for Older Adults?

Optimizing duration of participation in health promotion programs has important implications for program reach and costs. We examined data from 355 participants in EnhanceWellness (EW) to determine whether improvements in disability risk factors (depression, physical inactivity) occurred early or late in the enrollment period. Participants had a mean age of 74 years; 76% were women, and 16% were non-white.

Symmetry-breaking induced exchange bias in ferromagnetic Ni-Cu-Co and Ni-Fe-Co sandwiches grown on a vicinal Cu(001) surface.

Ferromagnetic Ni-Cu-Co and Ni-Fe-Co sandwiches were grown epitaxially onto a vicinal Cu(001) substrate and investigated using magneto-optical Kerr effect and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism techniques. We find that the atomic steps of the vicinal surface break the magnetic reversal symmetry to induce an exchange bias in the Ni perpendicular magnetic hysteresis loop. The Ni exchange bias direction can be switched by changing the direction of the in-plane Co magnetization.

Systemic transplantation of human adipose stem cells attenuated cerebral inflammation and degeneration in a hemorrhagic stroke model.

Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) are readily accessible multipotent mesenchymal stem cells and are known to secrete multiple growth factors, and thereby to have cytoprotective effects in various injury models. In the present study, the authors investigated the neuroprotective effect of ASCs in an intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) model. ICH was induced via the stereotaxic infusion of collagenase, and human ASCs (three million cells per animal) isolated from human fresh fat tissue, were intravenously administered at 24 h post-ICH induction.

Streptozotocin-induced diabetes decreases placenta growth factor (PlGF) levels in rat placenta.

The placenta produces several growth factors, including placenta growth factor (PlGF), which are essential for placenta growth and fetal growth. Diabetic pregnancy induces the abnormal placental growth and fetal development. This study investigated whether diabetes in pregnant rats induces changes in PlGF expression in the placenta.

Efficacy of 5% minoxidil versus combined 5% minoxidil and 0.01% tretinoin for male pattern hair loss: a randomized, double-blind, comparative clinical trial.

Background: 5% topical minoxidil solution has been widely used to stimulate new hair growth and help stop hair loss in men with androgenetic alopecia (AGA). However, it is not convenient for patients to continue applying the solution twice daily on a regular basis. Tretinoin is known to increase the percutaneous absorption of minoxidil and, therefore, to enhance the response of AGA to minoxidil.

The effect of tripeptide-copper complex on human hair growth in vitro.

The tripeptide-copper complex, described as a growth factor for various kinds of differentiated cells, stimulates the proliferation of dermal fibroblasts and elevates the production of vascular endothelial growth factor, but decreased the secretion of transforming growth factor-beta1 by dermal fibroblasts. Dermal papilla cells (DPCs) are specialized fibroblasts, which are important in the morphogenesis and growth of hair follicles. In the present study, the effects of L-alanyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu2+ (AHK-Cu) on human hair growth ex vivo and cultured dermal papilla cells were evaluated.