Very Early Pulsed Dye Laser Intervention for Optimal Cosmetic Outcome in Post-Thyroidectomy Scars.

Purpose: Early intervention of surgical scars with a pulsed dye laser is known to effectively prevent pathologic scars. Despite multiple reports on the effectiveness of the treatment, very few studies have demonstrated its appropriate initiation timing. In this study, our objective was to determine the optimal timing for initiating laser treatment following thyroidectomy.

Senescent melanocytes driven by glycolytic changes are characterized by melanosome transport dysfunction.

Senescent melanocytes accumulate in photoaged skin and are closely related to skin aging. A better understanding of the molecular characteristics of senescent melanocytes may be the key to controlling skin aging. We have developed an model of senescence in melanocytes using UV irradiation and investigated the functional characteristics and molecular mechanisms underlying senescence in UV-irradiated melanocytes.

Clinical Characteristics of Psoriasis for Initiation of Biologic Therapy: A Cluster Analysis.

Background: Psoriasis is a complex and heterogeneous disease that widely affects a patient's life. Biological therapy is usually prescribed in patients with severe psoriasis that do not respond to conventional treatment. However, data on the specific patient characteristics receiving biologics are still unavailable.

Pemphigus Vulgaris Possibly Associated with COVID-19 Infection.

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) represents damage to epidermal keratinocytes, resulting in acantholysis due to the production of autoantibodies against desmoglein-1 and desmoglein-3. Autoimmune blistering disorders such as pemphigus vulgaris or bullous pemphigoid that develop following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been reported in several studies. Herein, we report a case of PV onset following COVID-19 infection in a 17-year-old female, demonstrating --the potential pathogenic capacity of SARS-CoV-2 to develop PV.

Photobiomodulation therapy with an 830-nm light-emitting diode for the prevention of thyroidectomy scars: a randomized, double-blind, sham device-controlled clinical trial.

This randomized, double-blind, and sham device-controlled trial aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of home-based photobiomodulation therapy using an 830-nm light-emitting diode (LED)-based device for the prevention of and pain relief from thyroidectomy scars. Participants were randomized to receive photobiomodulation therapy using an LED device or a sham device without an LED from 1 week postoperatively for 4 weeks. Scars were assessed using satisfaction scores, the numeric rating scale (NRS) score for pain, Global Assessment Scale (GAS), and Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) scores.

Impact of Pediatric Alopecia Areata on Quality of Life of Patients and Their Family Members: A Nationwide Multicenter Questionnaire Study.

Background: Pediatric alopecia areata (AA) can affect the quality of life (QoL) of patients and their family members. Research on the QoL and burden on family members in pediatric AA is limited.

Objective: This nationwide multicenter questionnaire study described the QoL and burden of the family members of patients with pediatric AA.

Ponatinib-induced eruptive nevi and melanocytic proliferation.

Ponatinib, an oral third-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is indicated for the treatment of imatinib-resistant leukemia. We experienced a case of ponatinib-induced eruptive nevi, and the biologic effects of ponatinib on melanocytes were investigated. Treatment with ponatinib significantly increased the proliferation of normal human melanocyte or melanoma cells through the upregulation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase and protein kinase B signaling pathways.

An active carbon-nanotube polarizer-embedded electrode and liquid-crystal alignment.

We report a method for constructing an active optical polarizer using an aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) sheet that is flexible, bendable, transparent, conductive, and also serves to anchor liquid-crystal (LC) molecules. A horizontally aligned CNT sheet was obtained by mechanical stretching from a vertically grown CNT forest, which was then transferred onto a substrate. A liquid polymer was infiltrated into the CNT sheet followed by UV curing, while a part of the CNT sheet was still exposed on the film surface without polymer coating.

Iron released from reactive microglia by noggin improves myelin repair in the ischemic brain.

We previously reported that the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) antagonist, noggin, improved the repair process with an increase in the reactive microglia/macrophage population in the ischemic brain. Since BMP plays a role in intracellular iron homeostasis via the hepcidin/ferroportin axis, and iron is required for myelination, this study was aimed to determine whether noggin affected iron status and remyelination in the brain following ischemic stroke. We further examined the effect of blocking the BMP/hepcidin pathway on reactive microglia (BV2) and myelination of oligodendroglial cells (MO3.

Acebutolol, a Cardioselective Beta Blocker, Promotes Glucose Uptake in Diabetic Model Cells by Inhibiting JNK-JIP1 Interaction.

The phosphorylation of JNK is known to induce insulin resistance in insulin target tissues. The inhibition of JNK-JIP1 interaction, which interferes JNK phosphorylation, becomes a potential target for drug development of type 2 diabetes. To discover the inhibitors of JNK-JIP1 interaction, we screened out 30 candidates from 4320 compound library with method.

Biological function integrated prediction of severe radiographic progression in rheumatoid arthritis: a nested case control study.

Background: Radiographic progression is reported to be highly heritable in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, previous study using genetic loci showed an insufficient accuracy of prediction for radiographic progression. The aim of this study is to identify a biologically relevant prediction model of radiographic progression in patients with RA using a genome-wide association study (GWAS) combined with bioinformatics analysis.

Transnasal Endoscopic Resection of a Pleomorphic Adenoma Originate From Nasal Floor.

A 81-year-old female presented to our hospital frequent epistaxis. Nasal endoscopy showed a mass obstructing nasal cavity completely and occupying middle meatus. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed, an about 4.

Surface Changes of PathFile after Glide Path Preparation: An Ex Vivo and In Vivo Study.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in the surface profile of rotary nickel-titanium (NiTi) files designed to prepare a glide path and conventional stainless steel (SS) hand files when used in extremely narrow canals both in clinical and experimental conditions.

Methods: This ex vivo/in vivo study used either SS #10 K hand files or the PathFile system (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) to establish a glide path in maxillary molars with narrow root canals (defined as canals that bound a #8 K-file at the working length). After treatment, all files were cleaned and scanned using a noncontact laser profilometer.

Detection and analysis of disease-associated single nucleotide polymorphism influencing post-translational modification.

Post-translational modification (PTM) plays a crucial role in biological functions and corresponding disease developments. Discovering disease-associated non-synonymous SNPs (nsSNPs) altering PTM sites can help to estimate the various PTM candidates involved in diseases, therefore, an integrated analysis between SNPs, PTMs and diseases is necessary. However, only a few types of PTMs affected by nsSNPs have been studied without considering disease-association until now.

A correlation between tocopherol content and antioxidant activity in seeds and germinating seeds of soybean cultivars.

Background: Tocopherols are crucial lipid-soluble antioxidants and essential nutrients. There is increasing interest in the biofortification of crops with vitamin E for reducing micronutrient malnutrition. However, relatively little is known about the development of soybean cultivars with high levels of tocopherol through combined breeding.

Impact of immunosuppressant therapy on early recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation.

Background/aims: The most commonly used immunosuppressant therapy after liver transplantation (LT) is a combination of tacrolimus and steroid. Basiliximab induction has recently been introduced; however, the most appropriate immunosuppression for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients after LT is still debated.

Methods: Ninety-three LT recipients with HCC who took tacrolimus and steroids as major immunosuppressants were included.

Variation block-based genomics method for crop plants.

Background: In contrast with wild species, cultivated crop genomes consist of reshuffled recombination blocks, which occurred by crossing and selection processes. Accordingly, recombination block-based genomics analysis can be an effective approach for the screening of target loci for agricultural traits.

Results: We propose the variation block method, which is a three-step process for recombination block detection and comparison.

A conserved mechanism for binding of p53 DNA-binding domain and anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins.

The molecular interaction between tumor suppressor p53 and the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins plays an essential role in the transcription-independent apoptotic pathway of p53. In this study, we investigated the binding of p53 DNA-binding domain (p53DBD) with the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins, Bcl-w, Mcl-1, and Bcl-2, using GST pull-down assay and NMR spectroscopy. The GST pull-down assays and NMR experiments demonstrated the direct binding of the p53DBD with Bcl-w, Mcl-1, and Bcl-2.

Knockout of Toll-like receptor 2 attenuates Aβ25-35-induced neurotoxicity in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs), which have been implicated in various neuroinflammatory responses, are thought to act in defense mechanisms by inhibiting neuronal cell death in Alzheimer's disease. In this study, we evaluated the effects of TLR2 on amyloid beta peptide 25-35 (Aβ25-35)-induced neuronal cell death, synaptic dysfunction, and microglial activation in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures (OHSCs) from wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 mice and TLR2-knockout (KO) mice. In WT mice, Aβ25-35 induced β-amyloid aggregation and surrounding TLR2 expression.

Extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2-dependent changes in tight junctions after ischemic preconditioning contributes to tolerance induction after ischemic stroke.

Less disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) after severe ischemic stroke is one of the beneficial outcomes of ischemic preconditioning (IP). However, the effect of IP on tight junctions (TJs), which regulate paracellular permeability of the BBB, is not well understood. In the present study, we examined IP-induced changes in TJs before and after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in mice, and the association between changes in TJs and tolerance to a subsequent insult.