Summary
Different wavelengths of ultraviolet (UV) radiation elicit different responses in the skin. UVA induces immediate tanning and persistent pigment darkening through oxidation of pre‐existing ...melanin or melanogenic precursors, while UVB induces delayed tanning which takes several days or longer to develop and requires activation of melanocytes. We compared the effects of a 2‐week repetitive exposure of human skin to solar‐simulated radiation (SSR), UVA or UVB at doses eliciting comparable levels of visible tanning and measured levels of melanins and melanin‐related metabolites. Levels of eumelanin and pheomelanin were significantly higher in the order of SSR, UVB, UVA or unexposed control skin. Levels of free 5‐S‐cysteinyldopa (5SCD) were elevated about 4‐fold in SSR‐ or UVB‐exposed skin compared with UVA‐exposed or control skin. Levels of protein‐bound form of 5SCD tended to be higher in SSR‐ or UVB‐exposed skin than in UVA‐exposed or control skin. Total levels of 5‐hydroxy‐6‐methoxyindole‐2‐carboxylic acid (5H6MI2C) and 6H5MI2C were higher in SSR‐ than in UVB‐exposed or control skin. These results show that SSR is more effective in promoting delayed tanning than UVB radiation alone, suggesting a synergistic effect of UVA radiation. Furthermore, free 5SCD may serve as a good marker of the effect of SSR and UVB.
TNM staging is mainly used to evaluate the prognosis of melanoma patients. Serum biomarkers such as 5‐S‐cysteinyldopa (5‐S‐CD) have occasionally been used but most do not respond until the tumour ...burden becomes high. Recently, circulating melanoma cells (CMC) have been reported as a possible new biomarker to detect metastasis, monitor treatment response and predict prognosis. The object of this exploratory study was to evaluate the efficacy of CMC to detect metastasis and predict prognosis by cross‐sectional and prospective observational analyses, respectively. Altogether 15 patients with stages II–IV melanoma were enrolled and CMC were enumerated by CellSearch system with cut‐off values of two cells/7.5 mL. Serum 5‐S‐CD and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were also measured. The sensitivity of CMC and 5‐S‐CD for the detection of metastasis was 33 and 50%, respectively. The combination of CMC and 5‐S‐CD showed a sensitivity of 67%, the best performance among CMC, 5‐S‐CD, LDH and any combination of two of the markers. Additionally, a 30‐month prospective observation showed that CMC could segregate patients with poorer prognosis. The median survival time for the patients with <2 CMC and those with ≥2 CMC was 19.5 and 4.5 months, respectively. The limitation of this study is the small sample size. These preliminary results indicate CMC may complement the efficacy of 5‐S‐CD to detect metastasis and can be a prognostic marker. Although there is still room for improvement to maximise the sensitivity, the CellSearch system is reproducible, standardised and suitable for multi‐centre studies.
5-S is the first step towards TQM. Over the last century, the Japanese have formalised the technique and named it as 5-S Practice. Since 1993, Sam Ho has improved and defined its terms in ...English/Chinese and developed the world's first 5-S Audit Checklist. In the article, an emergency department of a Hong Kong hospital was examined against 5-S 50-point Checklist for the improvement of their quality assurance systems towards its accreditation process with Australian standards. The findings evidently reveal that the impact of 5-S on hospital quality assurance in the unit are positive. Riding on the above scenario, the research aim is to identify whether the 5-S practice is a suitable and effective tool for healthcare quality assurance in an emergency setting which is led towards its accreditation process set by other mechanisms.
It has been well-recognised that Japanese construction firms are good in safety, hygiene, quality, productivity and image. Over the last century, the Japanese have formalised the technique and name ...it as '5S' Practice. Through his research in Japan in 1988, the author has re-define the name as '5-S' and developed the world's first 5-S Audit Checklist. Since 1993, he used an innovative 5-S Checklist developed at SIRIM for training and consultancy in no less than 20 countries with over 100,000 persons from around 8,000 organisations world-wide. The objective of this paper is to explain the intricacy of the 5-S so that it can be understood easily and adopted readily by those who may find the tool useful. Some experience will also be shared in this article. It is hoped that this article can arouse the interest of the construction industry in Malaysia to take up this important and effective tool for quality improvement.
Based on the 'Best Paper-2010' by the TQM Journal, the author has a chance to test out the model in a number of firms in Malaysia through SIRIM. Furthermore, riding on the success, SIRIM has named it ...as the
. As a result, the aim of this paper is to share the experience of the “SIRIM Green 5-S Model for Sustainable Development”. Since 1993, the author used the proprietary 5-S Checklist for training and consultancy in no less than 10 countries with over 50,000 persons from around 2,000 organisatioins world-wide. On the other hand, HKSAR takes the lead in the global oil energy consumption/GPD. The experience will be shared in this article.
Purpose - Efforts made in extant literature to link the components of customer relationship management (CRM) strategy to its implementation are insufficient. This paper aims to provide insights on ...the core components of CRM and the implementation of CRM strategy.Design methodology approach - A case study of CRM implementation at a large Swedish firm was carried out using open-ended, face-to-face and telephone interview methods to collect data from key informants at both strategic and operative levels. The empirical studies focused on technical and cognitive aspects necessary for successful implementation of a sustainable CRM strategy.Findings - Results show that relationships are not only a tactical weapon, but represent a different, strategic approach to buyer-seller exchange. Findings also show that implementing sustainable CRM strategy requires the endorsement by and commitment from top management, systematic cross-functional communication, and mandatory customer loyalty training programmes for all employees.Research limitations implications - Attempts made in extant literature to define CRM have been varied. A theoretical model on which future empirical analysis should be based when conceptualizing CRM should consist of a business strategy, a business philosophy and a database application, thereby forming a tripod.Practical implications - CRM is a strategic business and process issue, not merely a technology solution as most often conceived in practice. The CRM process is a continuous learning process where information about individual customer is transformed into a customer relationship.Originality value - A process-oriented integrative framework that facilitate successful implementation of a sustainable CRM strategy. It links components of CRM strategy with the key dimension of its implementation. The depth of the anchorage of this paper in the body of literature is a contribution.
The death of nigral neurons in Parkinson’s disease is thought to involve the formation of the endogenous neurotoxin, 5-
S-cysteinyl-dopamine. In the present study, we show that the polyphenols, ...(+)-catechin and caffeic acid, which contain a catechol moiety, inhibit tyrosinase-induced formation of 5-
S-cysteinyl-dopamine via their capacity to undergo tyrosinase-induced oxidation to yield cysteinyl-polyphenol adducts. In contrast, the inhibition afforded by the flavanone, hesperetin, was not accompanied by the formation of cysteinyl-hesperetin adducts, indicating that it may inhibit via direct interaction with tyrosinase. Whilst the stilbene resveratrol also inhibited 5-
S-cysteinyl-dopamine formation, this was accompanied by the formation of dihydrobenzothiazine, a strong neurotoxin. Our data indicate that the inhibitory effects of polyphenols against 5-
S-cysteinyl-dopamine formation are structure-dependent and shed further light on the mechanisms by which polyphenols exert protection against neuronal injury relevant to neurodegenerative diseases.
Abstract N-β-Alanyl-5-S-glutathionyl-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (5-S-GAD), an antibacterial substance isolated from the flesh fly, has been described as having multipotential biological activities ...toward various tissues. In a previous paper, we reported a novel neuroprotective action of 5-S-GAD on rat retinal ganglion cell apoptosis induced by optic nerve injury and intraocular N-methyl- d -aspartate treatment in vivo . In the present study, we further investigated the protective mechanism of this small peptide against other types of apoptosis in cultured cells of the established rat retinal ganglion cell line RGC-5. Hydrogen peroxide and serum deprivation treatments induced intracellular reactive oxygen species levels and lipid peroxidation, revealed by 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal production, in RGC-5 cells within 9–12 h. The treatments also induced cell death accompanied by nuclear condensation, DNA laddering and increases in apoptotic Bax and caspase-3 proteins in RGC-5 cells within 12–24 h. 5-S-GAD at 25–50 μM clearly suppressed the cell death and apoptotic features induced by these treatments. 5-S-GAD restored the nuclear condensation, DNA laddering and increases in apoptotic proteins. Furthermore, 5-S-GAD directly activated anti-apoptotic phospho-Akt and Bcl-2 proteins in RGC-5 cells. 5-S-GAD also quenched the reactive oxygen species production and inhibited the lipid peroxidation induced by oxidative stress. Therefore, 5-S-GAD may complementarily protect RGC-5 cells against apoptosis through dual actions as a radical scavenger and an inducer of anti-apoptotic phospho-Akt and Bcl-2. Taken together, 5-S-GAD is a high-potential tool for rescuing the retinal ganglion cell apoptosis induced by a variety of glaucomatous conditions.
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