Summary
Background After using cosmetics, Japanese women frequently complain about sensitive, stinging skin. We wondered whether Japanese women's skin is more sensitive than that of Caucasians.
...Objectives To examine possible racial differences of skin irritation and subjective sensations.
Methods We performed patch testing on the forearm with sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) at different concentrations (0·25%, 0·5%) and 24‐h exposure time. Skin reaction was evaluated by measurement of transepidermal water loss (TEWL), stratum corneum hydration, sebum secretion, laser Doppler flowmetry (LD), content of melanin and erythema. During a stinging test with 10% lactic acid (applied to one side of the cheeks) the subjects were asked to describe the present intensity of any sensation. We used a Chromameter to measure skin colour before and after application of lactic acid. This study was performed in Marburg, Germany, with healthy Japanese and German women living in Marburg.
Results After SLS testing, we found no significant differences of the barrier function in the stratum corneum, but we found significant subjective sensory differences between Japanese and German women.
Conclusions Japanese women may complain about stronger sensations reflecting a different cultural behaviour rather than measurable differences in skin physiology; however, a faster penetration of SLS in Japanese cannot be excluded.
Systemic stresses induce corticotropin‐releasing hormone (CRH) expression in hypothalamus. CRH is released to the pituitary gland, where it stimulates proopiomelanocortin (POMC) production acting via ...the CRH receptor (CRH‐R). CRH and POMC peptides are also detected in sites outside of the central nervous system (CNS), such as the skin. However, it has not been elucidated whether these peptides detected in the skin are derived from CNS or are produced locally. Using immunohistochemical and in situ reverse‐transcription (RT)‐PCR techniques, we demonstrated coexpression of CRH and POMC mRNAs in the epidermis and pilosebaceous units of the human skin. This coexpression was confirmed by the combination of laser‐capture microdissection (LCM) with RT‐PCR, analyzing mRNA expressions in captured sebaceous cells. Immunoreactivities and expressions of CRH and POMC mRNAs were strong in inflammatory lesions, melanocytic nevus, seborrheic keratosis, and also in the periphery of the benign tumor. These findings suggest that CRH and POMC peptides are produced locally in the skin and are regulated by inflammatory cells as well as by autocrine mechanisms. The skin may have “a local stress response system,” whose activity is mediated by CRH and POMC peptides, in an equivalent to hypothalamus‐pituitary adrenal axis.
Summary
We report a patient with cutaneous polyarteritis nodosa, who had a 3‐year history of recurrent leg and foot ulcers. Symptoms of ischaemia in the left foot, including severe pain, coldness, ...paraesthesia and violaceous discoloration, deteriorated abruptly, because of complete occlusion of the left anterior tibial artery. The occluded segment was revascularized by percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, resulting in a dramatic improvement in the ischaemic symptoms.
Summary
Background Three years ago, the nonablative wrinkle reduction laser (a 585‐nm laser, Chromogenex V3; Chromogenex Light Technologies, Llanelli, U.K.) was developed, and there have already ...been several reports about its clinical effectiveness. The Chromogenex V3 laser has also been reported to be effective in treating acne and atopic dermatitis. These results suggest that the Chromogenex V3 laser has some immunological role. In this study, we investigated immunological changes elicited by laser irradiation at the ultrastructural level and by analysis of interleukin (IL)‐2 and IL‐4 mRNA in skin homing T lymphocytes.
Materials and methods Eight healthy adult volunteers (mean age 56·3 years, range 25–66 years) were recruited for this study. Ultrastructural analysis was done 3 h after the laser irradiation, as well as 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 5 weeks later. IL‐2 and IL‐4 mRNAs in skin homing T cells cultured for 6 weeks were semiquantitatively measured using reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction.
Results Ultrastructural observations revealed that at 3 h after laser therapy, neutrophils, monocytes and mast cells could already be seen in the extravascular dermis. These dermal acute inflammatory changes were observed also at 1 week after laser treatment. Two weeks after laser treatment, the capillaries showed an almost normal structure. Four weeks after laser treatment, many lymphocytes and fibroblasts were observed. The numbers of these lymphocytes increased further at 5 weeks after the laser treatment. One week after the laser irradiation, all subjects were positive for IL‐2 mRNA and for IL‐4 mRNA. The level of IL‐4 mRNA was larger compared with that of IL‐2 mRNA in all subjects.
Conclusion The Chromogenex V3 is a 585‐nm visible light laser, and it may affect the skin not only by selective photothermolysis but also by direct cutaneous immunological activation.
Summary
Background Kimura's disease (KD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder characterized by tumours in the head and neck region, enlarged lymph nodes, increased eosinophil counts and high serum IgE. ...Mast cells are known to play a central role in IgE‐mediated allergic diseases through the release of inflammatory mediators like IL‐4, IL‐5 and chemokines. We hypothesized that mast cells may play a role in the pathogenesis of KD by regulating eosinophilic infiltration and IgE synthesis.
Objective In order to investigate the role of mast cells in the pathogenesis of KD, we examined the expression of cytokines/chemokines in the lesions of KD.
Methods We examined the number of tryptase+ cells, EG2+ cells, CD3+ cells, IL‐4+ cells, IL‐5+ cells, eotaxin+ cells, RANTES+ cells and CCR3+ cells in five specimens of KD versus normal tissues by immunohistochemistry. The sources of IL‐4, IL‐5, eotaxin and RANTES and the expression of CCR3 were examined by immunostaining of serial sections with antibodies to IL‐4, IL‐5, eotaxin, RANTES and CCR3, and antibodies to tryptase, ECP (EG2) and CD3.
Results Mast cells, activated eosinophils, T cells, IL‐4+ cells, IL‐5+ cells, eotaxin+ cells, RANTES+ cells and CCR3+ cells were all increased in the lesions of KD as compared with those in normal tissue. Mast cells and T cells were the major source of IL‐4, whereas mast cells, T cells and activated eosinophils were the main source of IL‐5. Mast cells, T cells and activated eosinophils were the main source of eotaxin and RANTES.
Conclusions The number of IL‐4, IL‐5, eotaxin and RANTES‐expressing mast cells and T cells were increased in the lesions of KD. As mast cells are lesional resident cells, these cells may play an important role in the pathogenesis of KD by regulating IgE synthesis and orchestrating eosinophilic infiltration.
Many cancer treatments induce cell death through lethal oxidative stress. Oxidative stress also induces the activation of the calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinases (CaM-Ks), CaM-KII and CaM-KIV. In ...turn, the CaM-Ks are known to induce the activation of antiapoptotic signaling pathways, such as Akt, ERK, and NF-kappaB in many different cell types. The aim of this study was to determine the role of CaM-Kinases in resistance to hydrogen peroxide and three oxidative stress-inducing cancer therapies in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. We found that oxidative stress induced CaM-Kinase activity in MCF-7 breast cancer cells and that CaM-K inhibition increased hydrogen peroxide-induced cell death in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. When MCF-7 cells were treated with doxorubicin, ionizing radiation, or photodynamic therapy in the presence of a CaM-K inhibitor a greater level of cell killing was observed than when cells were treated with doxorubicin, ionizing radiation, or photodynamic therapy alone. In support of this finding, CaM-K inhibition increased hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells, as determined by increased number of apoptotic cells, DNA fragmentation, and PARP cleavage. Pharmacological and molecular inhibition indicated that CaM-KII was participating in hydrogen peroxide-induced ERK phosphorylation in breast cancer cells indicating a potential mechanism by which this sensitization occurs. This is the first time that CaM-K inhibition is reported to sensitize cancer cells to reactive oxygen intermediate inducing cancer treatments.
The purpose of The Telescope Array experiment is to identify origin of the ultra high energy cosmic rays. The Telescope Array is a hybrid detector consists of a surface detector array and air ...fluorescence detectors. This hybrid detector is observing extensive air showers to measure the energy spectrum, anisotropy and composition of Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays. The detector construction has been completed in March 2008, and the hybrid observation with the full configuration has been running since that time. In this talk, the status of observation and our prospects are described.
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