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The skin symptoms of atopic dermatitis naturally and completely remitted in her 20s, but the redness, hyperkeratosis and skin peeling of the palms and soles persisted. I Editor, i Nagashima-type palmoplantar keratosis (NPPK) is an autosomal recessive palmoplantar keratosis characterized by skin redness, diffuse mild hyperkeratosis and whitish change after water exposure, involving not only the palms and soles but also the dorsal side of the fingers, the inner wrists and the Achilles tendon area. After two months of 5 mg/day of Tofacitinib, the skin redness of the palms, soles and Achilles tendon area had become more apparent when compared to the first visit, but skin peeling of the palms had not reoccurred. [Extracted from the article]

Objectives: Osterix (Osx)-expressing mesenchymal cells are progenitors for tooth root forming cells. The aim of this study was to reveal the fates of Osx-expressing cells during and after root formation using a lineage tracing experiment.Material and Methods: To reveal the fates of Osx-expressing dental mesenchymal progenitors, we took advantage of tamoxifen-inducible Cre reporter system. Osx-creER; R26R-tdTomato mice received tamoxifen (0.1 mg/body) at postnatal day 3 (P3). In this system, Osx-expressing at P3 (Osx-P3) cells undergo recombination, and they and their descendants continue to express Tomato red fluorescence protein permanently. Mandibles were dissected at serial time points ranging from P4 to P116 to investigate how Osx-P3 cells participated in root formation. Tomato+ cells on frozen sections were imaged under fluorescence microscopy.Results: Osx-P3 cells and their descendants differentiated into all kinds of cells that contributed to the root and periodontal tissues, such as odontoblasts, cementoblasts, alveolar bone osteoblasts and periodontal ligament (PDL) cells during root formation. Even after root formation was completed, they persisted in dental pulp and PDL to provide progenitor cells for odontoblasts and cementoblasts.Conclusion: Osx-expressing cells play important roles in the entire processes of tooth root formation; their progeny continue to contribute to maintenance of tooth root even after root formation is complete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Craniofacial skeletal development requires deliberate coordination of two distinct mechanisms of endochondral and intramembranous ossification. Col2a1-expressing cells encompass growth-associated skeletal progenitors in endochondral bones of the limb. The objective of this study was to determine the contribution of Col2a1-expressing cells to the craniofacial skeletal cell lineages. We hypothesize that Col2a1-expressing progenitors significantly contribute to various modes of ossification associated with the craniofacial development.Methods: Cellular fates of Col2a1-expressing cells were studied based on a cre-loxP system using a Col2a1-cre transgene and an R26R-tdTomato reporter allele. We analysed three distinct locations of the craniofacial skeletal complex representing unique ossification mechanisms: the cranial base, the calvaria and the mandibular condyle.Results: Col2a1-cre consistently marked a majority of skeletal cells in the cranial base. Interestingly, Col2a1-cre also marked a large number of osteoblasts and suture mesenchymal cells in the calvaria, in addition to chondrocytes in the underlying transient cartilage. In the mandibular condyle, Col2a1-cre marked chondrocytes and osteoblasts only during the growth phase.Conclusions: Col2a1 is expressed by progenitors of the skeletal lineage in canonical endochondral bone formation occurring in the cranial base. In contrast, other ossification mechanisms of the craniofacial complex utilize Col2a1-expressing cells in a different manner, whereby Col2a1 may be expressed in more differentiated or transient cell types of the skeletal lineage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune haemolysis was determined by rectilinear attenuance at 625 mμ (l = 1·3 mm, 1·25 mm), and the data obtained treated by von Krogh's empirical equation. The C′H50/ml values obtained by the attenuance method had high correlation with those obtained by the conventional photometric method (541 mμ). Automatic complement titration was attempted, as a part of the basic studies on quantitative complement fixation tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The prognosis of severe alcoholic hepatitis is poor, and there is no established method for a cure. METHODS: A 34-year-old man was admitted to Kurume University Hospital because of severe liver dysfunction due to excess alcohol intake. He was treated with prednisolone and two sessions of granulocyte and monocyte adsorption apheresis (GCAP) using an Adacolumn, which removes leukocytes--especially granulocytes and monocytes--from the peripheral blood. We evaluated the changes in the serum levels of interleukin-6, interleukin-8, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1, as well as the conventional liver tests and peripheral white blood cell count. RESULTS: Prednisolone was effective in the short term but resulted in an increase in C-reactive protein (CRP), peripheral leukocytes, and serum total bilirubin. GCAP performed on the 34th and 41st hospital days produced decreases in the white blood cell count, total bilirubin, and intercellular adhesion molecule-1. The patient survived, despite the expected poor prognosis on admission. CONCLUSIONS: GCAP is recommended as a potential therapeutic option for severe alcoholic hepatitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]