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This study is to determine the role of the fractional CO2 laser in topical drug delivery and the impact of local immune responses. Experimental rabbit nails were treated with fractionated CO2 laser at varied fluencies of 20 mJ, 25 mJ, and 30 mJ and half of which were coated with rhodamine B (RhB). Histological examination was performed by hematoxylin and eosin staining; the penetration of RhB was assessed by the use of confocal laser scanning microscopy; and the expressions of IFN-γ and IL-4 mRNA in situ were detected by means of qPCR at 12 h, 24 h, 3 days, and 7 days post-laser irritation. The fractional CO2 laser could generate microscopic treatment zones in nail plates, and the depths of these micropores as well as the permeation of RhB in nails increased significantly in an energy-dependent manner. Importantly, the laser irritation led an upregulation of local IFN-γ mRNA expression accompanied by a downregulation of IL-4 mRNA expression. The ultrapulsed ablative fractionated CO2 laser may assist topical drug delivery, and may drive stronger local Th1 responses due to an imbalance of IFN-γ/IL-4 expressions, suggesting that the combination of ablative fractionated CO2 laser with topical agents would be an effective option for the treatment of onychomycosis.

This study is to determine the role of the fractional CO2 laser in topical drug delivery and the impact of local immune responses. Experimental rabbit nails were treated with fractionated CO2 laser at varied fluencies of 20 mJ, 25 mJ, and 30 mJ and half of which were coated with rhodamine B (RhB). Histological examination was performed by hematoxylin and eosin staining; the penetration of RhB was assessed by the use of confocal laser scanning microscopy; and the expressions of IFN-γ and IL-4 mRNA in situ were detected by means of qPCR at 12 h, 24 h, 3 days, and 7 days post-laser irritation. The fractional CO2 laser could generate microscopic treatment zones in nail plates, and the depths of these micropores as well as the permeation of RhB in nails increased significantly in an energy-dependent manner. Importantly, the laser irritation led an upregulation of local IFN-γ mRNA expression accompanied by a downregulation of IL-4 mRNA expression. The ultrapulsed ablative fractionated CO2 laser may assist topical drug delivery, and may drive stronger local Th1 responses due to an imbalance of IFN-γ/IL-4 expressions, suggesting that the combination of ablative fractionated CO2 laser with topical agents would be an effective option for the treatment of onychomycosis.

Background: Large-scale retrospective studies of light/laser in treating nasal rosacea were lacking.Objective: The study was aimed to perform a decade retrospection of the patients with nasal rosac...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of using a 694-nm fractional Q-switched ruby laser to treat infraorbital dark circles. Thirty women with infraorbital dark circles (predominant color: dark/brown) participated in this open-labeled study. The participants received eight sessions of 694-nm fractional Q-switched ruby laser treatment using a fluence of 3.0–3.5 J/cm2, at an interval of 7 days. The melanin deposition in the lesional skin was observed in vivo using reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM). The morphological changes were evaluated using a global evaluation, an overall self-assessment, and a Mexameter. Twenty-eight of the 30 patients showed global improvements that they rated as excellent or good. Twenty-six patients rated their overall satisfaction as excellent or good. The melanin index indicated a substantial decrease from 240.44 (baseline) to 194.56 (P < 0.05). The RCM results showed a dramatic decrease in melanin deposition in the upper dermis. The adverse effects were minimal. The characteristic finding of dark/brown infraorbital dark circles is caused by increased melanin deposition in the upper dermis. The treatment of these infraorbital dark circles using a 694-nm fractional QSR laser is safe and effective.

Cutaneous dirt-adherent disease (CDAD) is a rare psychogenic dermatosis mainly occurring in young Japanese and Chinese women. It mainly occurs on cheeks, forehead, nipple, mammary areola and around mammary areola. To our knowledge, this is the first case of CDAD with the skin lesion of psoriasis rupioides to be reported. In our case, the patient, a 43-year-old Chinese man presented with thick, yellowish-brown adherent crusts on his face with severe painful 6-days duration. Histopathologic image: Parakeratosis, the epidermis demonstrates regular acanthosis with some thinning of the suprapapillary plates, neutrophils exocytosis are noted. As for the histopathologic diagnosis in his right crus, combined with the clinical manifestation of rupioides-shaped crusts, film phenomenon and Auspitz's sign, we considered Psoriasis rupioide.

This study investigates the effect of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2-antioxidant response element (Nrf2-ARE) signaling pathway in vascular calcification (VC) via inducing Autophagy in renal vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). VSMCs were assigned into six experimental groups: the normal control, high phosphorus, si-negative control (si-NC), Nrf2-siRNA, over-expressed Nrf2, and negative control (NC) groups. RT-PCR was applied to detect the mRNA expressions of the desired Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway-related genes (Nrf2, NQO-1, HO-1, γ-GCS). The protein products of these genes: apoptosis-related genes (LC3I and LC3II), osteogenic marker proetins (Runt-related transcription factor 2) Runx2 and BMP2 were all detected by Western blotting. Autophagosomes in VSMCs were observed under a transmission electron microscope. We discovered an increased calcium ion concentration and upregulated Runx2, BMP2, Nrf2, HO-1, γ-GCS, NQO-1, and LC3II/LC3I expressions in the high phosphorous, si-NC and Nrf2-siRNA, and NC groups, compared with the normal control group. Compared to the high phosphorus and si-NC groups, higher levels of Runx2 and BMP2 but decreased Nrf2, HO-1, γ-GCS, NQO-1, and LC3II/LC3I expressions were detected in the Nrf2-siRNA group. The high phosphorus, si-NC and over-expressed Nrf2 experimental groups all had increased Nrf2, NQO-1, HO-1, γ-GCS, and LC3II/LC3I expressions as well as high numbers of autophagosomes compared with the normal control group. Finally, we detected a lower amount of autophagosomes presence and Nrf2, NQO-1, HO-1 γ-GCS, and LC3II/LC3 protein expression of Nrf2-siRNA group than that of the high phosphorus and si-NC groups. Activation of Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway may prevent hyperphosphatemia-induced VC by inducing autophagy in VSMCs. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 4708-4715, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Summary Background. Various laser and light sources are been used increasingly in cosmetic dermatology. Aim. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of combination intense pulsed light (IPL) and fractional CO2 laser in treating patients with acne with both inflammatory and scarring lesions. Methods. In total, 37 Chinese patients with acne with facial inflammatory and scar lesions were treated. Successive sessions of 4–6 IPL treatments followed by 2 sessions of fractional CO2 laser treatments were applied. Effectiveness was determined by the dermatologist’s evaluation, patient self-assessment, and devices that measure skin colour, sebum secretion and skin hydration. Results. IPL treatments significantly reduced the inflammatory lesion score and the atrophic scar score compared with baseline. Subsequent fractional CO2 laser treatments further decreased the atrophic scar score. Both scores remained low when patients were followed up at 6 months. Around 90% of the patients experienced significant or moderate overall improvement, and almost 80% patients rated their results as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’. The melanin index (MI), erythema index (EI) and skin sebum level all significantly decreased after IPL treatments, and the EI and sebum level were still low when assessed at the 3-month follow-up, although the MI had increased again. The adverse effects (AEs) of both treatments were transient and bearable. Conclusions. IPL in combination with fractional CO2 laser was effective in treating patients with acne with both inflammatory lesions and atrophic scars, and the AEs were acceptable.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the low-fluence 1,064-nm Q-switched neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet (QSNY) laser in treating infraorbital dark circles. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS Thirty women with infraorbital dark circles (predominant color dark brown) participated in this open-label study. Participants underwent eight sessions of low-fluence QSNY laser treatment at 4.2 J/cm2 at 3- to 4-day intervals. A spot size of 3.5 mm was used, with a pulse duration of 8 ns. The melanin deposition in the lesional skin was observed in vivo using reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM). Morphologic changes were evaluated using a global evaluation, an overall self-assessment, a narrow-band reflectance spectrophotometer, and a skin hydration measurement instrument. RESULTS Twenty-six of 30 patients showed global improvement that they rated as excellent or good. Twenty-eight rated their overall satisfaction as excellent or good. The melanin index indicated a substantial decrease, from 225.84 at baseline to 182.65 (p

Background and objectives: The ablative fractional CO2 laser has been successfully used in treating photoaged skin in the Caucasian population. However, its application in Asian skin has not been widely reported. The purpose of this study is to observe the efficacy and safety of the protocol ‘ActiveFX’ for photodamaged facial skin in Chinese patients. Methods: A non-sequential fractional ultrapulsed CO2 laser with specific settings is used in addition to a new computer pattern generator (CPG). Twenty patients received a single-session, single-pass, ablative fractional treatment on a split face. The patients were evaluated at baseline, and 1 and 3 months (M1, M3) after the treatment using a quartile grading scale. They were also asked to assess their overall satisfaction using a 4-point scale. The improvement of the coarse wrinkles was also quantitatively analyzed with a 3D in vivo imaging system. Results: At M1 and M3, the blinded investigator rated global improvement as 2.8 ± 0.95 and 3.00 ± 0.73...

The moss Syntrichia caninervis ( S. caninervis ) is one of the dominant species in biological soil crusts of deserts. It has long been the focus of scientific research because of its ecological value. Moreover, S. caninervis has a special significance in biogenesis research because it is characterized by its fast restoration of photosynthesis upon onset of rehydration of the desiccated organism. In order to study the mechanisms of rapid photosynthetic recovery in mosses upon rewatering, we investigated the kinetics of the recovery process of photosynthetic activity in photosystem (PS) II, with an indirect assessment of the photochemical processes based on chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence measurements. Our results showed that recovery can be divided into two phases. The fast initial phase, completed within 3 min, was characterized by a quick increase in maximal quantum efficiency of PSII ( F v / F m ). Over 50% of the PSII activities, including excitation energy transfer, oxygen evolution, charge separation, and electron transport, recovered within 0.5 min after rehydration. The second, slow phase was dominated by the increase of plastoquinone (PQ) reduction and the equilibrium of the energy transport from the inner antenna to the reaction center (RC) of PSII. Analysis of the recovery process in the presence of 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethyl urea (DCMU) revealed that blocking the electron transport from Q A to Q B did not hamper Chl synthesis or Chl organization in thylakoid membranes under light conditions. A de novo chloroplast protein synthesis was not necessary for the initial recovery of photochemical activity in PSII. In conclusion, the moss's ability for rapid recovery upon rehydration is related to Chl synthesis, quick structural reorganization of PSII, and fast restoration of PSII activity without de novo chloroplast protein synthesis.

This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of metformin on renal injury of C57BL/6J mice treated with a high fat diet. High-fat diet for 12 weeks was used to establish the mice model of metabolism syndrome and the intervention of metformin (75 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)) for 4 weeks, and plasma biochemical indicator and body weight were used to evaluate the model. Sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SERBP)-1c, TNF-α, NADPH Oxidase (NOX)4 mRNA was determined by real time-PCR. Phospho-AMP-activated protein kinase (P-AMPK)α protein was detected by western blotting. Oil Red O staining, Masson staining and HE staining were for observing renal pathological changes. At the end of 12th week, compared with mice on low fat diet (LFD), body weight (BW), the levels of fasting insulin (FINS), plasma and renal triglyceride (TG) were higher and plasma high density lipoprotein (HDL) and insulin sensitivity index (ISI) were significantly lower, but the levels of fasting blood glycemia (FBG), plasma total cholesterol (TC) and renal TC had no changes; Oil Red O staining revealed renal lipids deposition, Masson staining and HE staining revealed glomerular hypertrophy, matrix increasing, and inflammatory cells infiltration in glomerular; the expression of p-AMPKα protein decreased and the expression of SREBP-1c, TNF-α, NOX4 mRNA increased significantly in mouse treated with high fat diet (HFD). Compared with the HFD group, through metformin interventing, metabolic disorders were significantly improved, renal lipids deposition and other pathological changes were ameliorated, the expression of p-AMPKα protein increased and the expression of SREBP-1c, TNF-α, NOX4 mRNA decreased significantly. Metformin improved metabolic disorders, upregulated activity of renal AMPK, diminished the expression of renal SREBP-1c, TNF-α, NOX4 mRNA, decreased accumulation of renal lipids, and prevened renal injury.

Studies of lasers or intense pulsed light (IPL) on facial port wine stain (PWS) were frequently reported. Neck PWS was seldom concerned.This paper was aimed to identify the efficacy and safety of IPL in the treatment of neck PWS in Chinese patients.Twenty-nine Chinese patients with neck PWS were enrolled to receive IPL therapy for five sessions at an interval of 4- to 5 weeks. The parameters were set as cut-off filters of 560 nm, single pulse with pulse width of 6 ms and fluence of 20-24 J/cm(2) or double pulse with pulse width of 4.5-5.0 ms, pulse delay of 15-30 ms, and fluence of 18-25 J/cm(2). The efficacy was evaluated using subjective assessment and non-invasive measurement. The adverse effects were recorded.Over 60% patients achieved more than 50% improvement and over 50% participants were very satisfied or satisfied with the treatment. The participants less than 18 years old achieved better efficacy than the participants over 18 years old. The red or purple lesions gained better response to IPL treatment than the pink lesions. Adverse effects were limited.IPL is effective in neck PWS of Chinese population. Adverse effects were minimal and acceptable.

Both ultrapulse-mode and superpulse-mode fractional CO2 lasers (UPCO2 and SPCO2) could be successfully used in treating photoaged skin.This evidence-based study was intended to compare the therapeutic and adverse effects of UPCO2 and SPCO2 in treating photoaged skin in Chinese subjects.Eighteen Chinese subjects with Fitzpatrick skin type IV were enrolled in a randomized, split-face trial. Subjects received SPCO2 on one half of the face and UPCO2 on the other half. Before and after photos, skin color, epidermal water content, sebum level, periorbital wrinkles, skin roughness, and self-esteem questionnaires were used.Global evaluation and subjects' self-esteem assessments showed a similar trend at 1-month and 3-month follow-up visits on both sides. The UPCO2 laser has a shorter downtime of 6.25±2.71 days compared with 6.41±2.67 days for SPCO2, but has a higher incidence of edema, spot bleeding, prolonged redness and postinflammatory hyperpigmentation. More subjects prefer SPCO2 treatment because of similar efficacy and fewer adverse effects.The effectiveness of the SPCO2 laser in treating photoaged skin is very similar to the UPCO2 laser, with less erythema, but more crusting and longer downtime.

L-ascorbic acid has been widely used to treat photo-aged skin. However, its aqueous formula is prone to oxidation. Therefore, a new formula that contains 23.8% L-ascorbic acid and a chemical penetration enhancer was developed.Observe the efficacy and safety of topical 23.8% L-ascorbic acid serum on photo-aged skin.Twenty Chinese women with photo-aged skin were enrolled in this split-face study. They were treated with topical L-ascorbic acid serum with iontophoresis on one side of the face once a day for 2 weeks; the other side of the face was spared treatment through participants' self-control. Changes in photo-aged skin were evaluated using a global evaluation, an overall self-assessment, a spectrophotometer, the phase-shift rapid in vivo measurement of skin (PRIMOS) 3D, and a corneometer.Sixteen of 20 patients (80%) experienced a score decrease of 2 or 3 grades, according to the dermatologist. Fifteen patients (75%) rated their overall satisfaction as excellent or good. Dyspigmentation, surface roughness, and fine lines on the treated side improved significantly.Topical 23.8% L-ascorbic acid serum is effective for the treatment of photo-aged skin and does not cause any obvious side effects.

Fractional photothermolysis (FP) lasers have been widely used in treating photo-aged skin, acne scars, and other skin conditions. Although plenty of clinical data have demonstrated the efficacy of the FP laser, only limited histologic studies have been available to observe serial short- to long-term skin responses.Seven healthy Chinese women received one pass of fractional carbon dioxide laser treatment on the left upper back. Biopsies were taken at the baseline and 4 hours, 1 day, 5 days, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after the procedure for hematoxylin and eosin stains, immunohistochemical evaluation (for heat shock proteins and elastin), and Verhoeff-iron-hematoxylin stains (for collagen and elastic fiber).Remarkably greater expression of heat shock protein (HSP)70 could be observed 4 hours after the procedure, which diminished significantly by 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after the procedure. HSP47 reached its peak expression 1 month after the procedure, especially around microscopic thermal zones, and maintained its high level of expression 3 and 6 months after the procedure. Distinct new formation and remodeling of collagen and elastic fibers could be observed 3 and 6 months after procedure.FP-induced HSP expression and new formation of collagen and elastic fibers lasted as long as 6 months, longer than the previously acknowledged 3 months.

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the low-fluence 1,064-nm Q-switched neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet (QSNY) laser in treating infraorbital dark circles.Thirty women with infraorbital dark circles (predominant color dark brown) participated in this open-label study. Participants underwent eight sessions of low-fluence QSNY laser treatment at 4.2 J/cm(2) at 3- to 4-day intervals. A spot size of 3.5 mm was used, with a pulse duration of 8 ns. The melanin deposition in the lesional skin was observed in vivo using reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM). Morphologic changes were evaluated using a global evaluation, an overall self-assessment, a narrow-band reflectance spectrophotometer, and a skin hydration measurement instrument.Twenty-six of 30 patients showed global improvement that they rated as excellent or good. Twenty-eight rated their overall satisfaction as excellent or good. The melanin index indicated a substantial decrease, from 225.84 at baseline to 182.65 (p.05). RCM results showed a dramatic decrease of melanin deposition in the upper dermis. Adverse effects were minimal.The characteristic finding for dark-brown infraorbital dark circles is melanin deposition in the upper dermis. Treatment of infraorbital dark circles using low-fluence 1,064-nm QSNY laser is safe and effective. The authors have indicated no significant interest with commercial supporters.

The ablative fractional CO₂ laser has been successfully used in treating photoaged skin in the Caucasian population. However, its application in Asian skin has not been widely reported. The purpose of this study is to observe the efficacy and safety of the protocol 'ActiveFX' for photodamaged facial skin in Chinese patients.A non-sequential fractional ultrapulsed CO₂ laser with specific settings is used in addition to a new computer pattern generator (CPG). Twenty patients received a single-session, single-pass, ablative fractional treatment on a split face. The patients were evaluated at baseline, and 1 and 3 months (M1, M3) after the treatment using a quartile grading scale. They were also asked to assess their overall satisfaction using a 4-point scale. The improvement of the coarse wrinkles was also quantitatively analyzed with a 3D in vivo imaging system.At M1 and M3, the blinded investigator rated global improvement as 2.8 ± 0.95 and 3.00 ± 0.73, which was consistent with the patients' assessment (2.55 ± 0.83 at M1 and 3.15 ± 0.88 at M3). The roughness analysis (Rz) demonstrated a significant decrease in periorbital wrinkles (p0.0001). Minimal and reversible adverse side effects and rapid healing were noted.Non-sequential fractional ultrapulsed CO₂ laser resurfacing (ActiveFX) is considered an excellent treatment modality for photodamaged Chinese facial skin.

Purification of photosystem II (PSII) core complexes is a time-consuming and low-efficiency process. In order to isolate pure and active PSII core complexes in large amounts, we have developed a fast method to isolate highly active monomeric and dimeric PSII core complexes from spinach leaves by using sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation. By using a vertical rotor the process was completed significantly faster compared with a swing-out rotor. In order to keep the core complexes in high activity, the whole isolation procedure was performed in the presence of glycine betain and pH at 6.3. The isolated pigment-protein complexes were characterized by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, absorption spectroscopy, 77 K fluorescence spectroscopy and high performance liquid chromatography. Our results show that this method is a better choice for quick and efficient isolation of functionally active PSII core complexes.

We employed a nested PCR assay to detect Sporothrix schenckii DNA of 38 strains (including all the 24 mtDNA types) collected from different areas of the world, in tissue of eight mice infected with ATCC10268 strain of the fungus, and the skin biopsies of nine patients with sporotrichosis. In addition, the same procedures were used with two strains of Ceratocystis minor and isolates of 10 species of other pathogenic fungi. The outer primers SS(1) and SS(2) and inner primers SS(3) and SS(4) of the 18S rRNA gene of S. schenckii were employed. A 152 bp fragment was detected in all 38 strains of S. schenckii, eight animal specimens and nine human skin biopsies, but not samples of C. minor and the other fungal species. The detection limit of 50 fg of S. schenckii DNA extract was determined with ethidium bromide staining. In summary, we demonstrated that nested PCR assay could identify S. schenckii of all the mtDNA types and in isolates recovered from different areas of the world. The nested PCR assay seems to be highly sensitive and specific and provides a rapid method for diagnosis of sporotrichosis under conditions of contamination avoidance.

At present, Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) system has being researched and developed, and it is going to be the direction of development of train control system. The wireless communications system has become one of the essential subsystems of CBTC. In view of urban mass transit, this paper proposes a test platform about Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) which has been widely applied in CBTC, and emphatically introduces two key tests: one is the AP coverage test and the other one is the SA handover test, then gives corresponding test data and results analysis. The results prove that test scheme provides the important evidences to optimize AP's arrangement along the track, realizes the uninterrupted communication between train and trackside, and ensures the safety of train operation in CBTC.

This study on the band structures and charge densities of nitrogen (N)-, carbon (C)- and boron (B)-doped titanium dioxide (TiO2) by first-principles simulation with the CASTEP code (Segall et al., 2002) showed that the three 2p bands of im- purity atom are located above the valence-band maximum and below the Ti 3d bands, and that along with the decreasing of im- purity atomic number, the fluctuations become more intensive. We cannot observe obvious band-gap narrowing in our result. Therefore, the cause of absorption in visible light might be the isolated impurity atom 2p states in band-gap rather than the band-gap narrowing.

ejd.2012.1897 Auteur(s) : Shi-Jun Shan1,a, Zhenshan Xia2,a, John Chen3, Tian-Hua Xu4, Xue-Gang Xu4, Zhuo-Ran Li1, Ying Guo5, Huachen Wei6, Hong-Duo Chen4 hongduochen@hotmail.com chenhd@cae.cn 1 Department of Dermatology, 2 Department of Urology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China 3 Dermatology associates, Tucson, AZ, USA 4 Department of Dermatology, No.1 Hospital of China Medical University, 155 North Nanjing Street, Shenyang 110001, China 5 Ackerman Academy of Dermatopathology, New [...]