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Objective:To analyze the willingness-to-pay (WTP) for the treatment of acute facial inflammatory dermatoses with red and yellow light from light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and to evaluate their cost-effectiveness.Methods:A questionnaire survey was conducted on outpatients with or without acute facial inflammatory dermatoses, which mainly manifested as erythema and swelling, in Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital from August 2019 to June 2020. The WTP for the treatment of acute facial inflammatory dermatoses of varying severity with red and yellow light from LEDs were investigated, clinical data on the prevalence of facial skin diseases, previous medical visits and quality of life were collected, and a benefit-cost analysis was conducted. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate factors influencing the patients′ WTP for the LED treatment.Results:The median WTP of the subjects was 200, 300 and 300 RMB yuan for 1-session treatment of three cases of acute facial inflammatory dermatoses of increasing severity assumed to require 1-, 3-, and 5-session LED treatments respectively, and the WTP for 1-session treatment of case 2 and case 3 was higher than the cost of 1-session LED treatment (217 RMB yuan). The subjects with high family incomes (≥ 100 000 RMB yuan/year) were significantly more willing to pay for the treatment than those with low family incomes (< 100 000 RMB yuan/year) (case 1: 40.46% vs. 27.50%, χ2 = 7.00, P = 0.008; case 2: 60.69% vs. 44.5%, χ2 = 9.75, P = 0.002; case 3: 51.20% vs. 48.8%, χ2 = 6.54, P = 0.011), and the subjects who never suffered from facial inflammatory dermatoses were significantly more willing to pay for the treatment than those who ever suffered (case 1: 35.49% vs. 28.82%, χ2 = 1.56, P = 0.212; case 2: 56.10% vs. 42.34%, χ2 = 5.92, P = 0.015; case 3: 68.32% vs. 56.75%, χ2 = 4.58, P = 0.032). No significant difference in the WTP was observed among patients with different facial dermatoses, different degrees of impairment on quality of life, or different treatment experience (all P>0.05) . Conclusion:The cost of red and yellow light from LEDs for the treatment of acute facial inflammatory dermatoses manifesting as erythema and swelling was highly acceptable in this population, and it was worthy of clinical promotion.
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Studies have shown that rosacea is related to inflammatory factors, neurovascular function, micro-ecological environment and other factors. The Janus kinase (JAK) -signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling pathway involves a variety of inflammatory cytokines, and plays an important role in cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, angiogenesis and immune regulation. This review summarizes the JAK-STAT signaling pathway and explores its potential role in rosacea.
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Pseudomyogenic hemangioendothelioma (PHE) is a rare angiogenic tumor. Histologically, the morphological characteristics of neoplastic vessels and endothelial differentiation are not obvious, and it is easy to be confused with epithelioid sarcoma, epithelioid hemangioendothelioma and myogenic tumor. PHE usually occurs in arms and legs in young people and has a significant male predominance. The tumor has a predilection for the distal extremities and its typical manifestation is multiple center invasion of a single limb, which can involve all layers of skin and subcutaneous tissues,and is often accompanied by abvious pain. Histologically, PHE is characterized by infiltrative growth of tumor. Most tumor lesions are composed of sheets and loose fascicles of plump spindle or epithelioid cells within a background of variably prominent inflammatory infiltration, which was commonly composed of neutrophils. Some cells may resemble rhabdomyoblasts, and nuclear atypia and mitosis were rare. The tumor cells generally expressed positive cytokeratin (CK), ETS-related gene (ERG), Friend leukemia virus integration 1 (FLI1) and integrase interactor 1(INI1). In some cases, the tumor cells expressed CD31. A case of a young woman was reported in this paper, who presented with a subcutaneous mass with severe pain and was chronologically misdiagnosed with herpes zoster, low-grade malignant fibrous histiocytoma and epithelioid hemangioendothelioma. In this study, the clinical and pathological features, differential diagnosis and the latest progress in therapy of PHE were analyzed based on relevant literature.
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Adolescent , Adult , Child , Female , Humans , Male , Biomarkers, Tumor , Diagnosis, Differential , Diagnostic Errors , Hemangioendothelioma, Epithelioid/pathology , Hemangioma , Histiocytoma, Malignant Fibrous/diagnosis , Pain , Precancerous Conditions/diagnosisABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the willingness to pay (WTP) for treatment and its influencing factors, to evaluate the correlation between the disease burden (quality of life) index and dermatology life quality index (DLQI) in patients with rosacea, and to provide a basis for individualized diagnosis and treatment.Methods:Patients with rosacea were enrolled via a WeChat platform at Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital from August 2019 to February 2020. An online questionnaire survey was performed to investigate the WTP for a single session of treatment by which rosacea is assumed to be cured, and general information as well as data about clinical characteristics and DLQI scores were collected. Factors influencing high WTP were analyzed by using a logistic regression model.Results:Among the 435 respondents, 397 (91.3%) were females and 38 (8.7%) were males, with an age of 28.46 ± 8.33 years (range, 18- 63 years) . The respondents spent 10 474.95 ± 834.19 ( M[ P25, P75], 5 000 [1 000, 10 000]) RMB Yuan on previous medical treatment; the WTP was 12 510.86 ± 990.84 ( M[ P25, P75], 5 000[2 000, 10 000]) RMB Yuan; the DLQI score was 11.2 ± 0.38. Logistic regression analysis showed that lesions on the cheeks ( OR= 1.89, P= 0.041) , annual household income of > 100 000 RMB Yuan ( OR= 1.63, P= 0.029) , disease duration of > 1 year ( OR= 2.82, P < 0.001) , high number of visits in the past 1 year ( OR= 1.62, P < 0.001) , high self-rated rosacea severity score ( OR= 1.16, P= 0.002) and high DLQI score ( OR= 1.52, P < 0.001) were associated high WTP for treatment. Spearman correlation analysis showed that the DLQI score was positively correlated with WTP ( rs= 0.27, P < 0.05) and relative WTP (the proportion of WTP to monthly income, rs= 0.133, P < 0.05) . Conclusions:Among the patients with rosacea in Changsha, the WTP was at a moderate to high level, reflecting a serious impact on the quality of life. The WTP value can indirectly reflect the quality of life and help to rapidly understand the burden of disease in patients with rosacea.
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Objective:To propose a Chinese diagnostic criterion for rosacea on the basis of clinical feature analysis of rosacea, and to assess its sensitivity and specificity.Methods:A total of 3 350 Chinese patients with newly diagnosed rosacea were collected from Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University between December 2017 and July 2018, their phenotypes and clinical features were retrospectively analyzed, and a Chinese modified diagnostic criterion for rosacea was put forward. A national multi-center clinical observational trial, which included 2 269 patients with rosacea and 2 408 patients with other facial skin diseases from 28 centers, was conducted to verify this diagnostic criterion. Then, the sensitivity and specificity of the modified diagnostic criterion were evaluated by comparing with the 2017 standard classification of rosacea developed by the National Rosacea Society Expert Committee (NRSEC) .Results:Fixed centrofacial erythema occurred in 3 350 (100%) patients with rosacea. Flushing occurred before or simultaneously with fixed erythema in 1 850 (99.4%) of the 1 861 patients with erythema on the cheeks; among the 1 489 patients with erythema on the nose or perioral area, only 52 (3.5%) had flushing; all the 342 patients presenting with phymatous changes had fixed erythema before phymatous changes. Based on the above clinical findings, it was proposed that patients with periodically aggravated fixed erythema on the cheeks accompanied with flushing could be diagnosed with rosacea; patients with fixed erythema on the nose and perioral area accompanied with at least one of selective phenotypes (flushing, telangiectasia, papules and pustules, phymatous changes, or ocular manifestations) could be diagnosed with rosacea. The national multi-center clinical observational trial revealed that the sensitivity of the Chinese modified diagnostic criterion for rosacea was 99.6%, which was close to the sensitivity (100%) of the NRSEC standard, and its specificity was 91.9%, higher than the specificity (73.3%) of the NRSEC standard.Conclusion:The Chinese modified diagnostic criterion for rosacea has good sensitivity and specificity, and can facilitate the early diagnosis of phymatous rosacea.
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Objective:To investigate clinical features of intermittent flushing in patients with rosacea, and to evaluate its impact on the quality of life of patients.Methods:A prospective study was conducted, a total of 728 patients with rosacea were enrolled from Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital from August 2017 to August 2019. Data were collected by using flushing symptom questionnaire (FSQ) , clinician erythema assessment scale (CEA) , patient′s self-assessment (PSA) and visual analogue scale (VAS) . Clinical features and severity of intermittent flushing episodes, degree of bother and impact on life, and correlation of flushing scores with persistent erythema scores were analyzed. Statistical analysis was carried out by using chi-square test and Spearman correlation analysis.Results:Among the 728 patients with rosacea, intermittent flushing most frequently occurred on the cheek (682 cases, 93.7%) and zygomatic region (617 cases, 84.8%) ; the proportion of patients with a flushing duration of 5 minutes to 2 hours was the highest (484 cases, 66.5%) ; 317 (43.6%) had flushing episodes after stimulation, and 233 (32.0%) had multiple flushing episodes every day. Moreover, 503 patients (69.1%) had an overall flushing score above the moderate level; 412 (56.6%) considered that flushing could affect sleep to varying degrees, of which 59 (8.1%) considered that the impact was severe or very severe; 662 (90.9%) considered that flushing had impact on life to different degrees, of which 304 (41.8%) thought that the impact was severe. Both the overall flushing score and life bother score were positively but lowly correlated with the CEA scores ( rs = 0.166, 0.151 respectively, both P < 0.05) , and were positively correlated with the PSA scores ( rs = 0.518, 0.500 respectively, both P < 0.05) . Conclusion:Intermittent flushing occurs at typical sites of patients with rosacea, with long duration of episodes and high frequency, and affects quality of life of patients, so attention needs to be paid by clinicians.
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Livedoid vasculopathy is a rare chronic ischemic necrotic skin disease caused by microvascular thrombosis in superficial vascular plexuses.Effective treatments are lacking.Efficacy of anticoagulants has been clinically proven in the treatment of this disease,but the administration route and adverse reactions limit their extensive application.The new oral factor Xa inhibitor rivaroxaban,which has many advantages,such as no need for coagulation monitoring,few adverse reactions and convenient oral administration,can be used in the prevention and treatment of thrombosis and post-thrombotic ulcers.In this article,3 patients with livedoid vasculopathy were treated with rivaroxaban alone or in combination,and satisfactory efficacy was obtained.
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Objective@#To identify the time window during which the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling pathway plays a key role in telogen-to-anagen transition of hair follicles, and to explore whether the pathway specifically promotes the proliferation of hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) .@*Methods@#Totally, 36 newborn ICR mice were randomly and equally divided into 3 groups: RAPA-P19 group intraperitoneally injected with 5 mg·kg-1·d-1 sirolimus on days 19-24 after birth, RAPA-P21 group intraperitoneally injected with 5 mg·kg-1·d-1 sirolimus on days 21-24 after birth, and control group intraperitoneally injected with the same volume of solvent on days 19-24 after birth. Four mice were sacrificed in each group on days 22, 23 and 24 separately. Skin tissues were resected from the back, and hematoxylin-eosin staining of the skin tissues were performed followed by observation of hair follicle morphology to evaluate whether murine hair follicles progressed into the anagen phase on day 24. Immunofluorescence costaining was conducted to determine the expression and localization of mTORC1 downstream molecular marker pS6 and cell proliferation marker Ki67 on days 22 and 23.@*Results@#On day 24, hematoxylin-eosin staining showed anagen hair follicles in the control group and RAPA-P21 group, but telogen hair follicles in the RAPA-P19 group. On days 22 and 23, immunofluorescence costaining revealed positive staining for both pS6 and Ki67 in HFSCs in the control group, negative staining for both pS6 and Ki67 in the RAPA-P19 group, negative staining for pS6 and positive staining for Ki67 in the RAPA-P21 group. On day 23, epidermal cells and sebaceous gland cells in the upper hair follicle bulge were stained positively for Ki67 in all the 3 groups.@*Conclusion@#mTORC1 signaling specifically promotes the proliferation of HFSCs during telogen-to-anagen transition, but not affects proliferation of other cells in hair follicles.
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Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of lymphoplasma exchange (LPE) for the treatment of severe refractory immune-related skin diseases.Methods From May 2013 to October 2015,8 patients with toxic epidermal necrolysis,drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome (DIHS),pemphigus vulgaris,pemphigoid or paraneoplastic pemphigus were enrolled from Department of Dermatology,Xiangya Hospital,Central South University,who showed no response to conventional therapy or presented with multiple organ dysfunction.After the treatment with LPE,the efficacy was evaluated,and adverse reactions were observed.Results After one session of LPE therapy,6 patients received marked improvement,and were cured at last.In 1 patient with pemphigus vulgaris who was resistant to the treatment with high doses of glucocorticoids and immunosuppressive agents,the rashes regressed during the treatment with LPE,but recurred after the end of treatment.One patient with bullous pemphigoid presented with eruptive blisters on the next day after the treatment with LPE,which were considered as allergic reactions to allogeneic plasma.There were no obvious differences in white blood cell count,lymphocyte count,neutrophil count and blood platelet count in the peripheral blood of 8 patients before and after the treatment with LPE.During the follow-up of 3-5 years,all of the patients were recovered without recurrence,except 1 patient with bullous pemphigoid who died of disseminated tuberculosis after 1 year.Conclusion LPE is effective for the treatment of severe immune-related skin diseases,but attention should be paid to potential transfusion reaction and allergic reactions.
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To detemine the expression pattern of mTOR complex subunits Raptor and Rictor in the hair follicles of mice at different hair follicle stages, and to explore its significance. Methods: Immunostaining of Ki-67, a proliferative marker, was used to determine the precise hair follicle stages of mouse dorsal skin at different postnatal time points. Real-time PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of Raptor and Rictor in mouse dorsal skin at 43 days after birth (P43, early telogen), 56 days after birth (P56, mid-telogen), 69 days after birth (P69, late telogen) and 74 days after birth (P74, early anagen). The expression intensity and localization of Raptor and Rictor at different stages of hair cycle were tested by co-immumostaining. Results: Ki-67 immunostaining showed that the time points (P43, P56, P69, P74) and hair follicle stages (early telogen, mid-telogen, late telogen, early anagen) of the dorsal skin were consistent with each other. The results of real-time PCR and immunostaining were consistent, showing that the expression of Raptor and Rictor did not changed in the early-, mid-, late telogen, and early anagen. However, Raptor was specifically expressed in the bulge where hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) are residing in, and Rictor was mainly detected in inner root sheath (IRS) cells. Conclusion: The expression of Raptor and Rictor does not altered in the hair follicles at different hair follicle stages, but Raptor and Rictor are specifically expressed in the HFSCs and IRS cells, respectively, indicating that Raptor might be a molecular marker for HFSCs, and Rictor might be involved in the maintenance of IRS and formation of hair shaft.
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Animals , Mice , Hair , Hair Follicle , Rapamycin-Insensitive Companion of mTOR Protein , Raptors , Skin , TOR Serine-Threonine KinasesABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of Fite staining in leprosy histopathology.Methods Between 2013 and 2017,13 patients diagnosed with leprosy or suspected leprosy (high suspicion of leprosy based on clinical manifestations and hematoxylin-eosin staining,but negative acid-fast staining) in our department,were enrolled into this study.The histopathological sections were subjected to Fite staining,and the results were compared with those of acid-fast staining,so as to assess the value of Fite staining in the diagnosis of leprosy.Results Six patients with positive acid-fast staining still showed positive Fite staining.Among 7 patients with suspected leprosy and negative acid-fast staining,6 patients showed positive Fite staining with varying numbers of Mycobacterium leprae,and 1 showed negative Fite staining.Conclusion Fite staining can increase the detection rate of Mycobacterium leprae.
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Objective To propose a new diagnostic criterion for rosacea based on the analysis of clinical features of rosacea in a large sample.Methods A total of 1 090 Chinese outpatients with rosacea were enrolled from Department of Dermatology of Xiangya Hospital,and their demographic data,clinical manifestations and subjective symptoms were collected.According to results of descriptive analysis,clinical features of rosacea were summarized,and a new diagnostic criterion for rosacea was set up.Then,the sensitivity and specificity of the new diagnostic criterion were verified among 1 200 outpatients clinically characterized by facial erythema.Results Of 1 090 patients with rosacea,131 (12.0％) were male and 959(88.0％) were female,and the average age was 33.5 ± 11.1 years (range,10-66).Among the 1 090 patients,715 (65.6％) had initial lesions on the cheek,of whom,712 (99.6％) had intermittent flushing as the initial symptom,and 689 (96％) had sensitive skin symptoms such as dryness,burning and itching sensations;208 (19.1％) had initial lesions on the perioral region,of whom,204 (98.1％) had persistent erythema as the initial symptom;167 (15.3％) had initial lesions on the nose,of whom,163 (97.6％) had persistent erythema as the initial symptom;in addition,311 (28.5％) had lesions on the ocular region,and only 24 (2.2％) had lesions outside the face on the neck and retroauricular region.Based on these clinical features,a new diagnostic criterion for rosacea was proposed,including 1 major condition (intermittent flushing or persistent erythema on the cheek,perioral region or nose) and 5 minor conditions (1.sensitive skin symptoms such as burning,tingling,drying or itching sensations;2.telangiectasia;3.papules or pustules;4.hypertrophy;5.ocular symptoms).If with the major condition and at least one minor condition were met,patients could be diagnosed with rosacea.After verification among 1 200 patients with facial dermatitis clinically characterized by facial erythema,the new criterion was proved to have a sensitivity of 99.3％ and a specificity of 95.8％.Conclusion A new diagnostic criterion for rosacea with high sensitivity and specificity is proposed,which is worthy of clinical application.
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Objective: To evaluate the clinical characteristics and epidermal barrier function of papulopustular rosacea by comparing with acne vulgaris
Methods: Four hundred and sixty-three papulopustular rosacea patients and four hundred and twelve acne vulgaris patients were selected for the study in Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from March 2015 to May 2016. They were analyzed for major facial lesions, self-conscious symptoms and epidermal barrier function
Results: Erythema, burning, dryness and itching presented in papulopustular rosacea patients were significantly higher than that in acne vulgaris patients [P<0.001]. The clinical scores of erythema, burning, dryness and itching in papulopustular rosacea patients were significantly higher than those in acne vulgaris patients [P<0.001]. The water content of the stratum cornuem and skin surface lipid level were both significantly lower in papulopustular rosacea patients than that of the acne vulgaris patients [P<0.001] and healthy subjects [P<0.001]; Water content of the stratum cornuem and skin surface lipid level were higher in acne vulgaris patients in comparison with that of healthy subjects [P>0.05, P<0.001; respectively]. Transepidermal water loss was significantly higher in papulopustular rosacea patients than that of acne vulgaris patients and healthy subjects [P<0.001]; transepidermal water loss was lower in skin of acne vulgaris patients than that of healthy subjects [P<0.001]
Conclusion: Erythema, burning, dryness and itching are the characteristics of papulopustular rosacea, which makes it different from acne vulgaris. The epidermal barrier function was damaged in papulopustular rosacea patients while not impaired in that of acne vulgaris patients
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Objective To investigate the effect of highly expressed β-catenin on the proliferative activity of and expressions of two apoptosis-related genes Bcl-2 and Bax by human skin fibroblasts induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).Methods Normal human skin fibroblasts (HSFs) from child foreskin were divided into three groups:empty vector group transfected with the empty vector pcDNA3.1,H2O2 group transfected with the empty vector pcDNA3.1 followed by treatment with H2O2 (150 μ mol/L) for 2 hours,β-catenin group transfected with pcDNA3.1-β-catenin followed by treatment with H2O2 (150 μ mol/L) for 2 hours.Subsequently,methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay was conducted to estimate proliferative activity of fibroblasts,flow cytometry to detect cell apoptosis,and reverse transcription (RT)-PCR and Western blot were performed to measure the mRNA and protein expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax respectively.The relative expression levels of genes were expressed as the ratios between the targets and GAPDH.Results Significant differences were found between the empty vector group,H2O2 group and β-catenin group in cellular proliferative activity (expressed as absorbance value at 570 nm:0.792 ± 0.012 vs.0.462 ± 0.012 vs.0.521 ± 0.015,P＜ 0.01) and apoptosis rate (3.407％ ± 0.217％ vs.24.555％ ± 1.793％ vs.15.360％ ± 0.755％,P＜ 0.01).Both mRNA and protein expression levels of Bcl-2 were significantly lower in the H2O2 group (0.333 ± 0.003 and 0.336 ± 0.004 respectively) than in the empty vector group (0.507 ± 0.013 and 0.514 ± 0.021,respectively,both P ＜ 0.01) and β-catenin group (0.404 ± 0.006 and 0.411 ± 0.005,respectively,both P ＜ 0.01).Increased expression levels of Bax mRNA and protein were observed in the H2O2 group compared with the empty vector group and β-catenin group (mRNA:0.451 ± 0.002 vs.0.303 ± 0.005 and 0.339 ± 0.012,protein:0.460 ± 0.008 vs.0.320 ± 0.013 and 0.346 ± 0.013,all P＜ 0.01).Conclusion High expression of β-catenin can raise proliferative activity of aging HSFs.
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Objective To investigate efficacy and safety of photodynamic therapy on basal cell carcinomas.Methods Twenty three cases of basal cell carcinomas were given with photosensitizer 5-amino acid (ALA) ketone spreading on skin lesions.Reddish illumination was taken at 4h later with energy density at 100 J/cm2,40 min/time,and weekly for a total of 4 weeks; and 2 year followup in the study was evaluated recurrence retrospectively.Results Among twenty three patients with basal cell carcinomas,15 were cured(65.22％),5 partially (21.74％) remitted,and 3 ineffective (13.04％),with the efficiency 86.96％.None of the resolved lesions recurred during the 6-month follow-up period,and 3 cases were recurred within 1 year (20％).Repeated ALA-photodynamic therapy (PDT) treatment,recurred lesions were completely resolved.There were no additional recurrences after 2 year.ALA-PDT was well tolerated,and adverse effects were limited to mild local pain and erythema.Only three patients were complained of erythema and edema.Complete response rate was higher in younger patients (t =-2.94,P ＜0.01) and those with smaller lesions (t =-5.92,P ＜ 0.01).Superficial type had also significant higher response rate (x2 =27.17,P ＜ 0.01).Conclusions The application of photodynamic therapy in treatment of basal cell carcinoma is effective with less painfulness,non-invasiveness,and without side effect.It demonstrated a good efficacy and satisfactory cosmetic outcomes.
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Two patients who developed typical skin eruptions 24 hours after consumption of shiitake mushrooms are reported.Case 1:a 56-year-old woman suddenly developed widespread itching eruptions one day after intake of shiitake mushrooms.On examination,there were erythematous and edematous linear streaks (flagellate erythema) over the neck,trunk and limbs.Case 2:a 60-year-old man presented with edematous flagellate erythema over the trunk and limbs for four days.He reported intake of shiitake mushroom several days prior to the presentation.Pathological examination revealed focal parakeratosis,intracellular and intercellular edema in the prickle cell layer,severe edema of papillary dermis,evident widening of interfibrous spaces,dilation and congestion of capillaries in the superficial dermis with a mixed perivascular infiltrate of massive lymphocytes and sparse neutrophils.Both patients were diagnosed with shiitake dermatitis,and treated with prednisone and antihistamines.The lesions subsided after 3 and 4 days of treatment in patient 1 and 2 respectively.
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Objective To observe the effect of high expression of β-catenin on senescent phenotypes in normal human skin fibroblasts (NHSFs) induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).Methods Cultured NHSFs were classified into three groups: β-catenin + H2O2 group transfected with a recombinant plasmid pcDNA3.1-β-catenin and treated with H2O2 of 150 μ mol/L for two hours,H2O2 group transfected with the empty vector pcDNA3.1 and treated by H2O2 of 150 μmol/L for two hours,and vector group transfected with the empty vector pcDNA3.1 and receiving no treatment.Reverse transcription (RT)-PCR and Western blot were performed to quantify the mRNA and protein expressions of β-catenin in these cells,microscopy to observe the morphological changes of cells.The activity of senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-Gal) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) as well as the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were detected by using commercial kits.Data were processed with the software SPSS 13.0,and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted for multiple group comparisons.Results The expression of β-catenin was significantly upregulated in NHSFs transfected with the recombinant plasmid pcDNA3.1-β-catenin.Both the mRNA and protein expression levels of β-catenin described as β-catenin/ glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) ratio were significantly lower in the H2O2 group compared with the vector group (0.2900 ± 0.0195 vs.0.5963 ± 0.0400,0.3130 ± 0.0171 vs.0.6190 ± 0.0090,both P ＜0.05),while the protein expression level of β-catenin was statistically higher in the β-catenin + H2O2 group than in the H2O2 group (0.7953 ± 0.0074 vs.0.3130 ± 0.0171,P ＜0.05).Significant differences were observed between the vector group,H2O2 group and β-catenin+ H2O2 group in the percentage of SA-β-gal-positive cells ((2.9667 ± 0.2517)％ vs.(37.70 ± 0.9539)％ vs.(29.330 ± 0.6359)％,P ＜0.05),ROS activity ((50.9963 ±9.2688)％ vs.(109.9190 ± 11.5215)％ vs.(75.1063 ± 3.0138)％,P ＜0.05),and SOD levels ((88.0856 ±3.9181) vs.(35.5585 ± 3.4438) vs.(61.7029 ± 3.1716) U/mg,P ＜0.05).Conclusion The overexpression of β-catenin can downr_egulate the activity of SA-β-Gal and ROS level,but enhance the activity of SOD.
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Objective To investigate the role of cyclophilin A (CypA) and CD147 in the process of skin aging. Methods Twenty cases of tissue samples from junior group(＜15 years old), middle age group(30-40 years old)or old age group (＞65 years old) were collected from photophobic and exposal parts of skin, respectively. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and in situ hybridization (ISH) were carried out to semi-quantitatively detect the expression level of CyPA and CD147. Results IHC demonstrated that both CyPA and CD147 were expressed in both photophobic and exposal parts of normal human skin in all 3 groups. The expression levels of both CyPA and CD147 were increased with increase in age. There were significant differences in both CyPA and CD147 expression among 3 groups (P<0.05). CyPA and CD147 were also positively correlated in all 3 groups. Similar results were achieved by ISH. Conclusion The interaction between CD147 and CyPA might play an important role in the process of skin aging.
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Objective To study the activation of Janus protein tyrosine kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) signaling pathway and its inhibitor-signal transducer and activator of transcription-1(SOCS-1) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Methods A total of 45 patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 30 healthy controls were randomly selected. Western blot was performed to measure the expression of Stat1 protein and phospho-Stat1 protein (an activated form of Stat1 protein) in the monocytes after stimulation with recombinant high mobility group box1 (rHMGB1) at various time points. Expression of Stat1 protein in the skin or lesional skin was also detected. Phasic expressions of SOCS-1 mRNA in the monocytes after rHMGB1 stimulation were detected by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. SOCS-1 gene expression in the skin or lesional skin was also detected. Results The expression level of Stat1 proteins in the monocytes from patients with SLE was higher than that from healthy controls (t=9.16,P＜0.01) and positively correlated with SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) (r=0.59,P＜0.01). Expression of phospho-Stat1 in the monocytes from SLE patients was time-dependently upregulated after stimulation with rHMGB1 at various time points, while expression of SOCS-1 mRNA remained unchanged(all P＞0.05). Expressions of phospho-Stat1 protein and SOCS-1 mRNA in the monocytes from healthy controls were increased transiently after stimulation with rHMGB1(all P＜0.05). Both expressions of phospho-Stat1 protein and SOCS-1 gene in the lesional skin from patients with SLE were upregulated compared with those in normal skin from healthy controls (all P＜0.01). Conclusion There are hyperactivation of JAK-STAT1 signaling pathway and negative feedback down-regulation of SOCS-1 in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. HMGB-1 may be partly involved in the pathogenesis of SLE by the abnormal mediating function of JAK-STAT1 signal transduction pathway.
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Objective To observe the changes of β-catenin expression in human skin fibroblasts (HSFs) after induced by oxidative stress, and to explore its possible roles in oxidative stress-induced premature senescence (SIPS) of HSFs. Methods Fibroblasts were isolated from the foreskin of a child and subjected to a primary culture. The fibroblasts of second to fourth passage were treated with various concentrations of H2O2 for 2 hours to establish an optimized model of stress-induced premature senescence, β-galactosidase assay kit was used to detect the activity of β-galactosidase in H2O2rinduced HSFs, RT-PCR and Western blot to measure the mRNA and protein expressions of β-catenin in control and senescent HSFs. Results Premature senescence of HSFs could be induced by the treatment with H2O2 of 150 μmol/L for 2 hours. The proportion of β-galactosidase-positive cells was (2.97 ± 0.25)% in control HSFs and (37.67 ± 1.53)% in senescent HSFs (P< 0.01). A significant increase was observed in the β-catenin/GAPDH protein ratio and β-catenin/GAPDH mRNA ratio in control HSFs compared with the senescent HSFs (0.62 ± 0.03 vs. 0.31 ± 0.01, t = 14.97, P < 0.01; 0.59 ± 0.04 vs. 0.29 ± 0.30, t = 10.06, P < 0.01). Conclusions The two-hour treatment with H2O2 of 150 μmol/L could induce the premature senescence of HSFs, and there is a notable decrease in the expression of β-catenin in prematurely senescent HSFs induced by oxidative stress, implying that β-catenin is an important target gene for the regulation of skin aging.