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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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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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Coactosin-like protein 1 (Cotl1), a member of the actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF)/cofilin family, was first purified from a soluble fraction of Dictyostelium discoideum cells. Neuronal migration requires cytoskeletal remodeling and actin regulation. Although Cotl1 strongly binds to F-actin, the role of Cotl1 in neuronal migration remains undescribed. In this study, we revealed that Cotl1 overexpression impaired migration of both early- and late-born neurons during mouse corticogenesis. Moreover, Cotl1 overexpression delayed, rather than blocked, neuronal migration in late-born neurons. Cotl1 expression disturbed the morphology of migrating neurons, lengthening the leading processes. This study is the first to investigate the function of Cotl1, and the results indicate that Cotl1 is involved in the regulation of neuronal migration and morphogenesis.
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Animals , Humans , Mice , Actins , Dictyostelium , Morphogenesis , NeuronsABSTRACT
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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Astract:Objective To investigate the ultrastructural changes and HSP70 expression in liver of mice after microwave irradiation with lethal dose and to explore the application of these indexes as the basis of medical identification in microwave irradiation induced death. Methods The mice were divided into the control group and the irradiation group. Mice of the irradiation group were induced death by whole body exposure to 129 W/cm2 microwave irradiation for 30 minutes. The ultrastructure of liver was observed by transmission electron micro-scope;changes of the HSP70 mRNA and protein expression in liver were detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction ( RT-PCR) and Western blotting respectively. Results Liver cytoplasm was observed dissolved with points and sheets and there were mitochondri-al crest and membrane solution in the irradiation group. And the HSP70 mRNA and protein expression level increases significantly compared with the control group with statistically significant difference (P<0. 01). Conclusion Death induced by microwave irradiation could lead to liver cytoplasm dissolution, mitochondria damage, mRNA and protein expression of HSP70 up-regulation, which may be used as important diagnostic indicators of microwave irradiation induced death.
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Objective To assess the clinical feature and diagnosis of diffuse hyperpigmentation with guttate depigmentation macules.Methods A retrospective study was carried out among 10 patients with diffuse hyperpigmentation with guttate depigmentation macules collected at the Institute of Dermatology,Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College from 2005 to 2012.The clinical manifestations,pathological findings and disease outcomes in these patients were analyzed.Results Of the 10 patients,6 were male,and 4 were female.The median age at onset was 7 years (range,4-25),and there were only 3 adult patients among these patients.None of the patients had a family history of pigmentary disturbance.Typical clinical manifestations included densely distributed,guttate hypopigmented macules arising on diffuse and uniform hyperpigmentation.Lesions could slowly spread over the body surface without the trend towards spontaneous regression.Pathologically,there was a slight increase in pigmentation of the epidermal basal layer,as well as melanins and melanophages scattered around blood vessels in the superficial dermis,with or without focal vacuolar degeneration of the basal cell layer.Conclusions Diffuse hyperpigmentation with guttate depigmentation macules,a rare pigmentary disturbance that clinically manifests as both hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation and is pathologically characterized by postinflammatory hyperpigmentation,often affects children.Once the lesions occur,there is no trend towards regression.No effective treatment is available for this entity at present.
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Objective To measure the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α in acral malignant melanoma (MM) tissue and to investigate its relationship with the stem cell factor (SCF)/c-kit pathway.Methods Immunohistochemical staining was performed to measure the expression of HIF-1α in tissue specimens from lesions of 93 patients with acral MM,21 with non-acral MM,39 with acral melanocytic nevi,and from the normal acral skin of 15 healthy human controls.Meanwhile,the expression of c-kit was detected by immunohistochemical staining in the 93 acral MM tissue specimens.Statistical comparisons were carried out by chi-square test and Mann-Whitney U test.The relationship of HIF-1α expression with c-kit expression as well as tumor progression and staging was assessed by Spearman correlation analysis.Results Immunohistochemistry showed that the expression rate of HIF-1α was 87.10％ (81/93) in acral MM specimens,90.48％ (19/21) in non-acral MM specimens,15.38％ (6/39) in acral melanocytic nevus specimens,but 0 (0/15) in the normal acral skin specimens.The expression of HIF-1α was significantly higher in acral MM lesions than in normal acral skin and acral melanocytic nevus lesions (both P ＜ 0.01),and significantly different between acral MM and non-acral MM lesions (P ＜ 0.01).Moreover,HIF-1α expression was positively correlated with Clark level and Breslow depth of melanoma (rs =0.442,0.368,respectively,both P ＜ 0.01),with the progression of acral MM (from in situ to aggressive and metastatic MM) (rs =0.420,P ＜ 0.01),and with the expression of c-kit (rs =0.307,P ＜ 0.01).Conclusions HIF-1α is highly expressed in acral MM,positively correlated with the staging,progression and aggression of MM,and co-expressed with c-kit in acral MM tissue,suggesting that both HIF-1α and c-kit take part in the pathogenesis of acral MM.
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Molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of Fyn on cell morphology, pseudopodium movement, and cell migration were investigated. The Fyn gene was subcloned into pEGFP-N1 to produce pEGFP-N1-Fyn. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were transfected with pEGFP-N1-Fyn. The expression of Fyn mRNA and proteins was monitored by reverse transcription-PCR and Western blotting. Additionally, transfected cells were stained with 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole and a series of time-lapse images was taken. Sequences of the recombinant plasmids pMD18-T-Fyn and pEGFP-N1-Fyn were confirmed by sequence identification using National Center for Biotechnology Information in USA, and Fyn expression was detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting. The morphology of CHO cells transfected with the recombinant vector was significantly altered. Fyn expression induced filopodia and lamellipodia formation. Based on these results, we concluded that overexpression of mouse Fyn induces the formation of filopodia and lamellipodia in CHO cells, and promotes cell movement.
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Animals , Cricetinae , Mice , Blotting, Western , CHO Cells , Cricetulus , Genetic Vectors , Green Fluorescent Proteins/genetics , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fyn/genetics , Pseudopodia/metabolism , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction , Time-Lapse Imaging , TransfectionABSTRACT
Objective To detect the expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-4 (TIMP-4) in cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) tissue and to assess its relationship with melanoma proliferation,invasion and metastasis.Methods Western blot was conducted to measure the protein expression of TIMP-4 in five fresh lesional and paratumoral tissue specimens of CMM and three fresh tissue specimens of nevi.Immunohistochemistry was carried out to quantify the expression of TIMP-4,Ki-67,matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2),vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and CD63 in paraffin-embedded tissue samples from 43 cases of CMM and 51 cases of nevi.The degree of malignancy of melanoma was evaluated in these lesions.Results Western blot analysis showed that the expression of TIMP-4 was significantly higher in 4 of 5 CMM tissue specimens than in corresponding paratumoral tissue specimens and nevus tissue specimens.Immunohistochemistry revealed that the expression rate of TIMP-4 was 86.04％ (37/43) in melanoma tissue,compared to 19.6％ (10/51) in nevus tissue (x2 =31.55,P ＜ 0.05).The expression of TIMP-4 increased sequentially from in situ melanoma to invasive and metastatic melanoma (rs =0.309,P ＜ 0.05).As far as CMM was concerned,the TIMP-4 expression was uncorrelated with any of the known prognostic variables including clinical stage,Clark level,Breslow depth,presence of ulcer,and Ki-67 expression (all P ＞ 0.05),but positively correlated with the expressions of VEGF (rs =0.345,P ＜ 0.05) and CD63 (rs =0.555,P ＜ 0.01).The median expression level of TIMP-4 was significantly higher in MMP-2-positive than in MMP-2-negative melanoma tissue samples (3 vs.0,P ＜ 0.01).Conclusions TIMP-4 protein is highly expressed in CMM tissue,which may be closely associated with the initiation and progression of CMM,especially with the metastasis of and angiogenesis in CMM.
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Objective To compare and evaluate different DNA extraction methods for batches of bloodstain samples during the establishment of national DNA database. MethodsDNA was extracted from bloodstain samples collected for the establishment of DNA database using manual Chelex-100, Biomek 3000 automation workstation with Chelex-100 and DNA-IQTM magnetic bead method respectively, and the quantity of DNA was determined by the real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR technique. Genotyping was performed using the AmpFLSTR STR Identifiler kit and 3100 genetic analyzer. ResultsThe concentrations of DNA templates obtained by manual Chelex-100, automatic Chelex-100 and DNA-IQTM magnetic bead method were 0.593?0.131ng/?l, 0.579?0.096ng/?l and 0.447?0.056ng/?l respectively, and the success rates of genotyping with these DNA templates were 100%, 98.9% and 99.5% respectively. ConclusionThe automatic Chelex-100 method proposed by this study can be applied in the establishment of large-scale DNA databases.