The Effect of Rhus verniciflua Stokes Extracts on Photo-Aged Mouse Skin.

BACKGROUND: Rhus verniciflua Stokes (RV) has traditionally been used in Korea as an indigenous food (Rhus chicken soup) and as an herbal medicinal plant. While the anticancer, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties of RV have been actively studied in the medical field, its antioxidant effects in the skin that resist the reactive oxygen species in keratinocytes and fibroblasts is less understood. OBJECTIVE: We designed to evaluate the effects of R. verniciflua Stokes extract (RVE) on the photo-aged skin by an in vitro experiment using human fibroblasts and an in vivo experiment using a photo-aged murine model. METHODS: For the in vitro experiments, human fibroblasts irradiated with ultraviolet (UV) B were treated with RVE or vehicle, and the growth levels and the expression level of type 1 procollagen were compared. For the in vivo experiment, photo-aged mice irradiated with UVB and UVA were administered drinking water with or without RVE, and histological changes and the expression level of type 1 procollagen and matrix metalloprotease (MMP)-13 were compared. RESULTS: In vitro experiments using fibroblasts irradiated with UVB showed that RVE promoted growth and significantly increased the expression of type 1 procollagen as compared to the control group. In the photo-aged mice, RVE increased collagen content in the dermis and promoted the synthesis of type 1 procollagen without any visible decrease in MMP-13 as compared to control group. CONCLUSION: In addition to the previously reported antioxidant effects of RVE, oral intake of RVE effectively inhibited photo-aging in hairless mice by enhancing collagen synthesis.

Learning a structured graphical model with boosted top-down features for ultrasound image segmentation.

A key problem for many medical image segmentation tasks is the combination of different-level knowledge. We propose a novel scheme of embedding detected regions into a superpixel based graphical model, by which we achieve a full leverage on various image cues for ultrasound lesion segmentation. Region features are mapped into a higher-dimensional space via a boosted model to become well controlled. Parameters for regions, superpixels and a new affinity term are learned simultaneously within the framework of structured learning. Experiments on a breast ultrasound image data set confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach as well as our two novel modules.

Dermis graft for wound coverage.

BACKGROUND: The two major concerns in skin grafting are poor color match in the recipient sites and donor-site morbidity. A dermis graft, which is a de-epithelialized split-thickness skin graft, was used to minimize these problems. The important aspects of this method involve the immediate return of the epidermis to the donor site and the restoration of the epidermis portion of the recipient site by inducing epithelization from the adjacent skin. METHODS: From April of 2001 to March of 2004, the dermis graft was applied to 53 patients. A regular split-thickness skin graft procedure was performed in 33 patients. Healing time, scar condition, and patient satisfaction were compared. RESULTS: The wounds of the dermis (n = 53) and skin grafts (n = 33) had re-epithelialized after 15.5 +/- 1.9 and 11.8 +/- 1.6 days, respectively. Scarring on the recipient site of the dermis graft (n = 26) was less severe than that on the regular skin graft (n = 20) in terms of pigmentation, height, and vascularity (p < 0.05). No significant difference in pliability was detected. Patient satisfaction with the dermis graft group was also better. The donor sites of the dermis graft (n = 53) and skin graft (n = 33) healed within 7.5 +/- 0.8 and 12.8 +/- 1.1 days, respectively. The donor sites of the dermis graft (n = 26) were also superior to those of the skin graft (n = 20) in terms of scar quality and patient satisfaction. CONCLUSION: The dermis graft technique for wound coverage is superior both aesthetically and functionally to the regular skin graft technique in both the recipient and donor sites.

An anatomic study of nasal tip supporting structures.

Successful rhinoplasty depends on nasal tip support and its influence on nasal tip projection. It is generally agreed that the components of nasal tip support include the attachment between the upper and lower lateral cartilages, the attachment between the lateral crus of the lower lateral cartilage and the pyriform aperture, the attachment between the paired domes of the lower lateral cartilages, and the medial crural attachment to the caudal septum. However, these structures are still not clearly determined, and there was no anatomic study of nasal tip supporting structures in Asia. The purpose of this study was to determine the nasal tip supporting structures and find out the differences in these structures between white and Asian people. Ten noses of fresh cadavers were investigated. Dissection was performed and the previously mentioned nasal tip supporting structures were observed and excised. Histologic examination was done with hematoxylin and eosin stain and Van Gieson elastin stain. Macroscopic study showed that there were dense fibrous tissue between the upper and lower lateral cartilages, dense fibrous tissue and sesamoid cartilages between the lateral crus and the pyriform aperture, loose connective tissue between the paired domes of lower lateral cartilages, and no identified specific tissue between the medial crus and the caudal septum. Microscopic investigation allowed a more detailed analysis of these structures. Between the upper and lower lateral cartilages, dense collagen fibers were running in one direction and anchoring firmly to each cartilage, which meets the histologic criteria of a ligament. Between the lateral crus and the pyriform aperture, there were intermingled collagen fibers and muscular fibers, which meets the histologic criteria of fibromuscular tissue. Between the paired domes of lower lateral cartilages, there were few fibers with abundant amorphous ground substances, which meets the histologic criteria of loose connective tissue. Based on our results, we recommend that the previously mentioned nasal tip supporting structures should be named intercartilaginous ligament, sesamoid fibromuscular tissue, and interdomal loose connective tissue, respectively. In addition, we consider that the loose connection between the domes of middle crura and the absence of an attachment of the medial crura to the caudal septum can be one of the reasons why the nasal tip of Asian people is broad and unprojected and the base is wide.