Regional and seasonal differences in skin irritation and neurosensitivity in Chinese and South Korean women.

BACKGROUND: China has a great variety of geographical and climatic conditions, and several cultural differences exist within the country; thus, understanding the regional and seasonal differences that cause skin sensitivities in this country is important. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess skin sensitivity of women from six cities in China and from South Korea during the winter and summer seasons to aid the development of suitable and effective dermatological products. METHODS: This multicentre study included 754 healthy female volunteers, and was conducted in the winter (between January and March) and summer (between June and July) of 2011. Patch tests were performed using 0.5% sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) aqueous solution and 0.15% retinol in 1,3-butylene glycol on the back of the volunteers. Simultaneously, stinging tests were performed on their cheeks by using 5% lactic acid solution and 0.001% capsaicin solution, each in a negative control vehicle (distilled water and 10% ethanol solution, respectively). RESULTS: The patch test results showed that the subjects in Beijing and Shenyang were more sensitive to SLS, retinol and lactic acid in the winter than were those in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Wuhan, Chengdu and South Korea. The stinging test results revealed that the subjects in Beijing were more neurosensitive to lactic acid in the winter; however, during the same season, the subjects from Shanghai and Guangzhou were significantly more neurosensitive to capsaicin. CONCLUSION: Our observations indicate that skin sensitivity differs considerably between women from different parts of China and South Korea. We recommend that these differences be considered during the development of cosmetic products in these countries.

The impact of combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema on mortality.

SETTING: The impact on patient mortality of combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) compared with emphysema alone has never been investigated. OBJECTIVE: To elucidate whether CPFE has an impact on overall mortality over that of emphysema alone. DESIGN: We screened patients who underwent chest computed tomography (CT) scans during the period from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2005 in a tertiary referral hospital. Patients who had both emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis, thus meeting the inclusion criteria, were defined as CPFE. Controls with emphysema alone who were matched for age, sex and the date of CT scan were randomly selected. Cox proportional regression analysis was performed to verify whether CPFE is associated with increased overall mortality. RESULTS: We found 135 CPFE cases. In the multivariable Cox regression stratified by the presence of comorbid malignancy, CPFE had five times higher mortality risk (adjusted HR 5.10, 95%CI 1.75-14.9) in non-malignant cases, and showed a statistically insignificant trend for higher mortality risk (adjusted HR 1.70, 95%CI 0.94-2.51) in the malignant cases after adjusting for forced vital capacity, height and hypertension. CONCLUSION: CPFE is not rare and CPFE patients had a higher overall mortality risk than emphysema-only patients.

5 mg/day finasteride treatment for normoandrogenic Asian women with female pattern hair loss.

BACKGROUND: Various treatments have been attempted for female pattern hair loss (FPHL), including topical minoxidil, oral antiandrogen and finasteride. But, there is no consensus on the standard treatment options. Clinical efficacy of finasteride in treating FPHL is still in controversy, but there is a tendency to high dose finasteride, which is more effective than lower dose. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of high dose (5 mg/day) oral finasteride in normoandrogenic Asian women with FPHL. METHODS: Total of 87 normoandrogenic, pre and post-menopausal women with FPHL were enrolled in this study. They were treated with oral finasteride (Proscar(®)), 5 mg daily for 12 months. Efficacy was evaluated with hair density and thickness changes assessed by phototrichogram and global photographs using 7-point scale. RESULTS: Eighty-six patients completed 12 months of finasteride treatment schedule. One patient (1.1%) withdrew due to headache. At initial visits, mean hair density was 90 ± 22/cm(2) and mean hair thickness was 64 ± 11 µm. After 12 months of finasteride treatment, hair density was significantly increased to 107 ± 23/cm(2) (P<0.001), and hair thickness was also significantly increased to 70 ± 9 µm (P=0.02). In global photographs, 70 (81.4%) of the 86 patients were improved (57 were slightly, 10 were moderately and four were greatly improved). Patients without any changes were 13 (15.1%) and 3 (3.5%) patients reported slightly aggravated. Four patients (4.6%) reported adverse events (headache, menstrual irregularity, dizziness and increased body hair growth). However, these adverse events were mild and disappeared soon. CONCLUSIONS: Oral finasteride, 5 mg/day, may be an effective and safe treatment for normoandrogenic women with FPHL.