Allergic Contact Dermatitis with Diffuse Erythematous Reaction from Diisopropanolamine in a Compress

Compresses containing a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) are commonly used in Japan. However, this treatment may induce both allergic and photoallergic contact dermatitis from the NSAIDs and their ingredients. Here, we describe a case of allergic contact dermatitis with diffuse erythematous reaction due to diisopropanolamine in the applied compress. The absorption of diisopropanolamine might have been enhanced by the occlusive condition

Age- and sun exposure-dependent differences in 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine and Nε-(carboxymethyl)lysine in human epidermis

Aging and exposure to sunlight are two major factors in the deterioration of skin function. In this study, thirty-six fixed human skin samples from sun-exposed and unexposed areas from young and old individuals were used to evaluate the localization of oxidative stress according to levels and distribution of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine and Nε-(carboxymethyl)lysine in samples using immunohistochemistry. In the epidermis of the young, negligible amounts of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine and Nε-(carboxymethyl)lysine were detected in unexposed areas, whereas nuclear 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine and cytoplasmic Nε-(carboxymethyl)lysine were increased in the lower epidermis in sun-exposed areas. In contrast, the aged presented prominent nuclear 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine and nuclear Nε-(carboxymethyl)lysine in the epidermis of unexposed areas, concomitant with dermal increase in Nε-(carboxymethyl)lysine. However, the immunostaining of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine and Nε-(carboxymethyl)lysine revealed a decrease in the epidermis of sun-exposed areas in the aged. These results suggest an age-dependent difference in the adaptation and protective mechanisms of the epidermis against sunlight-associated oxidative stress, thus necessitating distinct standards for evaluation in each age group. Further investigation is warranted to elucidate underlying molecular mechanisms

Changes in pollinator fauna affect altitudinal variation of floral size in a bumblebee-pollinated herb

Geographic trait variations are often caused by locally different selection regimes. As a steep environmental cline along altitude strongly influences adaptive traits, mountain ecosystems are ideal for exploring adaptive differentiation over short distances. We investigated altitudinal floral size variation of Campanula punctata var. hondoensis in 12 populations in three mountain regions of central Japan to test whether the altitudinal floral size variation was correlated with the size of the local bumblebee pollinator and to assess whether floral size was selected for by pollinator size. We found apparent geographic variations in pollinator assemblages along altitude, which consequently produced a geographic change in pollinator size. Similarly, we found altitudinal changes in floral size, which proved to be correlated with the local pollinator size, but not with altitude itself. Furthermore, pollen removal from flower styles onto bees (plant's male fitness) was strongly influenced by the size match between flower style length and pollinator mouthpart length. These results strongly suggest that C. punctata floral size is under pollinator-mediated selection and that a geographic mosaic of locally adapted C. punctata exists at fine spatial scale.ArticleECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION. 4(17):3395-3407 (2014)journal articl

Transient Effectiveness of an Oral 5-Fluorouracil Derivative, S-1, for Epirubicin, Cyclophosphamide and Paclitaxel Refractory Skin Metastases from Possible Occult Breast Cancer in a Male

Recent chemotherapies for skin metastases from breast cancer have shown to be effective for regression, disappearance, and favorable quality of life. We describe the case of a 76-year-old male showing transient effectiveness with an oral 5-fluorouracil derivative, S-1 (tegafur, 5-chloro-2,4-dihydroxypyridine and potassium oxonate), for epirubicin, cyclophosphamide and paclitaxel refractory skin metastases from possible occult breast cancer. The male patient was initially diagnosed as having lymph node metastases in the left axilla as possible occult breast cancer. The skin metastases developed after chemotherapy with a combination of epirubicin and cyclophosphamide, subsequent chemotherapy with paclitaxel, and radiotherapy. Chemotherapy with paclitaxel was resumed for skin metastases, but it was not effective. Alternative chemotherapy with the oral agent S-1 was administered. The skin metastases completely disappeared after the second course, but recurred at the end of the third course. This case suggests that S-1 may be a candidate for chemotherapy for skin metastases from occult breast cancer in males

An analytical method for measuring α-amylase activity in starch-containing foods

The quality of starch-containing foods may be significantly impaired by contamination with very small amounts of α-amylase, which can enzymatically hydrolyze the starch and cause viscosity loss. Thus, for quality control, it is necessary to have an analytical method that can measure low amylase activity. We developed a sensitive analytical method for measuring the activity of α-amylase (from Bacillus subtilis) in starch-containing foods. The method consists of six steps: (1) crude extraction of α-amylase by centrifugation and filtration; (2) α-amylase purification by desalting and anion-exchange chromatography; (3) reaction of the purified amylase with boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY)-labeled substrate, which releases a fluorescent fragment upon digestion of the substrate, thus avoiding interference from starch derivatives in the sample; (4) stopping the reaction with acetonitrile; (5) reversed-phase solid-phase extraction of the fluorescent substrate to remove contaminating dye and impurities; and (6) separation and measurement of BODIPY fluorescence by HPLC. The proposed method could quantify α-amylase activities as low as 10mU/mL, which is enough to reduce the viscosity of starch-containing foods. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Highly specific unnatural base pair systems as a third base pair for PCR amplification

Toward the expansion of the genetic alphabet of DNA, we present highly efficient unnatural base pair systems as an artificial third base pair for PCR. Hydrophobic unnatural base pair systems between 7-(2-thienyl)imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (Ds) and 2-nitro-4-propynylpyrrole (Px) were fine-tuned for efficient PCR, by assessing the amplification efficiency and fidelity using different polymerases and template sequence contexts and modified Px bases. Then, we found that some modifications of the Px base reduced the misincorporation rate of the unnatural base substrates opposite the natural bases in templates without reducing the Ds–Px pairing selectivity. Under optimized conditions using Deep Vent DNA polymerase, the misincorporation rate was extremely low (0.005%/bp/replication), which is close to that of the natural base mispairings by the polymerase. DNA fragments with different sequence contexts were amplified ∼1010-fold by 40 cycles of PCR, and the selectivity of the Ds–Px pairing was >99.9%/replication, except for 99.77%/replication for unfavorable purine-Ds-purine motifs. Furthermore, >97% of the Ds–Px pair in DNA survived in the 1028-fold amplified products after 100-cycle PCR (10 cycles repeated 10 times). This highly specific Ds–Px pair system provides a framework for new biotechnology

Therapeutic Effects of a Sodium Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitor in Diabetic Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Multiple large-scale clinical trials have indicated that sodium glucose cotransporter 2（SGLT2）inhibitors reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events, deterioration of renal function and mortality. However, the therapeutic effects of SGLT2 inhibitors are supposed to be limited in patients with reduced renal function considering the mechanism of their action. In this study, a SGLT2 inhibitor, ipragliflozin was given to 30 type 2 diabetic patients with nephropathy whose estimated glomerular filtration rate（eGFR）was not lower than 30 mL/min/1.73 m2. After 12 to 16 weeks, hemoglobin A1c decreased by 0.6％（p＜0.001）, body weight was reduced by 1.8 kg（p＜0.01）and blood pressure was lowered by －10/－6 mmHg（p＜0.001/p ＜0.001）. This was accompanied by reductions in serum uric acid（－0.7 mg/dL, p＜0.001）, triglycerides （－25 mg/dL, p＝0.028）and g-glutamyl transferase（－8 U/L, p＝0.001）. On the other hand, plasma B-type natriuretic peptide also decreased by 12％（p＝0.020）and urinary albumin excretion was reduced by 23％ （p＝0.018）although the eGFR was not significantly changed. It is concluded that ipragliflozin is effective in lowering blood glucose even in patients with diabetic kidney disease and is beneficial in improving theaccompanying obesity and hypertension. In addition, ipragliflozin is thought to have favorable influences on the metabolisms of uric acid and lipids. These properties of ipragliflozin is expected to bring about protective effects against the progression of nephropathy and the development of cardiovascular disease resulting in the improvement of prognosis in diabetic patients with mild to moderate chronic kidney disease

A report of three cases which required tibialis anterior tendon resection to recover delayed wound healing after total ankle arthroplasty in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Delayed wound healing is one of the severe complications after total ankle arthroplasty (TAA). In particular, once tibialis anterior (TA) tendon is exposed from tendon sheath of extensor retinaculum, wound healing will be critically intractable. We report three cases (mean age: 75.3 years old) of delayed wound healing after TAA cured by resection of TA tendon in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). All three cases underwent TAA through an anterior approach, with careful suture of extensor retinaculum in wound closure. Ankle joint was fixed with splint and avoid weight bearing for three weeks after surgery. Delayed wound healing with TA tendon exposure was observed, and initially treated by debridement, basic fibroblast growth factor spray, and negative pressure wound therapy, which all failed to obtain wound healing. Finally, complete resection of TA tendon led to rapid wound healing. In all cases, ankle dorsal flexion was compensated by other extensors, with maintained range of motion and muscle strength (manual muscle testing 3 to 4) compared to pre-operation at 1 year after TAA operation. Resection of TA tendon may be considered as one of the salvage treatment options of severe delayed wound healing in TAA with anterior approach, especially in elderly patients.Etani Y., Ebina K., Hirao M., et al. A report of three cases which required tibialis anterior tendon resection to recover delayed wound healing after total ankle arthroplasty in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Modern Rheumatology Case Reports 4, 6 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1080/24725625.2019.1641297

Unnatural imidazopyridopyrimidine:naphthyridine base pairs: selective incorporation and extension reaction by Deep Vent (exo− ) DNA polymerase

In our previous communication we reported the enzymatic recognition of unnatural imidazopyridopyrimidine:naphthyridine (Im:Na) base pairs, i.e. ImON:NaNO and ImNO:NaON, using the Klenow fragment exo− [KF (exo−)]. We describe herein the successful results of (i) improved enzymatic recognition for ImNO:NaON base pairs and (ii) further primer extension reactions after the Im:Na base pairs by Deep Vent DNA polymerase exo− [Deep Vent (exo−)]. Since KF (exo−) did not catalyze primer extension reactions after the Im:Na base pair, we carried out a screening of DNA polymerases to promote the primer extension reaction as well as to improve the selectivity of base pair recognition. As a result, a family B DNA polymerase, especially Deep Vent (exo−), seemed most promising for this purpose. In the ImON:NaNO base pair, incorporation of NaNOTP against ImON in the template was preferable to that of the natural dNTPs, while incorporation of dATP as well as dGTP competed with that of ImONTP when NaNO was placed in the template. Thus, the selectivity of base pair recognition by Deep Vent (exo−) was less than that by KF (exo−) in the case of the ImON:NaNO base pair. On the other hand, incorporation of NaONTP against ImNO in the template and that of ImNOTP against NaON were both quite selective. Thus, the selectivity of base pair recognition was improved by Deep Vent (exo−) in the ImNO:NaON base pair. Moreover, this enzyme catalyzed further primer extension reactions after the ImNO:NaON base pair to afford a faithful replicate, which was confirmed by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry as well as the kinetics data for extension fidelity next to the ImNO:NaON base pair. The results presented in this paper revealed that the ImNO:NaON base pair might be a third base pair beyond the Watson–Crick base pairs