Ultralow radiant exposure of a short-pulsed laser to disrupt melanosomes with localized thermal damage through a turbid medium

Shimojo Y., Nishimura T., Tsuruta D., et al. Ultralow radiant exposure of a short-pulsed laser to disrupt melanosomes with localized thermal damage through a turbid medium. Scientific Reports 14, 20112 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-70807-7.Short-pulsed lasers can treat dermal pigmented lesions through selective photothermolysis. The irradiated light experiences multiple scattering by the skin and is absorbed by abnormal melanosomes as well as by normal blood vessels above the target. Because the fluence is extremely high, the absorbed light can cause thermal damage to the adjacent tissue components, leading to complications. To minimize radiant exposure and reduce the risk of burns, a model of the melanosome-disruption threshold fluence (MDTF) has been developed that accounts for the light-propagation efficiency in the skin. However, the light-propagation efficiency is attenuated because of multiple scattering, which limits the extent to which the radiant exposure required for treatment can be reduced. Here, this study demonstrates the principle of melanosome disruption with localized thermal damage through a turbid medium by ultralow radiant exposure of a short-pulsed laser. The MDTF model was combined with a wavefront-shaping technique to design an irradiation condition that can increase the light-propagation efficiency to the target. Under this irradiation condition, melanosomes were disrupted at a radiant exposure 25 times lower than the minimal value used in conventional laser treatments. Furthermore, almost no thermal damage to the skin was confirmed through a numerical simulation. These experimental and numerical results show the potential for noninvasive melanosome disruption and may lead to the improvement of the safety of short-pulsed laser treatment

Resonant tunneling of Hydrogen in Pd

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Effect of Paraquat-Induced Oxidative Stress on Insulin Regulation of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-Binding Protein-1 Gene Expression

Oxidative stress is thought to play a role in the development of insulin resistance. In order to elucidate the molecular effect of oxidative stress on liver insulin signaling, we analyzed the effect of paraquat (1,1-dimethyl-4,4-dipyridynium; PQ)-derived oxidative stress on the expression of insulin-dependent genes and activation of liver insulin signaling pathway. Incubation of primary cultured rat hepatocytes with 2 mM PQ for 6 h impaired the suppressive effect of insulin on insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) gene expression, but did not influence glucose-6-phosphatase gene expression. Insulin-dependent phosphorylation or activation of insulin receptor, insulin receptor substrate-1 and -2, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, Akt and forkhead in rhabdomyosarcoma were not affected by PQ pre-treatment. In contrast, PQ treatment impaired insulin-dependent phosphorylation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). These results indicate that PQ-induced oxidative stress impairs insulin-dependent mTOR activation and that this impairment probably causes inhibition of insulin-dependent repression of IGFBP-1 expression

The prevalence of insomnia and restless legs syndrome among Japanese outpatients with rheumatic disease: A cross-sectional study

The prevalence of symptomatic insomnia and the prevalence of restless legs syndrome (RLS) are known to be higher among patients with rheumatic diseases compared to the general population. The prevalences of insomnia and RLS reported in a questionnaire by Japanese patients with rheumatic diseases at an outpatient clinic were analyzed herein. The association between the patients\u27 disease activity and their sleep quality was analyzed. Of 121 rheumatic disease patients, 70 were enrolled. The median (interquartile range) age at enrollment was 62.0 (47.8-68.0) years. There were 58 women (82.9%) and 12 men (17.1%), and 43 patients (61.4%) with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), nine (12.9%) with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and 18 (25.7%) with other rheumatic diseases. Twenty patients (28.6%) had one or more moderate-to-severe insomnia symptoms, and 10 (14.3%) were diagnosed with RLS. Among the patients with RA, the swollen joint count based on a 28-joint assessment (SJC28) was significantly higher in the insomnia group (n = 13) compared to the non-insomnia group (n = 30) (p = 0.006). A classification and regression tree (CART) analysis showed that the cut-off points of ?3 mg/day prednisolone (PSL) treatment and <16.54% as the transferrin saturation (TSAT) value would best predict RLS in rheumatic disease. Patients with rheumatic disease had a high prevalence of symptomatic insomnia and RLS. A higher dose of PSL and lower TSAT were associated with the occurrence of RLS. Copyright

Magic numbers in exotic nuclei and spin-isospin properties of {\it NN} interaction

The magic numbers in exotic nuclei are discussed, and their novel origin is shown to be the spin-isospin dependent part of the nucleon-nucleon interaction in nuclei. The importance and robustness of this mechanism is shown in terms of meson exchange, G-matrix and QCD theories. In neutron-rich exotic nuclei, magic numbers such as N = 8, 20, etc. can disappear, while N = 6, 16, etc. arise, affecting the structure of lightest exotic nuclei to nucleosynthesis of heavy elements.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, revte