Influence of insulin injection on skin

Aims/Introduction: The influence of repeated insulin injection on subcutaneous tissue is known, but its impact on the skin is unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to elucidate the impact of repeated insulin injections on the skin. Material and Methods: The properties of the skin and the subcutaneous tissue were evaluated in 52 insulin-treated adult patients with diabetes with abnormal findings at the site of self-injection (36 with subcutaneous nodules, 16 with suspected subcutaneous tissue induration) by ultrasonography. In all subjects, both normal and abnormal areas were examined. In addition, skin biopsies were performed in four subjects. Results: The skin thickness of the normal and abnormal skin sites was 1.95 (1.60, 2.50) and 2.80 (2.27, 3.30) mm, respectively (median (first quartile, third quartile)), (P < 0.001). The biopsy specimens revealed slightly thickened and tight bundles of collagen in the dermis. Three patients had amyloid deposits in the subcutaneous tissue, and one also showed these in the dermis. These were positively stained for insulin antibody. Conclusions: Repeated insulin injection procedures result in skin thickening. Increased collagen fibers and possibly amyloid deposition in the dermis may be involved. The results reaffirmed the importance of appropriate site rotation in insulin injection and revealed the usefulness of ultrasonographic skin examination in evaluating the self-injection procedure

COVID‐19治療後患者に対する廃用リハの重要性

This study examined the effects of rehabilitation on patients after coronavirus disease ２０１９ recovery. ４５ patients（male１８, female ２７, aged ４９‐９７, median：７９ years old）were evaluated for physical and cognitive functions using eight assessment items. We compared and analyzed these data at the time of admission with at the time of discharge, as well as outcome assessment using a performance index. Among the evaluated items, significant improvements were observed in FIM motor（p<０．００１）, cognitive（p<０．００１）, MMSE（p<０．００１）, right hand grip strength（p<０．０１）, left hand grip strength（p<０．００１）, skeletal muscle mass（p<０．０５）, and ６‐minute walk test（p<０．０５）. In addition, the performance index of the subjects was １００．６, which was much higher than the facility standard requirement. Furthermore, it was suggested that the establishment of exercise habits and lifestyle rhythms through rehabilitation may have contributed to the cessation of oxygen administration, insulin and psychotropic medication, it was clarified that the implementation of rehabilitation is effective

Safety and Quality in the Agricultural Product Chain in Brazil

An agriculture-intensive country should be aware of natural toxins, including both mycotoxins and cyanotoxins, which are closely associated with the quality of raw materials, for food safety and industry. The major production chains – corn, wheat, beef, and broiler chicken – are the top components of agribusiness, and they should be tracked by reliable and practical tools. The corn chain is of particular concern in food production; intensive controls, multi-year mycotoxin monitoring, and improved harmless/sustainable management methods for uninterrupted farming in the tropic-subtropics are needed to achieve a long-lasting trend. The rapid control of natural toxins (mycotoxin and cyanotoxin) has focused on immunochemical methods developed with highly specific monoclonal antibodies (mAb) matched with chromatographic methods. In parallel, the promising widespread application of non-destructive analytical methods based on NIR (Near Infrared Reflectance) spectroscopy, computer vision and hyperspectral imaging coupled with multivariate analyses have been introduced as an alternative for the prediction of quality and compositional parameters. Rapid quality control and product traceability are discussed, as well as accurate monitoring, which is essential for potentially launching an innovative system for food production in Brazil