Identification of genes encoding antimicrobial proteins in Langerhans cells

Langerhans cells (LCs) reside in the epidermis where they are poised to mount an antimicrobial response against microbial pathogens invading from the outside environment. To elucidate potential pathways by which LCs contribute to host defense, we mined published LC transcriptomes deposited in GEO and the scientific literature for genes that participate in antimicrobial responses. Overall, we identified 31 genes in LCs that encode proteins that contribute to antimicrobial activity, ten of which were cross-validated in at least two separate experiments. Seven of these ten antimicrobial genes encode chemokines

[[alternative]]The study of actions of military humanitarian--the cases of South Asia- tsunami and Iraq-Freedom

[[abstract]]　　回顧二十世紀所發生的國際大事，歷歷可見國際間衝突頻繁，屠殺戰亂循環不止，政治情勢詭譎多變，國與國之間或結盟、或交惡，第三世界國家之國家人民等慘絕人寰的殺戮戰爭；美國911恐怖攻擊、美阿戰爭所連帶引起的數起炭疽病生物武器攻擊，層出不窮的殘暴事件；再者，近年來更因為全球溫室效應，誘發了許多自然災難，例如:乾旱、水患、地帶氣旋、地震、土石流…等，這些翻江倒海的自然災難在各地肆虐不止，使得全球死傷人數與日俱增驅使全球各國安全將面臨之威脅，更趨向多變複雜是顯而易見的；這些包括大規模恐怖份子行動、毀滅性武器濫用、跨國際走私偷渡、販毒企業化等迫害性活動，造成戰亂、飢荒、難民流亡、疾病傳染、社會治安以及經濟活動等問題深陷永無止盡的惡性循環之中。　　　綜上所述，在這樣殘酷動盪的國際情勢裡，希冀世界真正和平之前，我們必須做的是，讓所有遭遇國破家亡、流離失所的寶貴生命，仍能繼續獲得國際人道救援組織不斷的「即時」救助。　　　人道救援組織深入災區、挽救瀕死，人道責任必須超脫國界的分野與種族的糾葛，人道救援組織與時間賽跑，與死神搏鬥，甚至冒著生命危險穿梭在重創災區，若能建立高效率的人力運作與資源傳送模式，融合員有能力與善用外來支援的救災能力，必然能減少摸索的時間，使救援工作事半功倍。要有效發揮人道救援機制，則必須能夠結合各種不同類型之資源，如軍事「非戰爭軍事行動」力量。　　　複雜及多變之國際情勢，造成「非戰爭軍事行動」在各種不同型態之救援機制中環環相扣，所必須要的是，透過有效及有力的單位執行主導及整合，避免人員及物資之損失，完成不足之間的互補。而軍隊執行任務，誠難以”大公無私” 之特性執行人道任務。本研究，針對軍事單位在人道救援行動之角色與功能的探討，並稱此機會瞭解其作業限制因素，以及因應現況的研究，提出建言。[[abstract]]　　Review of Major Recent Inrternational Disasters.International conflicts occur frequently. Political situations change rapidly with countries forming alliances that come and go, with war and massacre occurring often. People of the third world countries are particularly affected but also. America by the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the related anthrax attacks. The war of American and Iraq has led to an endless stream of cruel and ferocious incidents. Moreover the global greenhouse effect has led to an increase in natural disasters, for example: drought , flood , cyclones , landslides and mudflows, in addition to earthquakes etc, all of which wreak great havoc in many parts of the world. The number of global dead and wounded grows with each passing day These threats to global security and of various countries are becoming more changeable and complicated. Traffic in illegal weapons, illegal immigration and narcotics smuggling are run as a commercial enterprise. The chaos caused by war, famine, refugee's going into exile, disease, lack of social security and effects on economic activity, etc. lead to a vicious cycle with no limit.　　　Given the cruel and turbulent international situation , if there is to be any hope of real peace in the world, international humanitarian organizations must step in. to render assistance.　　　Mounting a humanitarian rescue and relief operation in a disaster area is dangerous and difficult. Demarcation of national boundaries and ethnic groups can hinder the race against time and preventing deaths. Frequent trips to the disaster area can in themselves be dangerous. If we can set up high-efficiency use of manpower and resources in providing disaster relief we can reduce the time to make an assessment of the disaster and make the rescue work get twice the result with half the effort, and can combine various different kinds of resources , such as the strength of military affairs ' Military operation other than war '.　　　In the face of the complicated and changeable international situation, various kinds of rescue mechanisms and organizations with different attitudes lead to the concept ' Military operation other than war ', which is to take the leading role and combine through an effective and strong Unit, the aim of which is to avoid the losses of personnel, goods and materials, and to complement other groups. The Army executes this difficult task sincerely and with ＂ selfless characteristic ＂. This research discusses the role and function of the military unit in taking humanitarian action and outlines it’s operational limiting factors according to the present situation, and puts forward suggestions for change and improvement

Phototherapy trends in dermatology 2015–2018

Background Trends in phototherapy utilization including its main clinical indications were last characterized by Luersen et al. for the time period of 1997–2010. In this study, we update data on the use of phototherapy in the United States from 2015 to 2018. Methods We queried the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) data on the number of phototherapy visits as well as demographics and associated dermatoses. Results There were approximately 1.31 million outpatient phototherapy visits during the study period with a decreasing trend over time. Leading indications for phototherapy were dermatitis not otherwise specified (NOS), (25.7%) followed by atopic dermatitis (AD) (11.7%), and pruritus (9.7%). Conclusion There is a downtrend in the use of phototherapy from 2015 to 2018. Psoriasis is no longer the main indication for phototherapy, which may be due to the advent of highly effective novel biologics

Anti-drug antibodies of IL-17 inhibitors for psoriasis: a systematic review

Biologics may elicit the production of anti-drug antibodies (ADAs), the clinical significance of which is not fully understood. ADA development in psoriasis patients on IL-17 inhibitors was evaluated by incidence, impact on efficacy, and relationship with adverse events. We systematically searched PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases, identifying 456 references. Seventeen studies met inclusion criteria. ADA incidence was: 0% to 5.5% (secukinumab), 11% to 19.4% (ixekizumab), 0% to 3.3% (brodalumab), and 19% to 39% (bimekizumab). Neutralizing antibody incidence was: 0% to 1.5% (secukinumab), 0% to 3.5% (ixekizumab), and 0% (brodalumab). ADA presence alone with secukinumab, ixekizumab, and bimekizumab did not impact drug efficacy. Brodalumab was the only one of the IL-17 inhibitors, which showed a reduction in efficacy in ADA + patients. In one analysis, high ADA titers to ixekizumab were associated with diminished treatment response. ADAs to secukinumab and bimekizumab were not associated with adverse events. There were limited data on ADAs and safety with ixekizumab or brodalumab. Overall, when monitoring patients on secukinumab, ADAs, titers, and the presence of neutralizing antibodies were not prognostic of outcomes. However, monitoring for ADAs with brodalumab and measuring titers with ixekizumab may be of value clinically

Identification of Genes Encoding Antimicrobial Proteins in Langerhans Cells.

Langerhans cells (LCs) reside in the epidermis where they are poised to mount an antimicrobial response against microbial pathogens invading from the outside environment. To elucidate potential pathways by which LCs contribute to host defense, we mined published LC transcriptomes deposited in GEO and the scientific literature for genes that participate in antimicrobial responses. Overall, we identified 31 genes in LCs that encode proteins that contribute to antimicrobial activity, ten of which were cross-validated in at least two separate experiments. Seven of these ten antimicrobial genes encode chemokines, CCL1, CCL17, CCL19, CCL2, CCL22, CXCL14 and CXCL2, which mediate both antimicrobial and inflammatory responses. Of these, CCL22 was detected in seven of nine transcriptomes and by PCR in cultured LCs. Overall, the antimicrobial genes identified in LCs encode proteins with broad antibacterial activity, including against Staphylococcus aureus, which is the leading cause of skin infections. Thus, this study illustrates that LCs, consistent with their anatomical location, are programmed to mount an antimicrobial response against invading pathogens in skin