A Neglected Acne Scar Type: Papular Acne Scars and Their Correlations With Keloid Scars.

BACKGROUND: Acne scarring can be divided into 2 types: atrophic and hypertrophic scars. Papular acne scars are commonly encountered, skin-colored papules on the chin and back. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of each acne scar type and to investigate the clinical manifestations of papular acne scars. METHODS: This retrospective study included 416 patients with acne scars. Dermatologists classified the scars into 3 types (atrophic, papular, and keloid type) based on clinical photographs and analyzed the clinical and histologic features of papular acne scars. RESULTS: Among 416 patients with acne scars, 410 patients (98.56%) had atrophic scars, 53 patients (12.74%) had keloid scars, and 46 patients (11.06%) had papular acne scars. Twenty patients (4.81%) had both papular and keloid acne scars. Histologic analysis showed fibrotic tissue in both keloid and papular acne scars. Fibrosis of the papular scar was limited to the upper dermis. CONCLUSION: Papular acne scars were significantly more prevalent in patients with keloid scars than in those without keloid scars. These results provide a basis for understanding papular acne scars, which have been under-recognized. The association between papular and keloid acne scars can suggest the decision for scar treatment.

Profiling of In Vitro Bioaccessibility and Intestinal Uptake of Flavonoids after Consumption of Commonly Available Green Tea Types.

The aim of this study was to profile the bioaccessibility and intestinal absorption of epicatechins and flavonols in different forms of green tea and its formulation: loose leaf tea, powdered tea, 35% catechins containing GTE, and GTE formulated with green tea-derived polysaccharide and flavonols (CATEPLUS™). The bioaccessibillity and intestinal absorption of epicatechins and flavonols was investigated by using an in vitro digestion model system with Caco-2 cells. The bioaccessibility of total epicatechins in loose leaf tea, powdered tea, GTE, and CATEPLUS™ was 1.27%, 2.30%, 22.05%, and 18.72%, respectively, showing that GTE and CATEPLUS™ had significantly higher bioaccessibility than powdered tea and loose leaf tea. None of the flavonols were detected in powdered tea and loose leaf tea, but the bioaccessibility of the total flavonols in GTE and CATEPLUS™ was 85.74% and 66.98%, respectively. The highest intestinal absorption of epicatechins was found in CATEPLUS™ (171.39 ± 5.39 ng/mg protein) followed by GTE (57.38 ± 9.31), powdered tea (3.60 ± 0.67), and loose leaf tea (2.94 ± 1.03). The results from the study suggest that formulating green tea extracts rich in catechins with second components obtained from green tea processing could enhance the bioavailability of epicatechins.

Growth time-dependent density and surface evolution of silicon nanowires in a vapor-liquid-solid process.

Single crystalline silicon nanowires (SiNWs) were grown on Si(100) substrate using a gold (Au)-catalyzed vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) approach. The dependence of the growth time (i.e., the time of exposure to the Si source) on the density and surface evolution of the grown SiNWs is considered. It was observed that the density of grown SiNWs on Si substrate increased with increasing growth time. The highest density (approximately 1.1 x 10(6) mm(-2)) was reached at 4 hr. Upon further exposure to the Si source, we observed that the density was maintained for up to 9 hr. We suggest that the increased Si chemical potential in Au-Si droplets with increased growth time enhanced the SiNW growth rate at the interfaces between Au-Si droplets and SiNWs, and enhanced the transition of the NWs from the existing Au-Si droplets onto Si substrate. This allows the SiNW density to increase with increased growth time of up to 4 hr. Moreover, we examined the influence of the growth time on surface evolution including Au diffusion, facet and taper formation, and vapor-solid (VS) growth of the SiNWs. To explain the behavior of the grown SiNWs in the VLS process, we propose a combined model using the VLS and VS growth mechanisms.

Impact of soy lecithin, zinc oxide, and methylsulfonylmethane, as excipient ingredients, on the bioaccessibility and intestinal transport of branched-chain amino acids from animal and plant protein mixtures.

To maximize the biological activity of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), it is necessary to find a new excipient agent to increase the bioavailability of BCAAs in protein mixtures. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of soy lecithin (SLC), zinc oxide (ZnO), and methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) on the bioaccessibility and intestinal transport of BCAAs from animal and plant protein mixtures (PMs) via an in vitro digestion model with human intestinal epithelial (Caco-2) cells. The bioaccessibility of total BCAAs in PMs considerably increased by 107.51 ± 1.50% with the addition of SLC, and the combined effects of SLC, ZnO, and MSM on enhancing the bioaccessibility of total BCAAs was observed (107.14 ± 0.18%). Interestingly, SLC showed a major role in binding bile acid, showing 65.78 ± 1.66% of binding capacity. Intestinal transport of BCAAs was measured to be at 100.48, 110.86, and 130.29 µg mL-1 for leucine, isoleucine, and valine, respectively, in PMs with SLC + ZnO + MSM, and it eventually amplified the amount of the total transported BCAAs (341.63 ± 6.34 µg mL-1), which was about 8.72 times higher than that of PM only. The cellular integrity of digesta-treated Caco-2 cells tended to decrease according to the incubation time, but it was recovered in the treatment of PM + SLC + ZnO + MSM, and nearly reached the control levels with 92.82 ± 0.53%. Results from the current study suggest that the co-consumption of proteins equally consisting of plant and animal sources with SLC, ZnO, and MSM could improve the bioavailability of total BCAAs, resulting in the improvement of health benefits.

Characterized Polysaccharides from Green Tea Inhibited Starch Hydrolysis and Glucose Intestinal Uptake by Inducing Microstructural Changes of Wheat Starch.

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect of green tea ethanol extract (GTE) and polysaccharide fractions from green tea (PFGs) on the hydrolysis of wheat starch, microstructural changes, and intestinal transport of glucose. The amount of resistant starch (RS) was significantly lowered in the water-soluble polysaccharide (WSP), water-soluble polysaccharide-pectinase (WSP-P), and water-insoluble polysaccharide-alkali soluble (WISP-Alk-Soluble; p < 0.05). The microstructures of gelatinized wheat starch granules with WSP, WSP-P, and WISP-Alk-Soluble were spherical with small cracks. The amount of intestinal transported glucose from digested wheat starch was 2.12-3.50 times lower than the control group. The results from the current study suggest that water- and alkali-soluble PFGs could be potential ingredients to lower starch hydrolysis as well as to control the postprandial blood glucose level when foods that contain starch are consumed.

Effect of Characterized Green Tea Extraction Methods and Formulations on Enzymatic Starch Hydrolysis and Intestinal Glucose Transport.

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect of various characterized green tea extracts (GTEs) according to extraction methods on enzymatic starch hydrolysis and intestinal glucose transport. Codigestion of wheat starch with water extract (WGT) or ethanol extract formulated with green tea polysaccharides and flavonols (CATEPLUS) produced 3.4-3.5 times higher resistant starch (RS) than wheat starch only. Its microstructures were changed to spherical shapes and smooth surfaces as shown by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results. According to Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra, the absorption peak of O-H stretching was red-shifted in WGT or CATEPLUS. The results confirmed that hydrogen bonds were formed between starch granules and polysaccharides in WGT or CATEPLUS. Intestinal glucose transport subsequently measured after in vitro digestion was mostly suppressed in CATEPLUS. Gene expression of the glucose transporter protein, particularly SGLT1, was significantly inhibited by addition of CATEPLUS (p < 0.05). Results from the current study suggest that co-intake of green tea extracts formulated with green tea polysaccharides and flavonols could be a potentially useful means to delay blood glucose absorption when consuming starchy foods.

Downregulation of activin-signaling gene expression in passaged normal human dermal fibroblasts.

Activins are members of the transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) superfamily and play important roles in proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis of various target cells. We investigated changes of activin, activin receptor (ActR), and Smad-signaling gene expression with increasing passage number in normal human dermal fibroblasts. The expression of mRNA and protein was measured by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunoblot analysis from passage numbers 5 to 15. Activin A and follistatin transcript levels increased with increasing passage number. ActR types IA, IB, IIA and IIB mRNA levels decreased at high passage number. The levels of Smad2, 3 and 4 protein decreased with increasing passage number, which also attenuated phosphorylation of Smad2 and 3 protein expression. Smad7 was enhanced with increasing passage number. These results suggest that expression of activin-signaling in aging normal human dermal fibroblasts increases activin A and follistatin, whereas ActR-Smad signaling is decreased.