Evaluating the respective weights of some facial signs on the perceived radiance/glow in differently aged women of six countries.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of Facial radiance or Glow on the perception of age (PA) and to assess which facial signs most influence PA. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The faces of 1058 differently aged women (18-80 years) of six different ethnicities/countries (China, Japan, Korea, India, South Africa, and Brazil) were photographed under standard conditions. These allowed to focus on 20 different facial signs that were further graded by experts, using referential Atlases dedicated to facial aging. In each of the six countries, 100 local women were recruited as naïve panels to express their perceptions on Glow and Age on each full-face photograph (blind coded) of the local studied woman. RESULTS: A decreased Glow/Radiance appears clearly associated with an increased perceived age in all studied subjects, especially among Chinese, Japanese, and South African women. With regard facial signs, Skin texture (Wrinkles of all kinds), Ptosis/Sagging, and Pigmentation signs prevail in almost all women at the exception of South African women where Pigmentation signs and Cheek skin pores largely predominate in the perception of both Glow and PA. Pigmentation signs are of a very high weight among Chinese and Japanese women. CONCLUSION: Despite some collective agreements, the present study shows some specificities within the women of the six ethnicities/countries. PA, a core index of antiaging strategies, goes along with facial Glow in almost all studied women. The duller the facial skin, the older it is perceived.

A predictor of aerobic threshold for patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

[Purpose] The initial cardiopulmonary response to exercise is hypothesized to be a useful predictor of aerobic threshold in patients with heart failure. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between aerobic threshold and cardiopulmonary responses to exercise onset by comparing patients with heart failure using preserved (≥50%) and reduced (<50%) left ventricular ejection fractions. [Participants and Methods] Twenty-eight males (age, 36-82 years; 12 with preserved and 16 with reduced left ventricular ejection fractions) underwent a progressive submaximal cardiopulmonary exercise test using a cycle ergometer. The aerobic threshold, time constant, and area under the oxygen uptake curve for the first 4 min (V̇O2AUC) were determined. [Results] A significant association was observed between aerobic threshold and V̇O2AUC in the reduced group but not in the preserved group. No significant correlations were found between time constant and V̇O2AUC or between aerobic threshold and time constant in either group. [Conclusion] The results suggest that V̇O2AUC measured from exercise onset to an initial 4-min period could provide an easily and safely obtained predictor to assess aerobic capacity in people with reduced left ventricular ejection fractions.

AAV-mediated IL-10 gene transfer counteracts inflammation in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus and obesity induced by high-fat diet.

Consumption of high-fat diet (HFD) induces energy imbalance and consequently obesity. In the pathogenesis of obesity, HFD triggers inflammation in the hypothalamus including arcuate nucleus (ARC). Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a representative anti-inflammatory cytokine, known to ameliorate the adipose tissue inflammation and insulin resistance in obesity. However, the effect of IL-10 on the hypothalamic inflammation remains less defined. We here report the effect of over-expression of murine IL-10 using adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector on the inflammation in ARC and feeding behavior in HFD-induced obese (DIO) mice. DIO mice exhibited reduced POMC expression and elevated IKKs (IκB kinases) and SOCS3 expression in ARC. Overexpression of mIL-10 using AAV vector ameliorated obesity in parallel with restoration of ARC POMC expression in DIO mice. Moreover, IL-10 treatment suppressed IKKs activation and SOCS3 expression in ARC of DIO mice. These results suggest that IL-10 gene transfer provides an effective approach for counteracting HFD-induced inflammation and leptin resistance in ARC to prevent progression of obesity.

Nesfatin-1 enhances glucose-induced insulin secretion by promoting Ca(2+) influx through L-type channels in mouse islet ß-cells.

Nucleobindin-2 (NUCB2)-derived nesfatin-1 located in the brain has been implicated in the satiety and control of energy metabolism. Nesfatin-1 is also produced in the periphery and present in the plasma. It has recently been reported that NUCB2/nesfatin-1 is localized in pancreatic islet ß-cells in mice and rats and released from islets. However, its function in islets remains largely unknown. This study examined direct effects of nesfatin-1 on insulin release from pancreatic islets and on cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) in single ß-cells from ICR mice. In the presence of 8.3 mmol/L glucose, nesfatin-1 at 10(-10)-10(-9) mol/L tended to increase and at 10(-8) mol/L increased insulin release from isolated islets, while at 2.8 mmol/L glucose nesfatin-1 had no effect. Furthermore, nesfatin-1 at 10(-10)-10(-8) mol/L increased [Ca(2+)](i) in single ß-cells in the presence of 8.3 but not 2.8 mmol/L glucose. The nesfatin-1-induced [Ca(2+)](i) increase and insulin release were inhibited by removal of extracellular Ca(2+) and by addition of nitrendipine, a blocker of voltage-dependent L-type Ca(2+) channels. Unexpectedly, the [Ca(2+)](i) responses to nesfatin-1 were unaltered by inhibitors of protein kinase A (PKA) and phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)). These results indicate that nesfain-1 potentiates glucose-induced insulin secretion by promoting Ca(2+) influx through L-type Ca(2+) channels independently of PKA and PLA(2) in mouse islet ß-cells.