Depositing α-mangostin nanoparticles to sebaceous gland area for acne treatment.

Although entrapment of nanoparticles of appropriate sizes at hair follicles has been clarified, there is no report on specific clinical application of this finding. Since sebaceous gland is associated with hair follicle, we hypothesize that effective acne vulgaris treatment/prevention can be achieved by depositing anti-acne agent in nanoparticle form at the hair follicles. Challenge of this strategy, however, lies at the finding of effective anti-acne particles with minimal skin irritation. Here using cellulose-based nanoparticles as nano-reservoir and α-mangostin (an active component isolated from the edible Garcinia mangostana Linn. fruit) as anti-acne agent, we prepare nanoparticles highly loaded with α-mangostin. Ability of the obtained particles to sustained release α-mangostin into synthetic sebum is demonstrated. The obtained mangostin particles are verified for their insignificant skin irritation through the two-week, twice-daily open application test in 20 healthy human volunteers. Excellent entrapment and sustainment of the mangostin nanoparticles at the hair follicles are elucidated in six human volunteers by detecting the presence of α-mangostin at the roots of hairs pulled from the treated skin area. The 4-week-randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, split-face study in 10 acne patients indicates significant improvement in acne vulgaris condition on the side twice daily applied with mangostin nanoparticles.

Proretinal nanoparticles: stability, release, efficacy, and irritation.

Despite many potent biological activities, retinoids such as retinoic acid (RA) and retinal possess dose-related broad side effects. In this study, we show that this problem, which has been unsolvable for a long time, can be tackled through a controlled release strategy in which retinal is continuously delivered to the skin via sustained release from proretinal nanoparticles. The water dispersible proretinal nanoparticles are stable when kept in water at neutral pH and at room temperature for 8 months under light-proof conditions, and show sustained release of retinal into human synthetic sebum at a pH of 5. In the daily topical application tests performed for 4 weeks on rats' skin, the nanoparticles showed superior ability to increase epidermal thickness compared to RA and retinal, with no skin irritation observed for the proretinal particles, but severe skin irritation observed for RA and free retinal. When tested under occlusion conditions in human volunteers, insignificant skin irritation was observed for the proretinal nanoparticles. The 12-week, double-blind, split-face study on human volunteers indicates better antiaging efficacy of the particles as compared to the free RA.

Nodular scleroderma in a patient with chronic hepatitis C virus infection: a coexistent or causal infection?

Nodular scleroderma is a rare form of scleroderma that may occur systemically or locally. The pathogenesis of this variant is unknown. We report the case of a 63-year-old woman with systemic scleroderma and chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection who had numerous papules and nodules on the neck and trunk. Skin biopsies from her lesions revealed characteristic findings of scleroderma. This case not only depicts the rare entity of nodular scleroderma but demonstrates the association of HCV infection with systemic autoimmune diseases such as scleroderma.

Prevalence and characteristics of metabolic syndrome in South-East Asian psoriatic patients: a case-control study.

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Asian psoriatic patients compared with that of the general population shows variable results. This study aimed to examine the association between psoriasis and metabolic syndrome in a Thai population. This case-control study included 199 psoriatic patients and 199 controls matched for sex and age from the general Thai population. There were 111 men (55.8%) and 88 women (44.2%) in both the psoriatic and control groups. The mean age (± standard deviation) of both groups was 50.04 ± 13.81 and 49.96 ± 14.39 years (P = 0.91), respectively. The majority of psoriatic cases (82.9%) were of plaque type. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was significantly higher in psoriatic patients than in the general population at 49.25% versus 30.65%. After controlling for age, sex, smoking and alcohol drinking the odds ratio was 2.25 (P < 0.0001). The metabolic components which were significantly higher in the cases than controls included hyperglycemia, high blood pressure (HBP) and abdominal obesity. No statistically significant difference was found between the cases and controls regarding prevalence of obesity, hypertriglyceridemia and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Thai psoriatic patients had a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome than the general population. In conclusion, the prevalence of HBP, hyperglycemia and abdominal obesity was significantly higher in cases than in controls.

Successful Treatment of Scleredema Diabeticorum by Combining Local PUVA and Colchicine: A Case Report.

Scleredema is a rare condition of unknown pathogenesis. It is classically divided into three types, based on its association with postinfection (usually streptococcal), monoclonal gammopathy and diabetes mellitus (scleredema diabeticorum). Scleredema diabeticorum often has a subtle onset, persistent involvement and is refractory to therapies. Numerous therapies have been tried, with mixed and inconsistent results. We report herein a case of scleredema diabeticorum that was successfully treated by combining local PUVA with colchicine.