Arnica montana L. extract containing 6-O-methacryloylhelenalin and 6-O-isobutyrylhelenalin accelerates growth and differentiation of human subcutaneous preadipocytes and leads volumizing of skin.

OBJECTIVE: An important factor in the aging of the face is a reduction in the volume of adipose tissue. This reduction in adipose tissue contributes to decreased skin elasticity, which is also part of the aging process. Overall, these lead to wrinkle formation. Fat injection is a common means of addressing this issue and is used to reduce the effects of aging on the face and to increase the fullness of the lips and breasts. However, fat injection is an invasive surgical procedure. This study aimed to discover novel cosmetic ingredients that increase the volume of subcutaneous (pre)adipocytes to create the appearance of more youthful skin. METHODS: We focused on the number of subcutaneous preadipocytes and the accumulation of lipid droplets. To discover natural ingredients that increase both of these, extracts of 380 natural products were prepared and screened for their effects on both growth and differentiation (i.e., lipid droplet accumulation) of human subcutaneous preadipocytes. One extract was found to have the desired effects, and this was further studied to determine the active compounds. We then evaluated its efficacy in a human clinical study. RESULTS: We found that Arnica montana L. flower extract (AFE) accelerates both the growth and the differentiation of human subcutaneous preadipocytes. AFE was found to significantly increase the volume of adipocyte spheroids. The active compounds 6-O-methacryloylhelenalin and 6-O-isobutyrylhelenalin were found to be responsible for the effects of AFE on preadipocytes. In a human clinical study, gels containing 1% AFE successfully enhanced the volume of the lips and face with reduction of wrinkles with no adverse reactions. CONCLUSION: This is the first report to demonstrate that AFE and the included compounds, 6-O-methacryloylhelenalin and 6-O-isobutyrylhelenalin, act on preadipocytes. AFE would be ideal for use in products that plump the face to reduce wrinkles and create a more youthful appearance.

OBJECTIF: Un facteur important du vieillissement du visage réside dans la réduction du volume du tissu adipeux. Cette réduction du tissu adipeux contribue à une diminution de l'élasticité de la peau qui fait également partie du processus de vieillissement. Globalement, ces facteurs induisent la formation des rides. L'injection de graisse est un moyen courant pour remédier à ce problème et sert à réduire les effets du vieillissement sur le visage et à augmenter la plénitude des lèvres et des seins. Cependant, l'injection de graisse est une intervention chirurgicale invasive. Cette étude visait à découvrir des ingrédients cosmétiques innovants qui augmentent le volume des (pré)adipocytes sous-cutanés pour créer l'apparence d'une peau plus jeune. MÉTHODES: Nous avons mis l'accent sur le nombre de préadipocytes sous-cutanés et sur l'accumulation de gouttelettes lipidiques. Pour découvrir des ingrédients naturels qui augmentent ces deux facteurs, des extraits de 380 produits naturels ont été préparés et analysés en vue de la détermination de leurs effets sur la croissance et la différenciation (c'est-à-dire l'accumulation de gouttelettes lipidiques) des préadipocytes humains sous-cutanés. Un extrait s'est avéré avoir les effets escomptés et il a fait l'objet d'études approfondies visant à déterminer les composés actifs. Nous avons ensuite évalué son efficacité dans une étude clinique chez l'homme. RÉSULTATS: Nous avons découvert que l'extrait de fleur de l'Arnica montana L. (AFE) accélère à la fois la croissance et la différenciation des préadipocytes humains sous-cutanés. L'AFE s'est avéré augmenter considérablement le volume des sphéroïdes des adipocytes. Les composés actifs 6-Ométhacryloyl-hélénaline et 6-O-isobutyryl-hélénaline se sont avérés responsables des effets de l'AFE sur les préadipocytes. Dans une étude clinique chez l'homme, des gels contenant 1 % d'AFE ont permis d'améliorer le volume des lèvres et du visage avec une réduction des rides sans effets indésirables. CONCLUSION: Il s'agit du premier rapport démontrant que l'AFE et les composés inclus, 6-O-méthacryloyl-hélénaline et 6-O-isobutyryl-hélénaline, agissent sur les préadipocytes. L'AFE serait idéal pour les produits qui repulpent le visage afin de réduire les rides et de donner un aspect rajeuni.

Teledentistry as an Effective Tool for the Communication Improvement between Dentists and Patients: An Overview.

Teledentistry is an online dental care service that allows patients and dentists to meet in real time, safely, without being at the same location. During the COVID-19 pandemic, real-time videoconferencing has gained popularity in the field of teledentistry, with numerous benefits for both patients and dentists. Online consultations can minimize costs, maximize time, and provide more convenient care options for both patients and dentists. When practicing teledentistry, a dentist must establish a good doctor-patient relationship. Dentists must ensure that the telecommunication solution that they choose meets their clinical requirements and complies with privacy laws. Dentists should provide adequate information to patients about the limitations, advantages, and disadvantages that may occur during online consultation. Dentists must follow guidelines and procedures regarding informed consent, patient details, personal communications, and consultancies' privacy and confidentiality. The patient should be aware of the limitations of teledentistry, and dentists will provide the best advice possible in the absence of a face-to-face consultation. This article discusses how teledentistry could be an effective tool for dentists and patients.

A phase III, 52-week, open-label study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of 5% sofpironium bromide (BBI-4000) gel in Japanese patients with primary axillary hyperhidrosis.

A long-term study was conducted in Japanese patients with primary axillary hyperhidrosis who completed the preceding 6-week phase III, confirmatory study of 5% sofpironium bromide gel (hereinafter referred to as sofpironium) to evaluate the safety and efficacy of 52-week treatment with sofpironium. In the long-term study, 185 patients who completed the confirmatory study (94 and 91 patients in the vehicle and sofpironium groups, respectively) started to receive sofpironium (switching and extension groups, respectively), and all these patients were included in both the full analysis set (FAS) and the safety analysis set (SAF). In the FAS, there were more females than males (73.0% vs. 27.0%), and median age was 38.0 years. A total of 161 patients (86 and 75 patients in the switching and extension groups, respectively) completed the study at week 52. The proportions of patients with hyperhidrosis disease severity score of 1 or 2 and a 50% or more reduction in total gravimetric weight of sweat were 57.4% in the switching group and 58.2% in the extension group at week 52. The proportions of patients who achieved this efficacy end-point in the long-term study were similar to that (53.9%) in the sofpironium group in the confirmatory study. In the SAF, the incidences of adverse events (AEs) were 80.9% in the switching group and 83.5% in the extension group, and the incidences of adverse drug reactions were 39.4% and 45.1%, respectively. AEs that occurred in at least 20% of patients in both treatment groups were application site dermatitis (25.5% and 33.0%, respectively) and nasopharyngitis (31.9% and 23.1%, respectively). Reported AEs were generally mild, and there were no deaths. Serious AEs occurred in three patients, but none were considered related to the study drug. In this study, the efficacy of sofpironium was maintained during 52-week treatment, and no new safety risk was observed.

A phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled, parallel-group study of 5% sofpironium bromide (BBI-4000) gel in Japanese patients with primary axillary hyperhidrosis.

A phase 3 study was conducted to verify the efficacy and safety of 5% sofpironium bromide (BBI-4000) gel (hereinafter referred to as sofpironium) administrated for 6 weeks in Japanese patients with primary axillary hyperhidrosis. The primary efficacy end-point was the proportion of patients who satisfied both criteria of a Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Score (HDSS) of 1 or 2 at the end of 6-week treatment and a 50% or more reduction in total gravimetric weight of sweat at the end of treatment relative to baseline. A total of 281 patients were randomized to receive 5% sofpironium (141 patients) or vehicle (140 patients), and all patients were included in the full analysis set (FAS). In the FAS, 70.1% of patients were female, and the median age was 35.0 years. The proportion of patients who achieved the primary efficacy end-point was 53.9% in the sofpironium group and 36.4% in the vehicle group, with a statistically significant difference of 17.5% (95% confidence interval, 6.02-28.93) between these two groups (P = 0.003). The incidence of adverse events was 44.0% in the sofpironium group and 30.7% in the vehicle group, and the incidence of adverse drug reactions was 16.3% in the sofpironium group and 5.0% in the vehicle group. Reported adverse events were generally mild or moderate in severity. In the sofpironium group, common events (incidence, ≥5%) were nasopharyngitis (14.2%) and dermatitis/erythema at the application site (8.5%/5.7%), with no serious adverse events reported. This study demonstrated the efficacy and safety of 5% sofpironium.

Improvement of Aspects of Subjective Sleep Quality of Healthy Volunteers by Ingestion of Porcine Placental Extract: A Randomized Cross-Over Pilot Study.

Objectives: This study assessed the effects of oral porcine placental extract (PPE) on sleep quality of healthy volunteers not satisfied with their sleep. Design: This study used a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over clinical pilot study. Setting: This study was conducted under an outpatient multicenter setting in Japan. Interventions: A total of 20 healthy Japanese volunteers aged between 28 and 73, whose Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index global scores were between 6 and 10, successfully completed the study. At first, PPE at 300 mg/kg or placebo was ingested for 2 weeks. Then, after a 2-week washout period, each group ingested under a cross-over setting the opposite sample (placebo or PPE) for another 2 weeks. Main Outcome Measures: Objective measurement of the sleep made with an activity tracker and subjective measurements of sleep quality by use of St. Mary's Hospital Sleep Questionnaire were done just before and after the administration time slots. Results: No effect of PPE on the sleep length was observed. Several measures in the subjective St. Mary's Hospital Sleep Questionnaire, i.e., changes in Q5 (sleep depth) and Q9 (sleep wellness) between pre- and post-ingestions, were significantly different between groups in the direction of improvement of subjective sleep quality in the PPE group. Conclusions: Although oral PPE at 300 mg/day for 2 weeks did not affect the length of sleep itself, it significantly improved several measures of subjective sleep quality. These results suggest that PPE might be a way to improve sleep quality without hypnotic drugs. Clinical Trial Registration: www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/, identifier: UMIN000026468.

High-resolution Thermal Micro-imaging Using Europium Chelate Luminescent Coatings.

Micro-electronic devices often undergo significant self-heating when biased to their typical operating conditions. This paper describes a convenient optical micro-imaging technique which can be used to map and quantify such behavior. Europium thenoyltrifluoroacetonate (EuTFC) has a 612 nm luminescence line whose activation efficiency drops strongly with increasing temperature, due to T-dependent interactions between the Eu3+ ion and the organic chelating compound. This material may be readily coated on to a sample surface by thermal sublimation in vacuum. When the coating is excited with ultraviolet light (337 nm) an optical micro-image of the 612 nm luminescent response can be converted directly into a map of the sample surface temperature. This technique offers spatial resolution limited only by the microscope optics (about 1 micron) and time resolution limited by the speed of the camera employed. It offers the additional advantages of only requiring comparatively simple and non-specialized equipment, and giving a quantitative probe of sample temperature.

Cavity mode enhancement of terahertz emission from equilateral triangular microstrip antennas of the high-T c superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 + δ.

We study the transverse magnetic (TM) electromagnetic cavity mode wave functions for an ideal equilateral triangular microstrip antenna (MSA) exhibiting C 3v point group symmetry. When the C 3v operations are imposed upon the antenna, the TM(m,n) modes with wave vectors [Formula: see text] are much less dense than commonly thought. The R 3 operations restrict the integral n and m to satisfy [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] for the modes even and odd under reflections about the three mirror planes, respectively. We calculate the forms of representative wave functions and the angular dependence of the output power when these modes are excited by the uniform and non-uniform ac Josephson current sources in thin, ideally equilateral triangular MSAs employing the intrinsic Josephson junctions in the high transition temperature T c superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2 [Formula: see text], and fit the emissions data from an earlier sample for which the C 3v symmetry was apparently broken.

Activation of a stress-induced gene by insecticides in the midge, Chironomus yoshimatsui.

Stress proteins (heat shock proteins, HSPs) have been proposed as general biomarkers for environmental monitoring. In the present study, we evaluated the environmental stress-burden on the aquatic midge Chironomus yoshimatsui using hsp70 expression. Larvae collected from streams receiving polluted runoff (field strain) were resistant to the organophosphorus insecticide, fenitrothion (F), and the synthetic pyrethroid, ethofenprox (E), whereas a strain originally collected from an unpolluted area (susceptible strain) showed low resistance to insecticide exposure. To examine the expression of an HSP70 gene in C. yoshimatsui, an hsp70 cDNA probe was prepared using RNA obtained from the field strain larvae and used for Northern blot analyses. The expression of this HSP70 gene in larvae collected from two field sites in May about 1 week after insecticide spraying in the fields was 2.3 (p = 0.018) to 3.3 fold higher than that in the susceptible strain and was also 4.6 and 1.4 (p = 0.033) fold higher than those collected in November 3 months after the cessation of insecticide spraying. In order to identify potential inducers of the HSP70 gene of the field strain, larvae of the susceptible strain were exposed to F or E for 24 h and hsp70 mRNA levels determined. Exposures to F at 0.4 microg/L and E at 1.1 microg/L increased hsp70 mRNA levels 2.7 (p = 0.049) and 4.4 (p = 0.043) fold over controls, respectively. These results suggest that larvae collected from polluted areas are burdened by environmental stressors and the tested insecticides are potential inducers of HSP70. The results also support the suggestion that HSP70 gene expression is a sensitive indicator of low level (nonlethal) exposures to certain insecticides.

Juvenile temporal arteritis is a manifestation of Kimura disease.

An asymptomatic nodule appeared in the right temporal region of an 81-year-old woman. Histopathologic examination confirmed significant thickening of the vascular wall, constriction of the vessel lumen, and infiltration of numerous eosinophils and lymphocytes. Giant cells were not seen. Lymphoid follicles and capillaries surrounded the large vessel. Elastica van Gieson staining revealed a laceration of the internal elastic lamina. Based on these clinical and histologic findings, the patient was diagnosed as having juvenile temporal arteritis (JTA), a disease first proposed by Lie and his colleagues in 1975. Three years later, a new eruption, again asymptomatic, appeared in the posterior region of the patient's right ear. Subsequently, she was referred to our department. Histologic examination of the new lesion confirmed the infiltration of lymphocytes and eosinophils, which was accompanied by numerous lymphoid follicles, and the proliferation of endothelial cells and capillaries from the deep dermis to the subcutaneous tissue. The patient was diagnosed as having Kimura disease, which is a persistent and recurrent illness. We hypothesized that JTA was a partial expression of Kimura disease and investigated whether past cases of JTA could be considered Kimura disease. As a result, we found that most cases of JTA could indeed be considered Kimura disease. Furthermore, we examined the vascular changes in the routinely and elastic fiber-stained sections of three cases with Kimura disease and two cases with angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia. The results showed occlusive vascular changes in most samples from these cases, supporting the hypothesis that JTA is an accessory lesion of Kimura disease.