Recurrence of solitary plasmacytoma in the liver 10 years after the onset of multiple bone lesions.

A 79-year-old man presented with a history of solitary plasmacytoma in the bone 10 years ago. Chemoradiotherapy was effective, and remission was maintained with intermittent treatment at relapse of the bone lesions. One year after the last treatment, a follow-up computed tomography (CT) scan revealed multiple liver masses, and a liver biopsy revealed plasmacytoma. There was no clonal plasma cell infiltration in the bone marrow, and the final diagnosis was solitary plasmacytomas of the liver. Although liver involvement is known in relapsed refractory multiple myeloma, solitary plasmacytoma in the relapsed stage confined to the liver is rare, and all previous reports have been from the initial presentation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first recurrent case of solitary plasmacytoma of the liver.

Multi-scale governance and data for sustainable development.

Future societal systems will be characterized by heterogeneous human behaviors and data-driven collective action. Complexity will arise as a consequence of the 5th Industrial Revolution and 2nd Data Revolution possible, thanks to a new generation of digital systems and the Metaverse. These technologies will enable new computational methods to tackle inequality while preserving individual rights and self-development. In this context, we do not only need data innovation and computational science, but also new forms of digital policy and governance. The emerging fragility or robustness of the system will depend on how complexity and governance are developed. Through data, humanity has been able to study a number of multi-scale systems from biological to migratory. Multi-scale governance is the new paradigm that feeds the Data Revolution in a world that would be highly digitalized. In the social dimension, we will encounter meta-populations sharing economy and human values. In the temporal dimension, we still need to make all real-time response, evaluation, and mitigation systems a standard integrated system into policy and governance to build up a resilient digital society. Top-down governance is not sufficient to manage all the complexities and exploit all the data available. Coordinating top-down agencies with bottom-up digital platforms will be the design principle. Digital platforms have to be built on top of data innovation and implement Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven systems to connect, compute, collaborate, and curate data to implement data-driven policy for sustainable development based on Collective Intelligence.

Efficacy of a fine fiber film applied with a water-based lotion to improve dry skin.

BACKGROUND: Dry skin can trigger eczema that affects >10% of the US population. Dressing films have been developed to improve diseased skin, but there is limited knowledge about their effects, especially for dry skin-related symptoms. We developed an electrospinning method that creates a coating film, called a fine fiber (FF) film, characterized by the production of a transparent, thin, flexible, and adherent membrane on the skin surface. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this pilot study was to examine the effects of the FF film on dry skin. METHODS: Three treatments (lotion only, lotion with the FF film, and lotion with an alternative film) were designed to treat subjects with rough skin on their lower legs. Twenty-four females were enrolled and used either a water-based lotion U or a petrolatum-based lotion P and the FF film for 2 weeks followed by a regression phase for 1 week. Skin hydration and roughness scores were assessed as were the subjects' perceptions of the effects. RESULTS: When the FF film was applied with lotion U, skin hydration was significantly improved even after 1 week, accompanied by a significant improvement of skin roughness and an increase in skin hydration by the end of the regression phase. An evaluation of moisture permeability suggested that the FF film, especially with lotion U, performed as a semipermeable membrane with optimal moisture healing effects on dry skin. CONCLUSION: The FF film together with a water-based lotion is a promising treatment to quickly improve dry skin conditions.

Histone deacetylase 6 regulates insulin signaling in pancreatic ß cells.

The reduction of pancreatic ß cell mass is one of the key factors for the onset of type 2 diabetes. Many reports have indicated that insulin signaling is important for type 2 diabetes, but the mechanism by which insulin signaling is altered in pancreatic ß cells remains unclear. This study was designed to examine the role of histone deacetylases (HDACs) in the regulation of insulin signaling in pancreatic ß cells. We found that insulin signaling was downregulated by inhibition of HDAC6. HDAC6 expression was specifically observed in pancreatic ß cells and was decreased in the pancreatic islets of a type 2 diabetes mouse model. When a mouse pancreatic ß cell line (MIN6 cells) was treated with palmitic acid to mimic the effect of a high-fat diet on pancreatic ß cells, HDAC6 was imported into the nucleus. These results suggest that HDAC6 plays an important role in the regulation of insulin signaling in pancreatic ß cells. Therefore, clarifying the regulation of insulin signaling by HDAC6 may be a valuable approach for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Autophagy Declines with Premature Skin Aging resulting in Dynamic Alterations in Skin Pigmentation and Epidermal Differentiation.

Autophagy is a membrane traffic system that provides sustainable degradation of cellular components for homeostasis, and is thus considered to promote health and longevity, though its activity declines with aging. The present findings show deterioration of autophagy in association with premature skin aging. Autophagy flux was successfully determined in skin tissues, which demonstrated significantly decreased autophagy in hyperpigmented skin such as that seen in senile lentigo. Furthermore, an exacerbated decline in autophagy was confirmed in xerotic hyperpigmentation areas, accompanied by severe dehydration and a barrier defect, which showed correlations with skin physiological conditions. The enhancement of autophagy in skin ex vivo ameliorated skin integrity, including pigmentation and epidermal differentiation. The present results indicate that the restoration of autophagy can contribute to improving premature skin aging by various intrinsic and extrinsic factors via the normalization of protein homeostasis.

Correlation of Expression Levels of Copper Transporter 1 and Thymidylate Synthase with Treatment Outcomes in Patients with Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Treated with S-1/Carboplatin Doublet Chemotherapy

Background: Copper transporter 1 (CTR1) is a critical determinant of the uptake and cytotoxic effect of the platinum drugs carboplatin and cisplatin. Thymidylate synthase (TS) is an enzyme involved in DNA synthesis and is associated with resistance of tumor cells to 5-fluorouracil. We investigated the correlation between CTR1 and TS expression levels and treatment outcomes in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with S-1/carboplatin doublet chemotherapy. Methods: Twenty-nine patients were enrolled in this study. Tumor expression of CTR1 and TS was measured immunohistochemically and analyzed for correlation with tumor response, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Results: Tumor response was significantly better in patients with CTR1High tumors than in patients with CTR1Low tumors (64% vs. 18%, P = 0.02). Patients with TSLow tumors had a significantly longer OS (median 21.2 vs. 8.5 months, P = 0.02), but not PFS, than patients with TSHigh tumors. When CTR1 and TS co-expression was analyzed, patients with either CTR1High or TSLow tumors showed a significantly better tumor response (50% vs. 0%, P = 0.01), longer PFS (median 4.2 vs. 2.1 months, P = 0.03), and longer OS (median 21.2 vs. 8.5 months, P = 0.01) than patients with both CTR1Low and TSHigh tumors. Conclusions: Our study suggests that combined CTR1/TS expression status has the potential to be an important predictor of good treatment outcomes in patients with advanced NSCLC treated with S-1/carboplatin doublet chemotherapy.