Hemoporfin-mediated photodynamic therapy for angiokeratoma corporis diffusum: A case report.

SIGNIFICANCE: Angiokeratoma corporis diffusum (ACD) is one type of angiokeratomas which are characterized on histology by superficial dilated capillaries with epidermal proliferation. ACD seriously influences patients' appearance and quality of life. Many therapies have been used to solved this problem. However, all the treatments have not been proved very effective. Hemoporfin-mediated photodynamic therapy (Hemoporfin-PDT) was considered recently as a promising treatment for PWS according to the principle of targeted photodynamic destruction of the vascular wall of the lesion. APPROACH: APPROACH: A 27-year-old male patient diagnosed with angiokeratoma corporis diffusum (ACD) by skin tissue biopsy has undergone pulsed dye laser for times, but the result was unsatisfying. After evaluating and obtaining the patient's agreement, we utilized Hemoporfin-PDT with 530 nm LED green light to treat ACD. When followed up in the 1 year after 2 treatments, the patient was pleased with the efficacy that most red papules on his face disappeared. RESULTS: The patient achieved great improvement after two treatments. CONCLUSIONS: Hemoporfin-PDT could be used to treat ACD.

An atypical two-component system, AtcR/AtcK, simultaneously regulates the biosynthesis of multiple secondary metabolites in Streptomyces bingchenggensis.

Streptomyces bingchenggensis is an industrial producer of milbemycins, which are important anthelmintic and insecticidal agents. Two-component systems (TCSs), which are typically situated in the same operon and are composed of a histidine kinase and a response regulator, are the predominant signal transduction pathways involved in the regulation of secondary metabolism in Streptomyces. Here, an atypical TCS, AtcR/AtcK, in which the encoding genes (sbi_06838/sbi_06839) are organized in a head-to-head pair, was demonstrated to be indispensable for the biosynthesis of multiple secondary metabolites in S. bingchenggensis. With the null TCS mutants, the production of milbemycin and yellow compound was abolished but nanchangmycin was overproduced. Transcriptional analysis and electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that AtcR regulated the biosynthesis of these three secondary metabolites by a MilR3-mediated cascade. First, AtcR was activated by phosphorylation from signal-triggered AtcK. Second, the activated AtcR promoted the transcription of milR3. Third, MilR3 specifically activated the transcription of downstream genes from milbemycin and yellow compound biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) and nanR4 from the nanchangmycin BGC. Finally, because NanR4 is a specific repressor in the nanchangmycin BGC, activation of MilR3 downstream genes led to the production of yellow compound and milbemycin but inhibited nanchangmycin production. By rewiring the regulatory cascade, two strains were obtained, the yield of nanchangmycin was improved by 45-fold to 6.08 g/L and the production of milbemycin was increased twofold to 1.34 g/L. This work has broadened our knowledge on atypical TCSs and provided practical strategies to engineer strains for the production of secondary metabolites in Streptomyces.IMPORTANCEStreptomyces bingchenggensis is an important industrial strain that produces milbemycins. Two-component systems (TCSs), which consist of a histidine kinase and a response regulator, are the predominant signal transduction pathways involved in the regulation of secondary metabolism in Streptomyces. Coupled encoding genes of TCSs are typically situated in the same operon. Here, TCSs with encoding genes situated in separate head-to-head neighbor operons were labeled atypical TCSs. It was found that the atypical TCS AtcR/AtcK played an indispensable role in the biosynthesis of milbemycin, yellow compound, and nanchangmycin in S. bingchenggensis. This atypical TCS regulated the biosynthesis of specialized metabolites in a cascade mediated via a cluster-situated regulator, MilR3. Through rewiring the regulatory pathways, strains were successfully engineered to overproduce milbemycin and nanchangmycin. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on atypical TCS, in which the encoding genes of RR and HK were situated in separate head-to-head neighbor operons, involved in secondary metabolism. In addition, data mining showed that atypical TCSs were widely distributed in actinobacteria.

Combining superpulse dynamic CO2 laser and supramolecular salicylic acid in the treatment of dense comedones with higher clearance in a shorter time: A prospective, randomized, split-face clinical trial.

OBJECTIVES: Dense comedones are common in patients with acne vulgaris, and promoting treatment can prevent the progression of acne lesions. However, the efficacy-time conflict makes the treatment challenging and the medication options are limited by the side effects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-five patients with symmetrical dense comedones were enrolled and the two sides of the face were randomly assigned to receive 30% supramolecular salicylic acid (SSA) combined with CO2 laser or CO2 laser monotherapy at an interval of 2 weeks for six treatment sessions. Comedones count, porphyrin index (PI), texture index (TI), melanin index, erythema index, hydration index (HI), transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and side effects were recorded at each visit till the 12th week. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients completed the study. Comedones on the combined-SSA side were reduced more after six treatments, that the mean reduction rate of the combined-SSA side was 85.76%, and that of the CO2 laser-treated side was 62.32% (Pbetween < 0.001). Combining SSA also showed a better effect on reducing PI and TI than CO2 laser singly (Pbetween < 0.001). TEWL and HI between the two sides showed no significant differences after treatments. No permanent or severe side effects were observed on both side. CONCLUSIONS: The treatment combined CO2 laser with 30% SSA dealt with the efficacy-time conflict while significantly reducing comedones and improving skin texture in 12 weeks and no serious adverse reactions occurred. LIMITATIONS: It is a single-center study and the number of subjects was small.

1927nm fractional thulium fiber laser combined with 30% salicylic acid for the treatment of acne and acne scars: A prospective, randomized, and split-face study.

OBJECTIVES: Patients with acne usually develops acne scars subsequently, early intervention of scars is crucial in acne management. 1927nm fractional thulium fiber laser (TFL) is effective in scars improvement and chemical peels with 30% supramolecular salicylic acid (SSA) can be applied for the treatment of acne. The purpose of this study is to evaluate and compare the efficacy and safety of TFL monotherapy versus the concomitant application of TFL and 30% SSA on acne and acne scars. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-three patients with acne and acne scars were enrolled, and two sides of the face were randomly divided to receive either TFL and SSA chemical peeling or TFL. Four sessions of TFL treatments were applied with 4-week intervals for both sides, SSA combined treatment side received eight SSA chemical peels with 2-week intervals additionally. GAGS, ECCA score, the number of acne lesions, melanin index (MI) and erythema index (EI), transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and side effects were recorded at Weeks 0, 4, 8, 12, and 18. Satisfaction of patients was recorded on both sides at the end of the study. RESULTS: Thirty patients completed the study. Both control group (TFL monotherapy) and SSA group (TFL combined with SSA chemical peeling) significantly improved GAGS and ECCA score. SSA group showed higher efficacy in terms of GAGS and ECCA score, acne lesion count, TEWL, MI, EI, and satisfaction than control group. All the side effects were temporary and tolerable, no adverse effects were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Both TFL and the TFL combined with 30% SSA chemical peeling are safe and effective for the treatment and prevention of acne and acne scars, though the combined group has higher efficacy.

Enhanced electrocatalytic performance of TiO2 nanoparticles by Pd doping toward ammonia synthesis under ambient conditions.

The traditional Haber-Bosch process in industry to produce NH3 leads to excessive CO2 emissions and a large amount of energy consumption. Ambient electrochemical N2 reduction is emerging as a green and sustainable alternative method to convert N2 to NH3, but is in sore need of efficient and stable electrocatalysts. Herein, we propose using Pd-doped TiO2 nanoparticles as a high-efficiency electrocatalyst to synthesize NH3 under ambient conditions. The Pd-TiO2 catalyst delivers a large NH3 yield (17.4 µg h-1 mgcat.-1) and a high faradaic efficiency (12.7%) at -0.50 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode in a neutral electrolyte, outperforming most Pd- and Ti-based electrocatalysts recently reported for N2 reduction. Most importantly, it also demonstrates extraordinary long-term electrochemical stability.

Interleukin-10 level is associated with post-stroke depression in acute ischaemic stroke patients.

BACKGROUND: Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a pathophysiological factor in acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) and is relevant to mood disorders after stroke. We evaluated the predictive value of IL-10 in patients with post-stroke depression (PSD). METHODS: A total of 350 stroke patients were recruited at baseline, and 151 AIS patients were screened and completed a 1-month follow-up. Serum IL-10 levels were measured within 24 h of admission. We used the 17-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-17) to evaluate depression symptoms; PSD was defined as an HAMD score ≥ 7. RESULTS: Fifty-one (33.8%) patients showed a more serious stroke degree, larger infarction volume, and poorer daily life activities and prognosis (P < 0.05) and were diagnosed with PSD at the 1-month follow-up. Their IL-10 level decreased significantly compared to the non-PSD group (P < 0.001). After adjusting for confounders, IL-10 could be used as an independent predictor for PSD with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 0.615 (95% CI 0.410-0.923, P = 0.019). In addition, the optimal cut-off value of IL-10 was 0.615 pg/mL based on an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.692 (95% CI 0.604-0.781, P < 0.001), demonstrating that IL-10 could predict the occurrence of PSD. Moreover, IL-10 was an indicator of stroke severity, living ability, and functional outcomes (P < 0.05). LIMITATIONS: IL-10 was only measured upon admission; dynamic changes need to be further monitored. This was also a single-centre study with a relatively small sample. CONCLUSIONS: Lower IL-10 levels may be used to predict PSD.

Theoretical study on the gas-phase reaction mechanism between palladium monoxide and methane.

The gas-phase reaction mechanism between palladium monoxide and methane has been theoretically investigated on the singlet and triplet state potential energy surfaces (PESs) at the CCSD(T)/AVTZ//B3LYP/6-311+G(2d, 2p), SDD level. The major reaction channel leads to the products PdCH(2) + H(2)O, whereas the minor channel results in the products Pd + CH(3)OH, CH(2)OPd + H(2), and PdOH + CH(3). The minimum energy reaction pathway for the formation of main products (PdCH(2) + H(2)O), involving one spin inversion, prefers to start at the triplet state PES and afterward proceed along the singlet state PES, where both CH(3)PdOH and CH(3)Pd(O)H are the critical intermediates. Furthermore, the rate-determining step is RS-CH(3) PdOH → RS-2-TS1cb → RS-CH(2)Pd(H)OH with the rate constant of k = 1.48 × 10(12) exp(-93,930/RT). For the first C-H bond cleavage, both the activation strain ΔE(≠)(strain) and the stabilizing interaction ΔE(≠)(int) affect the activation energy ΔE(≠), with ΔE(≠)(int) in favor of the direct oxidative insertion. On the other hand, in the PdCH(2) + H(2) O reaction, the main products are Pd + CH(3)OH, and CH(3)PdOH is the energetically preferred intermediate. In the CH(2)OPd + H(2) reaction, the main products are Pd + CH(3)OH with the energetically preferred intermediate H(2)PdOCH(2). In the Pd + CH(3)OH reaction, the main products are CH(2)OPd + H(2), and H(2)PdOCH(2) is the energetically predominant intermediate. The intermediates, PdCH(2), H(2) PdCO, and t-HPdCHO are energetically preferred in the PdC + H(2), PdCO + H(2), and H(2)Pd + CO reactions, respectively. Besides, PdO toward methane activation exhibits higher reaction efficiency than the atom Pd and its first-row congener NiO.