Efficacy of Allogeneic and Xenogeneic Exosomes for the Treatment of Canine Atopic Dermatitis: A Pilot Study.

Canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) is a genetically predisposed inflammatory pruritic skin disease. The available treatments for CAD have several adverse effects and vary in efficacy, indicating the need for the development of improved treatments. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the therapeutic effects of allogeneic and xenogeneic exosomes on CAD. Six laboratory beagle dogs with CAD were randomly assigned to three treatment groups: control, canine exosome (cExos), or human exosome (hExos) groups. Dogs in the cExos and hExos groups were intravenously administered 1.5 mL of cExos (5 × 1010) and hExos (7.5 × 1011) solutions, respectively, while those in the control group were administered 1.5 mL of normal saline three times per week for 4 weeks. Skin lesion score and transepidermal water loss decreased in cExos and hExos groups compared with those in the control group. The exosome treatments decreased the serum levels of inflammatory cytokines (interferon-γ, interleukin-2, interleukin-4, interleukin-12, interleukin-13, and interleukin-31) but increased those of anti-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-10 and transforming growth factor-ß), indicating the immunomodulatory effect of exosomes. Skin microbiome analysis revealed that the exosome treatments alleviated skin bacterial dysbiosis. These results suggest that allogeneic and xenogeneic exosome therapy may alleviate CAD in dogs.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on chlamydia infection in South Korea: a comparison between the pre-pandemic and during-pandemic periods.

Background: Prior to COVID-19 pandemic, a yearly upward trajectory in the number of chlamydia infection cases was observed in South Korea. However, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Korea implemented several public health and social measures, which were shown to have an impact on the epidemiology of other infectious diseases. This study aimed to estimate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence and number of reported chlamydia infections in South Korea. Methods: Using the monthly number of reported chlamydia infection data between 2017 and 2022, we compared the trends in the reported numbers, and the incidence rates (IR) of chlamydia infection stratified by demographic characteristics (sex, age group, and region) in the pre- and during COVID-19 pandemic period (January 2017-December 2019 and January 2020-December 2022). Results: We observed an irregular downward trajectory in the number of chlamydia infection in the during-pandemic period. A 30% decrease in the total number of chlamydia infection was estimated in the during-pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period, with the decrease greater among males (35%) than females (25%). In addition, there was a decrease in the cumulative incidence rate of the during COVID-19 pandemic period (IR: 0.43; 95% CI: 0.42-0.44) compared to the pre-pandemic period (IR: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.59-0.61). Conclusions: We identified decrease in the number of chlamydia infection during COVID-19 pandemic which is likely due to underdiagnosis and underreporting for the infection. Therefore, strengthening surveillance for sexually transmitted infections including chlamydia is warranted for an effective and timely response in case of an unexpected rebound in the number of the infections.

Guidelines on Hair Restoration for East Asian Patients.

BACKGROUND: In East Asian countries, hair transplantation is a quite common procedure for treating pattern hair loss, cosmetically correcting the hairline, and correcting eyebrow and pubic hair defects. Although there are general guidelines concerning hair transplantation, certain factors need to be addressed to make the guidelines more specific and suitable to East Asian requirements. OBJECTIVE: To provide guidelines for hairline design, donor harvesting, graft preparation and placement, and medical treatment that are appropriate for hair transplantation in East Asian patients. METHODS: Recommendations are based on the experience of the authors, surgeons who perform hair transplantation, and a comprehensive review of the available literature on hair transplantation in East Asians. RESULTS: Data on hair thickness and graft density, hairline design, and graft creation and placement techniques have been collaboratively evaluated and used to establish overall guidelines. CONCLUSION: The use of the proposed guidelines by surgeons will hopefully enhance outcomes and bring greater consistency to hair transplantation procedures for East Asian patients.

Classification of the female hairline and refined hairline correction techniques for Asian women.

BACKGROUND: Hair transplantation has been a highly effective technique in reducing wide foreheads and recontouring the hairline. OBJECTIVE: To classify hairline contour in Asian women and to find a way to make an ideal and refined female hairline. MATERIALS & METHODS: The hairline contours of 234 female volunteers were classified into five groups. We measured the height and width of foreheads and maximal depth of the infratemporal portion. We also performed hairline correction on 350 female patients with a wide forehead with an M-shaped hairline. RESULTS: Hairlines of the volunteers were grouped as round (27.35%), M-shaped (28.20%), rectangular (27.35%), bell-shaped (10.25%), or triangular (2.99%). The average height of the forehead was 6.38±0.89 cm, average width of the forehead 14.30±1.75 cm, and maximal depth of the infratemporal portion 4.29±0.77 cm. In 350 patients operated on, the average area of the frontotemporal recess was 30.1 cm(2), and approximately 1,054 follicular units (FU) were needed. CONCLUSION: The classification of Asian female hairlines and our refined techniques will be beneficial for correcting wide foreheads with M-shaped or rectangular hairline contours.