Measurements of three-dimensional refractive index tomography and membrane deformability of live erythrocytes from Pelophylax nigromaculatus.

Unlike mammalian erythrocytes, amphibian erythrocytes have distinct morphological features including large cell sizes and the presence of nuclei. The sizes of the cytoplasm and nuclei of erythrocytes vary significantly over different species, their environments, or pathophysiology, which makes hematological studies important for investigating amphibian species. Here, we present a label-free three-dimensional optical quantification of individual amphibian erythrocytes from frogs Pelophylax nigromaculatus (Rana nigromaculata). Using optical diffraction tomography, we measured three-dimensional refractive index (RI) tomograms of the cells, which clearly distinguished the cytoplasm and nuclei of the erythrocytes. From the measured RI tomograms, we extracted the relevant biochemical parameters of the cells, including hemoglobin contents and hemoglobin concentrations. Furthermore, we measured dynamic membrane fluctuations and investigated the mechanical properties of the cell membrane. From the statistical and correlative analysis of these retrieved parameters, we investigated interspecific differences between frogs and previously studied mammals.

Effects of repetitive photodynamic therapy using indocyanine green for acne vulgaris.

BACKGROUND: Indocyanine green (ICG) is a photosensitizer recently introduced for the treatment of acne. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of photodynamic therapy (PDT) using ICG in subjects with acne vulgaris and to evaluate whether there was a difference in the efficacy of ICG-PDT between different numbers of treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Subjects with acne on the face were included. ICG lotion (0.1%) was applied for 30 minutes, and a long pulse diode laser was used. Three or five treatments per subject were performed over 2 weeks. Acne lesion counts and Leeds revised acne grades were evaluated at baseline and 2 weeks after the last treatment. RESULTS: In total, 47 subjects completed the study. After both three and five ICG-PDT sessions, a significant reduction in acne lesions and significant improvement in Leeds revised acne grades were found in all treated subjects compared to baseline. In the subjects receiving five ICG-PDT sessions, the reduction of papules/pustules was greater than in the subjects receiving three ICG-PDT sessions (P < 0.01, respectively). However, there was no significant change in the count of nodules/cysts, although it is a negative trend (P = 0.066). Adverse effects were minimal. CONCLUSION: ICG-PDT using long-pulsed diode laser can be a safe and effective tool for acne vulgaris. Moreover, repetitive treatments of five can cause further improvement of inflammatory acne lesions.

Identification of a novel mutation in the EYA1 gene in a Korean family with branchio-oto-renal (BOR) syndrome.

The branchio-oto-renal (BOR) syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by the association of branchial cysts or fistulae, external ear malformation and/or preauricular pits, hearing loss, and renal anomalies. Mutations in the EYA1 gene on the chromosome band 8q13.3, the human homologue of the Drosophila eyes absent (eya) gene, have been identified to be the underlying genetic defects of the syndrome. We found a Korean family with BOR syndrome and identified a novel insertion mutation (c.1474_1475insC; R492PfsX40) in the EYA1 gene. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of genetically confirmed case of BOR syndrome in Korea.