New soft tissue filler derived from autologous keratin and fibroblast for neck wrinkles.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of injection of autologous keratin gel and fibroblast for neck aging as soft tissue filler. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Totally 30 volunteers received treatment of autologous keratin and fibroblast for neck wrinkles and 5 of them received hyaluronic acid (HA) treatment as control. Clinical features of the volunteers were collected at 1st, 3rd, 6th, 12th, and 24th months after treatment. The volunteers were independently assessed using Lemperle's methods at different time points. RESULTS: The neck wrinkles ameliorated observably and no severe complications were reported after treatment. The effect and maintain time of autologous keratin and fibroblast were better than HA control. CONCLUSION: Autologous keratin and fibroblast as soft tissue filler is an effective treatment option for neck rejuvenation with long-term efficacy for reversing of skin aging.

Dispositivo fotobiomodulador para prevenção e tratamento de hiperqueratose de teto em vacas leiteiras / Photobiomodulation device for prevention and treatment of teat hyperkeratosis in dairy cows

As mastites estão entre as principais causas de prejuízo para produtores de leite. Em casos graves de hiperqueratose, o canal do teto pode se tornar uma barreira mais fácil para que as bactérias penetrem na glândula mamária. Os objetivos deste estudo foram avaliar um dispositivo fotobiomodulador de LED para tratamento e prevenção de hiperqueratose de teto e prevenção da mastite subclínica em um rebanho de leite com alta prevalência de hiperqueratose (35,3 por cento de casos graves). Foram utilizadas 60 primíparas para o experimento de prevenção e 30 vacas com hiperqueratose para o experimento terapêutico. Em ambos os experimentos, metade dos animais foram tratados com o dispositivo fotobiomodulador três vezes por semana, durante 6 semanas. Os outros animais foram os controles. Imagens fotográficas digitalizadas foram realizadas na avaliação inicial e, semanalmente, por 6 semanas consecutivas. Nas primíparas, novas avaliações foram realizadas entre 6 e 7 meses de lactação. Para avaliação da mastite subclínica, contagem de células somáticas (CCS) foram feitas mensalmente. No experimento preventivo, o diâmetro externo das lesões permaneceu constante nos tetos do grupo tratado, enquanto houve aumento no grupo controle. No experimento terapêutico não foram observadas diferenças estatísticas entre as variáveis de hiperqueratose. Contudo, o grupo tratado apresentou menor incidência de mastites subclínicas (CCS < 250 células/mL) por lactação do que o grupo controle (P<0,05). Em conclusão, o tratamento não foi efetivo em prevenir o desenvolvimento ou reduzir lesões instaladas de hiperqueratose de teto. Contudo, o uso protótipo se mostrou útil e promissor como adjuvante na prevenção do aumento de tamanho das lesões de hiperqueratose de teto em primíparas e como forma de reduzir incidência de mastite subclínicas em vacas leiteiras já acometidas.

Mastitis consistis one of the main problems of milk production, mainly due to the production losses and the rising cost of milk. In case of severe hyperkeratosis, the teat canal can become an easier barrier for the bacteria to penetrate. The objeSctive of this study was to assess a phototherapy device construct with LED light for prevention and treatment of teat hyperkeratosis in a dairy cattle herd with high prevalence (35.3 percent of severe cases). 60 primiparous cows were used in the preventive experiment and 30 cows with hyperkeratosis were used in the therapeutic experiment. In both experiments, half of the cows started to be treated in early lactation using the phototherapy device three times per week for 6 weeks. The other cows were the controls. Hyperkeratosis was assessed by scoring and by morphometric analyses of teat images that were taken at baseline and then weekly for 6 consecutive weeks. In the preventive experiment, more images were taken later, between 6 and 7 months of the first lactation. Somatic cell counts (SCC) were performed monthly. In the preventive experiment, the outer diameter of the teat lesions remained constant in the treated group, whereas cows of the control group showed a significant increase at the end of lactation. In the therapeutic groups, no statistical differences for teat hyperkeratosis variables were seen between groups. However, the incidence of subclinical mastitis (SCC > 250 cells/mL) during lactation was lower in the treated group (P<0.05). In conclusion the phototherapy protocol did not prevent the development in primiparous or ameliorate previous hyperkeratosis lesions in cows. However, the prototype was considered useful as an adjunct in preventing the increase in the size of teat hyperkeratosis lesions and also as a way to reduce subclinical mastitis incidence in affected dairy cows.

Some properties of keratin biomaterials: kerateines.

Keratins are a family of structural proteins that can be isolated from a variety of tissues. "Soft" keratins are cytoskeletal elements found in epithelial tissues while protective tissues such as nails, hooves, and hair are composed of "hard" keratins. Hard keratins have been the subject of biomaterials investigations for more than three decades. Numerous methods exist for denaturing these proteins which are characterized by a high sulfur content and extensive disulfide bonding, under either oxidative or reductive conditions, extracting them from tissue and processing them into various physical states such as gels, films, coatings, and fibers. Kerateines or keratoses (oxidatively or reductively derived, respectively), alone or in combination with other biomaterials, have been tested in a small number of systems to demonstrate feasibility for medical applications such as wound healing, bone regeneration, hemostasis, and peripheral nerve repair. These investigations have shown generally good compatibility with cells and tissues, but the focus of prior investigations has been fairly narrow, and as a result there is relatively little published data on the general behavior of keratin biomaterials in biological systems beyond cell culture assays. The goal of this study was to produce a reduced form of keratin biomaterial, kerateine, using a typical and well-published technique, and characterize several aspects of its behavior that may have implications to its general use as a biomaterial. Kerateines were extracted from human hair, fabricated into gels and porous scaffolds, characterized, and placed into biological systems to determine their interactions with cells and tissue. Initially, the proteins were analyzed for molecular weight and amino acid content, as well as their ability to facilitate cell adhesion and proliferation. Crosslinked hydrogels were investigated for their hydrolytic stability in vitro; the micro-architecture and in vivo tissue response of lyophilized gels was also studied. These experiments both confirmed and expanded earlier findings that kerateines demonstrate excellent compatibility in biological systems.

Queratodermia acuagénica inducida por celecoxib / Celecoxib-induced aquagenic keratoderma

La queratodermia acuagénica es un cuadro poco frecuente caracterizado por pápulas y placas translúcidas con una superficie lisa y ductos ecrinos prominentes, limitado a palmas, que aparece o se hace más pronunciado tras la exposición del agua. Histopatológicamente se aprecia hiperqueratosis y dilatación de los ductos ecrinos. Este cuadro se ha descrito en adolescentes y mujeres jóvenes. Presentamos el caso de una mujer de 31 años de edad con una artritis reumatoide que había comenzado tratamiento con celecoxib un mes antes del inicio de sus síntomas cutáneos. Cambios similares se han descrito en asociación con fribosis quística y está descrito un caso inducido por rofecoxib. El incremento de sodio en la piel asociado a la toma de celecoxib podría causar un incremento en la capacidad de captación de agua por la queratina y ser el causante del cuadro clínico

Aquagenic keratoderma is an infrequent condition characterized by translucent, smooth-surfaced papules and plaques and prominent eccrine ducts. It is limited to the palms and appears or becomes more pronounced after exposure to water. Histopathologically, hyperkeratosis and dilation of the eccrine ducts are seen. This condition has been described in adolescents and young women. We present the case of a 31-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis who had begun treatment with celecoxib one month before the onset of her cutaneous symptoms. Similar changes have been described in association with cystic fibrosis, and a case induced by rofecoxib has also been reported. Higher levels of sodium in the skin associated with celecoxib could increase the keratin's ability to take in water, and this may cause the clinical symptoms

Zoledronic acid inhibits osteoclastogenesis in vitro and in a mouse model of inflammatory osteolysis.

This study assessed effects of the bisphosphonate zoledronic acid (ZLNA) on osteoclastogenesis. To assess the effect of ZLNA on osteoclast formation in vitro, we cultured mouse bone marrow cells under conditions that promote osteoclastogenesis. Administered at concentrations from 10(-6) to 10(-9) mol/L, ZLNA led to a dose-dependent inhibition of osteoclastogenesis. Combined TUNEL staining and histochemical staining for tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase showed that ZLNA induced apoptosis in osteoclasts and monocytic precursor cells. To study the effects of ZLNA in vivo, we placed keratin particles onto the surface of the parietal bone of mice to induce localized inflammatory bone resorption. Three experimental groups received daily subcutaneous injections of ZLNA (1, 3, or 10 microg/kg body weight) from 4 days before surgery until 5 days after keratin implantation. The ZLNA significantly reduced osteoclast recruitment in a dose-dependent manner, but did not affect the degree of inflammation or the mineral apposition rate.

Miliaria rubra / Miliaria rubra

La miliaria es una erupción que afecta predominantemente a los neonatos y a la primera infancia, se produce por obstrucción del poro sudoríparo y, en su aparición, intervienen factores como exceso de sudación infecciones superficiales y aplicación de cremas. Dependiendo de la profundidad de la obstrucción, la miliaria puede ser cristalina, que es la más superficial, rubra que es la intermedia, y profunda. Las lesiones varían de vésiculas transparentes a papulovesículas o a pápulas edematosas. No se acompaña casi de síntomas y evoluciona favorablemente; desaparece en pocos días cuando cesa, el estímulo causal (AU)

Oral lichen planus: an immunohistochemical study of heat shock proteins (HSPs) and cytokeratins (CKs) and a unifying hypothesis of pathogenesis.

The expression of heat shock proteins HSP60 and HSP70 and cytokeratins CK1/10 and CK7/18 were compared in epithelium of oral lichen planus (OLP) lesions and oral fibromas using an avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (ABC) immunohistochemical method. An immunostaining intensity distribution (IID) index was developed to assess staining intensity and the proportion of positively stained cells in different layers of the epithelium. The expression of HSP60 in the basal layer was significantly higher in OLP than in fibromas. No difference in HSP70 expression was evident between OLP and fibromas. The expression of CK1/10 in the epithelial basal and suprabasal layers was significantly higher in OLP than in fibromas. There was no demonstrable staining for CK7/18 in either OLP or fibromas. A significant correlation was evident between the expression of HSP60 and CK1/10 in the basal epithelial cells in OLP. The findings support a role for HSP60 in the pathogenesis of OLP. A unifying hypothesis of the pathogenesis of OLP, involving two sequential immune reactions, is proposed.

Expressäo das citoqueratinas no componente epitelial de neoplasias odontogênicas / Cytokeratins expression in epithelial tissue of odontogenic neoplasms

As neoplasias e tumores relacionados com o aparato odontogênico podem ser constituídos unicamente por tecido epitelial ou em associaçäo com ectomesênquima. As citoqueratinas (CKs) säo filamentos intermediários citoesqueletais típicos das células epiteliais, representadas por uma família de 20 polipeptídeos diferentes. Sua detecçäo imuno-histoquímica tem colaborado na melhor classificaçäo e compreensäo da histogênese de várias entidades patológicas. Neste trabalho estabeleceu-se a expressäo imuno-histoquímica das CKs 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 18 e 19, além da vimentina, em cinco tipos de tumores odontogênicos com componente epitelial, e comparou-se com os achados no epitélio de germe dental e reduzido do órgäo do esmalte. Foram obtidos resultados positivos com as CKs 7, 13, 14, 19 e vimentina. No germe dental a CK14 esteve presente em todas as células, sendo substituída gradualmente pela CK19 nos pré-ameloblastos e ameloblastos secretores. A CK7 foi encontrada principalmente na baínha de Hertwig e retículo estrelado, além de algumas células da lâmina dentária. A lâmina dentária foi a única estrutura a exibir a CK13. No epitélio reduzido do órgäo do esmalte as células expressaram CK14 e eventualmente CK13. O ameloblastoma e componente epitelial do fibroma ameloblástico contiveram CK13 nas células semelhantes ao retículo estrelado de algumas áreas, indicando natureza distinta do retículo do germe dental normal. A CK14 esteve presente em todas as células, exceto em algumas periféricas e centrais do ameloblastoma. Sugeriu-se origem destes tecidos a partir da lâmina dentária. As células do tumor odontogênico adenomatóide foram consideradas análogas ao epitélio reduzido do órgäo do esmalte pela expressäo exclusiva de CK14 e consideraçöes ultraestruturais. O tumor odontogênico epitelial calcificante seria composto por células tipo primordiais oriundas da baínha de Hertwig devido à expressäo de vimentina, além das CKs7 e 14. O odontoma exibiu perfil imuno-histoquímico semelhante ao germe dental

[Drug-induced oesophageal ulcers (author's transl)]. / Medikamentös induzierte Osophagusulzera.

Within a one-year period seven patients were observed who had developed ulcers of the upper and mid oesophagus after treatment with doxycycline hydrochloride (n = 3), emepronium bromide (n = 3) or Pantogar (n = 1). In each instance the drug had apparently been swallowed dry. The typical symptoms were a sudden onset of retrosternal chest pain and odynophagia during bed rest. Once the drug had been discontinued and treatment with antacid combined with topical anaesthetics and/or alginic acid instituted the symptoms disappeared within a few days. The authors stress that drugs should be swallowed only with good amounts of fluid and generally not immediately before bed rest.