Topical applications of an emollient reduce circulating pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in chronically aged humans: a pilot clinical study

BACKGROUND

While increased levels of circulating inflammatory cytokines in chronologically aged humans have been linked to the development of ageing-associated chronic disorders (e.g., cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, osteoporosis and Alzheimer's disease), approaches that reduce circulating cytokines are not yet available. In chronologically aged mice, we recently demonstrated that epidermal dysfunction largely accounts for age-associated elevations in circulating cytokine levels, and that improving epidermal function reduced circulating cytokine levels.

OBJECTIVE

We performed a pilot study to determine whether improving epidermal function reduces circulating pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in aged humans.

METHODS

Thirty-three aged humans were topically treated twice-daily for 30 days, with ≈ 3 mL of an emollient, previously shown to improve epidermal function, while untreated, aged humans and a cohort of young volunteers served as controls. Changes in epidermal function and levels of three key, age-related, plasma cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNFα) were measured at baseline and after treatment, using Luminex 200™ system.

RESULTS

We also found significantly higher baseline levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNFα in aged vs. young humans (P < 0.001), as previously reported. Topical applications of the barrier repair emollient significantly enhanced epidermal permeability barrier function (P < 0.01) and stratum corneum hydration (P < 0.05). In parallel, circulating levels of IL-1β and IL-6 normalized, while TNFα levels declined substantially.

CONCLUSION

The results of this preliminary study suggest that a larger clinical trial should be performed to confirm whether improving epidermal function also can reduce circulating pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in aged humans, while also possibly attenuating the downstream development of chronic inflammatory disorders in the aged humans.

Abstract P5-01-01: The effectiveness of breast ultrasonography in cancer screening: A comparison with mammography

Purpose

Mammography(MMG) is a measure of screening that is proven to be effective in lowering death rate in breast cancer validated by randomized control trials. Recently, the number of incidence of breast cancer in Korean women is showing ascending tendency, and also as compared to those in North American and European countries, prevalence age tends to be lower. Since they tend to have much dense breast, MMG alone can hardly be considered as a sufficient measure of breast cancer screening.

The purpose of the study is to study the effectiveness of breast ultrasonography(US) in breast cancer screening in Korean women by investigating the ratio of patients who are diagnosed as malignant in breast US over those who are diagnosed as negative or benign(category 1 and 2) and dense breast(category 0) in MMG.

Materials and Methods

We conducted the retrograde study over 2776 female subjects who had undergone screening MMG in single center in South Korea during the period between Jan, 1st 2010 to Dec, 31st 2016. Female patients are categorized according to BI-RAD category. 164 of subjects were previously undergone a breast cancer surgery, which made them eliminated from the list, and 2612 subjects are finally selected.

Results

Some more 33 subjects are excluded from the list and rest 2579 subject had undergone breast US. Among these, 1133 subjects (43.9%, 1133/2579) correspond to dense breast of BI-RADS category 0, while 303 of them are suspected of category 4 or more. The subjects corresponding to category 1 to 3 are 663, 251 and 229 respectively. 307 of 1133 subjects in category 0 are confirmed as having suspicious lesion based on findings of breast US. Among them, 66 subjects are identified as malignant based on biopsy, which accounts for 5.8% (66/1133). 104 subjects in category 1, are confirmed to have lesions based on findings of breast US, where 25 alone were identified as malignant (3.8%, 25/663). Likewise, 10 (4.0%, 10/251) in category 2 and 13 (5.7%, 13/229) in category 3 are identified.

Subject categorization by BI-RAD systemCategory 0dense breast983  dense breast with calcification94  dense breast with probable mass28  others28  total113343.9%Category 1 66325.7%Category 2 2519.7%Category 3 2298.9%Category 4 or more 30311.7%total 2579100.0%

Malignancy ratio of each category after biopsy totalsuspicious lesion on breast USbiopsy     benignmalignantmalignancy ratioCategory 01133307241665.8% (66/1133)Category 1663104792525 3.8% (25/663)Category 22514131104.0% (10/251)Category 32297259135.7% (13/229)

Conclusion

It appears that 43.9% of total 2579 subjects undergone MMG and breast US are confirmed as dense breast in category 0 and 5.8% of them are diagnosed as breast cancer according to breast US and biopsy. Likewise, for those who are considered as either category 1 or 2, which is negative or benign lesion category, 3.8% are diagnosed as breast cancer. As it is appeared in this study, cancer detection can be more effective in parallel measure of MMG and breast US rather than MMG alone, especially for breast cancer screening of Korean female subjects.

Citation Format: Jeong S, Kim Y, Kim K. The effectiveness of breast ultrasonography in cancer screening: A comparison with mammography [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-01-01.

Improvements in epidermal function prevent relapse of psoriasis: a self-controlled study

While therapeutic approaches for psoriasis are widely available, preventive regimens are lacking. We aimed to determine whether improvements in epidermal function could prevent psoriasis relapse. Two self-controlled cohort studies were designed, enrolling two cohorts of patients with psoriasis (n = 30 and n = 60) to be treated topically with an in-house-prepared emollient or ATOPALM^® cream applied twice daily to one forearm for 20 and 30 days, respectively, while the same sites on the contralateral arm served as the untreated control. Epidermal function on both arms was assessed prior to and at the end of the trials. Delayed relapse on the treated arm was seen in 54.5% and 71% of patients in the first and second cohort, respectively. The time of psoriatic relapse correlated with the extent of abnormalities in baseline epidermal function. These results suggest that improvements in epidermal function with topical emollients can prevent/attenuate the development of psoriasis.

A 2.2 NEF Neural-Recording Amplifier Using Discrete-Time Parametric Amplification

This paper proposes a 2.2 noise efficiency factor (NEF) instrumentation amplifier for neural recording applications. A parametric amplifier based on the MOS C-V characteristic is designed as a pre-amplifier stage, lowering the input referred noise of the following stages by 3.4×. Sampling noise is minimized by oversampling the input signal and switching power is reduced by adopting an 8-phase soft-charging technique.

Development of a new analgesic index using nasal photoplethysmography

Although surrogate measures to quantify pain intensity have been commercialised, there is a need to develop a new index with improved accuracy. The aim of this study was to develop a new analgesic index using nasal photoplethysmography data. The specially designed sensor was placed between the columella and the nasal septum to acquire nasal photoplethysmography in surgical patients. Nasal photoplethysmography and Surgical Pleth Index^® (GE Healthcare) data were obtained for 14 min both in the absence (pre-operatively) or presence (postoperatively) of pain in a group of surgical patients, each patient acting as their own control. Various dynamic photoplethysmography variables were extracted to quantify pain intensity; the most accurate index was selected using logistic regression as a classifier. The area under the curve of the receiver-operating characteristic curve was measured to evaluate the accuracy of final model predictions. In total, 12,012 heart beats from 89 patients were used to develop a new Nasal Photoplethysmography Index for analgesic depth quantification. The two-variable model (a combination of diastolic peak point variation and heart beat interval variation) was most accurate in discriminating between the presence and absence of pain (numerical rating scale (NRS) ≥ 3). The accuracy and area under the curve of the receiver-operating characteristic curve for the Nasal Photoplethysmography Index were 75.3% and 0.8018, respectively, and 64.8% and 0.7034, respectively, for the Surgical Pleth Index. The Nasal Photoplethysmography Index clearly distinguished pain (NRS ≥ 3) in awake surgical patients with postoperative pain. The Nasal Photoplethysmography Index performed better than the Surgical Pleth Index. Further validation studies are needed to evaluate its feasibility to quantify pain intensity during general anaesthesia.

Experimental infection of H5N1 and H5N8 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses in Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)

The wide geographic spread of Eurasian Goose/Guangdong lineage highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) clade 2.3.4.4 viruses by wild birds is of great concern. In December 2014, an H5N8 HPAI clade 2.3.4.4 Group A (2.3.4.4A) virus was introduced to North America. Long-distance migratory wild aquatic birds between East Asia and North America, such as Northern Pintail (Anas acuta), were strongly suspected of being a source of intercontinental transmission. In this study, we evaluated the pathogenicity, infectivity and transmissibility of an H5N8 HPAI clade 2.3.4.4A virus in Northern Pintails and compared the results to that of an H5N1 HPAI clade 2.3.2.1 virus. All of Northern Pintails infected with either H5N1 or H5N8 virus lacked clinical signs and mortality, but the H5N8 clade 2.3.4.4 virus was more efficient at replicating within and transmitting between Northern Pintails than the H5N1 clade 2.3.2.1 virus. The H5N8-infected birds shed high titre of viruses from oropharynx and cloaca, which in the field supported virus transmission and spread. This study highlights the role of wild waterfowl in the intercontinental spread of some HPAI viruses. Migratory aquatic birds should be carefully monitored for the early detection of H5 clade 2.3.4.4 and other HPAI viruses.

Limited pathogenicity and transmissibility of Korean highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N6 clade 2.3.4.4 in ferrets

The pathogenicity and transmissibility of a reassortant clade 2.3.4.4 avian influenza A (H5N6) virus were evaluated in ferrets. Virus excretion was detected in the upper respiratory tract, but the ferrets did not show any clinical signs of infection. Transmission did not occur between cohoused or respiratory droplet-contact ferrets.

Associations among FADS1 rs174547, eicosapentaenoic acid/arachidonic acid ratio, and arterial stiffness in overweight subjects

We aimed to evaluate the longitudinal interaction effects between the minor allele of FADS1 rs174547 and overweight on n-3 and n-6 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) levels and pulse wave velocity (PWV). Plasma PUFA levels were measured via GC-MS, and arterial stiffness was determined as brachial-ankle PWV (ba-PWV) at baseline and after a mean follow-up of 3 years. The FADS1 rs174547 T > C genotype was analyzed. At 3-years of follow-up, after adjustment for age, sex, smoking and drinking, there were interaction effects between the FADS1 rs174547 T > C genotype and baseline BMI on the changes (from baseline) in plasma arachidonic acid (AA) levels, in the eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)/AA ratio, and in ba-PWV (p for interaction = 0.036, 0.022, and 0.001, respectively). There were smaller increases in AA levels from baseline among normal-weight C allele carriers (n = 112) and overweight TT subjects (n = 47) than among normal-weight TT subjects (n = 91). Overweight C allele carriers (n = 37) showed greater reductions in the plasma EPA/AA ratio and greater increases in ba-PWV than the 3 other populations studied. The minor allele of the FADS1 rs174547 polymorphism is associated with age-related decreases in the EPA/AA ratio and increases in ba-PWV among overweight subjects.

Design, fabrication and space suitability tests of wide field of view, ultra-compact, and high resolution telescope for space application

We report on the design, manufacture, and testing of an ultra-compact telescope for 16 unit (16U) CubeSats for Earth and space observation. This telescope provides 1 arcsec resolution at a 2.9 degree field of view. Dimensions are optimized to 230 × 230 × 330mm³ with a mass of less than 6kg including support structure. Our catadioptric 5-element design consists of a full-aperture corrector, a Mangin primary mirror (PM), a secondary mirror (SM), and a 2-lens field corrector. The focal length is 745mm, and squared-circular aperture has an equivalent diameter of 241mm. The designed modulation transfer function (MTF) is 0.275 for the entire unit including baffles at a Nyquist frequency of 161 cycles/mm for the 450-800nm band. As one of the distinguishing features of our state-of-the-art design, all optical surfaces are spherical to simplify adjustment. For the best thermal stability, all optical elements are produced from fused silica. We describe the details of design, adjustment, and laboratory performance tests for space environments in accordance with the requirements for in-orbit operation onboard Earth-observation micro-satellites to be launched in 2018.

Effects of Ketamine on Icam-1 Expression during Lipopolysaccharide Induced Acute Lung Injury in Rats

Introduction

Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) serves very important roles in lung injury, and increases in ICAM-1 are associated with severity of lung injury. We intended to examine whether ketamine could have favourable effects on ICAM-1 expression in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury in the rat.

Methods

The acute lung injury was induced by instilling LPS into the tracheas of 72 anaesthetised rats. The animals were divided into four groups including a sham group with intratracheal saline, an LPS group with intratracheal LPS and intraperitoneal saline, and two ketamine treatment groups with intratracheal LPS and treated with 1 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg doses of intraperitoneal ketamine hydrochloride. Half of the animals were sacrificed at three hours and the remaining animals were sacrificed at six hours. Real time PCR was performed on the lung tissues obtained. Concentration of the soluble ICAM-1 was measured in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Expression of ICAM-1 was measured.

Results

The transcriptional activity of ICAM-1 mRNA increased 9.92 fold in the LPS group compared to the sham group but decreased by 84.1% and 83.3%, respectively, in the 1 and 10 mg/kg ketamine treatment groups. The concentration of soluble ICAM-1 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid increased 2.23 fold in the LPS group compared to the sham group while decreasing by 75.0% and 74.5% respectively in the 1 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg ketamine treatment groups. The intensity of immunohistochemical staining for ICAM-1 was also decreased in both ketamine treatment groups.

Conclusion

Ketamine attenuates ICAM-1 expression during acute lung injury in rats. (Hong Kong j.emerg.med. 2011;18:397-405)

Exogenous β-mannanase improves feed conversion efficiency and reduces somatic cell count in dairy cattle

Exogenous fibrolytic enzymes have been shown to be a promising way to improve feed conversion efficiency (FCE). β-Mannanase is an important enzyme digesting the polysaccharide β-mannan in hemicellulose. Supplementation of diets with β-mannanase to improve FCE has been more extensively studied in nonruminants than in ruminants. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of β-mannanase supplementation on nutrient digestibility, FCE, and nitrogen utilization in lactating Holstein dairy cows. Twelve post-peak-lactation multiparous Holstein cows producing 45.5±6.6kg/d of milk at 116±19.0d in milk were randomly allotted to 1 of 3 treatments in a 3×3 Latin square design with 3 periods of 18d (15d for adaptation plus 3d for sample collection). All cows were fed the same basal diet and the 3 treatments differed only by the β-mannanase dose: 0% dry matter (DM; control), 0.1% of DM (low supplement, LS), and 0.2% of DM (high supplement, HS) supplemented to the basal diet. Supplementation of β-mannanase enzyme at the LS dose reduced dry matter intake (DMI) but did not affect milk yield or milk composition. Cows receiving LS produced 90g more milk per kg of DMI compared with control cows. Somatic cell count (SCC) in milk was lower for cows fed the LS diet compared with cows fed control diets. Cows fed LS diet had lower DM, organic matter and crude protein digestibility compared with cows fed control diets. Starch, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber digestibility were not affected by LS. Milk yield, DMI, SCC, and nutrient digestibility did not change for HS. Despite the reduced crude protein digestibility, reduced N intake led to similar fecal N excretions in LS cows and control cows (234 vs. 235g/cow per day). Urinary N excretions remained similar between enzyme-fed and control cows (~190g/cow per day), although the percentage of N intake partitioned to urinary N tended to be greater in LS than in control cows (31 vs. 27%). Cows fed LS significantly improved the percentage of apparently absorbed N partitioned to milk protein N (42 vs. 38%). When supplemented at 0.1% of dietary DM, β-mannanase can improve FCE and lower the SCC of dairy cows without affecting milk yield, milk composition, or total manure N excretions of dairy cows.