The effects of artificial alum bathing and sodium bicarbonate bathing on the surface tension of skin and sweat were examined.
Before and after partial bathing in distilled water (control), alum solution, or sodium bicarbonate solution at 40°C for 10 minutes, the critical surface tension of skin was measured in a room in which the ambient temperature was maintained at 23°C and relative humidity at 50%. The mean value of critical surface tension decreased after the alum bathing at concentrations of 10, 100, and 1, 000ppm., but did not change after the control and sodium bicarbonate bathing.
Alum solution, sodium bicarbonate solution, or sodium hydroxide solution was added to the sweat collected from the arm skin surface. Its surface tension was then measured in the same room as mentioned above. The mean value of surface tension increased after the sodium bicarbonate preparation and the sodium hydroxide preparation accompanying the increase in the pH value, but did not change after the alum preparation. The surface tension of sweat at pH 7.0 was significantly higher in the sodium bicarbonate preparation than in the sodium hydroxide preparation (p<0.05).
These findings suggest that the alum bathing lowers the wettability of the skin surface and that the sodium bicarbonate bathing lowers the surface activity of sweat. It is suggested that both of these bathings change the skin surface condition and cutaneous function.

Introduction: In Japan, the number of female physicians is increasing rapidly. The importance of education focused on career development and the work-life balance is increasingly being recognized.

Methods: In February 2008, we sent a questionnaire regarding the working status and life events to 1,374 female physicians who graduated from Okayama University Medical School or who were working at university-affiliated hospitals and facilities at the time of the investigation.

Results: Of the 376 respondents (26.8% response rate), we analyzed 360 respondents whose specialty is clinical medicine. Among them, 75.9% (n=269) of female physicians have partners, 70.2% (n=233) have children, and most of the female physicians experience these life events from age of 25-29 years. Although 82.1% (n=216) regarded the timing of their marriage as appropriate, 65.2% (n=144) regarded it as appropriate about having first child. Of the 174 respondents who returned to clinical work, 32.2% (n=56) returned to the same position as a full-time worker, and 27.6% (n=48) changed their position from full-time to part-time. Important factors to return to work easily, 〈understanding from their supervisors〉, 〈support from their family〉, and an appropriate amount of work were the top three reasons.

Discussion: It is important to educate medical students about career development based on the life stage and work-life balance for gender equality in medicine.

BACKGROUNDEstrogen receptor alpha (ER alpha) is the most important endocrine therapy responsiveness predictor for women with breast cancer. The accuracy of the prediction of the response to endocrine therapy was thought to be affected by involving the estrogen receptor coregulatory proteins and cross-talk between ER and other growth factor-signaling networks. Nuclear corepressor 1 (NCOR1) is one of the ER a transcription repressor. The objective of the study is to investigate the expression of NCOR1 at the protein level and pursue its predictive value for breast cancer endocrine therapy.

METHODSIn the present study, the level of expression of NCOR1 protein has been assessed by immunohistochemistry in 104 cases of invasive carcinoma of the breast. Associations between NCOR1 protein expression and different clinicopathological factors and survival were sought.

RESULTSIt was found that NCOR1 was expressed at significantly higher levels in responsive patients treated with endocrine therapy as first-line treatment on relapse. Responsive patients also had a significantly longer post-relapse survival and overall survival. No NCOR1 expression difference was found between patient by age, tumor size, lymph node status, different histological grade groups and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status. Multivariate analysis showed that NCOR1 is an independent prognostic factor for over-all survival.

CONCLUSIONSIn breast cancer, NCOR1 protein expression level predicts response to endocrine therapy as first-line treatment for breast cancer patients on relapse and NCOR1 protein level assay may increase the accuracy in the endocrine treatment determination and, therefore, improving the patients survival.

Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal ; therapeutic use ; Breast Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Estrogen Receptor alpha ; metabolism ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Middle Aged ; Nuclear Receptor Co-Repressor 1 ; metabolism ; Receptor, ErbB-2 ; metabolism ; Receptors, Progesterone ; metabolism ; Tamoxifen ; therapeutic use