No abstract available.
Cheek* ; Microcirculation* ; Skin* ; Smoke* ; Smoking*

BACKGROUND: Calcipotriol(MC903), a new vitamin D(3) analogue, has been reported to be effective in the treatment of patients with psoriasis. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of calcipotriol on proliferation and differentiation of the keratinocytes in monolayer cultures and three-dimensional cultures. METHODS: Using moriolayer cultures, we examined morphological changes of keratinocytes and performed [(3)H]thymidine incorporation after calcipotriol was added into the medium. Using three dimensional cultures, we performed two experiments: one with cultures treated with calcipotriol immediately after the keratinocytes had been exposed to the air and another set of cultures treated with calcipotriol after three dimensional morphogenesis of the keratinocytes. We examined morphological changes of keraitinocytes and performed a immunohistochemical study for proliferation differentiation markers RESULTS: In monolayer cultures, at calcipotriol concentrations of 10(-9)M-10(-6)M, keratinocytes became larger, more irregular, and flattened in a dose-dependent manner. At 10(-9)M-10(-6)M, [3Hl thymidine incorporatiorn was decreased dose-dependently as compared to the control culture. In the first experiment using three-dimensional cultures, at 10(-9)M-10(-6)M, total epidermal layers were thinned. This was associated with thinnings of nucleated and horny layers in a dose dependent manner. In the seconcd experiment using three-dimensional cultures, at 10(-8)M-10(-6)M, nucleated layers were thinned in a dose dependent manner, but the horny layer was slightly thickened, as compared to the control culture. Immunohistochemical studies showed a reduction of differentiation markers such as keratin 1, involucrin, filaggrin, loricrin consistent with a thinning of nucleated layers in the epidermal architecture in both experiments. In the basal layer, at 10(-9)M-10(-6), PCNA-positive cells were and BrdU-positive cells were decreased dose-dependently as compared to the control culture. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we demonstrated that at 10(-9)M-10(-6) calcipotriol inhibited keratinocytes proliferation and stimulated keratinocytes differentiation in a dose-dependent manner.
Antigens, Differentiation ; Humans* ; Keratin-1 ; Keratinocytes* ; Morphogenesis ; Psoriasis ; Thymidine ; Vitamins

Although antithrombotic drug therapy is not a substitute for precise surgical technique, it has become an important adjunct for the microsurgeon performing replantation and elective free-tissue transfers. Systemic anticoagulant use in 60 free flap procedures performed from January 2001 to February 2004 was reviewed to determine the flap loss rate, associated risk of hematoma formation and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. Patients were divided into two groups: a single intraoperative bolus of 1250 units of heparin(20 flaps, Group 1), 2500 units(40 flaps, Group 2) respectively. Partial and complete flap loss rate was higher in Group 1(35 percent) than in Group 2(10 percent). Neither the difference in hematoma incidence nor the difference in thrombocytopenia incidence between two groups was significant and there was no case presenting heparin- induced thrombocytopenia. We have encountered unusually high flap loss rate in the group who received a single intraoperative bolus of 1250 units of heparin. Although a cause-and-effect relationship between the use of systemic heparin and flap loss or prevention of thrombosis could not be established, it seems to be beneficial that a single bolus of 2500 units of heparin is given intraoperatively without significantly increasing the risk of hematoma or heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.
Drug Therapy ; Free Tissue Flaps* ; Hematoma ; Heparin* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Replantation ; Thrombocytopenia ; Thrombosis