Udenafil, which is a PDE5 inhibitor, is used to treat erectile dysfunction. However, it is unclear whether udenafil induces hair growth via the stimulation of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs). In this study, we investigated whether udenafil stimulates ASCs and whether increased growth factor secretion from ASCs to facilitate hair growth. We found that subcutaneous injection of udenafil-treated ASCs accelerated telogen-to-anagen transition in vivo. We also observed that udenafil induced proliferation, migration and tube formation of ASCs. It also increased the secretion of growth factors from ASCs, such as interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL12B, and the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and NFκB. Furthermore, concomitant upregulation of IL-4 and IL12B mRNA levels was attenuated by ERK inhibitor or NFκB knockdown. Application of IL-4 or IL12B enhanced anagen induction in mice and increased hair follicle length in organ culture. The results indicated that udenafil stimulates ASC motility and increases paracrine growth factor, including cytokine signaling. Udenafil-stimulated secretion of cytokine from ASCs may promote hair growth via the ERK and NFκB pathways. Therefore, udenafil can be used as an ASC-preconditioning agent for hair growth.
Animals ; Erectile Dysfunction ; Hair Follicle ; Hair ; Injections, Subcutaneous ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Interleukin-4 ; Male ; Mice ; Organ Culture Techniques ; Phosphorylation ; RNA, Messenger ; Stem Cells ; Up-Regulation

Literature has revealed that the delta opioid receptor (DOR) exhibited diverse pharmacological effects on neuron and skin. In the present study, we have investigated whether the activation of DOR has hair-growth promotion effects. Compared with other opioid receptor, DOR was highly expressed in epidermal component of hair follicle in human and rodents. The expression of DOR was high in the anagen phase, but it was low in the catagen and telogen phases during mouse hair cycle. Topical application of UFP-512, a specific DOR agonist, significantly accelerated the induction of the anagen in C 3H mice. Topical application of UFP-512 also increased the hair length in hair organ cultures and promoted the proliferation and the migration of outer root sheath (ORS) cells. Similarly, pharmacological inhibition of DOR by naltrindole significantly inhibited the anagen transition process and decreased hair length in hair organ cultures. Thus, we further examined whether Wnt/β-catenin pathway was related to the effects of DOR on hair growth. We found that Wnt/β-catenin pathway was activated by UFP-512 and siRNA for β-catenin attenuated the UFP-512 induced proliferation and migration of ORS cells. Collectively, result established that DOR was involved in hair cycle regulation, and that DOR agonists such as UFP-512 should be developed for novel hair-loss treatment.

In a previous study, we have demonstrated that S-methylmethionine sulfonium (SMMS) confers wound-healing and photoprotective effects on the skin, suggesting that SMMS can be used as a cosmetic raw material. However, it has an unpleasant odor. Therefore, in the present study, we synthesized odor-free SMMS derivatives by eliminating dimethyl sulfide, which is the cause of the unpleasant odor and identified two derivatives that exhibited skin-protective effects: one derivative comprised (2S,4S)- and (2R,4S)-2-phenylthiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid and the other comprised (2S,4R)-, (2S,4S)-, (2R,4R)-, and (2R,4S)-2-phenyl-1,3-thiazinane-4-carboxylic acid. We performed in vitro proliferation assays using human dermal fibroblasts (hDFs) and an immortalized human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT). The two SMMS derivatives were shown to increase hDF and HaCaT cell proliferation as well as improve their survival by protecting against ultraviolet exposure. Moreover, the derivatives regulated the expression of collagen type I and MMP mRNAs against ultraviolet exposure in hDFs, suggesting that these derivatives can be developed as cosmetic raw materials.
Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation ; Collagen Type I ; Fibroblasts ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Keratinocytes ; Odors ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; RNA, Messenger ; Skin ; Vitamin U*

This study performed the forensic anthropological sex estimation of Koreans in a non-metric way by reconstructing three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) images of skulls. The skull CT images used in this study were 100 (51 males, 49 females), and all CT images were taken with a slice thickness of 0.75 mm and then reconstructed into 3D images using the MIMICS 23.0 program. Using the reconstructed 3D image, measurements were repeated twice. The sex determination was male if the 4 point to 5 point was relatively more in five landmarks, and female if the points of 1 to 2 were relatively more. Results of the study show that, 88 of the 100 cases matched the actual sex. Among the 12 discrepant cases, ten cases were mismatched with the actual sex even though the estimation and repeated estimation readout of sexestimating were the same. Two cases, were “unknown,” showing different sexes in the first and repeated estimations. In conclusion, this study indicated that a forensic anthropological analysis from 3D images provided accurate point information on the landmarks of skulls, showing as high an accuracy as the sex estimation method using real bones. The ten cases of sex mismatch, except the two “Unknown” cases, are considered to be errors that did not consider differences in population groups. In further studies, further establishing a nonmetric, specifically Korean methods to increase the accuracy and reliability of sex estimation is need.

In Walker’s nonmetric method, the nuchal crest serves as the representative region for indicating sexual dimorphism in cranial bones. However, the accuracy of sex estimation using the nuchal crest is lower than that using other anatomical regions. Furthermore, because of the protruding processes and structurally challenging features characterized by uneven and rough surfaces, there is a lack of metric methods for sex estimation, making quantification challenging. In this study, we aimed to validate a derived metric method for sex estimation by reconstructing the nuchal crest region in threedimensional (3D) images obtained from computed tomography scans of cranial bones and compare its accuracy with that of the nonmetric method. A total of 648 images were collected, with 100 randomly selected for use in the nonmetric method.We applied our metric method to the remaining 548 images. Our findings showed that the surface area of the nuchal crests was greater in male individuals than in female individuals. The nuchal crest surface area quantified by the metric method increased the accuracy of sex estimation by 48% compared with that by the nonmetric method. Our metric method for sex estimation, which quantifies the nuchal crest surface area using 3D images of the skull, led to a high sex estimation accuracy of 93%. Future studies should focus on proposing and quantifying new measurement methods for areas showing sexual characteristics in the skull that are difficult to measure, thereby enhancing the accuracy and reliability of sex estimation in human skeletal identification across various fields.

In Walker’s nonmetric method, the nuchal crest serves as the representative region for indicating sexual dimorphism in cranial bones. However, the accuracy of sex estimation using the nuchal crest is lower than that using other anatomical regions. Furthermore, because of the protruding processes and structurally challenging features characterized by uneven and rough surfaces, there is a lack of metric methods for sex estimation, making quantification challenging. In this study, we aimed to validate a derived metric method for sex estimation by reconstructing the nuchal crest region in threedimensional (3D) images obtained from computed tomography scans of cranial bones and compare its accuracy with that of the nonmetric method. A total of 648 images were collected, with 100 randomly selected for use in the nonmetric method.We applied our metric method to the remaining 548 images. Our findings showed that the surface area of the nuchal crests was greater in male individuals than in female individuals. The nuchal crest surface area quantified by the metric method increased the accuracy of sex estimation by 48% compared with that by the nonmetric method. Our metric method for sex estimation, which quantifies the nuchal crest surface area using 3D images of the skull, led to a high sex estimation accuracy of 93%. Future studies should focus on proposing and quantifying new measurement methods for areas showing sexual characteristics in the skull that are difficult to measure, thereby enhancing the accuracy and reliability of sex estimation in human skeletal identification across various fields.

In Walker’s nonmetric method, the nuchal crest serves as the representative region for indicating sexual dimorphism in cranial bones. However, the accuracy of sex estimation using the nuchal crest is lower than that using other anatomical regions. Furthermore, because of the protruding processes and structurally challenging features characterized by uneven and rough surfaces, there is a lack of metric methods for sex estimation, making quantification challenging. In this study, we aimed to validate a derived metric method for sex estimation by reconstructing the nuchal crest region in threedimensional (3D) images obtained from computed tomography scans of cranial bones and compare its accuracy with that of the nonmetric method. A total of 648 images were collected, with 100 randomly selected for use in the nonmetric method.We applied our metric method to the remaining 548 images. Our findings showed that the surface area of the nuchal crests was greater in male individuals than in female individuals. The nuchal crest surface area quantified by the metric method increased the accuracy of sex estimation by 48% compared with that by the nonmetric method. Our metric method for sex estimation, which quantifies the nuchal crest surface area using 3D images of the skull, led to a high sex estimation accuracy of 93%. Future studies should focus on proposing and quantifying new measurement methods for areas showing sexual characteristics in the skull that are difficult to measure, thereby enhancing the accuracy and reliability of sex estimation in human skeletal identification across various fields.

In Walker’s nonmetric method, the nuchal crest serves as the representative region for indicating sexual dimorphism in cranial bones. However, the accuracy of sex estimation using the nuchal crest is lower than that using other anatomical regions. Furthermore, because of the protruding processes and structurally challenging features characterized by uneven and rough surfaces, there is a lack of metric methods for sex estimation, making quantification challenging. In this study, we aimed to validate a derived metric method for sex estimation by reconstructing the nuchal crest region in threedimensional (3D) images obtained from computed tomography scans of cranial bones and compare its accuracy with that of the nonmetric method. A total of 648 images were collected, with 100 randomly selected for use in the nonmetric method.We applied our metric method to the remaining 548 images. Our findings showed that the surface area of the nuchal crests was greater in male individuals than in female individuals. The nuchal crest surface area quantified by the metric method increased the accuracy of sex estimation by 48% compared with that by the nonmetric method. Our metric method for sex estimation, which quantifies the nuchal crest surface area using 3D images of the skull, led to a high sex estimation accuracy of 93%. Future studies should focus on proposing and quantifying new measurement methods for areas showing sexual characteristics in the skull that are difficult to measure, thereby enhancing the accuracy and reliability of sex estimation in human skeletal identification across various fields.

In Walker’s nonmetric method, the nuchal crest serves as the representative region for indicating sexual dimorphism in cranial bones. However, the accuracy of sex estimation using the nuchal crest is lower than that using other anatomical regions. Furthermore, because of the protruding processes and structurally challenging features characterized by uneven and rough surfaces, there is a lack of metric methods for sex estimation, making quantification challenging. In this study, we aimed to validate a derived metric method for sex estimation by reconstructing the nuchal crest region in threedimensional (3D) images obtained from computed tomography scans of cranial bones and compare its accuracy with that of the nonmetric method. A total of 648 images were collected, with 100 randomly selected for use in the nonmetric method.We applied our metric method to the remaining 548 images. Our findings showed that the surface area of the nuchal crests was greater in male individuals than in female individuals. The nuchal crest surface area quantified by the metric method increased the accuracy of sex estimation by 48% compared with that by the nonmetric method. Our metric method for sex estimation, which quantifies the nuchal crest surface area using 3D images of the skull, led to a high sex estimation accuracy of 93%. Future studies should focus on proposing and quantifying new measurement methods for areas showing sexual characteristics in the skull that are difficult to measure, thereby enhancing the accuracy and reliability of sex estimation in human skeletal identification across various fields.

This study provides a statistical analysis of 1,226 cases of death occurring in Area 8, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (Gangseo, Yangcheon, and Guro Police Stations) from January 1 to December 31, 2017. There were 427 postmortem inspection cases in Gangseo, 393 in Yangcheon, 377 in Guro, and 29 in other areas. The number of autopsy cases was 69 in Gangseo, 70 in Yangcheon, 86 in Guro, and seven in other areas. According to the postmortem inspection reports, there were 593 cases of natural death and 336 cases of unnatural death, while in 297 cases the cause of death was unknown. Of the 297 unknown cases, autopsy rates from each police station were as follows: 54 of 99 cases (54.5%) in Gangseo, 60 of 101 cases (59.4%) in Yangcheon, 67 of 93 cases (72.0%) in Guro, and in all four cases (100%) from other areas. Unnatural deaths included 215 cases of suicide, nine cases of homicide, and 64 accidental death, while 48 cases were undetermined. Among the unnatural deaths, the cause of death included 138 cases of hanging, 72 cases of falls from a height, and 32 cases of poisoning. Since this statistical study is based on actual postmortem inspection data for 1,226 cases of death in the eight areas of Seoul (excluding deaths from traffic accidents), it raises issues relating to the current postmortem inspection system, and can be used as reference material for a comprehensive overview of causes of death.
Accidental Falls ; Autopsy ; Cause of Death ; Homicide ; Humans ; Poisoning ; Police ; Seoul ; Statistics as Topic ; Suicide