BACKGROUND: Artificial nerve grafts of human hair keratin are a kind of biological products. It has low antigenicity,absorbability and stimulation to nerve fiber growth following specific biochemistry. It is hoped to have better effect than otherartificial nerve grafts.　 OBJECTIVE: To investigate the anatomy and histocompatibility of artificial nerve grafts of the human-hair keratin, and toobserve its effects on the repair of peripheral nerves. 　 DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: Randomized, controlled, animal experiment. The study was performed at the Animal CentralLaboratory of Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University Medical College between November 2006 and June 2008. MATERIALS: Artificial nerve grafts of human hair keratin is a compound of human hair processed by specific controlledbiochemistry based on ground substance, embedded with a layer of biological membrane. It has low antigenicity, absorbabilityand stimulation to nerve fiber growth following specific biochemistry. METHODS: Eighteen Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups. The sciatic nerve, 10 mm, was removed andtransplanted with human-hair keratin graft, skeletal muscle and untreated hair, respectively.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The characteristics of histomorphology and anatomy were observed at 8, 12, 24 weeks afterthe surgery. RESULTS: White tissues appeared between the broken ends of the sciatic nerve at 8 post-operative week in the graft group,and appeared in the graft space in human-hair keratin at the 12th week. At the 24th week, a large amount of infantile myelinatednerve fibers were observed under optical microscope regenerating around the human hair, which was partially degraded andabsorbed. Schwann cells were observed under an electron microscope and myelinization. 　 CONCLUSION: The artificial nerve grafts of the human-hair keratin are well compatible with the body tissues, and couldinduce nerve regeneration.

Objective To investigate the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) in epidermal keratinocytes of patients with psoriasis vulgaris and its significance.Methods Immunohistochemical method was used to examine the expression of PPARα,β/δand.γ in tissue specimens from the normal skin of 5 human controls,lesional and normal skin adjacent to the lesions of 17 patients with psoriasis vulgaris.A semi-quantitative analysis was carried out by image analyzer.Results Different levels of expression of the three PPAR isotypes were observed in the nuclei of epidermal keratinocytes of normal human controls.The expression intensity of PPAR α,β/δand γ was statistically higher in the epidermis of adjacent normal skin than that in psoriatic lesions(all P<0.01)and normal control skin(all P<0.01).Conclusions The decreased expression of PPARα may be associated with the overproliferation and parakeratosis of epidermal keratinocytes in psoriatic lesions,and PPAR β/δ and γ may display a synergistic effect on the maintenance of homeostatic proliferation and difierentiafion of epidermal cells.

Objective To investigate the role of heat shock poteins(HSPs)in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.Methods Expression of HSP27,HSP70and HSP60was detected by immunohistochemical and image analysis in epidermal keratinocytes of pre-and post-treatment psoriatic lesional,and non-lesional skin in25psoriatic patients and6healthy controls.Results There was constitutive expression of HSP27and HSP70in epidermal keratinocytes of psoriatic non-lesional skin and normal controls,and the weak expression in psoriatic lesions.There was expression of HSP60in keratinocytes of psoriatic skin,but no expression of HSP60in non-lesional and normal skin.Expression of HSP27and HSP70recovered gradually in post-treatment psoriatic lesions,and no expression of HSP60was observed in lesional skin after treatment.Conclusion HSPs may play a certain role in psoriatic stress protective mechanism.

Objective:To evaluate the short-term efficacy of ustekinumab (UST) as the first-line treatment of Crohn′s disease (CD).Methods:From October 1, 2020 to March 1, 2023, at the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, 64 CD patients treated with UST as first-line biologics were enrolled. The patients were classified using the Montreal classification. Clinical and endoscopic response and remission were assessed by Crohn′s disease activity index (CDAI) and simple endoscopic score for crohn′s disease (SES-CD), respectively. Clinical response was defined as a reduction in CDAI score ≥70, and clinical remission was defined as a CDAI score <150; Endoscopic response was defined as ≥50% reduction from baseline in SES-CD score, and endoscopic remission was defined as SES-CD score ≤2. The clinical response rate and clinical remission rate at week 24 and week 48, as well as the endoscopic response rate and endoscopic remission rate at week 48 were observed in CD patients (only 21 patients with endoscopic prognostic results). Mann-Whitney rank sum test was used for statistical analysis.Results:Among 64 CD patients, there were 47 males and 17 females, with an age of (33.5±13.7) years old. According to Montreal classification, there were 3 cases (4.7%) of type A1 (≤16 years old), 44 cases (68.8%) of type A2 (17 to 40 years old), and 17 cases (26.6%) of type A3 (>40 years old); 43 cases (67.2%) of type L1 (terminal ileum type), 10 cases (15.6%) of type L2 (colonic type), 8 cases (12.5%) of type L3 (ileocolonic type), 1 case (1.6%) of type L4 (upper gastrointestinal type), 2 cases (3.1%) of type L1+ L4; 23 cases (35.9%) of type B1 (non-stricturing, non-penetrating), 34 cases (53.1%) of type B2 (stricturing), 2 cases (3.1%) of type B3 (penetrating), 5 cases (7.8%) of type B2+ B3; 44 cases (68.8%) complicated with perianal lesions. Among 56 CD patients with UST maintenance therapy once every 8 weeks, the CDAI scores at week 24 and 48 after treatment were both lower than that at week 0 (64.46(30.61, 123.30), 34.24(15.77, 64.83) vs. 353.40(290.40, 391.30)), and the CDAI score at week 48 after treatment was lower than that at week 24 after treatment, and the differences were statistically significant ( Z=-9.01, -9.13, and -3.14; P<0.001, <0.001, and =0.002). The clinical response rate was 100.0% (56/56) and the clinical remission rate was 91.1% (51/56) at week 24; the clinical response rate was 100.0% (56/56) and the clinical remission rate was 98.2% (55/56) at week 48. Among 39 CD patients complicated with perianal lesions, the closure rate of anal lesions at week 24 was 87.2% (34/39) and at week 48 was 100.0% (39/39). Among 8 CD patients who received UST maintenance therapy once every 12 weeks, the CDAI scores at week 24 and 48 were both lower than that at week 0 (100.40(71.20, 171.30), 38.49(18.25, 143.50) vs. 268.00(242.60, 364.90)), and the differences were statistically significant ( Z=-3.26 and -3.36; both P<0.001). At week 24, 7 CD patients achieved clinical response and 5 CD patients achieved clinical remission. At week 48, 8 CD patients achieved clinical response and 6 CD patients achieved clinical remission. Among 5 CD patients complicated with perianal lesions, 3 CD patients achieved perianal closure at week 24 and all 5 CD patients achieved closure of perianal lesions at week 48. Among 21 CD patients who underwent endoscopic evaluation, 16 CD patients received UST maintenance therapy once every 8 weeks, the SES-CD score at week 48 was lower than that at week 0 (4.00(3.00, 7.75) vs. 9.50(7.25, 10.75)), and the difference was statistically significant ( Z=-3.43, P<0.001), among them, 9 CD patients achieved endoscopic response and 2 CD patients achieved endoscopic remission; 5 CD patients received UST maintenance therapy once every 12 weeks, there was no statistically significant difference in the SES-CD score at week 48 compared with that at week 0 (4.00(1.50, 6.50) vs. 7.00(3.50, 10.00)) ( P>0.05), among them, 3 CD patients achieved endoscopic response and 1 CD patients achieved endoscopic remission. Conclusion:UST as the first-line treatment for CD patients can achieve clinical efficacy (response or remission), and the maintenance therapy is beneficial for endoscopic remission and closure of perianal lesions.