Objective:To compare the skin biophysical properties in acne patients of different gender and to further explore their association with skin biophysical properties.Methods:A total of 236 patients with acne vulgaris from the Department of Dermatology, Wuxi Second People＇s Hospital from April 2021 to December 2022 were prospectively enrolled, including 84 males and 152 females, with a median age of 26 (12-45) years. In addition, 62 healthy controls without skin diseases were included in this hospital during the same period, including 30 males and 32 females, with a median age of 27 (13-45) years. CK skin detector and VISIA skin image analyzer were used to detect physiological barrier parameters of the skin in the healthy control group and acne patient group, including transepidermal water loss (TEWL), skin hydration, pH value, erythema index, and melanin index. Global Acne Grading System (GAGS) score was used to assess the severity of acne. The aim was to compare the differences in the above skin physiological barrier parameters between male and female acne patients, and to explore their correlation with the severity of acne.Results:Compared with the female acne group, the male acne group had higher GAGS score, higher TEWL value, lower skin hydration, higher erythema index and melanin index, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). There was a weak positive correlation between the TEWL value and the number of comedones ( r=0.14, P=0.045) as well as the GAGS score ( r=0.15, P=0.036) in female acne patients; The TEWL value was weakly negatively correlated with skin hydration ( r=-0.24, P=0.002). The age of male acne patients was moderately positively correlated with pH value ( r=0.45, P=0.003). The erythema index was weakly positively correlated with the number of nodular cysts ( r=0.34, P=0.002) and the melanin index ( r=0.35, P=0.018); The TEWL value was moderately negatively correlated with skin hydration ( r=-0.44, P=0.003). Conclusions:Compared with female acne patients, male patients have poorer skin physiological barrier function. The worse the physiological barrier function of female patients＇ skin, the more severe their acne. There is no correlation between the skin physiological barrier function and the severity of acne in male patients.

Objective:To determine the prevalence situation of adult female acne (AFA) patients and to explore the risk factors related to AFA.Methods:From September 2019 to June 2020, 290 female acne patients aged from 25 to 48 (29.57±4.50) years were surveyed with a questionnaire of risk factors and the prevalence situation of acne in the acne clinic of the Department of Dermatology, Wuxi No.2 Hospital Affiliated with Nanjing Medical University.Results:AFA occured more frequently in the jaw (95.17%), cheek (93.79%) and forehead (89.66%). Recurrent acne (38.62%) and comedonal acne (50.34%) more commonly occured. Cosmetics, endocrine, diet, genetics and other factors aggravated AFA. Age ( H=7.286, P>0.05; F=0.122, P>0.05), gonadal hormone concentrations ( Z=-0.365, P>0.05; χ 2=0.276, P>0.05), menstrual cycle ( Z=-0.274, P>0.05; χ 2=0.217, P>0.05), genetics ( Z=-1.244, P>0.05; χ 2=1.771, P>0.05) made no difference to acne grading and types. Excessive use of cosmetics could lead to increased comedo (χ 2=7.097, P<0.05). Cosmetics had no difference to acne grading ( Z=-0.065, P>0.05). Gonadal hormone concentrations were uncorrelated with menstrual cycle (χ 2=1.397, P>0.05). Conclusions:The pathogenesis of AFA is related to a variety of factors, which affect the skin barrier function and require comprehensive treatment.

Objective:To compare the skin characteristics of melasma patients with general population by the VISIA skin detector.Methods:In July to September 2018, the skin spots, wrinkles, texture, pore, UV spots, porphyrins, brown spots, the absolute scores of red areas, and the age difference were analyzed in patients with melasma and general population in the Laser Center of Dermatology, the Wuxi Second Hospital.Results:Compared with general population the spots (35.62±8.90, 27.82±4.98), wrinkles (24.36±6.93, 19.89±1.10), texture (12.92±5.37, 6.63±4.74), pore (12.35±4.68, 17.56±10.69), UV spots (23.11±4.55, 17.71±7.26), brown spots (56.34±5.74, 52.81±3.16) and the age difference (-0.59±3.35, 3.96±3.60) of melasma patients had the statistically significant difference ( t=3.63, 2.26, 4.07, 2.64, 3.03, 2.56, 4.85, P<0.05); Porphyrin (7.81±6.83, 7.67±5.60) and red areas (40.44±6.73, 38.50±9.87) had no statistical difference ( t=0.08, 0.89, P>0.05). Conclusions:Compared with general population, the skin of patients with melasma has less splashes, wrinkles and the poorer skin smoothness and looks older, but it is more delicate.

Objective To understand the occurrence of hepatic dysfunction induced by imipenem-cilastatin sodium in preadult inpatients and analyze the influencing factors. Methods Data of inpatients receiving imipenem-cilastatin sodium treatment in Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from January 1st,2016 to December 31st,2016 were collected and analyzed retrospectively. The patients′ general condition,utilization of imipenem-cilastatin sodium,combined medication,clinical effect,and liver function etc. were recorded. The influencing factors of hepatic dysfunction,especially severe liver injury caused by imipenem-cilastatin sodium were analyzed. Results A total of 143 preadult inpatients were enrolled into this study. Of them,86 patients were males and 57 were females;61 of them were <1 year old,9 were 1-3 years old,6 were 4-10 years old,67 of them were 11-18 years old,and their median age was 9 years. There were 176 infections in the 143 patients. Most of the infections were respiratory tract infection,sepsis, and septicemia. Imipenem-cilastatin sodium was given via intravenous infusion in all patients. At the same daily dosage,the drug was given every 6 hours in 30 patients(21.0%),every 8 hours in 79 patients (55.2%),every 12 hours in 31 patients(21.7%),once daily in 3 patients(2.1%). Eighty-five patients were given combined drugs that could cause liver dysfunction,such as vancomycin,voriconazole, fluconazole,and azithromycin etc. Of the 143 patients,59 had hepatic dysfunction(41.3%),24 had liver injury(16.8%),and 11 had severe liver injury(7.7%). Thirty-four patients with hepatic dysfunction received drugs that could cause liver dysfunction during the imipenem-cilastatin sodium treatment. Occurrence of liver dysfunction was not correlated with any of the following factors:patients′ gender,ages, whether or not having malignant tumor,systemic infections,frequency of administration at the same daily dosage,combination drugs that could cause liver dysfunction,liver-protective drugs use before imipenem-cilastatin sodium treatment(all P>0.05). However,the difference in the incidence of severe liver injury between the <1 year old and 11-18 years old patients was statistically significant[18.0%(11/61)vs. 0(0/67),P<0.001],the difference in the incidence of severe liver injury between the inpatients with malignancies or not was statistically significant[0(0/46)vs. 11.3%(11/97),P<0.01],the difference in the incidence of severe liver injury between the inpatients whose administration frequency was every 6 hours and once daily was statistically significant[0(0/30)vs. 1/3,P=0.001]. Conclusions Non-adult inpatients who were treated with imipenem-cilastatin sodium were prone to develop hepatic dysfunction. Inpatients at age <1 year or receiving higher single dose are more likely to have severe liver injury.

Objective To understand the occurrence of hepatic dysfunction induced by imipenem-cilastatin sodium in preadult inpatients and analyze the influencing factors. Methods Data of inpatients receiving imipenem-cilastatin sodium treatment in Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from January 1st,2016 to December 31st,2016 were collected and analyzed retrospectively. The patients′ general condition,utilization of imipenem-cilastatin sodium,combined medication,clinical effect,and liver function etc. were recorded. The influencing factors of hepatic dysfunction,especially severe liver injury caused by imipenem-cilastatin sodium were analyzed. Results A total of 143 preadult inpatients were enrolled into this study. Of them,86 patients were males and 57 were females;61 of them were <1 year old,9 were 1-3 years old,6 were 4-10 years old,67 of them were 11-18 years old,and their median age was 9 years. There were 176 infections in the 143 patients. Most of the infections were respiratory tract infection,sepsis, and septicemia. Imipenem-cilastatin sodium was given via intravenous infusion in all patients. At the same daily dosage,the drug was given every 6 hours in 30 patients(21.0%),every 8 hours in 79 patients (55.2%),every 12 hours in 31 patients(21.7%),once daily in 3 patients(2.1%). Eighty-five patients were given combined drugs that could cause liver dysfunction,such as vancomycin,voriconazole, fluconazole,and azithromycin etc. Of the 143 patients,59 had hepatic dysfunction(41.3%),24 had liver injury(16.8%),and 11 had severe liver injury(7.7%). Thirty-four patients with hepatic dysfunction received drugs that could cause liver dysfunction during the imipenem-cilastatin sodium treatment. Occurrence of liver dysfunction was not correlated with any of the following factors:patients′ gender,ages, whether or not having malignant tumor,systemic infections,frequency of administration at the same daily dosage,combination drugs that could cause liver dysfunction,liver-protective drugs use before imipenem-cilastatin sodium treatment(all P>0.05). However,the difference in the incidence of severe liver injury between the <1 year old and 11-18 years old patients was statistically significant[18.0%(11/61)vs. 0(0/67),P<0.001],the difference in the incidence of severe liver injury between the inpatients with malignancies or not was statistically significant[0(0/46)vs. 11.3%(11/97),P<0.01],the difference in the incidence of severe liver injury between the inpatients whose administration frequency was every 6 hours and once daily was statistically significant[0(0/30)vs. 1/3,P=0.001]. Conclusions Non-adult inpatients who were treated with imipenem-cilastatin sodium were prone to develop hepatic dysfunction. Inpatients at age <1 year or receiving higher single dose are more likely to have severe liver injury.

Objective To analyze the expression characteristics of annexin A2 in dermal papilla cells (DPCs) with aggregative behavior.Methods Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot were performed to measure the mRNA and protein expressions of annexin A2 respectively in DPCs with or without aggregative behavior.Results The mRNA expression level of annexin A2 was significantly higher in DPCs with aggregative behavior than in those without aggregative behavior (0.50 ± 0.15 vs.0.35 ± 0.19, t =8.26, P ＜ 0.05).Western blot showed that annexin A2 had two isoforms, including one isoform with a relative molecular mass of 40 000 and the other one with a relative molecular mass of 36 000.The annexin A2 isoform with a relative molecular mass of 40 000 was highly expressed in both DPCs with aggregative behavior and those without aggregative behavior, while the other isoform was only expressed in DPCs with aggregative behavior.Conclusion Annexin A2 may be closely related to the aggregative growth of DPCs.

Objective To compare the short-term efficacy of high-intensity ultraviolet B (UVB) versus 308-nm excimer laser for the treatment of vitiligo.Methods Eighty patients with vitiligo were equally divided into two groups to be treated with high-intensity UVB twice a week or 308-nm excimer laser once a week for eight weeks.Repigmentation was evaluated at the end of the treatment.Results After eight weeks of treatment,repigmentation of different degrees was observed in 83.6％ and 86.1％,and marked repigmentation in 42.1％ and 50％,of the UVB-and excimer laser-treated lesions,respectively.The response rate was significantly lower in facial lesions receiving high-intensity UVB radiation than in those receiving excimer laser radiation (49.1％ vs.68.4％,x2 =4.32,P ＜ 0.05),but similar at the other body sites between the two treatment (all P ＞ 0.05).The cumulative dosage required for initial repigmentation was similar between high-intensity UVB and 308-nm excimer laser (t =0.89,P ＞ 0.05),while the treatment sessions and cumulative dosage required for marked or better repigmentation were significantly increased in UVB-compared with excimer laser-treated lesions (both P ＜ 0.01).In addition,both high-intensity UVB and 308-nm excimer laser were suitable for childhood and active vitiligo.Conclusions Both high-intensity UVB and 308-nm excimer laser are safe and effective in the treatment of vitiligo with rapid onset of action,and the latter appears to be superior to the former in efficacy.

Objective To study the expression ot secreted proteins in aggregated dermal papilla cells (DPCs).Methods DPCs were isolated from human scalp tissue and subjected to primary culture and subculture.Aggregated and non-aggregated DPCs served as the subject of this study.Secreted proteins were prepared from these cells and subjected to two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.Differentially expressed proteins were screened by the PDQuest image analysis software.Protein spots were digested and identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry,and finally analyzed using the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) non-redundant (Nr) protein database.Results Two-dimensional electrophoresis maps with good repeatability and high resolution were established.Image analysis of 2-D gels revealed that the average number of detected protein spots was 1 134 ± 52 and 1 078 ± 36 in aggregated and nonaggregated DPCs respectively,and the majority of these protein spots were matched between aggregated and nonaggregated DPCs.Twenty-eight protein spots showed more than 5-fold difference between the two groups of cells,and 10 proteins were preliminarily identified as differentially expressed proteins by peptide-mass fingerprinting.Of these differentially expressed proteins,8 proteins including Rhogdi 1,filamin A,cystatin C,fibronectin,cyclophilin A,procollagen C proteinase enhancer 1,tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 were up-regulated,and 2 proteins including neuropolypeptide h3 and matrix metalloproteinase-3/tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 complex were down-regulated in aggregated DPCs compared with non-aggregated DPCs.Conclusions Differentially expressed proteins between aggregated and non-aggregated DPCs are mainly implicated in cell signaling pathway,cellular proliferation and differentiation,extracellular matrix synthesis and degradation,and so on.

Objectives To develop a rapid genotyping method of clinical isolates of Malassezia from patients with tinea versicolor by PCR-RFLP,and to evaluate reliability of the approach as compared with biochemical classification.Methods Tween assimilation test and catalase reaction were carried out to identify 74 isolates of Malassezia species from patients with tinea versicolor and 7 Malassezia reference strains.The sequence of 28S rDNA of Malassezia species was amplified by PCR,and then the product was analyzed by RFLP with Eco88I,Bsp143Ⅱ and BshNⅠ,respectively.Results M.restricta,M.obtusa and M.pachydermatis were successfully identified by three restriction endonucleases.M.restricta was found to be more diverse from the other 6 species in genetic homology.By comparison with PCR-RFLP technique,a possible mistake was discovered with biochemical method.Conclusion PCR-RFLP is a promising molecular biological technique,which could rapidly and correctly classify Malassezia species.