A Prospective Study of Cutaneous Findings in Newborns in the United States: Correlation with Race, Ethnicity, and Gestational Status Using Updated Classification and Nomenclature

Pharmacotherapy using natural substances can be currently regarded as a very promising future alternative toconventional therapy. With the rapid development of biotechnologies and analytical techniques, a great number of methodshave been developed for the identification and quantification of the material, extracts, and products of natural ingredients.The advances available today. The need for safer drugs without side effects has led to the use of natural ingredientswith proven safety. In recent years, some bioactive polysaccharides isolated from natural sources have attracted much attentionin the field of biochemistry and pharmacology. As an example, polysaccharides or their glycoconjugates wereshown to exhibit multiple biological activities including anticarcinogenic, anticoagulant, immunostimulating, antioxidant,etc. During the last several years, we have witnessed a steady expansion in the number of publications that focus in antioxidantpolysaccharides. This review presents current findings on the latest advancements and trends in antioxidant polysaccharidesisolated from the following: plants, fungi, bacteria, animal sources, and algae. Some interesting studies focuson investigation of the relationship between their structure and antioxidant activity, elucidation of their antioxidantmechanism at the molecular level, and improvement of their various biological activities by chemical modifications. Althoughthe mechanism of their antioxidant action is still not completely clear, these polysaccharides are suggested to enhancecell-mediated immune responses in vivo and in vitro and act as biological response modifiers.

An overview on natural polysaccharides with antioxidant properties.

Chemical comparison and classification of Radix Astragali by determination of isoflavonoids and astragalosides

Background: A total of 620 healthy term neonates, randomly selected among babies born at the San Paolo Hospital in Milan (Italy), were examined to study the relationship between birthmarks and transient cutaneous lesions in newborns of different ethnic groups. Methods: Information on sociodemographic factors and on physiopathological variables of the pregnancy was collected. Multiple logistic analyses were performed to assess associations between diagnosed skin lesions and various factors. Odds ratios (OR) as a measure of association and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals were estimated. Results: A positive association was found between reduced hypoderm and pregnancy illness (OR = 2.78), hypertrophy genitalia and use of drugs (OR = 1.86) and illnesses in pregnancy (OR = 1.61). Hyperpigmentation in the genital area and Mongolian spot showed significant positive association with geographical area of origin, being systematically more frequent in non-European neonates, while for melanocytic congenital nevi a positive association was observed only for Asiatic newborns (OR = 4.67); salmon patch on the nape showed a significant OR of 1.81 among mothers aged ≧35. Conclusions: Significant associations between some sociodemographic factors and cutaneous lesions of the newborn and anamnestic data related to the pregnancy were found. Dermatologic conditions are common in the newborns and may justify dermatologic examination.

Birthmarks and transient skin lesions in newborns and their relationship to maternal factors: a preliminary report from northern Italy.

A microwave assisted extraction (MAE) procedure was first developed for the simultaneous determination of isoflavonoids and astragalosides in Radix Astragali (RA). MAE showed the highest extraction efficiency when compared to Soxhlet, reflux, and ultrasonic extraction. It was found that flavonoid glycoside malonates were converted into their related glycosides during the prolonged conventional extraction, thus affecting the reproducibility. However, the conversion was inhibited when using MAE. After being optimized in terms of solvents, microwave power, and irradiation time, MAE was used for the simultaneous determination of isoflavonoids and astragalosides in RA with HPLC-UV-evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD). Our results indicated that extraction by MAE was more effective than by other conventional techniques. Moreover, the MAE method followed by HPLC-UV-ELSD determination was a simple, rapid, and reliable method for the quality assessment of RA.

Development of microwave assisted extraction for the simultaneous determination of isoflavonoids and saponins in radix astragali by high performance liquid chromatography

Background: Erythema toxicum neonatorum (ETN) is a very common disease, but its predisposing factors are still unknown. Objective: To determine the predisposing factors of ETN. Methods: Seven hundred and eighty-three neonates born in the same hospital during the same period were investigated, and the factors predisposing to ETN were evaluated in a case-control study. Results: (1) The incidence of ETN is about 43.68%, and it is significantly higher in males than in females (p < 0.001). (2) Term birth (p < 0.05), first-pregnancy birth (p < 0.001), the birth season (summer and autumn, p < 0.005), being fed with milk powder substitute or a mixed diet (p < 0.001) and vaginal delivery (p < 0.001) are the predisposing factors of ETN. (3) The severity of ETN in neonates born by vaginal delivery is significantly correlated with the total length of labor (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that environmental factors play an important role in the onset of ETN.

Epidemiologic study of the predisposing factors in erythema toxicum neonatorum.

Effects of single herbal drugs on adhesion and migration of melanocytes.

For many years, tests for cardiolipin antibodies Tp15, Tp17, Tp45, Tp47, and other specific Treponema pallidum antibodies, have been used to diagnose syphilis, but the timing and rates of antibody detection differ in primary and secondary syphilis. Our objective was to determine the value of the rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test, T. pallidum passive particle agglutination (TPPA) assay and Western blotting (WB) in the diagnosis of early syphilis, by studying 67 patients (20 with primary and 47 with secondary syphilis) over a recent 5-year period. All patients were tested before and 21/67 were tested after treatment. Western blotting showed that while there was a difference within the study group in terms of the number of bands detected, all patients with primary syphilis demonstrated the 47-kDa antibody, but RPR and TPPA were negative in some patients. Eighteen to 24 months after treatment, 21/67 patients were tested by WB and TPPA; antibodies to T. pallidum became undetectable within 24 months after treatment in 29% of patients. By RPR, 29% patients had negative titers within 6 months of treatment, and 86% returned to normal within 24 months. We conclude that detection of specific 47-kDa T. pallidum antibodies can be used to diagnose primary syphilis. By RPR, antibodies disappear in 6-24 months after treatment in many patients, suggesting that a change in titer may be an indicator of treatment success.

Evaluation of specific antibodies for early diagnosis and management of syphilis

Malignant melanoma is a common cancer of skin. Its incidence is growing rapidly in recent years,1 however, there is no effective therapy for this cancer. Retinoids are metabolites or derivatives of vitamin A. They are essential for growth, differentiation, and maintenance of epithelial tissues.2 Previous studies showed that retinoids could inhibit growth of many kinds of malignant tumor cell lines and induce its apoptosis,3,4 including malignant melanoma cell lines.5 Some retinoids have therapeutic action to malignant melanoma, such as all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and 13-cis-RA.6,7 Retinoids take effects mainly through two kinds of nuclear receptors, retinoic acid receptor (RAR) and retinoic acid X receptor (RXR). In this study, we have investigated the effects of diverse retinoids and receptor agonists in inhibiting proliferation and inducing apoptosis of human melanoma cell line A375.

Mechanism of retinoid receptors in inhibiting proliferation and inducing apoptosis of human melanoma cell line A375.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the receptor-related mechanism of retinoids inhibiting proliferation and inducing apoptosis of human oral squamous cell carcinoma cell line Tca8113 METHODS The effects of 3 retinoids (namely 9-cis-RA, at-RA and 13-cis-RA), TTNPB (RAR agonist) and methoprene acid (Ma, RXR agonist) on proliferation and cell cycle of Tca8113 cells were analyzed by MTT assay and flow cytometry The roles of these agents in inducing apoptosis of Tca8113 cells were also evaluated by detecting the expression of Bcl-2/Bax, TUNEL and active caspase-3 analysis RESULTS Both retinoids and TTNPB could inhibit the proliferation of Tca8113 cells, and the effect of TTNPB was the most powerful in all the reagents, but MA had no such effect At the concentration of 1 x 10(-5) mol/L, all the agents except for Ma could increase the percentage of G(1)/G(0)-stage cells after incubation of the cells for 24 h and 48 h Retinoids and TTNPB could up-regulate the expression of Bax and down-regulate Bcl-2 expression The results of TUNEL demonstrated that retinoids and TTNPB, but not Ma, could induce apoptosis of Tca8113 cells as compared with the control group (P<005) Except for Ma, all the agents up-regulated caspase-3 expression, and the effect of TTNPB was the strongest (P<005) CONCLUSIONS Retinoids can suppress the proliferation of and induce apoptosis of Tca8113 cells, the effect of which involves activation of RAR but not RXR caspase-3 pathway is involved in apoptosis-inducing effects of retinoids

Chao Liu

Papers

Epidemiologic study of the predisposing factors in erythema toxicum neonatorum.

Effects of single herbal drugs on adhesion and migration of melanocytes.

Evaluation of specific antibodies for early diagnosis and management of syphilis

Mechanism of retinoid receptors in inhibiting proliferation and inducing apoptosis of human melanoma cell line A375.

[Receptor-related mechanism of proliferation inhibilion and apoptosis induetion of human tongue squamous cell line Tca8113 by retinoids].