Qi Luan

The polymorphism of catalase T/C codon 389 in exon 9 and vitiligo susceptibility: a meta‐analysis

Background  The exact aetiology of vitiligo has not yet been established. Oxidative stress is involved in the pathophysiology of vitiligo. It has been described that some polymorphisms in the catalase (CAT) gene may affect the risk of vitiligo. However, the results were inconsistent.

Tumor Thickness Predicts Long-Term Complete Response of Facial Basal Cell Carcinomas in Asian Skin Types IV/V Treated with Methyl Aminolaevulinate Photodynamic Therapy

BACKGROUND Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) responds well to topical photodynamic therapy (PDT), with high clearance rates of 72-100%, although the therapy showed limited effectiveness for lesions > 2 mm thick. Tumor thickness is thought to be associated with therapeutic response. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy, safety, and response depth of methyl aminolaevulinate (MAL) PDT for BCC. METHODS After application of MAL emulsion, each lesion was irradiated with 633-nm red light (total dose: 339 J/cm(2)). Complete response (CR) rates were assessed by histological examination at 6, 12, and 24 months. RESULTS Forty-seven patients (95 lesions) with skin type IV/V were enrolled. Overall CR rate at 24 months was 75.8%. Superficial BCC was more responsive than other subtypes. Tumor thickness beyond subtype was significantly associated with CR rate. Three response depths are proposed: absolute CR (<1.3 mm), relative response (1.3 -1.8 mm) and no response (>1.8 mm). Although the recurrence rate (24%) is higher than with conventional surgical excision, 90.3% of patients were satisfied with the cosmetic outcome. CONCLUSIONS MAL-PDT offers a noninvasive effective treatment; however, it is not the first option for most BCCs, except inoperable cases. The tumor thickness, independent of subtype, is predictive of PDT response.

Mutual enhancement between heparanase and vascular endothelial growth factor: a novel mechanism for melanoma progression.

Heparanase is closely related to growth factors in the role of promoting tumor progression. Among them, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is necessary for tumor vascularity and metastasis. Release of VEGF by heparanase can initiate relative signaling pathways, resulting in an up-regulation of transcriptional factors related with heparanase. Therefore, VEGF likely has a potential function as a regulator of heparanase expression in melanoma. We hypothesized that a novel mechanism exists where heparanase and VEGF are mutually enhanced in melanoma. Our study was conducted to validate the hypothetical mutual enhancement and elucidate its effect on melanoma progression. We found that the addition of exogenous VEGF and its cDNA transfection induce heparanase over-expression by means of western-blot and real-time RT-PCR, while anti-VEGF siRNA reduces heparanase expression in A2058 and WM793 melanoma cell lines. Likewise, VEGF expression is also regulated by heparanase in these two cell lines. Additionally, the cells with mutual enhancement phenotypes exhibit higher proliferation and transmigration capacity. PD98059, a specific inhibitor of the MEK/ERK signaling pathway, is involved in this mutual enhancement. These data are the first to show that heparanase and VEGF have a mutual enhancement in melanoma cells, which may be a novel mechanism for promoting melanoma progression.

Comparative study of photodynamic therapy with 5%, 10% and 20% aminolevulinic acid in the treatment of generalized recalcitrant facial verruca plana: a randomized clinical trial

Generalised recalcitrant facial verruca plana responds poorly to current therapeutic options, including cryotherapy, topical drugs and carbon dioxide (CO2) laser. Case reports and uncontrolled studies suggested that topical photodynamic therapy (PDT) is effective choice of treatment free from potential complications associated with invasive therapies.

Genetic variants of the APE1 gene and the risk of vitiligo in a Chinese population: a genotype-phenotype correlation study.

Vitiligo is an acquired depigmentation disorder, and reactive oxygen species play an important role in melanocyte damage. Base excision repair is the major pathway responsible for removing reactive oxygen species-induced DNA damage, in which APE1, ADPRT, and XRCC1 play key roles. To investigate the association between genetic variations of these genes and the risk of vitiligo in Chinese populations, we genotyped APE1-Asp148Glu, ADPRT-Val762Ala, and XRCC1-Arg399Gln polymorphisms and measured serum 8-OHdG levels in a hospital-based case-control study. We found that a significantly increased risk of vitiligo was associated with the APE1 Asp/Glu (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.24; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02-1.52) and Glu/Glu genotypes (adjusted OR 1.48; 95% CI 1.13-1.93), compared with the APE1 Asp/Asp genotype, whereas no vitiligo risk was associated with the genotypes ADPRT-Val762Ala and XRCC1-Arg399Gln. Furthermore, serum 8-OHdG levels were elevated in the APE1-148Glu allele carriers (Asp/Glu+Glu/Glu), in an allele dose-response manner, with the risk of vitiligo (Ptrend<0.05). In addition, we found that the APE1-148Glu variant increased the 8-OHdG levels of cultured human melanocytes treated with H2O2, without any impact on the endonuclease activity. These data suggest that the APE1-Asp148Glu polymorphism aggravates oxidative stress in human melanocytes and contributes to genetic predisposition to vitiligo in Chinese people.

The association between trauma and melanoma in the Chinese population: a retrospective study

The association between trauma and melanoma has been a controversial issue.