变压式皮肤听声器的初步研究

运用生理学与电子学理论并通过实验设计了一种变压式皮肤听声器，它可以使全聋人通过皮肤获得对于声音的听觉。文中还将皮肤听声器的设计原理与助听器及电子耳蜗的设计原理做了对比。     

Comparison of Operant Escape and Innate Reflex Responses to Nociceptive Skin Temperatures Produced by Heat and Cold Stimulation of Rats.

In behavioral tests, rats performed learned escape responses to thermal stimulation of the paws by 44.0. 47.0. or 0.3 degrees C. Licking, guarding, and jumping reflexes were evaluated at these temperatures. The frequency, latency, and duration of escape and reflex responses were compared and were related to hind-paw skin temperatures measured during stimulation of awake and anesthetized rats. The duration and latency of escape from heat were appropriately related to stimulus intensity. Escape occurred reliably for each intensity. Reflexes occurred unreliably and at long latency to 44.0 or 0.3 degrees C and were not appropriately related to heat intensity. The reflexes were relatively insensitive to thermal nociceptive stimulation other than heating of the skin at a high rate. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

关节点处增加截面的三维虚拟人皮肤变形方法

实时逼真的三维虚拟人的皮肤变形技术是计算机动画的重要研究方向之一。基于切面轮廓线进行操作的交叉截面皮肤变形方法由于速度快及良好的连续性被广泛地使用。但在自由度变化大的关节处难以表达细微的皮肤结构。基于此,在自由度变化较大的关节处通过增加截面的方法进行补偿来表现细微的皮肤变形,取得了预期的效果。该方法解决了关节处皮肤变形的失真效果,并且没有降低实时性,获得了理想的皮肤变形效果。     

基于肤色模型的机动车驾驶员面部定位的研究

目前,利用驾驶员眼睛的状态来判断驾驶员的驾驶疲劳情况得到了广泛的应用,而驾驶员面部的定位是实现眼睛检测的关键因素之一。本研究将驾驶员图像映射到YCbCr空间,利用肤色在YCbCr空间的分布特性建立肤色模型,分割出肤色并得到人脸的区域。     

Cold Atmospheric Plasma Jet Treatment Improves Human Keratinocyte Migration and Wound Closure Capacity without Causing Cellular Oxidative Stress

Cold Atmospheric Plasma (CAP) is an emerging technology with great potential for biomedical applications such as sterilizing equipment and antitumor strategies. CAP has also been shown to improve skin wound healing in vivo, but the biological mechanisms involved are not well known. Our study assessed a possible effect of a direct helium jet CAP treatment on keratinocytes, in both the immortalized N/TERT-1 human cell line and primary keratinocytes obtained from human skin samples. The cells were covered with 200 µL of phosphate buffered saline and exposed to the helium plasma jet for 10–120 s. In our experimental conditions, micromolar concentrations of hydrogen peroxide, nitrite and nitrate were produced. We showed that long-time CAP treatments (≥60 s) were cytotoxic, reduced keratinocyte migration, upregulated the expression of heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) and induced oxidative cell stress. In contrast, short-term CAP treatments (<60 s) were not cytotoxic, did not affect keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation, and did not induce any changes in mitochondria, but they did accelerate wound closure in vitro by improving keratinocyte migration. In conclusion, these results suggest that helium-based CAP treatments improve wound healing by stimulating keratinocyte migration. The study confirms that CAP could be a novel therapeutic method to treat recalcitrant wounds.     

Betula alba Bark Extract and Empetrum nigrum Fruit Juice,a Natural Alternative to Niacinamide for Skin Barrier Benefits

The Scandinavian region is home to a unique biome with endemic plant species. The aim of this study was to explore this natural diversity and identify plant extracts providing positive skin barrier effects. Six plant extracts were identified as starting material. Following biochemical screening, two candidates outperformed the rest: Betula alba (BA) and Empetrum nigrum (EN). Quantitative PCR analysis showed that BA and EN upregulated barrier genes, when used individually and in combination. Betula alba increased AQP3 and OCLN protein expression, something niacinamide was incapable of. Additionally, the skin barrier was strengthened, evidenced by inhibition of KLK5 and hyaluronidase and showed strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity through DPPH and COX2 inhibition, respectively. A first split-face clinical study was conducted using the combination of extracts versus placebo. There was a significantly better skin restructuring effect and corneocyte cohesion on the side treated with combined extracts. A second split-face clinical study assessed the combined extracts versus 3% niacinamide. Significant variations in skin hydration and TEWL were observed in favor of the extract treated side. In conclusion, we identified a natural alternative to niacinamide for improving skin barrier health, in Scandinavian plant extracts, which yield strong performance, but at a lower concentration.     

Circ_0011129 Encapsulated by the Small Extracellular Vesicles Derived from Human Stem Cells Ameliorate Skin Photoaging

Photoaging is not only the main cause of skin aging caused by exogenous factors, it is also related to a variety of skin diseases and even malignant tumors. Excessive and repeated exposure to ultraviolet radiation, especially UVA induces oxidative stress, DNA damage, inflammation, and collagen and elastin degeneration, ultimately leads to skin photoaging, manifested by skin redness, coarse wrinkles, and pigmentation even skin cancer. There has been a large demand of effective prevention and medications but approaches in the current management of photoaging are very limited. In the previous study, we found that a non-coding circular RNA circ_0011129 acts as a miR-6732-5p adsorption sponge to inhibit the reduction of type I collagen and the denaturation and accumulation of elastin in UVA-induced HDF cells photoaging model. However, in vivo instability and efficient delivery to the target cell of circRNA is a major challenge for its clinical application. Therefore, improving its stability and delivery efficiency are desired. In this study, we proposed a strategy of delivering circ_0011129 with small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) from human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) to intervene in the photoaging process. The results showed that sEVs from hADSCs in 3D bioreactor culture (3D-sEVs) can prevent photoaging. Consequently, by overexpressing circ_0011129 in hADSCs, we successfully loaded it into 3D-sEVs (3D-circ-sEVs) and its protective effect was better. Our studies provide a novel approach to preventing skin photoaging, which has important clinical significance and application value for the development of non-coding RNA drugs to treat skin photoaging. We first screened out hADSCs-derived sEVs with excellent anti-oxidant effects. We then compared the sEVs collected from traditional 2D culture with 3D bioreactor culture. By miRNA-seq and GEO data analysis, we found that miRNAs in 3D-sEVs were enriched in cell activities related to apoptosis, cellular senescence, and inflammation. Subsequently, we prepared circ_0011129-loaded 3D-sEVs (3D-circ-sEVs) by overexpressing it in hADSCs for the treatment of photoaging in vitro. We proved that 3D-circ-sEVs can interfere with the process of cell photoaging and protect cells from UVA radiation damage, as well as in a H2O2-induced oxidative stress model.     

Inflammation Causes Exacerbation of COVID-19: How about Skin Inflammation?

COVID-19 is a recently emerged viral infection worldwide. SARS-CoV-2, the causative virus, is believed to have emerged from bat coronaviruses, probably through host conversion. The bat coronavirus which has the highest gene homology to SARS-CoV-2 specifically infects deep forest bats in China whose habitat extends through the Middle East to Southern Europe. Host conversion might have occurred due to the deforestation by humans exposing wild bats to the environment they had never encountered before. SARS-CoV-2 infects cells through two mechanisms: through its receptor ACE2 with the help of enzyme TMPRSS and through membrane fusion with the help of elastases in the inflammatory condition. Obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and pulmonary diseases cause poor prognosis of COVID-19. Aging is another factor promoting poor prognosis. These diseases and aging cause low-level and persistent inflammation in humans, which can promote poor prognosis of COVID-19. Psoriasis and atopic dermatitis are the major inflammatory skin diseases. These inflammatory skin conditions, however, do not seem to cause poor prognosis for COVID-19 based on the epidemiological data accumulated so far. These mechanisms need to be elucidated.