Outer Aspects Research Articles

Injury-induced actin cytoskeleton reorganization in podocytes revealed by super-resolution microscopy.

The architectural integrity of tissues requires complex interactions, both between cells and between cells and the extracellular matrix. Fundamental to cell and tissue homeostasis are the specific mechanical forces conveyed by the actomyosin cytoskeleton. Here we used super-resolution imaging methods to visualize the actin cytoskeleton in the kidney glomerulus, an organized collection of capillaries that filters the blood to make the primary urine. Our analysis of both mouse and human glomeruli reveals a network of myosin IIA-containing contractile actin cables within podocyte cell bodies and major processes at the outer aspects of the glomerular tuft. These likely exert force on an underlying network of myosin IIA-negative, noncontractile actin fibers present within podocyte foot processes that function to both anchor the cells to the glomerular basement membrane and stabilize the slit diaphragm against the pressure of fluid flow. After injuries that disrupt the kidney filtration barrier and cause foot process effacement, the podocyte's contractile actomyosin network relocates to the basolateral surface of the cell, manifesting as sarcomere-like structures juxtaposed to the basement membrane. Our findings suggest a new model of the podocyte actin cytoskeleton in health and disease and suggest the existence of novel mechanisms that regulate podocyte architecture.

The Role of Platelet-Rich Plasma in Promoting Cartilage Integration and Chondrocyte Migration

Objectives:Current therapies for cartilage repair either do not result in regeneration of articular cartilage, or there is inadequate integration with the host tissue leading to failure of the repair. Thus, there is an interest in developing alternative approaches. The mechanisms of cartilage integration remain relatively unknown, however it is believed that chondrocyte migration is crucial to this process. Previously, we showed that platelet rich plasma (PRP) enhances in vitro cartilage tissue formation. We hypothesized that PRP will enhance the integration of bioengineered cartilage with native cartilage due to increased matrix accumulation at the interface and that PRP could promote chondrocyte migration.Methods:Isolated bovine chondrocytes were seeded on a porous bone substitute and grown in vitro to form osteochondral-like tissue. After 7 days the biphasic constructs were soaked in PRP for 30 minutes prior to implantation into the core of a ring-shaped osteochondral explant. Controls were not soaked in PRP. The resulting implant-explant construct was cultured in a stirring bioreactor for 2 weeks (contact model). Alternatively, the PRP soaked biphasic construct was placed 2mm away from a native cartilage/bone plug of equal dimensions to assess chondrocyte migration between the two tissues (non-contact model). The integration zone was visualized histologically. A push-out test was performed to assess the strength of integration. Matrix accumulation at the zone of integration was assessed biochemically and the gene expression of the cells in this region was assessed by RT-PCR. Cell migration was evaluated by video microscopy over 8 days. Significance (p<0.05) was determined by a χ2 test, a student’s t-test or one-way ANOVA with tukey’s post hoc.Results:PRP soaked implants (contact model) integrated with host tissue in 73% of samples, whereas control implants integrated in 19% of samples (p<0.05). The integration strength was significantly increased in the PRP soaked implant group compared to controls (219 ± 35.4 kPa and 72.0 ± 28.5 kPa, respectively, p<0.05). This correlated with an increase in glycosaminoglycan and collagen accumulation in the region of integration in the PRP treated implant group (p<0.05). Immunohistochemical studies revealed that the integration zone was rich in collagen type II and aggrecan. The cells at the zone of integration in the PRP soaked group had a 3.5 fold increase in matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP13) gene expression (p<0.05) compared to controls. In the non-contact cultures, a network of fibers developed to connect the PRP soaked construct to the native plug. No fibers formed when the constructs were not soaked in PRP. Time-lapse videos showed chondrocytes with a round phenotype migrating along the fibers and undergoing cell division within 24 hours. These cells came from the bioengineered cartilage whereas migrating cells from native cartilage were only seen after 5 days in select cultures. After 2 weeks, the cells deposited cartilage-like matrix around the fibers as seen histologically. A single layer of cells expressed MMP13 on the outer aspects of the tissue.Conclusion:PRP soaked bioengineered cartilage implants showed improved integration with native cartilage compared to non-soaked implants perhaps due to increased matrix accumulation. Chondrocytes grew out from the in vitro formed tissue and migrated along fibers after PRP soaking. The contribution of these cells to integration requires further study.

Kormendy Lecture: Negotiation, Outside-In and Inside-Out: On the Level or Thereabout

This is a poem with footnotes that explains the outer and inner aspects of negotiation and how to combine negotiation models and skills with mindfulness and internal Family Systems.

Portraiture in Oscar Wilde’s Fiction

Wilde se rendit compte dès le début de sa carrière que le genre du portrait reposait sur une dichotomie entre la représentation des aspects intimes de la vie d’un individu d’une part et celle du personnage public, d’autre part. Mais peu après la criminalisation des « outrages aux bonnes mœurs » en 1885 et le début de sa liaison avec Robert Ross en 1886, il prit conscience du fait que le portrait constituait également une structure imaginaire propice à la représentation de vies caractérisées par des désirs illicites, désirs que l’on ne pouvait satisfaire que secrètement, loin du regard de la société. Cet article explore la dynamique entre portrait, artiste, sujet (ou « modèle ») et spectateur dans quatre textes de fiction que Wilde a publiés à intervalles réguliers à la fin des années 1880. Il montre qu’au fil de ces quatre textes, Wilde développa une théorie nuancée de l’art du portrait comme incarnation visuelle du désir pour les hommes et entre hommes. Il suggère en conclusion que la nouvelle compréhension de l’art du portrait acquise par Wilde a pu à son tour influencer l’œuvre de son ami Toulouse-Lautrec, dont le célèbre portrait à l’aquarelle de l’écrivain, réalisé en 1895, constitue une rupture radicale par rapport aux normes de l’époque.

ULTIMA RATIO PRINCIPO SAMPRATA

[full article and abstract in Lithuanian; abstract in English] In the process of criminalisation of certain offences, the relevant requirements for legislature must be raised, which limit discretion of legislature and do not allow distorting the essence of criminal law. The theory of criminalisation determines these requirements and one of them is the ultima ratio (latin last, final argument, last resort) principle.This principle means that criminal liability, being the most restricting measure in terms of rights and freedoms of persons, must be applied in exceptional cases only, when other legal or non-legal means are not sufficient in order to stop criminality.The content of the ultima ratio principle includes: 1) serious violation of individual, social and state legal interests;2) absence of alternative influence means for this violation in other legal branches. The content of the ultima ratio principle also encompasses inner (consistency of criminal law system) and outer (the means of criminal law is exceptional when compared with the means of other legal branches) aspects as well as aspects of legislature and implementation of law.The ultima ratio principle is given a different meaning: from the scientific recommendation for legislature to the obligatory constitutional principle. Due to the relation with the defence of fundamental rights and the principle of proportionality, which makes ultima ratio peremptory, the ultima ratio principle is considered as the regulatory provision of law – the legal principle which is related to criminal justice. Since the ultima ratio principle functions, first of all, in legislature, i.e. in the process of criminalization, it must be considered as the substantive special principle of criminal policy.

Relasi Pengetahuan Islam Eksoteris dan Esoteris

&lt;p&gt;This article scrutinizes the relationship of Islamic knowledge focusing on esoteric realm and exoteric area or what so-called duality of life. Within intellectual treasures of Islam this dualism have subsequ-ently beat each other. It is sometimes in the form of friction between the scientific and non-scientific, rational and spiritual, the sacred and the profane, theocentric and anthropocentric. However, when carefully understood, the dualism shares the same nature, namely outer and inner aspects. The outer is represented by naming, while the inner can only be understood through the process of interpretation. In other words, these two aspects are represented by two words are name (outer aspect) and meaning (inner aspect). Therefore, Islam is present and it attempts to draw both together. As can be observed in this century, the mentality of modern humans seem to be eroded far from religious norms as people have developed science which leads to religious emptying from its noble values. Therefore, it is important to bring the esoteric realm into modern thought which tends only to put emphasis on exoteric aspect.&lt;/p&gt;

Knockdown of Tmem234 in zebrafish results in proteinuria.

Podocytes are highly specialized epithelial cells located at the outer aspects of the glomerular capillary tuft and critical components of the kidney filtration barrier. To maintain their unique features, podocytes express a number of proteins that are only sparsely found elsewhere in the body. In this study, we have identified four (Tmem234, Znf185, Lrrc49, and Slfn5) new highly podocyte-enriched proteins. The proteins are strongly expressed by podocytes, while other parts of the kidney show only weak or no expression. Tmem234, Slfn5, and Lrrc49 are located in foot processes, whereas Znf185 is found in both foot and major processes. Expressional studies in developing kidneys show that these proteins are first expressed at the capillary stage glomerulus, the same stage when the formation of major and foot processes begins. We identified zebrafish orthologs for Tmem234 and Znf185 genes and knocked down their expression using morpholino technology. Studies in zebrafish larvae indicate that Tmem234 is essential for the organization and functional integrity of the pronephric glomerulus filtration barrier, as inactivation of Tmem234 expression results in foot process effacement and proteinuria. In summary, we have identified four novel highly podocyte-enriched proteins and show that one of them, Tmem234, is essential for the normal filtration barrier in the zebrafish pronephric glomerulus. Identification of new molecular components of the kidney filtration barrier opens up possibilities to study their role in glomerulus biology and diseases.

Conserved features in TamA enable interaction with TamB to drive the activity of the translocation and assembly module.

The biogenesis of membranes from constituent proteins and lipids is a fundamental aspect of cell biology. In the case of proteins assembled into bacterial outer membranes, an overarching question concerns how the energy required for protein insertion and folding is accessed at this remote location of the cell. The translocation and assembly module (TAM) is a nanomachine that functions in outer membrane biogenesis and virulence in diverse bacterial pathogens. Here we demonstrate the interactions through which TamA and TamB subunits dock to bridge the periplasm, and unite the outer membrane aspects to the inner membrane of the bacterial cell. We show that specific functional features in TamA have been conserved through evolution, including residues surrounding the lateral gate and an extensive surface of the POTRA domains. Analysis by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and small angle X-ray scattering document the characteristic structural features of these POTRA domains and demonstrate rigidity in solution. Quartz crystal microbalance measurements pinpoint which POTRA domain specifically docks the TamB subunit of the nanomachine. We speculate that the POTRA domain of TamA functions as a lever arm in order to drive the activity of the TAM, assembling proteins into bacterial outer membranes.

PENGEMBANGAN POTENSI DIRI MELALUI METODE DZIKIR DAN OLAH NAPAS (PENELITIAN PADEPOKAN PERISAI BATHIN DAN SILAT LADUNI DI KAB. BANDUNG BARAT)

Every human being has potencies that needs to be empowered, which is the element of earth, fire, water, and air. Basically these elements consist of two aspects, namely, inner aspects what we called the soul and outer aspects that is the body. Elements of the inner aspects which are water, fire and air, while an element of the outer aspect is land. To process the four elements, it’s required struggle and continuous training so that it could benefit themselves, especially in the implementation of worship, as well as beneficial to others.

Ideologi dan Epistemologi Kitab Tuhfat al-Râghibîn Karya Muhammad Arshad al-Banjari

&lt;em&gt;Tuhfat al-Râghibîn &lt;/em&gt;is the first book of theology for Banjarese besides the book of &lt;em&gt;Us&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;ûl al-Dîn&lt;/em&gt;. This book focuses not on the area of surface-structure (outer aspects) but particularly on the deep-structure area (inner aspects). The deep-structure study will help interpret the meaning of the book in its relation to the historical, social, and political context. This paper will explore the deep-structure area which consists of two problems, namely the ideology and the epistemology of &lt;em&gt;Tuh&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;fat al-Râghibîn&lt;/em&gt;. This study concludes that the ideology of the book is Sunnî, and the epistemology of the book is &lt;em&gt;bayânî.&lt;/em&gt; It is based on an analysis that the source of the book is text (&lt;em&gt;nas&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;s&lt;/em&gt;), its method is &lt;em&gt;qiyâs &lt;/em&gt;and &lt;em&gt;ijtihâd&lt;/em&gt;, and the rational argument in the book is used as a means of justification, although it still maintains a balance between revelation and rationalism. In addition, the type of argument is defensive-apologetic, the validity of its argument is the conformity of text to the reality, while the basic principle is &lt;em&gt;infis&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;âl &lt;/em&gt;(discontinuance) and &lt;em&gt;tajwîz&lt;/em&gt; (permissiveness).

Rabbit Tibial Periosteum and Saphenous Arteriovenous Vascular Bundle as an In Vivo Bioreactor to Construct Vascularized Tissue‐Engineered Bone: A Feasibility Study

The aim of this project was to construct vascularized tissue-engineered living bone with an autologous vascular network by means of a rabbit bioreactor in vivo. The key components of the in vivo bioreactor for bone formation were the vascularized tibial periosteum and the saphenous vascular bundle. Beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) scaffolds were implanted into the in vivo bioreactor (vascular pedicle implantation and vascularized periosteum encapsulation). At 4 weeks postsurgery, new bone formation was mainly "cartilage-bone inducing" in the inner periosteum, and was primarily seen in the outer aspects of the scaffold with some amount in the middle part as well. Microvascular infusion showed that direct revascularization of β-TCP was obtained by means of vascular implantation. Triple staining results showed a large amount of blue collagen fibers. Vascular endothelial growth factor immunohistochemical staining displayed endothelial cells of new blood vessels in bone tissue. The bioreactor established in this study can be used to prepare tissue-engineered bone with a vascular network.

Comparision of two different preparation protocol of Ni-Ti Rotary PathFile-ProTaper instruments in simulated s-shaped canals

Introduction. The aim of this study is to compare the root canal transportation with the PathFile-ProTaper recommended protocol, PathFile-ProTaper modified protocol and stainless steel K-flexofiles. Methods. Forty-five ISO 15, 0.02 taper S-shaped Endo Training Blocks were divided randomly into three groups of 15 each and prepared as follows: PathFile-Protaper recommended protocol, Pathfile-Protaper modified protocol and manual preparation with K-Flexofiles. The amount of transportation was assessed by scanning the blocks before and after preparation and superimposing the images. The cutting effects of the instruments from the inner and outer aspects of the root canals were measured and statistically analyzed with the One-way Anova test and Tukey HSD test. Results. Manual preparation caused significantly more transportation than both PathFile-Protaper systems. There was no significant difference regarding transportation between the two Pathfile-Protaper protocols. Conclusion. The modified Pathfile-Protaper protocol transported the canal similar to the recommended Pathfile-Protaper protocol. It may be suggested that, while working safety remains unchanged, the shaping procedure and consequently working time can be shortened with fewer instruments. The results of this study can help clinicians to reduce the preparation time with the PathFile-ProTaper rotary system while the preparation quality remains the same.

On the Role of the Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex in Self-Processing: The Valuation Hypothesis

With the development of functional neuroimaging, important progress has been made in identifying the brain regions involved in self-related processing. One of the most consistent findings has been that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vMPFC) is activated when people contemplate various aspects of themselves and their life, such their traits, experiences, preferences, abilities, and goals. Recent evidence suggests that this region may not support the act of self-reflection per se, but its precise function in self-processing remains unclear. In this article, I examine the hypothesis that the vMPFC may contribute to assign personal value or significance to self-related contents: stimuli and mental representations that refer or relate to the self tend to be assigned unique value or significance, and the function of the vMPFC may precisely be to evaluate or represent such significance. Although relatively few studies to date have directly tested this hypothesis, several lines of evidence converge to suggest that vMPFC activity during self-processing depends on the personal significance of self-related contents. First, increasing psychological distance from self-representations leads to decreased activation in the vMPFC. Second, the magnitude of vMPFC activation increases linearly with the personal importance attributed to self-representations. Third, the activity of the vMPFC is modulated by individual differences in the interest placed on self-reflection. Finally, the evidence shows that the vMPFC responds to outer aspects of self that have high personal value, such as possessions and close others. By assigning personal value to self-related contents, the vMPFC may play an important role in the construction, stabilization, and modification of self-representations, and ultimately in guiding our choices and decisions.

Repetitive, iterative and habitual aspectual affixes in West Greenlandic

In West Greenlandic, there are about 50 to 60 derivational aspectual affixes, and some of them have more than one meaning: a concrete meaning and a temporal meaning. The aspectual affixes are divided into quantitative aspect and phasal aspect. The phasal aspectual affixes are further divided into “inner” phasal aspectual affixes with a verb-modifying function and scope over the verb stem, and “outer” phasal aspectual affixes with a sentence-modifying function and scope over the sentence. Most of the tense affixes are polysemous and also belong to both inner and outer phasal aspects such as –ler ‘begin, be about to, near future’. Among the quantitative aspectual affixes, a group of aspectual affixes contain an iterative/habitual/repetitive meaning. Of these, the most general affix is –tar/–sar, which seems to contain iterative, habitual, generic and gnomic meanings. According to Kristoffersen, –sar has a verb-modifying function with scope over the verbal stem, and a sentence-modifying function with scope over the sentence. There are a few other aspectual affixes with meanings that suggest iteration and repeated action, such as –llattaar ‘from time to time’, –qattaar ‘repeatedly’ etc., where the meanings are more concrete, purely aspectual and seem to be only verb-modifying compared to –tar/–sar ‘habitually’, which has a more general and tense-like meaning. In this paper, I examine the contexts in which the more concrete iterative/repetitive meanings are used in comparison to the more general repetitive and habitual meanings of –tar/–sar, and the combination of –tar/–sar with other affixes of iteration and repetition.

A new method to measure anatomic knee alignment: a tool for large studies of OA?

Purpose: Knee malalignment alters load distribution across the articular surface and is a potent predictor of knee osteoarthritis (OA) progression. The hip-knee-ankle angle (HKA) provides the most direct measurement of biomechanical leg alignment, but requires a long-limb radiograph. The femorotibial alignment angle (FTA) of the knee joint is an indirect measure of mechanical alignment but can be performed using a standard knee radiograph. Traditional methods of measuring the FTA require a reader to identify landmarks in the tibial spines, which can be difficult and unreliable for abnormally positioned knee images. We have developed and validated a new software method to rapidly determine FTA that may expedite the measurement of knee radiographs from large studies such as the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI). Methods: The method is based on the coordinate system developed for location specific joint space width (JSW) measurements, previously used to demonstrate that quantitative radiographic measures are comparable with MRI for detecting OA progression. The coordinate system directly determines the orientation of the femur (Figure 1) and also defines a central point of the knee. The axis is perpendicular to a line tangent to the base of the femoral condyles, and centered between the outer aspects of the condyles. Four points on margins of the tibial shaft define the axis of the tibia. Two points are marked 10 cm from the center point and two are placed 1 cm from the base of the tibial plateau. The study used subjects from the Progression Cohort of the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) (OAI Datasets 0.1.1, 0.B.1, and 1.B.1) where HKA measurements were available from the OAI. We excluded images where the center of the knee was less than 10 cm from the lower edge of the image, leaving 266 total knees from 142 subjects for the final analysis. The study used two readers. Reader 1 read the data twice with the new procedure and two times using a traditional method. Reader 2 performed a single reading with each of the two methods. Linear regression analysis was used to assess reader reproducibility, and correlation with the HKA measurement. Results: Table 1 provides the results comparing the two methods. The new method of measuring FTA was related to HKA by FTA = 0.52HKA - 4.7 degrees. The traditional method was related to HKA by FTA = 0.65HKA + 1.5 degrees. The additional reader time was less than 30 seconds per image once an image had been processed for the location-specific JSW measurement. Conclusions: We found improved inter and intra reader reproducibility compared with the traditional method and higher correlation with the HKA. With the new method, very little difference was observed between the inter and intra reader precision suggesting a robust technique. The fast reader time implies that assessment of large numbers of subjects is feasible. Furthermore, the method does not require landmarks placed in the tibial spines; it can be performed by a relatively unskilled reader whose task is limited to marking points on the shaft of the tibia and the femoral condyles. A limitation of the method is that it relies on the coordinate system set up for location specific JSW; additional time is necessary if this step has not already been performed. However, setting up the coordinate system is substantially automated and could be performed independent of measuring JSW if necessary. In summary, we have documented a new technique that can provide a precise, accurate, rapid and reproducible measurement of radiographic knee anatomic alignment, with significant implications for efficiency and cost-effectiveness for very large studies of knee OA.

Analysis of pacemaker activity in the human stomach

Extracellular electrical recording and studies using animal models have helped establish important concepts of human gastric physiology. Accepted standards include electrical quiescence in the fundus, 3 cycles per minute (cpm) pacemaker activity in corpus and antrum, and a proximal-to-distal slow wave frequency gradient. We investigated slow wave pacemaker activity, contractions and distribution of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) in human gastric muscles. Muscles were obtained from patients undergoing gastric resection for cancer, and the anatomical locations of each specimen were mapped by the operating surgeon to 16 standardized regions of the stomach. Electrical slow waves were recorded with intracellular microelectrodes and contractions were recorded by isometric force techniques. Slow waves were routinely recorded from gastric fundus muscles. These events had similar waveforms as slow waves in more distal regions and were coupled to phasic contractions. Gastric slow wave frequency was significantly greater than 3 cpm in all regions of the stomach. Antral slow wave frequency often exceeded the highest frequency of pacemaker activity in the corpus. Chronotropic mechanisms such as muscarinic and prostaglandin receptor binding, stretch, extracelluar Ca(2+) and temperature were unable to explain the observed slow wave frequency that exceeded accepted normal levels. Muscles from all regions through the thickness of the muscularis demonstrated intrinsic pacemaker activity, and this corresponded with the widespread distribution in ICC we mapped throughout the tunica muscularis. Our findings suggest that extracellular electrical recording has underestimated human slow wave frequency and mechanisms of human gastric function may differ from standard laboratory animal models.

Adolescentes em cena: uma proposta educativa no campo da saúde sexual e reprodutiva

Objetivou-se descrever a experiência sobre a elaboração de material educativo, no formato de performance teatral criada e encenada por adolescentes, como estratégia para a obtenção de uma atitude reflexiva e autônoma desses sujeitos, no campo afetivo-sexual e reprodutivo. Processo de intervenção e de investigação desenvolvido em uma escola pública de Belo Horizonte - Minas Gerais, Brasil - com 12 estudantes de 14 a 18 anos. A análise baseou-se no método de educação pela experiência, de John Dewey. Foram realizadas 23 oficinas até a produção do espetáculo e do vídeo Sexo sim, Doença Não, exibido para alunos do ensino médio. A produção de tecnologias educativas, construída pelos próprios adolescentes, possibilitou a ampliação de suas vivências e a re-significação de conhecimentos. Também auxiliou a compreensão da realidade cotidiana desses sujeitos, permitindo a ligação entre o interno (o pensamento do adolescente) e o externo (que concretiza os fenômenos sociais) no campo afetivo-sexual e reprodutivo.

Bioengineering and subjective approaches to the clinical evaluation of dry skin

Dry skin (also known as xerosis) is a cutaneous reaction pattern indicative of abnormal desquamation, which has not only cosmetic considerations, but can also lead to the penetration of irritants and allergens through the stratum corneum (SC). Over the last few decades, our understanding of the structure, composition, formation and function of the SC has advanced tremendously; however, despite these advancements, the occurrence of dry skin remains prevalent in the adult population. The clinical evaluation of dry skin is therefore of significant importance to the cosmetic industry not only for understanding the condition but also for measuring the effects of treatment. Traditionally, dry skin has been evaluated by visual inspection, however, recently a variety of bioengineering techniques have emerged enabling the investigator to objectively assess the extent of xerotic conditions. The most frequently employed methods for the evaluation of dry skin are discussed in this review, including regression testing, squametry, measurement of transepidermal water loss, epidermal hydration, profilometry, confocal Raman spectroscopy, optical coherence tomography, in vivo confocal microscopy and magnetic resonance imaging.

Keratinization of the adult male foreskin and implications for male circumcision

The theory that a more thinly keratinized inner foreskin leads to increased HIV-1 susceptibility has been based on relatively little published data. We sought to quantify the keratin thicknesses of the inner and outer foreskin to determine the plausibility of this hypothesis. We took repeated measurements of the keratin layer of 16 adult male foreskins to determine whether differences existed between the inner and outer foreskin. Adult foreskins were collected from consenting donors undergoing elective male circumcision for unknown medical indications in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Specimens were processed, sectioned and stained for keratin using antifilaggrin fluorescent antibodies. Slides stained with hematoxylin and eosin were used as controls and compared with results from previously published studies using this method. Keratin layers were measured in a standardized fashion for each specimen. Comparing our fluorescence-based analysis with previously published immunohistochemical methods revealed that our method was highly accurate for measuring foreskin keratin thickness. There was significant heterogeneity in the keratin thickness of the inner and outer aspects of the male foreskin within and between the different donors. There was no significant difference between the inner and outer foreskin keratin thickness (25.37 +/- 12.51 and 20.54 +/- 12.51 microm, respectively; P = 0.451). We found no difference between the keratinization of the inner and outer aspects of the adult male foreskin. Keratin layers alone are unlikely to explain why uncircumcised men are at higher risk for HIV infection.

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis of the Lid: A Report of Nine Cases

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease caused by Leishmania species and is classified into three forms; cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and visceral. The eyelid is a rare site involved by leishmaniasis and only makes up 2.5% of cases with cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Although CL can affect both upper and lower lids on either their outer or inner aspects, the lateral canthus is most often affected. The most common aspect of lid leishmaniasis is chalazion-like lesions but ulcerous, phagedenic, cancer-like forms, and unilateral chronic granulomatous blepharitis may be observed. When the lid is involved, the disease is usually self-limiting; healing usually takes up to one year, hence early diagnosis and treatment are important. The diagnosis is based on a high index of suspicion regarding the endemicity of the disease in the region. Response to treatment in lid CL cases is quite satisfactory. In this article, we report nine cases of lid leishmaniasis with satisfactory responses to intralesional meglumine antimoniate.