One hundred Korean adults (50 men, 50 women) were scanned in the upright position using a cone-beam CT (CBCT) scanner. The soft tissue (ST) thicknesses were measured at 31 landmarks, 10 midline and 21 bilateral landmark sites, and the means and standard deviations were obtained for male and female subjects. While 18 of 31 landmarks showed sex differences, the majority showed higher values for male subjects with the exception of a few landmark sites corresponding to the zygoma area, which showed smaller values in men than in women. The mandibular area showed greater differences between the right and left sides. Overall, the ST thickness measurements obtained in this study can be used as a database for the forensic craniofacial reconstruction of Korean adult faces.

Cinnamaldehyde, a major active compound of cinnamon, is known to induce apoptotic cell death in numerous human cancer cells. Here, dual acid-responsive polymeric micelle-forming cinnamaldehyde prodrugs, poly[(3-phenylprop-2-ene-1,1-diyl)bis(oxy)bis(ethane-2,1-diyl)diacrylate]-co -4,4'(trimethylene dipiperidine)-co -poly(ethylene glycol), termed PCAE copolymers, are reported. PCAE is designed to incorporate cinnamaldehyde via acid-cleavable acetal linkages in its pH-sensitive hydrophobic backbone and self assemble to form stable micelles which can encapsulate camptothecin (CPT). PCAE self assembles to form micelles which release CPT and cinnamaldehyde in pHdependent manners. PCAE micelles induce apoptotic cell death through the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and exert synergistic anticancer effects with a payload of CPT in vitro and in vivo model of SW620 human colon tumor-bearing mice. It is anticipated that dual acid-sensitive micelle-forming PCAE with intrinsic anticancer activities has enormous potential as novel anticancer therapeutics.

Background and purposeCinnamaldehyde, a major component of cinnamon, induces the generation of reactive oxygen species and exerts vasodilator and anticancer effects, but its short half-life limits its clinical use. The present experiments were designed to compare the acute relaxing properties of cinnamaldehyde with those of self-assembling polymer micelles either loaded with cinnamaldehyde or consisting of a polymeric prodrug [poly(cinnamaldehyde)] that incorporates the compound in its backbone.MethodsRings of porcine coronary arteries were contracted with the thromboxane A2 receptor agonist U46619 or 40 mM KCl, and changes in isometric tension were recorded.ResultsCinnamaldehyde induced concentration-dependent but endothelium-independent, nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-independent, cyclooxygenase-independent, soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC)-independent, calcium-activated potassium-independent, and TRPA1 channel-independent relaxations. Cinnamaldehyde also inhibited the contractions induced by 40 mM KCl Ca2+ reintroduction in 40 mM KCl Ca2+-free solution or by the Ca2+ channel opener Bay K8644. Cinnamaldehyde-loaded control micelles induced complete, partly endothelium-dependent relaxations sensitive to catalase and inhibitors of NOS or sGC, but not cyclooxygenase or TRPA1, channels. Cinnamaldehyde-loaded micelles also inhibited contractions induced by 40 mM KCl Ca2+ reintroduction or Bay K8644. Poly(cinnamaldehyde) micelles induced only partial, endothelium-dependent relaxations that were reduced by inhibitors of NOS or sGC and by catalase and the antioxidant tiron, but not by indomethacin or TRPA1 channel blockers.ConclusionThe present findings demonstrate that cinnamaldehyde-loaded and poly(cinnamaldehyde) micelles possess vasodilator properties, but that the mechanism underlying the relaxation that they cause differs from that of cinnamaldehyde, and thus could be used both to relieve coronary vasospasm and for therapeutic drug delivery.

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Oxidative stress, in which the amount of oxidants exceeds the capacity of antioxidant defense system, is a well-accepted pathogenesis of several human diseases. Light-emitting diode irradiation (LEDI) is an efficient strategy to counteract this condition. The biological effect of phototherapy, using visible light, has attracted recent attention especially in dermatological practice. However, little is known about the molecular mechanism of the anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of red light irradiation. We evaluated these effects of LEDI in HaCaT human keratinocyte cells under phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) induced reactive oxygen species (ROS). Microarray analysis revealed changes in 309 genes after LEDI. LEDI at 625 nm produced ROS scavenging and anti-inflammatory effects. One of the most important genes identified by microarray analysis was sphingosine kinase-1 (SPHK1), which is a key molecule in sphingolipid metabolism. SPHK1 knock-down drastically reduced ROS scavenging efficiency as well as expression levels of inflammation-related proteins in PMA-treated HaCaT cells. These results not only indicate the potential for the clinical application of 625-nm LEDI in treating skin disorders via ROS and/or inflammation, but also suggest SPHK1 as a potential therapeutic target in phototherapy.

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