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Topical glucocorticoids such as betamethasone 17-valerate (BMV) and prednicarbate (PC) are an important therapeutic option in atopic eczema. To reduce the risk of dermal atrophy, we aimed at BMV incorporation into solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) for epidermal targeting using various lipids and emulsifiers corresponding to previous work on PC. Cutaneous absorption into excised human skin was compared to the one with a cream. While Compritol-based particles increased BMV uptake about fourfold we failed, however, to obtain epidermal targeting. To obtain insight into the location of active substance relative to the carrier, we used the recently optimised method of parelectric spectroscopy (PS). In fact, we were able to study electric dipole movements in the broad field of a frequency span from 0.1 to 100 MHz demonstrating that glucocorticoids are attached to the particle surface but are not incorporated into the lipid matrix. With BMV, the loading capacity of the particle surface lies clearly below the usual concentration of 0.1% which is not the case with PC. An adequate association of drug and carrier is essential for epidermal targeting. Parelectric spectroscopy provides insight into the interaction between drug and lipidic carrier.

It has been reported that polymorphisms of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes and several cytokine genes are associated with an increased risk of developing gastric cancer (GC). However, the results of studies from different geographic regions, ethnic groups and study groups are inconsistent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of H. pylori infection and host genetic factors on GC susceptibility in Japanese patients with GC. We analyzed genotypes for HLA class I and II, tumor necrosis factor a, interleukin (IL)-1b, IL-1 receptor, IL-4, IL-4Ra and IL-10 in 330 H. pyloriinfected noncardia patients with GC and 190 H. pylori-infected nonulcer dyspeptic controls. Haplotype analyses indicated that the frequencies of the HLA DRB1*0405 and DQB1*0401 alleles were increased in the patients with intestinal-type GC when compared with controls (both DRB1*0405 and DQB1*0401: p 5 0.015, OR 5 1.57, 95% CI 5 1.09-2.26), but the changes were not statistically significant after correction for multiple comparisons. None of the cytokine gene polymorphisms were associated with GC susceptibility, whether patients with GC were analyzed as a group according to the histological subtype. Of interest was the comparison of controls and patients with intestinal-type GC. The frequency of an IL-10-592AA homozygote showing concomitant carriage of the HLA DRB1*0405-DQB1*0401 haplotype was significantly higher in patients with intestinal-type GC (v 2 5 6.369, p 5 0.0116, p c 5 0.0464, OR 5 2.43, 95% CI 5 1.21-4.48). Our results suggest that the HLA class II and IL-10-592A/C polymorphisms synergistically affect the susceptibility to GC development of H. pylori-infected individuals in the Japanese population. ' 2009 UICC Key words: gastric cancer; Helicobacter pylori; polymorphic variation; HLA class II alleles; cytokines Gastric cancer (GC) remains one of the most frequently diagnosed malignant diseases worldwide, and even more so in Japan. Several studies have shown that Helicobacter pylori infection is an important risk factor for GC. [1][2][3][4] Although about half of the world's population is believed to be infected with H. pylori, only a small proportion of those people develop GC, suggesting that additional factors such as host genetic factors and environmental factors, as well as the diversity of H. pylori virulence genes, must be involved in the development and progression of GC. Therefore, this belief has generated interest in host factors, especially immune-and inflammatory-related host genetic factors.Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes play a key role in the body's immune response and exhibit very high degrees of polymorphism. HLA molecules bind antigen peptides and present them to T cells, which differentiate into cytotoxic or helper T cells upon specific recognition of the antigen peptide-HLA molecule complexes. Many investigators have reported an association of GC risk and HLA class II (DR and/or DQ) type in several ethnic populations. 5-14 However, different results have been obtained in different ethnic groups an...

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Anterograde memory improved to a statistically significant or nonsignificant degree at 1 week post-ECT in comparison with pre-ECT regardless of waveforms. Attention/executive functions tended to deteriorate with sine wave ECT but improved with pulse wave ECT.

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