Successful keratinocyte gene therapy requires the develshorter than 10 cm. Next, we transplanted human skin on opment of efficient methods of gene transfer to kerato a nude rat, fired the vector into the human skin from a tinocytes. Jet injection of a solution containing DNA can be distance of 10 cm and examined the ␤-gal activity. We also used to transfer genes to several tissues in vivo. In this injected the same amount of plasmid with a needle to comarticle, we tried to introduce DNA into rat and human kerapare jet with needle injections. The results showed that jet tinocytes using this method. First, we fired a ␤-gal injection of the naked DNA could introduce and express expression vector into rat skin at several distances using DNA in human keratinocytes in vivo and that jet injection a jet injector and examined ␤-gal activity in the epidermal exhibited much higher activity than needle injection. keratinocytes. The highest activity in keratinocytes was Jet injection of the naked DNA will provide a method for found when the plasmid was fired at 10 cm from the skin keratinocyte gene therapy in the future. surface; the activity lessened as the firing distance became

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Modulation of transgene expression by exogenous agents is an optimal goal in gene therapy. Successful keratinocyte gene therapy requires a promoter-enhancer cassette to regulate expression of the therapeutic gene in vivo. In this study, we first transferred plasmids, constructed by introducing inducible promoters fused to the beta-galactosidase gene (LAC Z), into keratinocytes in vitro. Metallothionein (MT) and 1,24-vitamin D(3)(OH)(2) dehydroxylase (VDH) promoters responded to the inducing agents, Cadmium and 1,25-vitamin D(3)(OH)(2) (VitD(3)), respectively. The plasmids were then introduced in vivo using a naked DNA method and the inducible promoters were evaluated by measuring beta-gal activity in rat keratinocytes. Zinc induced the transferred MT promoter activity by approximately 2-fold or 10-fold when administered systemically and topically, respectively. In addition, VitD(3) induced the transferred VDH promoter activity approximately 10-fold when administered topically. These data are useful for developing inducible promoters for keratinocyte gene therapy.

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is the most common complication following acute varicella zoster virus infection. PHN is associated with chronic severe pain and is resistant to conservative management treatments. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of 0.3-millisecond multi-pulsed 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser treatment on PHN. Five subjects were treated with 2 - 3 sessions at 2-week interval. After the treatments, reduced visual analog scale (VAS) scores were noted in all patients. Treatments showed no adverse or intolerant effects and all patients felt warmth and comfort during the therapy. We first reported treating PHN patients using 0.3-millisecond multi-pulsed 1064-nm laser Nd:YAG. The results showed remarkable improvements in pain. This laser treatment could be an alternative choice for PHN patients with intractable neuralgia