Hyaluronan (HA) is present in many tissues of the body and is essential to maintain moistness in the skin tissues, which contain approximately half the body’s HA mass. Due to its viscosity and moisturizing effect, HA is widely distributed as a medicine, cosmetic, food, and, recently marketed in Japan as a popular dietary supplement to promote skin moisture. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study it was found that ingested HA increased skin moisture and improved treatment outcomes for patients with dry skin. HA is also reported to be absorbed by the body distributed, in part, to the skin. Ingested HA contributes to the increased synthesis of HA and promotes cell proliferation in fibroblasts. These effects show that ingestion of HA moisturizes the skin and is expected to improve the quality of life for people who suffer from dry skin. This review examines the moisturizing effects of dry skin by ingested HA and summarizes the series of mechanisms from absorption to pharmacological action.
The effect of chronic sepsis on the concentration of active pyruvate dehydrogenase complex has been investigated in liver and skeletal muscle of normal, sterile inflammatory, and chronic septic (small and large abscess) animals. Hyperdynamic sepsis was induced by the intraperitoneal introduction of a rat fecal-agar pellet of known size and bacterial composition (Escherichia coli + Bacteroides fragilis). Total pyruvate dehydrogenase complex activity was not altered in either liver or skeletal muscle in any of the conditions studied. In hepatic tissue, sterile inflammation increased the proportion of active complex 2.5-fold compared with control. The same increase in the concentration of active complex was observed in animals with a small abscess. When the abscess size was increased (large abscess), the concentration of active complex was decreased relative to sterile inflammatory or small abscess septic animals. In contrast to liver, sterile inflammation did not alter the proportion of active complex in skeletal muscle. Sepsis (either small or large septic abscess) resulted in threefold decrease in the concentration of active complex relative to control or sterile inflammatory animals. Changes in the concentration of active complex did not appear to be dependent on the ATP/ADP concentration ratio or tissue pyruvate levels but were consistent with changes in the acetyl-coenzyme A-to-coenzyme A concentration ratio. The mechanism responsible for altered concentration of active complex may be mediated through changes in the activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase, secondary to alterations in the effector concentration ratios.
This study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of oral hyaluronic acid (HA) administration for osteoarthritis (OA) in knee joints. Sixty osteoarthritic subjects (Kellgren-Lawrence grade 2 or 3) were randomly assigned to the HA or placebo group. The subjects in the HA group were given 200 mg of HA once a day everyday for 12 months, while the subjects in the placebo group were given placebo. The subjects in both groups were requested to conduct quadriceps strengthening exercise everyday as part of the treatment. The subjects' symptoms were evaluated by the Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure (JKOM) score. The symptoms of the subjects as determined by the JKOM score improved with time in both the HA and placebo groups. This improvement tended to be more obvious with the HA group, and this trend was more obvious with the subjects aged 70 years or less. For these relatively younger subjects, the JKOM score was significantly better than the one for the placebo group at the 2nd and 4th months after the initiation of administration. Oral administration of HA may improve the symptoms of knee OA in patients aged 70 years or younger when combined with the quadriceps strengthening exercise.
The aim of this study was to investigate vacuum forming techniques for reduction of loss in mouthguard thickness effects of sheet grooving and thermal shrinkage of extruded sheets on molded mouthguard thickness. Mouthguards were fabricated with ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) sheets (4.0 mm thick) using a vacuum forming machine. Sheet form was a convexing v-shaped groove toward the back, 10-40 mm from the anterior end. The sheets were placed in the forming machine with the sheet extrusion direction either vertical or parallel to the model's centerline of right and left. Molding was performed by crimping the sheet using suction when the most descending portion of the sheet sagged downwards from the clamp, 15 mm below the basal surface. Postmolding thickness was determined using a measuring device. Measurement points were the incisal portion (incisal edge and labial surface) and molar portion (cusp and buccal surface). Differences in molded mouthguard thickness with the sheet orientation of extruded EVA sheets were analyzed by student's t-test. The sheet in parallel axis orientation with the model's centerline yielded higher thickness than vertical orientation at the labial surface and the buccal surface. The present results suggested that addition of a groove to the sheet in conjunction with placement of the sheet with its axis of orientation parallel the centerline of the working model can effectively reduce thickness loss in the molded mouthguard with the equipment and materials used in this study.
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