[Clinical Research on the Effects of Differences in Properties of External Preparations for Skin on Application Amount: An Exploratory Investigation of the Relationship between the Base Usability and Application Amount by Questionnaire in Adult Subjects]

Compared to oral medication, the base plays a large role in the external preparation for skin, and dermatologists select the dosage form based on understanding of the effect of the base as well as according to skin symptoms and conditions, application site, age, season, etc. Further, in treatment with external preparations, it is important for patients to understand the application method and continue to apply an adequate amount to achieve the treatment goal. However, there is little evidence regarding the relationship between base properties or usability and the application amount. In this study, we investigated the usability and application amount of three bases with different properties (ointment base, cream base, and lotion base) in 62 adult subjects and exploratively examined the effect of the different base properties on the application amount. The results of this clinical study showed that the usability and preference for the base used for external preparations varies, and poor usability and low preference may lead to a reduction in the application amount. Even with good usability and high preference, there were many cases in which an adequate amount was not applied due to lack of specific instructions on external use. When selecting or changing the base in an external therapy, it is important for not only dermatologists but also pharmacists providing instructions on external use to be aware of the importance of the base and actively instruct patients to apply an adequate amount of the preparation.

Growth in methylcellulose of human mast cells in hematopoietic colonies stimulated by steel factor, a c-kit ligand

We examined the effect of Steel factor (SLF) on the development of human mast cells in hematopoietic colonies from cord blood mononuclear cells in methylcellulose culture. When cord blood cells were cultured for 3 weeks, SLF increased the cellular tryptase levels detected in total cultured cells. It also stimulated the formation of small-cell colonies consisting mainly of polymorphonuclear granulocytes and immature blastoid cells in a concentration-dependent manner but not the formation of colonies consisting of large macrophagic cells. A low percentage of tryptase-positive mast-cell-like cells was found in 39 out of 100 granulocyte/blastoid cell colonies. Four of the 100 colonies contained 10-20% tryptase-positive cells, but we failed to observe colonies consisting of > 20% of tryptase-positive cells. These results suggest that the effect of SLF on mast cell growth is brought on by stimulating the growth of primitive hematopoietic progenitors.

Hemagglutination by human rotavirus strains

Human rotavirus isolates, KUN , MO, and Wa strains were found to agglutinate erythrocytes of the day-old chicken and adult goose, optimally at pH 6.6. Only those fractions containing double-shelled rotavirus particles isolated by isopycnic centrifugation in cesium chloride had hemagglutinating activity. Trypsin treatment decreased the hemagglutination titer of human rotavirus strains and conversely increased their infectivity. Hemagglutination inhibition tests with antisera against type-specific antigens demonstrable by neutralization showed no type specificity.