A Comprehensive Review of Long-Term Safety and Effectiveness of FACILLE Modified Sodium Hyaluronate Gel for Injection over 3 Years

FACILLE modified sodium hyaluronate gel was designed to be used for nasolabial fold (NLF) correction. However, no study has investigated the long-term safety and effectiveness of FACILLE. Thus, a retrospective study of 14 aesthetic clinics in China was conducted. This was the first large-scale, postmarketing study on FACILLE to evaluate the occurrence of adverse events (AEs) and provide essential information on the satisfaction of patients with FACILLE injections. This study recruited participants aged >18 years. FACILLE was injected into the NLFs on both sides of each participant’s face. The primary endpoint for safety was systemic or severe AEs at an injection site. Effectiveness was assessed on the basis of the participants’ subjective perceptions and satisfaction levels. Safety and effectiveness data were collected on the day of injection and at 2 weeks and 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 30 and 36 months postinjection. In total, 1552 participants were enrolled (mean age, 29.1 years), and most of them (96.5%) were women. The mean injection volume was 1.39 ± 0.658 mL, and the average number of injections was 2.4 ± 1.68. AEs were reported by 205 participants (13.2%). All AEs occurred at local injection sites. No systemic or severe AEs were observed. Local pain was the most frequently reported AE regardless of the number of injections or the injection volume. Only eight AE cases were correlated with FACILLE administration, with two cases involving local allergic reactions. The participants self-reported that they perceived the procedure to have an effectiveness of ≥90% within 6 months postinjection although this percentage decreased substantially after 9 months. Their satisfaction level was >90% within 1 month postinjection but decreased gradually after 3 months. Our results indicate that the long-term safety of FACILLE injection is adequate. The high self-reported perceived effectiveness and satisfaction levels indicate the considerable potential of FACILLE injections for correcting NLFs.

Two case reports of gastroendoscopy-associated Acinetobacter baumannii bacteremia

Two cases of gastroendoscopy-associated Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii ) bacteremia were discovered at the study hospital. The first case was a 66-year-old woman who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and endoscopic retrograde papillotomy, and then A. baumannii bacteremia occurred. The second case was a 70-year-old female who underwent endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage due to obstruction of intra-hepatic ducts, and bacteremia occurred due to polymicrobes (Escherichia coli , viridans streptococcus , and A. baumannii ). After a literature review, we suggest that correct gastroendoscopy technique and skill in drainage procedures, as well as antibiotic prophylaxis, are of paramount importance in minimizing the risk of gastroendoscopy-associated bacteremia.

Experience of Photopneumatic Therapy in Taiwan Residents Acne Patients

Acne is a disease of the pilosebaceous unit affecting both teenagers and adults. The treatment of acne is sometimes frustrating due to the emergence of antibiotic resistance, skin irritation and lack of novel therapy. Light and vacuum devices, also known as photopneumatic therapy, have been shown promising as a generally well-tolerated adjunctive treatment of acne vulgaris. We conducted a clinical study using such device to assess the efficacy and safety as an adjunctive treatment of acne in Taiwan Residents patients. Twenty patients received six sequential treatments every one to two weeks in the facial region. A 4 × 4 cm2 area on cheek was chosen as a control area and was not treated with photopneumatic device. Safety parameters and adverse events were recorded. VISIA Complexion Analysis System was used for image analysis on the improvement of four parameters, namely, pigmentation, pore reduction, redness and porphyrin levels. There was an overall improvement in pigmentation, pore size, redness and porphyrin levels on treatment areas. The treatment areas showed statistically significant improvement (p < 0.05) in pigmentation and pore sizes compared with the control areas using paired samples T-test. Mild and self-limiting localized adverse events, mostly focal petechiae or mild irritation, were reported. Our study has demonstrated that photopneumatic therapy is an effective, safe and relatively well-tolerated procedure in Taiwan Residents acne patients.

Detailed profiling of carbon fixation of in silico synthetic autotrophy with reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle and Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle in Esherichia coli using hydrogen as an energy source

Carbon fixation is the main route of inorganic carbon in the form of CO2 into the biosphere.In nature,RuBisCO is the most abundant protein that photosynthetic organisms use to fix CO2 from the atmosphere through the Calvin-Benson-Bassham(CBB)cycle.However,the CBB cycle is limited by its low catalytic rate and low energy efficiency.In this work,we attempt to integrate the reductive tricarboxylic acid and CBB cycles in silico to further improve carbon fixation capacity.Key heterologous enzymes,mostly carboxylating enzymes,are inserted into the Esherichia coli core metabolic network to assimilate CO2 into biomass using hydrogen as energy source.Overall,such a strain shows enhanced growth yield with simultaneous running of dual carbon fixation cycles.Our key results include the following.(i)We identified two main growth states:carbon-limited and hydrogenlimited;(ii)we identified a hierarchy of carbon fixation usage when hydrogen supply is limited;and(iii)we identified the alternative sub-optimal growth mode while performing genetic perturbation.The results and modeling approach can guide bioengineering projects toward optimal production using such a strain as a microbial cell factory.