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The ATP-binding cassette transporter ABCG2 is expressed in the interfollicular epidermis and mediates the side-population phenotype in skin cells. However, the role of ABCG2 in skin is unclear. Increased expression levels of ABCG2 were found at the basal layer of transitional epidermis adjacent to cutaneous wounds in human patients, indicating that ABCG2 may be involved in regulating the wound healing process. To investigate the role of ABCG2 in cutaneous wound healing, full-thickness skin wounds were created in ABCG2 knockout (ABCG2-KO) and wild-type mice. The healing process was analysed and revealed that ABCG2 deficiency in skin results in delays in wound closure and impairments in re-epithelialization, as evidenced by reductions in both suprabasal differentiation and in p63-expressing keratinocytes migrating from transitional epidermis to epithelial tongues. The reduction in p63-expressing cells may be due to elevated levels of reactive oxygen species in ABCG2-KO epidermis, which can cause DNA damage and lead to proliferation arrest. To determine whether ABCG2 deficiency affects the potency of epidermal stem/progenitor cells (EPCs), transplantation studies were carried out, which demonstrated that ABCG2-KO EPCs display higher levels of γH2AX and lose the capacity to differentiate into suprabasal keratinocytes. A competitive repopulation assay confirmed that ABCG2 expression is critical for the proper expansion and differentiation of EPCs in cutaneous wounds. As EPCs are known to contribute to the healing of larger wounds, the current findings imply a functional role for ABCG2 in the expansion and differentiation of p63-expressing EPCs. Thus, ABCG2 deficiency in skin impairs re-epithelialization in cutaneous wound healing.

chen m.-y., huang w.-c., peng y.-s., guo j.-s., chen c.-p., jong m.-c. & lin h.-c. (2011) Effectiveness of a health promotion programme for farmers and fishermen with type-2 diabetes in Taiwan. Journal of Advanced Nursing 67(9), 2060–2067. Abstract Aims. This paper is a report of a study examining the diabetes control and foot self-care capability in farmers and fishermen following introduction of a multi-stage, multi-disciplinary team and community-based small group health promotion programme. Background. Improving the control of diabetes is a critical issue in Taiwan because mortality rates are increasing dramatically, particularly in rural populations. Methods. A quasi-experimental research design was deployed from January to December 2009. A total of 387 participants living in nine rural districts with previous diagnoses of type-2 diabetes were randomly selected. Three hundred and twenty-three completed the 3-stage programme, including health assessment, health promotion education and individually tailored telephone counselling and evaluation over a 1-year period. Results. Most of the participants were fishermen or farmers who had

Composite tissue allotransplantation (CTA) is the new frontier in transplantation. More than 25 hand allograft transplants have been performed worldwide, and the feasibility has been well established. The classical experimental model of CTA involves rat orthotopic hindlimb transplantation, a time-consuming procedure associated with high mortality and morbidity. We describe a rat heterotopic osteomyocutaneous flap that serves as a nonfunctional CTA, allowing the study of tolerance induction to a highly antigenic vascularized allograft of bone, muscle, and skin while minimizing the morbidity and mortality of full hind limb transplantation. In the present studies, we explored whether establishing chimerism by nonmyeloablative conditioning would induce tolerance to CTA. When compared with the classic hind limb transplantation model, these results demonstrate that our heterotopic hind limb flap is less morbid and as an effective experimental model for the study of CTA tolerance.