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Background: Skin characteristics show great variation from person to person and are affected by multiple factors, including genetic, environmental, and physical factors, but details of the involvement and contributions of these factors remain unclear. Objectives: We aimed to characterize genetic, environmental, and physical factors affecting 16 skin features by developing models to predict personal skin characteristics. Methods: We analyzed the associations of skin phenotypes with genetic, environmental, and physical features in 1472 Japanese females aged 20–80 years. We focused on 16 skin characteristics, including melanin, brightness/lightness, yellowness, pigmented spots, wrinkles, resilience, moisture, barrier function, texture, and sebum amount. As genetic factors, we selected 74 single‐nucleotide polymorphisms of genes related to skin color, vitamin level, hormones, circulation, extracellular matrix (ECM) components and ECM‐degrading enzymes, inflammation, and antioxidants. Histories of ultraviolet (UV) exposure and smoking as environmental factors and age, height, and weight as physical factors were acquired by means of a questionnaire. Results: A linear association with age was prominent for increase in the area of crow's feet, increase in number of pigmented spots, decrease in forehead sebum, and increase in VISIA wrinkle parameters. Associations were analyzed by constructing linear regression models for skin feature changes and logistic regression models to predict whether subjects show lower or higher skin measurement values in the same age groups. Multiple genetic factors, history of UV exposure and smoking, and body mass index were statistically selected for each skin characteristic. The most important association found for skin spots, such as lentigines and wrinkles, was adolescent sun exposure. Conclusion: Genetic, environmental, and physical factors associated with interindividual differences of the selected skin features were identified. The developed models should be useful to predict the skin characteristics of individuals and their age‐related changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study was undertaken to establish and validate a new wrinkle clinical assessment scale to measure Chinese Han women's validated lacrimal groove. Methods: Three clinical investigators asked to rate lacrimal groove wrinkles severity one each side for 30 photographic images from 15 subjects. Five‐grade rating scale has been used in this clinical assessment. Scale definitions was standardized by 6 researchers in visual and descriptive formats. Assessments were conducted independently and were repeated after 1 week. Results: For 30 photos from 15 subjects, test‐retest of three investigators analyzed by Spearman's correlation were between 0.967 and 0.993 (p < 0.001), and by ICC Cronbach's α were between 0.989 and 0.997 (p < 0.001); intraobserver agreement of three investigators analyzed by Spearman's correlation were between 0.652 and 0.897 (p < 0.001), and by ICC Cronbach's α were between 0.840 and 0.959 (p < 0.001). Conclusion: This lacrimal groove wrinkles visual assessment scale is a valid and reliable instrument for quantitative assessment of China woman skin folds with inter‐ and intraobserver consistency. This assessment scale should prove a useful clinical tool by allowing objective and reproducible grading for assessing the effectiveness of lacrimal groove area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In isolated rat pancreatic [beta]-cells, the nitric oxide (NO) donor NOC-7 at 1 [micro]M reduced the amplitude of the oscillations of cytosolic [Ca.sup.2+] concentration ([[[Ca.sup.2+]].sub.c]) induced by 11.1 mM glucose, and at 10 [micro]M terminated them. In the presence of [N.sup.G]-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA), however, NOC-7 at 0.5 and 1 [micro]M increased the amplitude of the [[[Ca.sup.2+]].sub.c] oscillations, although the NO donor at 10 [micro]M still suppressed them. Aqueous NO solution also had a dual effect on the [[[Ca.sup.2+]].sub.c] oscillations. The soluble guany-late cyclase inhibitor LY-83583 and the cGMP-dependent protein kinase inhibitor KT5823 inhibited the stimulatory effect of NO, and 8-bromo-cGMP increased the amplitude of the [[[Ca.sup.2+]].sub.c] oscillations. Patch-clamp analyses in the perforated configuration showed that 8-bromo-cGMP inhibited whole cell ATP-sensitive [K.sup.+] currents in the isolated rat pancreatic [beta]-cells, suggesting that the inhibition by cGMP of ATP-sensitive [K.sup.+] channels is, at ]east in part, responsible for the stimulatory effect of NO on the [[[Ca.sup.2+]].sub.c] oscillations. In the presence of L-NNA, the glucose-induced insulin secretion from isolated islets was facilitated by 0.5 [micro]M NOC-7, whereas it was suppressed by 10 [micro]M NOC-7. These results suggest that NO facilitates glucose-induced [[[Ca.sup.2+]].sub.c] oscillations of [beta]-cells and insulin secretion at low concentrations, which effects are mediated by cGMP, whereas NO inhibits them in a cGMP-independent manner at high concentrations. islets of Langerhans; calcium oscillations; guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate; NOC-7; glucose