Johan Moan

..We aimed to explore whether MS is associated with abnormal serum levels of PTH, 25(OH)D and magnesium in a population of morbidly obese patients...

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..The seasonal effect was slightly, but not significantly, better for the younger than for the older age group. The effect was similar for all three geographical regions, irrespective of SCC incidence...

..We here propose that the biological role of IPD is protection of folates against photodegradation, which would be of large evolutionary importance for early hominids...

..These have been suggested to allow reoxygenation of the irradiated tissue, with a consequent enhancement of singlet oxygen production in the second and subsequent fractions...

..The present data seem to favour the latter mechanism. Folic acid may have a role as an adjuvant in photodynamic therapy with systemically administered ALA and its derivatives...

..More recently, both prostate cancer incidence and mortality have been shown to increase with increasing latitude, which probably relates to photosynthesis of vitamin D...

..This finding indicates a new PDT modality that can be further developed for treatment of superficial melanotic melanomas and possibly other diseases where pigmentation is a problem...

..Our results show that singlet oxygen is likely to be the main intermediate in the photodegradation of 5MTHF mediated by Uro. Our findings may be useful for further studies the evolution of human skin colours...

..Our work shows that solutions should be prepared immediately before use and stored at low temperatures. The pH of stock solutions should not exceed 5...

..Seasonal and gender variations in Vitamin D level have been estimated from the analyses...

..Such therapy leads to enhanced cutaneous vitamin D synthesis, which may be one of the mechanisms of action. Furthermore, another nutrient, folate, can probably also be influenced by UV radiation...

..Based on our results we suggest that calcidiol concentration at the time of cancer diagnosis is related to survival and discuss briefly ways to improve the vitamin D levels in the general population...

..To investigate the vitamin D status during winter of a healthy population of hospital employees and to assess the correlation between vitamin D status and risk of infections in the upper respiratory tract...

..To determine the impact of skin pretreatment with microneedles (MNs) on ALA- and MAL-induced protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) production, as well as MN impact on pain sensations during light exposure and erythema after PDT...

..Numerous microvilli present on the surface of WiDr cells indicated marked uncertainties in cell surface area estimations. This gives large uncertainties in the real surface charge densities of cells...

..Pretreatment with (R)L-sulforaphane before topical ALA-PDT may improve penetration of ALA through the stratum corneum, and, subsequently, increase PpIX synthesis...

..The presence of cutaneous PpIX together with ambient light may comprise a photosensitizing mechanism by which PpIX may be a photomessenger between ambient light and internal rhythms...

..Comparisons of skin cancer data from Norway and Australia/New Zealand indicate that squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma are mainly related to annual solar UVB fluences, while UVA fluences play a larger role for CMM...

..Populations living at high latitudes would probably benefit from moderately increasing their exposure to UVB to provide a good vitamin D status...

..Seasonal variations in ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation cause seasonal variations in vitamin D status. This may influence immune responses and play a role in the seasonality of influenza...

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..One possible interpretation of the present data is that, the level of calcidiol, or its derivative calcitriol (1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, 1alpha,25-(OH)2D3), may act positively in concert with conventional therapies of colon cancer...

..This study suggests that 5MTHF in blood can be photodegraded in the presence of the flavins and porphyrins, but protected by bilirubins. This may have health and evolutionary implications...

..Different methods for dealing with the pain have been developed over the past years, ranging from cooling with air or water to nerve blocking. However, the mechanisms responsible for the pain induction have not yet been fully understood...

..In view of this, short, nonerythemogenic exposures around noon should be recommended rather than longer nonerythemogenic exposures in the afternoon. This would give a maximal yield of vitamin D at a minimal CMM risk...

..Furthermore, there seems to be a correlation between the levels of the two vitamin D metabolites, indicating that the regulation of 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D is not always tight, notably in persons with high BMI...

..Further studies are needed to evaluate the role of PpIX induced by iron chelators used, against photoaging and cancer prevention...

..To review the health effects of solar radiation, sunbeds and vitamin D...

..Also, UVB induction of vitamin D may be involved. CMM incidence rates among young people have decreased or been constant since about 1990 in Norway and Sweden. All reasons for UVA contributing to CMM will be discussed...

..Thus, a dark skin colour may be favourable for prevention of folate degradation under high solar fluence rates, such as in equatorial areas...

..A high body mass index (BMI) is associated with a low vitamin D status. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in Norwegian children and adolescents with excess body weight...

..The aim of this study was to measure photosensitization responses in healthy mouse skin using non-invasive reflectance spectroscopy and fluorescein angiography...

..The content and distribution of ALA intracellularly and in tissues is difficult to measure, but PpIX content, on a relative scale, can be easily measured by fluorimetric assays...

..The leveling off of melanoma trend is probably associated with melanoma prevention campaigns and with increasing awareness, although vitamin D could play a role...

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..Within eight weeks after the last exposure the 25(OH)D(3) level decreased to the initial value in all volunteers irrespective of vitamin D supplementation or not...

..Photodynamic therapy (PDT) induces physiological changes in human skin, but details and kinetics are not known...

..Recently, overweight and obesity have been shown to be related to low vitamin D status...

..The overall data support our earlier hypothesis that season of diagnosis and therapy start improves the survival for breast cancer...

..In view of these calcitriol and calcidiol data, the seasonal variation of cancer survival may be related to the calcidiol gradient, indicating that this Vitamin D metabolite may be more important than believed so far...

..It is known that folic acid, a synthetic form of folate, is degraded by UV radiation. We have also found that the most common folate derivative in the human body, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, is UV sensitive...

..In conclusion, the present study describes a novel approach of using iron chelating agents without 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) to photosensitize cancer cells...

..Thus, the photodynamic effect with 5-aminolevulinic acid may be enhanced by heating the tumour area before, and by cooling it immediately after the treatment...

..Therefore, it may also be valuable to measure both serum 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)(2)D for the evaluation of vitamin D status in overweight and obese persons...

..Some signal transduction processes are suggested to be involved in ALA-PDT-induced changes in cytoskeleton, cell shape, and adhesion...

..The rate of elimination of PpIX from the volume of detection was faster after 420 nm light irradiation than that after 632 nm. These findings are discussed in view of penetration depths of light and ALA-Me, and diffusion of PpIX...

..These are all important parameters for optimally effective PDT. The present review will give a brief, physically based, overview of PDT and then discuss some of the main biophysical aspects of this therapeutic modality...

..16 +/- 0.03 mm(2) h(-1)), MAL (0.045 +/- 0.005 mm(2) h(-1)) and HAL (0.037 +/- 0.003 mm(2) h(-1)), the behavior of the drugs after different application times could be estimated in this tumor model...

..The oxygen dependence of FA photodegradation and the inhibition of this process by sodium azide indicate that singlet oxygen may participate in the photosensitizing activity of FA photoproducts...

..5MTHF mainly absorbs, and is degraded by, UVB and UVC, radiation that does not penetrate the earth's atmosphere and the human skin well...

..For the first time we present data showing that metabolic targeted therapy with dichloroacetate (DCA) may improve the outcome of photodynamic therapy. This treatment modality can be easily introduced into clinical practice guidelines...

..Further studies, using proper, adequate 5-methyltetrahydrofolate methodology, are needed to clarify the influence of broadband phototherapy on folate degradation and the consequences of these on the health of psoriasis patients...

..The genetical processes behind some of the changes of skin color will be also briefly reviewed...

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..Future aspects of applications of photosensitisation of red blood cells are discussed...

..Since the discovery of oxygen by Joseph Priestley in 1775 it has been recognized that oxygen can be both beneficial and harmful to life...

..However, experiments performed in heavy water indicate that generation of singlet oxygen is probably not the explanation for the photosensitizing of folic acid...

..To investigate whether prognosis of breast-, colon- and prostate cancer may be related to vitamin D(3), induced from solar ultra-violet (UV) radiation, through studies on geographical and seasonal variations in UV radiation...

..Application of tetraethylammonium chloride did not affect the cellular uptake of any of the photosensitizers. We conclude that the pH dependent uptake of photosensitizers is not mainly related to altered transmembrane potential...

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..All these differences are related to difference in the spectra of the lamps. Thus, PDT light sources with emissions that are visually similar have significantly different photobiological properties...

..Topical application of ALA-Me followed by exposure with laser light (633nm) delayed the growth of the tumors slightly. Light alone also had a significant effect on the tumor growth...

..Therefore, in the present historical review, the early work is weighted more heavily than recent work that is more easily accessible to the readers...

..In conclusion, topical MAL followed by light under suberythematous conditions delayed the appearance of UV-induced skin tumours without increasing mortality or morbidity, and thus acted in a prophylactic manner...

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..If this result is correct, melanoma risk is not related to ozone depletion. We consider the net effect of solar UVB on human health to be beneficial at or near current levels...

..Scattering from microstructures with high relative refractive indices plays a major role in tissue optics. Our results show that scattering from melanosomes and fragmented melanosomes is of particular significance...

..In conclusion, the highest tumour to normal skin PpIX ratio was observed 3 h after application of 8% ALA-Me, suggesting that light exposure should be performed at this time in order to achieve an optimal PDT effect in this tumour model...

..Thereby, morphological, environmental, enzymatic, as well as cell-specific factors will be discussed...

..The mechanisms of action of the patch, as compared with that of the cream, were studied by means of Cuprophan barriers that mimic compromised tumor stratum corneum and in a mouse model with transplanted tumors...

..Our aim was to investigate the photostability of seven commercial sunscreen products after natural UV exposure (UVnat) and artificial UV exposure (UVart)...

..In conclusion, application of the 160 mg/g cream for 3 hours gave advantageous porphyrin distributions for all types of lesions...

..At 390 nm, the light penetration into a tumor does not depend on the oxygenation of the blood...