Leptin is a cytokine well known for its ability to control body weight and energy metabolism. Several lines of evidence have recently revealed that leptin also plays an important role in wound healing and immune modulation in skin. Sumikawa et al. Exp Dermatol 2014 evaluated the effect of leptin on hair follicle cycling using mutant and wild-type mice. They report that leptin is produced in dermal papilla cells in hair follicles and that leptin receptor-deficient db/db mice show an abnormality in hair follicle cycling. Moreover, leptin injection induced the transition into the growth stage of the hair cycle (anagen). On this basis, it now deserves exploration whether leptin-mediated signalling is a key stimulus for anagen induction and whether this may be targeted to manage human hair disorders with defect in the control of hair follicle cycling.

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Background and Aim: Various types of colonoscope are available for total colonoscopy, including those with variable stiffness (VS) and/or magnetic endoscope imaging (MEI). Factors related to the patient, such as gender, age and body mass index (BMI), also affect the degree of technical difficulty associated with the procedure. The present study investigated, using retrospective analyses, which type of colonoscope was appropriate, in relation to gender, age and BMI, in order to overcome procedural difficulties. Methods: Three types of colonoscope (CF-240I, fixed stiffness type; CF-240AI, VS type; CF-240DI, VS type with MEI) were used for a total of 433 consecutive patients who underwent total colonoscopy by five experienced endoscopists at Tokai University Hospital from August 2001 to August 2003. Cases with a history of abdominal surgery, requests by physicians for a particular type of colonoscope, or sedation during the procedure were excluded. Age, gender, body height and weight, and cecal intubation time (primary endpoint) were recorded. Results: Use of the VS scope resulted in a shorter intubation time in the subgroups of female, younger (age < 40 years) or older (age ≥ 60 years), and thin (BMI < 20 kg/m 2 ) patients when compared with a conventional scope. There was no significant difference between results obtained with VS and VS + MEI in any subgroup. Conclusion: The VS type of colonoscope seems to be the best choice for an easier procedure in particular patient subgroups. In the present study, no advantage was demonstrated for VS + MEI over VS alone.

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