This study was conducted in order to evaluate the alleviating effects of Phellodendrin cortex water extract (PCWE) on skin aging in hairless mice via observation of morphogical and histological changes. Skin aging was induced by UVB irradiation and application of squalene monohydroperoxide (Sq-OOH) to the back skin of hairless mice for six weeks. And, at the same time, saline (C), jojoba oil (VC), PCWE (E), and 0.01% retinoic acid diluted with polyethylene glycol (PC) were applied topically twice per day, six days per week, for a period of six weeks. Improved wrinkle formation in a pattern of shallow furrows and thin and narrow crests was observed in the retinoic acid and PCWE application groups, compared to the C group. On the morphologic analysis for skin wrinkles, the E group showed lower levels in skin roughness, maximum roughness, average roughness, smoothness depth, and arithmetic average roughness by 13.1, 17.2, 18.4, 15.4, and 16.1%, respectively, compared with the C group, indicating that PCWE inhibited potential formation of wrinkles in the skin. In the C group, structures of lipid lamellae and collagen fibers were broken or deformed with an irregular arrangement. Application of retinoic acid and PCWE protected against the deformity of lipid lamellae and collagen fibers. Elastic fibers in dermis of the C group also showed severe transformation; however, applications of retinoic acid and PCWE resulted in a significant decrease in the number of denatured elastic fibers. Therefore, PCWE could have an alleviating effect on skin aging induced by UVB irradiation and application of Sq-OOH.

The HII region S140 and the associated molecular cloud L1204 have been observed with 10 molecular transitions, CO (1-0), 13CO (1-0), C18O (1-0), CS (2-1), HCO+ (1-0), HCN (1-0), SO (22-11), SO2(220-313), OCS (8-7), and HNCO (404-303) with ~ 50" angular resolutions. More than 7,000 spectra were obtained in total. The morphology of this region shows a massive fragment (the S140 core) and the extended envelope to the northeast. Several gas condensations have been identified in the envelope, having masses of ~103M⊙ and gas number densities of ≾104cm-3 to 3×105cm-3 in their cores. The column densities of the observed molecular species toward the S140 core appear to be the typical warm clouds' abundances. It seems to be that the S140 core and L1204 have been swept up by an expanding shell called the Cepheus bubble. The large value of LIR(embedded stars)/Mcloud ~5 L⊙/M⊙ of the S140 core may suggest that the star formation has been stimulated by the HII region, but the shock velocity and the pressure of the region seem to give a hint of the spontaneous star formation by the self gravity.