Dermato-endocrinology

The sebaceous gland, long considered an evolutionary relic with little-to-no physiological relevance in humans, has emerged in recent decades as a key orchestrator and contributor to many cutaneous functions. In addition to the classical physico-chemical barrier function of the skin against constant environmental challenges, a more novel, neuro-immune modulatory role has also emerged. As part of the complex intercellular communication network of the integumentary system, the sebaceous gland acts as a "relay station" in the skin for many endocrine factors...

Objective : This study was designed to study the clinical and histopathological characteristics of patients with the scarring folliculitis type acne inversa in Chinese population. Methods : A total of 21 patients with acne inversa and 6 controls without known dermatological disease were recruited from outpatient department of dermatology and orthopedic surgery. Two-millimeter punch biopsies were taken from 8 patients with acne inversa and 6 controls, fixed in formalin, embedded in paraffin and stained with haematoxylin and eosin prior to histopathological analysis...

Rosacea is a chronic relapsing inflammatory skin disease with a high prevalence among adults of Northern European heritage with fair skin. Symptoms present in various combinations and severity, often fluctuating between periods of exacerbation and remission. Based on morphological characteristics, rosacea is generally classified into four major subtypes: erythematotelangiectatic, papulopustular, phymatous, and ocular. Diverse environmental and endogenous factors have been shown to stimulate an augmented innate immune response and neurovascular dysregulation; however, rosacea's exact pathogenesis is still unclear...

Malassezia spp in skin microbiome scalp has been implicated in seborrheic dermatitis pathogenesis. Thus, treatment based in antifungal combined to topical keratolitic agents have been indicated as well as oral isotretinoin as it reduces the sebum production, glandular's size and possesses anti-inflammatory properties. This randomized, comparative and therapeutic trial aimed toper form the genotypic identification of Malassezia species before and after low-dose oral isotretinoin or topical antifungal treatments for moderate to severe seborrhea and/or seborrheic dermatitis on scalp...

Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the pilosebaceous unit. Recent studies have shown an increasing number of cases of acne in adult women. These cases are predominantly normoandrogenic and have show some clinical differences compared to adolescent acne. In addition to the physical aspects, acne has a strong psychosocial impact and can lead to the onset of signs and symptoms of depression, such as anger. Our objective was to evaluate the effect on acne-specific quality of life in adult women treated with topical azelaic acid versus a combined oral contraceptive...

Adult female acne is a chronic inflammatory, immune-mediated disease that affects the pilosebaceous unit in women in their 20s to 40s, and is considered different from acne vulgaris. Propionibacterium acnes is recognized by TLR-2, resulting in activation of this receptor and an inflammatory response through the NFκ B pathway. This therapeutic, interventional, open, randomized, evaluator-blinded and comparative trial included 38 adult women with moderate facial acne and 10 age-matched controls, all aged between 26 and 44 years...

Despite lots of research on the pathogenesis of acne, the development of new therapeutic agents is still stagnant. Conventional agents which target multiple pathological processes have some serious side effects and this makes seeking new treatment options important for treating acne. As new therapeutic options, researchers are focusing on natural products, synthetic drugs and devices. From natural products, epigallocatechin-3 gallate, lupeol, cannabidiol and Lactobacillus fermented Chamaecyperis obtusa were reported to be possible candidates for novel drugs, targeting multiple pathogenic factors...

Because both acne vulgaris and folliculitis can present as inflammatory erythematous papules, pustules or nodules, they are often hard to distinguish. The importance to distinguish between these 2 shall be stressed as their pathogenesis and therapies are different and misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis may lead to improper treatment. We will introduce several special types of folliculitis that should be differentiated from acne to increase our knowledge of the disorders with an acne-like manifestation.

Hyper-glycemic food increases insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and insulin signaling and regulates endocrine responses and thereby may modulate the course of acne. Inflammation and adaptive immune responses have a pivotal role in all stages of acne. Recent hypothesis suggests that hyperglycemic food reduces nuclear forkhead box-O1 (FoxO1) transcription factor and may eventually induces acne. The aim of our study was to investigate the role of IGF-1 and insulin on the phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/FoxO1 pathway in human primary T cells and on the molecular functions of T cells in vitro ...

OBJECTIVE: RIS-1/psoriasin/S100A7 is an epithelial antimicrobial peptide, whose expression is upregulated in inflammatory skin diseases and is induced by retinoids. Its molecular expression was investigated in skin cell cultures and in skin specimens to better understand its role in inflammatory procedures of the pilosebaceous unit. METHODS: rtPCR and northern blotting of RIS-1/psoriasin and the retinoid-metabolizing genes CYP26AI and CRABP-II were performed in cells cultures (keratinocytes, sebocytes, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, melanocytes, lymphocytes and prostate cells; native and treated with retinoids) and in situ hybridization in normal and inflamed skin (acne, psoriasis)...

We previously reported that epidermal glycation causes an increase in saturated fatty acid (FA) content in a differentiated reconstructed skin model and HaCaT cells. However, the relationship between ceramides (CERs) and glycation and their effects on stratum corneum (SC) barrier function was not elucidated. In this study, we investigated the effect of glycation on lipid content in 6-day-old cultured reconstructed skin. We used the EPISKIN RHE 6D model and induced glycation using glyoxal. In addition to transepidermal water loss, content of CERs, cholesterol and FA in the reconstructed epidermal model were analyzed by high performance thin layer chromatography...

5-Aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) has been an effective method for treating acne vulgaris. Red light is the most widely used light source while Intense pulsed lights (IPL) is reported effective and well-tolerated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and adverse reactions of ALA-PDT with red light on acne compared with ALA-PDT with IPL.12 patients were recruited in the randomized, prospective and split-face study. 5% ALA cream were applied on the whole face with 2 hours' incubation before narrow band LED(633 ± 10 nm, 36 ∼ 108J/cm2 ) on one side of face and IPL(590∼1200 nm, 15∼17J/cm2 ) on the other side...

Hirsutism is a common condition, being present in about 5-15% of women. It is characterized by the growth of terminal hair in a pattern typical for men, like as hair growth in upper lip, chin, cheek and lower and upper abdomen. Not infrequently, hirsutism is followed by other signs of hyerandrogenism such as alopecia, acne, and seborrhea. The current study evaluated the association between a self-reported history of hirsutism and oligo-amenorrhea during reproductive age and the presence of several comorbidities in women after menopause...

Because the incidence of cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) was reported to increase with increasing terrestrial UVR (290-400 nm) doses in the US back in 1975 and a recent publication showed no association exists with UVR exposure at all, we set out to fully elucidate the role of UVR in CMM. To achieve this goal, we analyzed the CMM incidences over latitude and estimated the average personal UVR dose in the US and numerous countries (> 50) on 5 continents around the world. Using data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2005, we performed worldwide analysis of CMM over UVR dose by sex, age group (0-14, 15-29, 30-49, 50-69, 70-85+) and Fitzpatrick skin types I-VI...

Familial glucocorticoid deficiency (FGD) is a rare autosomal recessive condition, characterized by marked atrophy of zona fasiculata and reticalaris with preservation of zona glomerulosa. Out of more than 50 published cases, 18 patients died as a result of glucocorticoid insufficiency. The main objective of this report is to emphasize the early diagnosis and treatment in our 17 month-old patient. Her presenting features following an upper respiratory tract infection were hypoglycemia, seizures as well as deep hyperpigmentation of the limbs and lips...

Supplementation by the general public with vitamin D at doses above the Tolerable Upper Level of Intake (UL) is becoming quite common. The objective of the current analysis was to characterize the effect of vitamin D supplementation at doses up to 15,000 IU/d in a community-based program on vitamin D status, calcium homeostasis as well as on kidney, liver and immune function. We evaluated data collected for 3,882 participants in a community program for whom there were blood measurements at program entry and at follow-up within 6-18 months between 2013 and 2015...

There have been many case-control studies of melanoma and the use of indoor tanning equipment. A recent meta analysis of 8 credible studies in North America estimated an overall significant odds ratio of 1.23. Three of these 8 studies also reported separately on commercial use and home use of indoor tanning equipment. For home use the overall odds ratio was a significant 1.53 while for commercial use there was a non significant 1.05.

Background: More and more people of all age classes have a tattoo. Intriguingly, there are multiple prejudices in the general population and published data that concern tattooed persons, such as being criminals, having a low education, being alcohol or drug abusers, or more risky in their life style. Objective: To obtain and to evaluate sociodemographic data on tattooed persons, to investigate the incidence of tattoo-related cutaneous complications and to define personal risk factors and course of the persons after being tattooed concerning behavior of personal environment...

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) can go undiagnosed for years, leading to a stage where chronic high blood sugar produces complications such as delayed wound healing. Reports have shown that BLT2 activation improves keratinocyte migration and wound healing, as well as protecting the epidermal barrier through the promotion of actin polymerization. The goal of this study was to elucidate the role of BLT2 expression in skin epithelial integrity in T2D. For this purpose, we used both wild type (WT) and BLT2 knockout mice in a model, in which a T2D-like phenotype was induced by keeping the animals on a high fat (HF) diet over 5 weeks...

Vitamin D plays an important role in the immune system; decreased serum vitamin D concentrations have been linked to dysregulated immune function. Low vitamin D status is probably associated with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). We evaluated the prevalence of low vitamin D status, and the clinical response and quality of life following vitamin D supplementation, in a prospective case-control study with 60 CSU patients and 40 healthy individuals. Serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations were measured at baseline and after 6 weeks...