Fibrosis results from excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, causing tissue stiffening and organ dysfunction. Activated fibroblasts, central to fibrosis, exhibit increased migration, proliferation, contraction, and ECM production. However, it remains unclear if the same fibroblast performs all of the processes that fall under the umbrella term of "activation".
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe plant contains phytochemicals that have been used extensively in traditional medicine to treat various diseases. More recently it has been shown to accelerate wound healing, though its mechanism of action is largely unknown. Here we investigated the cellular pathways activated by a methanol extract of in human dermal fibroblasts, which play many critical roles in the wound healing program.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAssess the impact of electronic health record interventions on patient access to post-hospital discharge prescriptions. Five interventions were implemented in the electronic health record to improve patient access to prescriptions after discharge from hospital: electronic prior authorization, alternative medication suggestions, order sets, mail order pharmacy alerts, and medication interchange instructions. This was a retrospective cohort study of patient responses from discharges during 6 months before the first intervention implementation and 6 months after the last intervention implementation documented in the electronic health record and a transition-in-care platform.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSystemic sclerosis is a fibrotic disease that initiates in the skin and progresses to internal organs, leading to a poor prognosis. Unraveling the etiology of a chronic, multifactorial disease such as systemic sclerosis has been aided by various animal models that recapitulate certain aspects of the human pathology. We found that the transcription factor SNAI1 is overexpressed in the epidermis of patients with systemic sclerosis, and a transgenic mouse recapitulating this expression pattern is sufficient to induce many clinical features of the human disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe wound healing process is a product of three successive and overlapping phases of inflammation, proliferation and remodelling. Considerable efforts have been invested in deconstructing the intercellular crosstalk that orchestrates tissue repair, and we investigated the role of neuropeptides released from peripheral neurons upon injury in mediating these interactions. Amongst the most abundant of these neuropeptides secreted by nerves in the skin, is Substance P (SP).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe skin plays an important role in protecting the body from pathogens and chemicals in the external environment. Upon injury, a healing program is rapidly initiated and involves extensive intercellular communication to restore tissue homeostasis. The deregulation of this crosstalk can lead to abnormal healing processes and is the foundation of many skin diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRes Social Adm Pharm
November 2021
Background: For patients that face barriers to filling their prescriptions, the availability of medication access services at their site of care can mean the difference between receiving prescribed drug therapy, and undue interruptions in care. Hospitals often provide medication access services that are not reimbursed by payers; however, they can be challenging to sustain. The 340B Drug Pricing Program allows covered entities to generate savings through discounted pricing for certain outpatient medications, which can then be used to provide more comprehensive services, including medication access services.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe cutaneous wound-healing program is a product of a complex interplay among diverse cell types within the skin. One fundamental process that is mediated by these reciprocal interactions is the mobilization of local stem cell pools to promote tissue regeneration and repair. Using the ablation of epidermal caspase-8 as a model of wound healing in , we analyzed the signaling components responsible for epithelial stem cell proliferation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMaintaining potassium balance in the body is essential for cellular function. Even a slight increase in normal serum potassium levels (3.5-5.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Invest Dermatol
August 2015
The inflammasome is a complex of proteins that has a critical role in mounting an inflammatory response in reply to a harmful stimulus that compromises the homeostatic state of the tissue. The NLRP3 inflammasome, which is found in a wound-like environment, is comprised of three components: the NLRP3, the adaptor protein ASC and caspase-1. Interestingly, although ASC levels do not fluctuate, caspase-1 levels are elevated in both physiological and pathological conditions.
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