Publications by authors named "Jacob Frand"

Skin pigmentation is paused after sun exposure; however, the mechanism behind this pausing is unknown. In this study, we found that the UVB-induced DNA repair system, led by the ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) protein kinase, represses MITF transcriptional activity of pigmentation genes while placing MITF in DNA repair mode, thus directly inhibiting pigment production. Phosphoproteomics analysis revealed ATM to be the most significantly enriched pathway among all UVB-induced DNA repair systems.

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  • Scientists found that men and women react differently to sunlight when it comes to wanting food!
  • In both humans and mice, sunlight increases hunger in males, but not in females!
  • The study shows that a substance called ghrelin, which makes us feel hungry, is affected by the sunlight and other body chemicals differently in men and women!
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  • Cutaneous melanoma tumors are diverse and show different responses to treatments, highlighting the need for effective molecular biomarkers to better classify and manage the disease.
  • The study identifies four melanoma tumor subtypes based on three gene expression patterns: keratin, immune, and melanogenesis, with the latter linked to poorer survival rates.
  • Researchers developed a molecular classification tool that uses key genes to predict tumor subtypes, validated with patient samples, aiming to enhance diagnosis and treatment strategies for melanoma.
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Background: The effect of weight reduction following bariatric surgery is already well known.

Objectives: To investigate the effects of abdominoplasty on metabolic markers indicative of weight loss.

Methods: The authors prospectively enrolled consecutive obese patients after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy.

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Background: The use of oral midazolam as premedication to induce anxiolysis before surgical procedures under local anesthesia is widely accepted in plastic surgery. Rhinoplasty performed under local anesthesia is known to generate high levels of perioperative anxiety, thus the use of appropriate premedication is important. Oral midazolam has been shown to be safe in various procedures.

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Background: There are several methods for primary breast reconstruction following oncologic resection, including alloplastic and autologous-based reconstruction. Major complications that can lead to re-operation and reconstruction failure occur in up to 25% of the patients and necessitate salvage procedures.

Objectives: To present the authors' experience using a pedicled latissimus dorsi (LD) flap for the salvage of complicated and impending failed breast reconstruction.

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Skin sun exposure induces two protection programs: stress responses and pigmentation, the former within minutes and the latter only hours afterward. Although serving the same physiological purpose, it is not known whether and how these programs are coordinated. Here, we report that UVB exposure every other day induces significantly more skin pigmentation than the higher frequency of daily exposure, without an associated increase in stress responses.

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Background: Décolleté aging includes skin dyspigmentation, laxity, and visible wrinkling. The development of globally accepted scales for the assessment of décolleté aging is essential for aesthetic research and patient evaluation.

Objective: To develop a set of grading scales for the objective assessment of décolleté aging criteria and establish the reliability and validity of these scales.

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Background: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common malignancy in humans. Several factors have been associated with the biological behavior of these tumors, including histopathologic type, depth of tumor invasion, perineural invasion, and the expression of several biological markers including Ki67, a proliferative marker. Previous studies assessing the relationship between the proliferative fraction, as expressed by Ki67, and the histological variants of BCC as well as its association with the tendency to recur, failed to illustrate significant statistical correlation.

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Background: Transthyretin (TTR)-associated familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) is an autosomal dominant multisystem disease with neurological and extra-neurological manifestations. It is caused by various mutations in the TTR gene leading to the formation of insoluble amyloid.

Objectives: To describe the clinical and genetic findings in patients with TTR-associated FAP in Israel.

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  • Myotonic dystrophy type 2 (DM2) is a genetic disorder caused by a repeat expansion in the ZNF9 gene and primarily affects individuals of Jewish European ancestry.
  • A study of 10 patients revealed symptoms like proximal muscle weakness, muscle pain, and myotonia, with many also requiring cataract surgery and some showing cardiac issues.
  • The findings suggest that DM2 often starts with muscle weakness without myotonia, and standard EMG tests may not always detect myotonic discharges initially, leading to potential underdiagnosis of the condition.
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Heroin-related peripheral nervous injury has scarcely been reported, mostly as compressive neuropathy. Rarely, other types of peripheral nervous system (PNS) injury have been recognized, such as plexopathy, polyradiculopathy, mononeuropathy, and rhabdomyolysis. These complications are usually not related to local trauma, but the nature of nerve injury remains unknown.

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