A 3D-psoriatic skin model for dermatological testing: The impact of culture conditions.

Background: Inadequate representation of the human tissue environment during a preclinical screen can result in inaccurate predictions of compound effects. Consequently, pharmaceutical investigators are searching for preclinical models that closely resemble original tissue for predicting clinical outcomes.

Methods: The current research aims to compare the impact of using serum-free medium instead of complete culture medium during the last step of psoriatic skin substitute reconstruction.

Food Insecurity Increases HIV Risk Among Young Sex Workers in Metro Vancouver, Canada.

This research aimed to determine the effect of food insecurity on sexual HIV risk with clients among youth sex workers (YSWs) <30 years in Metro Vancouver, Canada. Data were drawn from a prospective community cohort of sex workers (2010-2013). We examined the independent relationship between YSWs' food insecurity and being pressured into sex without a condom by clients ("client condom refusal").

A comparative study between human skin substitutes and normal human skin using Raman microspectroscopy.

Research in the field of bioengineered skin substitutes is motivated by the need to find new dressings for people affected by skin injuries (burns, diabetic ulcers), and to develop adequate skin models to test new formulations developed in vitro. Thanks to advances in tissue engineering, it is now possible to produce human skin substitutes without any exogenous material, using the self-assembly method developed by the Laboratoire d'Organogénèse Expérimentale. These human skin substitutes consist of a dermis and a stratified epidermis (stratum corneum and living epidermis).

Characterization of a psoriatic skin model produced with involved or uninvolved cells.

Current knowledge suggests that uninvolved psoriatic skin could demonstrate characteristics associated with both normal and involved psoriatic skins. However, the triggering factor allowing the conversion of uninvolved skin into a psoriatic plaque is not fully understood. To counter this lack of information, we decided to develop pathological skin substitutes produced with uninvolved psoriatic cells, in order to better characterize the uninvolved psoriatic skin.

Yeast hnRNP-related proteins contribute to the maintenance of telomeres.

Telomeres protect the ends of linear chromosomes, which if eroded to a critical length can become uncapped and lead to replicative senescence. Telomerase maintains telomere length in some cells, but inappropriate expression facilitates the immortality of cancer cells. Recently, proteins involved in RNA processing and ribosome assembly, such as hnRNP (heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein) A1, have been found to participate in telomere maintenance in mammals.

Antipsoriatic drug development: challenges and new emerging therapies.

Psoriasis is a chronic recurring skin disorder affecting up to 2% of the world's population. Psoriatic lesions are generally visible, leading to significant emotional and social disabilities for patients. In the context of psoriasis, the orchestrated interplay between activated T cells, antigen-presenting cells and keratinocytes leads to the release of proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines and chemical mediators responsible for the perpetuation of this disease.

Effects of retinoic acid on keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation in a psoriatic skin model.

Psoriasis is a skin disease characterized by the presence of red plaques on the skin. This pathology is well-known to be a retinoid-sensitive disease. Previous investigations have shown that retinoids can modulate epidermal proliferation with an antiproliferative potential in hyperproliferative skins.

Effects of serum-free culture at the air-liquid interface in a human tissue-engineered skin substitute.

Previous studies have reported that well-defined culture conditions can improve keratinocytes terminal differentiation and reproducibility. The aim of our study was to compare skin substitutes cultured in a complete medium with those cultured in a serum-free medium at the air-liquid interface to optimize the self-assembly method. Skin substitutes, cultured in a serum-free medium over 7, 14, and 21 days, were compared with others cultured in a complete medium (5% serum) over the complete culture period.

Development of an in vitro psoriatic skin model by tissue engineering.

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease characterized by a thickening and disorganization of the skin's protective barrier.

Objectives: This study aims to develop and characterize a novel in vitro psoriatic human skin model produced by tissue engineering.

Methods: The self-assembly method, a tissue engineering approach based on the capacity of mesenchymal cells, such as fibroblasts, to create their own extracellular matrix in vitro, was used to create our substitutes.