Skin identity is controlled by intrinsic features of the epidermis and dermis and their interactions. Modifying skin identity has clinical potential, such as the conversion of residual limb and stump (nonvolar) skin of amputees to pressure-responsive palmoplantar (volar) skin to enhance prosthesis use and minimize skin breakdown. Greater keratin 9 () expression, higher epidermal thickness, keratinocyte cytoplasmic size, collagen length, and elastin are markers of volar skin and likely contribute to volar skin resiliency.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin condition whose pathogenesis is not well established. An association between HS and obesity is suggested but few studies explore specific dietary drivers. Non-Hispanic Blacks have the highest HS prevalence and obesity rates as well as the highest UPFs consumption rates, as opposed to Hispanics who have the lowest prevalence of HS despite having the second highest obesity rates in the US.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF(1) Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that is commonly diagnosed in the aging population. Interestingly, the lower extremity joints have a higher published incidence of osteoarthritis than the upper extremity joints. Although much is known about the disease process, it remains unclear why some joints are more affected than others.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMalignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are chemotherapy resistant sarcomas that are a leading cause of death in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Although NF1-related MPNSTs derive from neural crest cell origin, they also exhibit intratumoral heterogeneity. TP53 mutations are associated with significantly decreased survival in MPNSTs, however the mechanisms underlying TP53-mediated therapy responses are unclear in the context of NF1-deficiency.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAutoimmune (AI) diseases, which present in a multitude of systemic manifestations, have been connected to many underlying factors. These factors include the environment, genetics, individual microbiomes, and diet. An individual's gut microbiota is an integral aspect of human functioning, as it is intimately integrated into the metabolic, mechanical, immunological, and neurologic pathways of the body.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecent studies have shown that the gut microbiome changes brain function, behavior, and psychiatric and neurological disorders. The Gut-Brain Axis (GBA) provides a neuronal pathway to explain this. But exactly how do commensal bacteria signal through the epithelial layer of the large intestine to activate GBA nerve afferents? An in vitro model is described.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFibrosis is one of the largest sources of human morbidity. The skin is a complex organ where interplay between diverse cell types and signalling pathways is essential both in homeostasis and wound repair, which can result in fibrosis or regeneration. This makes skin a useful model to study fibrosis and regeneration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCongenital hemangioma is a rare vascular tumor that forms in utero. Postnatally, the tumor either involutes quickly (i.e.
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