Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia (FFA) Part I - Diagnosis and Clinical Presentation.

Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia (FFA) is a primary lymphocytic cicatricial alopecia predominantly affecting postmenopausal Caucasian women. It is characterized by a progressive frontotemporal hairline recession that presents as a scarring hairless band and is often accompanied by eyebrow and body hair loss. Although initially described in postmenopausal women, FFA has been observed in a broader demographic, including premenopausal women and occasionally men.

Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia Part II: Etiopathogenesis and Management.

Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia (FFA) poses a distinct dermatological challenge with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) at its core, driving follicular cell transformation and fibrotic changes. Genetic studies highlight significant associations, while environmental triggers, such as implicated cosmetic products (sunblock, personal hair care products, and moisturizers), introduce complexity. Managing FFA proves daunting due to its chronic and unpredictable nature.

ATP-Binding Cassette and Solute Carrier Transporters: Understanding Their Mechanisms and Drug Modulation Through Structural and Modeling Approaches.

The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) and solute carrier (SLC) transporters play pivotal roles in cellular transport mechanisms, influencing a wide range of physiological processes and impacting various medical conditions. Recent advancements in structural biology and computational modeling have provided significant insights into their function and regulation. This review provides an overview of the current knowledge of human ABC and SLC transporters, emphasizing their structural and functional relationships, transport mechanisms, and the contribution of computational approaches to their understanding.

Nanoconfined Chlorine-Substituted Monomethine Cyanine Dye with a Propionamide Function Based on the Thiazole Orange Scaffold-Use of a Fluorogenic Probe for Cell Staining and Nucleic Acid Visualization.

The development of fluorescence-based methods for bioassays and medical diagnostics requires the design and synthesis of specific markers to target biological microobjects. However, biomolecular recognition in real cellular systems is not always as selective as desired. A new concept for creating fluorescent biomolecular probes, utilizing a fluorogenic dye and biodegradable, biocompatible nanomaterials, is demonstrated.

Recent Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Discovery of New Antibacterial Agents.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents today a major challenge for global public health, compromising the effectiveness of treatments against a multitude of bacterial infections. In recent decades, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a promising technology for the identification and development of new antibacterial agents. This review focuses on AI methodologies applied to discover new antibacterial candidates.

Machine Learning and Deep Learning Models for Predicting Noncovalent Inhibitors of AmpC β-Lactamase.

Continuous use of antibiotics leads to the ability of bacteria to adapt by developing complex antibiotic resistance (AR) mechanisms. The synthesis of β-lactamases is a widely observed AR mechanism. The class C β-lactamase (AmpC) causes significant resistance toward β-lactam antibiotics, and new treatments are urgently needed.

The effect of citric acid on mineralisation and vascular endothelial growth factor secretion from apical papilla stem cells.

Objective: To investigate the influence of citric acid on the osteogenic and angiogenic potential of stem cells from apical papillae (SCAPs).

Materials And Methods: Stem cells from apical papillae were isolated from freshly extracted third permanent molars. These cells were treated with 20 and 100 μM citric acid.

Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia by Docetaxel: Prevalence, Treatment and Prevention.

Docetaxel is a commonly used taxane chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of a variety of cancers, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, gastric cancer, and head and neck cancer. Docetaxel exerts its anti-cancer effects through inhibition of the cell cycle and induction of proapoptotic activity. However, docetaxel also impacts rapidly proliferating normal cells in the scalp hair follicles (HFs), rendering the HFs vulnerable to docetaxel-induced cell death and leading to chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA).

HSV-1 infection induces phosphorylated tau propagation among neurons via extracellular vesicles.

Extracellular vesicles (EV), key players in cell-to-cell communication, may contribute to disease propagation in several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), by favoring the dissemination of neurotoxic proteins within the brain. Interestingly, growing evidence supports the role of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection in the pathogenesis of AD. Here, we investigated whether HSV-1 infection could promote the spread of phosphorylated tau (ptau) among neurons via EV.

Mechanistic insights into P-glycoprotein ligand transport and inhibition revealed by enhanced molecular dynamics simulations.

P-glycoprotein (P-gp) plays a crucial role in cellular detoxification and drug efflux processes, transitioning between inward-facing (IF) open, occluded, and outward-facing (OF) states to facilitate substrate transport. Its role is critical in cancer therapy, where P-gp contributes to the multidrug resistance phenotype. In our study, classical and enhanced molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were conducted to dissect the structural and functional features of the P-gp conformational states.

A Review of Stem Cell Attributes Derived from the Oral Cavity.

Oral cavity stem cells (OCSCs) have been the focus of intense scientific efforts due to their accessibility and stem cell properties. The present work aims to compare the different characteristics of 6 types of dental stem cells derived from the oral cavity: dental pulp stem cells (DPSC), stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED), periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSC), stem cells from the apical papilla (SCAP), bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSC), and gingival mesenchymal stem cells (GMSC). Using immunofluorescence and real-time polymerase chain reaction techniques, we analysed the cells for stem cell, differentiation, adhesion, and extracellular matrix markers; the ability to proliferate in vitro; and multilineage differentiation potential.

Computational and artificial intelligence-based approaches for drug metabolism and transport prediction.

Drug metabolism and transport, orchestrated by drug-metabolizing enzymes (DMEs) and drug transporters (DTs), are implicated in drug-drug interactions (DDIs) and adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Reliable and precise predictions of DDIs and ADRs are critical in the early stages of drug development to reduce the rate of drug candidate failure. A variety of experimental and computational technologies have been developed to predict DDIs and ADRs.

Role of Conformational Dynamics of Sulfotransferases SULT1A1 and SULT1A3 in Substrate Specificity.

Sulfotransferases (SULTs) are phase II metabolizing enzymes catalyzing the sulfoconjugation from the co-factor 3'-Phosphoadenosine 5'-Phosphosulfate (PAPS) to a wide variety of endogenous compounds, drugs and natural products. Although SULT1A1 and SULT1A3 share 93% identity, SULT1A1, the most abundant SULT isoform in humans, exhibits a broad substrate range with specificity for small phenolic compounds, while SULT1A3 displays a high affinity toward monoamine neurotransmitters like dopamine. To elucidate the factors determining the substrate specificity of the SULT1 isoenzymes, we studied the dynamic behavior and structural specificities of SULT1A1 and SULT1A3 by using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and ensemble docking of common and specific substrates of the two isoforms.

Insights into the molecular basis and mechanism of heme-triggered TLR4 signalling: The role of heme-binding motifs in TLR4 and MD2.

Haemolytic disorders, such as sickle cell disease, are accompanied by the release of high amounts of labile heme into the intravascular compartment resulting in the induction of proinflammatory and prothrombotic complications in affected patients. In addition to the relevance of heme-regulated proteins from the complement and blood coagulation systems, activation of the TLR4 signalling pathway by heme was ascribed a crucial role in the progression of these pathological processes. Heme binding to the TLR4-MD2 complex has been proposed recently, however, essential mechanistic information of the processes at the molecular level, such as heme-binding kinetics, the heme-binding capacity and the respective heme-binding sites (HBMs) is still missing.

Aggregation induced nucleic acids recognition by homodimeric asymmetric monomethyne cyanine fluorochromes in mesenchymal stem cells.

In the light of recent retrovirus pandemics, the issue of discovering new and diverse RNA-specific fluorochromes for research and diagnostics became of acute importance. The great majority of nucleic acid-specific probes either do not stain RNA or cannot distinguish between DNA and RNA. The versatility of polymethine dyes makes them suitable as stains for visualization, analysis, and detection of nucleic acids, proteins, and other biomolecules.

Alopecia Areata Barbae in a Nutshell.

Beard alopecia areata, or alopecia areata barbae, (BAA) is a subset of alopecia areata, a T-cell mediated inflammatory disease that disrupts the hair follicle cycle leading to early onset of catagen. The aim of this review is to help strengthen clinicians' skills in the evaluation, diagnosis, and management of BAA. We performed a literature review according to the modified PRISMA guidelines, using a combination of relevant key words in electronic databases.

Prevention and Treatment of Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia: What Is Available and What Is Coming?

Millions of new cancer patients receive chemotherapy each year. In addition to killing cancer cells, chemotherapy is likely to damage rapidly proliferating healthy cells, including the hair follicle keratinocytes. Chemotherapy causes substantial thinning or loss of hair, termed chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA), in approximately 65% of patients.