Genome-Wide MicroRNA Analysis Implicates miR-30b/d in the Etiology of Alopecia Areata.

Alopecia areata (AA) is one of the most common forms of human hair loss. Although genetic studies have implicated autoimmune processes in AA etiology, understanding of the etiopathogenesis is incomplete. Recent research has implicated microRNAs, a class of small noncoding RNAs, in diverse autoimmune diseases.

Prevalence and associated factors of skin diseases in aged nursing home residents: a multicentre prevalence study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of skin diseases in aged nursing home residents and to explore possible associations with demographic and medical characteristics.

Design: Descriptive multicentre prevalence study.

Setting And Participants: The study was conducted in a random sample of ten institutional long-term care facilities in the federal state of Berlin, Germany.

The effectiveness of standardized skin care regimens on skin dryness in nursing home residents: A randomized controlled parallel-group pragmatic trial.

Background: Aged residents of institutional long-term care facilities are at high risk for developing skin and tissue diseases. Besides various common skin problems, dry skin (xerosis cutis) is one of the most frequent skin conditions in this setting.

Objectives: To investigate the effectiveness of two structured skin care regimens in comparison to routine skin care on xerosis cutis in nursing home residents.

Influence of sunflower seed oil or baby lotion on the skin barrier function of newborns: A pilot study.

Background: Skin care influences skin barrier function during the first postnatal weeks. Although the use of natural oils in preterms has been investigated, there are currently no data comparing the effect of sunflower oil to an emollient on barrier development in healthy term newborns.

Methods: In a prospective, randomized clinical study, 50 healthy full-term newborns aged ≤72 h were randomly assigned to two groups: group baby lotion (L, n=22) and sunflower seed oil (SSO, n=24).

Mutations in Three Genes Encoding Proteins Involved in Hair Shaft Formation Cause Uncombable Hair Syndrome.

Uncombable hair syndrome (UHS), also known as "spun glass hair syndrome," "pili trianguli et canaliculi," or "cheveux incoiffables" is a rare anomaly of the hair shaft that occurs in children and improves with age. UHS is characterized by dry, frizzy, spangly, and often fair hair that is resistant to being combed flat. Until now, both simplex and familial UHS-affected case subjects with autosomal-dominant as well as -recessive inheritance have been reported.

Genomewide analysis of copy number variants in alopecia areata in a Central European cohort reveals association with MCHR2.

Alopecia areata (AA) is a common hair loss disorder of autoimmune aetiology, which often results in pronounced psychological distress. Understanding of the pathophysiology of AA is increasing, due in part to recent genetic findings implicating common variants at several genetic loci. To date, no study has investigated the contribution of copy number variants (CNVs) to AA, a prominent class of genomic variants involved in other autoimmune disorders.

Children with Dry Skin and Atopic Predisposition: Outcome Measurement with Validated Scores for Atopic Dermatitis.

Background: Dry skin is a common skin condition in childhood. Few studies exist investigating the influence of daily skin care on dry skin in infants at risk of developing atopic dermatitis (AD). We aimed to assess the effect of skin care on dry skin in this special cohort using validated scores for AD and analysis of skin microtopography.

A Single-Centre, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial to Investigate the Efficacy and Safety of Minoxidil Topical Foam in Frontotemporal and Vertex Androgenetic Alopecia in Men.

Background: 5% minoxidil formulations twice daily are effective in treating vertex male androgenetic alopecia (AGA); however, efficacy and safety data in frontotemporal regions are lacking.

Objectives: To assess the efficacy of 5% minoxidil topical foam (5% MTF) in the frontotemporal region of male AGA patients after 24 weeks of treatment compared to placebo treatment and to the vertex region.

Methods: Seventy males with moderate AGA applied 5% MTF or placebo foam (plaTF) twice daily for 24 weeks in frontotemporal and vertex regions.

Effect of diaper cream and wet wipes on skin barrier properties in infants: a prospective randomized controlled trial.

The effect of different diaper care procedures on skin barrier function in infants has been minimally investigated and may be assessed using objective methods. In a single-center, prospective trial, 89 healthy 9-month-old infants (±8 wks) were randomly assigned to three diaper care regimens: group I used water-moistened washcloths at diaper changes (n = 30), group II additionally applied diaper cream twice daily (n = 28), and group III used wet wipes and diaper cream twice daily (n = 31). Transepidermal water loss (TEWL), skin hydration (SCH), skin pH, interleukin 1α (IL-1α) levels, and microbiologic colonization were measured in diapered skin (upper outer quadrant of the buttocks), nondiapered skin (upper leg), and if diaper dermatitis (DD) occurred, using the most affected skin area at day 1 and weeks 4 and 8.

Influence of sunflower seed oil on the skin barrier function of preterm infants: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Inadequate skin care may increase morbidity in preterm infants. Skin care practices that support skin maturation have barely been investigated.

Objectives: To investigate the effect of sunflower seed oil (SSO) on skin barrier development in low-birth-weight premature infants.

Prevention of diaper dermatitis in infants--a literature review.

Diaper dermatitis (DD) is one of the most common skin conditions in neonates and infants, with a peak between the ages of 9 and 12 months. Appropriate skin care practices that support skin barrier function and protect the buttocks skin from urine and feces are supposed to be effective in the prevention of DD. Despite many recommendations for parents and caregivers on proper diaper skin care, there is no up-to-date synthesis of the available evidence to develop recommendations for DD prevention practice.

Skin barrier function in infancy: a systematic review.

The skin of neonates and infants exhibits distinct anatomical and functional properties that might be clinically reflected by its characteristic susceptibility to skin barrier disruption. In this systematic review, we aimed to characterize skin barrier maturation as reflected by transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and skin surface pH during the first 2 years of life. We systematically searched MEDLINE and EMBASE via OVID from 1975 to 2013 to identify primary studies reporting TEWL and/or skin surface pH values in healthy full-term infants aged 0-24 months without any cutaneous diseases.

Investigation of four novel male androgenetic alopecia susceptibility loci: no association with female pattern hair loss.

Female pattern hair loss (FPHL) is a common hair loss disorder in women and has a complex mode of inheritance. The etiopathogenesis of FPHL is largely unknown; however, it is hypothesized that FPHL and male pattern baldness [androgenetic alopecia (AGA)] share common genetic susceptibility alleles. Our recent findings indicate that the major AGA locus, an X-chromosome region containing the androgen receptor and the ectodysplasin A2 receptor (EDA2R) genes, may represent a common genetic factor underlying both early-onset FPHL and AGA.

Do repeated skin barrier measurements influence each other's results? An explorative study.

Background: Biophysical skin measurement techniques are widely used to quantify the skin barrier function. In clinical research usually several parameters are subsequently measured in the same skin areas. In this study, possible interfering effects of subsequent measurement procedures on transepidermal water loss (TEWL), stratum corneum hydration (SCH) and skin surface pH were investigated.

Comparison of two in vivo measurements for skin surface topography.

Background/purpose: Non-contact methods for quantifying skin surface topography in vivo are common in skin research. The surface evaluation of living skin (SELS) and the phaseshift rapid in vivo measurement of skin (PRIMOS) are two approaches to measure skin surface roughness and wrinkling via optical methods. The aim of this study was to compare the reliability and interrelatedness of the parameters obtained by both technologies.

Analysis of the efficiency of hair removal by different optical methods: comparison of Trichoscan, reflectance confocal microscopy, and optical coherence tomography.

Noninvasive diagnostic tools, such as Trichoscan®, reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM), and optical coherence tomography (OCT), are efficient methods of hair shaft and growth evaluation. The aim of this study was to carry out a comparative assessment of these three medical procedures by measuring the hair shaft and hair growth after hair removal for a defined period of five days. The application of these techniques was demonstrated by measuring hair growth on the lower leg of six female volunteers.