Access to bacteriophage therapy: discouraging experiences from the human cell and tissue legal framework.

Cultures of human epithelial cells (keratinocytes) are used as an additional surgical tool to treat critically burnt patients. Initially, the production environment of keratinocyte grafts was regulated exclusively by national regulations. In 2004, the European Tissues and Cells Directive 2004/23/EC (transposed into Belgian Law) imposed requirements that resulted in increased production costs and no significant increase in quality and/or safety.

Management of scars: updated practical guidelines and use of silicones.

Hypertrophic scars and keloids resulting from surgery, burns, trauma and infection can be associated with substantial physical and psychological distress. Various non-invasive and invasive options are currently available for the prevention and treatment of these scars. Recently, an international multidisciplinary group of 24 experts on scar management (dermatologists; plastic and reconstructive surgeons; general surgeons; physical medicine, rehabilitation and burns specialists; psychosocial and behavioural researchers; epidemiologists; beauticians) convened to update a set of practical guidelines for the prevention and treatment of hypertrophic and keloid scars on the basis of the latest published clinical evidence on existing scar management options.

Cannabinoid receptors 1 and 2 oppositely regulate epidermal permeability barrier status and differentiation.

Cannabinoid receptors (CBR) 1 and 2 have been implicated in keratinocyte differentiation/proliferation. How CB receptors affect epidermal permeability barrier and stratum corneum structure and function remains unclear. Permeability barrier abrogation was induced by sequential tape-stripping of the SC and assessed in both CB1R and CB2R knockout (-/-) mice in comparison with wild-type (+/+) littermates.

Sunscreen use and skin protection behaviour on the Belgian beach: a comparison 9 years later.

Public health campaigns encourage people to protect themselves against skin cancer by using sunscreens and taking other protective measures. The objective is to estimate the impact of these campaigns on the rise of awareness among the general public. This study explores the prevalence and predictors of solar protection behaviour in a sample of beachgoers and compares these results to another similar study carried out 9 years earlier (i.

Feeder layer- and animal product-free culture of neonatal foreskin keratinocytes: improved performance, usability, quality and safety.

Since 1987, keratinocytes have been cultured at the Queen Astrid Military Hospital. These keratinocytes have been used routinely as auto and allografts on more than 1,000 patients, primarily to accelerate the healing of burns and chronic wounds. Initially the method of Rheinwald and Green was used to prepare cultured epithelial autografts, starting from skin samples from burn patients and using animal-derived feeder layers and media containing animal-derived products.

Glycerol treatment as recovery procedure for cryopreserved human skin allografts positive for bacteria and fungi.

Human donor skin allografts are suitable and much used temporary biological (burn) wound dressings. They prepare the excised wound bed for final autografting and form an excellent substrate for revascularisation and for the formation of granulation tissue. Two preservation methods, glycerol preservation and cryopreservation, are commonly used by tissue banks for the long-term storage of skin grafts.

Actin dynamics regulate immediate PAR-2-dependent responses to acute epidermal permeability barrier abrogation.

Background: Lamellar body (LB) secretion and terminal differentiation of stratum granulosum (SG) cells are signaled by both protease activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) and caveolin-1 (cav-1).

Objective: To address the early dynamics of LB secretion, we examined cytoskeletal remodeling of keratinocytes in 3 mouse models following acute barrier abrogation: hairless mice, PAR-2 knockout (-/-) and cav-1 -/-.

Methods And Results: Under basal conditions, globular (G)-actin accumulates in SG cells cytosol, while filamentous (F)-actin is restricted to peri-membrane domains.

Hypnosis and alopecia areata: Long-term beneficial effects on psychological well-being.

Although there often exists important psychological comorbidity in patients with alopecia areata, few studies have investigated the role of psychotherapeutic interventions. The aim of this prospective cohort study was to investigate the long-term evolution of psychological symptoms in twenty-one patients with refractory alopecia areata. Patients received 10 individual sessions of hypnosis during an approximate 6-month period.

Potential release of aluminum and other metals by food-grade aluminum foil used for skin allograft cryo preservation.

Since 1991, the skin bank of the Queen Astrid Military Hospital uses food-grade aluminum foil as a primary support for storing cryo preserved human donor skin (511 donors). The possible release of heavy metals into the cryo preservation media (30% (v/v) glycerol in physiological water) and the possible impact this release could have on the quality of the cryo preserved donor skin was evaluated. Aluminum was the principal detection target.

Acute acidification of stratum corneum membrane domains using polyhydroxyl acids improves lipid processing and inhibits degradation of corneodesmosomes.

Neutralization of the normally acidic stratum corneum (SC) has deleterious consequences for permeability barrier homeostasis and SC integrity/cohesion attributable to serine proteases (SPs) activation leading to deactivation/degradation of lipid-processing enzymes and corneodesmosomes (CD). As an elevated pH compromises SC structure and function, we asked here whether SC hyperacidification would improve the structure and function. We lowered the pH of mouse SC using two polyhydroxyl acids (PHA), lactobionic acid (LBA), or gluconolactone (GL).

Hemorrhagic regression of melanoma metastases during therapeutic vaccination: a report of three cases.

Melanoma metastases are characterized by pronounced neo-angiogenesis and spontaneous bleeding frequently occurring within central nervous system metastases. Clinically apparent spontaneous hemorrhage within subcutaneous melanoma metastases, however, is a rare event that coincides with progression of such metastases. We report, to our knowledge the first observation, on regression of subcutaneous metastases with hemorrhage of the overlying skin in three patients with stage IV melanoma who participated in clinical trials on therapeutic vaccination.

LEKTI-1 in sickness and in health.

The stratum corneum (SC) is a biosensor that mediates responses to a variety of exogenous insults through various signalling mechanisms, including the activation of SC serine proteases (SP) kallikrein cascade. The SPINK5 gene encodes an SP inhibitor, the lympho-epithelial-Kazal-type-1 inhibitor (LEKTI-1), which in turn will buffer the excess of SP cascade initiation, key in the maintenance of permeability barrier homeostasis. We demonstrate that LEKTI processing can occur within the SC after secretion from stratum granulosum keratinocytes at least partially by klk7, an SC-specific chymotryptic SP.

Alexithymia in patients with alopecia areata: educational background much more important than traumatic events.

Background: Recent studies suggest a higher prevalence of alexithymia in patients with alopecia areata (AA). Some authors link alexithymia with the presence of early traumatic events, such as dysfunctional parent-child relationships. However, until today, no studies have been carried out on the association of alexithymia and early traumatic events in AA patients.

Increased history of childhood and lifetime traumatic events among adults with alopecia areata.

Background: Whether adult alopecia areata (AA) is associated with childhood or total lifetime traumatic events is not known. Previous studies have investigated only the relationship with recent stressful events.

Objective: We sought to determine whether patients with AA experience more childhood or total lifetime traumatic events, as measured by the Traumatic Experiences Checklist.

The "caveolae brake hypothesis" and the epidermal barrier.

Epidermal permeability barrier formation depends upon lamellar body (LB) secretion/fusion with the apical plasma membrane (APM) of outermost stratum granulosum (SG) cell, creating cholesterol/glycosphingolipid-enriched lipid rafts-like domains. We found that the dimensions of these domains are comparable to lipid raft in other cell types; and that acute barrier disruption regulates their size and dynamics. To assess the function of these LB-derived raft-like domains, we assessed APM dynamics and barrier recovery in methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (MbetaCD)-treated hairless mice and caveolin-1 knockouts (cav-1(-/-)).

Clinical scoring and biophysical evaluation of nasolabial skin barrier damage caused by rhinorrhea.

Background: An acute viral cold is a very common illness and is characterized by sneezing and a runny nose. Because of rhinorrhea and frequent use of handkerchiefs, the skin around the nose feels uncomfortably dry and flaky.

Objectives/methods: To evaluate the nasolabial skin barrier impairment, 14 female volunteers with a common cold were recruited.

Alexithymia and dermatology: the state of the art.

Background: Alexithymia is a personality trait characterized by difficulties in differentiating and describing feelings. Research indicates that alexithymia acts as a triggering factor for many medical and psychiatric disorders. The interest in alexithymia has increased considerably over the past decade.

Seasonal effects on the nasolabial skin condition.

In the present work, nasolabial skin condition and the influence of seasonal changes during autumn and winter were studied in 16 healthy female volunteers. Apart from visual scoring of erythema and skin scaliness, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), skin hydration, apparent skin pH, skin colour and skin desquamation were biophysically measured. The study results showed that nasolabial TEWL was significantly higher during wintertime than in autumn.

Trichothiodystrophy-like hair abnormalities in a child with keratitis ichthyosis deafness syndrome.

Keratitis ichthyosis deafness syndrome is a rare congenital ectodermal disorder. It appears to be genetically heterogeneous and may be caused by mutations in the connexin 26 (Cx26) gene (GJB2) or in the connexin 30 gene. It is characterized by the association of ichthyosis-like skin lesions, hearing loss, and vascularizing keratitis.

Genotypic and gene expression studies in congenital melanocytic nevi: insight into initial steps of melanotumorigenesis.

Large congenital melanocytic nevi (CMNs) are said to have a higher propensity to malignant transformation compared with acquired nevi. Thus, they represent a good model for studying initial steps of melanotumorigenesis. We have performed genotypic (karyotype, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and mutational analyses) and differential expression studies on a large cohort of medium (n=3) and large (n=24) CMN.

Oral R115866 in the treatment of moderate to severe facial acne vulgaris: an exploratory study.

Background: R115866 (Rambazole; Barrier Therapeutics NV, Geel, Belgium), a new-generation retinoic acid metabolism-blocking agent, is a nonretinoid compound enhancing intracellularly the endogenous levels of all-trans-retinoic acid by blocking its catabolism. By virtue of this property, and the proven positive effects of retinoids in the treatment of acne, R115866 could potentially be a useful drug for acne.

Objectives: To explore the efficacy, safety and tolerability of systemic R115866 in male patients with moderate to severe facial acne vulgaris (at least 15 papules and/or pustules and at least two nodulocystic lesions).

Daily treatment with adapalene gel 0.1% maintains initial improvement of acne vulgaris previously treated with oral lymecycline.

Topical retinoids are often recommended for preventing acne recurrence, but there are relatively few well-controlled maintenance studies published. The objective of the present study was to assess the maintenance effect of adapalene gel 0.1% relative to gel vehicle in subjects successfully treated in a previous 12-week adapalene-lymecycline 300 mg combination therapy study.