m6A RNA methylation: The latent string-puller in fibrosis.

Fibrosis is a pathological phenomenon characterized by the aberrant accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) in tissues. Fibrosis is a universally age-related disease involving that many organs and is the final stage of many chronic inflammatory diseases, which often threaten the patient's health. Undoubtedly, fibrosis has become a serious economic and health burden worldwide, However, the pathogenesis of fibrosis is complex.

ATRA ameliorates fibrosis by suppressing the pro-fibrotic molecule Fra2/AP-1 in systemic sclerosis.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune connective tissue disease that leads to irreversible fibrosis of the skin and the internal organs. The etiology of SSc is complex, its pathophysiology is poorly understood, and clinical therapeutic options are restricted. Thus, research into medications and targets for treating fibrosis is essential and urgent.

Activating Protein-1 (AP-1): A Promising Target for the Treatment of Fibrotic Diseases.

The fibrosis of tissues and organs occurs via an aberrant tissue remodeling process characterized by an excessive deposition of extracellular matrix, which can lead to organ dysfunction, organ failure, and death. Because the pathogenesis of fibrosis remains unclear and elusive, there is currently no medication to reverse it; hence, this process deserves further study. Activating protein-1 (AP-1)-comprising Jun (c-Jun, JunB, JunD), Fos (c-fos, FosB, Fra1, and Fra2), and activating transcription factor-is a versatile dimeric transcription factor.

Overexpressed perforin contributes to the melanocyte destruction via epigenetic regulation in patients with vitiligo.

Background: Perforin (PRF), a pivotal cytotoxic effector molecule of activated CD8 T cells, has a crucial role in the pathogenesis of vitiligo. However, the mechanisms leading to the abnormal perforin expression remain poorly understood in the CD8 T cells of vitiligo patients.

Objective: To investigate the contributions of DNA methylation to the abnormal expression of perforin in CD8 T cells of vitiligo patients.

Occludin Promotes Adhesion of CD8 T Cells and Melanocytes in Vitiligo via the HIF-1 Signaling Pathway.

Loss of melanocytes induced by activated CD8 T cells is the pathological hallmark of vitiligo. Melanocyte-specific CD8 T cells are recruited to the skin via chemokines, thereby releasing perforin, granzyme, and other cytotoxic substances that destroy the melanocytes. However, the mechanism of CD8 T cells to adhere to melanocytes is unknown.

Esomeprazole alleviates fibrosis in systemic sclerosis by modulating AhR/Smad2/3 signaling.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease with the involvement of complex signaling pathways, such as TGF-β/Smad2/3. SSc can lead to severe multiple organ fibrosis, but no effective therapy is currently available because of its unclear pathogenesis. Exploring new treatments is the focus of recent research on SSc.

Meta-Analytic Review of High Anxiety Comorbidity among Patients with Vitiligo.

Background: Vitiligo is a disfiguring skin disease with profound psychosocial impacts, such as anxiety, but the reported effect sizes of associations vary. We aimed to conduct a meta-analysis to quantify the strength of association between anxiety and vitiligo and to estimate the prevalence of anxiety among individuals with vitiligo.

Methods: A systematic literature search was performed in five online databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO) from inception until March 20, 2020.

Particulate matter promotes hyperpigmentation via AhR/MAPK signaling activation and by increasing α-MSH paracrine levels in keratinocytes.

Particulate matter with an aerodynamic equivalent diameter of 2.5 μm or less in ambient air (PM2.5) has become a global public and environmental problem, and the control of the PM2.

Management strategies for dermatomyositis during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak.

In late 2019, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) broke out in Wuhan and then spread over China, which greatly affected the medical practices and health care systems. With most of the hospital's outpatient services closed, the routine clinical diagnosis and treatment for patients with dermatomyositis has been disturbed. We conducted telephone follow-up for 52 patients to know the changes in the condition and the continuation of drug therapy and to ensure the continuity, safety, and effectiveness of the treatment of patients with dermatomyositis during COVID-19.

A recurrent mutation of GJB6 in a big Chinese family with Hidrotic ectodermal dysplasia.

Hidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (HED) is a rare inherited syndrome characterised by nail dystrophy, palmoplantar hyperkeratosis and alopecia. Four mutations (p.G11R, p.

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor signaling activation in systemic sclerosis attenuates collagen production and is a potential antifibrotic target.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a systemic autoimmune disease that often leads to fibrosis of multiple organs, and there are no effective treatments. Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a highly evolutionarily conserved transcription factor activated by endogenous and exogenous ligands and that regulate cell proliferation, tumorigenesis and immune balance. Recently, it have reported AhR signaling may participate in fibrosis process, usually consider as a negative regulator of TGF-β.

A Huge Plaque on the Back: A Quiz.

A previously healthy 44-year-old woman presented to our department with a skin lesion on her back. The lesion presented as multiple, variable-sized, skin-coloured to tan-grey, papules, focally coalesced into a huge plaque (15.5×7 cm) with a grouped distribution on her lower back (Fig.