Capsaicin used topically is used in the treatment of pain following for example shingles = post herpetic neuralgia. In the following study, capsaicin receptors appear to be reduced Capsaicin receptor is also known as TRPV1 32 Patients with psoriasis (lesional) were compared with 20 with normal skin Results TRPV1 was found by RTPCR (polymerase chain…
Pathogenesis of melasma (chloasma) (pregnancy mask) remains unknown. Treatment which is effective on the epidermal component of the pigmentation acts by the following mechnisms: inhibition of melanin synthesis blockage of melanosome transker from melanocytes and keratinocytes (niacinamide). Solar eviction and photoprotection are a crucial element in the treatments. The gold standard in the treatment of…
Acupuncture is known as a treatment of chronic symptoms such as pain, joint pain and the like and the following study shows interesting results in the treatment of itch (pruritus). In this in vivo study, *90 mice were treated: with a substance substance causing itch (in 30 mice) (compound 48/80) (subcutaneous injection behind the…
Hydroquinone is the gold standard in the treatment of hyperpigmentary disorders but there are 3. things to bear in mind: -a concentration of 4% or more is needed to be effective. -because of a higher concecntration, side effects such as exogenous ochronosis are a risk. Because of a lack of evidence pertaining to long term…
Vitiligo is characterized by the functional loss of melanocytes which induces the well delineated depigmented characteristic lesions. Anomalies have been detected in: melanocytes (mitochondria…) keratinocytes (altered oxydation status in the mitochondria, vaculolization…) dermis (high level of tenascin expression which explains defective adhesion of the melanocytes) The authors have found similar defects in fibroblast cells in…
The authors shoe that on computer models, validamycin A induces changes in the protein structure of tyrosinase. Tyrosinase is an enyyme involved in the early phases of melanin synthesis. Hore exactly based on targetted hydroxyl group number: HIS85, HIS244, GLU256, HIS259, and ASN260 of tyrosinase interacted with validamycin A. Comment: the conceptual role of validomycin…
Shingles is due to the activation of the herpes zostervirus (HZV) following its reactivation from doral ganglia following chicken pox. It is usually self-limited but after 60 there is a much higher incidence of pain following shingles (post-herpetic neuralgia). The pain can last from months to years afterwards. Incidence of shingles and post herpetic…
Mattek is a company which produces artificial skin models and the authors show application for pigmentary disorders models such as melasma (chloasma, pregnancy mask) and postinflammatory hyperpigmentation. In the study the authors used MelanoDermTM, which is a three-dimensional tissue culture model of human epidermis that contains normal human melanocytes (NHM) and keratinocytes (NHK). The origin of donors (African…
Ceramides are part of the 3 main lipid types in the skin: ceramide backbone:long aminoalcohol chain (C16-24)= cer (sphingoid base + fatty acid) 12 types identified cholesterol free fatty acids Roles of lipids in the skin constituents of cell membranes (plasma, cellular organelle) lipid droplets (adipocytes in fat and sequestration of toxic lipids (protection from…
Alcohol consumption is linked to many skin problems (click here for manifestations of alcohol on the skin). However this study brings a new association: Melanoma. In this study using statistics (retrospective) the authors documented 1385 patients with invasive melanoma and 750 patients with melanoma in situ who were all followed for an average of 19 years.…
