Search

Caveolae are flask‐shaped invaginations of the cell membrane rich in cholesterol and sphingomyelin, with caveolin proteins acting as their primary structural components that allow compartmentalization and orchestration of various signalling molecules. In this review, we discuss how pleiotropic functions of caveolin‐1 (Cav1) and its intricate roles in numerous cellular functions including lipid trafficking, signalling, cell migration and proliferation, as well as cellular senescence, infection and inflammation, are integral for normal development and functioning of skin and its appendages. We then examine how disruption of the homeostatic levels of Cav1 can lead to development of various cutaneous pathophysiologies including skin cancers, cutaneous fibroses, psoriasis, alopecia, age‐related changes in skin and aberrant wound healing and propose how levels of Cav1 may have theragnostic value in skin physiology/pathophysiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Venous leg ulcers ( VLUs) have higher tumor necrosis factor-α ( TNF-α) levels compared with normal skin. Refractory VLUs of long duration have higher TNF-α levels compared with VLUs of shorter duration. As up to 75% of VLUs fail to heal with standard care, we sought to evaluate the role of anti- TNF-α therapy for patients with refractory VLUs. Evaluable data were obtained in four of five subjects with recalcitrant VLUs treated with 80 mg of subcutaneous adalimumab at week 0 and with 40 mg at week 2 along with compression therapy and were followed-up for 6 weeks. Wound biopsies taken at weeks 0 and 4 were stained with anti- TNF-α antibodies. Average 4-week percent wound size reduction was 20.5% ± 6.4%. Two patients had wound size reduction more than 25%, and their percent wound size reduction correlated to percent TNF-α staining score reductions ( P = 0.02, R2 = 0.999). VLU TNF-α level decrease 4 weeks post-adalimumab treatment correlated with wound healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) affect 1.5 million Americans annually, of which only a minority heal with standard care, and they commonly lead to amputation. To improve care, investigations are underway to better understand DFU pathogenesis and develop more effective therapies. Some currently used medications may improve healing. One small, randomized clinical trial found statins improve DFU healing. In this secondary analysis of a large multisite prospective observational cohort of 139 patients with DFUs receiving standard care, we investigated whether there was an association between 6-week DFU wound size reduction and use of a variety of medications including alpha-blockers, beta-blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) and statins. We found no significant ( p < 0.05) association between six-week wound reduction and use of any of the evaluated drugs; however, statins did trend toward an association ( p = 0.057). This suggests a potential benefit of statins on DFU healing, and larger, targeted studies are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents case studies of solitary morphea profunda located in paraspinal. A 43-year-old Caucasian man who presented with a two-year pruritic lesion history on his mid upper back and was taking aspirin, metoprolol, tacrolimus, insulin and allopurinol by mouth. One patient had antibodies' elevated titers to Borrelia burgdorferi and improvement after receiving penicillin, while another patient had a pulmonary nodular lesion in the plaque.

Understanding and managing patients' expectations can help improve their adherence to treatment for chronic wounds; however, little is known concerning about their expectations regarding healing time. Recruited subjects were asked to predict how long their wounds would take to heal and their charts were reviewed to retrieve real time of healing. We recruited 100 subjects from which 77% have healed. Fifty‐three subjects (68.8%) had a longer healing time than they predicted (underestimated), and 17 (22.1%) had a shorter healing time than they predicted (overestimated). Subjects with shorter wound duration history tended to predict shorter healing time than subjects with longer wound duration (p < 0.01). However, wound duration did not affect prediction accuracy (p = 0.65). Subjects with chronic wounds seem more often to underestimate their time of healing. Wound duration significantly influenced patients' prediction time, although it did not make their prediction more accurate. Patient education about expectations may be important as patients often expect their wounds to heal faster than they actually do. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the author's views on a study on the anatomy and patterning of skin. He opines on the results of the study which states that composition and organization of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in the dermis give rise to the mechanical properties of skin. He comments on the tensile stress related to the wounded skin.