-
Life (Basel, Switzerland) Aug 2023Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have a significant regulatory role in the pathogenesis of skin cancer, despite the fact that protein-coding genes have generally been the focus... (Review)
Review
Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have a significant regulatory role in the pathogenesis of skin cancer, despite the fact that protein-coding genes have generally been the focus of research efforts in the field. We comment on the actions of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) in the current review with an eye toward potential therapeutic treatments. LncRNAs are remarkably adaptable, acting as scaffolding, guides, or decoys to modify key signaling pathways (i.e., the Wnt/β-catenin pathway) and gene expression. As post-transcriptional gatekeepers, miRNAs control gene expression by attaching to messenger RNAs and causing their degradation or suppression during translation. Cell cycle regulation, cellular differentiation, and immunological responses are all affected by the dysregulation of miRNAs observed in skin cancer. NcRNAs also show promise as diagnostic biomarkers and prognostic indicators. Unraveling the complexity of the regulatory networks governed by ncRNAs in skin cancer offers unprecedented opportunities for groundbreaking targeted therapies, revolutionizing the landscape of dermatologic care.
PubMed: 37629553
DOI: 10.3390/life13081696 -
Journal of Wound Care Oct 2023Medical adhesives are used to secure wound care dressings and other critical devices to the skin. While high peel-strength adhesives provide more secure skin attachment,...
OBJECTIVE
Medical adhesives are used to secure wound care dressings and other critical devices to the skin. While high peel-strength adhesives provide more secure skin attachment, they are difficult to remove from the skin and are correlated with medical adhesive-related skin injuries (MARSI), including skin tears, and an increased risk of infection. Lower-adhesion medical tapes may be applied to avoid MARSI, leading to dressing or device dislodgement and further medical complications.
METHOD
This paper reports on the clinical testing of a new, high-adhesion medical tape, ThermoTape (University of Washington, US), designed for low skin trauma upon release. ThermoTape was benchmarked with Tegaderm (3M, US) and Kind Removal Tape (KRT) (3M, US). All three tapes were applied to both the left and right forearm of healthy volunteers and were removed 24 hours later-the right arm without applying heat and the left arm by applying a heat pack for 30 seconds before removal. Tape wear, self-reported pain (0-10 scale) and skin redness 15 minutes after removal were recorded.
RESULTS
This was a 53-subject comparative, single-blind clinical trial. There were clinically and statistically significant results supporting reduced pain during removal of ThermoTape with warming, with an average 58% decrease in pain, paired with a statistically significant 45% reduction in skin redness (p<0.01 for both values). In contrast, there were statistically insignificant differences in pain and redness for removal of Tegaderm and KRT with warming. ThermoTape after warming, in comparison with Tegaderm without warming, produced a reduced pain score of >1 on the 0-10 Wong-Baker/Face pain scale, which was statistically significant (p<0.01).
CONCLUSION
These results provide compelling evidence that warming ThermoTape prior to removal can reduce pain and injury when compared with standard medical tapes. This could allow for stronger attachment of wound care dressings and critical medical devices while reducing cases of MARSI.
Topics: Humans; Temperature; Single-Blind Method; Adhesives; Skin; Pain
PubMed: 37830828
DOI: 10.12968/jowc.2023.32.10.665 -
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology Dec 2023In the past decade, there have been six industry-sponsored phase 3 trials in adult patients with dermatomyositis (DM), primarily focusing on improving muscle weakness....
Validation of Cutaneous Dermatomyositis Disease Area and Severity Index Activity Score and Other Efficacy Outcomes as Measures of Skin Disease in Dermatomyositis in the Lenabasum Phase 3 Trial.
In the past decade, there have been six industry-sponsored phase 3 trials in adult patients with dermatomyositis (DM), primarily focusing on improving muscle weakness. However, skin disease is a cardinal manifestation of DM. This study evaluated the sensitivity of Cutaneous Dermatomyositis Disease Area and Severity Index Activity score, Cutaneous Dermatomyositis Activity Investigator Global Assessment, Total Improvement Score, and other outcome measures used in DM clinical trials to detect improvement in DM skin disease activity. Data analyzed from the lenabasum phase 3 trial in DM showed that improvement in Cutaneous Dermatomyositis Disease Area and Severity Index Activity score increased proportionately with the degree of patient- or physician-reported improvement in skin disease, consistently measuring improvement when clinically meaningful improvement was reported at weeks 16-52. In contrast, Cutaneous Dermatomyositis Activity Investigator Global Assessment measured little change from baseline with reported no improvement in skin disease but also a similar change from baseline with slight improvement. No Skindex-29+3 subscale performed well at reflecting increasing degrees of improvement in skin disease. Extramuscular Global Assessment and Total Improvement Score generally showed increasing levels of improvement as the degree of patient- and physician-reported improvement in skin disease increased, but these are composite measures and are not specific to improvement in DM skin disease. To measure clinically meaningful improvement in skin disease in a DM trial, Cutaneous Dermatomyositis Disease Area and Severity Index Activity score is the more sensitive outcome measure across time points.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Dermatomyositis; Severity of Illness Index; Skin; Outcome Assessment, Health Care
PubMed: 37331616
DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2023.05.025 -
Cureus Feb 2024Thermal, electrical, chemical, or electromagnetic radiation can cause painful wounds or burns. Spilling hot liquids onto the skin can also cause these kinds of... (Review)
Review
Thermal, electrical, chemical, or electromagnetic radiation can cause painful wounds or burns. Spilling hot liquids onto the skin can also cause these kinds of injuries. The two biggest factors contributing to burn injuries in the elderly are smoking and exposure to open flames, while scalding is the primary cause of burn damage in children. Newborns and the elderly make up the majority of burn casualties. In India, there are estimated to be 6-7 million burn cases per year. The high incidence is attributed to the population's illiteracy, poverty, and lack of awareness of safety. The problem is made much worse by the fact that basic and secondary healthcare levels do not provide systematic burn care. Coagulation necrosis is caused by denaturing proteins due to heat from burns. Platelets clump together, arteries narrow, and partly perfused tissue (called the stasis zone) may spread out around the wound. In the stasis zone, tissue is hyperemic and inflammatory. When the skin's natural barrier is breached, microorganisms can enter the body and cause poor temperature regulation, fluid loss, and invasion. Intravascular volume loss is typically worsened by injured or edematous tissues. Significant heat loss may occur from the wounded dermis' lack of thermoregulation, particularly in exposed wounds. The severity determines the different treatments. Serious burns require considerable care, while lesser burns just require cleaning and painkillers. Just-partially thickened burns must be cleansed with soap and water before being clothed. For full-thickness burns, surgery, including skin grafting, is frequently required. Extensive intravenous fluid doses are often required to treat serious burns resulting from tissue edema and capillary fluid leakage.
PubMed: 38544618
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.54915 -
Drug Discoveries & Therapeutics Jul 2023Since itching without rash frequently among older adults' population, study about skin properties of itching without rash is important to develop prevention methods....
Since itching without rash frequently among older adults' population, study about skin properties of itching without rash is important to develop prevention methods. Therefore, this study explored the skin properties related to itching without rash and the factors associated with them. A correlation, predictive designs study was conducted at Indonesian Long-term Care (LTC) facilities. Skin properties including skin barrier function and skin inflammation were examined by photographs (macroscopic and microscopic), stratum corneum (SC) hydration, skin Potential of Hydrogen (pH), and skin blotting. Itching experience and skincare behavior were obtained by questionnaire. The itching-related skin properties and associated factors were analyzed. A total of 405 residents participated in this study, with mean age was 74 years. The prevalence of itching on the whole body was 69.1%, and 50.3% of those manifesting itching on the left forearm involved itching without macroscopic abnormalities (itching without rash). SC hydration, skin pH, albumin and nerve growth factor β (NGFβ) were associated with itching without rash (p = 0.007, 0.012, < 0.001, and < 0.001, respectively). Additionally, factors associated with skin properties were age, sex, sun exposure experience, skincare, and hygiene care in the linear regression analysis. Measurement of skin biomarkers using skin blotting was a possible objective measurement of itching skin properties without rash regardless of the environmental condition.
Topics: Humans; Aged; Long-Term Care; Skin; Pruritus; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Exanthema
PubMed: 37164680
DOI: 10.5582/ddt.2022.01119 -
ACS Sensors Nov 2023Early diagnosis of skin barrier dysfunction helps provide timely preventive care against diseases such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, food allergies, and other atopic...
Early diagnosis of skin barrier dysfunction helps provide timely preventive care against diseases such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, food allergies, and other atopic skin disorders. Skin barrier function is commonly evaluated by measuring the transepidermal water loss (TEWL) through stratum corneum due to its noninvasive characteristics. However, existing commercial TEWL devices are significantly affected by many factors, such as ambient temperature, humidity, air flow, water accumulation, initial water contents on the skin surface, bulky sizes, high costs, and requirements for well-controlled environments. Here, we developed a wearable closed-chamber hygrometer-based TEWL device (Wearable Analytical Skin Probe, WASP) and the related algorithm for accurate and continuous monitoring of skin water vapor flux. The WASP uses short dry air purges to dry the skin surface and chamber before each water vapor flux measurement. Its design ensures a highly controlled local environment, such as consistent initial dry conditions for the skin surface and the chamber. We further applied WASP to measure the water vapor flux from six different locations of a small group of human participants. It is found that the WASP can not only measure and distinguish between insensible sweating (., TEWL) and sensible sweating (., thermal sweating) but also track skin dehydration-rehydration cycles. Comparisons with a commercial TEWL device, AquaFlux, show that the results obtained by both devices agree well. The WASP will be broadly applicable to clinical, cosmetic, and biomedical research.
Topics: Humans; Steam; Water Loss, Insensible; Skin; Epidermis; Humidity
PubMed: 37953512
DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.3c01936 -
International Health Mar 2024There have been few reports from Africa on the use and health effects of emollient therapy for newborn infants. We aimed to describe neonatal skin care practices in... (Review)
Review
There have been few reports from Africa on the use and health effects of emollient therapy for newborn infants. We aimed to describe neonatal skin care practices in Africa, and to illuminate opportunities to introduce evidence-based interventions to improve these practices. We conducted a scoping review of the quantitative and qualitative published peer-reviewed and grey literature in English on emollient use in Africa. Outcomes of interest included neonatal skin care practices, with a focus on the application of oils and other products to infant skin, including in association with bathing and massage. We screened 5257 articles and summarised findings from 23 studies-13 qualitative, nine quantitative and one mixed methods-that met our study criteria. Seven studies reported the use of emollients for perceived benefits, including thermal care, treatment for illness, promotion of growth and development, infection reduction, skin condition improvement, spirituality and lubrication to aid massage. Four studies reported the quantitative health impact of skin care product applications, including improvements in skin condition, neurodevelopment and bone growth, as well as a reduction in nosocomial infections. This review highlights opportunities for skin care intervention and future research on neonatal skin care practices in Africa.
Topics: Infant; Infant, Newborn; Humans; Emollients; Massage; Africa
PubMed: 37480339
DOI: 10.1093/inthealth/ihad052 -
Cadernos de Saude Publica 2023The objective was to analyze the association of race/skin color in health care, in adults hospitalized with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)/COVID-19, between...
The objective was to analyze the association of race/skin color in health care, in adults hospitalized with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)/COVID-19, between March 2020 and September 2022, with Brazil as the unit of analysis. This is a cross-sectional study that used the Influenza Epidemiological Surveillance Information System (SIVEP-Gripe) database and had a population composed of adults (≥ 18 years) and the final classification was SARS by COVID-19 or unspecified SARS. The direct effect of skin color on in-hospital mortality was estimated through logistic regression adjusted for age, gender, schooling level, health care system and period, stratified by vaccination status. This same model was also used to assess the effect of skin color on the variables related to access to health care services: intensive care unit (ICU), tomography, chest X-ray and ventilatory support. The results show that black, brown and indigenous people died more, regardless the schooling level and number of comorbidities, with 23%, 32% and 80% higher chances of death, respectively, when submitted to ventilatory support. Racial differences were observed in the use of health care services and in outcomes of death from COVID-19 or unspecified SARS, in which ethnic minorities had higher in-hospital mortality and lower use of hospital resources. These results suggest that black and indigenous populations have severe disadvantages compared to the white population, facing barriers to access health care services in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Brazil; COVID-19; Cross-Sectional Studies; Delivery of Health Care; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2; Healthcare Disparities; Racism
PubMed: 37971100
DOI: 10.1590/0102-311XPT215222 -
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary... Nov 2023During the neonatal life cycle, various dermatological conditions are common. In comparison to the skin of adults, neonates' skins are more susceptible to infections in...
BACKGROUND
During the neonatal life cycle, various dermatological conditions are common. In comparison to the skin of adults, neonates' skins are more susceptible to infections in the first week of their lives. These infections often lead to many dermatological skin complications and create worrisome among parents. Hence, it is crucial to diagnose and manage such affected neonates at the earliest. This study aimed to highlight and estimate the occurrence of numerous dermatoses and assess various skin changes that occurred physiologically and pathologically in neonates.
METHODOLOGY
In this cross-sectional observational study, 474 neonates were enrolled in the neonatal intensive care unit. The whole newborn skin surface, comprising the palms and soles, scalp, mucous membranes, genitalia, hair, and nails, was scrutinized under adequate light, and all changes that occurred over the skin were observed and recorded. The sample size estimation was undertaken from the references that have the least prevalent cutaneous dermatosis: hypertrichosis desquamation and napkin dermatosis. A statistical analysis like the Chi-square test was performed to associate the type of dermatosis with the parameters of age, gender, delivery type, and birth weight.
RESULTS
Of the total 474 cases, 90 (18.98%) had single dermatosis, while the remaining 384 (81.01%) had more than one form of dermatosis. Among the 384 cases, sebaceous gland hyperplasia (SGH) in 105 (22.15%), Epstein pearls in 50 (10.54%), erythema toxicum neonatorum (ETN) in 40 (8.43%), physiological desquamation in 25 (5.27%), lanugo hair in 20 (4.21%), miliaria in 22 (4.64%), salmon patch in 13 (2.74%), cradle cap/seborrheic dermatitis in 6 (1.26%), vernix caseosa in 12 (2.53%), transient neonatal pustular melanosis in 13 (2.74%), congenital melanocytic nevus in 20 (4.21%), hemangioma in 15 (3.16%), neonatal acne in 5 (1.05%), napkin dermatitis in 10 (2.10%), cutis marmorata in 6 (1.26%), milia in 2 (0.42%) intertrigo 3 (0.63%), collodion baby in 2 (0.42%), and neonatal occipital alopecia in 2 (0.42%) neonates each and others, respectively.
CONCLUSION
The findings from the present study were representative of a specific racial/geographic distribution and will assist in adding or comparing the prevalence of neonatal dermatosis with other geographic regions as the array of dermatological characterizations in neonates varies as per time and place. This study aims to provide insight into the future implications in the neonatal dermatology domain and avoid further skin complications.
PubMed: 38186839
DOI: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_513_23 -
Cureus Sep 2023Background Mechanistic insight into the high failure rate of TOF-Cuff® (RGB Medical Devices, Madrid, Spain) measurements on the lower leg is unclear. Aims We aimed to...
Background Mechanistic insight into the high failure rate of TOF-Cuff® (RGB Medical Devices, Madrid, Spain) measurements on the lower leg is unclear. Aims We aimed to determine whether materials applied to pseudo-skin can reduce the impedance between a model arm and TOF-Cuff® electrodes and whether a material between TOF-Cuff® electrodes and the patient's skin surface decreases the skin-TOF-Cuff® electrode impedance within the appropriate range. Methods This was a combination of an in vitro study using non-living materials and a prospective observational clinical study. Eight patients aged > 70 years who had undergone elective surgery were eligible. One of the primary outcomes was whether water, electrocardiogram (ECG) cream, or ECG gel applied on the pseudo-skin could reduce the impedance between the model arm and the TOF-Cuff® electrodes in the in vitro study. Another was whether a material between the TOF-Cuff® electrodes and the patient's skin surface decreased the skin-TOF-Cuff® electrode impedance to an appropriate level of less than 5,000 Ω in the clinical study. Results The application of water, ECG cream, and ECG gel similarly reduced the impedance values within the electrical circuit in the in vitro study. ECG cream application between the patient's skin surface and the TOF-Cuff® electrodes decreased the skin-TOF-Cuff® electrode impedance (median (interquartile range (IQR)) Ω) from 8,600 (6,450 to 9,775) to 2,000 (1,600 to 2,600) (P = 0.012) in surgical patients. Conclusion ECG cream application between the patient's skin surface and the TOF-Cuff® electrodes decreased the skin-TOF-Cuff® electrode impedance appropriately, and thus, the application can facilitate precise TOF-Cuff® measurements in patients.
PubMed: 37799239
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.44670