Author Interviews, Dermatology / 25.06.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with Chenjie Xu PhD Assistant Professor of Bioengineering Nanyang Technological University Singapore 637457 MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: Keloid is a long-term dermatological scarring disease characterized by disfiguring lesions resulting from overgrowth of dense fibrous tissue. It is also unsightly and can even lead to disfigurement and psychological problems of affected patients. This study investigated the use of microneedle technology in the self-management of keloid lesions. Briefly, we have developed a “wearable” microneedle device for transdermal delivery of an anti-metabolite drug (5-FU) to inhibit the proliferation activity of keloid fibroblast. This study has provided evidence for effective inhibition of keloid fibroblasts in vitro and successful translation of this platform can significantly reduce the cost of keloid treatment and improve the patient compliance. (more…)
Author Interviews, Dermatology, Duke, Pain Research / 26.05.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Seok-Yong Lee, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of BiochemistrySeok-Yong Lee, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Ru-Rong Ji, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor of Duke University Professor of Anesthesiology and Neurobiology Chief of Pain ResearchRu-Rong Ji, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor  of Duke University Professor of Anesthesiology  and Neurobiology Chief of Pain Research Duke University Medical Center Durham, NC 27710 MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study?

 Answer: We have developed an antibody that can block the pain and itching sensations in mice simultaneously with high efficacy. We would like to point out that our discovery has the potential to be applied to human once the antibody is humanized. Given the high selectivity, general safety profile, and long half-lives of monoclonal antibodies, this method we developed to raise antibodies against therapeutic targets (e.g., ion channels) can have broad applications to other diseases. (more…)
Dermatology, PNAS, Weight Research / 02.04.2014

Professor Rodney Sinclair University of Melbourne and Epworth Hospital Melbourne, VIC, AustraliaMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Professor Rodney Sinclair University of Melbourne and Epworth Hospital Melbourne, VIC, Australia   MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: Activation of Wnt signalling promoted hair growth and fat growth.  Inhibition of Wnt signalling reduces fat growth and hair growth.  We looked at the fat layer on the scalp.  It was reduced by 50% over the bald areas of alopecia areata.  The patch of alopecia areata we looked at was new- only appeared a few days earlier and so the changes in fat thickness are rapid. What is interesting is that the fat layer is dynamic, and significant fluctuations can occur in a rapid period of time in sync with the hair cycle.  It is also interesting that ligands for BMP6 and IGF2 are pro-adipogenic. There are a couple of bigger questions that earlier media reports did not focus on- namely upstream factors regulating the hair cycle clock and the beauty of synchronization of fat and hair growth for seasonal thermal insulation. (more…)
Author Interviews, Dermatology, JAMA, University of Pennsylvania / 13.02.2014

Dr. Misha A. Rosenbach Assistant Professor of Dermatology Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Section Editor, JAMA Dermatology Patient PageMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Misha A. Rosenbach Assistant Professor of Dermatology Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Section Editor, JAMA Dermatology Patient Page MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Rosenbach: There is strong agreement between teledermatologists and in-person dermatologists when evaluating inpatients at a tertiary care academic hospital.  The primary aim of this study was to assess telederm as a triage tool.  Many dermatologists are not full-time hospitalists, but work in private practice or clinics which may be remote from affiliated hospitals.  The goal was to evaluate whether teledermatology could help those providers assess the acuity of inpatient consults.  There was strong concordance. (more…)
Allergies, Asthma, Author Interviews, Dermatology / 05.02.2014

Sabina Illi, Dipl.-Stat., MPH University Children's Hospital Lindwurmstr. 4 80337 Munich GermanyMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Sabina Illi, Dipl.-Stat., MPH University Children's Hospital Lindwurmstr. 4 80337 Munich Germany MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: We observed that the offspring of atopic pregnant women that showed symptoms of atopy during pregnancy, i.e. atopic dermatitis or hay fever, had a higher risk of having the respective atopic disorder themselves. However, we do not know whether this is due to timing, i.e. pregnancy, or whether it merely mirrors the severity of maternal disease. Furthermore, in our study pregnant mothers with repeated colds during pregnancy were at increased risk of having a child that wheezed at pre-school age, this was statistically independent of the intake of medication. (more…)
Author Interviews, Dermatology, Genetic Research, Nature / 23.08.2013

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Joyce Y Tung Ph.D.MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Joyce Y Tung Ph.D. Research Team 23andMe Inc. Mountain View, California, USA MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Tung: 23andMe researchers identified four genetic markers that were significantly associated with the development of stretch marks, including one near the elastin (ELN) gene. This finding may further explain why some individuals are more susceptible to the skin condition. Given that loose skin is a symptom of syndromes caused by deletion or loss-of-function mutations in ELN, these results also support the hypothesis that variations in the elastic fiber component of the skin extracellular matrix contribute to the development of stretch marks. (more…)