As the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) virus continues to infect patients globally, vaccination remains one of the primary methods to combat this prolonged pandemic. ...However, there are growing reports of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) vaccines possibly triggering autoimmunity, irrespective of the vaccine's design. This phenomenon has been observed in patients with vitiligo, with a rising number of cases reporting new‐onset or worsening vitiligo following COVID‐19 vaccinations. In this study, the authors present the most extensive case series of COVID‐19 vaccine–associated vitiligo to date, along with a systematic review of the literature. The aim is to assist physicians in the clinical evaluation of patients with vitiligo with regard to future vaccinations.
Aging, cancer, and longevity have been linked to intracellular Ca2+ signaling and nociceptive transient receptor potential (TRP) channels. We found that TRP canonical 7 (TRPC7) is a nociceptive ...mechanoreceptor and that TRPC7 channels specifically mediate the initiation of ultraviolet B (UVB)‐induced skin aging and tumor development due to p53 gene family mutations. Within 30 min after UVB irradiation, TRPC7 mediated UVB‐induced Ca2+ influx and the subsequent production of reactive oxygen species in skin cells. Notably, this function was unique to TRPC7 and was not observed for other TRP channels. In TRPC7 knockout mice, we did not observe the significant UVB‐associated pathology seen in wild‐type mice, including epidermal thickening, abnormal keratinocyte differentiation, and DNA damage response activation. TRPC7 knockout mice also had significantly fewer UVB‐induced cancerous tumors than did wild‐type mice, and UVB‐induced p53 gene family mutations were prevented in TRPC7 knockout mice. These results indicate that TRPC7 activity is pivotal in the initiation of UVB‐induced skin aging and tumorigenesis and that the reduction in TRPC7 activity suppresses the UVB‐induced aging process and tumor development. Our findings support that TRPC7 is a potential tumor initiator gene and that it causes cell aging and genomic instability, followed by a change in the activity of proto‐oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes to promote tumorigenesis.
Schematic representation of the role of TRPC7 as a potential tumor initiator gene in ultraviolet B (UVB)‐induced aging and cancer progression. UVB‐activated TRPC7 initiates skin aging via intracellular Ca2+ elevation, resulting in oxidative stress, DNA damage response activation, abnormal differentiation, and senescence inflammation response activation; this pathology is repaired with the activation of p53 to maintain tissue homeostasis. When homeostasis is no longer maintained and the aging process is activated, carcinogens promote cancer progression. TRPC7 initiates tumorigenesis by causing genomic instability, thereby changing the activity of proto‐oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes.
Abstract
Background:
Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) is a prevalent acquired hyperpigmentation disorder with significant psychosocial implications. Cysteamine has demonstrated notable ...efficacy and safety in treating hyperpigmentation disorders. This study conducted a double-blinded, randomized clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the cysteamine-isobionicamide complex in managing PIH.
Objectives:
The objective was to assess the cysteamine-isobionicamide complex’s efficacy for PIH treatment through comprehensive clinical and imaging evaluations.
Methods:
Forty patients with PIH were recruited at a tertiary medical center from 2021 to 2022 and randomized into the cysteamine-isobionicamide complex treatment group and placebo-vehicle control group. Dermatological assessments, investigator and patient global assessments, and quality of life scores were collected at baseline, week 4, week 8, and week 16. Quantitative evaluation of skin type and lesion pigmentation was performed with the Mexameter
®
, VISIA skin analyzer, and cellular resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT).
Results:
At week 8, the cysteamine-isobionicamide complex treatment group exhibited marked advancement in dermatological assessments, melasma area and severity index (MASI), total postacne hyperpigmentation index, and life quality score compared with the placebo-vehicle control group. Furthermore, melanin index and erythema index scores from Mexameter
®
and VISIA analysis exhibited significant improvement for brown spots at week 16. Cellular resolution OCT imaging revealed decreased melanosome capping and fewer hyperreflective melanophages.
Conclusion:
This study demonstrated the clinical effectiveness and safety of the cysteamine-isobionicamide complex through comprehensive dermatological assessments, imaging techniques, and patient-reported outcomes. The complex emerges as a promising therapeutic option for PIH, offering potential relief to individuals affected by this hyperpigmentation disorder.
Vitiligo is the most common acquired pigmentary disorder and can have profound negative psychosocial impacts on patients. The disease course of vitiligo is often unpredictable, and diagnosis and ...treatment of vitiligo remain a challenging dermatological task. In this review, we touch on new advances in understanding vitiligo pathogenesis; discuss emerging biomarkers that may aid physicians in assessing vitiligo disease activity and severity, and summarize prospective targeted therapies in treating vitiligo. A brief outline dedicated to the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on vitiligo patients is also provided. We hope that readers may acquire a more comprehensive understanding of vitiligo and gain insights into new diagnostic tools and therapeutic options for vitiligo.
Myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) has become an increasingly recognized subgroup in patients with acute myocardial infarction, with a recent cohort study reporting ...a prevalence of 8.8%. This report describes a patient who presented with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) due to an incidental anterior mediastinal mass.
An 80-year-old woman presented to our emergency department with a chief complaint of progressive shortness of breath associated with retrosternal chest pain for one day duration. Computed tomography (CT) angiogram of the chest was conducted, which revealed an anterior mediastinal mass. Upon admission, the patient developed an acute episode of recurrent severe chest pain, which was diagnosed as an NSTEMI. Emergent cardiac catheterization was performed because of unstable vital signs; however, the results showed no evidence of atherosclerotic changes in the major coronary arteries, compatible with the diagnosis of MINOCA. The mediastinal mass was later confirmed to be a type A thymoma on CT-guided biopsy.
Myocardial infarction in patent coronary arteries due to an anterior mediastinal mass is rare. Further studies are needed to standardize the diagnosis and management protocols for the potential etiologies of MINOCA.
Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 (PMN) ceramics have been hot-pressed and post-hot-pressing annealed at 1000DGC in a conventional tube furnace under 1 atm of oxygen and argon, respectively; their microstructures ...investigated via transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and crystalline phases analyzed via X-ray diffractometry (XRD). Three types of the superlattice reflections from the fundamental spots of the perovskite structure were detected in both the as-hot-pressed and annealed samples by selected-area electron diffraction (SADP). The {1/2 1/2 1/2}-type of the superlattice F-spots is observed in as-hot-pressed samples. The nanoscale ordered domains of approximately 5 nm size giving rise to F-spots are observed by dark field imaging. *a-Spots of the {1/2 1/2 0}-type have appeared in post-hot-pressing-annealed samples after heat-treatment at 1000 C in an oxygen as well as argon atmosphere. Superlattice reflections of the {1/2 1/2 1}-type, termed *a'-spots, are also observed from hot-pressed samples annealed at the same temperature for 500 h in an oxygen atmosphere. The occurrence of *a-spots associated with lead vacancies (V''Pb) is discussed by considering that Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 grains is consisted of the acceptor-type nanoscale ordered domains in a donor-type disordered matrix.
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