New Study Demonstrates Loss of Volume in Upper Lip Causes Aging
A
study originally published in the February issue of
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), helps settle a long-debated subject regarding aging-related changes in the face: whether they are more related to “deflation” or “sagging.” The new research concludes that “the aging perioral area is affected with a combination of soft tissue lengthening, thinning, and volume loss,” which can help improve and inform evidence-based approaches to facial rejuvenation techniques.
Allergy Shots May Effectively Treat Challenging Eczema Cases
A challenging eczema case presented at the
American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACCAI) Annual Scientific Meeting outlined the effectiveness and benefits of using allergy shots to treat severe eczema symptoms. As reported in
Science Daily, The subject in the paper presented had attempted an assortment of previous therapies, including both mild & high strength topical anti-inflammatory creams, and moisturizer creams. Allergist, co-author of the paper, and ACAAI member Anita Wasan conducted skin testing, and identified the man’s allergies: thinking that treating his allergies might benefit his eczema. After reaching a maintenance dose of allergy shots, the subject “no longer needed high dose steroid therapy for his eczema.”
Potential for New Dual Therapy Approaches in Melanoma
A recent
study in
Cancer suggests that genes such as ERBB2, KIT, FGFR3, and RET “which are targets of approved pharmacologic therapies in other cancer types but are considered atypical for cutaneous melanoma, [may] be relevant in the treatment of individual patients." One of the lead researchers has stated that various dual-therapy regimens have been tested in mouse models with potentially promising results; because patients who respond to BRAF/MEK inhibits often develop resistance within a year, the identification of additional ‘actionable genomic alterations’—which would allow the individualization of inhibitor combinations as treatment—enables patients to receive a dual therapy regime.
Researchers Seek to Identify Genetic Causes of Skin Cancer
In an effort to identify the genetic factors that lead to squamous cell carcinoma—the second most common form of skin cancer—medical researchers at American University have published
an article that outlines the interaction between ‘a cell signaling pathway, MET, and a gene, Tpl2’ and their contribution to skin cancer progression. American University Associate Professor of Biology Katie DeCicco-Skinner has stated: “It’s critical we obtain a better understanding of the biological mechanisms by which skin cancers develop,” and sought to understand how the activation of the cell signaling pathway MET plays a role in many cancers.
