News by Subject Medicine & Health

New evidence points to a key role for a molecular switch called VGLL3 in autoimmune diseases, and the major gap in incidence between women and men. Building on past research showing that women have more VGLL3 in their skin cells than men, a team studied it further in mice. They show that having too much VGLL3 in skin cells pushes the immune system into overdrive, leading to an autoimmune response and symptoms similar to lupus.

Whether a wound -- such as a diabetic foot ulcer -- heals or progresses to a worse outcome, including infection or even amputation, may depend on the microbiome within that wound.

Application of sun protection factor (SPF) moisturizers tends to miss more of the face, especially around the eyelid regions, compared with sunscreen application, according to a study published April 3 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Kevin Hamill of the University of Liverpool, and colleagues. Moreover, people applying these products are unaware that they are failing to cover regions vulnerable to skin cancer.

Hairlessness in dogs can be the result of deliberate breeding or, in certain breeds, a defect. A recent study completed at the University of Helsinki describes a gene variant in the SGK3 gene, which causes hairlessness in Scottish deerhounds. The gene defect results in puppies born with thin fur that lose all of their hair in a few weeks. SGK3 is also a candidate for association with non-hormonal baldness in humans.

Pathogenic gene mutations causing a type of intractable skin disease can be eliminated from some parts of patients' skin as they age, according to Hokkaido University researchers and their collaborators in Japan. This represents a form of natural gene therapy.