Bob Roehr

Bob Roehr is a medical writer based in Washinton, D.C.

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Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation damage to noncoding RNAs in keratinocytes initiates a cascade of events leading to the release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), a cytokine central to the inflammatory skin response commonly known as sunburn. The surprising discovery of this mechanism has potential implications for better understanding of prevention, carcinogenesis and phototherapy, researchers say.

Research sheds light on inflammatory mechanism of sunburn

The hedgehog inhibitor drug vismodegib (Erivedge, Genentech/Roche), approved in January to treat advanced and metastatic basal cell carcinoma, has demonstrated potent clinical activity when used in patients with basal cell nevus syndrome, according to a study published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Vismodegib effective against basal cell nevus syndrome

New research has identified the signaling pathway through which mechanical forces play a major role in the fibrotic process of wound healing and scarring. Modulating this pathway in mice significantly reduced scarring and may offer a therapeutic target to reduce scarring in humans, says Geoffrey C. Gurtner, M.D.

Attenuating chemical signals in fibrotic process may reduce scarring in humans

Dermatologists have the highest level of job satisfaction of 25 medical specialties, according to a national survey conducted by Medscape titled Physician Compensation Report 2012. Dermatologists also are among the better compensated, particularly when their more-varied pattern of hours worked are taken into consideration.

Dermatologists land at top of national list of most satisfied physicians

A single intracellular molecule, activator protein-1 (AP-1), appears to initiate the signaling cascade for vascular remodeling that results in varicose veins. Assuming that these findings on the mechanisms of the disease in a mouse model translate into humans, they offer new targets for therapeutic intervention that go beyond current surgical options, a researcher says.

Research advances may target varicose vein therapies

A new study supports speculation that exposure to low level laser therapy may stimulate proliferation of melanoma cells.

Low-level laser irradiation may stimulate proliferation of melanoma cells

The Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), first identified in rare aggressive Merkel cell carcinoma in 2008, has now been isolated in up to a third of patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), according to a new study published online in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

Virus a culprit? Merkel cell pathogen linked to up to a third of SCC tumors

World report - Darker-skinned patients with morphea and related diseases are as likely to benefit from ultraviolet (UV) light therapy as patients with lighter skin. Some clinicians had speculated that the increased level of melanin found in darker skin might impede UV-A1, but that does not appear to be the case.

Researching morphea: UV-A1 phototherapy recommended for darker-skinned patients

People and their pets are often said to take on the morphology and mannerisms of each other over time. Regardless of whether that is true, it's clear that they do come to share diseases, and, increasingly, that means methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus (MRSA).

Pet vectors: MRSA infections transmitted between humans, animals

Human skin cells exposed to the ozone in smog exhibit changes in signaling pathways that put them at increased risk for developing cancer.

Author | Bob Roehr

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