Certain individuals experience more intense and frequent adverse sensory effects than the normal population after topical use of personal care products, a phenomenon known in popular usage as sensitive skin. Consumer reports of sensitive skin are self-diagnosed and often not verifiable by objective signs of physical irritation. Companies who manufacture cosmetic and personal care products are challenged to provide safe products to an audience with tremendous differences in skin type, culture and habits. This review examines the still incomplete understanding of this phenomenon with respect to aetiology, diagnosis, appropriate testing methods, possible contributing host factors such as, sex, ethnicity, age, anatomical site, cultural and environmental factors, and the future directions needed for research.

Circulating irisin levels were associated with previous osteoporotic fracture(s); whether this association is independent or is due to confounding by lower muscle mass, potentially reflected by lower creatinine levels, remains to be fully clarified.

Systemic iron balance is controlled by hepcidin, a liver hormone that limits iron efflux to the bloodstream by promoting degradation of the iron exporter ferroportin in target cells. Iron-dependent hepcidin induction requires hemojuvelin (HJV), a bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) coreceptor that is disrupted in juvenile hemochromatosis, causing dramatic hepcidin deficiency and tissue iron overload. Hjv mice recapitulate phenotypic hallmarks of hemochromatosis but exhibit blunted hepcidin induction following lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration. We show that Hjv mice fail to mount an appropriate hypoferremic response to acute inflammation caused by LPS, the lipopeptide FSL1, or infection because residual hepcidin does not suffice to drastically decrease macrophage ferroportin levels. Hfe mice, a model of milder hemochromatosis, exhibit almost wild-type inflammatory hepcidin expression and associated effects, whereas double HjvHfe mice phenocopy single Hjv counterparts. In primary murine hepatocytes, Hjv deficiency does not affect interleukin-6 (IL-6)/Stat, and only slightly inhibits BMP2/Smad signaling to hepcidin; however, it severely impairs BMP6/Smad signaling and thereby abolishes synergism with the IL-6/Stat pathway. Inflammatory induction of hepcidin is suppressed in iron-deficient wild-type mice and recovers after the animals are provided overnight access to an iron-rich diet. We conclude that Hjv is required for inflammatory induction of hepcidin and controls the acute hypoferremic response by maintaining a threshold of Bmp6/Smad signaling. Our data highlight Hjv as a potential pharmacological target against anemia of inflammation.

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We review the particular characteristics of atopic dermatitis (AD) in adult life, and compare findings with those of AD in childhood. AD affects 1-3% of adults world-wide, and can present as adult-onset AD, or as infantile/childhood AD that persists, or recurs after many years. Eczema in adults usually exists for years, compromising quality of life, sex life and occupational choices. The flexural areas, shoulders, head-and-neck, and hands are typically affected. In elderly adults, eczematous erythroderma is common. The intrinsic (non-IgE-allergic) eczema subtype affects 5-15% of cases. Classical food allergy has a low importance, although non-IgE-mediated and pseudoallergic reactions can cause eczema. Sensitivity to aeroallergens, especially dust mite, is demonstrated in the majority of adult AD patients, including elderly adults, by immunoglobulin E-mediated tests and/or atopy patch tests. Occupational allergic and irritant contact dermatitis is increased. In adults, as in children, Staphylococcus aureus colonization is very high, whereas adult skin is more heavily colonized with Malassezia yeasts. Immediate and delayed sensitization to Malassezia sympodialis is specific for intrinsic and extrinsic AD, occurring especially in head-and-neck eczema. Concerning therapy, older patients are prone to certain adverse drug effects. In conclusion, differences exist between childhood and adult disease. As we should be seeing more adults with AD in the future, there is a need for more clinical and immunological studies in older patients.

Hepcidin is a key hormonal regulator of systemic iron homeostasis and its expression is induced by iron or inflammatory stimuli. Genetic defects in iron signaling to hepcidin lead to “hepcidinopathies” ranging from hereditary hemochromatosis to iron-refractory iron deficiency anemia, which are disorders caused by hepcidin deficiency or excess, respectively. Moreover, dysregulation of hepcidin is a pathogenic cofactor in iron-loading anemias with ineffective erythropoiesis and in anemia of inflammation. Experiments with preclinical animal models provided evidence that restoration of appropriate hepcidin levels can be used for the treatment of these conditions. This fueled the rapidly growing field of hepcidin therapeutics. Several hepcidin agonists and antagonists, as well as inducers and inhibitors of hepcidin expression have been identified to date. Some of them were further developed and are currently being evaluated in clinical trials. This review summarizes the state of the art.

Our study reflects the patterns of presentation of childhood psoriasis in sunny countries like Greece.

Orf is a viral cutaneous infection typically seen on the hands of people involved in sheep and goat farming. We report 31 cases of orf and consider its pathology, characteristic appearance, diagnosis, treatment and complications.