Role of botulinum toxin A in improving facial erythema and skin quality.

Botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) injections have become the most popular noninvasive cosmetic procedures performed worldwide. With growing interest, investigators continue to uncover an expanding array of aesthetic indications for BTX-A. Botulinum toxin A has been used off-label in the management of masseter hypertrophy for facial slimming, platysmal bands, nasal 'bunny' lines, perioral rhytides, gummy smile and scars, to name a few. Interestingly, the injection of multiple microdroplets of dilute BTX-A into the dermis, sometimes referred to as 'microbotox', has been investigated as a tool for facial rejuvenation. A handful of prospective studies and case series have demonstrated the benefit of BTX-A in the treatment of facial erythema and improving skin texture. The aim of this review is to summarize and appraise currently available data on the role of BTX-A in treating facial erythema and skin quality, with a special focus on potential pathophysiologic mechanisms.

Update on the use of dapsone in dermatology.

Dapsone (4,4'-diaminodiphenylsulfone) is the only remaining sulfone used in anthropoid therapeutics and is commercially available as an oral formulation, an inhaled preparation, and a 5% or 7.5% cream. Dapsone has antimicrobial effects stemming from its sulfonamide-like ability to inhibit the synthesis of dihydrofolic acid. It also has anti-inflammatory properties such as inhibiting the production of reactive oxygen species, reducing the effect of eosinophil peroxidase on mast cells and down-regulating neutrophil-mediated inflammatory responses. This allows for its use in the treatment of a wide variety of inflammatory and infectious skin conditions. Currently in dermatology, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved indications for dapsone are leprosy, dermatitis herpetiformis, and acne vulgaris. However, it proved itself as an adjunctive therapeutic agent to many other skin disorders. In this review, we discuss existing evidence on the mechanisms of action of dapsone, its FDA-approved indications, off-label uses, and side effects.

Updates on Botulinum Neurotoxins in Dermatology.

Being the most popular non-surgical cosmetic procedure, botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) injections are increasingly of interest to all cosmetic practitioners across the globe. This article serves to update readers on the new botulinum toxins that are currently in development or close to market in the USA and Canada, including daxibotulinumtoxin A, prabotulinumtoxin A, letibotulinumtoxin A, and botulinum toxin E. Despite having relatively similar characteristics and equivalent clinical efficacies, these neurotoxins manifest a multitude of unique potential advantages that will be explored in this review, including but not limited to a longer duration of action, the absence of animal-derived components or human albumin, and a rapid onset with short duration of action.

Updates on the use of vaccines in dermatological conditions.

Numerous vaccines are being actively developed for use in dermatologic diseases. Advances in the fields of immunotherapy, genetics and molecular medicine have allowed for the design of prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines with immense potential in managing infections and malignancies of the skin. This review addresses the different vaccines available for use in dermatological diseases and those under development for future potential use. The major limitation of our review is its complete reliance on published data. Our review is strictly limited to the availability of published research online through available databases. We do not cite any of the authors' previous publications nor have we conducted previous original research studies regarding vaccines in dermatology. Strength would have been added to our paper had we conducted original studies by our research team regarding the candidate vaccines delineated in the paper.

Imiquimod in dermatology: an overview.

Imiquimod is an immune response modifier commercially available as a 3.75 and 5% cream. Topical imiquimod stimulates the innate and adaptive immune responses and induces cytokine production. This allows its use for the treatment of a wide variety of benign and malignant skin conditions due to its potential antiviral, antitumor, and immunoregulatory effects. Currently, topical imiquimod is US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved for the treatment of anogenital warts, actinic keratosis, and superficial basal cell carcinomas. However, it has also shown a beneficial effect in the treatment of many other skin disorders. In this review, we describe existing evidence on the mechanism of action of topical imiquimod, its FDA-approved indications, off-label uses, and side effects.

Advances in immunotherapy for melanoma management.

Melanoma remains a leading cause of death among young adults. Evidence that melanoma tumor cells are highly immunogenic and a better understanding of T-cell immune checkpoints have changed the therapeutic approach to advanced melanoma. Instead of targeting the tumor directly, immunotherapy targets and activates the immune response using checkpoint inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, and adoptive T cell therapy. This review focuses on the immune signaling and biological mechanisms of action of recent immune-based melanoma therapies as well as their clinical benefits.

Traumatic rupture of a solitary splenic hydatid cyst: A case report.

The rupture of an Echinococcus granulosus hydatid cyst in the spleen due to trauma is a rare event. In this case report we describe the case of a 39-year-old Lebanese male victim of a motor vehicle accident with a ruptured solitary splenic hydatid cyst discovered by CT scan and excised during exploratory laparotomy. Echinococcosis or hydatid disease is a parasitic infestation by the Echinococcus genus of tapeworm. The eggs of E. granulosus, a species of Echinococcus, are fecal-orally transmitted to human hosts, most often from dog feces, and manifest as cystic lesions termed hydatid. E. granulosus most commonly affects the liver (75%), lungs (15%), and rarely the spleen (2-5%) [1], [2]. E. granulosus is particularly endemic to cattle rearing areas of the Middle East. Infected patients most commonly present with vague abdominal pain, as a result of mass effect or spontaneous rupture of the cyst. Nevertheless, patient presentation may be due to traumatic rupture of a hydatid cyst; however, this is very rare. Herein we report a case of traumatic rupture of a solitary splenic hydatid cyst in a 39-year-old male following a motor vehicle crash, managed following the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) protocol.

FXR1P limits long-term memory, long-lasting synaptic potentiation, and de novo GluA2 translation.

Translational control of mRNAs allows for rapid and selective changes in synaptic protein expression that are required for long-lasting plasticity and memory formation in the brain. Fragile X Related Protein 1 (FXR1P) is an RNA-binding protein that controls mRNA translation in nonneuronal cells and colocalizes with translational machinery in neurons. However, its neuronal mRNA targets and role in the brain are unknown. Here, we demonstrate that removal of FXR1P from the forebrain of postnatal mice selectively enhances long-term storage of spatial memories, hippocampal late-phase long-term potentiation (L-LTP), and de novo GluA2 synthesis. Furthermore, FXR1P binds specifically to the 5' UTR of GluA2 mRNA to repress translation and limit the amount of GluA2 that is incorporated at potentiated synapses. This study uncovers a mechanism for regulating long-lasting synaptic plasticity and spatial memory formation and reveals an unexpected divergent role of FXR1P among Fragile X proteins in brain plasticity.