Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Cinnamaldehyde in a Mouse Model of 2,4-Dinitrofluorobenzene-Induced Atopic Dermatitis.

Background: This study aims to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of cinnamaldehyde in atopic dermatitis (AD) in the mouse model. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four mice were divided into four groups: Group A (control), group B [AD with no treatment (AD + NoTre)], group C [AD with corticosteroids (AD + Cort)] and group D [AD with cinnamaldehyde (AD + Cin)]. 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene was used to form the AD model. Topical corticosteroid was applied to group C, and oral cinnamaldehyde was administered to group D. Dorsal skin biopsies were evaluated immunohistochemically with interleukin (IL)-25, IL-33, thymic stromal lymphopoietin and caspase-3. Results: Epithelial thicknesses were significantly higher in group B-D mice compared to group A (P = 0.002, 0.009, 0.004, respectively). Significantly, higher staining with IL-25 was observed in group B (AD + NoTre) and group D (AD + Cin) than in group A (control) (P = 0.003, 0.002, respectively). However, no significant difference was observed between group D (AD + Cin) and group B (AD + NoTre). All three groups (B-D) had significantly higher staining in terms of diffuseness of IL-33 compared to group A (control) (P = 0.002, 0.002, 0.002, respectively). Caspase-3 staining was significantly lower in group D (AD + Cin) than in group B (AD + NoTre) (P = 0.003, 0.002, respectively). Moreover, caspase-3 staining intensity was significantly lower in group D (AD + Cin) than in group C (AD + Cort) (P = 0.002). Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that IL-33, IL-25 and caspase-3 have a role in the pathogenesis of AD. Furthermore, cinnamaldehyde reduced caspase-3 activity more than topical corticosteroids and anti-inflammatory effects might be investigated in AD therapy with future studies.

The effect of COVID-19 on development of hair and nail disorders: a Turkish multicenter, controlled study.

BACKGROUND: A broad spectrum of skin diseases, including hair and nails, can be directly or indirectly triggered by COVID-19. It is aimed to examine the type and frequency of hair and nail disorders after COVID-19 infection. METHODS: This is a multicenter study conducted on consecutive 2171 post-COVID-19 patients. Patients who developed hair and nail disorders and did not develop hair and nail disorders were recruited as subject and control groups. The type and frequency of hair and nail disorders were examined. RESULTS: The rate of the previous admission in hospital due to COVID-19 was statistically significantly more common in patients who developed hair loss after getting infected with COVID-19 (P < 0.001). Telogen effluvium (85%) was the most common hair loss type followed by worsening of androgenetic alopecia (7%) after COVID-19 infection. The mean stress scores during and after getting infected with COVID-19 were 6.88 ± 2.77 and 3.64 ± 3.04, respectively, in the hair loss group and were 5.77 ± 3.18 and 2.81 ± 2.84, respectively, in the control group (P < 0.001, P < 0.001). The frequency of recurrent COVID-19 was statistically significantly higher in men with severe androgenetic alopecia (Grades 4-7 HNS) (P = 0.012; Odds ratio: 2.931 [1.222-7.027]). The most common nail disorders were leukonychia, onycholysis, Beau's lines, onychomadesis, and onychoschisis, respectively. The symptoms of COVID-19 were statistically significantly more common in patients having nail disorders after getting infected with COVID-19 when compared to the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The development of both nail and hair disorders after COVID-19 seems to be related to a history of severe COVID-19.

Muir-Torre Syndrome with Novel Mutation in the MSH2 Gene.

Muir-Torre syndrome (MST) is a rare autosomal dominant subtype of hereditary non-polyposis colorectal carcinoma. The diagnosis is established based on the coexistence of sebaceous gland tumors and visceral organ malignancies. Mutations in the mismatch repair genes are responsible for Muir-Torre syndrome. Internal malignancies seen in MTS are most commonly colorectal, gastrointestinal system, endometrial, genitourinary system, breast, lung, brain, and hepatobiliary system malignancies. Detection of sebaceous neoplasia is essential in investigating Muir-Torre syndrome, allowing early detection of internal malignancies. Herein, we present the case of a patient with sebaceous adenomas, internal malignancies, and a new mutation detected during the genetic examination.

A Proposal for the Etiopathogenesis of Acquired Cold Urticaria: Role of Substance P, Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme and Mast Cell Chymase.

Background: The etiopathogenesis and cold stimulation mechanism are not fully understood in cold urticaria (CU). Substance P (SP) is released from skin neurons as a result of cold stimulation. It causes mast cell degranulation and therefore causes mast cell chymase (MCC) release. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) plays a role in removing SP from the environment. ACE also catalyses the conversion of angiotensin I (AT1) to angiotensin II (AT2), like MCC. This study aims to investigate the role of SP, ACE and MCC in the pathogenesis of CU. Methods: Patients with acquired CU were included in the study. Two punch biopsies were taken from the urticaria plaque resulting from the stimulation and the intact skin without lesions. The samples were evaluated histopathologically. All samples were stained immunohistochemically with SP, ACE and MCC antibodies. Results: The number of patients included in the study was 21. In the plaque lesion, the presence of dermal neutrophil and eosinophil, neutrophil in the vascular lumen were found to be statistically significantly higher than intact tissue (p = 0.046, P = 0.014, P = 0.014). Strong positive staining was detected in the full thickness of the epidermis, vascular endothelial cells, eccrine and sebaceous glands with ACE. MCC was statistically significantly higher in lesional skin than lesion-free skin samples (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Mast cell maintains its central role in CU pathogenesis. SP, which causes neurogenic inflammation, may not be detected due to its rapid destruction in the tissue. Strong staining of ACE, which takes part in the local renin-angiotensin-aldosterone (RAS) system in the skin, should be documented quantitatively.

The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Stress-related Dermatologic Diseases.

The number and variety of patients admitted to hospitals have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes have also affected dermatology clinics. The pandemic has had an adverse effect on the psychology of people by negatively affecting their quality of life. Patients who were admitted to the Bursa City Hospital Dermatology Clinic between July 15, 2020 and October 15, 2020 and from July 15, 2019 to October 15, 2019 were included in this study. The data of patients were gathered retrospectively by reviewing the electronic medical records and International Classification Diseases (ICD-10) codes. Our results showed that, despite the decrease in the total number of applications, a significant increase was observed in the frequency of stress-related dermatological diseases such as psoriasis (P<0.001), urticaria (P<0.001), atopic dermatitis (P<0.001), and seborrheic dermatitis (P=0.035). However, there was no significant change in the rates of alopecia areata, vitiligo, herpes zoster, and lichen simplex chronicus (P>0.05, for all). There was a significant decrease in the telogen effluvium rate during the pandemic (P<0.001). Our study demonstrates that the incidence of certain stress-related dermatologic diseases increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may increase awareness of dermatologists on this issue.

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic in dermatology outpatient clinics in Turkey: A survey study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has substantially affected the healthcare systems around the world. It has also induced some changes in working habits at dermatology clinics. The majority of dermatology clinics limited the number of patients at outpatient clinics and postponed the elective procedures. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the working conditions and habits of dermatologists in Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This is a survey study with seventeen questions in which two hundred fifteen dermatologists working in Turkey participated. RESULTS: Our results revealed that 53.5% of the participants worked in the areas related to COVID-19 during the pandemic. The average number of dermatology outpatient days in a week was five among the 48.8% of dermatologists, 21.4% of those had three working days, and 18.1% of those had four days. During the pandemic, the most common reasons for referral to outpatient clinics were acne and acneiform eruptions (88.8%), dermatitis (73.5%), and hair loss (71.2%). Participants hesitated to use the following treatments: long-term systemic steroid (77.7%), cyclosporine (69.8%), and methotrexate (60%). CONCLUSION: It is observed that the COVID-19 pandemic had affected the working habits and conditions of the dermatologists, which might be considered for the designing of new working approaches.

The estimation of non-irrigated crop area and production using the regression analysis approach: A case study of Bursa Region (Turkey) in the mid-nineteenth century.

Agricultural land cover and its changing extent are directly related to human activities, which have an adverse impact on the environment and ecosystems. The historical knowledge of crop production and its cultivation area is a key element. Such data provide a base for monitoring and mapping spatio-temporal changes in agricultural land cover/use, which is of great significance to examine its impacts on environmental systems. Historical maps and related data obtained from historical archives can be effectively used for reconstruction purposes through using sample data from ground observations, government inventories, or other historical sources. This study considered historical population and cropland survey data obtained from Ottoman Archives and cropland suitability map, accessibility, and geophysical attributes as ancillary data to estimate non-irrigated crop production and its corresponding cultivation area in the 1840s Bursa Region, Turkey. We used the regression analysis approach to estimate agricultural land area and grain production for the unknown data points in the study region. We provide the spatial distribution of production and its cultivation area based on the estimates of regression models. The reconstruction can be used in line with future historical research aiming to model landscape, climate, and ecosystems to assess the impact of human activities on the environmental systems in preindustrial times in the Bursa Region context.

Examining lag effects between industrial land development and regional economic changes: The Netherlands experience.

In most empirical applications, forecasting models for the analysis of industrial land focus on the relationship between current values of economic parameters and industrial land use. This paper aims to test this assumption by focusing on the dynamic relationship between current and lagged values of the 'economic fundamentals' and industrial land development. Not much effort has yet been attributed to develop land forecasting models to predict the demand for industrial land except those applying static regressions or other statistical measures. In this research, we estimated a dynamic panel data model across 40 regions from 2000 to 2008 for the Netherlands to uncover the relationship between current and lagged values of economic parameters and industrial land development. Land-use regulations such as land zoning policies, and other land-use restrictions like natural protection areas, geographical limitations in the form of water bodies or sludge areas are expected to affect supply of land, which will in turn be reflected in industrial land market outcomes. Our results suggest that gross domestic product (GDP), industrial employment, gross value added (GVA), property price, and other parameters representing demand and supply conditions in the industrial market explain industrial land developments with high significance levels. It is also shown that contrary to the current values, lagged values of the economic parameters have more sound relationships with the industrial developments in the Netherlands. The findings suggest use of lags between selected economic parameters and industrial land use in land forecasting applications.

Determinants of Urban Expansion and Agricultural Land Conversion in 25 EU Countries.

Agricultural land conversion is resulting from ongoing complex interaction between the physical environment, policy settings and socio-economic factors. Case studies of the determinants of agricultural land conversion potentially contribute to the analysis of the main causes of land-use change. This can assist authorities and policy makers in understanding the relative importance of a wide range of factors on urban expansion and associated agricultural land-use change. This paper explores the determinants of agricultural land conversion to urban uses in the studied 25 European Union countries between 2000 and 2006. European-level as well as region-specific land-use changes are studied. The research is using the spatial data adapted from European Corine Land Cover maps of 2000 and 2006 and utilised other European sources regarding socio-economic, natural, geological, climate, and policy-related data. The differences in urbanisation processes observed in different regions in Europe emphasise the regional variations of urban conversion process of agricultural land use. This study identifies a combination of socio-economic drivers, policy-related factors, nature and location-based factors as key influences on agricultural land conversion processes in Europe. Specifically we found that the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) subsidies were influential in curbing urbanisation and reducing agricultural land consumption.