One major
reason that I got into natural skincare hobby and started this blog is my
son. My son has eczema since he was a
chubby 2-month old baby. My child-caring
experience is filled with searches for information on treating eczema,
struggles for controlling eczema flare-ups, and sleepless long nights sitting
next to my son’s bed and trying to calm him down so he can sleep. I subscribe to science news feed and receive
sciences news every day. I am often excited
to see any scientific progress made in eczema research, which I am sharing with
you here.
Stopping
the Itch: New Clues Into How to Treat Eczema
A recent research
by Dr. Raif Geha, of Boston Children's Hospital, and his collaborators, showed
that scratching the skin precipitates the condition by encouraging an influx of
immune cells, neutrophils. These neutrophils secrete a lipid called leukotriene
B4 that calls in more neutrophils, and more importantly, potent immune T cells
that are the hallmark of eczema. These cells cause inflammation that aggravates
the skin further. The investigators suspected that blocking the onslaught of
these cells might slow down the disease or even stop it in its tracks.
Furthermore,
Dr. Geha and his colleagues wondered whether the production of leukotriene B4
served to recruit T cells to the site of mechanical insult. And indeed that was
the case. "We showed that a drug that blocks the production of leukotriene
B4 blocks the development of allergic skin inflammation in a mouse model of
eczema," says Dr. Geha. His team also found that deleting the receptors on
immune cells that bind to leukotriene B4 had a similar effect.
Lower
Levels of Sunlight Exposure Link to Allergy and Eczema in Children, Study
Suggests
Researchers from the European Centre for Environment &
Human Health, along with several Australian institutions, have found that children
living in areas with lower levels of sunlight are at greater risk of developing
food allergies and the skin condition eczema, compared to those in areas with
higher UV.
The report builds upon existing evidence that suggests
exposure to the sun may play a role in rising levels of food allergy and
eczema. Sunlight is important because it provides our body with the fuel to
create vitamin D in the skin.
Prenatal
Exposure to Common Household Chemical, Phthalate, Increases Risk for Childhood
Eczema
Prenatal exposure to a ubiquitous household chemical called
butylbenzyl phthalate (BBzP) can increase a child's risk for developing eczema,
according to research conducted at the Columbia Center for Children's
Environmental Health at the Mailman School of Public Health.
Researchers
Discover Genetic Basis for Eczema, New Avenue to Therapies
Pharmaceutical scientists at OSU found in laboratory studies
that eczema can be triggered by inadequate Ctip2, a protein and master regulator
that affects other genetic functions. They have identified two ways in which
improper function of Ctip2 can lead to eczema.
In a recent publication, they found that Ctip2 controls
lipid biosynthesis in the skin, the fats that are needed to help keep skin
healthy and hydrated. In the new study, they discovered that Ctip2 suppresses
TSLP, a cytokine protein produced by skin cells that can trigger inflammation.
Levels of this inflammatory TSLP, which is ordinarily
undetectable in human skin, were found to be 1,000 times higher in laboratory
animals that had been genetically modified to have no Ctip2 production in their
skin.
Protective
Role of Skin Microbiota Described
A research
team at the National Institutes of Health has found that bacteria that normally
live in the skin may help protect the body from infection. These findings
indicate that microbiota found in different tissues -- skin, gut, lung -- have
unique roles at each site and that maintaining good health requires the
presence of several different sets of commensal communities. This study
provides new insights into the protective role of skin commensals and
demonstrates that skin health relies on the interaction of commensals and
immune cells.
Thanks for
reading.
Connie
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