A new study of psoriasis patients shows that a recently discovered immune cell, called Th17, appears to be a key player in the disease and occurs in far higher concentrations in their skin than occurs in skin of healthy individuals. Scientists compared skin and blood from healthy people to those from patients with psoriasis. After culturing the samples and examining the T helper cells — immune cells that help coordinate immune response — Lowes and Krueger found that the healthy subjects had a very small population of Th17 cells in their blood and even fewer in their skin. But while psoriasis patients had a comparable number of Th17 cells in their bloodstream, their skin had as much as three times the number found in normal skin.

Original post by ScienceDaily: Skin Care News

Posted: March 5th, 2008 under skin health.
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Exposed skin cells weather conditions harsh enough to mutate DNA. To keep these mutations from spreading, evolution has found a way to keep these cells from proliferating. Researchers have now discovered evolution’s solution: a tiny strand of RNA. But the research’s implications go deeper, and may also suggest how healthy cells elsewhere in the body can turn cancerous.

Original post by ScienceDaily: Skin Care News

Posted: March 5th, 2008 under skin health.
Comments: none