Youming Huang

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most common form of non‐scarring hair loss, driven by genetic factors and increased sensitivity of scalp hair follicles to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which causes progressive miniaturization of dermal papilla cells and shortens the hair growth phase. The precise molecular pathogenesis of AGA remains incompletely understood. The study aimed to elucidate the regulatory mechanism between secreted frizzled‐related protein 2 (SFRP2) and follistatin‐like 1 (FSTL1), explore their impact on DHT‐induced mitochondrial dysfunction and senescence in dermal papilla cells (DPCs), elucidate the effect of the SFRP2–FSTL1 axis on oxidative stress‐related DPCs changes, and identify new therapeutic targets for AGA treatment. In the study, SFRP2 was highly expressed in the DPCs of AGA patients. Knocking down SFRP2 improved hair regeneration and follicle morphology within AGA model mice, promoting proliferation, migration, and invasion of DPCs in vitro. SFRP2 knockdown also alleviated inflammation, senescence, mitochondrial dysfunction, and oxidative stress. SFRP2 was found to bind to FSTL1, thereby promoting FSTL1 protein stability. Knocking down FSTL1 counteracted the negative effects of SFRP2 overexpression in vitro. In conclusion, SFRP2 emerges as a critical regulator in AGA by promoting stability and activity of FSTL1, establishing a novel SFRP2–FSTL1 axis that exacerbates DHT‐driven pathogenic changes in DPCs. These findings identify SFRP2 and FSTL1 as key mediators of androgen‐induced cellular dysfunction and suggest that disrupting this axis could offer a promising therapeutic strategy for slowing or reversing the progression of AGA.

Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin condition primarily affecting the face, characterized by symptoms such as persistent redness, visible blood vessels, papules, and pustules. Current treatments, including topical agents and systemic antibiotics, are often limited by poor skin penetration, local irritation, or the risk of systemic adverse effects and antibiotic resistance. This study designed, fabricated, and evaluated a novel ROS‐responsive hydrogel microneedle (MN) system for the co‐delivery of tofacitinib (a JAK inhibitor) and azelaic acid (A ZA) to treat rosacea. The hypothesis was that this Tofa/AZA@HPA‐MN platform would enable triggered drug release in the high‐ROS environment of inflamed skin, enhancing therapeutic efficacy and safety compared to conventional topical delivery. Topical tofacitinib and AZA were found to ameliorate LL37‐induced murine rosacea‐like inflammation, partly via JAK/STAT inhibition. A ROS‐responsive hydrogel (HPA) was synthesized and fabricated into robust MNs, demonstrating effective skin penetration and retention. In vitro, these MNs displayed accelerated drug release under oxidative conditions and protected keratinocytes from H ₂ O ₂ ‐induced stress. In vivo, the Tofa/AZA@HPA‐MNs proved superior to conventional topical Tofa + AZA and empty MNs, significantly reducing inflammation, tissue ROS levels, and JAK/STAT activation in a rosacea model. Crucially, safety assessments revealed no significant systemic toxicity, addressing the major translational concern regarding the systemic risks of JAK inhibitors. The developed system offers a promising, safe, and more effective targeted therapeutic strategy for rosacea by enabling triggered drug release directly within the inflamed skin.

Background: Photoaging, caused by long‐term ultraviolet (UV) exposure, leads to wrinkles, loss of skin elasticity, pigmentation disorders, and impaired barrier function due to oxidative stress, DNA damage, and collagen breakdown. Hydrogels, with their high water content (> 90%), biocompatibility, and controlled drug release capabilities, have emerged as a powerful tool for preventing and treating skin photoaging.Aims: To review current treatment strategies and provide an updated perspective on the treatment of photoaging.Methods: We searched the PubMed and Web of Science library databases for eligible studies published within the past 5 years, categorizing and evaluating the effects of hydrogels with different carriers and active ingredients.Results: A total of 21 relevant studies were included, involving Lipid‐based Hydrogels, Hyaluronic Acid‐based Hydrogels, Chitosan‐based Hydrogels, Polyacrylonitrile‐modified κ‐Carrageenan‐based Hydrogels, Gellan Gum/Sodium Alginate‐based Hydrogels, Recombinant Collagen‐based Hydrogels, and Other Polymer‐based Hydrogels.Conclusions: The collected studies consistently demonstrate that hydrogel therapy is more effective than traditional treatments in reducing UV‐induced skin damage and promoting skin repair and regeneration. In addition to improving drug utilization efficiency, hydrogel carriers—particularly those incorporating hyaluronic acid—enhance skin hydration, slow aging, and accelerate wound healing, indicating promising therapeutic potential.

Skin infections are common diseases for which patients seek inpatient and outpatient medical care. Globally, an increasing number of people are affected by skin infections that could lead to physical and psychological damage. Skin infections always have a broad spectrum of clinical presentations that require physicians to make an aggressive and accurate diagnosis for prescribing the proper symptomatic antimicrobials. In most instances, the treatment for skin infections mainly includes oral or topical anti-infective drugs. However, some of the classical anti-infective drugs have limitations, such as poor water solubility, low bioavailability, and poor targeting efficiency, which can lead to poor efficacy, adverse effects, and drug resistance. Therefore, research priorities should focus on the development of more effective drug delivery systems with new materials. Hydrogels are a highly multifunctional class of medical materials with potential applications in dermatology. Several hydrogel dressings with anti-infective functions have been formulated and demonstrated to improve the efficacy and tolerance of oral or topical classical anti-infective drugs to a certain degree. In this study, the medical applications of hydrogels for the treatment of various skin infections are systematically reviewed to provide an important theoretical reference for future research studies on the treatment options for skin infections.

Background. Chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CCLE) and subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE) are both common variants of cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) that mainly involve the skin and mucous membrane. Oral mucosal involvement is frequently observed in patients of CLE. Despite that they have different clinicopathological features, whether there is a significant difference in pathogenesis between them remains unclear. Herein, we investigated specific genes and pathways of SCLE and CCLE via bioinformatics analysis. Methods. Microarray expression datasets of GSE109248 and GSE112943 were both retrieved from the GEO database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between CCLE or SCLE skin tissues and health controls were selected by GEO2R. Common DEGs were picked out via the Venn diagram software. Then, functional enrichment and PPI network analysis were conducted, and the top 10 key genes were identified via Cytohubba. Results. Totally, 176 DEGs of SCLE and 287 DEGs of CCLE were identified. The GO enrichment and KEGG analysis of DEGs of SCLE is significantly enriched in the response to virus, defense response to virus, response to IFN-gamma, cellular response to IFN-γ, type I IFN signaling pathway, chemokine activity, chemokine receptor binding, NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, etc. The GO enrichment and KEGG analysis of DEGs of CCLE is significantly enriched in the response to virus, regulation of multiorganism process, negative regulation of viral process, regulation of lymphocyte activation, chemokine receptor binding, CCR chemokine receptor binding, NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, etc. The top 10 hub genes of SCLE and CCLE, respectively, include STAT1, CXCL10, IRF7, ISG15, and RSAD2 and CXCL10, IRF7, IFIT3, CTLA4, and ISG15. Conclusion. Our finding suggests that SCLE and CCLE have the similar potential key genes and pathways and majority of them belong to IFN signatures and IFN signaling pathway. Besides, the NOD-like receptor signaling pathway might also have an essential role in the pathogenesis of SCLE and CCLE. Together, the identified genes and signaling pathways have enhanced our understanding of the mechanism underlying the occurrence and development of both SCLE and CCLE.

Based on the fact that very little was found in the literature on the question of potential molecules and mechanism for high risk of cancer in patients with psoriasis, this study was designed and performed based on bioinformatics analysis including WGCNA. The most striking result to emerge from the data is that BUB1B/hsa-miR-130a-3p axis, closely related to the development of psoriasis, also plays a remarkable role in multiple cancer development. The expression patterns of hsa-miR-130a-3p were found significantly changed in multiple tumors, which was also associated with prognosis. Additionally, hsa-miR-130a-3p was downregulated in lesion skin of psoriasis, but there was no difference in blood between psoriasis patients and normal controls. Circulating has-miR-130a-3p was found to have a higher level of blood in multiple tumor patients, suggesting that hsa-miR-130a-3p has the potential to be a blood biomarker for cancer risk assessment in patients with psoriasis.

Background: Over the last several decades, our understanding of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) has improved considerably, thereby enhancing our ability to clinically diagnose and treat the disease.Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze the top 100 most-cited publications related to HS to update bibliometric information on HS.Materials and methods: We used the Web of Science database to identify reports on hidradenitis suppurativa. Data from the 100 most-cited publications were extracted and analyzed.Results: The citation number of the top 100 most-cited articles was 89–532 (mean, 153.51), with the most productive periods being from years 2007 to 2016. Most publications originated from the British Journal of Dermatology and the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. The 100 articles originated from 18 countries, with Denmark being the most productive country, followed by the United States (17), England (14), and Germany (12). Jemec GB, from the University of Copenhagen, had 32 citations and was the most frequently identified author. The 100 articles encompassed several fields of research as follows: pathogenesis (18%), pathophysiology (7%), epidemiology (14%), clinical diagnosis and features (16%), treatment (25%), comorbidity (10%), and others (10%). In total, 11 reviews, three guidelines, and 86 original articles (nine randomized clinical trials) were included.Conclusion: Through this bibliometric analysis, we aimed to indicate a series of intellectual landmark publications that offer us critical reviews, guidelines, and original articles, which highlight the immense level of progress achieved in the field of HS.