The immune system is a network of biological processes that protects an organism from diseases. It detects and responds to a wide variety of pathogens, from viruses to parasitic worms, as well as cancer cells and objects such as wood splinters, distinguishing them from the organism's own healthy tissue. Many species have two major subsystems of the immune system. The innate immune system provides a preconfigured response to broad groups of situations and stimuli. The adaptive immune system provides a tailored response to each stimulus by learning to recognize molecules it has previously encountered. Both use molecules and cells to perform their functions.
Minocycline, sold under the brand name Minocin among others, is a tetracycline antibiotic medication used to treat a number of bacterial infections such as pneumonia. It is generally less preferred than the tetracycline doxycycline. Minocycline is also used for the treatment of acne and rheumatoid arthritis. It is taken by mouth or applied to the skin.
Rosacea is a long-term skin condition that typically affects the face. It results in redness, pimples, swelling, and small and superficial dilated blood vessels. Often, the nose, cheeks, forehead, and chin are most involved. A red, enlarged nose may occur in severe disease, a condition known as rhinophyma.
Neomycin/polymyxin B/bacitracin, also known as triple antibiotic ointment, is an antibiotic medication used to reduce the risk of infections following minor skin injuries. It contains the three antibiotics neomycin, polymyxin B, and bacitracin. It is for topical use.
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), also called host defence peptides (HDPs) are part of the innate immune response found among all classes of life. Fundamental differences exist between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells that may represent targets for antimicrobial peptides. These peptides are potent, broad spectrum antimicrobials which demonstrate potential as novel therapeutic agents. Antimicrobial peptides have been demonstrated to kill Gram negative and Gram positive bacteria, enveloped viruses, fungi and even transformed or cancerous cells. Unlike the majority of conventional antibiotics it appears that antimicrobial peptides frequently destabilize biological membranes, can form transmembrane channels, and may also have the ability to enhance immunity by functioning as immunomodulators.
Atopic dermatitis (AD), also known as atopic eczema, is a long-term type of inflammation of the skin (dermatitis). It results in itchy, red, swollen, and cracked skin. Clear fluid may come from the affected areas, which can thicken over time. AD may also simply be called eczema, a term that generally refers to a larger group of skin conditions.
Azelaic acid (AzA) is an organic compound with the formula HOOC(CH2)7COOH. This saturated dicarboxylic acid exists as a white powder. It is found in wheat, rye, and barley. It is a precursor to diverse industrial products including polymers and plasticizers, as well as being a component of a number of hair and skin conditioners. AzA inhibits tyrosinase.
Dysbiosis is characterized by a disruption to the microbiome resulting in an imbalance in the microbiota, changes in their functional composition and metabolic activities, or a shift in their local distribution. For example, a part of the human microbiota such as the skin flora, gut flora, or vaginal flora, can become deranged, with normally dominating species underrepresented and normally outcompeted or contained species increasing to fill the void. Dysbiosis is most commonly reported as a condition in the gastrointestinal tract.
Cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide (CAMP) is a polypeptide that is primarily stored in the lysosomes of macrophages and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs); in humans, the CAMP gene encodes the peptide precursor CAP-18, which is processed by proteinase 3-mediated extracellular cleavage into the active form LL-37. LL-37 is the only peptide in the Cathelicidin family found in the human body.
Skin flora, also called skin microbiota, refers to microbiota that reside on the skin, typically human skin.
Beta-defensin 2 (BD-2) also known as skin-antimicrobial peptide 1 (SAP1) is a peptide that in humans is encoded by the DEFB4 gene.
Skin immunity is a property of skin that allows it to resist infections from pathogens. In addition to providing a passive physical barrier against infection, the skin also contains elements of the innate and adaptive immune systems which allows it to actively fight infections. Hence the skin provides defense in depth against infection.
Brilacidin, an investigational new drug (IND), is a polymer-based antibiotic currently in human clinical trials, and represents a new class of antibiotics called host defense protein mimetics, or HDP-mimetics, which are non-peptide synthetic small molecules modeled after host defense peptides (HDPs). HDPs, also called antimicrobial peptides, some of which are defensins, are part of the innate immune response and are common to most higher forms of life. As brilacidin is modeled after a defensin, it is also called a defensin mimetic.
Malassezia sympodialis is a species in the genus Malassezia. It is characterized by a pronounced lipophily, unilateral, percurrent or sympodial budding and an irregular, corrugated cell wall ultrastructure. It is one of the most common species found on the skin of healthy and diseased individuals. It is considered to be part of the skin's normal human microbiota and begins to colonize the skin of humans shortly after birth. Malassezia sympodialis, often has a symbiotic or commensal relationship with its host, but it can act as a pathogen causing a number of different skin diseases, such as atopic dermatitis.
The placental microbiome is the nonpathogenic, commensal bacteria claimed to be present in a healthy human placenta and is distinct from bacteria that cause infection and preterm birth in chorioamnionitis. Until recently, the healthy placenta was considered to be a sterile organ but now genera and species have been identified that reside in the basal layer.
Oclacitinib is a veterinary medication used in the control of atopic dermatitis and pruritus from allergic dermatitis in dogs at least 12 months of age. Chemically, it is a synthetic cyclohexylamino pyrrolopyrimidine janus kinase inhibitor that is relatively selective for JAK1. It inhibits signal transduction when the JAK is activated and thus helps downregulate expression of inflammatory cytokines. While oclacitinib is effective, its long-term safety is currently unknown.
Yasmine Belkaid is an Algerian immunologist and senior investigator at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania. She is best known for her work studying host-microbe interactions in tissues and immune regulation to microbes. Belkaid currently serves as the director of the NIAID Microbiome program. On 29 March 2023, she was appointed as President of the Pasteur Institute for a six-year term, starting from January 2024.
The National Rosacea Society (NRS) is a 501(c) nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of the estimated 16 million Americans who suffer from rosacea, a chronic facial skin disorder. Its mission is to raise awareness, provide health information, and support medical research that may lead to improvement in the management, prevention, and potential cure for rosacea.
Peptidoglycan recognition protein 4 is an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory innate immunity protein that in humans is encoded by the PGLYRP4 gene.
Breastmilk medicine refers to the non-nutritional usage of human breast milk (HBM) as a medicine or therapy to cure diseases. Breastmilk is perceived as an important food that provides essential nutrition to infants. It also provides protection in terms of immunity by direct transfer of antibodies from mothers to infants. The immunity developed via this mean protects infants from diseases such as respiratory diseases, middle ear infections, and gastrointestinal diseases. HBM can also produce lifelong positive therapeutic effects on a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes mellitus, obesity, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, autoimmunity, and asthma.
