Editors' Picks

The study by Xie et al. (2021) explored the role of hair shaft miniaturization in hair follicle stem cell (HFSC) loss, particularly in aging and androgenic alopecia. They found that the hair shaft acts as a niche component, and its miniaturization reduces the niche size, leading to ectopic apoptosis of HFSCs through the mechanosensitive calcium channel Piezo1 and TNF-α. This mechanism contributes to hair miniaturization and HFSC loss, suggesting Piezo1 as a potential therapeutic target. Other studies highlighted include Tawbi et al. (2021) on dual checkpoint inhibition in melanoma, Parikh et al. (2021) on UVB radiation's effects on hormonal and sexual responses, Nakamizo et al. (2021) on CD14+ dendritic cells in psoriasis, and Foster et al. (2021) on fibroblast roles in wound healing.