Research Snippets from the British Journal of Dermatology: Studies on Hair Growth and Skin Conditions

In a series of research snippets from the British Journal of Dermatology dated July 21, 2010, several studies on hair growth and skin conditions were summarized. Miranda et al. introduced a new model for hair regrowth studies focusing on intermediate hair follicles, which are more clinically relevant than terminal follicles and offer a novel target for future research. Huang et al. found that imiquimod induces both autophagy and apoptosis in basal cell carcinoma (BCC) cells, suggesting a cooperative role in cell death. Pfaff et al. demonstrated that loss of T-cadherin in keratinocytes and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cells leads to an invasive phenotype and is associated with malignant transformation in cutaneous SCC. Begnini et al. did not find a significant association between common polymorphisms in the PTCH1 gene and BCC risk after organ transplantation, although certain haplotypes may increase risk. Lastly, Gonzalez et al. provided the largest retrospective review of pediatric androgenetic alopecia to date, with 57 patients showing a male to female ratio of 2:1, a strong family history of the condition, and associated conditions like polycystic ovarian syndrome and congenital adrenal hyperplasia in some cases.