PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

A novel way to diagnose early-onset atopic dermatitis using sebum

Researchers develop a breakthrough “RNA monitoring” method that enables early detection of infant atopic dermatitis, a condition that is otherwise difficult to diagnose

A novel way to diagnose early-onset atopic dermatitis using sebum
2023-06-08
(Press-News.org)

Eczema is an inflammatory skin condition that often affects infants as young as one to two months. Among the various types of eczema seen in infants, early-onset atopic dermatitis (AD), characterized by psychological stress and sleep disorders, is particularly concerning. Studies have, in fact, identified that if left untreated, AD can increase the risk of allergic diseases such as food allergies and asthma—a progression also known as the “atopic march”. Early diagnosis and intervention of early-onset AD is needed to ensure the infant’s psychological and physical health.

 

However, it can be difficult to make a diagnosis of AD in infants as young as one or two months. Besides parents’ reluctance to seek medical advice and the infant’s inability to express their symptoms, the diagnosis of AD may be influenced by the doctor’s subjectivity and experience. Moreover, the use of accurate yet invasive diagnostic procedures for AD, such as skin biopsies, is difficult in infants. There is, thus, a need for new methods of diagnosing AD that are objective and non-invasive.

 

In an earlier study led by Project Leader Takayoshi Inoue from the Biological Science Research division at Kao Corporation, some of these researchers had identified that sebum contains measurable levels of human mRNA molecules. They hypothesized that analyzing the genetic expression of such RNA-containing sebum samples could reveal the molecular features of AD, and its underlying pathogenesis. Based on this discovery, the researchers developed a novel analytical method called “RNA monitoring” that enables human skin transcriptome analysis of the mRNA in sebum (skin surface lipids) collected from the skin using a simple oil-blotting film.

 

In this study published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology on March 10, 2023, the researchers verified the usefulness of this novel RNA monitoring method. This study was conducted in collaboration with Kiwako Yamamoto-Hanada and Yukihiro Ohya of the National Center for Allergy Research at the National Center for Child Health and Development, Japan. The main objective of this study was to determine if sebum RNA could provide reliable biomarkers for the detection of early-onset AD in infants.

 

The study population comprised a prospective cohort of 98 one- and two-month-old infants. In some of these infants, a diagnosis of AD was made according to the United Kingdom Working Party’s criteria. The researchers first collected sebum from the facial skin of all participating infants using a single oil-blotting film, in a non-invasive and easy procedure. Next, mRNA in skin surface lipids (SSLs) were extracted for performing transcriptome analysis, and lastly, subjected to data analysis for identifying their underlying molecular features of early-onset AD in infants.

 

The analysis revealed several genes with different expression between infants with and without AD. Specifically, the researchers observed that one-month-old infants with AD had lower expression of genes related to lipid metabolism and synthesis, tight junctions, antimicrobial peptides, and keratinization, and higher expression of genes related to Th2-, Th17- and Th22-type immune responses. These molecular changes in barrier function and inflammatory markers characterizing AD were not reported in earlier literature, especially in one-month old infants, largely owing to the invasiveness of common diagnostic procedures.

 

Most importantly, the team observed that via changes in the levels of these markers, sebum RNA could be used to detect the onset of AD well in advance. Explains Dr. Yamamoto-Hanada, Chief of the Allergy Center, “Our results confirm that the RNA monitoring method is useful for the early detection of AD in infants and may also be used for their treatment monitoring in the future.”

 

Hopefully, the availability of this simple, objective, and non-invasive diagnostic option for AD will encourage parents of infants with AD to opt for early consultation and therapeutical intervention of the condition.  “Infants often have multiple eczemas and experience repeated exacerbations and remissions. With our method, the timely treatment of early-onset AD can be realized, enabling an improvement in the quality of life for infants with AD and their families,” says Dr. Yamamoto-Hanada.

 

We can only hope that the results of this research lessen the suffering of infants and their families and bring our society one step closer to being allergy-free!

 

About Kao

Kao creates high-value-added products and services that provide care and enrichment for the life of all people and the planet. Through its portfolio of over 20 leading brands such as Attack, Bioré, Goldwell, Jergens, John Frieda, Kanebo, Laurier, Merries, and Molton Brown, Kao is part of the everyday lives of people in Asia, Oceania, North America, and Europe. Combined with its chemical business, which contributes to a wide range of industries, Kao generates about 1,550 billion yen in annual sales. Kao employs about 35,400 people worldwide and has 136 years of history in innovation. Please visit the Kao Group website for updated information.

 

About the Allergy Center at the National Center for Child Health and Development

The Allergy Center at the National Center for Child Health and Development was established in June 2018. As the national core hospital for allergic diseases, the Allergy Center provides high quality clinical management of allergic disorders and promotes clinical research in allergology, operating through the Division of General Allergy, Division of Dermatological Allergy, and the Division of Gastrointestinal Allergy. It provides personalized treatment based on clinical guidelines and highly reliable medical evidence on areas such as food allergies, atopic dermatitis, bronchial asthma and associated diseases, and allergic rhinitis, to name a few.

END


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
A novel way to diagnose early-onset atopic dermatitis using sebum

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Aviation turbulence strengthened as the world warmed — study

Aviation turbulence strengthened as the world warmed — study
2023-06-08
The skies aircraft fly through are bumpier today than four decades ago, scientists have found, after producing a new analysis showing that turbulence has increased as the climate changed.  New research from the University of Reading shows that clear-air turbulence, which is invisible and hazardous to aircraft, has increased in various regions around the world.  At a typical point over the North Atlantic – one of the world’s busiest flight routes – the total ...

Giving parents better school quality data encourages them to consider less affluent, less white schools -- To a Point

2023-06-08
Washington, June 8, 2023—For years, parents looking for data to compare the academic quality of schools for their children had one primary measure to turn to: average student scores on standardized tests. However, these scores are often related to factors that have nothing to do with instructional quality—such as family income or racial and ethnic background—and push parents toward schools that are Whiter and more affluent, exacerbating school segregation in the U.S. As a result, many education ...

UMass Amherst epidemiologist updates and validates ‘gold standard’ of prenatal physical activity tools

UMass Amherst epidemiologist updates and validates ‘gold standard’ of prenatal physical activity tools
2023-06-08
A University of Massachusetts Amherst public health researcher has updated and validated the widely used Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire (PPAQ) to improve the measurement performance of this self-report physical activity method. Lisa Chasan-Taber, professor and chair of biostatistics and epidemiology, and her research group used novel and innovative tools – an advanced accelerometer and wearable camera – to assess PPAQ performance. The researchers developed the PPAQ in 2004 as the first validated pregnancy physical activity questionnaire. Listed on the UMass Amherst timeline ...

Researchers tune thermal conductivity of materials ‘on the fly’ for more energy-efficient devices

Researchers tune thermal conductivity of materials ‘on the fly’ for more energy-efficient devices
2023-06-08
A team led by University of Minnesota Twin Cities scientists and engineers discovered a new method for tuning the thermal conductivity of materials to control heat flow ”on the fly.” Their tuning range is the highest ever recorded among one-step processes in the field, and will open a door to developing more energy-efficient and durable electronic devices. The researchers’ paper is published in Nature Communications, a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering the natural sciences. Just as electrical ...

Topological phase protection reams to sub-symmetry

Topological phase protection reams to sub-symmetry
2023-06-08
An international team led by researchers at Nankai University in China and at University of Zagreb in Croatia, along with team at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) in Canada, led by Roberto Morandotti has made an important breakthrough in the study of topological phases. Their findings were recently published in Nature Physics – a journal published by Nature Publishing Group. In the last decade, topological photonics has attracted increasing attention due to the unique prospects to achieve light manipulation with high performance in terms of robustness and stability. Discoveries in topological photonics ...

Identifying the cause of heart muscle disease in children is key to effective treatment

2023-06-08
Statement Highlights: A new American Heart Association scientific statement focuses on treatment strategies for pediatric cardiomyopathy (diseases of the heart muscle’s structure and function that may lead to heart failure and death) and is a companion to a 2019 scientific statement focused on diagnosis of the condition. There are several types of cardiomyopathies in children, and treatment should include personalized therapies based on the root cause, symptoms and progression of the condition in each child, according to the new scientific statement. Embargoed until 4 a.m. CT/5 a.m. ET, Thursday, June 8, 2023 DALLAS, June 8, 2023 — Treating ...

Why earthquakes happen more frequently in Britain than Ireland

Why earthquakes happen more frequently in Britain than Ireland
2023-06-08
Researchers from the University of Cambridge and the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies have discovered that variations in the thickness of tectonic plates relate directly to the distribution of earthquakes in Britain, Ireland and around the world. The study also solves an enduring mystery as to why small earthquakes happen frequently in Britain but are almost completely absent from neighbouring Ireland. The researchers produced a computer-generated image of Earth’s interior using a technique called seismic tomography, which works in a similar way to a medical CT scan. The data they collected revealed variations in the thickness of the ...

Greenhouse gas emissions at ‘an all-time high’ - and it is causing an unprecedented rate of global warming, say scientists

2023-06-08
University of Leeds Press Release   Under embargo until 09.00 am (British Summer Time) on Thursday, June 8   **With details of a linked press conference at the UNFCC meeting in Bonn - see under notes to journalists** Greenhouse gas emissions at ‘an all-time high’ - and it is causing an unprecedented rate of global warming, say scientists   Human-induced ...

Birmingham spinout to develop 20-minute test following surge in sexually transmitted infections

Birmingham spinout to develop 20-minute test following surge in sexually transmitted infections
2023-06-08
University of Birmingham spinout Linear Diagnostics has received funding to finesse a point-of-care test for rapid diagnosis of gonorrhoea and Chlamydia in men who have sex with men (MSM), and women who have sex with women (WSW).  The funding from the National Institute of Health and Social Care Research (NIHR) will cover essential work to optimise and validate Linear’s platform technology (LDx-CTNG), so it can diagnose infection from rectal and pharyngeal (throat) swabs.  Gonorrhoea and Chlamydia are both major public health concerns.  While Chlamydia remains the most commonly detected sexually ...

Study finds socially tolerant monkeys have better impulse control

2023-06-08
Researchers have tested one of the ideas put forward to explain how humanity evolved to become smarter, on non-human primates. The study, led by a team at the University of Portsmouth, found a significant connection between social organisation and cognitive skills in monkeys.  They assessed three species of macaques with different social tolerance levels, from authoritarian to more relaxed societies, in a series of cognitive touchscreen touchscreen tasks to work out how impulsive and reactive ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

AI finds undiagnosed liver disease in early stages

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announce new research fellowship in malaria genomics in honor of professor Dominic Kwiatkowski

Excessive screen time linked to early puberty and accelerated bone growth

First nationwide study discovers link between delayed puberty in boys and increased hospital visits

Traditional Mayan practices have long promoted unique levels of family harmony. But what effect is globalization having?

New microfluidic device reveals how the shape of a tumour can predict a cancer’s aggressiveness

Speech Accessibility Project partners with The Matthew Foundation, Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress

Mass General Brigham researchers find too much sitting hurts the heart

New study shows how salmonella tricks gut defenses to cause infection

Study challenges assumptions about how tuberculosis bacteria grow

NASA Goddard Lidar team receives Center Innovation Award for Advancements

Can AI improve plant-based meats?

How microbes create the most toxic form of mercury

‘Walk this Way’: FSU researchers’ model explains how ants create trails to multiple food sources

A new CNIC study describes a mechanism whereby cells respond to mechanical signals from their surroundings

Study uncovers earliest evidence of humans using fire to shape the landscape of Tasmania

Researchers uncover Achilles heel of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Scientists uncover earliest evidence of fire use to manage Tasmanian landscape

Interpreting population mean treatment effects in the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire

Targeting carbohydrate metabolism in colorectal cancer: Synergy of therapies

Stress makes mice’s memories less specific

Research finds no significant negative impact of repealing a Depression-era law allowing companies to pay workers with disabilities below minimum wage

Resilience index needed to keep us within planet’s ‘safe operating space’

How stress is fundamentally changing our memories

Time in nature benefits children with mental health difficulties: study

In vitro model enables study of age-specific responses to COVID mRNA vaccines

Sitting too long can harm heart health, even for active people

International cancer organizations present collaborative work during oncology event in China

One or many? Exploring the population groups of the largest animal on Earth

ETRI-F&U Credit Information Co., Ltd., opens a new path for AI-based professional consultation

[Press-News.org] A novel way to diagnose early-onset atopic dermatitis using sebum
Researchers develop a breakthrough “RNA monitoring” method that enables early detection of infant atopic dermatitis, a condition that is otherwise difficult to diagnose