SCIENTIFIC NEWS sources (acne, trauma, surgery). These candidates were treated using a mechanical microneedling device, needle depths ranging from 2.5 to 3 mm with no other treatments undertaken. Blinded to treatment protocol, assessors rated clinical improvement of scars 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment on a fivepoint scale.
simple treatment, great care is needed in working with scarring, as it is not as easy as it appears. However, if the practitioner is well trained then amazing results are possible. APJ
HA is generally synthesised as a highmolecular weight polymer (HMW HA) that ranges from 1000 to 6000 kDa, however this can be degraded by hyaluronidases and ROS, thus
HYALURONAN: MOLECULAR SIZEDEPENDENT SIGNALLING AND BIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS IN INFLAMMATION AND CANCER
unbalancing the equilibrium toward a higher concentration of low-molecular weight HA (LMW) species at less than 250 kDa.
All scars improved at least 50 percent after an average of 2.5 treatments. Over 80 per cent of patients had 50 to 75 per cent improvement, and 65 per cent of patients demonstrated over 75 per cent improvement.
Atrophic acne scars on the cheeks before (left) and 6 months after (right) two microneedling treatments.
Traumatic scar on the arm before (left) and 6 months after (right) two microneedling treatments.
Alster, T., & Li, M. (2020). Microneedling of Scars: A Large Prospective Study with LongTerm Follow-Up. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 145(2), 358-364. All treatments were performed by Tina Alster, a well-known dermatologist. Even with such an experienced practitioner, side effects were reported, however they consisted mainly of transient erythema and oedema with an average duration of 3-to-7 days in all patients. More concerning was purpura formation (4.2 per cent) and herpes simplex virus reactivation (2.1 per cent) were experienced. While micro-needling may seem a
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HYALURONAN (HA) is a linear nonsulphated glycosaminoglycan of the extracellular matrix that plays a pivotal role in a variety of biological processes. High-molecular weight HA exhibits different biological properties than oligomers and low-molecular weight HA. Most will know only about HA in terms of the dermis, but did you know it is involved in inflammation and cancer (and not in a good way).
It has been known that abnormal accumulation of HA in cancer stroma is considered as a marker of malignancy for several types of solid tumours, however this study shows LMW HA is predominant during tissue injury and stimulates the production of proinflammatory cytokines, with HA fragments < 500 kDa induce the expression of inflammatory genes in renal tubular epithelial cells and bladder cancer cells.
This study found that depending on their molecular size, HA fragments can influence cellular behaviour in a different mode of action.
Tavianatou, A., Caon, I., Franchi, M., Piperigkou, Z., Galesso, D., & Karamanos, K. (2019). Hyaluronan: molecular size-dependent signaling and biological functions in inflammation and cancer. Federation of European Biochemical Societies Journal, 286, 2883â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2908.
This phenomenon is attributed to the different manner of interaction with the HA receptors.
Many of HA functions depend on specific HA-binding proteins and proteoglycans that bind HA through noncovalent