Posted on 04/27/2013 10:48:37 PM PDT by neverdem
Sydney researchers have discovered a new type of immune cell in skin that plays a role in fighting off parasitic invaders such as ticks, mites, and worms, and could be linked to eczema and allergic skin diseases.
The team from the Immune Imaging and T cell Laboratories at the Centenary Institute worked with colleagues from SA Pathology in Adelaide, the Malaghan Institute in Wellington, New Zealand and the USA.
The new cell type is part of a family known as group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) which was discovered less than five years ago in the gut and the lung, where it has been linked to asthma. But this is the first time such cells have been found in the skin, and they are relatively more numerous there.
"Our data show that these skin ILC2 cells can likely suppress or stimulate inflammation under different conditions," says Dr Ben Roediger, a research officer in the Immune Imaging Laboratory at Centenary headed by Professor Wolfgang Weninger. "They also suggest a potential link to allergic skin diseases."
The findings have been published today in the journal Nature Immunology.
"There's a great deal we don't understand about the debilitating skin conditions of allergies and eczema," says Professor Weninger, "but they affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Dermal ILC2 cells could be the clue we need to start unravelling the causes of these diseases."
The Weninger lab, which has developed techniques for marking different cells of the immune system and tracking them live under the microscope, actually discovered the new dermal cells some years back. "We just didn't know what they were," Roediger says...
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencedaily.com ...
Interesting article and I passed it along to the scientist in the family. Thanks!
Wonder if this will help find a cure for psoriasis also one day.
i get eczema occasionally. i look forward to any progress made in this arena. although i don’t have psoriasis, i sure do hope they find more that can help those who suffer there.
The two aren't related.
Psoriasis is a disorder of the immune system. Eczema is more of an allergic disease. So they aren't really related.
I have psoriasis. At the moment the symptoms are being completely controlled by Humira. I mean, it's like I never had the disease. The advances in treating psoriasis have been remarkable in the last five years. My dermatologist (great guy, BTW) told me there are like four different causes of psoriasis but they all manifest themselves in the same way. So there are different drugs to treat the different causes. Luckily for me, Humira was the first of these new treatments I tried and it worked like a charm.
Funny thing is, my doctor told me that, while they have these wonderful new treatments, they still have no idea what psoriasis is or how or why it starts, except that it is hereditary. It's one of the weirdest diseases out there, a total mystery...
I’ve recently discovered I must don my flame suit around here when I discuss natural alternatives, but here here goes! My son was having some mild ADHD symptoms including the irrational meltdowns. No spankings, talkings to, toy deprivations, or timeouts could alter these uncomfortable episodes. At the suggestion of an expert that been practicing this stuff for decades, we pulled our son off of all dairy and we learned all the alternative names for MSG in order to avoid them as well. Problem solved! Our daughter recently and suddenly developed asthma and the inhaler dosage recommendations just weren’t enough. It was so heartbreaking and frightening waking up to a 20 month old in respiratory distress! On a whim we pulled her off dairy and put her on almond milk. We have had ZERO asthma problems since. Both the kids’ eczema was so bad that when it cleared up a bit in the summer from sun exposure (I’m not a sun block addict like some modern mommies), my babies looked like some evil animal put cigarettes out on them. The same natural expert told us to pull them off of eggs. This was hard as eggs are our go-to, super healthy, super easy, super cheap breakfast. After two weeks their eczema was gone and we’ve seen no creeping occurrences on either of them. If my methods are not to your liking and you prefer meds, please be my guest and take them! I’m a conservative so I don’t ask for legislation based on my personal preferences! Don’t flame please! Also, if it makes you feel better, to get dairy- and egg-free recipes I visit vegan sites and then just add meat. It makes me feel good to know that somewhere a vegan is munching spinach and cursing my methods! One more thing: If you’re an oatmeal or cream of wheat eater like us, try making them both with coconut milk. Holy cow is it good!
“researchers have discovered a new type of immune cell in skin”
We spend 2 TRILLION dollars a year on health care and ONLY NOW we’re able to find a type of immune cell that’s been living in our skin that are “relatively numerous”...
Yeah, psoriasis is what I was thinking about, as well.
Psoriasis is a disorder of the immune system. Eczema is more of an allergic disease. So they aren't really related.
Au contraire! Just look at the title: "New Immune Cells Hint at Eczema Cause."
Immunological dysfunction is at the root of both disorders.
An allergic reaction is a function of what?
The immune system.
While I’m glad you’ve found an apparent way to resolve several physiological issues for your children via avoidance of dairy and/or eggs in their diets, it’s a mistake to extrapolate this into being a solution for the broader population with the same or similar problems. Immune response can be highly individualized as a result of early childhood exposure or the lack of it.
I had atopic dermatitis as a child, a fancy name for unknown skin allergy, which looked a lot like psoriasis during a severe outbreak. Severe outbreaks most often occurred in the winter. Exposure to sunlight helped a great deal. UV light helped in the winter so I had what was for all intents and purposes a sunlamp, used therapeutically for five minutes a day.
As far as diet, acidic foods were a problem. Citrus, tomatoes and the like. I loved them but broke out in a rash.
Wool and anything with Lanolin (oil derived from sheep’s wool) would break me out, too. Surprising how many soaps and lotions contain it.
The topical treatment fallback was the old coal tar lotions and soaps. Anyone who’s ever used dandruff shampoo has used it. Hated the smell, can still remember it. But it did act to heal it up or at least minimized the severity and duration. For that I’m thankful.
I have no issues with any sort of contact dermatitis as an adult.
Either one of you have a medical degree?
Besides, I was trying to help flaglady, who asked me about psoriasis. I got the impression she or perhaps someone she knows has that awful condition. I wanted her to know about the wonderful new treatments for it.
I do hope you two smartasses will forgive me for living...
I’m a family practice doc. Immunology, like the rest of medicine, is still a work in progress.
So how to I suppress these on my hand?
There’s also an intriguing linked article that talks about the interaction between the protein IL-21R and its soluble counterpart IL-21. Apparently retarding or blocking this interaction can mitigate or even cure eczema. At the very least, it seems a key piece of the puzzle.
Try Elidel or Protopic. Both are immunomodulators. You can’t use either continuously. I get eczema every winter on my lower legs. I just ignore it.
FYI
Saw this old post.
Just wanted to let you know that I too have eczema and have a drawer full of RX’s.
Last one was 100 bucks deductible on a product made in Israel.
Heard an add on the radio about Blue Star.If it doesn’t work you get your money back.
6 bucks at Walmart, works better and clears it up than anything I have ever used.
https://www.pinterest.com/ointmentskin/blue-star-ointment/
So glad to hear you have found relief!! I know a few people who have psoriasis and I’m super happy to hear there have been advances in the last five years. I am an eczema suffer. Which is tough. But I do have a handle own what NOT to do to cause it. Psoriasis however seemed a much more difficult battle. I can break out with eczema from my head to my toes. Based on the smallest stress. No sun, can’t use most body washes. Many sunscreens cause it on contact. Skin diseases are so odd.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.