Michalina Kolan

Bio: Michalina Kolan is an academic researcher from Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. The author has contributed to research in topics: Beta (finance) & Genus. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 3 publications receiving 3 citations.

Endocrine systems of the skin

Abstract: Apart from its protective function, the skin is also both hormonally and metabolically active. Many hormones are produced in the skin and the regulation of these changes is controlled, as are other organs, by the pituitary gland and hypothalamus. Under the influence of stress factors such as ultraviolet radiation, many reactions are stimulated. After exposure to light in keratinocytes apart from eumelanin, also proopiomelanocortin, dopamine, and opioid substances - β-endorphins are produced. The skin also has a hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis homolog. A corticotropin-releasing hormone is produced and reacts with its skin receptors that lead to, among others, increasing vascular permeability or induce keratinocytes differentiation. A similar homologous system found in skin structures is the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis, which is expressed by the presence of e.g. thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) receptors or thyroglobulin genes. Our review presents selected hormonal skin systems, reactions within them and their products.

Metallo-Beta-Lactamases: NDM

Abstract: New Delhi, an enzyme belonging to the Metallo-beta-lactamases and Carbapenemases group, is most commonly found in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli. It determines these bacteria resistance to the majority of known antibiotics. NDM-1 was discovered in 2008 in a man treated in New Delhi for E. coli infection. Since the first appearance, 17 subtypes of this enzyme have been discovered. Its occurrence has been reported in Europe (Great Britain, France, Belgium where even a national alert has been

Plant-derived biomaterials for wound healing

Abstract: The increasing worldwide demand for low-cost and effective wound-dressing materials has driven an intense effort in the wound-care market in search of safe biomaterials with high biocompatibility and efficiency in the wound-healing process. Thanks to recent advances in materials science for biomedical applications, modern wound-dressing materials with bioactive components have been designed. Recently, the generation of novel plant-derived wound-dressing materials has attracted significant attention. Novel formulations of phytochemical-based wound-dressing materials and the mechanisms of wound-healing activity displayed by these phytochemicals are addressed in this chapter. The current methods, including spectroscopic techniques used to characterize the structure of biomaterials physicochemically and the bioassays to evaluate the bioactivities of biomaterials incorporated with plant molecules for wound healing, were also summarized.

Opioidergic Signaling—A Neglected, Yet Potentially Important Player in Atopic Dermatitis

Abstract: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is one of the most common skin diseases, the prevalence of which is especially high among children. Although our understanding about its pathogenesis has substantially grown in recent years, and hence, several novel therapeutic targets have been successfully exploited in the management of the disease, we still lack curative treatments for it. Thus, there is an unmet societal demand to identify further details of its pathogenesis to thereby pave the way for novel therapeutic approaches with favorable side effect profiles. It is commonly accepted that dysfunction of the complex cutaneous barrier plays a central role in the development of AD; therefore, the signaling pathways involved in the regulation of this quite complex process are likely to be involved in the pathogenesis of the disease and can provide novel, promising, yet unexplored therapeutic targets. Thus, in the current review, we aim to summarize the available potentially AD-relevant data regarding one such signaling pathway, namely cutaneous opioidergic signaling.

Recognition of Melanocytes in Immuno-Neuroendocrinology and Circadian Rhythms: Beyond the Conventional Melanin Synthesis

Abstract: Melanocytes produce melanin to protect the skin from UV-B radiation. Notwithstanding, the spectrum of their functions extends far beyond their well-known role as melanin production factories. Melanocytes have been considered as sensory and computational cells. The neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, and other hormones produced by melanocytes make them part of the skin’s well-orchestrated and complex neuroendocrine network, counteracting environmental stressors. Melanocytes can also actively mediate the epidermal immune response. Melanocytes are equipped with ectopic sensory systems similar to the eye and nose and can sense light and odor. The ubiquitous inner circadian rhythm controls the body’s basic physiological processes. Light not only affects skin photoaging, but also regulates inner circadian rhythms and communicates with the local neuroendocrine system. Do melanocytes “see” light and play a unique role in photoentrainment of the local circadian clock system? Why, then, are melanocytes responsible for so many mysterious functions? Do these complex functional devices work to maintain homeostasis locally and throughout the body? In addition, melanocytes have also been shown to be localized in internal sites such as the inner ear, brain, and heart, locations not stimulated by sunlight. Thus, what can the observation of extracutaneous melanocytes tell us about the “secret identity” of melanocytes? While the answers to some of these intriguing questions remain to be discovered, here we summarize and weave a thread around available data to explore the established and potential roles of melanocytes in the biological communication of skin and systemic homeostasis, and elaborate on important open issues and propose ways forward.

Analysis of antibiotic resistance genetic conditioning of Enterobacteriaceae NDM-1 family members and the related epidemiological threat in Poland

Abstract: Antibiotic resistance is an extremely serious threat to the modern world. Since 2008, Gram-negative rods from the Enterobacteriaceae family gained the possibility of b-lactam degradation using NDM-1 carbapenemase, encoded by the blaNDM gene. It often occurs in the genome of Klebsiella pneumoniae and can occur on both bacterial chromosome and plasmids. This creates a very high risk due to the widespread occurrence of bacteria from this family both in the environment and in human microflora. Lack of sensitivity to popular b-lactam antibiotics is especially dangerous for patients hospitalised for a long time with reduced immunity. In Poland, since 2011, the number of registered NDM+ isolates and related infections are constantly increasing, reaching 1780 cases in 2016. Bacilli showing the presence of the blaNDM gene are registered very often in the Mazowieckie and Podlaskie regions, while the number of such cases is the lowest in the Opolskie region. Inhibiting the growing number of infections caused by Enterobacteriaceae NDM+ is extremely difficult, and one of the methods to reduce this phenomenon is strict compliance with hygiene rules.