Structure and Function of Skin - Schwarzenberger Flashcards
List 6 important functions of skin
- barrier function
- immune recognition and surveillance
- damage repair
- thermoregulation
- protection from UV radiation
- communication
List common functions of skin as a barrier
Regulates water loss
Protect against mechanical, chemical and microbial insults from outside world
Skin deals with innate or adapative immunologic processes?
Both
Fun fact: skin has more lymphocytes than inside the body
Autoimmune bullous diseases are blistering skin diseases mediated by autoantibodies towards what?
skin adhesion molecules (desmosomes, hemidesmosomes)
Characteristic features of autoimmune bulous diseases?
erosions or blisters in skin, often in mucosa
Autoantibodies to hemidesmosomes. Name this skin condition?
Bullous pemphigoid
Autoantibodies to desmosomes. Name this condition?
Pemphigus vulgaris
Bullous pemphigoid vs Pemphigus vulgaris. Which is which?
Top = Pemphigus vulgaris
Bottom - Bullous pemphigoid
Immunofluorescence. Which is which
Bullous pemphigoid vs pemphigus
Top - Bullous Pempighoid
Bottom - Pemphigus Vulgaris
Impaired wound healing can lead to ?
chronic skin ulcers, risk of infection
Patients can also develop skin lesions bc they become ____ to injury? List 2 examples
insensitive
Neuropathic ulcers, trigeminal trophic syndrome
Melanin is found where in skin (epidermis/dermis). Purpose of it?
Found in epidermis, protect against UV radiation
Loss of photoprotection increases what 2 OBVIOUS risks?
risk of burning (duh), and skin cancer (duh)
Condition where person has abnormal pigment at birth?
Albinism
Condition where you lose your pigment as you get older?
Vitiligo
Acute effects of UV radiation on skin?
Inflammation (sunburn)
Immunosuppression
Tanning
Epidermal hyperplasia
Vitamin D photosynthesis
DNA damage (apoptosis, cell cycle arrest to repair)
What are the 2 chronic effects of UVR on skin?
Photoaging
Photocarcinogenesis (basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, melanomas)
Term for histologic change that occurs due to chronic UV radiation
Solar elastosis (right picture)
Normal skin (left picture)
Incidence of melanoma in US?
1 in 50
Melanoma more commonly associated with chronic low exposure or acute intense exposure?
Acute intense exposure
Disease of skin that deals with inability to repair DNA?
Xeroderma pigmentosum, DNA excision abnormal
What condition does he have?
Mutation in what gene? Consequence of this?
Clinical manifestations?
Hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia
Mutation in EDAR (Ectodyplasin A receptor) gene. Protein is critical for proper interaction between developing ectoderm and mesorderm.
Results in abnormal hair follicles, sweat glands, and teeth. Unable to regulate temperature, overheat easily
3 layers of skin?
Epidermis, dermis, subcutis
Cells of epidermis? Which makes up the majority
Keratinocytes (90% of cells), melanocytes, langerhans cells, merkel cells
What cells of epidermis are important when they become malignant?
Merkel cells
if you cut your skin, and bleed, what layer of the skin have you at least affected?
Dermis, epidermis has no blood vessels
Dermis or epidermis?
Primarily barrier function, protection, wound healing?
Epidermis
Epidermis sheds itself every ___ days?
28+
14 days to reach stratum corneum
14 days to desquamate
4 Layers of Epidermis?
Stratum corneum, granulosum, spinosum, basale
Function of hemidesmosome?
Connect epidermis to dermis
Epidermis (pink in picture), dermis (blue)
Function of desmosomes?
Keratinocyte to keratinocyte adhesion