Dermatologica最新文献

112 cases of induced pemphigus were reviewed. The causative drugs were divided into three groups according to their chemical structure, and the clinical, prognostic and laboratory characteristics were analyzed and compared. Our literature screening indicates that the biological progress and clinical course of the disease depend upon the type of the inducing/triggering drug in the majority of patients. Patients with penicillamine-induced pemphigus or with pemphigus induced by SH drugs (drugs containing a sulfhydryl radical) showed spontaneous recovery in 39.4 and 52.6%, respectively, once the drug was discontinued. Patients whose pemphigus was induced by other drugs showed spontaneous recovery in only 15% of the cases. These results indicate that in patients with pemphigus induced by penicillamine (or SH drugs), the drug plays a major role in the pathogenesis of the disease, as compared to patients with pemphigus induced by other drugs. It seems that penicillamine (and SH drugs) actually induces pemphigus in most of the cases, whereas other drugs only trigger the disease in patients with a previous predisposition.

This review focuses on dermatoses that are caused by the presence of sweat--a previously underemphasized subject. A working classification based on 'internal sweating' (extravasated sweat in the dermis and epidermis) and 'external sweating' (sweat on skin surface) is proposed. Clinical observations suggest that transient acantholytic dermatosis is the consequence of extravasated sweat; we speculate that it is an example of sweat-related, protease-induced epidermal acantholysis. Neutrophilic eccrine hidradenitis may represent a sweat-related drug reaction. We emphasize the well-recognized phenomenon of 'sweat retention syndrome' in a new scenario: hospitalized febrile patients, increasing use of chemotherapy, new life style. The concept of 'sweat-gland-mediated cutaneous inflammation' is proposed.

Two groups of cells, one rounded or oval and the other spindle-shaped, were found in a case of plexiform fibrohistiocytic tumor. Immunohistochemistry was strongly positive for alpha smooth muscle actin in most cells of both types but stronger in the spindle-shaped cells, suggesting a myofibroblastic origin. This was in correlation with electron microscopic findings which revealed fibroblasts, myofibroblasts and some undifferentiated mesenchymal cells. However, factor XIIIa was negative suggesting that this tumor does not originate from dermal dendrocytes.

The time course of appearance and the dynamic changes of immunocompetent cells were assessed in human skin following sterile suction blister would healing. During epidermal regeneration, a local increase in Langerhans cells (LC) and the appearance of a mononuclear cell infiltrate were observed. Initially, T cells were exclusively of the T helper/inducer subtype, whereas during the later stages of the healing process an increasing number of cytotoxic/suppressor T cells (up to 30%) was observed. Keratinocytes of neither the adjacent nor the newly formed epidermis expressed HLA-DR over the course of the wound-healing process. Our results suggest that immune-competent cells such as T cells and LC may play an important role in the regulation of the wound-healing process.

The expression of the proto-oncogene c-myc was studied in tumorous skin lesions of (cutaneous) lymphoproliferative diseases (3 cases of pseudolymphoma, 8 cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and 1 case of lymph node involvement in mycosis fungoides) in a total of 12 patients. c-myc mRNA levels were quantified by Northern blot analysis followed by densitometric evaluation of the specific bands. Higher levels of c-myc mRNA expression were observed in lymphomas as compared with pseudolymphomas (p greater than 0.05). No significant differences in c-myc mRNA values were detected between B and T cell pseudolymphomas. Our results suggest that c-myc mRNA overexpression is associated with malignant lymphomas of the skin. We conclude that the measurement of c-myc mRNA levels may contribute to further characterize cutaneous lymphoproliferative diseases.

We have raised a polyclonal antibody to the 170-kD epidermal growth factor receptor. We found an intercellular pattern of immunoreactivity in the epidermis as well as a positivity of the cytoplasm of keratinocytes and eccrine secretory cells. In some samples, a nuclear labelling was evidenced in these type of cells. There is a close resemblance in the topographical distribution of these cells with nuclear labelling and those synthesizing DNA under phytohaemagglutinin stimulation.