Non-invasive skin imaging for the diagnosis of myiasis

Abstract

A 52-year-old man presented with a painful ulceration of the scalp (Fig. 1a). He had returned from Guyana the previous week. Dermoscopic examination (FotoFinder Systems GmbH, Bad Birnbach, Germany) showed an intermittent dynamic aspect changing from a sanguineous roundish ulcer (Fig. 1b) to a peculiar roundish structure characterized by a yellowish peripheral ring and a central brownish part (Fig. 1c). High-definition optical coherence tomography (HD-OCT; Skintell^®; Agfa Gevaert, Antverpen, Belgium) showed a skin cavity (Fig. 2a). Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM; Vivascope 3000^®, Caliber, New York, USA, distributed in Europe by MAVIG GmbH, München, Germany) showed the roundish structure observed under dermoscopy much better (Fig. 2b) and identified an additional polycyclic intermediate reflecting symmetric structure (Fig. 2c).

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

http://ift.tt/2lamfpd

Presence of cutaneous human papillomavirus DNA in squamous cell carcinoma of the scalp: a case series

Abstract

Various hypotheses have been put forward on the pathogenesis of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), including chronic sun damage and exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR), chemicals, smoking, immunosuppressive medications and human papillomavirus (HPV)¹.

It is well known that alpha (mucosal) HPV types, in particular HPV-16 and HPV-18, are etiologically correlated to cervical cancer and other types of anogenital carcinoma and oropharyngeal papillomatosis¹. On the contrary, the pathogenesis of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) outside the mucosae remains obscure, and the link with HPVs has been demonstrated only in the epidermodysplasia verruciformis context^2-3.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

http://ift.tt/2kn8orD

Metastatic recurrence of 17-years relapse-free melanoma during anti-TNFa therapy

Abstract

Tumor-necrosis-factor-alpha (TNFa) is an innate cytokine involved in regulating inflammation, immunity, tumorigenesis, and apoptosis. TNFa inhibitors became a powerful tool in the treatment of auto-immune inflammatory diseases such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. Known side effects of TNFa inhibitors range from infections to malignancies [1].

We report a male patient who was in 1998 at age 36 diagnosed with amelanotic melanoma of the leg, Breslow thickness 11.0 mm, no ulceration.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

http://ift.tt/2lau65Y

Dermoscopy of uncommon variants of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans

Abstract

Darier-Ferrand dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a locally aggressive fibrohistiocytic tumour with a low metastatic potential.¹ Because of its rarity, slow progression and lack of early clinical clues, the diagnosis of DFSP is often delayed. Classical DFSP clinically appeared like an indurated, irregularly-shaped plaques exhibiting flesh to reddish-brown colour. Some lesions also showed thin teleangectasia on the surface (Fig. 1, a).

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

http://ift.tt/2knljJT

Discovery of skin lymphocytes was a game changer in experimental dermatology

Abstract

A substantial part of ongoing research in experimental dermatology focuses on skin T cells – for that reason we find important to highlight the pioneering work of Jan D. Bos et al. from 1987 (The skin immune system (SIS): Distribution and immunophenotype of lymphocyte subpopulations in normal skin). This key article set the record straight, once and for all, about the presence of lymphocytes in healthy skin; characterized the immunophenotypes of subpopulations, quantified these cells, and studied their location. It was perhaps the critical discoveries made by Bos et al. that fueled the scientific community's interest in skin lymphocytes, contributing to a new generation of cutaneous immunology research. We briefly describe additional scientific breakthroughs made since 1987. Nonetheless, the study of cutaneous lymphocytes remains essential to understand the relationship of these cells to human diseases, and to develop therapies that can be leveraged to selectively mobilize, enhance or deplete these cells.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

http://ift.tt/2kYHoAL

Filaggrin has evolved from an “S100 fused-type protein” (SFTP) gene present in a common ancestor of amphibians and mammals

http://ift.tt/2kJv4pj

UVB represses melanocyte cell migration and acts through β-catenin

Abstract

The exposure of skin to ultraviolet (UV) radiation can have both beneficial and deleterious effects: it can lead, for instance, to increased pigmentation and vitamin D synthesis but also to inflammation and skin cancer. UVB may induce genetic and epigenetic alterations, and have reversible effects associated with post-translational and gene regulation modifications. β-catenin is a main driver in melanocyte development; although infrequently mutated in melanoma, its cellular localization and activity is frequently altered. Here, we evaluate the consequence of UVB on β-catenin in the melanocyte lineage. We report that in vivo, UVB induces cytoplasmic/nuclear relocalization of β-catenin in melanocytes of newborn mice and adult human skin. In mouse melanocyte and human melanoma cell lines in vitro, UVB increases β-catenin stability, accumulation in the nucleus, and co-transcriptional activity, leading to the repression of cell motility and velocity. The activation of the β-catenin signaling pathway and its effect on migration by UVB are increased by an inhibitor of GSK3β, and decreased by an inhibitor of β-catenin. In conclusion, UVB represses melanocyte migration and does so by acting through the GSK3-β-catenin axis.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

http://ift.tt/2kYRilT