Sample records for arsenic-related skin lesions

  1. Well Water Arsenic Exposure, Arsenic Induced Skin-Lesions and Self-Reported Morbidity in Inner Mongolia

    PubMed Central

    Xia, Yajuan; Wade, Timothy J.; Wu, Kegong; Li, Yanhong; Ning, Zhixiong; Le, X Chris; He, Xingzhou; Chen, Binfei; Feng, Yong; Mumford, Judy L.

    2009-01-01

    Residents of the Bayingnormen region of Inner Mongolia have been exposed to arsenic-contaminated well water for over 20 years, but relatively few studies have investigated health effects in this region. We surveyed one village to document exposure to arsenic and assess the prevalence of arsenic-associated skin lesions and self-reported morbidity. Five-percent (632) of the 12,334 residents surveyed had skin lesions characteristics of arsenic exposure. Skin lesions were strongly associated with well water arsenic and there was an elevated prevalence among residents with water arsenic exposures as low as 5 μg/L-10 μg/L. The presence of skin lesions was also associated with self-reported cardiovascular disease. PMID:19440430

  2. Protective effects of B vitamins and antioxidants on the risk of arsenic-related skin lesions in Bangladesh.

    PubMed

    Zablotska, Lydia B; Chen, Yu; Graziano, Joseph H; Parvez, Faruque; van Geen, Alexander; Howe, Geoffrey R; Ahsan, Habibul

    2008-08-01

    An estimated 25-40 million of the 127 million people of Bangladesh have been exposed to high levels of naturally occurring arsenic from drinking groundwater. The mitigating effects of diet on arsenic-related premalignant skin lesions are largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of the vitamin B group (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, and cobalamin) and antioxidants (vitamins A, C, and E) on arsenic-related skin lesions. We performed a cross-sectional study using baseline data from the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study (HEALS), 2000-2002, with individual-level, time-weighted measures of arsenic exposure from drinking water. A total of 14,828 individuals meeting a set of eligibility criteria were identified among 65,876 users of all 5,996 tube wells in the 25-km(2) area of Araihazar, Bangladesh; 11,746 were recruited into the study. This analysis is based on 10,628 subjects (90.5%) with nonmissing dietary data. Skin lesions were identified according to a structured clinical protocol during screening and confirmed with further clinical review. Riboflavin, pyridoxine, folic acid, and vitamins A, C, and E significantly modified risk of arsenic-related skin lesions. The deleterious effect of ingested arsenic, at a given exposure level, was significantly reduced (ranging from 46% reduction for pyridoxine to 68% for vitamin C) for persons in the highest quintiles of vitamin intake. Intakes of B-vitamins and antioxidants, at doses greater than the current recommended daily amounts for the country, may reduce the risk of arsenic-related skin lesions in Bangladesh.

  3. Polymorphisms in XPD (Asp312Asn and Lys751Gln) genes, sunburn and arsenic-related skin lesions.

    PubMed

    McCarty, Kathleen M; Smith, Thomas J; Zhou, Wei; Gonzalez, Ernesto; Quamruzzaman, Quazzi; Rahman, Mahmuder; Mahiuddin, Golam; Ryan, Louise; Su, Li; Christiani, David C

    2007-08-01

    Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in genes related to DNA repair capacity and ultraviolet exposure have not been well investigated in relation to skin lesions associated with arsenic exposure. This population based case-control study, of 600 cases and 600 controls, frequency matched on age and gender in Pabna, Bangladesh, in 2001-2002, investigated the association and potential effect modification between polymorphisms in Xeroderma Pigmentosum complementation group D (XPD) (Lys751Gln and Asp312Asn) genes, tendency to sunburn and arsenic-related skin lesions. Unconditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). No significant association was observed between skin lesions and the XPD 312 Asp/Asn (adjusted OR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.65-1.15) Asn/Asn (adjusted OR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.50-1.15) (referent Asp/Asp); XPD 751 Lys/Gln (adjusted OR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.69-1.23) Gln/Gln (adjusted OR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.66-1.45) (referent Lys/Lys). While we did not observe any evidence of effect modification of these polymorphisms on the association between well arsenic concentration and skin lesions, we did observe effect modification between these polymorphisms and sunburn tendency and arsenic-related skin lesions. Individuals with the heterozygote or homozygote variant forms (Asp/Asn or Asn/Asn) had half the risk of skin lesions (OR = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.29-0.68) compared with those with the wild-type XPDAsp312Asn genotype (Asp/Asp) and individuals with heterozygote or homozygote variant forms (Lys/Gln or Gln/Gln) had half the risk of skin lesions (OR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.31-0.72) compared with those with the wild-type XPDLys751Gln genotype (Lys/Lys), within the least sensitive strata of sunburn severity. We observed effect modification on the multiplicative scale for XPD 751 and XPD 312. XPD polymorphisms modified the relationship between tendency to sunburn and skin lesions in an arsenic exposed population. Further study is necessary

  4. Polymorphisms in XPD (Asp312Asn and Lys751Gln) genes, sunburn and arsenic-related skin lesions

    PubMed Central

    McCarty, Kathleen M.; Smith, Thomas J.; Zhou, Wei; Gonzalez, Ernesto; Quamruzzaman, Quazzi; Rahman, Mahmuder; Mahiuddin, Golam; Ryan, Louise; Su, Li; Christiani, David C.

    2013-01-01

    Background Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in genes related to DNA repair capacity and ultraviolet exposure have not been well investigated in relation to skin lesions associated with arsenic exposure. This population based case–control study, of 600 cases and 600 controls, frequency matched on age and gender in Pabna, Bangladesh, in 2001–2002, investigated the association and potential effect modification between polymorphisms in Xeroderma Pigmentosum complementation group D (XPD) (Lys751Gln and Asp312Asn) genes, tendency to sunburn and arsenic-related skin lesions. Methods Unconditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Result No significant association was observed between skin lesions and the XPD 312 Asp/Asn (adjusted OR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.65–1.15) Asn/Asn (adjusted OR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.50–1.15) (referent Asp/Asp); XPD 751 Lys/Gln (adjusted OR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.69–1.23) Gln/Gln (adjusted OR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.66–1.45) (referent Lys/Lys). While we did not observe any evidence of effect modification of these polymorphisms on the association between well arsenic concentration and skin lesions, we did observe effect modification between these polymorphisms and sunburn tendency and arsenic-related skin lesions. Individuals with the heterozygote or homozygote variant forms (Asp/Asn or Asn/Asn) had half the risk of skin lesions (OR = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.29–0.68) compared with those with the wild-type XPDAsp312Asn genotype (Asp/Asp) and individuals with heterozygote or homozygote variant forms (Lys/Gln or Gln/Gln) had half the risk of skin lesions (OR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.31–0.72) compared with those with the wild-type XPDLys751Gln genotype (Lys/Lys), within the least sensitive strata of sunburn severity. We observed effect modification on the multiplicative scale for XPD 751 and XPD 312. Conclusion XPD polymorphisms modified the relationship between tendency to sunburn and skin lesions in an

  5. Relationship between arsenic skin lesions and the age of natural menopause.

    PubMed

    Yunus, Fakir Md; Rahman, Musarrat Jabeen; Alam, Md Zahidul; Hore, Samar Kumar; Rahman, Mahfuzar

    2014-05-02

    Chronic exposure to arsenic is associated with neoplastic, cardiovascular, endocrine, neuro-developmental disorders and can have an adverse effect on women's reproductive health outcomes. This study examined the relationship between arsenic skin lesions (a hallmark sign of chronic arsenic poisoning) and age of natural menopause (final menopausal period) in populations with high levels of arsenic exposure in Bangladesh. We compared menopausal age in two groups of women--with and without arsenic skin lesions; and presence of arsenic skin lesions was used as an indicator for chronic arsenic exposure. In a cross-sectional study, a total of 210 participants were randomly identified from two ongoing studies--participants with arsenic skin lesions were identified from an ongoing clinical trial and participants with no arsenic skin lesions were identified from an ongoing cohort study. Mean age of menopause between these two groups were calculated and compared. Multivariable linear regression was used to estimate the relationship between the status of the arsenic skin lesions and age of natural menopause in women. Women with arsenic skin lesions were 1.5 years younger (p <0.001) at the time of menopause compared to those without arsenic skin lesions. After adjusting with contraceptive use, body mass index, urinary arsenic level and family history of premature menopause, the difference between the groups' age at menopause was 2.1 years earlier (p <0.001) for respondents with arsenic skin lesions. The study showed a statistically significant association between chronic exposure to arsenic and age at menopause. Heavily exposed women experienced menopause two years earlier than those with lower or no exposure.

  6. Relationship between arsenic skin lesions and the age of natural menopause

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Chronic exposure to arsenic is associated with neoplastic, cardiovascular, endocrine, neuro-developmental disorders and can have an adverse effect on women’s reproductive health outcomes. This study examined the relationship between arsenic skin lesions (a hallmark sign of chronic arsenic poisoning) and age of natural menopause (final menopausal period) in populations with high levels of arsenic exposure in Bangladesh. Methods We compared menopausal age in two groups of women – with and without arsenic skin lesions; and presence of arsenic skin lesions was used as an indicator for chronic arsenic exposure. In a cross-sectional study, a total of 210 participants were randomly identified from two ongoing studies— participants with arsenic skin lesions were identified from an ongoing clinical trial and participants with no arsenic skin lesions were identified from an ongoing cohort study. Mean age of menopause between these two groups were calculated and compared. Multivariable linear regression was used to estimate the relationship between the status of the arsenic skin lesions and age of natural menopause in women. Results Women with arsenic skin lesions were 1.5 years younger (p <0.001) at the time of menopause compared to those without arsenic skin lesions. After adjusting with contraceptive use, body mass index, urinary arsenic level and family history of premature menopause, the difference between the groups’ age at menopause was 2.1 years earlier (p <0.001) for respondents with arsenic skin lesions. Conclusions The study showed a statistically significant association between chronic exposure to arsenic and age at menopause. Heavily exposed women experienced menopause two years earlier than those with lower or no exposure. PMID:24886424

  7. Oxidative DNA damage of peripheral blood polymorphonuclear leukocytes, selectively induced by chronic arsenic exposure, is associated with extent of arsenic-related skin lesions

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Pei, Qiuling, E-mail: 924969007@qq.com; Ma, Ning; Zhang, Jing

    There is increasing evidence that oxidative stress is an important risk factor for arsenic-related diseases. Peripheral blood leukocytes constitute an important defense against microorganisms or pathogens, while the research on the impact of chronic arsenic exposure on peripheral blood leukocytes is much more limited, especially at low level arsenic exposure. The purpose of the present study was to explore whether chronic arsenic exposure affects oxidative stress of peripheral blood leukocytes and possible linkages between oxidative stress and arsenic-induced skin lesions. 75 male inhabitants recruited from an As-endemic region of China were investigated in the present study. The classification of arsenicosismore » was based on the degree of skin lesions. Arsenic levels were measured in drinking water and urine by Atomic Fluorescence Spectroscopy. Urinary 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) was tested by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay. 8-OHdG of peripheral blood leukocytes was evaluated using immunocytochemical staining. 8-OHdG-positive reactions were only present in polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs), but not in monocytes (MNs). The 8-OHdG staining of PMN cytoplasm was observed in all investigated populations, while the 8-OHdG staining of PMN nuclei was frequently found along with the elevated amounts of cell debris in individuals with skin lesion. Urinary arsenic levels were increased in the severe skin lesion group compared with the normal group. No relationship was observed between drinking water arsenic or urine 8-OHdG and the degree of skin lesions. These findings indicated that the target and persistent oxidative stress in peripheral blood PMNs may be employed as a sensitive biomarker directly to assess adverse health effects caused by chronic exposure to lower levels of arsenic. -- Highlights: ► Male inhabitants were investigated from an As-endemic region of China. ► 8-OHdG-positive reactions were only present in polymorphonuclear leukocytes

  8. Arsenic methylation and skin lesions in migrant and native adult women with chronic exposure to arsenic from drinking groundwater.

    PubMed

    Wei, Binggan; Yu, Jiangping; Yang, Linsheng; Li, Hairong; Chai, Yuanqing; Xia, Yajuan; Wu, Kegong; Gao, Jianwei; Guo, Zhiwei; Cui, Na

    2017-02-01

    In order to figure out the prevalence of skin lesions and methylation capacity for migrant and native adult women in an endemic area for arsenic poisoning in Inner Mongolia, China, 207 adult women were selected for study subjects. The results showed that the prevalence of skin lesions for the external group, provincial group and native group was 36.54, 26.15 and 35.56 %, respectively. The nail content of arsenic and urinary concentrations of dimethylarsenic (DMA), monomethylarsenic (MMA) and inorganic arsenic (iAs) were significantly higher in women with skin lesions than in those without skin lesions. The highest urinary concentrations of DMA, MMA and iAs were 213.93, 45.72 and 45.01 μg/L in the native group. The arsenic methylation capacity index revealed that the external group had the greatest capacity, while the native group had the lowest. The odds ratios of skin lesions in relation to arsenic metabolites and arsenic methylation capacity varied widely among the three groups. Urinary MMA and iAs concentrations were positively associated with risk of skin lesions in the three groups of adult women, while primary and secondary methylation capacities were negatively related to risk of skin lesions in native and provincial groups. The external group might be more susceptible to MMA and iAs, while the provincial and native groups were more tolerance to MMA and iAs. Lower primary and secondary arsenic methylation capacities increased the risk of skin lesions in native and provincial groups. Moreover, higher nail arsenic concentration increased the risk of skin lesions of adult women.

  9. Associations of arsenic metabolites, methylation capacity, and skin lesions caused by chronic exposure to high arsenic in tube well water.

    PubMed

    Yang, Linsheng; Chai, Yuanqing; Yu, Jiangping; Wei, Binggan; Xia, Yajuan; Wu, Kegong; Gao, Jianwei; Guo, Zhiwei; Cui, Na

    2017-01-01

    To investigate the interaction between skin lesion status and arsenic methylation profiles, the concentrations and proportions of arsenic metabolites in urine and arsenic methylation capacities of study subjects were determined. The results showed that the mean urinary concentrations of iAs (inorganic arsenic), MMA (monomethylarsonic acid), DMA (dimethylarsinic acid), and TAs (total arsenic) were 75.65, 68.78, 265.81, and 410.24 μg/L, respectively, in the skin lesions subjects. The highest values were observed in the multiple skin lesions subjects. Higher %iAs and %MMA, and lower %DMA, PMI (primary methylation index), and SMI (secondary methylation index) were found in skin lesions subjects. The multiple skin lesions subjects had highest %iAs and %MMA, and lowest %DMA, PMI, and SMI. The prevalence of skin lesions strongly, positively correlated with arsenic levels in drinking water. The elder persons also had higher frequency of skin lesions compared with younger persons. It can be concluded that arsenic levels in drinking water significantly affected the prevalence of skin lesions. Male subjects usually had higher proportions of skin lesions when compared with female subjects. Moreover, it may be concluded that MMA was significantly related to single skin lesion, whereas DMA and iAs were associated with multiple skin lesions. It seemed that MMA had greater toxicity to hyperkeratosis, whereas DMA and iAs had higher toxicity to depigmentation or pigmentation. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 32: 28-36, 2017. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  10. Health burden of skin lesions at low arsenic exposure through groundwater in Pakistan. Is river the source?

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Fatmi, Zafar, E-mail: zafar.fatmi@aku.edu; Azam, Iqbal; Ahmed, Faiza

    2009-07-15

    A significant proportion of groundwater in south Asia is contaminated with arsenic. Pakistan has low levels of arsenic in groundwater compared with China, Bangladesh and India. A representative multi-stage cluster survey conducted among 3874 persons {>=}15 years of age to determine the prevalence of arsenic skin lesions, its relation with arsenic levels and cumulative arsenic dose in drinking water in a rural district (population: 1.82 million) in Pakistan. Spot-urine arsenic levels were compared among individuals with and without arsenic skin lesions. In addition, the relation of age, body mass index, smoking status with arsenic skin lesions was determined. The geographicalmore » distribution of the skin lesions and arsenic-contaminated wells in the district were ascertained using global positioning system. The total arsenic, inorganic and organic forms, in water and spot-urine samples were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The prevalence of skin lesions of arsenic was estimated for complex survey design, using surveyfreq and surveylogistic options of SAS 9.1 software.The prevalence of definitive cases i.e. hyperkeratosis of both palms and soles, was 3.4 per 1000 and suspected cases i.e. any sign of arsenic skin lesions (melanosis and/or keratosis), were 13.0 per 1000 among {>=}15-year-old persons in the district. Cumulative arsenic exposure (dose) was calculated from levels of arsenic in water and duration of use of current drinking water source. Prevalence of skin lesions increases with cumulative arsenic exposure (dose) in drinking water and arsenic levels in urine. Skin lesions were 2.5-fold among individuals with BMI <18.5 kg/m{sup 2}. Geographically, more arsenic-contaminated wells and skin lesions were alongside Indus River, suggests a strong link between arsenic contamination of groundwater with proximity to river.This is the first reported epidemiological and clinical evidence of arsenic skin lesions due to groundwater in Pakistan

  11. Arsenic Reduction in Drinking Water and Improvement in Skin Lesions: A Follow-Up Study in Bangladesh

    PubMed Central

    Seow, Wei Jie; Pan, Wen-Chi; Kile, Molly L.; Baccarelli, Andrea A.; Quamruzzaman, Quazi; Rahman, Mahmuder; Mahiuddin, Golam; Mostofa, Golam; Lin, Xihong

    2012-01-01

    Background: Chronic exposure to arsenic is associated with skin lesions. However, it is not known whether reducing arsenic exposure will improve skin lesions. Objective: We evaluated the association between reduced arsenic exposures and skin lesion recovery over time. Methods: A follow-up study of 550 individuals was conducted in 2009–2011 on a baseline population of skin lesion cases (n = 900) previously enrolled in Bangladesh in 2001–2003. Arsenic in drinking water and toenails, and skin lesion status and severity were ascertained at baseline and follow-up. We used logistic regression and generalized estimating equation (GEE) models to evaluate the association between log10-transformed arsenic exposure and skin lesion persistence and severity. Results: During the study period, water arsenic concentrations decreased in this population by 41% overall, and 65 individuals who had skin lesions at baseline had no identifiable lesions at follow-up. In the adjusted models, every log10 decrease in water arsenic and toenail arsenic was associated with 22% [odds ratio (OR) = 1.22; 95% CI: 0.85, 1.78] and 4.5 times (OR = 4.49; 95% CI: 1.94, 11.1) relative increase in skin lesion recovery, respectively. In addition, lower baseline arsenic levels were significantly associated with increased odds of recovery. A log10 decrease in toenail arsenic from baseline to follow-up was also significantly associated with reduced skin lesion severity in cases over time (mean score change of –5.22 units; 95% CI: –8.61, –1.82). Conclusions: Reducing arsenic exposure increased the odds that an individual with skin lesions would recover or show less severe lesions within 10 years. Reducing arsenic exposure must remain a public health priority in Bangladesh and in other regions affected by arsenic-contaminated water. PMID:23060367

  12. Drinking Water Arsenic Contamination, Skin Lesions, and Malignancies: A Systematic Review of the Global Evidence

    PubMed Central

    Karagas, Margaret R.; Gossai, Anala; Pierce, Brandon; Ahsan, Habibul

    2015-01-01

    Skin lesions and cancer are known manifestations of chronic exposure to arsenic contaminated drinking water. Epidemiologic data primarily comes from regions with exposures 1–2 orders of magnitude above the current World Health Organization (WHO)’s guidelines of 10 μg/L. Emerging evidence indicates that more common exposures may also be related to both non-cancerous and cancerous changes to the skin. In this review, we focus on the body of epidemiologic literature that encompasses exposures within the WHO guidelines, excluding studies that lacked individual exposure estimates and case reports. For skin lesions and skin cancers, 15 and 10 studies were identified that met our criteria, respectively. For skin lesions, a consistent dose-response relationship with water arsenic has been observed, with increased risk evident at low- to moderate-dose exposure. Of the larger studies of specific histologic types of skin cancers, although with differing exposure definitions, there was evidence of dose-related relationships with both basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas. The effect of arsenic exposure on skin lesion risk is likely modified by genetic variants that influence arsenic metabolism. Accumulating evidence suggests that arsenic may increase risk of skin lesions and skin cancers at levels not previously considered harmful, and that genetic factors may influence risk. PMID:26231242

  13. Drinking Water Arsenic Contamination, Skin Lesions, and Malignancies: A Systematic Review of the Global Evidence.

    PubMed

    Karagas, Margaret R; Gossai, Anala; Pierce, Brandon; Ahsan, Habibul

    2015-03-01

    Skin lesions and cancer are known manifestations of chronic exposure to arsenic contaminated drinking water. Epidemiologic data primarily comes from regions with exposures 1-2 orders of magnitude above the current World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines of 10 μg/L. Emerging evidence indicates that more common exposures may also be related to both noncancerous and cancerous changes to the skin. In this review, we focus on the body of epidemiologic literature that encompasses exposures within the WHO guidelines, excluding studies that lacked individual exposure estimates and case reports. For skin lesions and skin cancers, 15 and 10 studies were identified that met our criteria, respectively. For skin lesions, a consistent dose-response relationship with water arsenic has been observed, with increased risk evident at low- to moderate-dose exposure. Of the larger studies of specific histologic types of skin cancers, although with differing exposure definitions, there was evidence of dose-related relationships with both basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas. The effect of arsenic exposure on skin lesion risk is likely modified by genetic variants that influence arsenic metabolism. Accumulating evidence suggests that arsenic may increase risk of skin lesions and skin cancers at levels not previously considered harmful, and that genetic factors may influence risk.

  14. Association between multi-level inorganic arsenic exposure from drinking water and skin lesions in China.

    PubMed

    Guo, Xiaojuan; Fujino, Yoshihisa; Ye, Xiaolei; Liu, Jun; Yoshimura, Takesumi

    2006-09-01

    Arsenic is one of the most important toxicants in the environment. In Inner Mongolia of China, 300,000 residents are believed to be drinking water containing >50 microg/liter. Skin lesions have been known as the most common consequences resulting from chronic exposure to arsenic. To clarify the prevalence of arsenic-induced skin lesions, it is important to assess the impact of this problem among the target population, and to make future planning. We evaluated the association between multi-levels inorganic arsenic exposure from drinking water and skin lesions in an arsenic-affected area in Inner Mongolia, China. One hundred nine and 32 subjects in high (>50 microg/liter) and low (<50 microg/liter) arsenic-affected villages were recruited and had the detailed physical examination with special emphasis on arsenic-related skin lesions. Arsenic exposure was measured for each participant with respect to iAs concentration of primary well and the duration using the well. Arsenic-induced skin lesions including keratosis, pigmentation, and/or depigmentation were diagnosed in 56 and 3 subjects in the two villages, respectively. Logistic regression was conducted to calculate odd ratios of skin lesions associated with arsenic exposure with adjustments for sex, age group, smoking and duration of exposure. A consistent dose-response relationship between arsenic exposure level and skin lesion risk was observed. Compared to those with iAs concentration <50 microg/liter, the adjusted odds ratios of skin lesions for the subjects with 51-99, 100-149 and >150 microg/liter were 33.3% (OR =15.50, 95% CI: 1.53-248.70), 46.7% (OR =16.10, 95% CI: 3.73-69.63) and 55.7% (OR= 25.70, 95% CI: 6.43-102.87), respectively. Duration of using well was not associated with increased risk of skin lesions in this population; (OR =1.68, 95% CI: 0.40-6.91 for 6-15 years, OR = 2.30, 95% CI: 0.58-9.14 for over 15 years) compared with the duration of less than 5 years.

  15. The relationships between arsenic methylation and both skin lesions and hypertension caused by chronic exposure to arsenic in drinking water.

    PubMed

    Wei, Binggan; Yu, Jiangping; Wang, Jing; Yang, Linsheng; Li, Hairong; Kong, Chang; Xia, Yajuan; Wu, Kegong

    2017-07-01

    The associations between arsenic exposure, arsenic methylation, and the prevalence of skin lesions and hypertension are investigated. The results indicate that the HS (hypertension and skin lesions) group and the S (skin lesions) group have higher urinary concentrations of iAs (inorganic arsenic), MMA (monomethylarsonic acid), DMA (dimethylarsinous acid) and%MMA, and lower SMI (secondary arsenic methylation index) compared to the H (hypertension) and N (without both hypertension and skin lesions) groups. The arsenic content in water which caused H may be lower than that which caused HS and S. In addition, the odds ratios suggest that higher urinary concentrations of iAs and MMA, %iAs, %MMA and PMI elevate the prevalence of only hypertension and skin lesions, and both hypertension and skin lesions. However, higher%DMA and SMI, and lower%MMA increase the prevalence of both hypertension and skin lesions compared to that of only skin lesions. It can be concluded that skin lesions subjects have higher prevalence of hypertension. Hypertension subjects may have higher prevalence of skin lesions. Lower%DMA and SMI, higher%iAs, %MMA and PMI enhance the prevalence of only hypertension and skin lesions, and both hypertension and skin lesions. Moreover, iAs and MMA may have higher toxicity and lead to both hypertension and skin lesions than to only hypertension. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. The risk of arsenic induced skin lesions in Bangladeshi men and women is affected by arsenic metabolism and the age at first exposure

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lindberg, Anna-Lena; Rahman, Mahfuzar; Persson, Lars-Ake

    2008-07-01

    It is known that a high fraction of methylarsonate (MA) in urine is a risk modifying factor for several arsenic induced health effects, including skin lesions, and that men are more susceptible for developing skin lesions than women. Thus, we aimed at elucidating the interaction between gender and arsenic metabolism for the risk of developing skin lesions. This study is part of a population-based case-referent study concerning the risk for skin lesions in relation to arsenic exposure via drinking water carried out in Matlab, a rural area 53km south-east of Dhaka, Bangladesh. We randomly selected 526 from 1579 referents andmore » all 504 cases for analysis of arsenic metabolites in urine using HPLC coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-HG-ICPMS). The present study confirm previous studies, with the risk for skin lesions being almost three times higher in the highest tertile of %MA (adjusted OR 2.8, 95% CI: 1.9-4.2, p < 0.001) compared to the lowest tertile. The present study is the first to show that the well documented higher risk for men to develop arsenic-related skin lesions compared to women is mainly explained by the less efficient methylation of arsenic, as defined by a higher fraction of MA and lower fraction of DMA in the urine, among men. Our previously documented lower risk for skin lesions in individuals exposed since infancy, or before, was found to be independent of the observed arsenic methylation efficiency. Thus, it can be speculated that this is due to a programming effect of arsenic in utero.« less

  17. Prevalence of arsenic exposure and skin lesions. A population based survey in Matlab, Bangladesh

    PubMed Central

    Rahman, Mahfuzar; Vahter, Marie; Wahed, Mohammad Abdul; Sohel, Nazmul; Yunus, Mohammad; Streatfield, Peter Kim; Arifeen, Shams El; Bhuiya, Abbas; Zaman, Khalequz; Chowdhury, A Mushtaq R; Ekström, Eva‐Charlotte

    2006-01-01

    Study objective To assess prevalence of arsenic exposure through drinking water and skin lesions, and their variation by geographical area, age, sex, and socioeconomic conditions. Design, setting, and participants Skin lesion cases were identified by screening the entire population above 4 years of age (n = 166 934) living in Matlab, a rural area in Bangladesh, during January 2002 and August 2003. The process of case identification involved initial skin examinations in the field, followed by verification by physicians in a clinic, and final confirmation by two independent experts reviewing photographs. The tubewell water arsenic concentrations (n = 13 286) were analysed by atomic absorption spectrometry. Drinking water history since 1970 was obtained for each person. Exposure information was constructed using drinking water histories and data on water arsenic concentrations. Main results The arsenic concentrations ranged from <1 to 3644 μg/l, and more than 70% of functioning tubewells exceeded the World Health Organisation guideline of 10 μg/l. Arsenic exposure had increased steadily from 1970s to the late 1990s, afterwards a decrease could be noted. In total, 504 skin lesions cases were identified, and the overall crude prevalence was 3/1000. Women had significantly higher cumulative exposure to arsenic, while men had significantly higher prevalence of skin lesions (SMR 158, 95% CI 133 to 188). The highest prevalence occurred in 35–44 age groups for both sexes. Arsenic exposure and skin lesions had a positive association with socioeconomic groups and achieved educational level. Conclusions The result showed sex, age, and socioeconomic differentials in both exposure and skin lesions. Findings clearly showed the urgency of effective arsenic mitigation activities. PMID:16476755

  18. Association between genome-wide copy number variation and arsenic-induced skin lesions: a prospective study.

    PubMed

    Kibriya, Muhammad G; Jasmine, Farzana; Parvez, Faruque; Argos, Maria; Roy, Shantanu; Paul-Brutus, Rachelle; Islam, Tariqul; Ahmed, Alauddin; Rakibuz-Zaman, Muhammad; Shinkle, Justin; Slavkovich, Vesna; Graziano, Joseph H; Ahsan, Habibul

    2017-07-18

    Exposure to arsenic in drinking water is a global health problem and arsenic-induced skin lesions are hallmark of chronic arsenic toxicity. We and others have reported germline genetic variations as risk factors for such skin lesions. The role of copy number variation (CNV) in the germline DNA in this regard is unknown. From a large prospectively followed-up cohort, exposed to arsenic, we randomly selected 2171 subjects without arsenic-induced skin lesions at enrollment and genotyped their whole blood DNA samples on Illumina Cyto12v2.1 SNP chips to generate DNA copy number. Participants were followed up every 2 years for a total of 8 years, especially for the development of skin lesions. In Cox regression models, each CNV segment was used as a predictor, accounting for other potential covariates, for incidence of skin lesions. The presence of genomic deletion(s) in a number of genes (OR5J2, GOLGA6L7P, APBA2, GALNTL5, VN1R31P, PHKG1P2, SGCZ, ZNF658) and lincRNA genes (RP11-76I14.1, CTC-535 M15.2, RP11-73B2.2) were associated with higher risk [HR between 1.67 (CI 1.3-2.1) and 2.15 (CI 1.5-2.9) for different CNVs] for development of skin lesions independent of gender, age, and arsenic exposure. Some deletions had stronger effect in a specific gender (ZNF658 in males, SGCZ in females) and some had stronger effect in higher arsenic exposure (lincRNA CTD-3179P9.1) suggesting a possible gene-environment interaction. This first genome-wide CNV study in a prospectively followed-up large cohort, exposed to arsenic, suggests that DNA deletion in several genes and lincRNA genes may predispose an individual to a higher risk of development of arsenic-induced skin lesions.

  19. Elevated levels of plasma Big endothelin-1 and its relation to hypertension and skin lesions in individuals exposed to arsenic

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hossain, Ekhtear; Islam, Khairul; Yeasmin, Fouzia

    Chronic arsenic (As) exposure affects the endothelial system causing several diseases. Big endothelin-1 (Big ET-1), the biological precursor of endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a more accurate indicator of the degree of activation of the endothelial system. Effect of As exposure on the plasma Big ET-1 levels and its physiological implications have not yet been documented. We evaluated plasma Big ET-1 levels and their relation to hypertension and skin lesions in As exposed individuals in Bangladesh. A total of 304 study subjects from the As-endemic and non-endemic areas in Bangladesh were recruited for this study. As concentrations in water, hair and nailsmore » were measured by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS). The plasma Big ET-1 levels were measured using a one-step sandwich enzyme immunoassay kit. Significant increase in Big ET-1 levels were observed with the increasing concentrations of As in drinking water, hair and nails. Further, before and after adjusting with different covariates, plasma Big ET-1 levels were found to be significantly associated with the water, hair and nail As concentrations of the study subjects. Big ET-1 levels were also higher in the higher exposure groups compared to the lowest (reference) group. Interestingly, we observed that Big ET-1 levels were significantly higher in the hypertensive and skin lesion groups compared to the normotensive and without skin lesion counterpart, respectively of the study subjects in As-endemic areas. Thus, this study demonstrated a novel dose–response relationship between As exposure and plasma Big ET-1 levels indicating the possible involvement of plasma Big ET-1 levels in As-induced hypertension and skin lesions. -- Highlights: ► Plasma Big ET-1 is an indicator of endothelial damage. ► Plasma Big ET-1 level increases dose-dependently in arsenic exposed individuals. ► Study subjects in arsenic-endemic areas with hypertension have elevated Big ET-1 levels. ► Study subjects with

  20. Low selenium status affects arsenic metabolites in an arsenic exposed population with skin lesions.

    PubMed

    Huang, Zhi; Pei, Qiuling; Sun, Guifan; Zhang, Sichum; Liang, Jiang; Gao, Yi; Zhang, Xinrong

    2008-01-01

    The antagonistic effects between selenium (Se) and arsenic (As) suggest that low selenium status plays important roles in arsenism development. However, no study has been reported for humans suffering from chronic arsenic exposure with low selenium status. Sixty-three subjects were divided into 2 experimental groups by skin lesions (including hyperkeratosis, depigmentation, and hyperpigmentation). Total urine and serum concentrations of arsenic and selenium were determined by ICP-MS with collision/reaction cell. Arsenic species were analysed by ICP-MS coupled with HPLC. The mean concentration of As in the drinking waters was 41.5 microg/l. The selenium dietary intake for the studied population was 31.7 microg Se/d, and which for the cases and controls were 25.9 and 36.3 microg Se/d, respectively. Compared with the controls, the skin lesions cases had lower selenium concentrations in serum and urine (41.4 vs 49.6 microg/l and 71.0 vs 78.8 microg/l, respectively), higher inorganic arsenic (iAs) in serum (5.2 vs 3.4 microg/l, P<0.01), higher percentages of iAs in serum and urine (20.2) vs 16.9% and 18.3 vs 14.5%, respectively, P<0.01) but lower percentages of monomethylarsonate (MMA) in serum (15.5 vs 18.8%, P<0.01) ans dimethylarsinate acid (DMA) in urine (65.1 vs 69.8%, P<0.01). Subjects with lower selenium concentrations in serum (<50 microg/l) had a stronger tendency to the risk of skin lesions than individual having higher selenium concentrations [odd ratio (OR), 7.3; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.5-35.7; P=0.014]. This OR estimation was confirmed in those subjects having higher ratios of As/Se in urine and serum, with OR as high as 10.3 and 3.8 respectively. Lower serum selenium status (<50 microg/l) is significantly correlated to the arsenic-associated skin lesions in the arsenic exposed population. The accumulation of iAs and its inhibition to be biotransformed to DMA occurred in human due to chronic exposure of low selenium status.

  1. A Prospective Study of Arsenic Exposure From Drinking Water and Incidence of Skin Lesions in Bangladesh

    PubMed Central

    Argos, Maria; Kalra, Tara; Pierce, Brandon L.; Chen, Yu; Parvez, Faruque; Islam, Tariqul; Ahmed, Alauddin; Hasan, Rabiul; Hasan, Khaled; Sarwar, Golam; Levy, Diane; Slavkovich, Vesna; Graziano, Joseph H.; Rathouz, Paul J.; Ahsan, Habibul

    2011-01-01

    Elevated concentrations of arsenic in groundwater pose a public health threat to millions of people worldwide. The authors aimed to evaluate the association between arsenic exposure and skin lesion incidence among participants in the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study (HEALS). The analyses used data on 10,182 adults free of skin lesions at baseline through the third biennial follow-up of the cohort (2000–2009). Discrete-time hazard regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for incident skin lesions. Multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios for incident skin lesions comparing 10.1–50.0, 50.1–100.0, 100.1–200.0, and ≥200.1 μg/L with ≤10.0 μg/L of well water arsenic exposure were 1.17 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.92, 1.49), 1.69 (95% CI: 1.33, 2.14), 1.97 (95% CI: 1.58, 2.46), and 2.98 (95% CI: 2.40, 3.71), respectively (Ptrend = 0.0001). Results were similar for the other measures of arsenic exposure, and the increased risks remained unchanged with changes in exposure in recent years. Dose-dependent associations were more pronounced in females, but the incidence of skin lesions was greater in males and older individuals. Chronic arsenic exposure from drinking water was associated with increased incidence of skin lesions, even at low levels of arsenic exposure (<100 μg/L). PMID:21576319

  2. Arsenic-related Bowen's disease, palmar keratosis, and skin cancer.

    PubMed Central

    Cöl, M; Cöl, C; Soran, A; Sayli, B S; Oztürk, S

    1999-01-01

    Chronic arsenical intoxication can still be found in environmental and industrial settings. Symptoms of chronic arsenic intoxication include general pigmentation or focal "raindrop" pigmentation of the skin and the appearance of hyperkeratosis of the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. In addition to arsenic-related skin diseases including keratosis, Bowen's disease, basal-cell-carcinoma, and squamous-cell carcinoma, there is also an increased risk of some internal malignancies. Arsenic-related diseases are common in areas of the world where the drinking water has a high arsenic content. In this paper, we describe a 35-year-old male patient who had arsenic-related keratosis, squamous-cell carcinoma in the palmar area of his left hand, and Bowen's disease on his left thigh. The patient worked in a borax mine for 15 years, so he was exposed to arsenic in drinking water, airborne arsenic in his workplace, and had direct contact. The patient was treated for 11 months for arsenic-related keratosis until an axillary lymph node metastasis occurred; the lesion was excised and diagnosed to be malignant. Bowen's disease was detected when the patient was being treated for cancer. No other malignancy was found. The patient is still receiving regular follow-up care. Images Figure 1 Figure 2 PMID:10417369

  3. The effect of association between inefficient arsenic methylation capacity and demographic characteristics on the risk of skin lesions.

    PubMed

    Rasheed, Hifza; Kay, Paul; Slack, Rebecca; Gong, Yun Yun

    2018-01-15

    This study was conducted in rural Pakistan to assess the dose-response relationship between skin lesions and arsenic exposure and their variation by demographic characteristics. The study included 398 participants (66 participants with skin lesions and 332 without) residing in six previously unstudied villages exposed to ground water arsenic in the range of <1 to 3090μgL -1 . The skin lesions identification process involved interview and physical examinations of participants followed by confirmation by a physician according to UNICEF criteria. Urinary inorganic arsenic (iAs), total arsenic (tAs), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) were analysed to determine methylation capacity, methylation efficiency and the dose-response relationship with skin lesions. Study participants with skin lesions were found to be exposed to arsenic >10μgL -1 with a daily arsenic intake of 3.23±3.75mgday -1 from household ground water sources for an exposure duration of 10-20years. The participants with skin lesions compared to those without skin lesions showed higher levels of urinary iAs (133.40±242.48 vs. 44.24±86.48μgg -1 Cr), MMA (106.38±135.04 vs. 35.43±39.97μgg -1 Cr), MMA% (15.26±6.31 vs.12.11±4.68) and lower levels of DMA% (66.99±13.59 vs. 73.39±10.44) and secondary methylation index (SMI) (0.81±0.11 vs. 0.86±0.07). Study participants carrying a lower methylation capacity characterized by higher MMA% (OR 5.06, 95% CI: 2.09-12.27), lower DMA% (OR 0.64, 95% CI: 0.33-1.26), primary methylation index (PMI) (OR 0.56, 95% CI: 0.28-1.12) and SMI (OR 0.43, 95% CI: 0.21-0.88) had a significantly higher risk of skin lesions compared to their corresponding references after adjusting for occupation categories. The findings confirmed that inefficient arsenic methylation capacity was significantly associated with increased skin lesion risks and the effect might be modified by labour intensive occupations. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier

  4. Differences of urinary arsenic metabolites and methylation capacity between individuals with and without skin lesions in Inner Mongolia, Northern China.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Qiang; Li, Yongfang; Liu, Juan; Wang, Da; Zheng, Quanmei; Sun, Guifan

    2014-07-18

    Incomplete arsenic (As) methylation has been considered a risk factor of As-related diseases. This study aimed to examine the difference of urinary As metabolites and the methylation capacity between subjects with and without skin lesions. Urinary inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) were analyzed. The percentage of each As species (iAs%, MMA%, and DMA%), the primary methylation index (PMI) and secondary methylation index (SMI) were calculated. The results showed that subjects with skin lesions have higher levels of urinary iAs (99.08 vs. 70.63 μg/g Cr, p = 0.006) and MMA (69.34 vs. 42.85 μg/g Cr, p = 0.016) than subjects without skin lesions after adjustment for several confounders. Significant differences of urianry MMA% (15.49 vs. 12.11, p = 0.036) and SMI (0.74 vs. 0.81, p = 0.025) were found between the two groups. The findings of the present study suggest that subjects with skin lesions may have a lower As methylation capacity than subjects without skin lesions.

  5. Arsenic-induced skin lesions among Atacameño people in Northern Chile despite good nutrition and centuries of exposure.

    PubMed

    Smith, A H; Arroyo, A P; Mazumder, D N; Kosnett, M J; Hernandez, A L; Beeris, M; Smith, M M; Moore, L E

    2000-07-01

    It has been suggested that the indigenous Atacameño people in Northern Chile might be protected from the health effects of arsenic in drinking water because of many centuries of exposure. Here we report on the first intensive investigation of arsenic-induced skin lesions in this population. We selected 11 families (44 participants) from the village of Chiu Chiu, which is supplied with water containing between 750 and 800 microg/L inorganic arsenic. For comparison, 8 families (31 participants) were also selected from a village where the water contains approximately 10 microg/L inorganic arsenic. After being transported to the nearest city for blind assessment, participants were examined by four physicians with experience in studying arsenic-induced lesions. Four of the six men from the exposed village, who had been drinking the contaminated water for more than 20 years, were diagnosed with skin lesions due to arsenic, but none of the women had definite lesions. A 13-year-old girl had definite skin pigmentation changes due to arsenic, and a 19-year-old boy had both pigmentation changes and keratoses on the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet. Family interviews identified a wide range of fruits and vegetables consumed daily by the affected participants, as well as the weekly intake of red meat and chicken. However, the prevalence of skin lesions among men and children in the small population studied was similar to that reported with corresponding arsenic drinking water concentrations in both Taiwan and West Bengal, India--populations in which extensive malnutrition has been thought to increase susceptibility.

  6. Global Gene Expression Profiling of Hyperkeratotic Skin Lesions from Inner Mongolians Chronically Exposed to Arsenic

    EPA Science Inventory

    The skin is an organ that is highly sensitive to chronic arsenic exposure. Skin lesions such as hyperkeratoses (HKs), which are characterized by hyperproliferation and aberrations in terminal epidermal differentiation, are common early manifestations of arsenicosis in humans. H...

  7. Arsenic-related skin lesions and glutathione S-transferase P1 A1578G (lle105Val) polymorphism in two ethnic clans exposed to indoor combustion of high arsenic coal in one village

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lin, G.F.; Du, H.; Chen, J.G.

    A total of 2402 patients with arsenic-related skin lesions, such as hyperkeratosis, hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation, or even skin cancer in a few villages in Southwest Guizhou Autonomous Prefecture, China represent a unique case of endemic arsenism related with indoor combustion of high arsenic coal. This study aimed to investigate the cluster of arsenism cases and the possible relevant factors including GSTP1 polymorphism in two clans of different ethnic origin living in one village for generations. Arsenism morbidity in Miao clan P was significantly lower than in the neighbouring Han clan G1 (5.9 vs. 32.7%, odds ratio (OR)=0.13, 95% confidence intervalmore » (CI): 0.06-0.27, P < 0.0001). No sex differences were confirmed inside both clans. Analyses of the environmental samples indicated that Miao clan P members were exposed to higher amounts of arsenic via inhalation and food ingestion. Hair and urine samples also proved a higher arsenic body burden in ethnic Miao individuals. No corresponding differences by sex were found. Higher frequencies of combined mutant genotype G/G1578 and A/G1578 (OR=4.72, 95% CI: 2.34-9.54, P < 0.0001) and of mutant allele G1578 (OR=3.22, 95% CI: 2.00-5.18, P < 0.0001) were detected in diagnosed arsenism patients than in non-diseased individuals. The Miao individuals showed a lower percentage of combined mutant genotypes (30.6 vs. 52.7%, OR=0.40, 95% CI: 0.19-0.84, P=0.015) as well as of mutant allele G1578 (OR=0.46, 95% CI: 0.24-0.88, P=0.017) than their Han neighbours. Conclusions Genetic predisposition influences dermal arsenism toxicity. The GSTP1 A1578G (IIe105Val) status might be a susceptibility factor for arsenic-related skin lesions.« less

  8. A distinct and replicable variant of the squamous cell carcinoma gene inositol polyphosphate-5-phosphatase modifies the susceptibility of arsenic-associated skin lesions in Bangladesh.

    PubMed

    Seow, Wei Jie; Pan, Wen-Chi; Kile, Molly L; Tong, Lin; Baccarelli, Andrea A; Quamruzzaman, Quazi; Rahman, Mahmuder; Mostofa, Golam; Rakibuz-Zaman, Muhammad; Kibriya, Muhammad; Ahsan, Habibul; Lin, Xihong; Christiani, David C

    2015-07-01

    Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in inflammation, one-carbon metabolism, and skin cancer genes might influence susceptibility to arsenic-induced skin lesions. A case-control study was conducted in Pabna, Bangladesh (2001-2003), and the drinking-water arsenic concentration was measured for each participant. A panel of 25 candidate SNPs was analyzed in 540 cases and 400 controls. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association between each SNP and the potential for gene-environment interactions in the skin lesion risk, with adjustments for relevant covariates. Replication testing was conducted in an independent Bangladesh population with 488 cases and 2,794 controls. In the discovery population, genetic variants in the one-carbon metabolism genes phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (rs2278952, P for interaction  = .004; rs897453, P for interaction = .05) and dihydrofolate reductase (rs1650697, P for interaction = .02), the inflammation gene interleukin 10 (rs3024496, P for interaction =.04), and the skin cancer genes inositol polyphosphate-5-phosphatase (INPP5A; rs1133400, P for interaction = .03) and xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group C (rs2228000, P for interaction = .01) significantly modified the association between arsenic and skin lesions after adjustments for multiple comparisons. The significant gene-environment interaction between a SNP in the INPP5A gene (rs1133400) and water arsenic with respect to the skin lesion risk was successfully replicated in an independent population (P for interaction = .03). Minor allele carriers of the skin cancer gene INPP5A modified the odds of arsenic-induced skin lesions in both main and replicative populations. Genetic variation in INPP5A appears to have a role in susceptibility to arsenic toxicity. © 2015 American Cancer Society.

  9. Arsenic exposure at low-to-moderate levels and skin lesions, arsenic metabolism, neurological functions, and biomarkers for respiratory and cardiovascular diseases: Review of recent findings from the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study (HEALS) in Bangladesh

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chen Yu; Parvez, Faruque; Gamble, Mary

    2009-09-01

    The contamination of groundwater by arsenic in Bangladesh is a major public health concern affecting 35-75 million people. Although it is evident that high levels (> 300 {mu}g/L) of arsenic exposure from drinking water are related to adverse health outcomes, health effects of arsenic exposure at low-to-moderate levels (10-300 {mu}g/L) are not well understood. We established the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study (HEALS) with more than 20,000 men and women in Araihazar, Bangladesh, to prospectively investigate the health effects of arsenic predominately at low-to-moderate levels (0.1 to 864 {mu}g/L, mean 99 {mu}g/L) of arsenic exposure. Findings to date suggestmore » adverse effects of low-to-moderate levels of arsenic exposure on the risk of pre-malignant skin lesions, high blood pressure, neurological dysfunctions, and all-cause and chronic disease mortality. In addition, the data also indicate that the risk of skin lesion due to arsenic exposure is modifiable by nutritional factors, such as folate and selenium status, lifestyle factors, including cigarette smoking and body mass index, and genetic polymorphisms in genes related to arsenic metabolism. The analyses of biomarkers for respiratory and cardiovascular functions support that there may be adverse effects of arsenic on these outcomes and call for confirmation in large studies. A unique strength of the HEALS is the availability of outcome data collected prospectively and data on detailed individual-level arsenic exposure estimated using water, blood and repeated urine samples. Future prospective analyses of clinical endpoints and related host susceptibility will enhance our knowledge on the health effects of low-to-moderate levels of arsenic exposure, elucidate disease mechanisms, and give directions for prevention.« less

  10. Decrements in lung function related to arsenic in drinking water in West Bengal, India.

    PubMed

    von Ehrenstein, Ondine S; Mazumder, D N Guha; Yuan, Yan; Samanta, Sambit; Balmes, John; Sil, Arabinda; Ghosh, Nilima; Hira-Smith, Meera; Haque, Reina; Purushothamam, Radhika; Lahiri, Sarbari; Das, Subhankar; Smith, Allan H

    2005-09-15

    During 1998-2000, the authors investigated relations between lung function, respiratory symptoms, and arsenic in drinking water among 287 study participants, including 132 with arsenic-caused skin lesions, in West Bengal, India. The source population involved 7,683 participants who had been surveyed for arsenic-related skin lesions in 1995-1996. Respiratory symptoms were increased among men with arsenic-caused skin lesions (versus those without lesions), particularly "shortness of breath at night" (odds ratio (OR) = 2.8, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1, 7.6) and "morning cough" (OR = 2.8, 95% CI: 1.2, 6.6) in smokers and "shortness of breath ever" (OR = 3.8, 95% CI: 0.7, 20.6) in nonsmokers. Among men with skin lesions, the average adjusted forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) was reduced by 256.2 ml (95% CI: 113.9, 398.4; p < 0.001) and the average adjusted forced vital capacity (FVC) was reduced by 287.8 ml (95% CI: 134.9, 440.8; p < 0.001). In men, a 100-microg/liter increase in arsenic level was associated with a 45.0-ml decrease (95% CI: 6.2, 83.9) in FEV1 (p = 0.02) and a 41.4-ml decrease (95% CI: -0.7, 83.5) in FVC (p = 0.054). Women had lower risks than men of developing skin lesions and showed little evidence of respiratory effects. In this study, consumption of arsenic-contaminated water was associated with respiratory symptoms and reduced lung function in men, especially among those with arsenic-related skin lesions.

  11. Proteomic profiling reveals candidate markers for arsenic-induced skin keratosis.

    PubMed

    Guo, Zhiling; Hu, Qin; Tian, Jijing; Yan, Li; Jing, Chuanyong; Xie, Heidi Qunhui; Bao, Wenjun; Rice, Robert H; Zhao, Bin; Jiang, Guibin

    2016-11-01

    Proteomics technology is an attractive biomarker candidate discovery tool that can be applied to study large sets of biological molecules. To identify novel biomarkers and molecular targets in arsenic-induced skin lesions, we have determined the protein profile of arsenic-affected human epidermal stratum corneum by shotgun proteomics. Samples of palm and foot sole from healthy subjects were analyzed, demonstrating similar protein patterns in palm and sole. Samples were collected from the palms of subjects with arsenic keratosis (lesional and adjacent non-lesional samples) and arsenic-exposed subjects without lesions (normal). Samples from non-exposed healthy individuals served as controls. We found that three proteins in arsenic-exposed lesional epidermis were consistently distinguishably expressed from the unaffected epidermis. One of these proteins, the cadherin-like transmembrane glycoprotein, desmoglein 1 (DSG1) was suppressed. Down-regulation of DSG1 may lead to reduced cell-cell adhesion, resulting in abnormal epidermal differentiation. The expression of keratin 6c (KRT6C) and fatty acid binding protein 5 (FABP5) were significantly increased. FABP5 is an intracellular lipid chaperone that plays an essential role in fatty acid metabolism in human skin. This raises a possibility that overexpression of FABP5 may affect the proliferation or differentiation of keratinocytes by altering lipid metabolism. KRT6C is a constituent of the cytoskeleton that maintains epidermal integrity and cohesion. Abnormal expression of KRT6C may affect its structural role in the epidermis. Our findings suggest an important approach for future studies of arsenic-mediated toxicity and skin cancer, where certain proteins may represent useful biomarkers of early diagnoses in high-risk populations and hopefully new treatment targets. Further studies are required to understand the biological role of these markers in skin pathogenesis from arsenic exposure. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd

  12. Secretion of arsenic, cholesterol, vitamin E, and zinc from the site of arsenical melanosis and leucomelanosis in skin.

    PubMed

    Yousuf, A K M; Misbahuddin, Mir; Rahman, Md Sayedur

    2011-06-01

    Melanosis and leucomelanosis with or without keratosis are the earliest symptoms of arsenicosis. Uneven distribution of arsenical melanosis and leucomelanosis in skin led us to investigate the possibility of preferential secretion of arsenic and three constituents of sweat; cholesterol, vitamin E, and zinc. Twenty-four-hour skin secretion was collected from skin lesions and unaffected sites of 20 patients. Skin secretions were collected from 20 people exposed to arsenic-contaminated drinking water and 20 healthy, unexposed individuals. The secretion of arsenic from the skin of healthy controls (mean ± SE; unit: μg/in.(2) of skin/24 h; chest: 0.6 ± 0.2; back: 0.3 ± 0.1; abdomen: 0.5 ± 0.2) was increased several folds in arsenic-exposed controls (chest: 8.4 ± 1.8; back: 8.3 ± 1.9; abdomen: 6.7 ± 1.8) and patients (chest: 9.2 ± 1.3; back: 7.8 ± 1.3; abdomen: 5.2 ± 1.0). There was no difference in the skin lesions and unaffected sites in patients. However, the secretion of cholesterol was significantly lower in the chest of patients (190 ± 36) and healthy controls (686 ± 100) (p < 0.001). Secretions of vitamin E were low in healthy controls (chest: 8.5 ± 3.1; back: 5.2 ± 1.7; and abdomen: 8.7 ± 2.4), higher in arsenic-exposed controls (chest: 30.2 ± 8.1; back: 16.3 ± 8.9; and abdomen: 24.8 ± 9.3), and highest in patients [chest: 91.4 ± 14.9 (p < 0.0001 vs. control); back: 72.4 ± 13.2 (p < 0.001 vs. control); and abdomen: 46.8 ± 12.9]. Chronic intake of arsenic led to several folds higher secretion of zinc both in patients and in arsenic-exposed controls. One molecule of arsenic appears to be co-secreted with two molecules of zinc. Arsenic skin lesions showed no alteration in secretion of arsenic, although the secretion of cholesterol, vitamin E, and zinc was changed. Potential implications are discussed.

  13. Arsenic Exposure and Age- and Sex-Specific Risk for Skin Lesions: A Population-Based Case–Referent Study in Bangladesh

    PubMed Central

    Rahman, Mahfuzar; Vahter, Marie; Sohel, Nazmul; Yunus, Muhammad; Wahed, Mohammad Abdul; Streatfield, Peter Kim; Ekström, Eva-Charlotte; Persson, Lars Åke

    2006-01-01

    Background The objective of this population-based case–referent study in Matlab, Bangladesh, was to assess the susceptibility to arsenic-induced skin lesions by age and sex, in a population drinking water from As-contaminated tube wells. Methods Identification of As-related skin lesions was carried out in three steps: a) screening of the entire population > 4 years of age (n = 166,934) by trained field teams; b) diagnosis of suspected As-related cases by physicians; and c) confirmation by experts based on physicians’ records and photographs. A total of 504 cases with skin lesions were confirmed. We randomly selected 2,201 referents from the Matlab health and demographic surveillance system; 1,955 were eligible, and 1,830 (94%) were available for participation in the study. Individual history of As exposure was based on information obtained during interviews and included all drinking-water sources used since 1970 and concentrations of As (assessed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry) in all the tube wells used. Results Cases had been exposed to As more than referents (average exposure since 1970: male cases, 200 μg/L; female cases, 211 μg/L; male referents, 143 μg/L; female referents, 155 μg/L). We found a dose–response relationship for both sexes (p < 0.001) and increased risk with increasing socioeconomic status. Males had a higher risk of obtaining skin lesions than females (odds ratio 10.9 vs. 5.78) in the highest average exposure quintile (p = 0.005). Start of As exposure (cumulative exposure) before 1 year of age was not associated with higher risk of obtaining skin lesions compared to start of As exposure later in life. Conclusions The results demonstrate that males are more susceptible than females to develop skin lesions when exposed to As in water from tube wells. PMID:17185274

  14. Association of XPD/ERCC2 G23591A and A35931C polymorphisms with skin lesion prevalence in a multiethnic, arseniasis-hyperendemic village exposed to indoor combustion of high arsenic coal.

    PubMed

    Lin, Guo-fang; Du, Hui; Chen, Ji-gang; Lu, Hong-chao; Guo, Wei-chao; Golka, Klaus; Shen, Jian-hua

    2010-01-01

    More than 2,000 arsenic-related skin lesions (as at 2002) in a few villages of China's Southwest Guizhou Autonomous Prefecture represent a unique case of endemic arseniasis related with indoor combustion of high-arsenic coal. The skin lesion prevalence was significantly higher in ethnic Han villagers than in ethnic Hmong villagers. This study was focused on a possible involvement of XPD/ERCC2 G23591A and A35931C polymorphisms in risk modulation of skin lesions and in the body burden of As in this unique case of As exposure. G23591A and A35931C were genotyped by a PCR-based procedure. Total As contents in hair and urine samples as well as environmental samples of the homes of the two ethnic clans were analysed. A significant higher presentation of A/A35931 (homozygous wild) genotype in both clans was found in skin lesion patients, compared with their asymptomatic fellow villagers (67.1 vs. 46.3%, OR 2.36, 95% CI 1.35-4.14, P=0.002). Interestingly, the population frequencies of the A/A35931 genotype did not show significant differences between ethnic Han villagers and their Hmong neighbours (47.1 vs. 45.5%). Very low frequencies of homozygous and heterozygous variant genotypes of G23591A were recorded in the residents in target village. G/A23591 and A/A23591 were detected only in 3.2% (8/244) and 0.8% (2/244) of the villagers, respectively. The polymorphic status at the locus of A35931C might modulate the risk for arsenic-related skin lesions in the investigated groups.

  15. Well water arsenic exposure, arsenic induced skin-lesions and self-reported morbidity in Inner Mongolia

    EPA Science Inventory

    Arsenic exposure from contaminated well water is a cause of skin and bladder cancer and linked to numerous other adverse health effects. Residents of the Bayingnormen region of Inner Mongolia, China, have been exposed to arsenic-contaminated well water for over 20 years but few s...

  16. Arsenic metabolism efficiency has a causal role in arsenic toxicity: Mendelian randomization and gene-environment interaction.

    PubMed

    Pierce, Brandon L; Tong, Lin; Argos, Maria; Gao, Jianjun; Farzana, Jasmine; Roy, Shantanu; Paul-Brutus, Rachelle; Rahaman, Ronald; Rakibuz-Zaman, Muhammad; Parvez, Faruque; Ahmed, Alauddin; Quasem, Iftekhar; Hore, Samar K; Alam, Shafiul; Islam, Tariqul; Harjes, Judith; Sarwar, Golam; Slavkovich, Vesna; Gamble, Mary V; Chen, Yu; Yunus, Mohammad; Rahman, Mahfuzar; Baron, John A; Graziano, Joseph H; Ahsan, Habibul

    2013-12-01

    Arsenic exposure through drinking water is a serious global health issue. Observational studies suggest that individuals who metabolize arsenic efficiently are at lower risk for toxicities such as arsenical skin lesions. Using two single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) in the 10q24.32 region (near AS3MT) that show independent associations with metabolism efficiency, Mendelian randomization can be used to assess whether the association between metabolism efficiency and skin lesions is likely to be causal. Using data on 2060 arsenic-exposed Bangladeshi individuals, we estimated associations for two 10q24.32 SNPs with relative concentrations of three urinary arsenic species (representing metabolism efficiency): inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylarsonic acid(MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA). SNP-based predictions of iAs%, MMA% and DMA% were tested for association with skin lesion status among 2483 cases and 2857 controls. Causal odds ratios for skin lesions were 0.90 (95% confidence interval[CI]: 0.87, 0.95), 1.19 (CI: 1.10, 1.28) and 1.23 (CI: 1.12, 1.36)for a one standard deviation increase in DMA%, MMA% and iAs%,respectively. We demonstrated genotype-arsenic interaction, with metabolism-related variants showing stronger associations with skin lesion risk among individuals with high arsenic exposure (synergy index: 1.37; CI: 1.11, 1.62). We provide strong evidence for a causal relationship between arsenic metabolism efficiency and skin lesion risk. Mendelian randomization can be used to assess the causal role of arsenic exposure and metabolism in a wide array of health conditions.exposure and metabolism in a wide array of health conditions.Developing interventions that increase arsenic metabolism efficiency are likely to reduce the impact of arsenic exposure on health.

  17. Nutritional deficiency and arsenical manifestations: a perspective study in an arsenic-endemic region of West Bengal, India.

    PubMed

    Deb, Debasree; Biswas, Anirban; Ghose, Aloke; Das, Arabinda; Majumdar, Kunal K; Guha Mazumder, Debendra N

    2013-09-01

    To assess whether nutritional deficiency increases susceptibility to arsenic-related health effects. Assessment of nutrition was based on a 24 h recall method of all dietary constituents. Epidemiological cross-sectional study was conducted in an arsenic endemic area of West Bengal with groundwater arsenic contamination. The study was composed of two groups – Group 1 (cases, n 108) exhibiting skin lesions and Group 2 (exposed controls, n 100) not exhibiting skin lesions – age- and sex-matched and having similar arsenic exposure through drinking water and arsenic levels in urine and hair. Both groups belonged to low socio-economic strata (Group 1 significantly poorer, P<0·01) and had low BMI (prevalence of BMI<18·5 kg/m2: in 38% in Group 1 and 27% in Group 2). Energy intake was below the Recommended Daily Allowance (set by the Indian Council of Medical Research) in males and females in both groups. Increased risk of arsenical skin lesions was found for those in the lowest quintile of protein intake (v. highest quintile: OR=4·60, 95% CI 1·36, 15·50 in males; OR=5·62, 95% CI 1·19, 34·57 in females). Significantly lower intakes of energy, protein, thiamin, niacin, Mg, Zn and choline were observed in both males and females of Group 1 compared with Group 2. Significantly lower intakes of carbohydrate, riboflavin, niacin and Cu were also observed in female cases with skin lesions compared with non-cases. Deficiencies of Zn, Mg and Cu, in addition to protein, B vitamins and choline, are found to be associated with arsenical skin lesions in West Bengal.

  18. Arsenic exposure and oral cavity lesions in Bangladesh.

    PubMed

    Syed, Emdadul H; Melkonian, Stephanie; Poudel, Krishna C; Yasuoka, Junko; Otsuka, Keiko; Ahmed, Alauddin; Islam, Tariqul; Parvez, Faruque; Slavkovich, Vesna; Graziano, Joseph H; Ahsan, Habibul; Jimba, Masamine

    2013-01-01

    To evaluate the relationship between arsenic exposure and oral cavity lesions among an arsenic-exposed population in Bangladesh. We carried out an analysis utilizing the baseline data of the Health Effects of Arsenic Exposure Longitudinal Study, which is an ongoing population-based cohort study to investigate health outcomes associated with arsenic exposure via drinking water in Araihazar, Bangladesh. We used multinomial regression models to estimate the risk of oral cavity lesions. Participants with high urinary arsenic levels (286.1 to 5000.0 μg/g) were more likely to develop arsenical lesions of the gums (multinomial odds ratio = 2.90; 95% confidence interval, 1.11 to 7.54), and tongue (multinomial odds ratio = 2.79; 95% confidence interval, 1.51 to 5.15), compared with those with urinary arsenic levels of 7.0 to 134.0 μg/g. Higher level of arsenic exposure was positively associated with increased arsenical lesions of the gums and tongue.

  19. CD44v6 expression in human skin keratinocytes as a possible mechanism for carcinogenesis associated with chronic arsenic exposure.

    PubMed

    Huang, S; Guo, S; Guo, F; Yang, Q; Xiao, X; Murata, M; Ohnishi, S; Kawanishi, S; Ma, N

    2013-01-14

    Inorganic arsenic is a well-known human skin carcinogen. Chronic arsenic exposure results in various types of human skin lesions, including squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). To investigate whether mutant stem cells participate in arsenic-associated carcinogenesis, we repeatedly exposed the HaCaT cells line to an environmentally relevant level of arsenic (0.05 ppm) in vitro for 18 weeks. Following sodium arsenic arsenite administration, cell cycle, colony-forming efficiency (CFE), cell tumorigenicity, and expression of CD44v6, NF-κB and p53, were analyzed at different time points (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 passages). We found that a chronic exposure of HaCaT cells to a low level of arsenic induced a cancer stem- like phenotype. Furthermore, arsenic-treated HaCaT cells also became tumorigenic in nude mice, their growth cycle was predominantly in G2/M and S phases. Relative to nontreated cells, they exhibited a higher growth rate and a significant increase in CFE. Western blot analysis found that arsenic was capable of increasing cell proliferation and sprouting of cancer stem-like phenotype. Additionally, immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that CD44v6 expression was up-regulated in HaCaT cells exposed to a low level of arsenic during early stages of induction. The expression of CD44v6 in arsenic-treated cells was positively correlated with their cloning efficiency in soft agar (r=0.949, P=0.01). Likewise, the expressions of activating transcription factor NF-κB and p53 genes in the arsenic-treated HaCaT cells were significantly higher than that in non-treated cells. Higher expressions of CD44v6, NF-κB and p53 were also observed in tumor tissues isolated from Balb/c nude mice. The present results suggest that CD44v6 may be a biomarker of arsenic-induced neoplastic transformation in human skin cells, and that arsenic promotes malignant transformation in human skin lesions through a NF-κB signaling pathway-stimulated expression of CD44v6.

  20. Arsenic-induced cutaneous hyperplastic lesions are associated with the dysregulation of Yap, a Hippo signaling-related protein

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Li, Changzhao; Srivastava, Ritesh K.; Elmets, Craig A.

    2013-09-06

    Highlights: •Arsenic activates canonical Hippo signaling pathway and up-regulates αCatenin in the skin. •Arsenic activates transcriptional activity of Yap by its nuclear translocation. •Yap is involved in the disruption of tight/adherens junctions in arsenic-exposed animals. -- Abstract: Arsenic exposure in humans causes a number of toxic manifestations in the skin including cutaneous neoplasm. However, the mechanism of these alterations remains elusive. Here, we provide novel observations that arsenic induced Hippo signaling pathway in the murine skin. This pathway plays crucial roles in determining organ size during the embryonic development and if aberrantly activated in adults, contributes to the pathogenesis ofmore » epithelial neoplasm. Arsenic treatment enhanced phosphorylation-dependent activation of LATS1 kinase and other Hippo signaling regulatory proteins Sav1 and MOB1. Phospho-LATS kinase is known to catalyze the inactivation of a transcriptional co-activator, Yap. However, in arsenic-treated epidermis, we did not observed its inactivation. Thus, as expected, unphosphorylated-Yap was translocated to the nucleus in arsenic-treated epidermis. Yap by binding to the transcription factors TEADs induces transcription of its target genes. Consistently, an up-regulation of Yap-dependent target genes Cyr61, Gli2, Ankrd1 and Ctgf was observed in the skin of arsenic-treated mice. Phosphorylated Yap is important in regulating tight and adherens junctions through its binding to αCatenin. We found disruption of these junctions in the arsenic-treated mouse skin despite an increase in αCatenin. These data provide evidence that arsenic-induced canonical Hippo signaling pathway and Yap-mediated disruption of tight and adherens junctions are independently regulated. These effects together may contribute to the carcinogenic effects of arsenic in the skin.« less

  1. The correlation of arsenic levels in drinking water with the biological samples of skin disorders.

    PubMed

    Kazi, Tasneem Gul; Arain, Muhammad Balal; Baig, Jameel Ahmed; Jamali, Muhammad Khan; Afridi, Hassan Imran; Jalbani, Nusrat; Sarfraz, Raja Adil; Shah, Abdul Qadir; Niaz, Abdul

    2009-01-15

    Arsenic (As) poisoning has become a worldwide public health concern. The skin is quite sensitive to As and skin lesions are the most common and earliest nonmalignant effects associated to chronic As exposure. In 2005-2007, a survey was carried out on surface and groundwater arsenic contamination and relationships between As exposure via the drinking water and related adverse health effects (melanosis and keratosis) on villagers resides on the banks of Manchar lake, southern part of Sindh, Pakistan. We screened the population from arsenic-affected villages, 61 to 73% population were identified patients suffering from chronic arsenic toxicity. The effects of As toxicity via drinking water were estimated by biological samples (scalp hair and blood) of adults (males and females), have or have not skin problem (n=187). The referent samples of both genders were also collected from the areas having low level of As (<10 microg/L) in drinking water (n=121). Arsenic concentration in drinking water and biological samples were analyzed using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. The range of arsenic concentrations in lake surface water was 35.2-158 microg/L, which is 3-15 folds higher than World Health Organization [WHO, 2004. Guidelines for drinking-water quality third ed., WHO Geneva Switzerland.]. It was observed that As concentration in the scalp hair and blood samples were above the range of permissible values 0.034-0.319 microg As/g for hair and <0.5-4.2 microg/L for blood. The linear regressions showed good correlations between arsenic concentrations in water versus hair and blood samples of exposed skin diseased subjects (R2=0.852 and 0.718) as compared to non-diseased subjects (R2=0.573 and 0.351), respectively.

  2. DNA repair gene XPD and susceptibility to arsenic-induced hyperkeratosis.

    PubMed

    Ahsan, Habibul; Chen, Yu; Wang, Qiao; Slavkovich, Vesna; Graziano, Joseph H; Santella, Regina M

    2003-07-20

    Chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic is known to cause non-melanocytic skin and internal cancers in humans. An estimated 50-70 million people in Bangladesh have been chronically exposed to arsenic from drinking water and are at risk of skin and other cancers. We undertook the first study to examine whether genetic susceptibility, as determined by the codon 751 SNP (A-->C) of the DNA repair gene XPD, influences the risk of arsenic-induced hyperkeratotic skin lesions, precursors of skin cancer, in a case-control study of 29 hyperkeratosis cases and 105 healthy controls from the same community in an area of Bangladesh. As expected, there was a monotonic increase in risk of hyperkeratosis in relation to urinary arsenic measures but the XPD genotype was not independently associated with the risk. However, the increase in hyperkeratosis risk in relation to urinary arsenic measures genotype was borderline significant for urinary total arsenic (P for trend=0.06) and statistically significant for urinary creatinine adjusted arsenic (P for trend=0.01) among subjects with the XPD A allele (AA) but not among subjects with the other XPD genotypes. Among AA carriers, the risk for the highest arsenic exposed group compared with the lowest was more than 7-fold for urinary total arsenic and about 11-fold for urinary creatinine adjusted arsenic. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the DNA repair gene XPD may influence the risk of arsenic-induced premalignant hyperkeratotic skin lesions. Future larger studies are needed to confirm this novel finding and investigate how combinations of different candidate genes and/or other host and environmental factors may influence the risk of arsenic induced skin and other cancers.

  3. Arsenic exacerbates atherosclerotic lesion formation and inflammation in ApoE-/- mice

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Srivastava, Sanjay, E-mail: sanjay@louisville.ed; Center for Environmental Genomics and Integrative Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202; Vladykovskaya, Elena N.

    2009-11-15

    Exposure to arsenic-contaminated water has been shown to be associated with cardiovascular disease, especially atherosclerosis. We examined the effect of arsenic exposure on atherosclerotic lesion formation, lesion composition and nature in ApoE-/- mice. Early post-natal exposure (3-week-old mice exposed to 49 ppm arsenic as NaAsO{sub 2} in drinking water for 7 weeks) increased the atherosclerotic lesion formation by 3- to 5-fold in the aortic valve and the aortic arch, without affecting plasma cholesterol. Exposure to arsenic for 13 weeks (3-week-old mice exposed to 1, 4.9 and 49 ppm arsenic as NaAsO{sub 2} in drinking water) increased the lesion formation andmore » macrophage accumulation in a dose-dependent manner. Temporal studies showed that continuous arsenic exposure significantly exacerbated the lesion formation throughout the aortic tree at 16 and 36 weeks of age. Withdrawal of arsenic for 12 weeks after an initial exposure for 21 weeks (to 3-week-old mice) significantly decreased lesion formation as compared with mice continuously exposed to arsenic. Similarly, adult exposure to 49 ppm arsenic for 24 weeks, starting at 12 weeks of age increased lesion formation by 2- to 3.6-fold in the aortic valve, the aortic arch and the abdominal aorta. Lesions of arsenic-exposed mice displayed a 1.8-fold increase in macrophage accumulation whereas smooth muscle cell and T-lymphocyte contents were not changed. Expression of pro-inflammatory chemokine MCP-1 and cytokine IL-6 and markers of oxidative stress, protein-HNE and protein-MDA adducts were markedly increased in lesions of arsenic-exposed mice. Plasma concentrations of MCP-1, IL-6 and MDA were also significantly elevated in arsenic-exposed mice. These data suggest that arsenic exposure increases oxidative stress, inflammation and atherosclerotic lesion formation.« less

  4. Skin score correlates with global DNA methylation and GSTO1 A140D polymorphism in arsenic-affected population of Eastern India.

    PubMed

    Majumder, Moumita; Dasgupta, Uma B; Guha Mazumder, D N; Das, Nilansu

    2017-07-01

    Arsenic is a potent environmental toxicant causing serious public health concerns in India, Bangladesh and other parts of the world. Gene- and promoter-specific hypermethylation has been reported in different arsenic-exposed cell lines, whereas whole genome DNA methylation study suggested genomic hypo- and hypermethylation after arsenic exposure in in vitro and in vivo studies. Along with other characteristic biomarkers, arsenic toxicity leads to typical skin lesions. The present study demonstrates significant correlation between severities of skin manifestations with their whole genome DNA methylation status as well as with a particular polymorphism (Ala 140 Asp) status in arsenic metabolizing enzyme Glutathione S-transferase Omega-1 (GSTO1) in arsenic-exposed population of the district of Nadia, West Bengal, India.

  5. Arsenic and skin cancer in the USA: the current evidence regarding arsenic-contaminated drinking water.

    PubMed

    Mayer, Jonathan E; Goldman, Rose H

    2016-11-01

    Studies carried out in developing countries, such as Bangladesh and Taiwan, have reported an association between exposure to arsenic in drinking water and increased rates of non-melanoma skin cancer. However, it is unclear whether this correlation can be extended to the populations of developed countries such as the USA, which have lower levels of arsenic exposure and differ in other factors, such as genetics, nutrition, sun exposure, and socioeconomic status. This report examines the current evidence in an attempt to resolve whether populations in the USA have rates of skin cancer that correlate with higher arsenic concentrations. A systematic literature search was conducted using the PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases. Six key studies were found and reviewed. Several studies conducted in US populations indicate an association between arsenic-contaminated water and skin cancer, which may in some cases occur at arsenic concentrations of <10 μg/l, the 2001 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maximum allowable concentration for municipal water. Private wells are not regulated by the EPA's rule, and many have concentrations above the EPA maximum. In order to help curb the rising incidence of skin cancer, arsenic contamination of water warrants the attention of policymakers. Greater testing of well water and increased education and skin cancer surveillance by dermatologists in arsenic-endemic areas may help to reduce exposure to arsenic and facilitate the early recognition of skin cancer. © 2016 The International Society of Dermatology.

  6. Assessment of arsenic levels in body samples and chronic exposure in people using water with a high concentration of arsenic: a field study in Kutahya.

    PubMed

    Arikan, Inci; Namdar, Nazli Dizen; Kahraman, Cuneyt; Dagci, Merve; Ece, Ezgi

    2015-01-01

    This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of skin lesions, which is a health effect of chronic arsenic (As) exposure, and determine the hair/blood arsenic concentrations of people living in Kutahya villages who are using and drinking tap water with a high concentration of arsenic. A total of 303 people were included in the present cross-sectional study. A prepared questionnaire form was used to collect the participants' information and environmental history. Skin examination was performed on all participants. Hair, blood and water samples were analyzed using atomic absorption spectroscopy. The cumulative arsenic index (CAI) was calculated for all participants. Villages were divided into two groups according to the arsenic level (<20 μg/L, Group I; >20 μg/L, Group II) in their water. The prevalence of skin lesions, hair and blood arsenic level, and CAI were found to be higher in the Group II participants. There was a positive association between body arsenic levels and CAI in the participants of each group. The number of skin lesions and arsenic concentrations in body samples were found to increase with the water arsenic level and exposure time. We hope that sharing this study's results with local administrators will help accelerate the rehabilitation of water sources in Kutahya.

  7. Groundwater arsenic contamination and its health effects in India

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chakraborti, Dipankar; Rahman, Mohammad Mahmudur; Das, Bhaskar; Chatterjee, Amit; Das, Dipankar; Nayak, Biswajit; Pal, Arup; Chowdhury, Uttam Kumar; Ahmed, Sad; Biswas, Bhajan Kumar; Sengupta, Mrinal Kumar; Hossain, Md. Amir; Samanta, Gautam; Roy, M. M.; Dutta, Rathindra Nath; Saha, Khitish Chandra; Mukherjee, Subhas Chandra; Pati, Shyamapada; Kar, Probir Bijoy; Mukherjee, Adreesh; Kumar, Manoj

    2017-06-01

    During a 28-year field survey in India (1988-2016), groundwater arsenic contamination and its health effects were registered in the states of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in the Ganga River flood plain, and the states of Assam and Manipur in the flood plain of Brahamaputra and Imphal rivers. Groundwater of Rajnandgaon village in Chhattisgarh state, which is not in a flood plain, is also arsenic contaminated. More than 170,000 tubewell water samples from the affected states were analyzed and half of the samples had arsenic >10 μg/L (maximum concentration 3,700 μg/L). Chronic exposure to arsenic through drinking water causes various health problems, like dermal, neurological, reproductive and pregnancy effects, cardiovascular effects, diabetes mellitus, diseases of the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems, and cancers, typically involving the skin, lungs, liver, bladder, etc. About 4.5% of the 8,000 children from arsenic-affected villages of affected states were registered with mild to moderate arsenical skin lesions. In the preliminary survey, more than 10,000 patients were registered with different types of arsenic-related signs and symptoms, out of more than 100,000 people screened from affected states. Elevated levels of arsenic were also found in biological samples (urine, hair, nails) of the people living in affected states. The study reveals that the population who had severe arsenical skin lesions may suffer from multiple Bowens/cancers in the long term. Some unusual symptoms, such as burning sensation, skin itching and watering of eyes in the presence of sun light, were also noticed in arsenicosis patients.

  8. Gene Expression of Normal Human Epidermal Keratinocytes Modulated by Trivalent Arsenicals

    EPA Science Inventory

    Chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs) is associated with the development of benign and malignant human skin lesions including nonmelanoma skin cancers. The precise arsenical form(s) responsible for this carcinogenic effect are unknown, although trivalent inorganic arsenic (...

  9. THE ROLE OF ARSENIC (+3 OXIDATION STATE) METHYLTRANSFERASE IN ARSENIC METABOLISM

    EPA Science Inventory

    Arsenic (As) is widely distributed in the environment. Epidemiological studies have linked chronic exposures to inorganic As (iAs) to adverse health effects such as skin lesions, peripheral neuropathy, cardiovascular, hepatic and renal disorders, diabetes mellitus, skin cancer,...

  10. FOLATE DEFICIENCY ENHANCES ARSENIC EFFECTS ON EXPRESSION OF GENES INVOLVED IN EPIDERMAL DIFFERENTIATION

    EPA Science Inventory

    Chronic arsenic exposure in humans is associated with cancers of the skin, lung, and bladder. There is evidence that folate deficiency may increase susceptibility to arsenic¿s effects, including arsenic-induced skin lesions. K6/ODC mice develop skin tumors when exposed to 10 ppm ...

  11. ARSENIC - SUSCEPTIBILITY & IN UTERO EFFECTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Exposure to inorganic arsenic remains a serious public health problem at many locations worldwide. If has often been noted that prevalences of signs and symptoms of chronic arsenic poisoning differ among various populations. For example, skin lesions or peripheral vascular dis...

  12. Changes in serum thioredoxin among individuals chronically exposed to arsenic in drinking water

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Li, Yuanyuan; Gao, Yanhui; Zhao, Lijun

    2012-02-15

    It is well known that oxidative damage plays a key role in the development of chronic arsenicosis. There is a complex set of mechanisms of redox cycling in vivo to protect cells from the damage. In this study, we examined the differences in the levels of serum thioredoxin1 (TRX1) among individuals exposed to different levels of arsenic in drinking water and detected early biomarkers of arsenic poisoning before the appearance of skin lesions. A total of 157 subjects from endemic regions of China were selected and divided into arsenicosis group with skin lesions (total intake of arsenic: 8.68–45.71 mg-year) andmore » non-arsenicosis group without skin lesions, which further divided into low (0.00–1.06 mg-year), medium (1.37–3.55 mg-year), and high (4.26–48.13 mg-year) arsenic exposure groups. Concentrations of serum TRX1 were analyzed by an ELISA method. Levels of water arsenic and urinary speciated arsenics, including inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylated arsenic (MMA), and dimethylated arsenic (DMA), were determined by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry. Our results showed that the levels of serum TRX1 in arsenicosis patients were significantly higher than that of the subjects who were chronically exposed to arsenic, but without skin lesions. A positive correlation was seen between the levels of serum TRX1 and the total water arsenic intake or the levels of urinary arsenic species. The results of this study indicate that arsenic exposure could significantly change the levels of human serum TRX1, which can be detected before arsenic-specific dermatological symptoms occur. This study provides further evidence on revealing the mechanism of arsenic toxicity. -- Highlights: ► Three regions are selected as the areas affected by endemic arsenicosis of China. ► We first examine changes in serum TRX1 among individuals exposed to arsenic. ► A positive correlation was seen between serum TRX1 and total water arsenic intake. ► The same

  13. Urinary and dietary analysis of 18,470 bangladeshis reveal a correlation of rice consumption with arsenic exposure and toxicity.

    PubMed

    Melkonian, Stephanie; Argos, Maria; Hall, Megan N; Chen, Yu; Parvez, Faruque; Pierce, Brandon; Cao, Hongyuan; Aschebrook-Kilfoy, Briseis; Ahmed, Alauddin; Islam, Tariqul; Slavcovich, Vesna; Gamble, Mary; Haris, Parvez I; Graziano, Joseph H; Ahsan, Habibul

    2013-01-01

    We utilized data from the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study (HEALS) in Araihazar, Bangladesh, to evaluate the association of steamed rice consumption with urinary total arsenic concentration and arsenical skin lesions in the overall study cohort (N=18,470) and in a subset with available urinary arsenic metabolite data (N=4,517). General linear models with standardized beta coefficients were used to estimate associations between steamed rice consumption and urinary total arsenic concentration and urinary arsenic metabolites. Logistic regression models were used to estimate prevalence odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the associations between rice intake and prevalent skin lesions at baseline. Discrete time hazard models were used to estimate discrete time (HRs) ratios and their 95% CIs for the associations between rice intake and incident skin lesions. Steamed rice consumption was positively associated with creatinine-adjusted urinary total arsenic (β=0.041, 95% CI: 0.032-0.051) and urinary total arsenic with statistical adjustment for creatinine in the model (β=0.043, 95% CI: 0.032-0.053). Additionally, we observed a significant trend in skin lesion prevalence (P-trend=0.007) and a moderate trend in skin lesion incidence (P-trend=0.07) associated with increased intake of steamed rice. This study suggests that rice intake may be a source of arsenic exposure beyond drinking water.

  14. Urinary and Dietary Analysis of 18,470 Bangladeshis Reveal a Correlation of Rice Consumption with Arsenic Exposure and Toxicity

    PubMed Central

    Melkonian, Stephanie; Argos, Maria; Hall, Megan N.; Chen, Yu; Parvez, Faruque; Pierce, Brandon; Cao, Hongyuan; Aschebrook-Kilfoy, Briseis; Ahmed, Alauddin; Islam, Tariqul; Slavcovich, Vesna; Gamble, Mary; Haris, Parvez I.; Graziano, Joseph H.; Ahsan, Habibul

    2013-01-01

    Background We utilized data from the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study (HEALS) in Araihazar, Bangladesh, to evaluate the association of steamed rice consumption with urinary total arsenic concentration and arsenical skin lesions in the overall study cohort (N=18,470) and in a subset with available urinary arsenic metabolite data (N=4,517). Methods General linear models with standardized beta coefficients were used to estimate associations between steamed rice consumption and urinary total arsenic concentration and urinary arsenic metabolites. Logistic regression models were used to estimate prevalence odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the associations between rice intake and prevalent skin lesions at baseline. Discrete time hazard models were used to estimate discrete time (HRs) ratios and their 95% CIs for the associations between rice intake and incident skin lesions. Results Steamed rice consumption was positively associated with creatinine-adjusted urinary total arsenic (β=0.041, 95% CI: 0.032-0.051) and urinary total arsenic with statistical adjustment for creatinine in the model (β=0.043, 95% CI: 0.032-0.053). Additionally, we observed a significant trend in skin lesion prevalence (P-trend=0.007) and a moderate trend in skin lesion incidence (P-trend=0.07) associated with increased intake of steamed rice. Conclusions This study suggests that rice intake may be a source of arsenic exposure beyond drinking water. PMID:24260455

  15. Changes in serum thioredoxin among individuals chronically exposed to arsenic in drinking water.

    PubMed

    Li, Yuanyuan; Gao, Yanhui; Zhao, Lijun; Wei, Yudan; Feng, Hongqi; Wang, Cheng; Wei, Wei; Ding, Yunpeng; Sun, Dianjun

    2012-02-15

    It is well known that oxidative damage plays a key role in the development of chronic arsenicosis. There is a complex set of mechanisms of redox cycling in vivo to protect cells from the damage. In this study, we examined the differences in the levels of serum thioredoxin1 (TRX1) among individuals exposed to different levels of arsenic in drinking water and detected early biomarkers of arsenic poisoning before the appearance of skin lesions. A total of 157 subjects from endemic regions of China were selected and divided into arsenicosis group with skin lesions (total intake of arsenic: 8.68-45.71mg-year) and non-arsenicosis group without skin lesions, which further divided into low (0.00-1.06mg-year), medium (1.37-3.55mg-year), and high (4.26-48.13mg-year) arsenic exposure groups. Concentrations of serum TRX1 were analyzed by an ELISA method. Levels of water arsenic and urinary speciated arsenics, including inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylated arsenic (MMA), and dimethylated arsenic (DMA), were determined by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry. Our results showed that the levels of serum TRX1 in arsenicosis patients were significantly higher than that of the subjects who were chronically exposed to arsenic, but without skin lesions. A positive correlation was seen between the levels of serum TRX1 and the total water arsenic intake or the levels of urinary arsenic species. The results of this study indicate that arsenic exposure could significantly change the levels of human serum TRX1, which can be detected before arsenic-specific dermatological symptoms occur. This study provides further evidence on revealing the mechanism of arsenic toxicity. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Border preserving skin lesion segmentation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kamali, Mostafa; Samei, Golnoosh

    2008-03-01

    Melanoma is a fatal cancer with a growing incident rate. However it could be cured if diagnosed in early stages. The first step in detecting melanoma is the separation of skin lesion from healthy skin. There are particular features associated with a malignant lesion whose successful detection relies upon accurately extracted borders. We propose a two step approach. First, we apply K-means clustering method (to 3D RGB space) that extracts relatively accurate borders. In the second step we perform an extra refining step for detecting the fading area around some lesions as accurately as possible. Our method has a number of novelties. Firstly as the clustering method is directly applied to the 3D color space, we do not overlook the dependencies between different color channels. In addition, it is capable of extracting fine lesion borders up to pixel level in spite of the difficulties associated with fading areas around the lesion. Performing clustering in different color spaces reveals that 3D RGB color space is preferred. The application of the proposed algorithm to an extensive data-base of skin lesions shows that its performance is superior to that of existing methods both in terms of accuracy and computational complexity.

  17. Arsenic Exposure and Impaired Lung Function. Findings from a Large Population-based Prospective Cohort Study

    PubMed Central

    Parvez, Faruque; Chen, Yu; Yunus, Mahbub; Olopade, Christopher; Segers, Stephanie; Slavkovich, Vesna; Argos, Maria; Hasan, Rabiul; Ahmed, Alauddin; Islam, Tariqul; Akter, Mahmud M.; Graziano, Joseph H.

    2013-01-01

    Rationale: Exposure to arsenic through drinking water has been linked to respiratory symptoms, obstructive lung diseases, and mortality from respiratory diseases. Limited evidence for the deleterious effects on lung function exists among individuals exposed to a high dose of arsenic. Objectives: To determine the deleterious effects on lung function that exist among individuals exposed to a high dose of arsenic. Methods: In 950 individuals who presented with any respiratory symptom among a population-based cohort of 20,033 adults, we evaluated the association between arsenic exposure, measured by well water and urinary arsenic concentrations measured at baseline, and post-bronchodilator–administered pulmonary function assessed during follow-up. Measurements and Main Results: For every one SD increase in baseline water arsenic exposure, we observed a lower level of FEV1 (−46.5 ml; P < 0.0005) and FVC (−53.1 ml; P < 0.01) in regression models adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, smoking, socioeconomic status, betel nut use, and arsenical skin lesions status. Similar inverse relationships were observed between baseline urinary arsenic and FEV1 (−48.3 ml; P < 0.005) and FVC (−55.2 ml; P < 0.01) in adjusted models. Our analyses also demonstrated a dose-related decrease in lung function with increasing levels of baseline water and urinary arsenic. This association remained significant in never-smokers and individuals without skin lesions, and was stronger in male smokers. Among male smokers and individuals with skin lesions, every one SD increase in water arsenic was related to a significant reduction of FEV1 (−74.4 ml, P < 0.01; and −116.1 ml, P < 0.05) and FVC (−72.8 ml, P = 0.02; and −146.9 ml, P = 0.004), respectively. Conclusions: This large population-based study confirms that arsenic exposure is associated with impaired lung function and the deleterious effect is evident at low- to moderate-dose range. PMID:23848239

  18. Determinants and Consequences of Arsenic Metabolism Efficiency among 4,794 Individuals: Demographics, Lifestyle, Genetics, and Toxicity.

    PubMed

    Jansen, Rick J; Argos, Maria; Tong, Lin; Li, Jiabei; Rakibuz-Zaman, Muhammad; Islam, Md Tariqul; Slavkovich, Vesna; Ahmed, Alauddin; Navas-Acien, Ana; Parvez, Faruque; Chen, Yu; Gamble, Mary V; Graziano, Joseph H; Pierce, Brandon L; Ahsan, Habibul

    2016-02-01

    Exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs), a class I carcinogen, affects several hundred million people worldwide. Once absorbed, iAs is converted to monomethylated (MMA) and then dimethylated forms (DMA), with methylation facilitating urinary excretion. The abundance of each species in urine relative to their sum (iAs%, MMA%, and DMA%) varies across individuals, reflecting differences in arsenic metabolism capacity. The association of arsenic metabolism phenotypes with participant characteristics and arsenical skin lesions was characterized among 4,794 participants in the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study (Araihazar, Bangladesh). Metabolism phenotypes include those obtained from principal component (PC) analysis of arsenic species. Two independent PCs were identified: PC1 appears to represent capacity to produce DMA (second methylation step), and PC2 appears to represent capacity to convert iAs to MMA (first methylation step). PC1 was positively associated (P <0.05) with age, female sex, and BMI, while negatively associated with smoking, arsenic exposure, education, and land ownership. PC2 was positively associated with age and education but negatively associated with female sex and BMI. PC2 was positively associated with skin lesion status, while PC1 was not. 10q24.32/AS3MT region polymorphisms were strongly associated with PC1, but not PC2. Patterns of association for most variables were similar for PC1 and DMA%, and for PC2 and MMA% with the exception of arsenic exposure and SNP associations. Two distinct arsenic metabolism phenotypes show unique associations with age, sex, BMI, 10q24.32 polymorphisms, and skin lesions. This work enhances our understanding of arsenic metabolism kinetics and toxicity risk profiles. ©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.

  19. Increased transepidermal water loss and decreased ceramide content in lesional and non-lesional skin of dogs with atopic dermatitis.

    PubMed

    Shimada, Kenichiro; Yoon, Ji-Seon; Yoshihara, Toru; Iwasaki, Toshiroh; Nishifuji, Koji

    2009-10-01

    This study evaluated changes in transepidermal water loss (TEWL), skin hydration and intercorneal lipid content in dogs with atopic dermatitis (AD). TEWL and skin hydration were measured in the inguinal skin of 10 dogs with AD and 30 normal dogs. TEWL was significantly higher in both lesional skin (94.3 +/- 38.8 g/m(2)/h) and non-lesional skin (28.8 +/- 9.5) of dogs with AD than healthy controls (12.3 +/- 2.3) (P < 0.05). Water content in the lesional skin of dogs with AD (15.8 +/- 7.0 AU) was significantly lower than that of controls (24.2 +/- 8.8) (P < 0.05), whereas no significant differences were recognized in water content between non-lesional skin of dogs with AD and controls. To compare the lipid content between lesional and non-lesional skin of dogs with AD and controls, intercorneal lipids, extracted from the stratum corneum, were quantified by thin-layer chromatography. The relative amounts of ceramides in the lesional skin (24.4 +/- 5.6%) and non-lesional skin (25.6 +/- 3.8%) of dogs with AD were significantly lower than those in controls (31.4 +/- 6.9%) (P < 0.05). Conversely, no significant differences were recognized in the relative amounts of cholesterols and free fatty acids (FFA) between dogs with AD and controls. Moreover, there are statistical correlations between TEWL and the relative amounts of ceramides, but not those of cholesterols and FFA, in both lesional and non-lesional skin of dogs with AD. These results strongly suggest that decreased ceramide content accelerates TEWL in dogs with AD, similar to the situation seen in the corresponding human disease.

  20. Arsenic Induces p62 Expression to Form a Positive Feedback Loop with Nrf2 in Human Epidermal Keratinocytes: Implications for Preventing Arsenic-Induced Skin Cancer.

    PubMed

    Shah, Palak; Trinh, Elaine; Qiang, Lei; Xie, Lishi; Hu, Wen-Yang; Prins, Gail S; Pi, Jingbo; He, Yu-Ying

    2017-01-24

    Exposure to inorganic arsenic in contaminated drinking water poses an environmental public health threat for hundreds of millions of people in the US and around the world. Arsenic is a known carcinogen for skin cancer. However, the mechanism by which arsenic induces skin cancer remains poorly understood. Here, we have shown that arsenic induces p62 expression in an autophagy-independent manner in human HaCaT keratinocytes. In mouse skin, chronic arsenic exposure through drinking water increases p62 protein levels in the epidermis. Nrf2 is required for basal and arsenic-induced p62 up-regulation. p62 knockdown reduces arsenic-induced Nrf2 activity, and induces sustained p21 up-regulation. p62 induction is associated with increased proliferation in mouse epidermis. p62 knockdown had little effect on arsenic-induced apoptosis, while it decreased cell proliferation following arsenic treatment. Our findings indicate that arsenic induces p62 expression to regulate the Nrf2 pathway in human keratinocytes and suggest that targeting p62 may help prevent arsenic-induced skin cancer.

  1. Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Markers of Aberrantly Activated Innate Immunity in Vitiligo Lesional and Non-Lesional Skin

    PubMed Central

    Huang, Yuanshen; Wang, Yang; Yu, Jie; Gao, Min; Levings, Megan; Wei, Shencai; Zhang, Shengquan; Xu, Aie; Su, Mingwan; Dutz, Jan; Zhang, Xuejun; Zhou, Youwen

    2012-01-01

    Background Vitiligo is characterized by the death of melanocytes in the skin. This is associated with the presence of T cell infiltrates in the lesional borders. However, at present, there is no detailed and systematic characterization on whether additional cellular or molecular changes are present inside vitiligo lesions. Further, it is unknown if the normal appearing non-lesional skin of vitiligo patients is in fact normal. The purpose of this study is to systematically characterize the molecular and cellular characteristics of the lesional and non-lesional skin of vitiligo patients. Methods and Materials Paired lesional and non-lesional skin biopsies from twenty-three vitiligo patients and normal skin biopsies from sixteen healthy volunteers were obtained with informed consent. The following aspects were analyzed: (1) transcriptome changes present in vitiligo skin using DNA microarrays and qRT-PCR; (2) abnormal cellular infiltrates in vitiligo skin explant cultures using flow cytometry; and (3) distribution of the abnormal cellular infiltrates in vitiligo skin using immunofluorescence microscopy. Results Compared with normal skin, vitiligo lesional skin contained 17 genes (mostly melanocyte-specific genes) whose expression was decreased or absent. In contrast, the relative expression of 13 genes was up-regulated. The up-regulated genes point to aberrant activity of the innate immune system, especially natural killer cells in vitiligo. Strikingly, the markers of heightened innate immune responses were also found to be up-regulated in the non-lesional skin of vitiligo patients. Conclusions and Clinical Implications As the first systematic transcriptome characterization of the skin in vitiligo patients, this study revealed previously unknown molecular markers that strongly suggest aberrant innate immune activation in the microenvironment of vitiligo skin. Since these changes involve both lesional and non-lesional skin, our results suggest that therapies targeting

  2. Precancerous Skin Lesions.

    PubMed

    Ferrándiz, C; Malvehy, J; Guillén, C; Ferrándiz-Pulido, C; Fernández-Figueras, M

    Certain clinically and histologically recognizable skin lesions with a degree of risk of progression to squamous cell carcinoma have been traditionally grouped as precancerous skin conditions but now tend to be classified as in situ carcinomas. This consensus statement discusses various aspects of these lesions: their evaluation by means of clinical and histopathologic features, the initial evaluation of the patient, the identification of risk factors for progression, and the diagnostic and treatment strategies available today. Copyright © 2016 AEDV. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  3. Arsenic Exposure, Dermatological Lesions, Hypertension, and Chromosomal Abnormalities among People in a Rural Community of Northwest Iran

    PubMed Central

    Dastgiri, Saeed; Fizi, Mohammad A.H.; Olfati, Nahid; Zolali, Shahin; Pouladi, Nasser; Azarfam, Parvin

    2010-01-01

    Chronic exposure to arsenic compounds is one of the major public-health problems in many developing and some developed countries. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of chronic exposure to arsenic on dermatological lesions, hypertension, and chromosomal abnormalities among people in a community in the northwest of Iran. The occurrence of dermatological lesions, hypertension, and chromosomal abnormalities was investigated in two groups: Ghopuz village, including 101 subjects with chronic exposure to arsenic in drinking-water and Mayan village, including 107 subjects with no exposure. Daily/yearly absorbed amounts of arsenic were calculated for all subjects. Cumulative arsenic index for each individual was then estimated on the basis of age, water consumption, and location of residence. Arsenic concentration in drinking-water sources in Ghopuz and Mayan villages was 1031±1103 μg/L and non-detectable respectively. The mean systolic blood pressure in the exposure group [n=137, 95% confidence interval (CI 132–142)] was significantly higher than that in the control group (n=107, 95% CI 99.9–114). A similar significant difference was observed for diastolic blood pressure (exposed: n=82, 95% CI 79–85 vs non-exposed: n=71, 95% CI 66–75). The incidence of hyperkeratosis was 34 times higher among the exposure group compared to the control subjects [odds ratio (OR)=34, p<0.001)]. A significant difference was also observed in the occurrence of skin-pigmentation between the two groups (OR=2.4, p<0.007). Location and severity of the pigmentations were statistically different between the two groups. Twenty-five percent of the subjects in the exposure group showed chromosomal abnormalities (p=0.05). Arsenic exposure was a serious health problem in the region. More studies are needed to investigate the long-term effects and dose-response relationship of arsenic in the region and similar areas. Wide-ranging monitoring programmes for drinking-water sources

  4. Aberrant methylation of nucleotide excision repair genes is associated with chronic arsenic poisoning.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Aihua; Li, Huiyao; Xiao, Yun; Chen, Liping; Zhu, Xiaonian; Li, Jun; Ma, Lu; Pan, Xueli; Chen, Wen; He, Zhini

    2017-07-01

    To define whether aberrant methylation of DNA repair genes is associated with chronic arsenic poisoning. Hundred and two endemic arsenicosis patients and 36 healthy subjects were recruited. Methylight and bisulfite sequencing (BSP) assays were used to examine the methylation status of ERCC1, ERCC2 and XPC genes in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) and skin lesions of arsenicosis patients and NaAsO 2 -treated HaCaT cells. Hypermethylation of ERCC1 and ERCC2 and suppressed gene expression were found in PBLs and skin lesions of arsenicosis patients and was correlated with the level of arsenic exposure. Particularly, the expression of ERCC1 and ERCC2 was associated with the severity of skin lesions. In vitro studies revealed an induction of ERCC2 hypermethylation and decreased mRNA expression in response to NaAsO 2 treatment. Hypermethylation of ERCC1 and ERCC2 and concomitant suppression of gene expression might be served as the epigenetic marks associated with arsenic exposure and adverse health effects.

  5. Respiratory effect related to exposure of different concentrations of arsenic in drinking water in West Bengal, India.

    PubMed

    Chattopadhyay, B P; Mukherjee, A K; Gangopadhyay, P K; Alam, J; Roychowdhury, A

    2010-04-01

    Arsenic toxicity due to drinking of arsenic contaminated water has been one of the worst environmental health hazards. High levels of arsenic have been reported in different natural water sources from West Bengal for more than two decades. Groundwater contamination by arsenic and its adverse effects on the health of a big population in nine districts of West Bengal have been reported. The problems found were mainly related to skin and respiratory, digestive, cardiovascular and nervous systems. The respiratory effects are largely confined to those who had the skin lesion. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the respiratory effects of exposure to different levels of arsenic in drinking water. The water samples were collected from different tube wells and wells in the study area. Analysis of arsenic was done by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer with hydride generation system. Based on the consumption of arsenic concentrations in drinking water the populations were divided into three categories, i.e., <=50 microg/L, >50 - <= 150 microg/L and >150 microg/L. Standard techniques of medical examination were applied to elicit signs and recorded in the pre-designed proforma. A written consent was taken from each subject for their voluntary participation in the study. 112 subjects were investigated. The respiratory effect was evaluated by measuring the pulmonary function test (PFT). Vital Capacity (VC) and Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) were measured by Spirovit-SP-10 (Schiller Health Care Pvt Ltd., Switzerland) and Peak Expiratory Flow Rate by Wrights Peak Flow Meter (Clement and Clarke, UK). The PFT values showed gradual decrement among the males following skin pigmentation, keratosis and arsenicosis. The respiratory function impairment among the male subjects found as restrictive type (26.41%), obstructive type (3.77%) and combined type (7.54%), whereas in females only the restrictive type of impairment (10.16%) was found. Restrictive type of impairments among the

  6. Chronic Arsenic Poisoning Probably Caused by Arsenic-Based Pesticides: Findings from an Investigation Study of a Household

    PubMed Central

    Li, Yongfang; Ye, Feng; Wang, Anwei; Wang, Da; Yang, Boyi; Zheng, Quanmei; Sun, Guifan; Gao, Xinghua

    2016-01-01

    In addition to naturally occurring arsenic, man-made arsenic-based compounds are other sources of arsenic exposure. In 2013, our group identified 12 suspected arsenicosis patients in a household (32 living members). Of them, eight members were diagnosed with skin cancer. Interestingly, all of these patients had lived in the household prior to 1989. An investigation revealed that approximately 2 tons of arsenic-based pesticides had been previously placed near a well that had supplied drinking water to the family from 1973 to 1989. The current arsenic level in the well water was 620 μg/L. No other high arsenic wells were found near the family’s residence. Based on these findings, it is possible to infer that the skin lesions exhibited by these family members were caused by long-term exposure to well water contaminated with arsenic-based pesticides. Additionally, biochemical analysis showed that the individuals exposed to arsenic had higher levels of aspartate aminotransferase and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase than those who were not exposed. These findings might indicate the presence of liver dysfunction in the arsenic-exposed individuals. This report elucidates the effects of arsenical compounds on the occurrence of high levels of arsenic in the environment and emphasizes the severe human health impact of arsenic exposure. PMID:26784217

  7. Chronic Arsenic Poisoning Probably Caused by Arsenic-Based Pesticides: Findings from an Investigation Study of a Household.

    PubMed

    Li, Yongfang; Ye, Feng; Wang, Anwei; Wang, Da; Yang, Boyi; Zheng, Quanmei; Sun, Guifan; Gao, Xinghua

    2016-01-16

    In addition to naturally occurring arsenic, man-made arsenic-based compounds are other sources of arsenic exposure. In 2013, our group identified 12 suspected arsenicosis patients in a household (32 living members). Of them, eight members were diagnosed with skin cancer. Interestingly, all of these patients had lived in the household prior to 1989. An investigation revealed that approximately 2 tons of arsenic-based pesticides had been previously placed near a well that had supplied drinking water to the family from 1973 to 1989. The current arsenic level in the well water was 620 μg/L. No other high arsenic wells were found near the family's residence. Based on these findings, it is possible to infer that the skin lesions exhibited by these family members were caused by long-term exposure to well water contaminated with arsenic-based pesticides. Additionally, biochemical analysis showed that the individuals exposed to arsenic had higher levels of aspartate aminotransferase and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase than those who were not exposed. These findings might indicate the presence of liver dysfunction in the arsenic-exposed individuals. This report elucidates the effects of arsenical compounds on the occurrence of high levels of arsenic in the environment and emphasizes the severe human health impact of arsenic exposure.

  8. Topical efficacy of dimercapto-chelating agents against lewisite-induced skin lesions in SKH-1 hairless mice

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mouret, Stéphane, E-mail: stephane.mouret@irba.fr; Wartelle, Julien; Emorine, Sandy

    2013-10-15

    Lewisite is a potent chemical warfare arsenical vesicant that can cause severe skin lesions. Today, lewisite exposure remains possible during demilitarization of old ammunitions and as a result of deliberate use. Although its cutaneous toxicity is not fully elucidated, a specific antidote exists, the British anti-lewisite (BAL, dimercaprol) but it is not without untoward effects. Analogs of BAL, less toxic, have been developed such as meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) and have been employed for the treatment of heavy metal poisoning. However, efficacy of DMSA against lewisite-induced skin lesions remains to be determined in comparison with BAL. We have thus evaluated inmore » this study the therapeutic efficacy of BAL and DMSA in two administration modes against skin lesions induced by lewisite vapor on SKH-1 hairless mice. Our data demonstrate a strong protective efficacy of topical application of dimercapto-chelating agents in contrast to a subcutaneous administration 1 h after lewisite exposure, with attenuation of wound size, necrosis and impairment of skin barrier function. The histological evaluation also confirms the efficacy of topical application by showing that treatments were effective in reversing lewisite-induced neutrophil infiltration. This protective effect was associated with an epidermal hyperplasia. However, for all the parameters studied, BAL was more effective than DMSA in reducing lewisite-induced skin injury. Together, these findings support the use of a topical form of dimercaprol-chelating agent against lewisite-induced skin lesion within the first hour after exposure to increase the therapeutic management and that BAL, despite its side-effects, should not be abandoned. - Highlights: • Topically applied dimercapto-chelating agents reduce lewisite-induced skin damage. • One topical application of BAL or DMSA is sufficient to reverse lewisite effects. • Topical BAL is more effective than DMSA to counteract lewisite-induced skin

  9. Arsenic transformation predisposes human skin keratinocytes to UV-induced DNA damage yet enhances their survival apparently by diminishing oxidant response

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sun Yang; Kojima, Chikara; Chignell, Colin

    2011-09-15

    Inorganic arsenic and UV, both human skin carcinogens, may act together as skin co-carcinogens. We find human skin keratinocytes (HaCaT cells) are malignantly transformed by low-level arsenite (100 nM, 30 weeks; termed As-TM cells) and with transformation concurrently undergo full adaptation to arsenic toxicity involving reduced apoptosis and oxidative stress response to high arsenite concentrations. Oxidative DNA damage (ODD) is a possible mechanism in arsenic carcinogenesis and a hallmark of UV-induced skin cancer. In the current work, inorganic arsenite exposure (100 nM) did not induce ODD during the 30 weeks required for malignant transformation. Although acute UV-treatment (UVA, 25 J/cm{supmore » 2}) increased ODD in passage-matched control cells, once transformed by arsenic to As-TM cells, acute UV actually further increased ODD (> 50%). Despite enhanced ODD, As-TM cells were resistant to UV-induced apoptosis. The response of apoptotic factors and oxidative stress genes was strongly mitigated in As-TM cells after UV exposure including increased Bcl2/Bax ratio and reduced Caspase-3, Nrf2, and Keap1 expression. Several Nrf2-related genes (HO-1, GCLs, SOD) showed diminished responses in As-TM cells after UV exposure consistent with reduced oxidant stress response. UV-exposed As-TM cells showed increased expression of cyclin D1 (proliferation gene) and decreased p16 (tumor suppressor). UV exposure enhanced the malignant phenotype of As-TM cells. Thus, the co-carcinogenicity between UV and arsenic in skin cancer might involve adaptation to chronic arsenic exposure generally mitigating the oxidative stress response, allowing apoptotic by-pass after UV and enhanced cell survival even in the face of increased UV-induced oxidative stress and increased ODD. - Highlights: > Arsenic transformation adapted to UV-induced apoptosis. > Arsenic transformation diminished oxidant response. > Arsenic transformation enhanced UV-induced DNA damage.« less

  10. Correlation of arsenic exposure through drinking groundwater and urinary arsenic excretion among adults in Pakistan.

    PubMed

    Ahmed, Mubashir; Fatmi, Zafar; Ali, Arif

    2014-01-01

    Long-term exposure to arsenic has been associated with manifestation of skin lesions (melanosis/keratosis) and increased risk of internal cancers (lung/bladder). The objective of the study described here was to determine the relationship between exposure of arsenic through drinking groundwater and urinary arsenic excretion among adults > or =15 years of age living in Khairpur district, Pakistan. Total arsenic was determined in drinking groundwater and in spot urine samples of 465 randomly selected individuals through hydride generation-atomic absorption spectrometry. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was calculated between arsenic in drinking groundwater and arsenic excreted in urine. The median arsenic concentration in drinking water was 2.1 microg/L (range: 0.1-350), and in urine was 28.5 microg/L (range: 0.1-848). Positive correlation was found between total arsenic in drinking water and in urine (r = .52, p < .01). Urinary arsenic may be used as a biomarker of arsenic exposure through drinking water.

  11. ARSENIC-INDUCED SKIN CONDITIONS IDENTIFIED IN SOUTHWEST DERMATOLOGY PRACTICE: AN EPIDEMIOLOGIC TOOL?

    EPA Science Inventory

    Populations living in the Southwest United States are more likely to be exposed to elevated drinking water arsenic levels compared to other areas of the country. Skin changes, including hyperpigmentation and generalized hyperkeratosis, are the most common signs of chronic arsenic...

  12. Rethinking Skin Lesion Segmentation in a Convolutional Classifier.

    PubMed

    Burdick, Jack; Marques, Oge; Weinthal, Janet; Furht, Borko

    2017-10-18

    Melanoma is a fatal form of skin cancer when left undiagnosed. Computer-aided diagnosis systems powered by convolutional neural networks (CNNs) can improve diagnostic accuracy and save lives. CNNs have been successfully used in both skin lesion segmentation and classification. For reasons heretofore unclear, previous works have found image segmentation to be, conflictingly, both detrimental and beneficial to skin lesion classification. We investigate the effect of expanding the segmentation border to include pixels surrounding the target lesion. Ostensibly, segmenting a target skin lesion will remove inessential information, non-lesion skin, and artifacts to aid in classification. Our results indicate that segmentation border enlargement produces, to a certain degree, better results across all metrics of interest when using a convolutional based classifier built using the transfer learning paradigm. Consequently, preprocessing methods which produce borders larger than the actual lesion can potentially improve classifier performance, more than both perfect segmentation, using dermatologist created ground truth masks, and no segmentation altogether.

  13. Gram stain of skin lesion

    MedlinePlus

    ... during the procedure. Considerations A skin or mucosal culture may be done along with this test. Other ... are examined by other tests or a viral culture. Alternative Names Skin lesion gram stain Images Viral ...

  14. Epidermal hydrogen peroxide is not increased in lesional and non-lesional skin of vitiligo.

    PubMed

    Zailaie, Mohammad Z

    2017-01-01

    It is widely believed that the loss of the epidermal melanocytes in vitiligo is basically due to excessive oxidative stress. Previous research work described abnormal elevation of the absolute concentration of the epidermal hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) in lesional and non-lesional skin of vitiligo. Based on this finding, our primary research objective was to use this feature as a screening marker in individuals at a great risk of developing vitiligo. Ninety-six patients of non-segmental vitiligo (NSV) of varying durations, skin phototypes, and treatment modalities (psoralen UVA-, narrow band UVB-treated) were recruited for this study. Raman spectroscopic measurements, using an external probehead, of the lesional and non-lesional skin were obtained, and the resulting spectra were analyzed using the Opus software package of the MultiRam spectrometer and the intensity of the peak at 875 cm -1 that represents the absolute concentration of H 2 O 2 was calculated. Contrary to previous reports, in patients of skin phototype IV, the absolute concentrations of H 2 O 2 in non-lesional and lesional NSV of all groups were non-significantly decreased compared to normal control. In patients of NSV of skin phototype V, the decrease in the absolute concentrations of H 2 O 2 was not significant in the untreated group, and a slight non-significant increase in the NBUVB-treated group was noted. However, in the PUVA-treated group, the non-lesional skin demonstrated significant increase in the absolute concentration of H 2 O 2 , whereas the lesional skin showed only a slight non-significant increase compared to normal control. In NSV patients of skin phototype VI who were previously treated with PUVA, the non-lesional skin showed a slight non-significant increase in the absolute concentration of H 2 O 2 ; however, the lesional skin showed a marked significant decrease compared to normal control and the non-lesional skin. Thereof, one can conclude that the epidermal H 2 O 2 is not

  15. Chronic arsenic exposure increases TGFalpha concentration in bladder urothelial cells of Mexican populations environmentally exposed to inorganic arsenic

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Valenzuela, Olga L.; Germolec, Dori R.; Borja-Aburto, Victor H.

    Inorganic arsenic (iAs) is a well-established carcinogen and human exposure has been associated with a variety of cancers including those of skin, lung, and bladder. High expression of transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-{alpha}) has associated with local relapses in early stages of urinary bladder cancer. iAs exposures are at least in part determined by the rate of formation and composition of iAs metabolites (MAs{sup III}, MAs{sup V}, DMAs{sup III}, DMAs{sup V}). This study examines the relationship between TGF-{alpha} concentration in exfoliated bladder urothelial cells (BUC) separated from urine and urinary arsenic species in 72 resident women (18-51 years old) frommore » areas exposed to different concentrations of iAs in drinking water (2-378 ppb) in central Mexico. Urinary arsenic species, including trivalent methylated metabolites were measured by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry method. The concentration of TGF-{alpha} in BUC was measured using an ELISA assay. Results show a statistically significant positive correlation between TGF-{alpha} concentration in BUC and each of the six arsenic species present in urine. The multivariate linear regression analyses show that the increment of TGF-{alpha} levels in BUC was importantly associated with the presence of arsenic species after adjusting by age, and presence of urinary infection. People from areas with high arsenic exposure had a significantly higher TGF-{alpha} concentration in BUC than people from areas of low arsenic exposure (128.8 vs. 64.4 pg/mg protein; p < 0.05). Notably, exfoliated cells isolated from individuals with skin lesions contained significantly greater amount of TGF-{alpha} than cells from individuals without skin lesions: 157.7 vs. 64.9 pg/mg protein (p = 0.003). These results suggest that TGF-{alpha} in exfoliated BUC may serve as a susceptibility marker of adverse health effects on epithelial tissue in arsenic-endemic areas.« less

  16. SILAC-based quantitative proteomic analysis reveals widespread molecular alterations in human skin keratinocytes upon chronic arsenic exposure.

    PubMed

    Mir, Sartaj Ahmad; Pinto, Sneha M; Paul, Somnath; Raja, Remya; Nanjappa, Vishalakshi; Syed, Nazia; Advani, Jayshree; Renuse, Santosh; Sahasrabuddhe, Nandini A; Prasad, T S Keshava; Giri, Ashok K; Gowda, Harsha; Chatterjee, Aditi

    2017-03-01

    Chronic exposure to arsenic is associated with dermatological and nondermatological disorders. Consumption of arsenic-contaminated drinking water results in accumulation of arsenic in liver, spleen, kidneys, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract. Although arsenic is cleared from these sites, a substantial amount of residual arsenic is left in keratin-rich tissues including skin. Epidemiological studies suggest the association of skin cancer upon arsenic exposure, however, the mechanism of arsenic-induced carcinogenesis is not completely understood. We developed a cell line based model to understand the molecular mechanisms involved in arsenic-mediated toxicity and carcinogenicity. Human skin keratinocyte cell line, HaCaT, was chronically exposed to 100 nM sodium arsenite over a period of 6 months. We observed an increase in basal ROS levels in arsenic-exposed cells. SILAC-based quantitative proteomics approach resulted in identification of 2111 proteins of which 42 proteins were found to be overexpressed and 54 downregulated (twofold) upon chronic arsenic exposure. Our analysis revealed arsenic-induced overexpression of aldo-keto reductase family 1 member C2 (AKR1C2), aldo-keto reductase family 1 member C3 (AKR1C3), glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC), and NAD(P)H dehydrogenase [quinone] 1 (NQO1) among others. We observed downregulation of several members of the plakin family including periplakin (PPL), envoplakin (EVPL), and involucrin (IVL) that are essential for terminal differentiation of keratinocytes. MRM and Western blot analysis confirmed differential expression of several candidate proteins. Our study provides insights into molecular alterations upon chronic arsenic exposure on skin. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. Arsenic contamination of groundwater and its induced health effects in Shahpur block, Bhojpur district, Bihar state, India: risk evaluation.

    PubMed

    Chakraborti, Dipankar; Rahman, Mohammad Mahmudur; Ahamed, Sad; Dutta, Rathindra Nath; Pati, Shyamapada; Mukherjee, Subhash Chandra

    2016-05-01

    The objective of this study was to determine the magnitude of groundwater arsenic contamination in Shahpur block of Bhojpur district, Bihar state, India and its health effects such as dermal, neurological, obstetric effects, and cancer risk. The School of Environmental Studies (SOES) collected 4704 tube-well water samples from all 88 villages of Shahpur, which were analyzed for arsenic. We found 40.3 and 21.1 % of the tube-wells had arsenic above 10 and 50 μg/l, respectively, with maximum concentration of 1805 μg/l. The study shows that 75,000, 39,000, and 10,000 people could be exposed to arsenic-contaminated water greater than 10, 50, and 300 μg/l, respectively. Our medical team examined 1422 villagers from Shahpur and registered 161 (prevalence rate, 11.3 %) with arsenical skin lesions. Arsenical skin lesions were also observed in 29 children of 525 screened. We analyzed 579 biological samples (hair, nail, and urine) from Shahpur and found that 82, 89, and 91 % of hair, nail, and urine, respectively, had arsenic above the normal levels, indicating many people in the study area are sub-clinically affected. Arsenical neuropathy was observed in 48 % of 102 arsenicosis patients. The study also found that arsenic exposed women with severe skin lesions had adversely affected their pregnancies. The carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks were also estimated based on the generated data. Safe drinking water supply is urgently required to combat arsenic situation in affected villages of Shahpur.

  18. Arsenic groundwater contamination and its health effects in Patna district (capital of Bihar) in the middle Ganga plain, India.

    PubMed

    Chakraborti, Dipankar; Rahman, Mohammad Mahmudur; Ahamed, Sad; Dutta, Rathindra Nath; Pati, Shyamapada; Mukherjee, Subhash Chandra

    2016-06-01

    We investigated the extent and severity of groundwater arsenic (As) contamination in five blocks in Patna district, Bihar, India along with As in biological samples and its health effects such as dermatological, neurological and obstetric outcome in some villages. We collected 1365 hand tube-well water samples and analyzed for As by the flow injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometer (FI-HG-AAS). We found 61% and 44% of the tube-wells had As above 10 and 50 μg/l, respectively, with maximum concentration of 1466 μg/l. Our medical team examined 712 villagers and registered 69 (9.7%) with arsenical skin lesions. Arsenical skin lesions were also observed in 9 children of 312 screened. We analyzed 176 biological samples (hair, nail and urine). Out of these, 69 people had arsenical skin lesions and rest without skin lesions. We found 100% of the biological samples had As above the normal levels (concentrations of As in hair, nail and urine of unexposed individuals usually ranges from 20 to 200 μg/kg, 20-500 μg/kg and <100 μg/l, respectively), indicating many people are sub-clinically affected. Arsenical neuropathy was observed in 40.5% of 37 arsenicosis patients with 73.3% prevalence for predominant sensory neuropathy and 26.7% for sensor-motor. Among patients, different clinical and electrophysiological neurological features and abnormal quantitative sensory perception thresholds were also noted. The study also found that As exposed women with severe skin lesions had adversely affected their pregnancies. People including children in the affected areas are in danger. To combat As situation in affected areas, villagers urgently need (a) provision of As-safe water for drinking and cooking, (b) awareness about the danger of As toxicity, and (c) nutritious food. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Association of arsenic-contaminated drinking-water with prevalence of skin cancer in Wisconsin's Fox River Valley.

    PubMed

    Knobeloch, Lynda M; Zierold, Kristina M; Anderson, Henry A

    2006-06-01

    During July 2000-January 2002, the Wisconsin Division of Public Health conducted a study in 19 rural townships. A high percentage of private drinking-water wells in these townships contained traces of arsenic. Residents were asked to collect well-water samples and complete a questionnaire regarding residential history, consumption of drinking-water, and family health. In total, 2,233 household wells were tested, and 6,669 residents, aged less than one year to 100 years, provided information on water consumption and health. The well-water arsenic levels ranged from less than 1.0 to 3,100 microg/L. The median arsenic level was 2.0 microg/L. The arsenic levels were below the federal drinking-water standard of 10 microg/L in 80% of the wells, while 11% had an arsenic level of above 20 microg/L. Of residents aged over 35 years, those who had consumed arsenic-contaminated water for at least 10 years were significantly more likely to report a history of skin cancer than others. Tobacco use was also associated with higher rates of skin cancer and appeared to synergize the effect of arsenic on the development of skin cancer.

  20. A medical ontology for intelligent web-based skin lesions image retrieval.

    PubMed

    Maragoudakis, Manolis; Maglogiannis, Ilias

    2011-06-01

    Researchers have applied increasing efforts towards providing formal computational frameworks to consolidate the plethora of concepts and relations used in the medical domain. In the domain of skin related diseases, the variability of semantic features contained within digital skin images is a major barrier to the medical understanding of the symptoms and development of early skin cancers. The desideratum of making these standards machine-readable has led to their formalization in ontologies. In this work, in an attempt to enhance an existing Core Ontology for skin lesion images, hand-coded from image features, high quality images were analyzed by an autonomous ontology creation engine. We show that by exploiting agglomerative clustering methods with distance criteria upon the existing ontological structure, the original domain model could be enhanced with new instances, attributes and even relations, thus allowing for better classification and retrieval of skin lesion categories from the web.

  1. Long-term exposure of immortalized keratinocytes to arsenic induces EMT, impairs differentiation in organotypic skin models and mimics aspects of human skin derangements.

    PubMed

    Weinmuellner, R; Kryeziu, K; Zbiral, B; Tav, K; Schoenhacker-Alte, B; Groza, D; Wimmer, L; Schosserer, M; Nagelreiter, F; Rösinger, S; Mildner, M; Tschachler, E; Grusch, M; Grillari, J; Heffeter, P

    2018-01-01

    Arsenic is one of the most important human carcinogens and environmental pollutants. However, the evaluation of the underlying carcinogenic mechanisms is challenging due to the lack of suitable in vivo and in vitro models, as distinct interspecies differences in arsenic metabolism exist. Thus, it is of high interest to develop new experimental models of arsenic-induced skin tumorigenesis in humans. Consequently, aim of this study was to establish an advanced 3D model for the investigation of arsenic-induced skin derangements, namely skin equivalents, built from immortalized human keratinocytes (NHEK/SVTERT3-5). In contrast to spontaneously immortalized HACAT cells, NHEK/SVTERT3-5 cells more closely resembled the differentiation pattern of primary keratinocytes. With regard to arsenic, our results showed that while our new cell model was widely unaffected by short-time treatment (72 h) with low, non-toxic doses of ATO (0.05-0.25 µM), chronic exposure (6 months) resulted in distinct changes of several cell characteristics. Thus, we observed an increase in the G2 fraction of the cell cycle accompanied by increased nucleus size and uneven tubulin distribution. Moreover, cells showed strong signs of de-differentiation and upregulation of several epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition markers. In line with these effects, chronic contact to arsenic resulted in impaired skin-forming capacities as well as localization of ki67-positive (proliferating) cells at the upper layers of the epidermis; a condition termed Bowen's disease. Finally, chronically arsenic-exposed cells were characterized by an increased tumorigenicity in SCID mice. Taken together, our study presents a new model system for the investigation of mechanisms underlying the tumor-promoting effects of chronic arsenic exposure.

  2. Urinary Trivalent Methylated Arsenic Species in a Population Chronically Exposed to Inorganic Arsenic

    PubMed Central

    Valenzuela, Olga L.; Borja-Aburto, Victor H.; Garcia-Vargas, Gonzalo G.; Cruz-Gonzalez, Martha B.; Garcia-Montalvo, Eliud A.; Calderon-Aranda, Emma S.; Del Razo, Luz M.

    2005-01-01

    Chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs) has been associated with increased risk of various forms of cancer and of noncancerous diseases. Metabolic conversions of iAs that yield highly toxic and genotoxic methylarsonite (MAsIII) and dimethylarsinite (DMAsIII) may play a significant role in determining the extent and character of toxic and cancer-promoting effects of iAs exposure. In this study we examined the relationship between urinary profiles of MAsIII and DMAsIII and skin lesion markers of iAs toxicity in individuals exposed to iAs in drinking water. The study subjects were recruited among the residents of an endemic region of central Mexico. Drinking-water reservoirs in this region are heavily contaminated with iAs. Previous studies carried out in the local populations have found an increased incidence of pathologies, primarily skin lesions, that are characteristic of arseniasis. The goal of this study was to investigate the urinary profiles for the trivalent and pentavalent As metabolites in both high- and low-iAs–exposed subjects. Notably, methylated trivalent arsenicals were detected in 98% of analyzed urine samples. On average, the major metabolite, DMAsIII, represented 49% of total urinary As, followed by DMAsV (23.7%), iAsV (8.6%), iAsIII (8.5%), MAsIII (7.4%), and MAsV (2.8%). More important, the average MAsIII concentration was significantly higher in the urine of exposed individuals with skin lesions compared with those who drank iAs-contaminated water but had no skin lesions. These data suggest that urinary levels of MAsIII, the most toxic species among identified metabolites of iAs, may serve as an indicator to identify individuals with increased susceptibility to toxic and cancer-promoting effects of arseniasis. PMID:15743710

  3. Risk factors for saddle-related skin lesions on elephants used in the tourism industry in Thailand.

    PubMed

    Magda, Scarlett; Spohn, Olivia; Angkawanish, Taweepoke; Smith, Dale A; Pearl, David L

    2015-05-19

    Lesions related to working conditions and improper saddle design are a concern for a variety of working animals including elephants. The objectives of the present study were to determine the prevalence of cutaneous lesions in anatomic regions (i.e., neck, girth, back, tail) in contact with saddle-related equipment among elephants in Thailand working in the tourism industry, and to identify potential risk factors associated with these lesions. Data for this cross-sectional study were collected between May 2007 and July 2007 on 194 elephants from 18 tourism camps across Thailand. There was a high prevalence (64.4 %; 95 % CI 57.3 - 71.2) of active lesions, most often located on the back region. Using multilevel multivariable logistic regression modelling containing a random intercept for camp we identified the following risk factors: increasing elephant age, the use of rice sacks as padding material in contact with the skin, and the provision of a break for the elephants. Working hours had a quadratic relationship with the log odds of an active lesion where the probability of an active lesion initially increased with the number of working hours per day and then declined possibly reflecting a "healthy worker" bias where only animals without lesions continue to be able to work these longer hours. While we recognize that the cross-sectional nature of the study posed some inferential limitations, our results offer several potential intervention points for the prevention of these lesions. Specifically, we recommend the following until longitudinal studies can be conducted: increased monitoring of older elephants and the back region of all elephants, working less than 6 hours per day, and the avoidance of rice sacks as padding material in contact with skin.

  4. Investigation of relations between skin cancer lesions' images and their fluorescent spectra

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pavlova, P.; Borisova, E.; Avramov, L.; Petkova, El.; Troyanova, P.

    2010-03-01

    This investigation is based on images obtained from healthy tissue and skin cancer lesions and their fluorescent spectra of cutaneous lesions derived after optical stimulation. Our analyses show that the lesions’ spectra of are different of those, obtained from normal tissue and the differences depend on the type of cancer. We use a comparison between these “healthy” and “unhealthy” spectra to define forms of variations and corresponding diseases. However, the value of the emitted light varies not only between the patients, but also depending on the position of the tested area inside of one lesion. These variations could be result from two reasons: different degree of damaging and different thickness of the suspicious lesion area. Regarded to the visible image of the lesion, it could be connected with the chroma of colour of the tested area and the lesion homogeneity that corresponds to particular disease. For our investigation, images and spectra of three non-melanoma cutanous malignant tumors are investigated, namely—basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and keratoacanthoma. The images were processed obtaining the chroma by elimination of the background—healthy tissue, and applying it as a basic signal for transformation from RGB to Lab colorimetric model. The chroma of the areas of emission is compared with the relative value of fluorescence spectra. Specific spectral features are used to develop hybrid diagnostic algorithm (including image and spectral features) for differentiation of these three kinds of malignant cutaneous pathologies.

  5. Serum levels of the extracellular domain of the epidermal growth factor receptor in individuals exposed to arsenic in drinking water in Bangladesh.

    PubMed

    Li, Y; Chen, Y; Slavkovic, V; Ahsan, H; Parvez, F; Graziano, J H; Brandt-Rauf, P W

    2007-01-01

    Epidermal growth factor receptor-dependent mechanisms have been implicated in growth signal transduction pathways that contribute to cancer development, including dermal carcinogenesis. Detection of the extracellular domain of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR ECD) in serum has been suggested as a potential biomarker for monitoring this effect in vivo. Arsenic is a known human carcinogen, producing skin and other malignancies in populations exposed through their drinking water. One such exposed population, which we have been studying for a number of years, is in Bangladesh. The purpose of this study was to examine the EGFR ECD as a potential biomarker of arsenic exposure and/or effect in this population. Levels of the EGFR ECD were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in the serum samples from 574 individuals with a range of arsenic exposures from drinking water in the Araihazar area of Bangladesh. In multiple regression analysis, serum EGFR ECD was found to be positively associated with three different measures of arsenic exposure (well water arsenic, urinary arsenic and a cumulative arsenic index) at statistically significant levels (parsenic-induced skin lesions (p skin lesions increased progressively for each increase in all three arsenic measures (also stratified in tertiles) and this increasing risk became more pronounced among subjects within the highest tertile of EGFR ECD levels. These results suggest that serum EGFR ECD levels may be a potential biomarker of effect of arsenic exposure and may indicate those exposed individuals at greatest risk for the development of arsenic-induced skin lesions.

  6. Estimation of Fractal Dimension in Differential Diagnosis of Pigmented Skin Lesions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aralica, Gorana; Milošević, Danko; Konjevoda, Paško; Seiwerth, Sven; Štambuk, Nikola

    Medical differential diagnosis is a method of identifying the presence of a particular entity (disease) within a set of multiple possible alternatives. The significant problem in dermatology and pathology is the differential diagnosis of malignant melanoma and other pigmented skin lesions, especially of dysplastic nevi. Malignant melanoma is the most malignant skin neoplasma, with increasing incidence in various parts of the world. It is hoped that the methods of quantitative pathology, i.e. morphometry, can help objectification of the diagnostic process, since early discovery of melanoma results in 10-year survival rate of 90%. The aim of the study was to use fractal dimension calculated from the perimeter-area relation of the cell nuclei as a tool for the differential diagnosis of pigmented skin lesions. We analyzed hemalaun-eosin stained pathohistological slides of pigmented skin lesions: intradermal naevi (n = 45), dysplastic naevi (n = 47), and malignant melanoma (n = 50). It was found that fractal dimension of malignant melanoma cell nuclei differs significantly from the intradermal and dysplastic naevi (p ≤ 0. 001, Steel-Dwass Multiple Comparison Test). Additionaly, ROC analysis confirmed the value of fractal dimension based evaluation. It is suggested that the estimation of fractal dimension from the perimeter-area relation of the cell nuclei may be a potentially useful morphometric parameter in the medical differential diagnosis of pigmented skin lesions.

  7. Laypersons' perceptual discrimination of pigmented skin lesions.

    PubMed

    Bränström, Richard; Hedblad, Mari-Anne; Krakau, Ingvar; Ullén, Henrik

    2002-05-01

    Most cutaneous malignant melanomas of the skin are visible and should, at least in theory, be possible to detect with the naked eye. This study was conducted to learn more about laypersons' ability to discriminate between benign pigmented lesions and malignant ones. Four groups of laypersons (n = 120) were asked to evaluate pictures of different types of pigmented skin lesions, before and after they received information about the ABCD (asymmetry, border irregularity, color variegation, and diameter greater than 6 mm) criteria, with respect to the necessity of action. The respondents made adequate assessments of melanomas but overestimated the danger of benign pigmented skin lesions. Information about the ABCD criteria enhanced their ability to make adequate assessments. People seem to make adequate decisions concerning how to act if they have a melanoma. On the other hand, common moles and dysplastic nevi were harder to discriminate. Providing information to the public about the features of melanomas, in accordance with the ABCD criteria, might help laypersons in their perceptual discrimination of skin lesions.

  8. Social networks of patients with chronic skin lesions: nursing care.

    PubMed

    Bandeira, Luciana Alves; Santos, Maxuel Cruz Dos; Duarte, Êrica Rosalba Mallmann; Bandeira, Andrea Gonçalves; Riquinho, Deise Lisboa; Vieira, Letícia Becker

    2018-01-01

    To describe the social networks of patients with chronic skin damages. A qualitative study conducted through semi-structured interviews with nine subjects with chronic skin lesions from June 2016 to March 2017; we used the theoretical-methodological framework of Lia Sanicola's Social Network. The analysis of the relational maps revealed that the primary network was formed mainly by relatives and neighbors; its characteristics, such as: reduced size, low density and few exchanges/relationships, configures fragility in these links. The secondary network was essentially described by health services, and the nurse was cited as a linker in the therapeutic process. Faced with the fragility of the links and social isolation, the primary health care professionals are fundamental foundations for the construction of networks of social support and care for patients with chronic skin lesions.

  9. GENE EXPRESSION PROFILING OF HYPERKERATOTIC SKIN FROM INNER MONGOLIANS CHRONICALLY EXPOSED TO ARSENIC

    EPA Science Inventory

    Millions of people worldwide have been chronically exposed to arsenic levels in drinking water that greatly exceed the current World Health Organization¿s recommended limit of 10 µg/ml. The skin is a major target of arsenic toxicity, and some of the first clinical signs of chroni...

  10. Automatic differentiation of melanoma and clark nevus skin lesions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    LeAnder, R. W.; Kasture, A.; Pandey, A.; Umbaugh, S. E.

    2007-03-01

    Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. Although melanoma accounts for just 11% of all types of skin cancer, it is responsible for most of the deaths, claiming more than 7910 lives annually. Melanoma is visually difficult for clinicians to differentiate from Clark nevus lesions which are benign. The application of pattern recognition techniques to these lesions may be useful as an educational tool for teaching physicians to differentiate lesions, as well as for contributing information about the essential optical characteristics that identify them. Purpose: This study sought to find the most effective features to extract from melanoma, melanoma in situ and Clark nevus lesions, and to find the most effective pattern-classification criteria and algorithms for differentiating those lesions, using the Computer Vision and Image Processing Tools (CVIPtools) software package. Methods: Due to changes in ambient lighting during the photographic process, color differences between images can occur. These differences were minimized by capturing dermoscopic images instead of photographic images. Differences in skin color between patients were minimized via image color normalization, by converting original color images to relative-color images. Relative-color images also helped minimize changes in color that occur due to changes in the photographic and digitization processes. Tumors in the relative-color images were segmented and morphologically filtered. Filtered, relative-color, tumor features were then extracted and various pattern-classification schemes were applied. Results: Experimentation resulted in four useful pattern classification methods, the best of which was an overall classification rate of 100% for melanoma and melanoma in situ (grouped) and 60% for Clark nevus. Conclusion: Melanoma and melanoma in situ have feature parameters and feature values that are similar enough to be considered one class of tumor that significantly differs from

  11. Chronic health effects in people exposed to arsenic via the drinking water: dose-response relationships in review.

    PubMed

    Yoshida, Takahiko; Yamauchi, Hiroshi; Fan Sun, Gui

    2004-08-01

    Chronic arsenic (As) poisoning has become a worldwide public health issue. Most human As exposure occurs from consumption of drinking water containing high amounts of inorganic As (iAs). In this paper, epidemiological studies conducted on the dose-response relationships between iAs exposure via the drinking water and related adverse health effects are reviewed. Before the review, the methods for evaluation of the individual As exposure are summarized and classified into two types, that is, the methods depending on As concentration of the drinking water and the methods depending on biological monitoring for As exposure; certain methods may be applied as optimum As exposure indexes to study dose-response relationship based on various As exposure situation. Chronic effects of iAs exposure via drinking water include skin lesions, neurological effects, hypertension, peripheral vascular disease, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, diabetes mellitus, and malignancies including skin cancer. The skin is quite sensitive to arsenic, and skin lesions are some of the most common and earliest nonmalignant effects related to chronic As exposure. The increase of prevalence in the skin lesions has been observed even at the exposure levels in the range of 0.005-0.01 mg/l As in drinking waters. Skin, lung, bladder, kidney, liver, and uterus are considered as sites As-induced malignancies, and the skin is though to be perhaps the most sensitive site. Prospective studies in large area of endemic As poisoning, like Bangladesh or China, where the rate of malignancies is expected to increase within the next several decades, will help to clarify the dose-response relationship between As exposure levels and adverse health effects with enhanced accuracy.

  12. Non-melanoma skin cancer: occupational risk from UV light and arsenic exposure.

    PubMed

    Surdu, Simona

    2014-01-01

    Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) has a significant impact on public health and health care costs as a result of high morbidity and disfigurement due to the destruction of surrounding tissues. Although the mortality rates of these tumors are low, the high incidence rates determine a considerable number of deaths. NMSC is the most common type of skin cancer, representing about 1/3 of all malignancies diagnosed worldwide each year. The most common NMSC are basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Studies on humans and experimental animals indicate that ultraviolet (UV) light and arsenic play important roles in the development of these skin malignancies. Several epidemiological studies have investigated the risk of developing NMSC and the potential link between exposure to sunlight and arsenic in the agricultural and industrial occupational settings. To date, the published literature suggests that there is no apparent skin cancer risk as regards workplace exposure to artificial UV light or arsenic. Concerning UV light from sun exposure at the workplace, most published studies indicated an elevated risk for SCC, but are less conclusive for BCC. Many of these studies are limited by the methodology used in the evaluation of occupational exposure and the lack of adjustment for major confounders. Therefore, further epidemiological studies are required to focus on exposure assessment at the individual level as well as potential interactions with other occupational and non-occupational exposures and individual susceptibility. In doing so, we can better quantify the true risk of skin cancer in exposed workers and inform effective public health prevention programs.

  13. Acute skin lesions after surgical procedures: a clinical approach.

    PubMed

    Borrego, L

    2013-11-01

    In the hospital setting, dermatologists are often required to evaluate inflammatory skin lesions arising during surgical procedures performed in other departments. These lesions can be of physical or chemical origin. Povidone iodine is the most common reported cause of such lesions. If this antiseptic solution remains in contact with the skin in liquid form for a long period of time, it can give rise to serious irritant contact dermatitis in dependent or occluded areas. Less common causes of skin lesions after surgery include allergic contact dermatitis and burns under the dispersive electrode of the electrosurgical device. Most skin lesions that arise during surgical procedures are due to an incorrect application of antiseptic solutions. Special care must therefore be taken during the use of these solutions and, in particular, they should be allowed to dry. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier España, S.L. and AEDV. All rights reserved.

  14. An investigation of the health effects caused by exposure to arsenic from drinking water and coal combustion: arsenic exposure and metabolism.

    PubMed

    Wei, Binggan; Yu, Jiangping; Kong, Chang; Li, Hairong; Yang, Linsheng; Guo, Zhiwei; Cui, Na; Xia, Yajuan; Wu, Kegong

    2017-11-01

    Few studies have been conducted to compare arsenic exposure, metabolism, and methylation in populations exposed to arsenic in drinking water and from coal combustion. Therefore, arsenic concentrations in the environment and arsenic speciation in the urine of subjects exposed to arsenic as a consequence of coal combustion in a rural area in Shaanxi province (CCA) and in drinking water in a rural area in Inner Mongolia (DWA) were investigated. The mean arsenic concentrations in drinking water, indoor air, and soil in CCA were 4.52 μg/L, 0.03 mg/m 3 , and 14.93 mg/kg, respectively. The mean arsenic concentrations in drinking water and soil in DWA were 144.71 μg/L and 10.19 mg/kg, respectively, while the level in indoor air was lower than the limit of detection. The total daily intakes of arsenic in DWA and CCA were 4.47 and 3.13 μg/day·kg, respectively. The mean urinary concentrations of inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), dimethylarsenic acid (DMA), and total arsenic (TAs) for subjects with skin lesions in DWA were 50.41, 47.01, 202.66, and 300.08 μg/L. The concentrations for subjects without skin lesions were 49.76, 44.20, 195.60, and 289.56 μg/L, respectively. The %iAs, %MMA, and %DMA in the TAs in the urine of subjects from CCA were 12.24, 14.73, and 73.03%, while the corresponding values from DWA were 17.54, 15.57, and 66.89%, respectively. The subjects in DWA typically had a higher %iAs and %MMA, and a lower %DMA, and primary and secondary methylation index (PMI and SMI) than the subjects in CCA. It was concluded that the arsenic methylation efficiency of subjects in DWA and CCA was significantly influenced by chronic exposure to high levels of arsenic in the environment. The lower PMI and SMI values in DWA revealed lower arsenic methylation capacity due to ingestion of arsenic in drinking water. However, it remained unclear if the differences in arsenic metabolism between the two groups were due to differences in exposure levels

  15. Nicotinamide Enhances Repair of Arsenic and Ultraviolet Radiation-Induced DNA Damage in HaCaT Keratinocytes and Ex Vivo Human Skin

    PubMed Central

    Thompson, Benjamin C.; Halliday, Gary M.; Damian, Diona L.

    2015-01-01

    Arsenic-induced skin cancer is a significant global health burden. In areas with arsenic contamination of water sources, such as China, Pakistan, Myanmar, Cambodia and especially Bangladesh and West Bengal, large populations are at risk of arsenic-induced skin cancer. Arsenic acts as a co-carcinogen with ultraviolet (UV) radiation and affects DNA damage and repair. Nicotinamide (vitamin B3) reduces premalignant keratoses in sun-damaged skin, likely by prevention of UV-induced cellular energy depletion and enhancement of DNA repair. We investigated whether nicotinamide modifies DNA repair following exposure to UV radiation and sodium arsenite. HaCaT keratinocytes and ex vivo human skin were exposed to 2μM sodium arsenite and low dose (2J/cm2) solar-simulated UV, with and without nicotinamide supplementation. DNA photolesions in the form of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine and cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers were detected by immunofluorescence. Arsenic exposure significantly increased levels of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine in irradiated cells. Nicotinamide reduced both types of photolesions in HaCaT keratinocytes and in ex vivo human skin, likely by enhancing DNA repair. These results demonstrate a reduction of two different photolesions over time in two different models in UV and arsenic exposed cells. Nicotinamide is a nontoxic, inexpensive agent with potential for chemoprevention of arsenic induced skin cancer. PMID:25658450

  16. Arsenic in the breast milk of lactating women in arsenic-affected areas of West Bengal, India and its effect on infants.

    PubMed

    Samanta, Gautam; Das, Dipankar; Mandal, Badal K; Chowdhury, Tarit Roy; Chakraborti, Dipankar; Pal, Arup; Ahamed, Sad

    2007-10-01

    Two hundred and twenty-six breast milk samples were collected from lactating women from 3 blocks of North-24 Paragans, one of the arsenic-affected districts of West Bengal, India. Out of 226 samples, only in 39 samples arsenic was detected. Urine, hair, and nail samples were also analyzed to know the arsenic body burden of the lactating women. Arsenic in drinking water was also analyzed. Principle component analysis (PCA) revealed that hair and nail arsenic was highly correlated with water arsenic concentrations, whereas arsenic in urine and breast milk did not cluster with water arsenic. Our present study indicated that among the lactating women who had high arsenic body burden and arsenical skin lesions, they had elevated level of arsenic in their breast milk. Arsenic in hair, nails, and urine samples of infants were analyzed, and the results showed significantly high-body burden of infants in those areas. PCA showed the age-dependent relationship between the hair and nail arsenic concentrations of the mothers and their babies.

  17. Safe limit of arsenic in soil in relation to dietary exposure of arsenicosis patients from Malda district, West Bengal- A case study.

    PubMed

    Golui, Debasis; Guha Mazumder, D N; Sanyal, S K; Datta, S P; Ray, P; Patra, P K; Sarkar, S; Bhattacharya, K

    2017-10-01

    Safe limit of arsenic in soil in relation to dietary exposure of arsenicosis patients was established in Malda district of West Bengal. Out of 182 participants examined, 80 (43.9%) participants showed clinical features of arsenicosis, characterized by arsenical skin lesion (pigmentation and keratosis), while 102 participants did not have any such lesion (control). Experimental results of the twenty eight soils (own field) of the participants showed the mean Olsen extractable and total arsenic concentration of 0.206 and 6.70mgkg -1 , respectively. Arsenic concentration in rice grain ranged from 2.00 to 1260μgkg -1 with the mean value of 146μgkg -1 . The hazard quotient (HQ) for intake of As by human through consumption of rice varied from 0.03 to 3.52. HQ exceeds 1.0 for drinking water and rice grain grown in the study area in many cases. As high as 77.6% variation in As content in rice grain could be explained by the solubility-free ion activity model. Toxic limit of extractable As in soil for rice in relation to soil properties and human health hazard, associated with consumption of rice grain by human, was established. For example, the permissible limit of Olsen extractable As in soil would be 0.43mgkg -1 for rice cultivation, if soil pH and organic carbon content were 7.5% and 0.50%, respectively. However, the critical limit of Olsen extractable As in soil would be 0.54mgkg -1 , if soil pH and organic carbon were 8.5% and 0.75%, respectively. The conceptual framework of fixing the toxic limit of arsenic in soils with respect to soil properties and human health under modeling-framework was established. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Thermographic diagnostics to discriminate skin lesions: a clinical study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stringasci, Mirian Denise; Moriyama, Lilian Tan; Salvio, Ana Gabriela; Bagnato, Vanderlei Salvador; Kurachi, Cristina

    2015-06-01

    Cancer is responsible for about 13% of all causes of death in the world. Over 7 million people die annually of this disease. In most cases, the survival rates are greater when diagnosed in early stages. It is known that tumor lesions present a different temperature compared with the normal tissues. Some studies have been performed in an attempt to establish new diagnosis methods, targeting this temperature difference. In this study, we aim to investigate the use of a handheld thermographic camera to discriminate skin lesions. The patients presenting Basal Cell Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Actinic Keratosis, Pigmented Seborrheic Keratosis, Melanoma or Intradermal Nevus lesions have been investigated at the Skin Departament of Amaral Carvalho Hospital. Patients are selected by a dermatologist, and the lesion images are recorded using an infrared camera. The images are evaluated taken into account the temperature level, and differences into lesion areas, borders, and between altered and normal skin. The present results show that thermography may be an important tool for aiding in the clinical diagnostics of superficial skin lesions.

  19. Neoplastic Multifocal Skin Lesions: Biology, Etiology, and Targeted Therapies for Nonmelanoma Skin Cancers.

    PubMed

    Fernandes, Ana R; Santos, Ana C; Sanchez-Lopez, Elena; Kovačević, Andjekla B; Espina, Marta; Calpena, Ana C; Veiga, Francisco J; Garcia, Maria L; Souto, Eliana B

    2018-01-01

    Neoplastic skin lesions are multifocal, diffuse skin infiltrations of particular relevance in the differential diagnosis of ulcerative, nodular, or crusting skin lesions. Nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSCs), namely, basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and also actinic keratosis (AK), are the most common malignant tumors in humans. BCCs do not proliferate rapidly and most of the times do not metastasize, while SCCs are more infiltrative, metastatic, and destructive. AKs are precursor lesions of cutaneous SCCs. The classical therapy of NMSCs makes use of photodynamic therapy associated with chemotherapeutics. With improved understanding of the pathological mechanisms of tumor initiation, progression, and differentiation, a case is made towards the use of targeted chemotherapy with the intent to reduce the cytotoxicity of classical treatments. The present review aims to describe the current state of the art on the knowledge of NMSC, including its risks factors, oncogenes, and skin carcinogenesis, discussing the classical therapy against new therapeutic options. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  20. Skin lesions in hospitalized cases of dengue Fever.

    PubMed

    Saleem, Khawer; Shaikh, Irfan

    2008-10-01

    To determine the frequency and types of skin lesions in cases of dengue fever in patients admitted in three hospitals of Karachi. Case series. Three tertiary care hospitals of Karachi, from November 2006 to February 2007. One hundred patients of dengue fever with positive anti-dengue Immunoglobulin M (IgM) serology were included in the study. The admitted patients in PNS Shifa Hospital, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and Civil Hospital, Karachi were selected for the study. Presenting features were noted. The patients were physically examined for the presence of skin and mucosal lesions and findings were recorded. Total and Differential Leukocyte Count (TLC and DLC), platelet count and Liver Function Tests (LFTs) were done in all the patients. All the patients had low leukocyte and low platelet counts. The common presenting symptoms were high-grade fever with or without rigors, headache, body aches, backache, vomiting, sore throat with cough and generalized weakness (seen in 86% patients). The uncommon presenting features were diarrhea, abdominal pain, bleeding from gums and nosebleeds (seen in 14% patients). Sixty-eight (68%) patients had skin lesions. The most common skin presentation was generalized macular blanchable erythema involving trunk and limbs, seen in 44 (65%) cases. Discrete petechial lesions were seen on various body areas in 24 (35%) cases. Palmer erythema was seen in 20 (30%) patients. Generalized itching was seen in 16 (23%) cases. Isolated itching of palms and soles was seen in 20 (30%) cases. Twenty-eight (28%) patients had deranged LFTs. Out of those, 4 patients had raised serum bilirubin level whereas rest of the 24 had raised ALT. Dengue fever commonly presents with specific skin lesions. The skin lesions can be a clue to the diagnosis in difficult cases.

  1. Paradoxical skin lesions induced by anti-TNF-α agents in SAPHO syndrome.

    PubMed

    Li, Chen; Wu, Xia; Cao, Yihan; Zeng, Yueping; Zhang, Weihong; Zhang, Shuo; Liu, Yuehua; Jin, Hongzhong; Zhang, Wen; Li, Li

    2018-04-03

    The objectives of the study were to characterize the clinical picture of paradoxical skin lesions in SAPHO patients treated with anti-TNF-α agents and to explore its pathogenesis. Patients treated with anti-TNF-α therapy were identified from a cohort of 164 SAPHO patients. The clinical data and skin biopsies were collected. The usage, efficacy, and side effects of anti-TNF-α therapy were recorded. Forty-one (25.0%) patients received anti-TNF-α therapy, of which seven (17.1%) developed paradoxical skin lesions after 1 to 14 infusions. Patients with such lesions were older at onset of skin lesions than those without (p = 0.034). Expression of TNF-α in palmoplantar pustulosis increased after anti-TNF-α therapy in the two examined patients with exacerbated skin lesions. Anti-TNF-α therapy induces paradoxical skin lesions in 17.1% SAPHO patients. Late onset of skin manifestations is associated with an increased risk of such lesions. The paradoxical elevation of TNF-α expression in lesions may contribute to this phenomenon.

  2. Automated skin lesion segmentation with kernel density estimation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pardo, A.; Real, E.; Fernandez-Barreras, G.; Madruga, F. J.; López-Higuera, J. M.; Conde, O. M.

    2017-07-01

    Skin lesion segmentation is a complex step for dermoscopy pathological diagnosis. Kernel density estimation is proposed as a segmentation technique based on the statistic distribution of color intensities in the lesion and non-lesion regions.

  3. Topical photodynamic therapy with 5-ALA in the treatment of arsenic-induced skin tumors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Karrer, Sigrid; Szeimies, Rolf-Markus; Landthaler, Michael

    1995-03-01

    A case of a 62-year-old woman suffering from psoriasis who was treated orally with arsenic 25 years ago is reported. The cumulative dose of arsenic trioxide was 800 mg. Since 10 years ago arsenic keratoses, basal cell carcinomas, Bowen's disease and invasive squamous cell carcinomas mainly on her hands and feet have developed, skin changes were clearly a sequence of arsenic therapy. Control of disease was poor, her right little finger had to be amputated. Topical photodynamic therapy with 5-aminolevulinic acid was performed on her right hand. Clinical and histological examinations 6 months after treatment showed an excellent cosmetic result with no signs of tumor residue.

  4. Papular skin lesions: Clue to a recurrence of breast cancer on fine needle non-aspiration cytology (FNNAC)

    PubMed Central

    Afrose, Ruquiya; Akram, Mohammad; Siddiqui, Shahid Ali

    2015-01-01

    Cutaneous metastasis from underlying carcinoma is relatively uncommon in clinical practice. A high index of suspicion is required to diagnose these lesions, as these lesions can mimic benign skin lesions and clinical findings may be subtle. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is commonly employed for diagnosing these skin lesions. However, it is often difficult to aspirate adequate material from small papular lesions. In these clinical situations, fine needle non-aspiration cytology (FNNAC) is proposed as an alternative procedure. FNNAC eliminates the negative suction pressure employed in FNAC and decreases the dilution of tumor cells by blood and hence yields adequate diagnostic material. We report here a case in which FNNAC was used in place of FNAC in diagnosing papular skin lesions. This procedure was carried out in a treated patient of carcinoma breast who was on regular follow-up and presented to us with a 20-day history of papular skin lesions over the chest and back. This article enlightens the clinicians about the utility of FNNAC, which is a relatively uncommon procedure. PMID:25948954

  5. Papular skin lesions: Clue to a recurrence of breast cancer on fine needle non-aspiration cytology (FNNAC).

    PubMed

    Afrose, Ruquiya; Akram, Mohammad; Siddiqui, Shahid Ali

    2015-01-01

    Cutaneous metastasis from underlying carcinoma is relatively uncommon in clinical practice. A high index of suspicion is required to diagnose these lesions, as these lesions can mimic benign skin lesions and clinical findings may be subtle. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is commonly employed for diagnosing these skin lesions. However, it is often difficult to aspirate adequate material from small papular lesions. In these clinical situations, fine needle non-aspiration cytology (FNNAC) is proposed as an alternative procedure. FNNAC eliminates the negative suction pressure employed in FNAC and decreases the dilution of tumor cells by blood and hence yields adequate diagnostic material. We report here a case in which FNNAC was used in place of FNAC in diagnosing papular skin lesions. This procedure was carried out in a treated patient of carcinoma breast who was on regular follow-up and presented to us with a 20-day history of papular skin lesions over the chest and back. This article enlightens the clinicians about the utility of FNNAC, which is a relatively uncommon procedure.

  6. Health hazards and mitigation of chronic poisoning from arsenic in drinking water: Taiwan experiences.

    PubMed

    Chen, Chien-Jen

    2014-01-01

    There are two endemic areas of long-term exposure to arsenic from drinking water in Taiwan. Residents in the southwestern and northeastern endemic areas started using high-arsenic artesian well water in the early 1910s and late 1940s, respectively. Public water supply system using surface water was implemented in southwestern and northeastern endemic areas in the 1970s and 1990s, respectively. Systemic health hazards of long-term exposure to arsenic in drinking water have been intensively investigated since the 1960s, especially after 1985 in Taiwan. Several diseases have been well documented to be associated with chronic arsenic poisoning from drinking water showing a dose-response relation. They include characteristic skin lesions like hyperpigmentation or depigmentation, hyperkeratosis in palms and soles, and Bowen disease, peripheral vascular disease (specifically blackfoot disease), ischemic heart disease, cerebral infarction, microvascular diseases, abnormal peripheral microcirculation, carotid atherosclerosis, QT prolongation and increased dispersion in electrocardiography, hypertension, goiter, diabetes mellitus, cataract (specifically posterior subcapsular lens opacity), pterygium, slow neural conduction, retarded neurobehavioral development, erectile dysfunction, and cancers of the skin, lung, urinary bladder, kidney, and liver. The method of choice to mitigate arsenic poisoning through drinking water is to use safe drinking water from uncontaminated sources.

  7. Inflammatory features of melasma lesions in Asian skin.

    PubMed

    Noh, Tai Kyung; Choi, Seok Joo; Chung, Bo Young; Kang, Jin Soo; Lee, Jong Hee; Lee, Mi Woo; Chang, Sung Eun

    2014-09-01

    Melasma is triggered by various factors including ultraviolet radiation and estrogen; however, its pathogenesis is unclear. To investigate the inflammatory features of melasma lesions as triggers for this disorder, 197 women with melasma who attended Asan Medical Center and Kangskin Clinic, Seoul, from June 2011 to October 2011 completed a questionnaire concerning triggering or aggravating factors. These cases were divided into "non-inflammatory" and "inflammatory" groups. Skin biopsies and immunostaining for CD68, CD117, and leukocyte common antigen (LCA) were performed in the lesional and peri-lesional skin of ten cases in the non-inflammatory group and nine cases in the inflammatory group. Among the 197 subjects (mean age, 41.5 years; mean age of melasma onset, 33.8 years), 50 patients (25.4%) were categorized into the inflammatory group. This group comprised cases that had inflammatory symptoms and events that triggered the melasma lesions. The lesional dermis contained more CD68(+) melanophages, CD117(+) mast cells, and LCA(+) leukocytes in the inflammatory group than in the non-inflammatory group. Inflammatory clinical features and an increased number of inflammatory cells in the lesion may be involved in the development of melasma in Asian skin. © 2014 Japanese Dermatological Association.

  8. Multimodal digital color imaging system for facial skin lesion analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bae, Youngwoo; Lee, Youn-Heum; Jung, Byungjo

    2008-02-01

    In dermatology, various digital imaging modalities have been used as an important tool to quantitatively evaluate the treatment effect of skin lesions. Cross-polarization color image was used to evaluate skin chromophores (melanin and hemoglobin) information and parallel-polarization image to evaluate skin texture information. In addition, UV-A induced fluorescent image has been widely used to evaluate various skin conditions such as sebum, keratosis, sun damages, and vitiligo. In order to maximize the evaluation efficacy of various skin lesions, it is necessary to integrate various imaging modalities into an imaging system. In this study, we propose a multimodal digital color imaging system, which provides four different digital color images of standard color image, parallel and cross-polarization color image, and UV-A induced fluorescent color image. Herein, we describe the imaging system and present the examples of image analysis. By analyzing the color information and morphological features of facial skin lesions, we are able to comparably and simultaneously evaluate various skin lesions. In conclusion, we are sure that the multimodal color imaging system can be utilized as an important assistant tool in dermatology.

  9. Skin Lesion Analysis towards Melanoma Detection Using Deep Learning Network

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    Skin lesions are a severe disease globally. Early detection of melanoma in dermoscopy images significantly increases the survival rate. However, the accurate recognition of melanoma is extremely challenging due to the following reasons: low contrast between lesions and skin, visual similarity between melanoma and non-melanoma lesions, etc. Hence, reliable automatic detection of skin tumors is very useful to increase the accuracy and efficiency of pathologists. In this paper, we proposed two deep learning methods to address three main tasks emerging in the area of skin lesion image processing, i.e., lesion segmentation (task 1), lesion dermoscopic feature extraction (task 2) and lesion classification (task 3). A deep learning framework consisting of two fully convolutional residual networks (FCRN) is proposed to simultaneously produce the segmentation result and the coarse classification result. A lesion index calculation unit (LICU) is developed to refine the coarse classification results by calculating the distance heat-map. A straight-forward CNN is proposed for the dermoscopic feature extraction task. The proposed deep learning frameworks were evaluated on the ISIC 2017 dataset. Experimental results show the promising accuracies of our frameworks, i.e., 0.753 for task 1, 0.848 for task 2 and 0.912 for task 3 were achieved. PMID:29439500

  10. Skin Lesion Analysis towards Melanoma Detection Using Deep Learning Network.

    PubMed

    Li, Yuexiang; Shen, Linlin

    2018-02-11

    Skin lesions are a severe disease globally. Early detection of melanoma in dermoscopy images significantly increases the survival rate. However, the accurate recognition of melanoma is extremely challenging due to the following reasons: low contrast between lesions and skin, visual similarity between melanoma and non-melanoma lesions, etc. Hence, reliable automatic detection of skin tumors is very useful to increase the accuracy and efficiency of pathologists. In this paper, we proposed two deep learning methods to address three main tasks emerging in the area of skin lesion image processing, i.e., lesion segmentation (task 1), lesion dermoscopic feature extraction (task 2) and lesion classification (task 3). A deep learning framework consisting of two fully convolutional residual networks (FCRN) is proposed to simultaneously produce the segmentation result and the coarse classification result. A lesion index calculation unit (LICU) is developed to refine the coarse classification results by calculating the distance heat-map. A straight-forward CNN is proposed for the dermoscopic feature extraction task. The proposed deep learning frameworks were evaluated on the ISIC 2017 dataset. Experimental results show the promising accuracies of our frameworks, i.e., 0.753 for task 1, 0.848 for task 2 and 0.912 for task 3 were achieved.

  11. An Interesting Case of Basal Cell Carcinoma with Raynaud's Phenomenon Following Chronic Arsenic Exposure.

    PubMed

    Gulshan, S; Rahman, M J; Sarkar, R; Ghosh, S; Hazra, R

    2016-01-01

    Arsenic is commonly known to be associated with squamous cell carcinoma. Among the lesser known associations is basal cell carcinoma and even rarer is its effect on blood vessels causing peripheral vascular disease. Here we present a case of a 55 yr old man with ulceroproliferative lesions on scalp and forehead along with several hyperpigmented patches on trunk and extremities. He had symptoms suggestive of Raynaud's phenomenon that eventually led to digital gangrene. FNAC was done which was suggestive of basal cell carcinoma. On further enquiry, he was found to reside in an arsenic endemic zone and was investigated for blood arsenic level which was elevated. Punch biopsy from different lesions from body confirmed nodular basal cell carcinoma. Presently the patient has stopped drinking water from the local tubewell. On follow-up he shows improvement of Raynaud's phenomenon and skin lesions.

  12. Expression of IL-33 in chronic lesional skin of canine atopic dermatitis.

    PubMed

    Asahina, Ryota; Nishida, Hidetaka; Kamishina, Hiroaki; Maeda, Sadatoshi

    2018-06-01

    In humans, interleukin (IL)-33 plays a critical role in the enhancement of allergic skin inflammation. However, it currently remains unclear whether IL-33 is involved in the pathogenesis of canine atopic dermatitis (cAD). To examine the expression of IL-33 in chronic lesional skin of cAD. Eight dogs with spontaneous cAD and five healthy dogs were used. The transcription of il-33 in chronic lesional skin of cAD was quantified by quantitative reverse transcription PCR. The expression of IL-33 was evaluated immunohistochemically using an anti-human IL-33 monoclonal antibody with cross-reactivity to canine IL-33. The transcription levels of il-33 in chronic lesional skin of cAD were significantly higher than those in normal skin of healthy dogs. Keratinocytes were a major cellular source of IL-33 production in chronic lesional skin of cAD. The results indicate that IL-33 is involved in chronic lesional skin of cAD. © 2018 ESVD and ACVD.

  13. Strain differences in arsenic-induced oxidative lesion via arsenic biomethylation between C57BL/6J and 129X1/SvJ mice

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Ruirui; Wu, Xiafang; Wang, Huihui; Fang, Xin; Li, Yongfang; Gao, Lanyue; Sun, Guifan; Pi, Jingbo; Xu, Yuanyuan

    2017-03-01

    Arsenic is a common environmental and occupational toxicant with dramatic species differences in its susceptibility and metabolism. Mouse strain variability may provide a better understanding of the arsenic pathological profile but is largely unknown. Here we investigated oxidative lesion induced by acute arsenic exposure in the two frequently used mouse strains C57BL/6J and 129X1/SvJ in classical gene targeting technique. A dose of 5 mg/kg body weight arsenic led to a significant alteration of blood glutathione towards oxidized redox potential and increased hepatic malondialdehyde content in C57BL/6J mice, but not in 129X1/SvJ mice. Hepatic antioxidant enzymes were induced by arsenic in transcription in both strains and many were higher in C57BL/6J than 129X1/SvJ mice. Arsenic profiles in the liver, blood and urine and transcription of genes encoding enzymes involved in arsenic biomethylation all indicate a higher arsenic methylation capacity, which contributes to a faster hepatic arsenic excretion, in 129X1/SvJ mice than C57BL/6J mice. Taken together, C57BL/6J mice are more susceptible to oxidative hepatic injury compared with 129X1/SvJ mice after acute arsenic exposure, which is closely associated with arsenic methylation pattern of the two strains.

  14. Density-based parallel skin lesion border detection with webCL

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    Background Dermoscopy is a highly effective and noninvasive imaging technique used in diagnosis of melanoma and other pigmented skin lesions. Many aspects of the lesion under consideration are defined in relation to the lesion border. This makes border detection one of the most important steps in dermoscopic image analysis. In current practice, dermatologists often delineate borders through a hand drawn representation based upon visual inspection. Due to the subjective nature of this technique, intra- and inter-observer variations are common. Because of this, the automated assessment of lesion borders in dermoscopic images has become an important area of study. Methods Fast density based skin lesion border detection method has been implemented in parallel with a new parallel technology called WebCL. WebCL utilizes client side computing capabilities to use available hardware resources such as multi cores and GPUs. Developed WebCL-parallel density based skin lesion border detection method runs efficiently from internet browsers. Results Previous research indicates that one of the highest accuracy rates can be achieved using density based clustering techniques for skin lesion border detection. While these algorithms do have unfavorable time complexities, this effect could be mitigated when implemented in parallel. In this study, density based clustering technique for skin lesion border detection is parallelized and redesigned to run very efficiently on the heterogeneous platforms (e.g. tablets, SmartPhones, multi-core CPUs, GPUs, and fully-integrated Accelerated Processing Units) by transforming the technique into a series of independent concurrent operations. Heterogeneous computing is adopted to support accessibility, portability and multi-device use in the clinical settings. For this, we used WebCL, an emerging technology that enables a HTML5 Web browser to execute code in parallel for heterogeneous platforms. We depicted WebCL and our parallel algorithm design. In

  15. Density-based parallel skin lesion border detection with webCL.

    PubMed

    Lemon, James; Kockara, Sinan; Halic, Tansel; Mete, Mutlu

    2015-01-01

    Dermoscopy is a highly effective and noninvasive imaging technique used in diagnosis of melanoma and other pigmented skin lesions. Many aspects of the lesion under consideration are defined in relation to the lesion border. This makes border detection one of the most important steps in dermoscopic image analysis. In current practice, dermatologists often delineate borders through a hand drawn representation based upon visual inspection. Due to the subjective nature of this technique, intra- and inter-observer variations are common. Because of this, the automated assessment of lesion borders in dermoscopic images has become an important area of study. Fast density based skin lesion border detection method has been implemented in parallel with a new parallel technology called WebCL. WebCL utilizes client side computing capabilities to use available hardware resources such as multi cores and GPUs. Developed WebCL-parallel density based skin lesion border detection method runs efficiently from internet browsers. Previous research indicates that one of the highest accuracy rates can be achieved using density based clustering techniques for skin lesion border detection. While these algorithms do have unfavorable time complexities, this effect could be mitigated when implemented in parallel. In this study, density based clustering technique for skin lesion border detection is parallelized and redesigned to run very efficiently on the heterogeneous platforms (e.g. tablets, SmartPhones, multi-core CPUs, GPUs, and fully-integrated Accelerated Processing Units) by transforming the technique into a series of independent concurrent operations. Heterogeneous computing is adopted to support accessibility, portability and multi-device use in the clinical settings. For this, we used WebCL, an emerging technology that enables a HTML5 Web browser to execute code in parallel for heterogeneous platforms. We depicted WebCL and our parallel algorithm design. In addition, we tested

  16. Etiology of chronic skin lesions in subjects with peripheral arterial disease.

    PubMed

    Chisari, G; Chisari, E M; Borzì, A M; Grasso, A; Chisari, C G

    2018-01-01

    Skin lesions can be defined as lesions that result in loss of tissues and their joints, and often this cutaneous skin process is a primary or secondary consequence of the structural changes in the skin itself. Subjects with peripheral arteripathies that develop chronic skin lesions in the lower extremities of the Western world are constantly increasing. We conducted a study on the etiologic incidence of chronic skin lesions in peripheral arterial disease CSLpa subjects in the lower limbs compared to subjects with chronic skin lesions CSL (controls). 30 subjects with peripheral atheropathies PA (22 F - 8 M mean age 74,5 ± 4,9) and with chronic skin lesions (CSLpa) in the lower limbs "A" group were admitted to our study according to a randomized and compared to 30 no peripheral atheropathies subjects (19 F-11 M, mean age 81,5 ± 7,3 - controls) group B with chronic skin lesions (CSL). These two groups "A" and "B" have been studied and compared on the basis of infectious etiology responsible for the infectious skin process. In the subjects of the "A" group we found a 12 positive assay of 40.0% of the examinations, while in the group "B" we achieved a total cultured positivity of 9 cases corresponding to 30.0% of the examinations . For the number of bacterial species identified for "A" group we obtained 3 mono microbial and 6 poly microbial bacteriological tests and for group "B" we observed 7 mono microbial and 2 poly microbial tests. All bacteriological isolates showed "in vitro" sensitivity to satisfactory ciprofloxacin with MICs range of 0.78-1.56mg/L. The data observed after 4 weeks after the amniotic membrane (MA) in the two study groups A and B were respectively the following: and for group A 50% scarring, 46.6% partial resolution and in one case worsening for the B-healing group in 63.3%, the partial resolution in the remaining 36.6. The data from this study show a different etiology between subjects with CSLpa than subjects with CSL. This phenomenon confirms

  17. Transcriptional regulation of ataxia-telangiectasia and Rad3-related protein by activated p21-activated kinase-1 protects keratinocytes in UV-B-induced premalignant skin lesions.

    PubMed

    Beesetti, S; Mavuluri, J; Surabhi, R P; Oberyszyn, T M; Tober, K; Pitani, R S; Joseph, L D; Venkatraman, G; Rayala, S K

    2017-11-02

    Sun-induced skin lesions, in particular actinic keratosis, are generally considered as premalignant skin lesions that can progress into squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and invasive SCC if left untreated. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms by which the ultraviolet-B (UV-B)-exposed cells are being protected and the signaling pathways that promote the progression of certain premalignant skin lesions to malignant lesions will permit us to prevent or cure skin cancers. In the current study, we found that phospho-p21-activated kinase-1 (Pak1) and Pak1 expression was high in clinical samples of sunlight-induced premalignant skin lesions assessed by immunohistochemistry. Further, we observed that phospho-Pak1 and Pak1 levels are high in UV-B-exposed hairless SKH mouse model skin samples as compared with unexposed skin tissue. Our results from cell line and animal models showed that Pak1 is activated in response to UV-B radiation, and this activated Pak1 translocates from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. Inside the nucleus, Pak1 via C-Fos binds to a specific promoter region of DNA repair kinase ATR (ataxia-telangiectasia and Rad3-related protein) and acts as a transcriptional regulator of ATR. Results from our analysis showed that Pak1 overexpression, knockdown and Pak1 knockout cell line models showed that Pak1 confers protection to keratinocytes from UV-B-induced apoptosis and DNA damage via ATR. To our knowledge, this is the first study that evaluates the functional and clinical significance of a signaling molecule, Pak1, in sun-induced premalignant skin lesions and indicates that increased Pak1 activation and expression could serve as an early warning sign of progression toward non-melanoma skin cancer, if ignored.

  18. Histopathology of Incontinence-Associated Skin Lesions: Inner Tissue Damage Due to Invasion of Proteolytic Enzymes and Bacteria in Macerated Rat Skin

    PubMed Central

    Mugita, Yuko; Minematsu, Takeo; Huang, Lijuan; Nakagami, Gojiro; Kishi, Chihiro; Ichikawa, Yoshie; Nagase, Takashi; Oe, Makoto; Noguchi, Hiroshi; Mori, Taketoshi; Abe, Masatoshi; Sugama, Junko; Sanada, Hiromi

    2015-01-01

    A common complication in patients with incontinence is perineal skin lesions, which are recognized as a form of dermatitis. In these patients, perineal skin is exposed to digestive enzymes and intestinal bacterial flora, as well as excessive water. The relative contributions of digestive enzymes and intestinal bacterial flora to skin lesion formation have not been fully shown. This study was conducted to reveal the process of histopathological changes caused by proteases and bacterial inoculation in skin maceration. For skin maceration, agarose gel containing proteases was applied to the dorsal skin of male Sprague-Dawley rats for 4 h, followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa inoculation for 30 min. Macroscopic changes, histological changes, bacterial distribution, inflammatory response, and keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation were examined. Proteases induced digestion in the prickle cell layer of the epidermis, and slight bleeding in the papillary dermis and around hair follicles in the macerated skin without macroscopic evidence of erosion. Bacterial inoculation of the skin macerated by proteolytic solution resulted in the formation of bacteria-rich clusters comprising numerous microorganisms and inflammatory cells within the papillary dermis, with remarkable tissue damage around the clusters. Tissue damage expanded by day 2. On day 3, the proliferative keratinocyte layer was elongated from the bulge region of the hair follicles. Application of proteases and P. aeruginosa induced skin lesion formation internally without macroscopic erosion of the overhydrated area, suggesting that the histopathology might be different from regular dermatitis. The healing process of this lesion is similar to transepidermal elimination. PMID:26407180

  19. Melanoma Is Skin Deep: A 3D Reconstruction Technique for Computerized Dermoscopic Skin Lesion Classification

    PubMed Central

    Satheesha, T. Y.; Prasad, M. N. Giri; Dhruve, Kashyap D.

    2017-01-01

    Melanoma mortality rates are the highest amongst skin cancer patients. Melanoma is life threating when it grows beyond the dermis of the skin. Hence, depth is an important factor to diagnose melanoma. This paper introduces a non-invasive computerized dermoscopy system that considers the estimated depth of skin lesions for diagnosis. A 3-D skin lesion reconstruction technique using the estimated depth obtained from regular dermoscopic images is presented. On basis of the 3-D reconstruction, depth and 3-D shape features are extracted. In addition to 3-D features, regular color, texture, and 2-D shape features are also extracted. Feature extraction is critical to achieve accurate results. Apart from melanoma, in-situ melanoma the proposed system is designed to diagnose basal cell carcinoma, blue nevus, dermatofibroma, haemangioma, seborrhoeic keratosis, and normal mole lesions. For experimental evaluations, the PH2, ISIC: Melanoma Project, and ATLAS dermoscopy data sets is considered. Different feature set combinations is considered and performance is evaluated. Significant performance improvement is reported the post inclusion of estimated depth and 3-D features. The good classification scores of sensitivity = 96%, specificity = 97% on PH2 data set and sensitivity = 98%, specificity = 99% on the ATLAS data set is achieved. Experiments conducted to estimate tumor depth from 3-D lesion reconstruction is presented. Experimental results achieved prove that the proposed computerized dermoscopy system is efficient and can be used to diagnose varied skin lesion dermoscopy images. PMID:28512610

  20. Prevalence of Oral, Skin, and Oral and Skin Lesions of Lichen Planus in Patients Visiting a Dental School in Southern India

    PubMed Central

    Omal, PM; Jacob, Vimal; Prathap, Akhilesh; Thomas, Nebu George

    2012-01-01

    Background: Lichen planus (LP) is a mucocutaneous disease that is relatively common among adult population. LP can present as skin and oral lesions. This study highlights the prevalence of oral, skin, and oral and skin lesions of LP. Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of oral, skin, and oral and skin lesions of LP from a population of patients attending the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiodiagnosis, Pushpagiri College of Dental Sciences, Tiruvalla, Kerala, India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of oral, skin, and oral and skin lesions of LP. This is a ongoing prospective study with results of 2 years being reported. LP was diagnosed on the basis of clinical presentation and histopathological analysis of mucosal and skin biopsy done for all patients suspected of having LP. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS (Statistical package for social sciences) software version 14. To test the statistical significance, chi-square test was used. Results: Out of 18,306 patients screened, 8,040 were males and 10,266 females. LP was seen in 118 cases (0.64%). Increased prevalence of LP was observed in middle age adults (40–60 years age group) with lowest age of 12 years and highest age of 65 years. No statistically significant differences were observed between the genders in skin LP group (P=0.12) and in oral and skin LP groups (P=0.06); however, a strong female predilection was seen in oral LP group (P=0.000036). The prevalence of cutaneous LP in oral LP patients was 0.06%. Conclusion: This study showed an increased prevalence of oral LP than skin LP, and oral and skin LP with a female predominance. PMID:22615505

  1. When are circular lesions square? A national clinical education skin lesion audit and study.

    PubMed

    Miranda, Benjamin H; Herman, Katie A; Malahias, Marco; Juma, Ali

    2014-09-01

    Skin cancer is the most prevalent cancer by organ type and referral accuracy is vital for diagnosis and management. The British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) and literature highlight the importance of accurate skin lesion examination, diagnosis and educationally-relevant studies. We undertook a review of the relevant literature, a national audit of skin lesion description standards and a study of speciality training influences on these descriptions. Questionnaires (n=200), with pictures of a circular and an oval lesion, were distributed to UK dermatology/plastic surgery consultants and speciality trainees (ST), general practitioners (GP), and medical students (MS). The following variables were analysed against a pre-defined 95% inclusion accuracy standard: site, shape, size, skin/colour, and presence of associated scars. There were 250 lesion descriptions provided by 125 consultants, STs, GPs, and MSs. Inclusion accuracy was greatest for consultants over STs (80% vs. 68%; P<0.001), GPs (57%) and MSs (46%) (P<0.0001), for STs over GPs (P<0.010) and MSs (P<0.0001) and for GPs over MSs (P<0.010), all falling below audit standard. Size description accuracy sub-analysis according to circular/oval dimensions was as follows: consultants (94%), GPs (80%), STs (73%), MSs (37%), with the most common error implying a quadrilateral shape (66%). Addressing BAD guidelines and published requirements for more empirical performance data to improve teaching methods, we performed a national audit and studied skin lesion descriptions. To improve diagnostic and referral accuracy for patients, healthcare professionals must strive towards accuracy (a circle is not a square). We provide supportive evidence that increased speciality training improves this process and propose that greater focus is placed on such training early on during medical training, and maintained throughout clinical practice.

  2. Pathogenesis and treatment of skin lesions caused by sulfur mustard.

    PubMed

    Poursaleh, Zohreh; Ghanei, Mostafa; Babamahmoodi, Farhang; Izadi, Morteza; Harandi, Ali Amini; Emadi, Seyed Emad; Taghavi, Nez'hat-o-Sadat; Sayad-Nouri, Seyede Somaye; Emadi, Seyed Naser

    2012-09-01

    Sulfur mustard (SM) exposure intensely causes lesions that range in severity from mild erythema to blister formation and necrosis. This review will discuss acute and long-term skin consequences due to exposure to SM and different kinds of medical prophylaxis and therapeutics against SM-induced skin lesions. Literature survey of medical case reports, clinical studies, and original articles was performed using PubMed, Medline, and the Cochrane Database (1917-2011 March). Key words included sulfur mustard, skin, toxicity, pathogenesis, cancer, treatment. SM-induced damage to the skin is characterized by edema, inflammation, and cell death mainly of the basal keratinocyte layer, with varying immunological and pathological changes in the acute phase. Also, xerosis, hypo or hyper pigmentation, scars, and rarely, skin cancers are long-term cutaneous effects. So far,the combination therapy of topical drugs and oral antihistamines, also iodine and antitumor necrosis factor alpha antibodies, are effective remedies in the treatment of skin lesions. The requirement for preparedness in the dermatological community concerning SM exposure is underlined. Novel treatments for prevention and therapeutics against SM toxicity and carcinogenicity are reviewed.

  3. Risk assessment and pathway study of arsenic in industrially contaminated sites of Hyderabad: a case study.

    PubMed

    Chandra Sekhar, K; Chary, N S; Kamala, C T; Venkateswara Rao, J; Balaram, V; Anjaneyulu, Y

    2003-08-01

    Different areas in the industrial region of Patancheru near Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (A.P), India are contaminated with high concentration of arsenic, which is attributed to industrial source like veterinary chemicals, pharmaceuticals, pesticide industries, etc. Fourteen villages of this area of Patancheru were assessed for arsenic contamination by collecting samples of water (surface and ground), soil, fodder, milk, and vegetables. The total arsenic content in the whole blood, urine, hair, and nails of the residents showing arsenical skin lesions and other clinical manifestations were also studied. To understand the bioavailability of arsenic in this environment and its possible entry into human food chain, speciation studies of arsenic was carried out and the results are presented in this paper.

  4. Chronic arsenic exposure increases TGFalpha concentration in bladder urothelial cells of Mexican populations environmentally exposed to inorganic arsenic☆

    PubMed Central

    Valenzuela, Olga L.; Germolec, Dori R.; Borja-Aburto, Víctor H.; Contreras-Ruiz, José; García-Vargas, Gonzalo G.; Del Razo, Luz M.

    2009-01-01

    Inorganic arsenic (iAs) is a well-established carcinogen and human exposure has been associated with a variety of cancers including those of skin, lung, and bladder. High expression of transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-α) has associated with local relapses in early stages of urinary bladder cancer. iAs exposures are at least in part determined by the rate of formation and composition of iAs metabolites (MAsIII, MAsV, DMAsIII, DMAsV). This study examines the relationship between TGF-α concentration in exfoliated bladder urothelial cells (BUC) separated from urine and urinary arsenic species in 72 resident women (18-51 years old) from areas exposed to different concentrations of iAs in drinking water (2-378 ppb) in central Mexico. Urinary arsenic species, including trivalent methylated metabolites were measured by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry method. The concentration of TGF-α in BUC was measured using an ELISA assay. Results show a statistically significant positive correlation between TGF-α concentration in BUC and each of the six arsenic species present in urine. The multivariate linear regression analyses show that the increment of TGF-α levels in BUC was importantly associated with the presence of arsenic species after adjusting by age, and presence of urinary infection. People from areas with high arsenic exposure had a significantly higher TGF-α concentration in BUC than people from areas of low arsenic exposure (128.8 vs. 64.4 pg/mg protein; p<0.05). Notably, exfoliated cells isolated from individuals with skin lesions contained significantly greater amount of TGF-α than cells from individuals without skin lesions: 157.7 vs. 64.9 pg/mg protein (p=0.003). These results suggest that TGF-α in exfoliated BUC may serve as a susceptibility marker of adverse health effects on epithelial tissue in arsenic-endemic areas. PMID:17267001

  5. Factors associated with the number of lesions excised for each skin cancer: a study of primary care physicians in Queensland, Australia.

    PubMed

    Baade, Peter D; Youl, Philippa H; Janda, Monika; Whiteman, David C; Del Mar, Christopher B; Aitken, Joanne F

    2008-11-01

    To assess physician, patient, and skin lesion characteristics that affect the number of benign skin lesions excised by primary care physicians for each skin cancer. Prospective study collecting clinical, patient, and histopathologic details of excisions or biopsies of skin lesions by random samples of primary care physicians. Southeast Queensland involving traditional family medicine physicians (n = 104; response rate, 53.9%) and family medicine physicians working in 27 primary care skin cancer clinics (n = 50; response rate, 75.0%). Of 28 755 skin examinations recorded during the study, 11 403 skin lesions were excised or biopsied; 97.5% of the excised lesions had clinical and histologic diagnoses recorded. Number of lesions needed to excise or biopsy (NNE) for 1 melanoma (pigmented lesions only) and NNE for 1 nonmelanoma skin cancer (nonpigmented lesions only). The NNE for nonpigmented lesions (n = 8139) was 1.5 (95% confidence interval, 1.4-1.6) and for pigmented lesions (n = 2977) was 19.6 (16.2-22.9). The NNE estimates were up to 8 times lower if the physician thought the lesion was likely to be malignant and up to 2.5 times higher if there was strong patient pressure to excise. The NNE estimates varied by other physician-, patient-, and lesion-related variables. Clinical impressions of excised skin lesions were strongly associated with NNE estimates. By focusing on pigmented skin lesions and by addressing the physician- and patient-specific factors identified, the effectiveness of future training for primary care physicians in the clinical management of skin cancer could be improved.

  6. Diospyros lotus leaf and grapefruit stem extract synergistically ameliorate atopic dermatitis-like skin lesion in mice by suppressing infiltration of mast cells in skin lesions.

    PubMed

    Cho, Byoung Ok; Che, Denis Nchang; Yin, Hong Hua; Shin, Jae Young; Jang, Seon Il

    2017-05-01

    Atopic dermatitis, a chronic relapsing and pruritic inflammation of the skin also thought to be involved in, or caused by immune system destruction is an upsetting health problem due to its continuously increasing incidence especially in developed countries. Mast cell infiltration in atopic dermatitis skin lesions and its IgE-mediated activation releases various cytokines and chemokines that have been implicated in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis. This study was aimed at investigating synergistic anti-inflammatory, anti-pruritic and anti-atopic dermatitis effects of Diospyros lotus leaf extract (DLE) and Muscat bailey A grapefruit stem extract (GFSE) in atopic dermatitis-like induced skin lesions in mice. Combinations of DLE and GFSE inhibited TNF-α and IL-6 production more than DLE or GFSE in PMA plus calcium ionophore A23187-activated HMC-1 cells. DLE and GFSE synergistically inhibited compound 48/80-induced dermal infiltration of mast cells and reduced scratching behavior than DLE or GFSE. Furthermore, DLE and GFSE synergistically showed a stronger ameliorative effect in skin lesions by reducing clinical scores; dermal infiltration of mast cells; ear and dorsal skin thickness; serum IgE and IL-4 production in atopic dermatitis-like mice. Collectively, these results suggest that DLE and GFSE synergistically exhibit anti-atopic dermatitis effects in atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in mice. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

  7. GSTO and AS3MT genetic polymorphisms and differences in urinary arsenic concentrations among residents in Bangladesh.

    PubMed

    Rodrigues, Ema G; Kile, Molly; Hoffman, Elaine; Quamruzzaman, Quazi; Rahman, Mahmuder; Mahiuddin, Golam; Hsueh, Yumei; Christiani, David C

    2012-05-01

    We determined whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the glutathione S-transferase omega (GSTO) and arsenic(III)methyltransferase (AS3MT) genes were associated with concentrations of urinary arsenic metabolites among 900 individuals without skin lesions in Bangladesh. Four SNPs were assessed in these genes. A pathway analysis evaluated the association between urinary arsenic metabolites and SNPs. GSTO1 rs4925 homozygous wild type was significantly associated with higher monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid urinary concentrations, whereas wild-type AS3MT rs11191439 had significantly lower levels of As(III) and MMA. Genetic polymorphisms GSTO and As3MT modify arsenic metabolism as evidenced by altered urinary arsenic excretion.

  8. Managing hazardous pollutants in Chile: arsenic.

    PubMed

    Sancha, Ana María; O'Ryan, Raul

    2008-01-01

    Chile is one of the few countries that faces the environmental challenge posed by extensive arsenic pollution, which exists in the northern part of the country. Chile has worked through various options to appropriately address the environmental challenge of arsenic pollution of water and air. Because of cost and other reasons, copying standards used elsewhere in the world was not an option for Chile. Approximately 1.8 million people, representing about 12% of the total population of the country, live in arsenic-contaminated areas. In these regions, air, water, and soil are contaminated with arsenic from both natural and anthropogenic sources. For long periods, water consumed by the population contained arsenic levels that exceeded values recommended by the World Health Organization. Exposure to airborne arsenic also occurred near several large cities, as a consequence of both natural contamination and the intensive mining activity carried out in those areas. In rural areas, indigenous populations, who lack access to treated water, were also exposed to arsenic by consuming foods grown locally in arsenic-contaminated soils. Health effects in children and adults from arsenic exposure first appeared in the 1950s. Such effects included vascular, respiratory, and skin lesions from intake of high arsenic levels in drinking water. Methods to remove arsenic from water were evaluated, developed, and implemented that allowed significant reductions in exposure at a relatively low cost. Construction and operation of treatment plants to remove arsenic from water first began in the 1970s. Beginning in the 1990s, epidemiological studies showed that the rate of lung and bladder cancer in the arsenic-polluted area was considerably higher than mean cancer rates for the country. Cancer incidence was directly related to arsenic exposure. During the 1990s, international pressure and concern by Chile's Health Ministry prompted action to regulate arsenic emissions from copper smelters. A

  9. Associations between site of skin lesions and depression, social anxiety, body-related emotions and feelings of stigmatization in psoriasis patients.

    PubMed

    Łakuta, Patryk; Marcinkiewicz, Kamil; Bergler-Czop, Beata; Brzezińska-Wcisło, Ligia; Słomian, Anna

    2018-02-01

    Research has demonstrated a link between psoriasis and a multitude of psychological impairments; however, relatively few studies have examined the importance of site of skin lesions for negative psychological outcomes in psoriasis patients. To investigate relationships between anatomical location of psoriatic lesions and experiences of stigmatization, negative emotional attitude towards the body, depression and social anxiety. Adult psoriasis patients ( N = 193) completed the Stigmatization Scale, the Body Emotions Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Social Anxiety Questionnaire. The body surface area index was used to assess the location and extent of psoriasis. Feelings of stigmatization were found to be most closely related to the presence of psoriatic lesions on the chest, and the arms and hands. Higher levels of social anxiety were found to be most closely related to the location of psoriatic lesions on the head and neck. Negative emotional attitude towards the body was found to be most closely related to the location of psoriatic lesions on the arms and hands, and on the head and neck. Higher levels of depressive symptoms were most closely related to the presence of psoriatic lesions on the head and neck, the arms and hands, and the genital area. The presence of psoriatic lesions on the head, neck, and chest, and also on the arms and hands and the genital area, should alert clinicians to a higher risk of psychological impairments. This may help to better recognize and prevent cumulative life course impairment.

  10. Special Report on Ingested Inorganic Arsenic: Skin Cancer; Nutritional Essentiality (Sab Review Draft)

    EPA Science Inventory

    A technical panel of EPA's Risk Assessment Forum has studied three special issues regarding certain health effects, particularly skin cancer, associated with arsenic ingestion: (1) the validity of the Taiwan study and its use for dose-response assessment in the U.S. population, (...

  11. Arsenic exposure and its impact on health in Chile.

    PubMed

    Ferreccio, Catterina; Sancha, Ana María

    2006-06-01

    The problem of arsenic in Chile was reviewed. In Chile, the population is exposed to arsenic naturally via drinking-water and by air pollution resulted from mining activities. The sources of arsenic were identified to estimate the exposure of population to arsenic through air, water, and food. Health effects, particularly early effects, observed in children and adults, such as vascular diseases (premature cardiac infarct), respiratory illnesses (bronchiectasis), and skin lesions have been described. Chronic effects, such as lung and bladder cancers, were reported 20 years after peak exposure and persisted 27 years after mitigation measures for removing arsenic from drinking surface water were initiated. Although the effects of arsenic are similar in different ethnic and cultural groups (e.g. Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Bangladeshi, American, and Taiwanese), variations could be explained by age at exposure, the dose received, smoking, and nutrition. Since health effects were observed at arsenic levels of 50 microg/L in drinking-water, it is advised that Chile follows the World Health Organization's recommendation of 10 microg/L. The Chilean experience in removal of arsenic suggests that it is feasible to reach this level using the conventional coagulation process.

  12. Applying laser speckle images to skin science: skin lesion differentiation by polarization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Tim K.; Tchvialeva, Lioudmila; Dhadwal, Gurbir; Sotoodian, Bahman; Kalai, Sunil; Zeng, Haishan; Lui, Harvey; McLean, David I.

    2011-09-01

    Skin cancer is a worldwide health problem. It is the most common cancer in the countries with a large white population; furthermore, the incidence of malignant melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, has been increasing steadily over the last three decades. There is an urgent need to develop in-vivo, noninvasive diagnostic tools for the disease. This paper attempts to response to the challenge by introducing a simple and fast method based on polarization and laser speckle. The degree of maintaining polarization estimates the fraction of linearly maintaining polarization in the backscattered speckle field. Clinical experiments of 214 skin lesions including malignant melanomas, squamous cell carcinomas, basal cell carcinomas, nevi, and seborrheic keratoses demonstrated that such a parameter can potentially diagnose different skin lesion types. ROC analyses showed that malignant melanoma and seborrheic keratosis could be differentiated by both the blue and red lasers with the area under the curve (AUC) = 0.8 and 0.7, respectively. Also malignant melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma could be separated by the blue laser (AUC = 0.9), while nevus and seborrheic keratosis could be identified using the red laser (AUC = 0.7). These experiments demonstrated that polarization could be a potential in-vivo diagnostic indicator for skin diseases.

  13. Applying laser speckle images to skin science: skin lesion differentiation by polarization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Tim K.; Tchvialeva, Lioudmila; Dhadwal, Gurbir; Sotoodian, Bahman; Kalai, Sunil; Zeng, Haishan; Lui, Harvey; McLean, David I.

    2012-01-01

    Skin cancer is a worldwide health problem. It is the most common cancer in the countries with a large white population; furthermore, the incidence of malignant melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, has been increasing steadily over the last three decades. There is an urgent need to develop in-vivo, noninvasive diagnostic tools for the disease. This paper attempts to response to the challenge by introducing a simple and fast method based on polarization and laser speckle. The degree of maintaining polarization estimates the fraction of linearly maintaining polarization in the backscattered speckle field. Clinical experiments of 214 skin lesions including malignant melanomas, squamous cell carcinomas, basal cell carcinomas, nevi, and seborrheic keratoses demonstrated that such a parameter can potentially diagnose different skin lesion types. ROC analyses showed that malignant melanoma and seborrheic keratosis could be differentiated by both the blue and red lasers with the area under the curve (AUC) = 0.8 and 0.7, respectively. Also malignant melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma could be separated by the blue laser (AUC = 0.9), while nevus and seborrheic keratosis could be identified using the red laser (AUC = 0.7). These experiments demonstrated that polarization could be a potential in-vivo diagnostic indicator for skin diseases.

  14. Abrupt skin lesion border cutoff measurement for malignancy detection in dermoscopy images.

    PubMed

    Kaya, Sertan; Bayraktar, Mustafa; Kockara, Sinan; Mete, Mutlu; Halic, Tansel; Field, Halle E; Wong, Henry K

    2016-10-06

    Automated skin lesion border examination and analysis techniques have become an important field of research for distinguishing malignant pigmented lesions from benign lesions. An abrupt pigment pattern cutoff at the periphery of a skin lesion is one of the most important dermoscopic features for detection of neoplastic behavior. In current clinical setting, the lesion is divided into a virtual pie with eight sections. Each section is examined by a dermatologist for abrupt cutoff and scored accordingly, which can be tedious and subjective. This study introduces a novel approach to objectively quantify abruptness of pigment patterns along the lesion periphery. In the proposed approach, first, the skin lesion border is detected by the density based lesion border detection method. Second, the detected border is gradually scaled through vector operations. Then, along gradually scaled borders, pigment pattern homogeneities are calculated at different scales. Through this process, statistical texture features are extracted. Moreover, different color spaces are examined for the efficacy of texture analysis. The proposed method has been tested and validated on 100 (31 melanoma, 69 benign) dermoscopy images. Analyzed results indicate that proposed method is efficient on malignancy detection. More specifically, we obtained specificity of 0.96 and sensitivity of 0.86 for malignancy detection in a certain color space. The F-measure, harmonic mean of recall and precision, of the framework is reported as 0.87. The use of texture homogeneity along the periphery of the lesion border is an effective method to detect malignancy of the skin lesion in dermoscopy images. Among different color spaces tested, RGB color space's blue color channel is the most informative color channel to detect malignancy for skin lesions. That is followed by YCbCr color spaces Cr channel, and Cr is closely followed by the green color channel of RGB color space.

  15. Defects of filaggrin-like proteins in both lesional and nonlesional atopic skin.

    PubMed

    Pellerin, Laurence; Henry, Julie; Hsu, Chiung-Yueh; Balica, Stéfana; Jean-Decoster, Catherine; Méchin, Marie-Claire; Hansmann, Britta; Rodriguez, Elke; Weindinger, Stefan; Schmitt, Anne-Marie; Serre, Guy; Paul, Carle; Simon, Michel

    2013-04-01

    Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by a disturbed epidermal barrier. In a subset of patients, this is explained by nonsense mutations in the gene encoding filaggrin (FLG). We sought to evaluate the respective role of FLG mutations and proinflammatory cytokines and to assess the expression of FLG, hornerin (HRNR), and FLG2, 2 FLG-like proteins, which are involved in epidermal barrier functions, in normal skin and both lesional and nonlesional skin of patients with AD. An FLG-genotyped cohort of 73 adults with AD and 73 aged-matched control subjects was analyzed by using immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting. Normal primary human keratinocytes were differentiated in either the absence or presence of IL-4, IL-13, and IL-25. Compared with control subjects, FLG, HRNR, and FLG2 were detected at significantly lower levels in the skin of patients with AD, irrespective of their FLG genotype. The reduction was greater in lesional compared with nonlesional skin. In addition, the proFLG/FLG ratio was found to be higher in the skin of wild-type patients than in control subjects. Cytokine treatment of keratinocytes induced a dramatic reduction in FLG, FLG2, and HRNR expression both at the mRNA and protein levels. The stratum corneum of lesional but also clinically unaffected skin of adults with AD is abnormal, with reduced expression of FLG and FLG-like proteins. In addition to nonsense mutations, proinflammatory cytokines and some defects in the proFLG processing can contribute to the FLG downregulation. Our study suggests that skin inflammation reduces the expression of FLG-like proteins, contributing to the AD-related epidermal barrier dysfunction. Copyright © 2013 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Role of linoleic acid in arsenical palmar keratosis.

    PubMed

    Ahmed, Tarafder S; Misbahuddin, Mir

    2016-03-01

    Chronic arsenic exposure can lead to palmoplantar keratosis. In the stratum corneum of skin, linoleic acid is of the utmost importance to the inflammation, keratinization, and regeneration processes. The aims of this study were: (i) to present quantitative information on the linoleic acid fraction of intercorneocyte lipids, and (ii) to elucidate the role of linoleic acid in the pathophysiology of arsenical keratosis. Lipid extracts were collected from keratotic lesions in seven patients, seven arsenic-exposed subjects, and seven non-exposed control subjects. Linoleic acid levels of the specimens were estimated by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). There was a significant (P < 0.001) increase in mean ± standard error (SE) linoleic acid levels in arsenical keratosis patients (palm: 25.66 ± 4.95 μg/cm(2); dorsum: 28.25 ± 6.20 μg/cm(2)) compared with arsenic-exposed (palm: 2.75 ± 0.85 μg/cm(2); dorsum: 1.96 ± 0.64 μg/cm(2)) and non-exposed (palm: 1.52 ± 0.61 μg/cm(2); dorsum: 1.28 ± 0.39 μg/cm(2)) control subjects. There was no significant difference (P = 0.556) in linoleic acid concentration in the non-affected skin of the dorsum of the hand (28.25 ± 6.20 μg/cm(2)) compared with that in the palmar sites (25.66 ± 4.95 μg/cm(2)) in the patient group. The change in linoleic acid levels in the arsenic-exposed control group did not differ from that in non-exposed controls (P = 1.000). Linoleic acid concentration is elevated in arsenical keratosis; this finding warrants further investigation to ascertain whether linoleic acid plays a direct role in the pathophysiology of arsenical keratosis. © 2015 The International Society of Dermatology.

  17. Implementation and analysis of relief patterns of the surface of benign and malignant lesions of the skin by microtopography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    López Pacheco, María del Carmen; Filipe Pereira da Cunha Martins-Costa, Manuel; Pérez Zapata, Aura Judith; Domínguez Cherit, Judith; Ramón Gallegos, Eva

    2005-12-01

    The objective of this study was to be able to distinguish between healthy skin tissue and malignant ones, furthermore determining a unique pattern of roughness for each skin lesion by microtopographic analysis of the skin surface of Mexican patients during the period from April to October 2002. The standard technique used in this study for the diagnosis of skin cancer and the comparison of the results was the haematoxylin eosin histopathological technique. Latex impressions were taken from skin lesions as well as from the healthy skin of each patient to serve as control samples. These impressions were analysed by the MICROTOP.03.MFC microtopographic system inspection. It was observed that when the tumour becomes rougher, more malign will be the lesion. On average, the melanoma present an increase of roughness of 67% compared to healthy skin, obtaining a roughness relation of 1:2.54. The percentage decreases to 49% (49%, 1:60) in the case of basal cell carcinoma and to 40% in pre-malignant lesions such as melanocytic nevus (40%, 1:150). In benign lesions such as the seborrhoea keratosis only a small increase in roughness was noted (4%, 1:0.72). Microtopographic inspection of the skin surface can be considered as a complementary diagnostic technique for skin cancer.

  18. Increased expression of RANTES, CCR3 and CCR5 in the lesional skin of patients with atopic eczema.

    PubMed

    Kato, Yoko; Pawankar, Ruby; Kimura, Yoichi; Kawana, Seiji

    2006-01-01

    Atopic eczema (AE) is a relapsing inflammatory disease based on IgE sensitization and characterized by peripheral blood eosinophilia and eosinophil infiltration into the lesional skin. In the patch test reaction of AE by allergens, an increased infiltration of activated eosinophils has been demonstrated peaking at 24-48 h. Regulated on activation normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES/CCL5) is a chemokine that induces eosinophil migration, and CCR3 and CCR5 are the receptors of RANTES. In order to further clarify the pathomechanisms of eosinophil infiltration in ongoing chronic inflammation in the skin of patients with AE and its relation to disease severity, we examined the expression of RANTES and its receptors CCR3 and CCR5 in challenged and unchallenged lesional skin of AE. We examined the number of RANTES+ cells, CCR3+ cells, CCR5+cells, activated (EG2+) eosinophils and CD3+ T cells in normal skin of healthy volunteers, and in challenged lesional skin (24 h after mite patch test) as well as unchallenged lesional skin of AE patients by immunohistochemistry. The cellular source of RANTES, CCR3 and CCR5 was analyzed by double immunohistochemistry using specific antibodies to RANTES, CCR3 or CCR5, and antibodies to ECP (EG2) or CD3. The numbers of RANTES+ cells, CCR3+ cells, CCR5+ cells, EG2+ cells and CD3+ cells were all significantly increased in challenged (mite patch-tested) lesional skin of AE patients as compared to those in unchallenged lesional skin and normal skin. The numbers of these cells in unchallenged lesional skin were greater than those in normal skin. The number of EG2+ cells in the unchallenged lesional skin correlated with both the peripheral blood eosinophil count and the SCORAD index. The number of EG2+ cells in challenged lesional skin correlated with the number of CCR5+ cells. Activated eosinophils and T cells expressed RANTES and various proportions of these cells were CCR3+ and CCR5+ in both challenged and unchallenged lesional skin

  19. Evaluation Methodology between Globalization and Localization Features Approaches for Skin Cancer Lesions Classification

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ahmed, H. M.; Al-azawi, R. J.; Abdulhameed, A. A.

    2018-05-01

    Huge efforts have been put in the developing of diagnostic methods to skin cancer disease. In this paper, two different approaches have been addressed for detection the skin cancer in dermoscopy images. The first approach uses a global method that uses global features for classifying skin lesions, whereas the second approach uses a local method that uses local features for classifying skin lesions. The aim of this paper is selecting the best approach for skin lesion classification. The dataset has been used in this paper consist of 200 dermoscopy images from Pedro Hispano Hospital (PH2). The achieved results are; sensitivity about 96%, specificity about 100%, precision about 100%, and accuracy about 97% for globalization approach while, sensitivity about 100%, specificity about 100%, precision about 100%, and accuracy about 100% for Localization Approach, these results showed that the localization approach achieved acceptable accuracy and better than globalization approach for skin cancer lesions classification.

  20. The Impact of Quantitative Data Provided by a Multi-spectral Digital Skin Lesion Analysis Device on Dermatologists'Decisions to Biopsy Pigmented Lesions.

    PubMed

    Farberg, Aaron S; Winkelmann, Richard R; Tucker, Natalie; White, Richard; Rigel, Darrell S

    2017-09-01

    BACKGROUND: Early diagnosis of melanoma is critical to survival. New technologies, such as a multi-spectral digital skin lesion analysis (MSDSLA) device [MelaFind, STRATA Skin Sciences, Horsham, Pennsylvania] may be useful to enhance clinician evaluation of concerning pigmented skin lesions. Previous studies evaluated the effect of only the binary output. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine how decisions dermatologists make regarding pigmented lesion biopsies are impacted by providing both the underlying classifier score (CS) and associated probability risk provided by multi-spectral digital skin lesion analysis. This outcome was also compared against the improvement reported with the provision of only the binary output. METHODS: Dermatologists attending an educational conference evaluated 50 pigmented lesions (25 melanomas and 25 benign lesions). Participants were asked if they would biopsy the lesion based on clinical images, and were asked this question again after being shown multi-spectral digital skin lesion analysis data that included the probability graphs and classifier score. RESULTS: Data were analyzed from a total of 160 United States board-certified dermatologists. Biopsy sensitivity for melanoma improved from 76 percent following clinical evaluation to 92 percent after quantitative multi-spectral digital skin lesion analysis information was provided ( p <0.0001). Specificity improved from 52 percent to 79 percent ( p <0.0001). The positive predictive value increased from 61 percent to 81 percent ( p <0.01) when the quantitative data were provided. Negative predictive value also increased (68% vs. 91%, p<0.01), and overall biopsy accuracy was greater with multi-spectral digital skin lesion analysis (64% vs. 86%, p <0.001). Interrater reliability improved (intraclass correlation 0.466 before, 0.559 after). CONCLUSION: Incorporating the classifier score and probability data into physician evaluation of pigmented lesions led to both

  1. Bacterial diversity in Buruli ulcer skin lesions: Challenges in the clinical microbiome analysis of a skin disease.

    PubMed

    Van Leuvenhaege, Chloé; Vandelannoote, Koen; Affolabi, Dissou; Portaels, Françoise; Sopoh, Ghislain; de Jong, Bouke C; Eddyani, Miriam; Meehan, Conor J

    2017-01-01

    Buruli ulcer (BU) is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans and considered the third most prevalent mycobacterial disease in humans. Secondary bacterial infections in open BU lesions are the main cause of pain, delayed healing and systemic illness, resulting in prolonged hospital stay. Thus, understanding the diversity of bacteria, termed the microbiome, in these open lesions is important for proper treatment. However, adequately studying the human microbiome in a clinical setting can prove difficult when investigating a neglected tropical skin disease due to its rarity and the setting. Using 16S rRNA sequencing, we determined the microbial composition of 5 BU lesions, 3 non-BU lesions and 3 healthy skin samples. Although no significant differences in diversity were found between BU and non-BU lesions, the former were characterized by an increase of Bacteroidetes compared to the non-BU wounds and the BU lesions also contained significantly more obligate anaerobes. With this molecular-based study, we were also able to detect bacteria that were missed by culture-based methods in previous BU studies. Our study suggests that BU may lead to changes in the skin bacterial community within the lesions. However, in order to determine if such changes hold true across all BU cases and are either a cause or consequence of a specific wound environment, further microbiome studies are necessary. Such skin microbiome analysis requires large sample sizes and lesions from the same body site in many patients, both of which can be difficult for a rare disease. Our study proposes a pipeline for such studies and highlights several drawbacks that must be considered if microbiome analysis is to be utilized for neglected tropical diseases.

  2. Precision Diagnosis Of Melanoma And Other Skin Lesions From Digital Images.

    PubMed

    Bhattacharya, Abhishek; Young, Albert; Wong, Andrew; Stalling, Simone; Wei, Maria; Hadley, Dexter

    2017-01-01

    Melanoma will affect an estimated 73,000 new cases this year and result in 9,000 deaths, yet precise diagnosis remains a serious problem. Without early detection and preventative care, melanoma can quickly spread to become fatal (Stage IV 5-year survival rate is 20-10%) from a once localized skin lesion (Stage IA 5- year survival rate is 97%). There is no biomarker for melanoma in clinical use, and the current diagnostic criteria for skin lesions remains subjective and imprecise. Accurate diagnosis of melanoma relies on a histopathologic gold standard; thus, aggressive excision of melanocytic skin lesions has been the mainstay of treatment. It is estimated that 36 biopsies are performed for every melanoma confirmed by pathology among excised lesions. There is significant morbidity in misdiagnosing melanoma such as progression of the disease for a false negative prediction vs the risks of unnecessary surgery for a false positive prediction. Every year, poor diagnostic precision adds an estimated $673 million in overall cost to manage the disease. Currently, manual dermatoscopic imaging is the standard of care in selecting atypical skin lesions for biopsy, and at best it achieves 90% sensitivity but only 59% specificity when performed by an expert dermatologist. Many computer vision (CV) algorithms perform better than dermatologists in classifying skin lesions although not significantly so in clinical practice. Meanwhile, open source deep learning (DL) techniques in CV have been gaining dominance since 2012 for image classification, and today DL can outperform humans in classifying millions of digital images with less than 5% error rates. Moreover, DL algorithms are readily run on commoditized hardware and have a strong online community of developers supporting their rapid adoption. In this work, we performed a successful pilot study to show proof of concept to DL skin pathology from images. However, DL algorithms must be trained on very large labelled datasets of

  3. High dose rate brachytherapy with customized applicators for malignant facial skin lesions.

    PubMed

    Jumeau, R; Renard-Oldrini, S; Courrech, F; Buchheit, I; Oldrini, G; Vogin, G; Peiffert, D

    2016-07-01

    Brachytherapy is a well-known treatment in the management of skin tumors. For facial or scalp lesions, applicators have been developed to deliver non-invasive treatment. We present cases treated with customized applicators with high dose rate system. Patients with poor performance status treated for malignant skin lesions of the scalp or the facial skin between 2011 and 2014 were studied. Afterloading devices were chosen between Freiburg(®) Flap, silicone-mold or wax applicators. The clinical target volume (CTV) was created by adding margins to lesions (10mm to 20mm). The dose schedules were 25Gy in five fractions for postoperative lesions, 30Gy in six fractions for exclusive treatments and a single session of 8Gy could be considered for palliative treatments. In 30 months, 11 patients received a treatment for a total of 12 lesions. The median age was 80 years. The median follow-up was 17 months and the 2-year local control rate was 91%. The mean CTV surface was 41.1cm(2) with a mean thickness of 6.1mm. We conceived three wax applicators, used our silicone-mold eight times and the Freiburg(®) Flap one time. We observed only low-grade radiodermitis (grade I: 50%, grade II: 33%), and no high-grade skin toxicity. High dose rate brachytherapy with customized applicators for facial skin and scalp lesions is efficient and safe. It is a good modality to treat complex lesions in patients unfit for invasive treatment. Copyright © 2016 Société française de radiothérapie oncologique (SFRO). Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

  4. Relationship between arsenic-containing drinking water and skin cancers in the arseniasis endemic areas in Taiwan.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Pai-Shan; Weng, Shih-Feng; Chiang, Chi-Hsuan; Lai, Feng-Jie

    2016-02-01

    Artesian well-water had high concentrations of arsenic that led to the well-known black foot disease in Taiwan around the 1950s, and the associated cancers including skin cancer, bladder cancers and lung cancers. We sought to estimate the standardized morbidity ratio (SMR) and age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in the black foot disease endemic areas (BFDEA) in Taiwan. A nationwide retrospective population-based survey was done with the data from the National Taiwan Cancer Registry Center between 1979 and 2007. Among the 29-year period, there were 11 191 cases with SCC and 13 684 cases with BCC diagnosed pathologically. The incidence rates were 4-6-fold higher for SCC and 3-4-fold higher for BCC in the BFDEA compared with the rest of Taiwan. The SMR decreased after stopping arsenic-containing well-water drinking in the 1970s. The arsenic level in the drinking water, amount of contaminated water intake, occupation and sun-exposure time were not documented. This is the first nationwide, population-based study that shows the relationship between arsenic intoxication and non-melanoma skin cancers (SCC and BCC) through comparing the data in people living in the BFDEA and non-BFDEA in Taiwan. © 2015 Japanese Dermatological Association.

  5. Positive selection of AS3MT to arsenic water in Andean populations

    PubMed Central

    Eichstaedt, Christina A.; Antao, Tiago; Cardona, Alexia; Pagani, Luca; Kivisild, Toomas; Mormina, Maru

    2016-01-01

    Arsenic is a carcinogen associated with skin lesions and cardiovascular diseases. The Colla population from the Puna region in Northwest Argentinean is exposed to levels of arsenic in drinking water exceeding the recommended maximum by a factor of 20. Yet, they thrive in this challenging environment since thousands of years and therefore we hypothesize strong selection signatures in genes involved in arsenic metabolism. We analyzed genome-wide genotype data for 730,000 loci in 25 Collas, considering 24 individuals of the neighbouring Calchaquíes and 24 Wichí from the Gran Chaco region in the Argentine province of Salta as control groups. We identified a strong signal of positive selection in the main arsenic methyltransferase AS3MT gene, which has been previously associated with lower concentrations of the most toxic product of arsenic metabolism monomethylarsonic acid. This study confirms recent studies reporting selection signals in the AS3MT gene albeit using different samples, tests and control populations. PMID:26366667

  6. Levamisole-Adulterated Cocaine-Induced Skin Lesions: A Case Report and Literature Review.

    PubMed

    Khanapara, Dipen B; Panwala, Amruta; Dedania, Bhavtosh; Naut, Edgar R

    2017-02-01

    Levamisole is used as an agent to increase the total weight of street cocaine. We report the case of a 28-year-old female who presented with multiple painful, ulcerating lesions. She tested positive for cocaine and levamisole. Her skin lesions improved with abstinence from cocaine. Patients with levamisole-induced toxicity most often present with skin manifestations or joint pain. Leukopenia, neutropenia, and agranulocytosis are common lab abnormalities seen in these patients. Complete resolution of the skin lesions are observed approximatelythree weeks after abstinence. Patients known to use street drugs, who present with unexplained skin rash, neutropenia, and multiple immunological abnormalities, should be tested for both cocaine and levamisole. Urine toxicology screen is positive for cocaine approximately 72 hours after ingestion. Levamisole requires specialized testing that is not readily available commercially andis positive forless than 48 hours after exposure.

  7. Is there just one lesion? The need for whole body skin examination in patients presenting with non-melanocytic skin cancer.

    PubMed

    Terrill, Patricia Jane; Fairbanks, Sian; Bailey, Michael

    2009-10-01

    In patients presenting with non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) the frequency of concurrently presenting tumours is poorly documented. Whole body skin examination is recommended but in a recent survey of Australian General Practitioners and skin cancer clinics doctors it was infrequently performed. The aim of this study was to examine the incidence of concurrent skin cancer at initial presentation and therefore to examine the need for whole body skin examination for NMSC presentations. One hundred consecutive patients with a referral diagnosis indicative of NMSC were examined. Data was analysed as to the referring doctor's diagnosis, whole body skin examination findings and histology of excised lesions. Epidemiological data was obtained by patient questionnaire. One hundred patients, 41 males and 59 females, with a mean age of 70 years (range 39-91 years) underwent whole body skin examination. Sixty-seven per cent of patients were found to have additional lesions requiring treatment, 46% sin cancers (30 patients basal cell carcinomas, five squamous cell carcinomas, seven basal and squamous cell carcinomas, two lentigo maligna, two adenexal tumours) and 21% solar keratoses. Thirty-four of the additional lesions detected were in areas covered by clothing. Sixty-eight patients had a past history of skin cancer excision. In the Australian patient population, the need for whole body skin examination is essential to avoid missing concurrent lesions. Ongoing surveillance is also essential as these patients have a high risk of developing future NMSC.

  8. High-Resolution Computed Tomography and Pulmonary Function Findings of Occupational Arsenic Exposure in Workers.

    PubMed

    Ergün, Recai; Evcik, Ender; Ergün, Dilek; Ergan, Begüm; Özkan, Esin; Gündüz, Özge

    2017-05-05

    The number of studies where non-malignant pulmonary diseases are evaluated after occupational arsenic exposure is very few. To investigate the effects of occupational arsenic exposure on the lung by high-resolution computed tomography and pulmonary function tests. Retrospective cross-sectional study. In this study, 256 workers with suspected respiratory occupational arsenic exposure were included, with an average age of 32.9±7.8 years and an average of 3.5±2.7 working years. Hair and urinary arsenic levels were analysed. High-resolution computed tomography and pulmonary function tests were done. In workers with occupational arsenic exposure, high-resolution computed tomography showed 18.8% pulmonary involvement. In pulmonary involvement, pulmonary nodule was the most frequently seen lesion (64.5%). The other findings of pulmonary involvement were 18.8% diffuse interstitial lung disease, 12.5% bronchiectasis, and 27.1% bullae-emphysema. The mean age of patients with pulmonary involvement was higher and as they smoked more. The pulmonary involvement was 5.2 times higher in patients with skin lesions because of arsenic. Diffusing capacity of lung for carbon monoxide was significantly lower in patients with pulmonary involvement. Besides lung cancer, chronic occupational inhalation of arsenic exposure may cause non-malignant pulmonary findings such as bronchiectasis, pulmonary nodules and diffuse interstitial lung disease. So, in order to detect pulmonary involvement in the early stages, workers who experience occupational arsenic exposure should be followed by diffusion test and high-resolution computed tomography.

  9. Disease-related and drug-induced skin manifestations in inflammatory bowel disease.

    PubMed

    Hindryckx, Pieter; Novak, Gregor; Costanzo, Antonio; Danese, Silvio

    2017-03-01

    Skin manifestations are common in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and can be part of a concomitant illness with a shared genetic background, an extra-intestinal manifestation of the disease, or a drug side-effect. Areas covered: We provide a practical overview of the epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, therapeutic approach and prognosis of the most frequent disease-related and drug-induced cutaneous manifestations in IBD, illustrated by cases encountered in our clinical practice. Among the most frequently encountered IBD-related lesions are erythema nodosum, pyoderma gangrenosum and Sweet's syndrome. Common skin manifestations with a strong association to TNF antagonists are local injection site reactions, psoriasiform lesions, cutaneous infections, vasculitides and lupus-like syndromes. In addition, we discuss the relation of thiopurines and TNF antagonists with the risk of skin cancer. Expert commentary: We hope this review will help caretakers involved in the management of IBD patients to recognize the lesions and to manage them in close collaboration with a dedicated dermatologist.

  10. Use of optical skin phantoms for preclinical evaluation of laser efficiency for skin lesion therapy

    PubMed Central

    Wróbel, Maciej S.; Jędrzejewska-Szczerska, Malgorzata; Galla, Stanislaw; Piechowski, Leszek; Sawczak, Miroslaw; Popov, Alexey P.; Bykov, Alexander V.; Tuchin, Valery V.; Cenian, Adam

    2015-01-01

    Abstract. Skin lesions are commonly treated using laser heating. However, the introduction of new devices into clinical practice requires evaluation of their performance. This study presents the application of optical phantoms for assessment of a newly developed 975-nm pulsed diode laser system for dermatological purposes. Such phantoms closely mimic the absorption and scattering of real human skin (although not precisely in relation to thermal conductivity and capacitance); thus, they can be used as substitutes for human skin for approximate evaluation of laser heating efficiency in an almost real environment. Thermographic imaging was applied to measure the spatial and temporal temperature distributions on the surface of laser-irradiated phantoms. The study yielded results of heating with regard to phantom thickness and absorption, as well as laser settings. The methodology developed can be used in practice for preclinical evaluations of laser treatment for dermatology. PMID:26263414

  11. In vivo optical elastography: stress and strain imaging of human skin lesions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Es'haghian, Shaghayegh; Gong, Peijun; Kennedy, Kelsey M.; Wijesinghe, Philip; Sampson, David D.; McLaughlin, Robert A.; Kennedy, Brendan F.

    2015-03-01

    Probing the mechanical properties of skin at high resolution could aid in the assessment of skin pathologies by, for example, detecting the extent of cancerous skin lesions and assessing pathology in burn scars. Here, we present two elastography techniques based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) to probe the local mechanical properties of skin. The first technique, optical palpation, is a high-resolution tactile imaging technique, which uses a complaint silicone layer positioned on the tissue surface to measure spatially-resolved stress imparted by compressive loading. We assess the performance of optical palpation, using a handheld imaging probe on a skin-mimicking phantom, and demonstrate its use on human skin. The second technique is a strain imaging technique, phase-sensitive compression OCE that maps depth-resolved mechanical variations within skin. We show preliminary results of in vivo phase-sensitive compression OCE on a human skin lesion.

  12. A case report of disappearing pigmented skin lesions associated with pembrolizumab treatment for metastatic melanoma.

    PubMed

    Wolner, Z J; Marghoob, A A; Pulitzer, M P; Postow, M A; Marchetti, M A

    2018-01-01

    Pembrolizumab is an immune checkpoint inhibitor that targets the programmed cell death (PD)-1 receptor. Common cutaneous adverse side-effects of PD-1 inhibitors include maculopapular rash, pruritus, vitiligo and lichenoid skin and mucosal reactions. Here we describe a man in his sixties with metastatic melanoma treated with pembrolizumab who subsequently developed fading or disappearance of pigmented skin lesions, lightening of the skin, and poliosis of the eyebrows, eyelashes and scalp and body hair. Compared with baseline high-resolution three-dimensional total-body photography, we observed fading or disappearance of solar lentigines, seborrhoeic keratoses and melanocytic naevi, suggesting that PD-1 inhibitors may affect the evolution of these benign skin lesions. With dermatoscopic follow-up, altered lesions showed either blue-grey peppering/granularity or fading in colour without other identifiable features. No halo lesions or lesions with surrounding inflammation were identified. One changed pigmented lesion that showed blue-grey peppering/granularity on dermoscopy was biopsied and interpreted as a macular seborrhoeic keratosis with melanophages. Further studies are required to elucidate the effects of PD-1 inhibition on benign skin lesions. © 2017 British Association of Dermatologists.

  13. Arsenic contamination of groundwater and its health impact on residents in a village in West Bengal, India.

    PubMed Central

    Rahman, Mohammad Mahmudur; Sengupta, Mrinal Kumar; Ahamed, Sad; Chowdhury, Uttam Kumar; Lodh, Dilip; Hossain, Amir; Das, Bhaskar; Roy, Niladri; Saha, Kshitish Chandra; Palit, Shyamal Kanti; Chakraborti, Dipankar

    2005-01-01

    An in-depth study was carried out in Rajapur, an arsenic-affected village in West Bengal, India, to determine the degree of groundwater contamination with arsenic and the impact of this contamination on residents. The flow injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (FI-HG-AAS) method was used to measure arsenic concentrations in water and biological samples. Dermatologists recorded the dermatological features of arsenicosis. Out of a total of 336 hand-pumped tube-wells in Rajapur, 91% (307/336) contained arsenic at concentrations > 10 microg/l, and 63% (213/336) contained arsenic at > 50 microg/l. The type of arsenic in groundwater, the variation in concentrations of arsenic as the depth of tube-wells changed, and the iron concentration in the wells were also measured. Altogether 825 of 3500 residents were examined for skin lesions; of these, 149 had lesions caused by exposure to arsenic. Of the 420 biological samples collected and analysed, 92.6% (389) contained arsenic at concentrations that were above normal. Thus many villagers might be subclinically affected. Although five arsenic-filtering devices had been installed in Rajapur, it appears that villagers are still exposed to raised concentrations of arsenic in their drinking-water. Detailed village-level studies of arsenic-affected areas in West Bengal are required in order to understand the magnitude of contamination and its effects on people. Villagers are ill-informed about the dangers of drinking arsenic-contaminated water. The contamination could be brought under control by increasing community awareness of the dangers and implementing proper watershed management techniques that involve local people. PMID:15682249

  14. An ICA-based method for the segmentation of pigmented skin lesions in macroscopic images.

    PubMed

    Cavalcanti, Pablo G; Scharcanski, Jacob; Di Persia, Leandro E; Milone, Diego H

    2011-01-01

    Segmentation is an important step in computer-aided diagnostic systems for pigmented skin lesions, since that a good definition of the lesion area and its boundary at the image is very important to distinguish benign from malignant cases. In this paper a new skin lesion segmentation method is proposed. This method uses Independent Component Analysis to locate skin lesions in the image, and this location information is further refined by a Level-set segmentation method. Our method was evaluated in 141 images and achieved an average segmentation error of 16.55%, lower than the results for comparable state-of-the-art methods proposed in literature.

  15. Dermoscopy improves accuracy of primary care physicians to triage lesions suggestive of skin cancer.

    PubMed

    Argenziano, Giuseppe; Puig, Susana; Zalaudek, Iris; Sera, Francesco; Corona, Rosamaria; Alsina, Mercè; Barbato, Filomena; Carrera, Cristina; Ferrara, Gerardo; Guilabert, Antonio; Massi, Daniela; Moreno-Romero, Juan A; Muñoz-Santos, Carlos; Petrillo, Gianluca; Segura, Sonia; Soyer, H Peter; Zanchini, Renato; Malvehy, Josep

    2006-04-20

    Primary care physicians (PCPs) constitute an appropriate target for new interventions and educational campaigns designed to increase skin cancer screening and prevention. The aim of this randomized study was to determine whether the adjunct of dermoscopy to the standard clinical examination improves the accuracy of PCPs to triage lesions suggestive of skin cancer. PCPs in Barcelona, Spain, and Naples, Italy, were given a 1-day training course in skin cancer detection and dermoscopic evaluation, and were randomly assigned to the dermoscopy evaluation arm or naked-eye evaluation arm. During a 16-month period, 73 physicians evaluated 2,522 patients with skin lesions who attended their clinics and scored individual lesions as benign or suggestive of skin cancer. All patients were re-evaluated by expert dermatologists at clinics for pigmented lesions. Referral accuracy of both PCP groups was calculated by their scores, which were compared to those tabulated for dermatologists. Referral sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were 54.1%, 71.3%, 11.3%, and 95.8%, respectively, in the naked-eye arm, and 79.2%, 71.8%, 16.1%, and 98.1%, respectively, in the dermoscopy arm. Significant differences were found in terms of sensitivity and negative predictive value (P = .002 and P = .004, respectively). Histopathologic examination of equivocal lesions revealed 23 malignant skin tumors missed by PCPs performing naked-eye observation and only six by PCPs using dermoscopy (P = .002). The use of dermoscopy improves the ability of PCPs to triage lesions suggestive of skin cancer without increasing the number of unnecessary expert consultations.

  16. Theoretical review of the treatment of pigmented lesions in Asian skin

    PubMed Central

    Shek, Samantha Y.; Chan, Henry H.L.; Groff, William F.; Imagawa, Kotaro; Akamatsu, Tadashi

    2016-01-01

    Asian skin has a higher epidermal melanin content, making it more likely to develop adverse pigmentary reactions following laser surgery. The nanosecond lasers are the gold standard for the treatment of pigmented lesions, but the risk of complications, such as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, is increased in dark-skinned patients. Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) or long-pulsed lasers are available for treating superficial pigmented lesions, and fewer complications are seen when using these devices compared to the nanosecond lasers. Nanosecond lasers are essential in the treatment of dermal melanosis. Recently, picosecond lasers have been investigated. Picosecond lasers will also play an important role in the treatment of pigmented lesions. PMID:27853342

  17. Automatic Skin Lesion Segmentation Using Deep Fully Convolutional Networks With Jaccard Distance.

    PubMed

    Yuan, Yading; Chao, Ming; Lo, Yeh-Chi

    2017-09-01

    Automatic skin lesion segmentation in dermoscopic images is a challenging task due to the low contrast between lesion and the surrounding skin, the irregular and fuzzy lesion borders, the existence of various artifacts, and various imaging acquisition conditions. In this paper, we present a fully automatic method for skin lesion segmentation by leveraging 19-layer deep convolutional neural networks that is trained end-to-end and does not rely on prior knowledge of the data. We propose a set of strategies to ensure effective and efficient learning with limited training data. Furthermore, we design a novel loss function based on Jaccard distance to eliminate the need of sample re-weighting, a typical procedure when using cross entropy as the loss function for image segmentation due to the strong imbalance between the number of foreground and background pixels. We evaluated the effectiveness, efficiency, as well as the generalization capability of the proposed framework on two publicly available databases. One is from ISBI 2016 skin lesion analysis towards melanoma detection challenge, and the other is the PH2 database. Experimental results showed that the proposed method outperformed other state-of-the-art algorithms on these two databases. Our method is general enough and only needs minimum pre- and post-processing, which allows its adoption in a variety of medical image segmentation tasks.

  18. Arsenic levels in cutaneous appendicular organs are correlated with digitally evaluated hyperpigmented skin of the forehead but not the sole in Bangladesh residents.

    PubMed

    Yajima, Ichiro; Ahsan, Nazmul; Akhand, Anwarul Azim; Al Hossain, Mm Aeorangajeb; Yoshinaga, Masafumi; Ohgami, Nobutaka; Iida, Machiko; Oshino, Reina; Naito, Mariko; Wakai, Kenji; Kato, Masashi

    2018-01-01

    There has been no report showing the effect of arsenic level on digitized skin pigmentation level, a typical diagnostic marker for arsenicosis. Correlations among history of drinking well water, arsenic levels in hair and toenails, and digitalized skin pigmentation levels (L*-value) in sunlight-exposed (forehead) and unexposed (sole) skin areas digitally evaluated by using a reflectance spectrophotometer were examined in 150 residents of Bangladesh. Univariate analysis showed that arsenic levels in hair and toenails of subjects with a history of drinking well water were 10.6-fold and 7.1-fold higher, respectively, than those in subjects without a history of drinking well water. The mean L*-value of foreheads, but not that of soles, in subjects with a history of drinking well water was 1.15-fold lower (more pigmented) than that in subjects without a history of drinking well water. Significant correlations were found between duration of drinking well water and arsenic concentrations in hair (r=0.63; P<0.01) and toenails (r=0.60; P<0.01). Multivariate analysis showed that the arsenic levels in hair and toenails and the duration of drinking well water were strongly correlated with the digitized pigmented level of the forehead but not that of the sole. An increase in the duration of drinking well water may increase hyperpigmentation in the forehead, but not that in the sole, through an increased arsenic level in the human body as shown in cutaneous appendicular organs (hair and toenails).

  19. Communicating the location of potential skin neoplasms for excision between the referring and the operating doctor--an audit of skin lesion referrals in Whanganui, New Zealand.

    PubMed

    Welsh, Fraser; Bullen, Naomi; Aiono, Semisi

    2013-08-30

    The importance of correctly defining the location of potential skin cancer when surgical treatment may be required is self-evident. Clear communication is essential if the professional diagnosing potential skin cancer is not the same professional providing treatment. We aimed to assess the nature of the localising information provided in referrals to the local anaesthetic skin lesion theatre in our institution. Information localising target lesions for new patients seen in our local anaesthetic skin excision theatre was recorded during a 2-month period April to May 2012 inclusive 100 patients were seen in our skin excision theatre during the study period; 16 patients were not able to identify the target skin lesion at the time they entered the operating theatre. The target lesion could not be determined from the referral text in 30/100 cases. Diagrams were provided in 19/100 cases. Photographs were provided in 3/100 cases. Pictorial and photographic means of communicating the location of suspicious lesions are under-utilised in our service. Relying on the patient or the referral text to correctly identify the lesion leaves considerable room for error. We suggest that photographic information for skin lesion referrals is adopted as a minimum standard.

  20. Transplacental Arsenic Carcinogenesis in Mice

    PubMed Central

    Waalkes, Michael P.; Liu, Jie; Diwan, Bhalchandra A.

    2007-01-01

    Our work has focused on the carcinogenic effects of in utero arsenic exposure in mice. Our data show a short period of maternal exposure to inorganic arsenic in the drinking water is an effective, multi-tissue carcinogen in the adult offspring. These studies have been reproduced in three temporally separate studies using two different mouse strains. In these studies pregnant mice were treated with drinking water containing sodium arsenite at up to 85 ppm arsenic from day 8 to 18 of gestation, and the offspring were observed for up to two years. The doses used in all these studies were well tolerated by both the dam and offspring. In C3H mice, two separate studies show male offspring exposed to arsenic in utero developed liver carcinoma and adrenal cortical adenoma in a dose-related fashion during adulthood. Prenatally exposed female C3H offspring show dose-related increases in ovarian tumors and lung carcinoma and in proliferative lesions (tumors plus preneoplastic hyperplasia) of the uterus and oviduct. In addition, prenatal arsenic plus postnatal exposure to the tumor promoter, 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) in C3H mice produces excess lung tumors in both sexes and liver tumors in females. Male CD1 mice treated with arsenic in utero develop tumors of the liver and adrenal and renal hyperplasia while females develop tumors of urogenital system, ovary, uterus and adrenal and hyperplasia of the oviduct. Additional postnatal treatment with diethylstilbestrol or tamoxifen after prenatal arsenic in CD1 mice induces urinary bladder transitional cell proliferative lesions, including carcinoma and papilloma, and enhances the carcinogenic response in the liver of both sexes. Overall this model has provided convincing evidence that arsenic is a transplacental carcinogen in mice with the ability to target tissues of potential human relevance, such as the urinary bladder, lung and liver. Transplacental carcinogenesis clearly occurs with other agents in humans and

  1. Prevalence of Skin Lesions in Familial Adenomatous Polyposis: A Marker for Presymptomatic Diagnosis?

    PubMed Central

    Cattani, Nadja; Trueb, Swantje; de Lorenzo, Rosaria; Albertini, Mauro; Bontognali, Emanuele; Itin, Christoph; Schaub, Nathalie; Itin, Peter H.

    2011-01-01

    Background and Aims. Benign skin tumors such as lipomas, fibromas, and epidermal cysts are among the extracolonic manifestations of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Readily detectable by inspection, they could serve as presymptomatic diagnostic markers to identify FAP patients. We therefore prospectively determined the prevalence of cutaneous lesions in genetically confirmed adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) mutation carriers and assessed their potential usefulness in the identification of FAP patients. Methods. Whole-skin examination was performed in 56 adult APC mutation carriers, compared with a control group (n = 116). In addition, FAP patients were investigated for the presence of congenital hypertrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium (CHRPE), an established clinical marker for FAP, and a detailed review of medical records was performed. Results. Nearly half of all FAP patients (48.2%) had at least one FAP-associated skin lesion, compared with one third (34.5%) of controls. Only multiple lipomas and combined skin lesions were significantly more prevalent in APC mutation carriers. CHRPE was observed in 22 (43.1%) of 51 FAP patients, including 14 (37.8%) of 37 individuals with APC mutations outside the CHRPE-associated region between codons 311 and 1465. Conclusions. Despite a significantly higher prevalence of multiple lipomas, occurring at younger age, and combined skin lesions in APC mutation carriers, the low diagnostic sensitivity of FAP-associated skin lesions precludes their use as markers for FAP in clinical practice. Based on our findings, the common CHRPE-associated region should be extended to APC codons 148-2043. PMID:22135120

  2. Arsenicosis and its relationship with nutritional status in two arsenic affected areas of West Bengal, India

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Samal, Alok Chandra; Kar, Sandeep; Maity, Jyoti Prakash; Santra, Subhas Chandra

    2013-11-01

    Incidence of chronic arsenicosis in the lower Gangetic plain has led to intensive research on arsenic (As) contamination in groundwater and potential health crisis associated with exposure to groundwater As. Arsenic toxicity of local inhabitants and their nutritional status were investigated in two As affected villages (Nonaghata and Doulatpur) of West Bengal, India. Population-based case study on randomly selected subjects was used to assess chronic As exposure through medical evaluation and individual health survey. Groundwater As concentrations were found as high as 870 μg/L and 1752 μg/L in Nonaghata and Doulatpur respectively at a depth 50-100 ft. In Nonaghata, 26.7% of people (among 385 surveyed) showed dermatological manifestation and As skin lesions were dominant in age group of 15-30 and 30-45 years old. In both the age groups, cases of melanosis were higher (22.5% and 31.5%) compared to keratosis (15.4% and 12.5%). In Doulatpur 27.4% of people (among 440 surveyed) was found with dermatological manifestations and As skin lesions were dominant in age group of 15-30 and 30-45 years old. Cases of melanosis are higher (27.2% and 31.4%) compared to keratosis (10.8% and 30.7%) in these two age groups. Assessment on calories intake (mainly carbohydrate and protein) by local inhabitants showed that 67.5% and 66.8% people of these two villages belongs to poor nutrition. Assessment of odds ratios (OR) suggested that the stronger associations were with low nutrition which may increase susceptibility to arsenical skin lesions. Thus it is a matter of concern that nutritional status may be an important factor causing prevalence of As toxicity among local inhabitants.

  3. Azuki bean (Vigna angularis) extract inhibits the development of experimentally induced atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice.

    PubMed

    Collantes, Therese Marie; Rho, Mun-Chual; Kwon, Hyoung-Jun; Jung, Bock-Gie; Alfajaro, Mia Madel; Kim, Deok-Song; Kim, Hyun-Jeong; Hosmillo, Myra; Park, Jun-Gyu; Son, Kyu-Yeol; Park, Sang-Ik; Kang, Mun-Il; Park, Su-Jin; Lee, Seung Woong; Lee, Woo-Song; Cho, Kyoung-Oh

    2012-06-01

    The present study investigated the effects of azuki bean (Vigna angularis) extract (VAE) on the progress of atopic dermatitis (AD)-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice induced by 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene. The efficacy of VAE in NC/Nga mice was determined by measuring gross and histological skin lesions, serum IgE levels, eosinophil ratio in peripheral leucocytes, and mRNA expression levels of interleukin (IL)-4, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interferon (IFN)-γ in splenocytes. Continuous ingestion of VAE inhibited the development of the AD-like skin lesions in a dose-dependent manner. In the VAE-treated mice, the numbers of mast cells in the skin, eosinophil ratio in peripheral leucocytes, relative mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines in the spleen, and serum IgE levels were significantly reduced. Results suggest that VAE can inhibit the development of AD-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice by regulating immune mediators and cells, and may be an effective alternative therapy for AD. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. [Chronic arsenicism].

    PubMed

    Bourgeais, A M; Avenel-Audran, M; Le Bouil, A; Bouyx, C; Allain, P; Verret, J L

    2001-04-01

    Arsenic is an ubiquitous natural element. Chronic and low level ingestion or inhalation may result in chronic arsenicism first characterized by skin changes. A 75 year old man, non-insulin-dependent diabetic, presented a diffuse hyperpigmentation with scattered white spots on the trunk. He complained of asthenia. Clinical diagnosis of chronic arsenicism was confirmed by arsenic determination in urine, plasma and phaneres. Thorough investigations led to discover very high arsenic levels in the own wine of the patient. This was probably the result of a wrong use of sodium arsenite-based fungicide, for cultivating his vine yard. Chronic arsenicism has become rare but it should always be kept in mind. Clinical presentation, with particular cutaneous features and routes of exposure are reviewed. Treatment is symptomatic. As arsenic is known to be a strong carcinogenic agent, patients with chronic arsenicism have to be followed up during a long time.

  5. PROPOSED CARCINOGENIC MECHANISMS FOR ARSENIC

    EPA Science Inventory

    PROPOSED CARCINOGENIC MECHANISMS FOR ARSENIC.

    Arsenic is a human carcinogen in skin, lung, liver, urinary bladder and kidney. In contrast,
    there is no accepted experimental animal model of inorganic arsenic carcinogenesis.
    Proposed mechanisms/modes of action for a...

  6. Arsenic-induced Aurora-A activation contributes to chromosome instability and tumorigenesis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Chin-Han; Tseng, Ya-Shih; Yang, Chao-Chun; Kao, Yu-Ting; Sheu, Hamm-Ming; Liu, Hsiao-Sheng

    2013-11-01

    Arsenic may cause serious environmental pollution and is a serious industrial problem. Depending on the dosage, arsenic may trigger the cells undergoing either proliferation or apoptosis-related cell death. Because of lack of the proper animal model to study arsenic induced tumorigenesis, the accurate risk level of arsenic exposure has not been determined. Arsenic shows genotoxic effect on human beings who uptake water contaminated by arsenic. Chromosome aberration is frequently detected in arsenic exposure-related diseases and is associated with increased oxidative stress and decreased DNA repairing activity, but the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Aurora-A is a mitotic kinase, over-expression of Aurora-A leads to centrosome amplification, chromosomal instability and cell transformation. We revealed that Aurora-A is over-expressed in the skin and bladder cancer patients from blackfoot-disease endemic areas. Our cell line studies reveal that arsenic exposure between 0.5 μM and 1 μM for 2-7 days are able to induce Aurora-A expression and activation based on promoter activity, RNA and protein analysis. Aurora-A overexpression further increases the frequency of unsymmetrical chromosome segregation through centrosome amplification followed by cell population accumulated at S phase in immortalized keratinocyte (HaCaT) and uroepithelial cells (E7). Furthermore, Aurora-A over-expression was sustained for 1-4 weeks by chronic treatment of immortalized bladder and skin cells with NaAsO2. Aurora-A promoter methylation and gene amplification was not detected in the long-term arsenic treated E7 cells. Furthermore, the expression level of E2F1 transcription factor (E2F1) is increased in the presence of arsenic, and arsenic-related Aurora-A over-expression is transcriptionally regulated by E2F1. We further demonstrated that overexpression of Aurora-A and mutant Ha-ras or Aurora-A and mutant p53 may act additively to trigger arsenic-related bladder and skin cancer

  7. Epigenetic alteration of mismatch repair genes in the population chronically exposed to arsenic in West Bengal, India.

    PubMed

    Bhattacharjee, Pritha; Sanyal, Tamalika; Bhattacharjee, Sandip; Bhattacharjee, Pritha

    2018-05-01

    Arsenic exposure and its adverse health outcome, including the association with cancer risk are well established from several studies across the globe. The present study aims to analyze the epigenetic regulation of key mismatch repair (MMR) genes in the arsenic-exposed population. A case-control study was conducted involving two hundred twenty four (N=224) arsenic exposed [with skin lesion (WSL=110) and without skin lesion (WOSL=114)] and one hundred and two (N=102) unexposed individuals. The methylation status of key MMR genes i.e. MLH1, MSH2, and PMS2 were analyzed using methylation-specific PCR (MSP). The gene expression was studied by qRTPCR. The expression of H3K36me3, which was earlier reported to be an important regulator of MMR pathway, was assessed using ELISA. Arsenic-exposed individuals showed significant promoter hypermethylation (p < 0.0001) of MLH1 and MSH2 compared to those unexposed with consequent down-regulation in their gene expression [MLH1 (p=0.001) and MSH2 (p<0.05)]. However, no significant association was found in expression and methylation of PMS2 with arsenic exposure. We found significant down-regulation of H3K36me3 in the arsenic-exposed group, most significantly in the WSL group (p<0.0001). The expression of SETD2, the methyltransferase of an H3K36me3 moiety was found to be unaltered in arsenic exposure, suggesting the involvement of other regulatory factors yet to be identified. In summary, the epigenetic repression of DNA damage repair genes due to promoter hypermethylation of MLH1 and MSH2 and inefficient recruitment of MMR complex at the site of DNA damage owing to the reduced level of H3K36me3 impairs the mismatch repair pathway that might render the arsenic-exposed individuals more susceptible towards DNA damage and associated cancer risk. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Open season: select the best 'beast' for each skin lesion.

    PubMed

    Uber, Marjorie; Robl, Renata; Carvalho, Vania Oliveira; Abagge, Kerstin Taniguchi; Valério, Talita Sana; Marinoni, Leide Parolin; Cosechen Rosvailer, Mayara Schulze

    2015-10-01

    Animal bites can cause skin lesions that suggest other conditions, and therefore diagnosis can be a challenge. Four cases of skin injuries caused by arthropods are presented below. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  9. Three Cases of Intravascular Large B-Cell Lymphoma Detected in a Biopsy of Skin Lesions.

    PubMed

    Arai, Takashi; Kato, Yukihiko; Funaki, Maki; Shimamura, Sanae; Yokogawa, Naoto; Sugii, Syoji; Tsuboi, Ryoji

    2016-01-01

    Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVL) is a rare subtype of extranodal malignant lymphoma. The proliferation of neoplastic B cells within small blood vessels causes eruptions and other symptoms in a variety of organs. The random skin biopsy is useful for diagnosing this condition in its early stages. In order to assess the diagnostic utility of this method, we examined 3 cases with the aim of comparing the occurrence of tumor cells in lesional and healthy-looking skin by performing a random skin biopsy of 32 separate sites. Our findings from the total of 32 biopsy specimens collected from the 3 cases indicated that 16 of the 17 sites on the lesional skin and 1 of the 15 sites on the healthy-looking skin were positive for neoplastic cells. This finding suggested that IVL cells occurred more frequently in the lesional skin than in the healthy-looking skin. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  10. [Skin vessel lesions in aluminum potroom workers].

    PubMed

    Siurin, S A; Nikanov, A N; Shilov, V V

    2012-01-01

    The features of development of the skin vessels lesions in 550 aluminum production workers have been investigated. The high prevalence of these disorders have been revealed in anode-operators and cell-operators, 49, 3 and 26.0% of workers, respectively. The regularity and staging of the development of this abnormity have been established, etiology, pathogenesis and clinical significance of those remain unknown.

  11. Epidemiological investigation of tattoo-like skin lesions among bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay, Australia.

    PubMed

    Powell, Sarah N; Wallen, Megan M; Bansal, Shweta; Mann, Janet

    2018-07-15

    Bottlenose dolphins are excellent bioindicators of ocean ecosystem health for three reasons: (a) as long-lived apex predators they accumulate biotoxins and contaminants; (b) they are visible, routinely appearing at the water's surface in coastal areas, often coming into close contact with humans; and, (c) they exhibit a range of pathogenic lesions attributable to environmental degradation. In this study, we analyzed tattoo-like skin lesions in a population of Tursiops aduncus studied for 30+years in Shark Bay, Australia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We provide important baseline data by documenting epidemiological patterns of tattoo-like skin lesions in a healthy, free-ranging population that builds on the previous data of tattoo skin disease (TSD) derived from free ranging, stranded, and dead dolphins. Individual dolphins were classified as symptomatic with tattoo-like skin disease if at least one photograph showed a lesion similar to TSD. The average age of infection was 26.6months (±34.8months) with the symptomatic period lasting 137±29.8days. Overall prevalence of tattoo-like skin disease in the population was 19.4%. Age, but not sex, was significant, with yearlings (1-2years) exhibiting tattoo-like lesions more than younger and older calves. Tattoo-like lesions were rare among juvenile and adult dolphins (N=68 calves, 4 juveniles, and 3 adults). We hypothesize that the lower prevalence in youngest calves (<1year) is due to maternal immunity, while older individuals (>2years) have infection-acquired immunity, as reported for other small cetaceans. The low prevalence of tattoo-like lesions in Shark Bay compared to other populations with poxvirus is consistent with reproductive and demographic viability analyses. Furthermore, by documenting the demography of the disease, we can monitor changes in the prevalence of tattoo-like lesions as a sentinel indicator of ecosystem health. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. RASopathic comedo-like or cystic lesions induced by Vemurafenib: A model of skin lesions similar but not identical to those induced by dioxins (MADISH).

    PubMed

    Kaya, G; Saxer-Sekulic, N; Kaya, A; Sorg, O; Boespflug, A; Thomas, L; Saurat, J H

    2018-03-24

    Patients treated with vemurafenib for metastatic melanoma often develop skin lesions similar to those observed after exposure to dioxin-like compounds. We previously called these lesions MADISH (metabolizing acquired dioxin-induced skin hamartoma) when analysing a case of acute dioxin poisoning. We performed a clinical trial aimed at comparing the skin lesions observed under vemurafenib treatment with MADISH in order to bring to light a possible cross-talk between vemurafenib and dioxin pathways. In this case-series study we explored the histological aspect of skin lesions in 10 cases treated with vemurafenib for malignant melanoma. We also analysed the ability of vemurafenib and tyrosine kinase inhibitors to induce dioxin-AhR pathway. All patients had skin lesions diagnosed as "non-inflammatory acneiform eruption" by dermatologists. These were predominantly facial with notable retro-auricular involvement and clinically compatible with chloracne/MADISH when assessed by dioxin expert. Histological analysis showed mostly comedo-like lesions and dermal cysts containing epithelial wall with basal or lateral epithelial projections and lamellar keratinization, and alterations of remaining sebaceous glands. The expression of CYP1A1, a gene highly induced following dioxin exposure, was not observed in these lesions. Vemurafenib and the tyrosine kinase inhibitors erlotinib and gefitinib did not induce CYP1A1 activity. Although the skin lesions under vemurafenib treatment were morphologically similar to MADISH, the absence of CYP1A1 expression in dermal cysts of patients and the absence of CYP1A1 activation by vemurafenib led us consider that these skin lesions were different from true MADISH and not mediated by a cross-talk of AhR signalling, but rather to a hyperactivation of PI3K-Akt pathway as a consequence of vemurafenib treatment. A strong expression of CYP1A1 in the epithelial wall of dermal cysts must be required, parallel to the morphology of the lesions, to make

  13. Fermented Maesil (Prunus mume) with probiotics inhibits development of atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice.

    PubMed

    Jung, Bock-Gie; Cho, Sun-Ju; Koh, Hong-Bum; Han, Dong-Un; Lee, Bong-Joo

    2010-04-01

    Maesil (Prunus mume Siebold & Zucc.), a potential source of free radical scavengers and inhibitor of pro-inflammatory mediators, is used in traditional Korean medical preparations as a remedy for skin disorders as have probiotics. The action of a probiotic fermented Maesil preparation on the development of atopic dermatitis (AD)-like skin lesions was determined in a NC/Nga mouse model as an initial step towards the development of a therapeutic feed supplement for use in dogs. Continuous ingestion of the experimental feed markedly inhibited the development of the AD-like skin lesions, as evidenced by a marked decrease in skin signs and reduced inflammation within the skin lesions. Efficacy was confirmed by significant decreases in eosinophil ratio and serum IgE concentration, and a reduction in the number of Staphylococcus aureus recovered from the ear. Relative mRNA expression levels of IL-4, interferon-gamma and tumour necrosis factor-alpha in the spleens of the experimental animals were also decreased and there was an increased serum concentration of IL-10 with a concurrent decreased IL-4 concentration in comparison to a control group. Taken together, the results indicate that some component(s) of fermented Maesil have the ability to suppress the development of AD-like skin lesions, possibly by stimulation of IL-10. Beneficial effects of fermented Maesil may thus be expected in dogs with AD, although this and the nature of the active pathway remain to be explored.

  14. Survey on the importance of mange in the aetiology of skin lesions in goats in Peninsular Malaysia.

    PubMed

    Dorny, P; Van Wyngaarden, T; Vercruysse, J; Symoens, C; Jalia, A

    1994-05-01

    A survey on mange mite infestations in the aetiology of skin lesions in goats in Peninsular Malaysia is described. Skin lesions were observed in 25 (93%) of the 27 goat farms investigated. Mange mites were found in 22 (88%) of these goat herds. Chorioptes texanus was found in 20.7%, Psoroptes cuniculi in 19.3%, Sarcoptes scabiei in 18.6% and Demodex canis var. caprae in 0.4% of the samples, taken from the skin lesions. Thirteen cases of generalised manage were diagnosed, from which 9 were caused by S. scabiei, 2 by P. cuniculi and one by C. texanus. All other cases had more or less localised lesions. No significant differences could be found in incidence and distribution of skin lesions between age classes.

  15. Coriander alleviates 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene-induced contact dermatitis-like skin lesions in mice.

    PubMed

    Park, Gunhyuk; Kim, Hyo Geun; Lim, Soonmin; Lee, Wonil; Sim, Yeomoon; Oh, Myung Sook

    2014-08-01

    Contact dermatitis (CD) is a pattern of inflammatory responses in the skin that occurs through contact with external factors. The clinical picture is a polymorphic pattern of skin inflammation characterized by a wide range of clinical features, including itching, redness, scaling, and erythema. Coriandrum sativum L. (CS), commonly known as coriander, is a member of the Apiaceae family and is cultivated throughout the world for its nutritional and culinary values. Linoleic acid and linolenic acid in CS have various pharmacological activities. However, no study of the inhibitory effects of CS on CD has been reported. In this study, we demonstrated the protective effect of CS against 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene-induced CD-like skin lesions. CS, at doses of 0.5-1%, applied to the dorsal skin inhibited the development of CD-like skin lesions. Moreover, the Th2-mediated inflammatory cytokines, immunoglobulin E, tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-γ, interleukin (IL)-1, IL-4, and IL-13, were significantly reduced. In addition, CS increased the levels of total glutathione and heme oxygenase-1 protein. Thus, CS can inhibit the development of CD-like skin lesions in mice by regulating immune mediators and may be an effective alternative therapy for contact diseases.

  16. Coriander Alleviates 2,4-Dinitrochlorobenzene-Induced Contact Dermatitis-Like Skin Lesions in Mice

    PubMed Central

    Park, Gunhyuk; Kim, Hyo Geun; Lim, Soonmin; Lee, Wonil; Sim, Yeomoon

    2014-01-01

    Abstract Contact dermatitis (CD) is a pattern of inflammatory responses in the skin that occurs through contact with external factors. The clinical picture is a polymorphic pattern of skin inflammation characterized by a wide range of clinical features, including itching, redness, scaling, and erythema. Coriandrum sativum L. (CS), commonly known as coriander, is a member of the Apiaceae family and is cultivated throughout the world for its nutritional and culinary values. Linoleic acid and linolenic acid in CS have various pharmacological activities. However, no study of the inhibitory effects of CS on CD has been reported. In this study, we demonstrated the protective effect of CS against 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene-induced CD-like skin lesions. CS, at doses of 0.5–1%, applied to the dorsal skin inhibited the development of CD-like skin lesions. Moreover, the Th2-mediated inflammatory cytokines, immunoglobulin E, tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-γ, interleukin (IL)-1, IL-4, and IL-13, were significantly reduced. In addition, CS increased the levels of total glutathione and heme oxygenase-1 protein. Thus, CS can inhibit the development of CD-like skin lesions in mice by regulating immune mediators and may be an effective alternative therapy for contact diseases. PMID:24963872

  17. Predicting risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer and premalignant skin lesions in renal transplant recipients.

    PubMed

    Urwin, Helen R; Jones, Peter W; Harden, Paul N; Ramsay, Helen M; Hawley, Carmel M; Nicol, David L; Fryer, Anthony A

    2009-06-15

    Nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) and associated premalignant lesions represent a major complication after transplantation, particularly in areas with high ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure. The American Society of Transplantation has proposed annual NMSC screening for all renal transplant recipients. The aim of this study was to develop a predictive index (PI) that could be used in targeted screening. Data on patient demographics, UVR exposure, and other clinical parameters were collected on 398 adult recipients recruited from the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane. Structured interview, skin examination, biopsy of lesions, and review of medical/pathologic records were performed. Time to presentation with the first NMSC was assessed using Cox's regression models and Kaplan-Meier estimates used to assess detection of NMSC during screening. Stepwise selection identified age, outdoor UVR exposure, living in a hot climate, pretransplant NMSC, childhood sunburning, and skin type as predictors. The PI generated was used to allocate patients into three screening groups (6 months, 2 years, and 5 years). The survival curves of these groups were significantly different (P<0.0001). Jack-knife validation correctly allocated all patients into the appropriate group. We have developed a simple PI to enable development of targeted NMSC surveillance strategies.

  18. An effective hair detection algorithm for dermoscopic melanoma images of skin lesions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chakraborti, Damayanti; Kaur, Ravneet; Umbaugh, Scott; LeAnder, Robert

    2016-09-01

    Dermoscopic images are obtained using the method of skin surface microscopy. Pigmented skin lesions are evaluated in terms of texture features such as color and structure. Artifacts, such as hairs, bubbles, black frames, ruler-marks, etc., create obstacles that prevent accurate detection of skin lesions by both clinicians and computer-aided diagnosis. In this article, we propose a new algorithm for the automated detection of hairs, using an adaptive, Canny edge-detection method, followed by morphological filtering and an arithmetic addition operation. The algorithm was applied to 50 dermoscopic melanoma images. In order to ascertain this method's relative detection accuracy, it was compared to the Razmjooy hair-detection method [1], using segmentation error (SE), true detection rate (TDR) and false positioning rate (FPR). The new method produced 6.57% SE, 96.28% TDR and 3.47% FPR, compared to 15.751% SE, 86.29% TDR and 11.74% FPR produced by the Razmjooy method [1]. Because of the 7.27-9.99% improvement in those parameters, we conclude that the new algorithm produces much better results for detecting thick, thin, dark and light hairs. The new method proposed here, shows an appreciable difference in the rate of detecting bubbles, as well.

  19. Dense deconvolution net: Multi path fusion and dense deconvolution for high resolution skin lesion segmentation.

    PubMed

    He, Xinzi; Yu, Zhen; Wang, Tianfu; Lei, Baiying; Shi, Yiyan

    2018-01-01

    Dermoscopy imaging has been a routine examination approach for skin lesion diagnosis. Accurate segmentation is the first step for automatic dermoscopy image assessment. The main challenges for skin lesion segmentation are numerous variations in viewpoint and scale of skin lesion region. To handle these challenges, we propose a novel skin lesion segmentation network via a very deep dense deconvolution network based on dermoscopic images. Specifically, the deep dense layer and generic multi-path Deep RefineNet are combined to improve the segmentation performance. The deep representation of all available layers is aggregated to form the global feature maps using skip connection. Also, the dense deconvolution layer is leveraged to capture diverse appearance features via the contextual information. Finally, we apply the dense deconvolution layer to smooth segmentation maps and obtain final high-resolution output. Our proposed method shows the superiority over the state-of-the-art approaches based on the public available 2016 and 2017 skin lesion challenge dataset and achieves the accuracy of 96.0% and 93.9%, which obtained a 6.0% and 1.2% increase over the traditional method, respectively. By utilizing Dense Deconvolution Net, the average time for processing one testing images with our proposed framework was 0.253 s.

  20. Impact of lifestage and duration of exposure on arsenic-induced proliferative lesions and neoplasia in C3H mice.

    EPA Science Inventory

    Epidemiological studies suggest that chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic is associated with cancer of the skin, urinary bladder and lung as well as the kidney and liver. Previous experimental studies have demonstrated increased incidence of liver, lung, ovary, and uterine tumo...

  1. Topical Application of Josamycin Inhibits Development of Atopic Dermatitis-Like Skin Lesions in NC/Nga Mice.

    PubMed

    Matsui, Katsuhiko; Tachioka, Kanta; Onodera, Kei; Ikeda, Reiko

    2017-01-01

    Patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) have superficial skin colonization by Staphylococcus aureus and an increased number of T helper type 2 (Th2) cells in their peripheral blood. Our previous study showed that josamycin, a macrolide antibiotic, had excellent bactericidal activity against S. aureus strains isolated from AD patients and simultaneously inhibited Th1 and Th2 cell development mediated by Langerhans cells. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of topical application of josamycin on AD-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice. Josamycin (0.1%) was topically administered to NC/Nga mice with AD-like skin lesions induced by 2, 4, 6-trinitrochlorobenzene (TNCB). The therapeutic effects of josamycin were assessed by measurement of the skin severity scores, histological changes in the lesioned skin, serum levels of total IgE, and expression of interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-4 in lymph nodes and skin lesions. Topical treatment with josamycin significantly suppressed the increase in the skin severity score in NC/Nga mice. This suppressive effect was equal to that of betamethasone, and was associated with a decrease in the density of cellular infiltration into the dermis, the mast cell count in the dermis and the serum IgE level. Furthermore, topical application of josamycin reduced the expression of IFN-γ and IL-4 in auricular lymph node cells and the skin lesions. The present results show that topical application of josamycin inhibits the development of AD-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice. This suggests that topical application of josamycin to AD lesions colonized by S. aureus would be beneficial for control of AD by acting on superficially located S. aureus and by inhibiting the development of Th1 and Th2 cells.This article is open to POST-PUBLICATION REVIEW. Registered readers (see "For Readers") may comment by clicking on ABSTRACT on the issue's contents page.

  2. Stokes polarimetry probe for skin lesion evaluation: preliminary results

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Louie, Daniel C.; Tchvialeva, Lioudmilla; Kalia, Sunil; Lui, Harvey; Lee, Tim K.

    2018-02-01

    This paper reports on the design of a prototype in-vivo Stokes polarimetry probe for skin lesion evaluation, and preliminary results from skin phantom and clinical trials of this device. The probe releases a single millisecond-long pulse from a laser diode with either linear or circular polarization. It then captures the resulting backscattered far-field polarization speckle and calculates the Stokes parameters. This probe was designed with three novel innovations in mind. First, the Stokes vector is captured quickly, using low-cost components without the use of moving parts. Second, a compact collimated laser diode was used as the light source. Third, the device and detector geometry were designed to produce and capture a uniform speckle field. In the first clinical trial of this device, measurements were taken from a variety of skin lesions, both cancerous and benign. The Stokes vector was measured and used to calculate the degree of polarization (DOP), the azimuth angle, and the ellipticity angle of the polarization ellipse for two input light polarizations. Among other findings, the DOP for circular polarized input light was consistently lower than the DOP for linear polarized input light. These findings indicate the potential for a fast and low-cost in-vivo skin cancer screening tool, and encourages the continuing development of this probe's techniques.

  3. The history of arsenical pesticides and health risks related to the use of Agent Blue.

    PubMed

    Bencko, Vladimir; Yan Li Foong, Florence

    2017-06-12

    Arsenicals in agriculture. Beginning in the 1970s, the use of arsenic compounds for such purposes as wood preservatives, began to grow. By 1980, in the USA, 70% of arsenic had been consumed for the production of wood preservatives. This practice was later stopped, due to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ban of the arsenic-and chromium-based wood preservative chromated copper arsenate. In the past, arsenical herbicides containing cacodylic acid as an active ingredient have been used extensively in the USA, from golf courses to cotton fields, and drying-out the plants before harvesting. The original commercial form of Agent Blue was among 10 toxic insecticides, fungicides and herbicides partially deregulated by the US EPA in February 2004, and specific limits on toxic residues in meat, milk, poultry and eggs, were removed. Today, however, they are no longer used as weed-killers, with one exception - monosodium methanearsonate (MSMA), a broadleaf weed herbicide for use on cotton. Severe poisonings from cacodylic acid caused headache, dizziness, vomiting, profuse and watery diarrhea, followed by dehydration, gradual fall in blood pressure, stupor, convulsions, general paralysis and possible risk of death within 3-14 days.The relatively frequent use of arsenic and its compounds in both industry and agriculture points to a wide spectrum of opportunities for human exposure. This exposure can be via inhalation of airborne arsenic, contaminated drinking water, beverages, or from food and drugs. Today, acute organic arsenical poisonings are mostly accidental. Considerable concern has developed surrounding its delayed effects, for its genotoxic and carcinogenic potential, which has been demonstrated in epidemiological studies and subsequent animal experiments. Conclusions. There is substantial epidemiological evidence for an excessive risk, mostly for skin and lung cancer, among humans exposed to organic arsenicals in occupational and environmental settings

  4. A method to induce stable atopic dermatitis-like symptoms in NC/Nga mice housed with skin-lesioned mice.

    PubMed

    Takano, N; Arai, I; Kurachi, M

    2006-03-01

    Itching is a characteristic symptom in various forms of dermatosis, especially atopic dermatitis; consequently it is a major diagnostic criterion. All features are similar to events seen in patients, hence NC/Nga mice are considered to be a suitable model of human atopic dermatitis. However, there were data spreads in commencing time and the degree of skin lesions in NC/Nga mice. In the present study, we attempted to improve experimental conditions to induce stable skin lesions and to establish a more appropriate method. Methods NC/Nga mice were kept together with skin-lesioned mice during the experiment period (mixed-NC mice). The dermatitis scores of face, ears and rostral back were assessed. Scratching behaviour was measured using an apparatus, MicroAct (Neuroscience, Tokyo, Japan). Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and serum total IgE levels were also measured. To observe the presence of mites, the skin of the rostral backs of the mixed-NC mice was stripped using cellulose tape. We also investigated the effects of fipronil (Wako, Osaka, Japan), an acaricidal compound, on skin lesions and scratching behaviour of these mixed-NC mice. In mixed-NC mice, skin lesions appeared from 2 weeks, worsened gradually and reached peak levels of a dermatitis score in 8 weeks. Scratching behaviour increased significantly from day 3. TEWL also increased from day 3, but total IgE increased from day 7. Mites were observed on the rostral backs of mixed-NC mice from day 3, and all mice had these mites on day 28. Giving pretreatment with fipronil (Wako), the skin lesions and scratching behaviour of mixed-NC mice was significantly suppressed. The findings of the present study suggest that the method of being kept together with skin-lesioned mice can induce stable skin lesions and scratching behaviour at an early stage, without skin lesions. This method could help investigate a more stable evaluation of the effects on symptoms of atopic dermatitis, and mechanisms of the itching. It was

  5. Human recombinant epidermal growth factor in skin lesions: 77 cases in EPItelizando project.

    PubMed

    Esquirol-Caussa, Jordi; Herrero-Vila, Elisabeth

    2018-05-10

    To analyze compounded recombinant human epidermal growth factor (rhEGF) effectiveness on skin lesions through a case series. Multicentric series of skin lesions treated with topical rhEGF. Site: Patients from 56 different health professionals, three different countries, and two recruitment years. Seventy-seven patients with skin lesions, mean age of 63.15 years (min = 18, max = 95); 53.2% of patients were men and 46.8% were women; 47 of the lesions were ulcers (venous, arterial, and diabetic foot), others were surgical and traumatic wounds, burns, and scars. Most common pathologies were type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic venous insufficiency. Mean previous evolution time before inclusion was 29.59 months. Cures using compounded topical rhEGF most commonly used rhEGF concentration: 30 μg/g; most used excipient: gel; average time between cures: 36 h (24-48); and mean follow-up: 6.6 weeks (max = 20). Lesions appearance, margins and bed, lesional size evolution, treatment subjective effectiveness, tolerability and comfort through professional oppinion. Qualitative assessment: effectiveness 8.65, tolerability 9.53, and comfort 8.86 (max = 10). Perilesional skin showed improvement in 93.5% of the cases, lesions margins and wound bed appearance improved in 92.2% of the cases, respectively. Wound area decreased a mean average of 66.7%. About 43.3% of included venous ulcers had a greater than 40% cure rate in 4 weeks. Heterogeneity of the included pathologies, limited time follow-up in some cases. Topical rhEGF in individualized formulation (compounding) seems to exhibit effectiveness, comfort, and tolerability. Further larger-size studies with experimental design will allow to establish more precise concentrations, indications, and clinical guidelines.

  6. Human exposure to arsenic from drinking water in Vietnam.

    PubMed

    Agusa, Tetsuro; Trang, Pham Thi Kim; Lan, Vi Mai; Anh, Duong Hong; Tanabe, Shinsuke; Viet, Pham Hung; Berg, Michael

    2014-08-01

    Vietnam is an agricultural country with a population of about 88 million, with some 18 million inhabitants living in the Red River Delta in Northern Vietnam. The present study reports the chemical analyses of 68 water and 213 biological (human hair and urine) samples conducted to investigate arsenic contamination in tube well water and human arsenic exposure in four districts (Tu Liem, Dan Phuong, Ly Nhan, and Hoai Duc) in the Red River Delta. Arsenic concentrations in groundwater in these areas were in the range of <1 to 632 μg/L, with severe contamination found in the communities Ly Nhan, Hoai Duc, and Dan Phuong. Arsenic concentrations were markedly lowered in water treated with sand filters, except for groundwater from Hoai Duc. Human hair samples had arsenic levels in the range of 0.07-7.51 μg/g, and among residents exposed to arsenic levels ≥50 μg/L, 64% of them had hair arsenic concentrations higher than 1 μg/g, which is a level that can cause skin lesions. Urinary arsenic concentrations were 4-435 μg/g creatinine. Concentrations of arsenic in hair and urine increased significantly with increasing arsenic content in drinking water, indicating that drinking water is a significant source of arsenic exposure for these residents. The percentage of inorganic arsenic (IA) in urine decreased with age, whereas the opposite trend was observed for monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) in urine. Significant co-interactions of age and arsenic exposure status were also detected for concentrations of arsenic in hair and the sum of IA, MMA, and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) in urine and %MMA. In summary, this study demonstrates that a considerable proportion of the Vietnamese population is exposed to arsenic levels of chronic toxicity, even if sand filters reduce exposure in many households. Health problems caused by arsenic ingestion through drinking water are increasingly reported in Vietnam. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Quadruple cancer including Bowen's disease after arsenic injections 40 years earlier: report of a case.

    PubMed

    Murata, K; Iwazawa, T; Takayama, T; Yamashita, K; Okagawa, K

    1994-01-01

    This report describes the successful treatment of quadruple cancer including Bowen's disease in a 71-year-old man who had been given injections of salvarsan, an arsenic compound, for syphilis more than 40 years earlier. Resection of a skin lesion on his chest subsequently confirmed a diagnosis of Bowen's disease, 3 years after which he was operated on for concurrent gastric cancer and sigmoid colon cancer. A fourth cancer was discovered on his left vocal cord 2 weeks after this operation; it was resected 2 years later. A discussion of multiple malignant neoplasms and the possible relationship between arsenic and cancer is presented following this case report.

  8. ARSENIC SEPARATION FROM WATER USING ZEOLITES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Arsenic is known to be a hazardous contaminant in drinking water. The presence of arsenic in water supplies has been linked to arsenical dermatosis and skin cancer . Zeolites are well known for their ion exchange capacities. In the present work, the potential use of a variety of ...

  9. Intrinsic melanin and hemoglobin colour components for skin lesion malignancy detection.

    PubMed

    Madooei, Ali; Drew, Mark S; Sadeghi, Maryam; Atkins, M Stella

    2012-01-01

    In this paper we propose a new log-chromaticity 2-D colour space, an extension of previous approaches, which succeeds in removing confounding factors from dermoscopic images: (i) the effects of the particular camera characteristics for the camera system used in forming RGB images; (ii) the colour of the light used in the dermoscope; (iii) shading induced by imaging non-flat skin surfaces; (iv) and light intensity, removing the effect of light-intensity falloff toward the edges of the dermoscopic image. In the context of a blind source separation of the underlying colour, we arrive at intrinsic melanin and hemoglobin images, whose properties are then used in supervised learning to achieve excellent malignant vs. benign skin lesion classification. In addition, we propose using the geometric-mean of colour for skin lesion segmentation based on simple grey-level thresholding, with results outperforming the state of the art.

  10. Rapid onset of multiple concurrent squamous cell carcinomas associated with the use of an arsenic-containing traditional medicine for chronic plaque psoriasis.

    PubMed

    Siefring, Mark Louis; Lu, Doanh; States, J Christopher; Van Hoang, Minh

    2018-03-30

    We report a case of a 46-year-old Vietnamese man who developed widespread, numerous and concurrent cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) in non-sun exposed skin areas after taking a traditional medicine (TM) formulation for chronic plaque psoriasis. The SCC lesions began to develop within 12-15 months after beginning the arsenic-containing TM. The patient experienced both acute and chronic symptoms consistent with arsenic exposure. Laboratory investigation of a collected hair sample showed a significant arsenic level. The TM formulation used by the patient was tested and demonstrated an extremely high concentration of arsenic. © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  11. Application of principal component analysis to multispectral imaging data for evaluation of pigmented skin lesions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jakovels, Dainis; Lihacova, Ilze; Kuzmina, Ilona; Spigulis, Janis

    2013-11-01

    Non-invasive and fast primary diagnostics of pigmented skin lesions is required due to frequent incidence of skin cancer - melanoma. Diagnostic potential of principal component analysis (PCA) for distant skin melanoma recognition is discussed. Processing of the measured clinical multi-spectral images (31 melanomas and 94 nonmalignant pigmented lesions) in the wavelength range of 450-950 nm by means of PCA resulted in 87 % sensitivity and 78 % specificity for separation between malignant melanomas and pigmented nevi.

  12. Status of groundwater arsenic contamination in all 17 blocks of Nadia district in the state of West Bengal, India: A 23-year study report

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rahman, Mohammad Mahmudur; Mondal, Debapriya; Das, Bhaskar; Sengupta, Mrinal Kumar; Ahamed, Sad; Hossain, M. Amir; Samal, Alok Chandra; Saha, Kshitish Chandra; Mukherjee, Subhash Chandra; Dutta, Rathindra Nath; Chakraborti, Dipankar

    2014-10-01

    A comprehensive study was conducted in Nadia, one of the nine arsenic (As) affected districts in West Bengal, India to determine the extent and severity of groundwater As contamination and its health effects in particular, dermatological effects and neurological complications. We collected 28,947 hand tube-well water samples from all 17 blocks of Nadia district and analyzed for As by the flow injection-hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometer (FI-HG-AAS). We found 51.4% and 17.3% of the tube-wells had As above 10 and 50 μg/L, respectively and observed that groundwater of all 17 blocks contained As above 50 μg/L with maximum observed level of 3200 μg/L. We estimated that about 2.1 million and 0.6 million people could be drinking As contaminated water above 10 and 50 μg/L, respectively, while 0.048 million could be at risk of drinking As-contaminated water above 300 μg/L, the concentration predicted to cause overt arsenical skin lesions. We screened 15,153 villagers from 50 villages and registered 1077 with arsenical skin lesions resulting in a prevalence rate of 7.1%. Analyzing 2671 biological samples (hair, nail and urine), from people with and without arsenical skin symptoms we found 95% of the samples had As above the normal level, indicating many people in Nadia district are sub-clinically affected. Arsenical neuropathy was observed in 33% of 255 arsenicosis patients with 28.2% prevalence for predominant sensory neuropathy and 4.7% for sensorimotor. As groundwater is still the main source of drinking water, targeting low-As aquifers and switching tube-well from unsafe to nearby safe sources are two visible options to obtain safe drinking water.

  13. Arsenic contamination of groundwater: a review of sources, prevalence, health risks, and strategies for mitigation.

    PubMed

    Shankar, Shiv; Shanker, Uma; Shikha

    2014-01-01

    Arsenic contamination of groundwater in different parts of the world is an outcome of natural and/or anthropogenic sources, leading to adverse effects on human health and ecosystem. Millions of people from different countries are heavily dependent on groundwater containing elevated level of As for drinking purposes. As contamination of groundwater, poses a serious risk to human health. Excessive and prolonged exposure of inorganic As with drinking water is causing arsenicosis, a deteriorating and disabling disease characterized by skin lesions and pigmentation of the skin, patches on palm of the hands and soles of the feet. Arsenic poisoning culminates into potentially fatal diseases like skin and internal cancers. This paper reviews sources, speciation, and mobility of As and global overview of groundwater As contamination. The paper also critically reviews the As led human health risks, its uptake, metabolism, and toxicity mechanisms. The paper provides an overview of the state-of-the-art knowledge on the alternative As free drinking water and various technologies (oxidation, coagulation flocculation, adsorption, and microbial) for mitigation of the problem of As contamination of groundwater.

  14. Arsenic Contamination of Groundwater: A Review of Sources, Prevalence, Health Risks, and Strategies for Mitigation

    PubMed Central

    Shikha

    2014-01-01

    Arsenic contamination of groundwater in different parts of the world is an outcome of natural and/or anthropogenic sources, leading to adverse effects on human health and ecosystem. Millions of people from different countries are heavily dependent on groundwater containing elevated level of As for drinking purposes. As contamination of groundwater, poses a serious risk to human health. Excessive and prolonged exposure of inorganic As with drinking water is causing arsenicosis, a deteriorating and disabling disease characterized by skin lesions and pigmentation of the skin, patches on palm of the hands and soles of the feet. Arsenic poisoning culminates into potentially fatal diseases like skin and internal cancers. This paper reviews sources, speciation, and mobility of As and global overview of groundwater As contamination. The paper also critically reviews the As led human health risks, its uptake, metabolism, and toxicity mechanisms. The paper provides an overview of the state-of-the-art knowledge on the alternative As free drinking water and various technologies (oxidation, coagulation flocculation, adsorption, and microbial) for mitigation of the problem of As contamination of groundwater. PMID:25374935

  15. Reconstructing in-vivo reflectance spectrum of pigmented skin lesion by Monte Carlo simulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Shuang; He, Qingli; Zhao, Jianhua; Lui, Harvey; Zeng, Haishan

    2012-03-01

    In dermatology applications, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy has been extensively investigated as a promising tool for the noninvasive method to distinguish melanoma from benign pigmented skin lesion (nevus), which is concentrated with the skin chromophores like melanin and hemoglobin. We carried out a theoretical study to examine melanin distribution in human skin tissue and establish a practical optical model for further pigmented skin investigation. The theoretical simulation was using junctional nevus as an example. A multiple layer skin optical model was developed on established anatomy structures of skin, the published optical parameters of different skin layers, blood and melanin. Monte Carlo simulation was used to model the interaction between excitation light and skin tissue and rebuild the diffuse reflectance process from skin tissue. A testified methodology was adopted to determine melanin contents in human skin based on in vivo diffuse reflectance spectra. The rebuild diffuse reflectance spectra were investigated by adding melanin into different layers of the theoretical model. One of in vivo reflectance spectra from Junctional nevi and their surrounding normal skin was studied by compare the ratio between nevus and normal skin tissue in both the experimental and simulated diffuse reflectance spectra. The simulation result showed a good agreement with our clinical measurements, which indicated that our research method, including the spectral ratio method, skin optical model and modifying the melanin content in the model, could be applied in further theoretical simulation of pigmented skin lesions.

  16. Confocal imaging of benign and malignant proliferative skin lesions in vivo

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gonzalez, Salvador; Rajadhyaksha, Milind M.; Anderson, R. Rox

    1999-06-01

    Near-infrared confocal reflectance microscopy (CM) provides non- invasive real-time images of thin en-face tissue sections with high resolution and contrast. Imaging of cells, nuclei, other organelles, microvessels, and hair follicles has been possible at resolution comparable to standard histology, to a maximum depth of 250-300 μm in human skin in vivo. We have characterized psoriasis as a prototype of benign proliferative skin conditions, and non-pigmented skin malignancies in vivo based on their unstained, native histologic features using CM. Our data shows that reflectance CM may potentially diagnose and morphometrically evaluate proliferative skin lesions in vivo.

  17. Skin Lesions on Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from Three Sites in the Northwest Atlantic, USA

    PubMed Central

    Hart, Leslie Burdett; Rotstein, Dave S.; Wells, Randall S.; Allen, Jason; Barleycorn, Aaron; Balmer, Brian C.; Lane, Suzanne M.; Speakman, Todd; Zolman, Eric S.; Stolen, Megan; McFee, Wayne; Goldstein, Tracey; Rowles, Teri K.; Schwacke, Lori H.

    2012-01-01

    Skin disease occurs frequently in many cetacean species across the globe; methods to categorize lesions have relied on photo-identification (photo-id), stranding, and by-catch data. The current study used photo-id data from four sampling months during 2009 to estimate skin lesion prevalence and type occurring on bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from three sites along the southeast United States coast [Sarasota Bay, FL (SSB); near Brunswick and Sapelo Island, GA (BSG); and near Charleston, SC (CHS)]. The prevalence of lesions was highest among BSG dolphins (P = 0.587) and lowest in SSB (P = 0.380), and the overall prevalence was significantly different among all sites (p<0.0167). Logistic regression modeling revealed a significant reduction in the odds of lesion occurrence for increasing water temperatures (OR = 0.92; 95%CI:0.906–0.938) and a significantly increased odds of lesion occurrence for BSG dolphins (OR = 1.39; 95%CI:1.203–1.614). Approximately one-third of the lesioned dolphins from each site presented with multiple types, and population differences in lesion type occurrence were observed (p<0.05). Lesions on stranded dolphins were sampled to determine the etiology of different lesion types, which included three visually distinct samples positive for herpesvirus. Although generally considered non-fatal, skin disease may be indicative of animal health or exposure to anthropogenic or environmental threats, and photo-id data provide an efficient and cost-effective approach to document the occurrence of skin lesions in free-ranging populations. PMID:22427955

  18. Skin lesion computational diagnosis of dermoscopic images: Ensemble models based on input feature manipulation.

    PubMed

    Oliveira, Roberta B; Pereira, Aledir S; Tavares, João Manuel R S

    2017-10-01

    The number of deaths worldwide due to melanoma has risen in recent times, in part because melanoma is the most aggressive type of skin cancer. Computational systems have been developed to assist dermatologists in early diagnosis of skin cancer, or even to monitor skin lesions. However, there still remains a challenge to improve classifiers for the diagnosis of such skin lesions. The main objective of this article is to evaluate different ensemble classification models based on input feature manipulation to diagnose skin lesions. Input feature manipulation processes are based on feature subset selections from shape properties, colour variation and texture analysis to generate diversity for the ensemble models. Three subset selection models are presented here: (1) a subset selection model based on specific feature groups, (2) a correlation-based subset selection model, and (3) a subset selection model based on feature selection algorithms. Each ensemble classification model is generated using an optimum-path forest classifier and integrated with a majority voting strategy. The proposed models were applied on a set of 1104 dermoscopic images using a cross-validation procedure. The best results were obtained by the first ensemble classification model that generates a feature subset ensemble based on specific feature groups. The skin lesion diagnosis computational system achieved 94.3% accuracy, 91.8% sensitivity and 96.7% specificity. The input feature manipulation process based on specific feature subsets generated the greatest diversity for the ensemble classification model with very promising results. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Clinico-morphological features of BRAF inhibition-induced proliferative skin lesions in cancer patients.

    PubMed

    Belum, Viswanath Reddy; Rosen, Alyx C; Jaimes, Natalia; Dranitsaris, George; Pulitzer, Melissa P; Busam, Klaus J; Marghoob, Ashfaq A; Carvajal, Richard D; Chapman, Paul B; Lacouture, Mario E

    2015-01-01

    The use of BRAF inhibitors may lead to the development of cutaneous toxicities such as rashes, photosensitivity, alopecia, palmoplantar erythrodysesthesia, and proliferative skin lesions, including keratoacanthomas (KAs) and cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (cuSCCs). The latter are noteworthy for their potential to exhibit malignant features, and they may necessitate invasive treatment. Their prompt identification is of primary importance for directing supportive care efforts and maintaining dose intensity while minimizing the morbidity associated with supportive care interventions. Because such lesions are less familiar to oncologists, this study was designed to characterize their clinico-morphological features, which have not been hitherto described. The clinical and dermoscopic characteristics and risk factors of new-onset proliferative skin lesions (benign verrucous lesions and KAs/cuSCCs) developing after the initiation of treatment with vemurafenib, dabrafenib, and XL281 were analyzed; the histopathological diagnoses were ascertained. The majority of the lesions were benign verrucous lesions (78%, n = 87), whereas KAs/cuSCCs represented 22% (n = 25). The median times to biopsy for the initial verrucous lesions and KAs/cuSCCs were 4.8 and 10.5 weeks, respectively. The clinico-morphological features significant for KAs/cuSCCs included a larger size (P < .001), a nodular appearance (P < .001), a central keratin plug (P < .001), a central ulceration or crust (P = .04), an adherent scale (P = .02), an erythematous halo (P = .03), and a scaly ring (collarette; P < .001) at the periphery. Our findings represent the first detailed description of the clinico-morphological characteristics that permit distinction between the benign and malignant skin lesions induced by BRAF inhibitors. They are valuable for the recognition of lesions that require intervention and/or a dermatology referral versus those that permit provisional

  20. Initial evaluation of an ultrasound measure for assessing the activity of skin lesions in juvenile localized scleroderma.

    PubMed

    Li, S C; Liebling, M S; Haines, K A; Weiss, J E; Prann, A

    2011-05-01

    To evaluate the construct validity of 2 proposed measures (the Ultrasound Disease Activity [U-DA] and the Tissue Thickness Score [TTS]) for evaluating sonographic differences in juvenile localized scleroderma skin lesions. We conducted a retrospective review of juvenile localized scleroderma patients who had ultrasound scans of their skin lesions between October 2005 and February 2009. Imaged lesions were classified as active or inactive based upon clinical assessment. Lesions had to have been imaged within 1 month of a clinic visit or have the same clinical assessment during both the visit before and the visit after the scan. Two physicians scored the scans using the U-DA, which scores for differences in lesion echogenicity and vascularity compared with normal tissue. Tissue thickness differences were evaluated by percent differences and by using the TTS. Wilcoxon's rank sum test was performed to assess differences. We studied 52 scans from 21 patients, 32 scans of active skin lesions and 20 scans of inactive skin lesions. Features reported by clinicians as indicative of active disease included erythema, warmth, violaceous color, new lesion, expansion of lesion, and induration. The U-DA was significantly different between active and inactive skin lesions (P = 0.0010) with significant differences found for the parameters of total echogenicity, hypodermis echogenicity, and deep tissue layer vascularity (P = 0.0014, P = 0.0023, and P = 0.0374, respectively). No significant differences were found for tissue layer thickness or TTS. The U-DA may be a useful tool in the identification of localized scleroderma activity. Further study is needed to prospectively evaluate the validity, reliability, and sensitivity of this potential monitoring tool. Copyright © 2011 by the American College of Rheumatology.

  1. Gabor filter for the segmentation of skin lesions from ultrasonographic images

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Petrella, Lorena I.; Gómez, W.; Alvarenga, André V.; Pereira, Wagner C. A.

    2012-05-01

    The present work applies Gabor filters bank for texture analysis of skin lesions images, obtained by ultrasound biomicroscopy. The regions affected by the lesions were differentiated from surrounding tissue in all the analyzed cases; however the accuracy of the traced borders showed some limitations in part of the images. Future steps are being contemplated, attempting to enhance the technique performance.

  2. Immunomodulatory role of Emblica officinalis in arsenic induced oxidative damage and apoptosis in thymocytes of mice

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Arsenic is widely distributed in the environment and has been found to be associated with the various health related problems including skin lesions, cancer, cardiovascular and immunological disorders. The fruit extract of Emblica officinalis (amla) has been shown to have anti-oxidative and immunomodulatory properties. In view of increasing health risk of arsenic, the present study has been carried out to investigate the protective effect of amla against arsenic induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in thymocytes of mice. Methods Mice were exposed to arsenic (sodium arsenite 3 mg/kg body weight p.o.) or amla (500 mg/kg body weight p.o.) or simultaneously with arsenic and amla for 28 days. The antioxidant enzyme assays were carried out using spectrophotometer and generation of ROS, apoptotic parameters, change in cell cycle were carried out using flow cytometer following the standard protocols. Results Arsenic exposure to mice caused a significant increase in the lipid peroxidation, ROS production and decreased cell viability, levels of reduced glutathione, the activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase, cytochrome c oxidase and mitochondrial membrane potential in the thymus as compared to controls. Increased activity of caspase-3 linked with apoptosis assessed by the cell cycle analysis and annexin V/PI binding was also observed in mice exposed to arsenic as compared to controls. Co-treatment with arsenic and amla decreased the levels of lipid peroxidation, ROS production, activity of caspase-3, apoptosis and increased cell viability, levels of antioxidant enzymes, cytochrome c oxidase and mitochondrial membrane potential as compared to mice treated with arsenic alone. Conclusions The results of the present study exhibits that arsenic induced oxidative stress and apoptosis significantly protected by co-treatment with amla that could be due to its strong antioxidant potential. PMID:23889914

  3. Analysis of eotaxin 1/CCL11, eotaxin 2/CCL24 and eotaxin 3/CCL26 expression in lesional and non-lesional skin of patients with atopic dermatitis.

    PubMed

    Owczarek, Witold; Paplińska, Magdalena; Targowski, Tomasz; Jahnz-Rózyk, Karina; Paluchowska, Elwira; Kucharczyk, Aleksandra; Kasztalewicz, Beata

    2010-05-01

    Eotaxins are the chemokines which are highly selective chemotactic agents for eosinophils. The aim of our study was the evaluation of the gene expression level for eotaxin 1/CCL11, eotaxin 2/CCL24, and eotaxin 3/CCL26, both in skin changes and in uninvolved skin of atopic dermatitis (AD) patients. The study comprised 19 patients with AD and 10 healthy controls. The gene expression level for eotaxins in the skin biopsies was evaluated by the real-time quantitative PCR. The change of the gene expression level, calculated as log10 skin lesions/non-lesional skin, was 0.635 for CCL11, 0.172 for CCL24 and 0.291 for CCL26. The change of the gene expression level, calculated as log10 non-lesional skin of AD patients/healthy control, was 0.394 for CCL11, -0.216 for CCL24, and 0.229 for CCL26, while skin lesions of AD patients/healthy control, was: 0.788, -0.046, and 0.483, respectively. The mean gene expression level for CCL11, CCL24, CCL26 was higher in skin changes of AD patients than in uninvolved skin. The higher level of CCL26 in skin changes, indicates its role in their aetiology in AD. The gene expression level for CCL24 in AD patients was lower, both in involved and uninvolved skin vs. the healthy control. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Skin ulcers related to chronic graft-versus-host disease: clinical findings and associated morbidity.

    PubMed

    Jachiet, M; de Masson, A; Peffault de Latour, R; Rybojad, M; Robin, M; Bourhis, J-H; Xhaard, A; Dhedin, N; Sicre de Fontbrune, F; Suarez, F; Barete, S; Parquet, N; Nguyen, S; Ades, L; Rubio, M-T; Wittnebel, S; Bagot, M; Socié, G; Bouaziz, J-D

    2014-07-01

    According to the National Institutes of Health classification of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD), skin ulcers after allogeneic haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) are recorded as having the maximal severity score but published data are scarce. To describe skin ulcers related to cGVHD with an emphasis on clinical findings, associated morbidity, management and evolution. A multicentre retrospective analysis was carried out of patients with a diagnosis of cGVHD skin ulcers. All 25 patients included in the study had sclerotic skin cGVHD and 21 had lichenoid skin lesions associated with the sclerotic skin lesions. Thirteen patients had severe cGVHD without considering the skin, because of the involvement of an extracutaneous organ by cGVHD. The median time from HSCT to the onset of ulcers was 44 months. In addition to scleroderma, initial skin lesions at the site of ulcers were bullous erosive lichen in 21 patients and bullous erosive morphoea in four patients. Fifteen patients had an inaugural oedema. Ulcers were mostly bilateral with a predilection for the lower limbs. They were frequently colonized but few infections occurred. Four patients died during a median follow-up period of 55 months. Chronic graft-versus-host disease skin ulcers occur in patients with sclerodermatous skin cGVHD, are associated with severe cGVHD, often start with bullous lichenoid lesions or bullous morphoea and seem to cause more morbidity than mortality, given the low rate of mortality observed in our series of patients. © 2014 British Association of Dermatologists.

  5. In vitro antifungal susceptibility of Malassezia pachydermatis from dogs with and without skin lesions.

    PubMed

    Cafarchia, Claudia; Figueredo, Luciana A; Iatta, Roberta; Montagna, Maria Teresa; Otranto, Domenico

    2012-03-23

    Canine Malassezia dermatitis is frequently treated with systemic ketoconazole (KTZ) and itraconazole (ITZ). However, no information is available on the antifungal susceptibility to azoles and allilamine of Malassezia pachydermatis isolates from dogs with or without skin lesions. The present study was designed to evaluate the in vitro antifungal susceptibility of M. pachydermatis strains from dogs with or without skin lesions to KTZ, ITZ, miconazole (MICO), fluconazole (FLZ), posaconazole (POS), voriconazole (VOR) and terbinafine (TER) using the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute reference Broth Microdilution Method (CLSI M27-A2). The association between the susceptibility to antifungal compounds and the origin of M. pachydermatis, from skin with or without lesions has been also assessed. A total of 62 M. pachydermatis strains from healthy dogs (i.e., Group A=30) or with skin lesions (i.e., Group B=32) were tested. ITZ, KTZ and POS showed the highest activity against M. pachydermatis strains, whereas MICO TER and FLZ the lowest. A higher number of Malassezia resistant strains were registered among isolates from Group B than those from Group A. This study indicates that M. pachydermatis strains were susceptible to ITZ, KTZ, and POS. However, dogs with lesions may harbour strains with low susceptibility to antifungal agents and displaying cross-resistance phenomena to azole. The antifungal therapy in Malassezia infections requires careful appraisal of choice of drugs especially in cases of unresponsiveness to antifungal treatment or recurrent infections. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Characterization of cytotoxic immune response in skin and mucosal lesions of paracoccidioidomycosis.

    PubMed

    Pagliari, Carla; Pereira, Naiura Vieira; Kanashiro, Luciane; Stegun, Felipe Weisshaupt; Croda, Julio; Duarte, Maria Irma Seixas; Sotto, Mirian Nacagami

    2010-05-01

    CD8+ T cells and natural killer (NK) cells are involved in the immune response against some pathogens. For this purpose, we investigated the in situ paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) immune response addressing the participation of NK cells, CD8+ T cells, perforin and granzyme B expression. Sixty biopsies of PCM skin and mucosa were classified according to the presence of compact granulomas (G1), poorly organized granulomas (G2) and both kinds in the same lesion (G3). CD8+ T cells, NK cells, perforin and granzyme B were showed by immunohistochemistry. CD8+ T cells were increased over NK cells in cutaneous G1 and G2 lesions. There was no difference regarding such cells in G3 lesions, although they were abundant in such lesions. In mucosa, CD8+ T cells were increased in number over NK cells in all groups. Granzyme B in skin increased in G2 and G3. The number of granzyme did not differ in mucosal lesions in the three groups. CD8+ T cells and NK cells play a role in PCM cutaneous and mucosal lesions. The predominance of CD8+ T cells over NK cells may represent an effective response against the fungi. Moreover, the high number of granzyme B expressing cells corroborates this possibility.

  7. Large Morel-Lavallée lesion presenting as fungating mass with skin ulceration.

    PubMed

    Ryan, Christine E; Wachtel, Sarah; Leef, George; Ozdalga, Errol

    2016-01-01

    A Morel-Lavallée lesion, a type of soft tissue degloving injury that has also been referred to as a chronic expanding hematoma, is a relatively rare condition that usually develops following traumatic injury. Here, we present a case of a 60-year-old male with a Morel-Lavallée lesion diagnosed over 5 years after a traumatic injury of the hip. He presented with a large fungating mass and overlying skin ulceration, which was highly suspicious for sarcoma. However, lack of other systemic findings and constitutional complaints, as well as negative imaging studies, did not support a diagnosis of malignancy. This information, combined with the history of remote trauma to the affected area, instead led us to suspect the alternative diagnosis of a Morel-Lavallée lesion. The diagnosis was later confirmed by pathology showing a chronic expanding hematoma. To our knowledge, a Morel-Lavallée lesion presenting as a fungating mass has not been previously described.

  8. Health-Related Quality of Life in Chronic Pruritus: An Analysis Related to Disease Etiology, Clinical Skin Conditions and Itch Intensity.

    PubMed

    Warlich, Benjamin; Fritz, Fleur; Osada, Nani; Bruland, Philipp; Stumpf, Astrid; Schneider, Gudrun; Dugas, Martin; Pfleiderer, Bettina; Ständer, Sonja

    2015-01-01

    It is unknown if health-related quality of life (HRQoL) differs between diseases associated with chronic pruritus (CP). To analyze HRQoL in relation to age, gender, skin lesions (primary vs. scratch-induced secondary) and itch intensity. Consecutive patients of our itch clinic were assessed with the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and visual analogue scale (VAS). In 510 CP patients (282 females; median age, 61.4 years), DLQI scores and VAS values were highly correlated, irrespective of the type of skin lesion. Overall, women had a lower HRQoL compared to men (females: 10.7 ± 6.7, males: 8.9 ± 6.7), but female gender was only associated with worse quality of life in patients <65 years old. HRQoL impairment in CP is highly influenced by pruritus intensity but not to the visible skin lesion or underlying cause. With limitations to item bias, DLQI is a suitable instrument for estimating quality of life impairment by CP. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  9. Plasmodium berghei infection ameliorates atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice.

    PubMed

    Kishi, C; Amano, H; Suzue, K; Ishikawa, O

    2014-10-01

    Atopic diseases are more prevalent in industrialized countries than in developing countries. In addition, significant differences in the prevalence of allergic diseases are observed between rural and urban areas within the same country. This difference in prevalence has been attributed to what is called the 'hygiene hypothesis'. Although parasitic infections are known to protect against allergic reactions, the mechanism is still unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate whether or not malarial infections can inhibit atopic dermatitis (AD)-like skin lesions in a mouse model of AD. We used NC/Nga mice which are a model for AD. The NC/Nga mice were intraperitoneally infected with 1 × 10(5) Plasmoduim berghei (Pb) XAT-infected erythrocytes. Malarial infections ameliorated AD-like skin lesions in the NC/Nga mice. This improvement was blocked by the administration of anti-asialo GM1 antibodies, which are anti-natural killer (NK) cells. Additionally, adoptive transfer of NK cells markedly improved AD-like skin lesions in conventional NC/Nga mice; these suggest that the novel protective mechanism associated with malaria parasitic infections is at least, in part, dependent on NK cells. We have experimentally demonstrated for the first time that malarial infections ameliorated AD-like skin lesions in a mouse model of AD. Our study could explain in part the mechanism of the 'hygiene hypothesis', which states that parasitic infections can inhibit the development of allergic diseases. © 2014 The Authors. Allergy Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  10. Pigmented skin lesion detection using random forest and wavelet-based texture

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hu, Ping; Yang, Tie-jun

    2016-10-01

    The incidence of cutaneous malignant melanoma, a disease of worldwide distribution and is the deadliest form of skin cancer, has been rapidly increasing over the last few decades. Because advanced cutaneous melanoma is still incurable, early detection is an important step toward a reduction in mortality. Dermoscopy photographs are commonly used in melanoma diagnosis and can capture detailed features of a lesion. A great variability exists in the visual appearance of pigmented skin lesions. Therefore, in order to minimize the diagnostic errors that result from the difficulty and subjectivity of visual interpretation, an automatic detection approach is required. The objectives of this paper were to propose a hybrid method using random forest and Gabor wavelet transformation to accurately differentiate which part belong to lesion area and the other is not in a dermoscopy photographs and analyze segmentation accuracy. A random forest classifier consisting of a set of decision trees was used for classification. Gabor wavelets transformation are the mathematical model of visual cortical cells of mammalian brain and an image can be decomposed into multiple scales and multiple orientations by using it. The Gabor function has been recognized as a very useful tool in texture analysis, due to its optimal localization properties in both spatial and frequency domain. Texture features based on Gabor wavelets transformation are found by the Gabor filtered image. Experiment results indicate the following: (1) the proposed algorithm based on random forest outperformed the-state-of-the-art in pigmented skin lesions detection (2) and the inclusion of Gabor wavelet transformation based texture features improved segmentation accuracy significantly.

  11. Role of Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology in the Diagnosis of Skin and Superficial Soft Tissue Lesions: A Study of 510 Cases.

    PubMed

    Bhowmik, Abhijit; Mallick Sinha, Mamata Guha; Barman, Dilip Chandra

    2015-01-01

    Diseases of the skin and superficial subcutaneous soft tissues present with a wide array of lesions ranging from nonspecific dermatoses and inflammatory lesions to frank neoplasms. Though cytopathology is an excellent diagnostic tool in routine dermatologic practice, studies relating to histopathological and cytological correlation are sparse. The aim of this study was to analyze the concordance rate between cytological and histopathological diagnosis of skin and superficial soft tissue lesions. We retrospectively studied 510 consecutive fine needle aspiration cytology findings of cases from North Bengal Medical College and Hospital and correlated their diagnoses based upon cytological and histopathological grounds. Out of the 510 cases studied, 253 were non neoplastic lesions and 257 were neoplastic. A high degree of concordance was observed (100% for malignant and 96.15% for benign lesions) when these two diagnostic modalities were compared. Histopathological correlation was possible in all malignant, 52/189 (27.51%) of benign and 27/253 (10.67%) of non-neoplastic lesions. Sensitivity and specificity of diagnoses were 95.31% and 97.6%, respectively. It can be safely concluded that fine needle aspiration cytology is a rapid, reliable and fairly accurate tool for initial triage and treatment of skin and superficial soft tissue lesions.

  12. Adaptive technique for matching the spectral response in skin lesions' images

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pavlova, P.; Borisova, E.; Pavlova, E.; Avramov, L.

    2015-03-01

    The suggested technique is a subsequent stage for data obtaining from diffuse reflectance spectra and images of diseased tissue with a final aim of skin cancer diagnostics. Our previous work allows us to extract patterns for some types of skin cancer, as a ratio between spectra, obtained from healthy and diseased tissue in the range of 380 - 780 nm region. The authenticity of the patterns depends on the tested point into the area of lesion, and the resulting diagnose could also be fixed with some probability. In this work, two adaptations are implemented to localize pixels of the image lesion, where the reflectance spectrum corresponds to pattern. First adapts the standard to the personal patient and second - translates the spectrum white point basis to the relative white point of the image. Since the reflectance spectra and the image pixels are regarding to different white points, a correction of the compared colours is needed. The latest is done using a standard method for chromatic adaptation. The technique follows the steps below: -Calculation the colorimetric XYZ parameters for the initial white point, fixed by reflectance spectrum from healthy tissue; -Calculation the XYZ parameters for the distant white point on the base of image of nondiseased tissue; -Transformation the XYZ parameters for the test-spectrum by obtained matrix; -Finding the RGB values of the XYZ parameters for the test-spectrum according sRGB; Finally, the pixels of the lesion's image, corresponding to colour from the test-spectrum and particular diagnostic pattern are marked with a specific colour.

  13. [Characterization of species of the gender Malassezia in patients with seborrheic dermatitis and subjects without skin lesions].

    PubMed

    Rendic, Elizabeth; Díaz, Cristina; Fich, Félix

    2003-11-01

    The yeast Malassezia spp has an established etiological role in pityriasis versicolor, folliculitis, systemic infections and onychomycosis. To assess the presence of Malassezia spp in patients with seborrheic dermatitis (SD), to find a correlation between Malassezia spp count and the severity of the disease and to compare the prevalence of the different Malassezia species in SD patients and subjects without skin lesions. Scrapings of the face from 81 patients with SD (69 males) and 79 subjects (54 males) without skin lesions were obtained for a direct microscope examination and yeast culture. The yeast Malassezia was found in 76% of SD patients and in 82% of subjects without skin lesions. There was a positive correlation between the number of yeasts found on direct examination and the clinical severity of lesions in SD patients. Although this correlation was statistically significant (P = 0.046), the degree of association (rho = 0.22) was weak. Fifty Malassezia species were identified. M globosa was found in 67% of SD patients, followed by M furfur and M sympodialis, each present in 16.5% of the SD patients. In subjects without skin lesions, the most prevalent species were M globosa (77%), followed by M sympodialis (12%), M slooffiae (7%) and M furfur (4%). The presence of the yeast Malassezia is not associated with the presence of skin lesions.

  14. Skin lesion biopsy

    MedlinePlus

    ... biopsy - skin; Skin cancer - biopsy; Melanoma - biopsy; Squamous cell cancer - biopsy; Basal cell cancer - biopsy; Mohs microsurgery ... dermatitis Infection from bacteria or fungus Melanoma Basal cell skin cancer Squamous cell skin cancer

  15. Effect of a 308-nm excimer laser on atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice.

    PubMed

    Oh, Chang Taek; Kwon, Tae-Rin; Seok, Joon; Choi, Eun Ja; Kim, Soon Re; Jang, Yu-Jin; Mun, Seog Kyun; Kim, Chan Woong; Lee, Sungeun; Lee, Jongmin; Kim, Myeung Nam; Choi, Sun Young; Kim, Beom Joon

    2016-08-01

    Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common inflammatory skin disease that can affect all age groups. It has a relapsing course, which dramatically affects the quality of life of patients. A 308-nm excimer laser has been reported to be a safe and effective treatment for inflammatory skin diseases, although the range of potential application has not been fully explored. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of a 308-nm laser on AD-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice. Dermatophagoides farinae-exposed NC/Nga mice with a clinical score of 12 were treated with either a 308-nm excimer laser or narrowband-UVB (NB-UVB). The effects of the 308-nm excimer laser were evaluated by dermatitis scores, skin histology, skin barrier function, and immunological parameters, including IgE and Th2-mediated cytokines. The 308-nm excimer laser significantly reduced the severity of skin lesions and decreased the total serum levels of IgE and Th2-mediated cytokines. The excimer laser also significantly reduced the inflammatory cellular infiltrate into AD-induced skin lesions. Moreover, treatment with the 308-nm excimer laser led to recovery of skin barrier function in AD-induced skin lesions. The 308-nm excimer laser can be considered a valid and safe therapeutic option for the treatment of localized AD. Lasers Surg. Med. 48:629-637, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  16. Effect of Acer tegmentosum bark on atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice.

    PubMed

    Yang, Gabsik; An, Duckgun; Lee, Mi-Hwa; Lee, Kyungjin; Kim, Bumjung; Suman, Chinannai Khanita; Ham, Inhye; Choi, Ho-Young

    2016-01-11

    Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic and relapsing inflammatory condition characterized by pruritic and eczematous skin lesions that requires safe and effective pharmacological therapy. The bark of Acer tegmentosum Maxim trees has been used in Korean folk and traditional medicine to treat abscesses, surgical bleeding, liver diseases, and AD. To investigate the therapeutic effect of A. tegmentosum, on a mouse model of Dermatophagoides farinae (Df)-induced AD. Development of AD-like skin lesions was induced by repetitive skin contact with barrier-disrupted backs of NC/Nga mice with Df body ointment, and the effects of A. tegmentosum were evaluated on the basis of histopathological skin assessment results, ear swelling, and cytokine production in the dorsal skin. The component of A. tegmentosum, salidroside, inhibited the production of TSLP in KCMH-1 cells, which indicated that its production could be pharmacologically regulated. Topical application of A. tegmentosum for 1 week after Df body ointment challenge significantly reduced ear swelling and improved dorsal skin lesions. Suppression of dermatitis by combined therapy was accompanied by a decrease in the skin level of Th2 cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5 and IL-13, plasma levels of thymus and activation-regulated chemokine, and IgE. Induction of thymic stromal lymphopoietin, which leads to a systemic Th2 response, was also reduced in in vivo and in vitro by A. tegmentosum and salidroside. Our findings suggest that A. tegmentosum treatment has a significant therapeutic effect on Df-induced AD-like skin lesions on NC/Nga mice through inhibition of thymic stromal lymphopoietin and IgE via a mechanism that may inhibit Th2-mediated immune responses. These results suggest that A. tegmentosum and salidroside may be useful tools for the treatment of AD. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Visualization of dermal alteration in skin lesions with discoid lupus erythematosus by multiphoton microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, L. H.; Yu, H. B.; Zhu, X. Q.; Zhuo, S. M.; Wang, Y. Y.; Yang, Y. H.; Chen, J. X.

    2013-04-01

    Discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) is a chronic dermatological disease which lacks valid methods for early diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring. Considering the collagen and elastin disorder due to mucin deposition of DLE, multiphoton microscopy (MPM) imaging techniques were employed to obtain high-resolution collagen and elastin images from the dermis. The content and distribution of collagen and elastin were quantified to characterize the dermal pathological status of skin lesions with DLE in comparison with normal skin. Our results showed a significant difference between skin lesions with DLE and normal skin in terms of the morphological structure of collagen and elastin in the dermis, demonstrating the possibility of MPM for noninvasively tracking the pathological process of DLE even in its early stages and evaluating the therapeutic efficacy at the molecular level.

  18. Ranavirus infections associated with skin lesions in lizards

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Ranaviral disease in amphibians has been studied intensely during the last decade, as associated mass-mortality events are considered to be a global threat to wild animal populations. Several studies have also included other susceptible ectothermic vertebrates (fish and reptiles), but only very few cases of ranavirus infections in lizards have been previously detected. In this study, we focused on clinically suspicious lizards and tested these animals for the presence of ranaviruses. Virological screening of samples from lizards with increased mortality and skin lesions over a course of four years led to the detection of ranaviral infections in seven different groups. Affected species were: brown anoles (Anolis sagrei), Asian glass lizards (Dopasia gracilis), green anoles (Anolis carolinensis), green iguanas (Iguana iguana), and a central bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps). Purulent to ulcerative-necrotizing dermatitis and hyperkeratosis were diagnosed in pathological examinations. All animals tested positive for the presence of ranavirus by PCR and a part of the major capsid protein (MCP) gene of each virus was sequenced. Three different ranaviruses were isolated in cell culture. The analyzed portions of the MCP gene from each of the five different viruses detected were distinct from one another and were 98.4-100% identical to the corresponding portion of the frog virus 3 (FV3) genome. This is the first description of ranavirus infections in these five lizard species. The similarity in the pathological lesions observed in these different cases indicates that ranaviral infection may be an important differential diagnosis for skin lesions in lizards. PMID:24073785

  19. Ranavirus infections associated with skin lesions in lizards.

    PubMed

    Stöhr, Anke C; Blahak, Silvia; Heckers, Kim O; Wiechert, Jutta; Behncke, Helge; Mathes, Karina; Günther, Pascale; Zwart, Peer; Ball, Inna; Rüschoff, Birgit; Marschang, Rachel E

    2013-09-27

    Ranaviral disease in amphibians has been studied intensely during the last decade, as associated mass-mortality events are considered to be a global threat to wild animal populations. Several studies have also included other susceptible ectothermic vertebrates (fish and reptiles), but only very few cases of ranavirus infections in lizards have been previously detected. In this study, we focused on clinically suspicious lizards and tested these animals for the presence of ranaviruses. Virological screening of samples from lizards with increased mortality and skin lesions over a course of four years led to the detection of ranaviral infections in seven different groups. Affected species were: brown anoles (Anolis sagrei), Asian glass lizards (Dopasia gracilis), green anoles (Anolis carolinensis), green iguanas (Iguana iguana), and a central bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps). Purulent to ulcerative-necrotizing dermatitis and hyperkeratosis were diagnosed in pathological examinations. All animals tested positive for the presence of ranavirus by PCR and a part of the major capsid protein (MCP) gene of each virus was sequenced. Three different ranaviruses were isolated in cell culture. The analyzed portions of the MCP gene from each of the five different viruses detected were distinct from one another and were 98.4-100% identical to the corresponding portion of the frog virus 3 (FV3) genome. This is the first description of ranavirus infections in these five lizard species. The similarity in the pathological lesions observed in these different cases indicates that ranaviral infection may be an important differential diagnosis for skin lesions in lizards.

  20. Low incidence of heparin-induced skin lesions in orthopedic surgery patients with low-molecular-weight heparins.

    PubMed

    Schindewolf, M; Paulik, M; Kroll, H; Kaufmann, R; Wolter, M; Boehncke, W-H; Lindhoff-Last, E; Recke, A; Ludwig, R J

    2018-04-23

    Heparins are widely prescribed for prevention and therapy of arterial and venous thromboembolic diseases. Heparin-induced skin lesions are the most frequent adverse effects of subcutaneous heparin treatment in non-surgical patients (7.5-39.8%); no data exist on surgical patients. Commonly, they are due to a delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction (DTH), but may also be a manifestation of life-threatening heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). Lesions of both entities resemble initially. The risk of HIT is highest among heparin-anticoagulated orthopedic surgery patients. To determine incidence and causes of heparin-induced skin lesions in major orthopedic surgery patients. In a prospective cohort study consecutive patients with subcutaneous low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) treatment were examined for cutaneous adverse effects. Further diagnostics (skin biopsy, clinical/laboratory assessment for thrombosis, bleeding, HIT, cross-allergies) were performed. Six of 316 enrolled patients (1.9%; 95% CI 0.4%-3.4%) developed heparin-induced skin lesions. All were caused by a DTH reaction, none was due to HIT or other rare heparin-associated skin diseases. Therapeutic use (dosage) of LMWH was identified as only risk factor (odds ratio: 3.1, 95%CI: 1.4-4.9; p=0.00141). In addition to DTH, 5 thromboembolic, 4 major bleeding complications but no cases of HIT or cross-allergies were observed. Orthopedic surgery patients have - unlike non-surgical patients - a low risk for heparin-induced skin lesions during LMWH treatment; all lesions were due to a DTH reaction. The risk for DTH differs considerably between individual patient cohorts. No association with HIT was observed. These data help to tailor anticoagulatory treatment individually and to increase patient safety. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  1. Skin lesions caused by orthopoxvirus infection in a dog.

    PubMed

    Smith, K C; Bennett, M; Garrett, D C

    1999-10-01

    A seven-year-old male dobermann was presented for examination of a non-pruritic ulcerated lesion occurring at the site of a suspected rat bite on the muzzle. Biopsy revealed focal ulcerative dermatitis, with cells in the epidermis, follicular infundibula and interposed sebaceous glands undergoing ballooning degeneration and containing large acidophilic intracytoplasmic structures resembling poxvirus inclusion bodies. The diagnosis of orthopoxvirus infection was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry. The biopsy site healed uneventfully, without evidence of recurrence or development of further cutaneous or internal lesions, and a serum sample collected eight weeks after first presentation had a low titre of poxvirus antibodies. This report demonstrates that orthopoxvirus infection should be considered as a cause of ulcerative skin lesions in dogs, particularly if there has been recent contact with rodents or other small mammals.

  2. In Situ complement activation and T-cell immunity in leprosy spectrum: An immunohistological study on leprosy lesional skin.

    PubMed

    Bahia El Idrissi, Nawal; Iyer, Anand M; Ramaglia, Valeria; Rosa, Patricia S; Soares, Cleverson T; Baas, Frank; Das, Pranab K

    2017-01-01

    Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae) infection causes nerve damage and the condition worsens often during and long after treatment. Clearance of bacterial antigens including lipoarabinomannan (LAM) during and after treatment in leprosy patients is slow. We previously demonstrated that M. leprae LAM damages peripheral nerves by in situ generation of the membrane attack complex (MAC). Investigating the role of complement activation in skin lesions of leprosy patients might provide insight into the dynamics of in situ immune reactivity and the destructive pathology of M. leprae. In this study, we analyzed in skin lesions of leprosy patients, whether M. leprae antigen LAM deposition correlates with the deposition of complement activation products MAC and C3d on nerves and cells in the surrounding tissue. Skin biopsies of paucibacillary (n = 7), multibacillary leprosy patients (n = 7), and patients with erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) (n = 6) or reversal reaction (RR) (n = 4) and controls (n = 5) were analyzed. The percentage of C3d, MAC and LAM deposition was significantly higher in the skin biopsies of multibacillary compared to paucibacillary patients (p = <0.05, p = <0.001 and p = <0.001 respectively), with a significant association between LAM and C3d or MAC in the skin biopsies of leprosy patients (r = 0.9578, p< 0.0001 and r = 0.8585, p<0.0001 respectively). In skin lesions of multibacillary patients, MAC deposition was found on axons and co-localizing with LAM. In skin lesions of paucibacillary patients, we found C3d positive T-cells in and surrounding granulomas, but hardly any MAC deposition. In addition, MAC immunoreactivity was increased in both ENL and RR skin lesions compared to non-reactional leprosy patients (p = <0.01 and p = <0.01 respectively). The present findings demonstrate that complement is deposited in skin lesions of leprosy patients, suggesting that inflammation driven by complement activation might contribute to nerve damage in the lesions of

  3. The evaluation of total mercury and arsenic in skin bleaching creams commonly used in Trinidad and Tobago and their potential risk to the people of the Caribbean.

    PubMed

    Mohammed, Terry; Mohammed, Elisabeth; Bascombe, Shermel

    2017-12-13

    Background. Skin lightening is very popular among women and some men of the Caribbean, and its popularity appears to be growing. The lightening of skin colour is done to produce a lighter complexion which is believed to increase attractiveness, social standing and improves one's potential of being successful. Design and Methods. Fifteen (15) common skin lightening creams found in pharmacies and cosmetic retailers throughout Trinidad and Tobago were evaluated for Mercury by Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (CVAAS) and Arsenic by Hydride Generation Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (HGAAS). The results obtained were compared to global standards and previous research. Results. Fourteen (14) of the fifteen samples analysed contained Mercury in the range of 0.473 μg/g to 0.766 μg/g. One sample had a Mercury content of 14,507.74±490.75 μg/g which was over 14,000 times higher than the USFDA limit for mercury in cosmetics of 1 μg/g. All samples contained Arsenic in the range 1.016 μg/g to 6.612 μg/g, which exceeds the EU limit for cosmetics of 0 μg/g. Conclusions. All the samples analysed contained significant amounts of Mercury and Arsenic and none of them can be considered safe for prolonged human use. The samples that contained Mercury levels which were lower than the USFDA limit contained Arsenic levels which exceeded the EU standard of 0 μg/g in cosmetics. The popularity of these skin lightening creams in the Caribbean region places the population at elevated risk of chronic Mercury and Arsenic poisoning and possibly acute Mercury Poisoning.

  4. The evaluation of total mercury and arsenic in skin bleaching creams commonly used in Trinidad and Tobago and their potential risk to the people of the Caribbean

    PubMed Central

    Mohammed, Terry; Mohammed, Elisabeth; Bascombe, Shermel

    2017-01-01

    Background. Skin lightening is very popular among women and some men of the Caribbean, and its popularity appears to be growing. The lightening of skin colour is done to produce a lighter complexion which is believed to increase attractiveness, social standing and improves one’s potential of being successful. Design and Methods. Fifteen (15) common skin lightening creams found in pharmacies and cosmetic retailers throughout Trinidad and Tobago were evaluated for Mercury by Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (CVAAS) and Arsenic by Hydride Generation Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (HGAAS). The results obtained were compared to global standards and previous research. Results. Fourteen (14) of the fifteen samples analysed contained Mercury in the range of 0.473 μg/g to 0.766 μg/g. One sample had a Mercury content of 14,507.74±490.75 μg/g which was over 14,000 times higher than the USFDA limit for mercury in cosmetics of 1 μg/g. All samples contained Arsenic in the range 1.016 μg/g to 6.612 μg/g, which exceeds the EU limit for cosmetics of 0 μg/g. Conclusions. All the samples analysed contained significant amounts of Mercury and Arsenic and none of them can be considered safe for prolonged human use. The samples that contained Mercury levels which were lower than the USFDA limit contained Arsenic levels which exceeded the EU standard of 0 μg/g in cosmetics. The popularity of these skin lightening creams in the Caribbean region places the population at elevated risk of chronic Mercury and Arsenic poisoning and possibly acute Mercury Poisoning. Significance for public health The lightening of one’s skin to achieve a more attractive and successful appearance has become part of the culture of the Caribbean, and the use of low priced skin lightening creams is widespread. The dangers posed by these products is unknown to many of its users and for those better informed, the use of so called Mercury free creams are preferred. This

  5. Detection of human papillomavirus in nonmelanoma skin cancer lesions and healthy perilesional skin in kidney transplant recipients and immunocompetent patients.

    PubMed

    Bernat-García, J; Morales Suárez-Varela, M; Vilata-Corell, J J; Marquina-Vila, A

    2014-04-01

    The influence of human papillomavirus (HPV) on the development of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is a topic of debate. HPV types from the beta genus (HPV-β) have been most frequently associated with the development of skin cancer. To analyze the prevalence and range of HPV types in NMSC lesions and healthy perilesional skin in immunodepressed and immunocompetent patients and to evaluate the influence of various clinical factors on the prevalence of HPV in skin cancer. Nested polymerase chain reaction and sequencing were used to detect HPV in 120 NMSC samples obtained by biopsy from 30 kidney transplant recipients and 30 immunocompetent patients. In all cases, a sample was taken from the tumor site and the surrounding healthy skin. Potential confounders were assessed and the data analyzed by multivariate logistic regression. HPV DNA was detected in 44 (73.3%) of the 60 samples from immunodepressed patients and in 32 (53.3%) of the 60 samples from immunocompetent patients (adjusted odds ratio, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.2-9.6). In both groups of patients, HPV was more common in healthy perilesional skin than in lesional skin. HPV-β was the most common type isolated. We found a wide range of HPV types (mostly HPV-β) in the skin of kidney transplant recipients and immunocompetent patients with skin cancer. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L. and AEDV. All rights reserved.

  6. In vivo reflectance confocal microscopy imaging of melanocytic skin lesions: consensus terminology glossary and illustrative images.

    PubMed

    Scope, Alon; Benvenuto-Andrade, Cristiane; Agero, Anna-Liza C; Malvehy, Josep; Puig, Susana; Rajadhyaksha, Milind; Busam, Klaus J; Marra, Diego E; Torres, Abel; Propperova, Iva; Langley, Richard G; Marghoob, Ashfaq A; Pellacani, Giovanni; Seidenari, Stefania; Halpern, Allan C; Gonzalez, Salvador

    2007-10-01

    Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) has been used for over 10 years for in vivo skin imaging. However, to date no standard RCM terminology has been published. To establish a glossary of terms for RCM evaluation of melanocytic lesions. Prominent RCM researchers were presented with RCM images of melanocytic lesions. Reviewers evaluated RCM images for image quality, lesion architecture, and cellular details. Reviewers could utilize published descriptors or contribute unpublished terminology to describe lesion attributes. An online meeting was conducted to reach consensus that integrates and defines existing and new RCM descriptive terms. We present a glossary with descriptors of image quality, normal skin morphology, lesion architecture, and cellular details for RCM evaluation of melanocytic lesions. Usefulness of the glossary in RCM diagnosis of melanocytic lesions needs to be assessed. Standardization of terminology is important toward implementation of RCM in the clinical setting.

  7. RECENT ADVANCES IN ARSENIC CARCINOGENESIS: MODES OF ACTION, ANIMAL MODEL SYSTEMS AND METHYLATED ARSENIC METABOLITES

    EPA Science Inventory


    Abstract:

    Recent advances in our knowledge of arsenic carcinogenesis include the development of rat or mouse models for all human organs in which inorganic arsenic is known to cause cancer -skin, lung, urinary bladder, liver and kidney. Tumors can be produced from eit...

  8. Skin cancer and inorganic arsenic: uncertainty-status of risk.

    PubMed

    Brown, K G; Guo, H R; Kuo, T L; Greene, H L

    1997-02-01

    The current U.S. EPA standard for inorganic arsenic in drinking water is 50 ppb (microgram/L), dating to the National Interim Primary Drinking Water Regulation of 1976. The current EPA risk analysis predicts an increased lifetime skin cancer risk on the order of 3 or 4 per 1000 from chronic exposure at that concentration. Revision of the standard to only a few ppb, perhaps even less than 1 ppb, may be indicated by the EPA analysis to reduce the lifetime risk to an acceptable level. The cost to water utilities, and ultimately to their consumers, to conform to such a large reduction in the standard could easily reach several billion dollars, so it is particularly important to assess accurately the current risk and the risk reduction that would be achieved by a lower standard. This article addresses the major sources of uncertainty in the EPA analysis with respect to this objective. Specifically, it focuses on uncertainty and variability in the exposure estimates for the landmark study of Tseng and colleagues in Taiwan, analyzed using a reconstruction of the their exposure data. It is concluded that while the available dataset is suitable to establish the hazard of skin cancer, it is too highly summarized for reliable dose-response assessment. A new epidemiologic study is needed, designed for the requirements of dose-response assessment.

  9. Psoriasiform Skin Lesions Are Caused by Anti-TNF Agents Used for the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

    PubMed

    George, Lauren A; Gadani, Akash; Cross, Raymond K; Jambaulikar, Guruprasad; Ghazi, Leyla J

    2015-11-01

    Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists used for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have been associated with the development of psoriasiform skin lesions. We assessed the demographic and clinical characteristics associated with and outcomes of patients with anti-TNF-induced psoriasiform lesions. Patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) receiving treatment with anti-TNF therapy (infliximab, adalimumab, or certolizumab pegol) at a tertiary referral center were identified using an IRB-approved clinical data repository. Patients that developed psoriasiform skin lesions after initiation of anti-TNF therapy were included as cases. A group of anti-TNF-treated patients without drug-related psoriasiform lesions were identified as controls. The association between demographic and clinical variables and psoriasiform lesions was assessed using Chi-square analyses and multivariable logistic regression. Five hundred twenty-one patients with IBD undergoing treatment with anti-TNF therapy were identified; of these, 18 (3.5%) had psoriasiform lesions (16 CD and 2 UC). Seventy-two patients were identified as controls. Lesions developed a mean of 58 weeks (range 4-240 weeks) after starting anti-TNF therapy. The majority of patients were female and Caucasian (63 and 78%, respectively). Thirty-nine percent of patients had upper tract disease location. Forty-five patients (50%) were current or former smokers. Location of psoriasiform lesions included palmo-plantar (53%), trunk (47%), and scalp (53%), with 88% reporting involvement of ≥2 locations. Treatment of psoriasiform lesions was instituted with topical therapy in eight patients and systemic therapy (± phototherapy) in five patients. Discontinuation of anti-TNF therapy was recommended in nine patients (50%); of those, three were retreated with a second anti-TNF agent and all had recurrence of psoriasiform lesions. When adjusted for multiple variables, upper GI tract disease was significantly

  10. Laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy of benign and malignant cutaneous lesions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Borisova, Ekaterina G.; Troyanova, P. P.; Stoyanova, V. P.; Avramov, Lachezar A.

    2005-04-01

    The goals of this work were investigation of pigmented skin lesions by the method of laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy. Fluorescence spectra were obtained from malignant and benign skin lesions after excitation with nitrogen laser at 337 nm, namely: benign nevi, dysplastic nevi, malignant melanoma (MM), keratopapilloma, base-cell papilloma and base-cell carcinoma, as well as from healthy skin areas near to the lesion that were used posteriori to reveal changes between healthy and lesion skin spectra. Initially lesions were classified by ABCD-dermatscopic method. All suspicious lesions were excised and were investigated histologically. Spectrum of healthy skin consists of one main maximum at 470-500 nm spectral region and secondary maxima at in the regions round 400 and 440 nm. In the cases of nevi and melanoma significant decrease of fluorescence intensity, which correlated with the type of pigment lesion was observed. This reduction of the signal is related to the accumulation of melanin in the lesions that re-absorb strongly the fluorescence from native skin fluorophores in whole visible spectral region. In cases of papilloma and base-cell carcinoma an intensity decrease was also observed, related to accumulation of pigments in these cutaneous lesions. An relative increase of the fluorescence peak at 440 nm were registered in the case of base-cell carcinoma, and appearance of green fluorescence, related to increase of keratin content in benign papilloma lesions were detected. The results, obtained in this investigation of the different pigment lesions could be used for better comprehension of the skin optical properties. The fluorescence spectroscopy of the human skin are very prominent for early diagnosis and differentiation of cutaneous diseases and gives a wide range of possibilities related to real-time determination of existing pathological condition.

  11. Skin lesion KOH exam

    MedlinePlus

    ... present. The fungus may be related to ringworm , athlete's foot , jock itch , or another fungal infection. If the ... and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. Athlete's Foot Read more Skin Infections Read more Tinea Infections ...

  12. Dietary arsenic consumption and urine arsenic in an endemic population: response to improvement of drinking water quality in a 2-year consecutive study.

    PubMed

    Biswas, Anirban; Deb, Debasree; Ghose, Aloke; Du Laing, Gijs; De Neve, Jan; Santra, Subhas Chandra; Guha Mazumder, Debendra Nath

    2014-01-01

    We assessed the association between arsenic intake through water and diet, and arsenic levels in first morning-void urine under variable conditions of water contamination. This was done in a 2-year consecutive study in an endemic population. Exposure of arsenic through water and diet was assessed for participants using arsenic-contaminated water (≥50 μg L(-1)) in a first year (group I) and for participants using water lower in arsenic (<50 μg L(-1)) in the next year (group II). Participants with and without arsenical skin lesions were considered in the statistical analysis. Median dose of arsenic intake through drinking water in groups I and II males was 7.44 and 0.85 μg kg body wt.(-1) day(-1) (p <0.0001). In females, it was 5.3 and 0.63 μg kg body wt.(-1) day(-1) (p <0.0001) for groups I and II, respectively. Arsenic dose through diet was 3.3 and 2.6 μg kg body wt.(-1) day(-1) (p = 0.088) in males and 2.6 and 1.9 μg kg body wt.(-1) day(-1) (p = 0.0081) in females. Median arsenic levels in urine of groups I and II males were 124 and 61 μg L(-1) (p = 0.052) and in females 130 and 52 μg L(-1) (p = 0.0001), respectively. When arsenic levels in the water were reduced to below 50 μg L(-1) (Indian permissible limit), total arsenic intake and arsenic intake through the water significantly decreased, but arsenic uptake through the diet was found to be not significantly affected. Moreover, it was found that drinking water mainly contributed to variations in urine arsenic concentrations. However, differences between male and female participants also indicate that not only arsenic uptake, but also many physiological factors affect arsenic behavior in the body and its excretion. As total median arsenic exposure still often exceeded 3.0 μg kg body wt.(-1) day(-1) (the permissible lower limit established by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives) after installation of the drinking water filters, it can be concluded that

  13. Effect of a chemical mixture on dermal penetration of arsenic and nickel in male pig in vitro.

    PubMed

    Turkall, Rita M; Skowronski, Gloria A; Suh, Duck H; Abdel-Rahman, Mohamed S

    2003-04-11

    The effect of a chemical mixture on the dermal penetration of arsenic or nickel was assessed by applying arsenic-73 or nickel-63 alone or with the chemical mixture to dermatomed male pig skin samples in flow-through diffusion cells. The chemical mixture consisted of chloroform, phenanthrene, and toluene for arsenic penetration studies and phenol, toluene, and trichloroethylene (TCE) for nickel studies. These are predominant chemicals found at hazardous waste sites. Arsenic and nickel bind to skin after dermal exposure. Total penetration of arsenic and nickel in the chemical mixture were significantly increased by 33% and 20% compared to arsenic and nickel alone, respectively. While more radioactivity penetrated skin with chemical treatment than metal alone, significantly less radioactivity was loosely adsorbed to skin and could be easily washed off from the skin surface with soap and water. The results of this study indicate that the potential health risk from dermal exposure to arsenic or nickel is enhanced if other chemicals are present.

  14. Clay jojoba oil facial mask for lesioned skin and mild acne--results of a prospective, observational pilot study.

    PubMed

    Meier, Larissa; Stange, Rainer; Michalsen, Andreas; Uehleke, Bernhard

    2012-01-01

    External application of clay facial masks is a cosmetic procedure generally used to reduce skin lesions and to improve overall skin condition. Collecting pilot data about self-treatment with clay jojoba oil masks on participants with acne-prone, lesioned skin and acne. Open, prospective, observational pilot study: Participants received written information, instructions, and questionnaires without direct contact with the study physician. For 6 weeks, they applied the masks 2-3 times per week. The primary outcome is the difference of skin lesions: baseline vs. after 6 weeks. 194 participants (192 female, 2 male, mean age (± SE) (32.3 ± 0.7 years) returned questionnaires and diaries. 133 of these participants returned complete and precise lesion counts (per-protocol (PP) collective). A 54% mean reduction in total lesion count was observed after 6 weeks of treatment with clay facial mask. Both inflammatory and non-inflammatory skin lesions were reduced significantly after treatment compared to baseline: Median counts (MC) of pustules per affected participant were reduced from 7.0 ± 0.9 to 3.0 ± 0.5 (mean individual reduction (MIR) = 49.4%), the MC of the papules from 3.5 ± 2.2 to 1.0 ± 0.4 (MIR = 57.3%), the MC of cysts from 2.0 ± 0.8 to 0.5 ± 0.4 (MIR = 68.6%) and the MC of comedones from 26.5 ± 6.3 to 16.0 ± 4.0 (MIR = 39.1%). DLQI-average score decreased from 5.0 ± 4.5 (mean ± SE) before to 2.1 ± 2.8 after treatment. The present study gives preliminary evidence that healing clay jojoba oil facial masks can be effective treatment for lesioned skin and mild acne vulgaris. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  15. Arsenic-Induced Genotoxicity and Genetic Susceptibility to Arsenic-Related Pathologies

    PubMed Central

    Faita, Francesca; Cori, Liliana; Bianchi, Fabrizio; Andreassi, Maria Grazia

    2013-01-01

    The arsenic (As) exposure represents an important problem in many parts of the World. Indeed, it is estimated that over 100 million individuals are exposed to arsenic, mainly through a contamination of groundwaters. Chronic exposure to As is associated with adverse effects on human health such as cancers, cardiovascular diseases, neurological diseases and the rate of morbidity and mortality in populations exposed is alarming. The purpose of this review is to summarize the genotoxic effects of As in the cells as well as to discuss the importance of signaling and repair of arsenic-induced DNA damage. The current knowledge of specific polymorphisms in candidate genes that confer susceptibility to arsenic exposure is also reviewed. We also discuss the perspectives offered by the determination of biological markers of early effect on health, incorporating genetic polymorphisms, with biomarkers for exposure to better evaluate exposure-response clinical relationships as well as to develop novel preventative strategies for arsenic- health effects. PMID:23583964

  16. Mast cell heterogeneity and anti-inflammatory annexin A1 expression in leprosy skin lesions.

    PubMed

    Costa, Maurício B; Mimura, Kallyne K O; Freitas, Aline A; Hungria, Emerith M; Sousa, Ana Lúcia O M; Oliani, Sonia M; Stefani, Mariane M A

    2018-03-29

    Mast cells (MCs) have important immunoregulatory roles in skin inflammation. Annexin A1 (ANXA1) is an endogenous anti-inflammatory protein that can be expressed by mast cells, neutrophils, eosinophils, monocytes, epithelial and T cells. This study investigated MCs heterogeneity and ANXA1 expression in human dermatoses with special emphasis in leprosy. Sixty one skin biopsies from 2 groups were investigated: 40 newly diagnosed untreated leprosy patients (18 reaction-free, 11 type 1 reaction/T1R, 11 type 2 reaction/T2R); 21 patients with other dermatoses. Tryptase/try+ and chymase/chy + phenotypic markers and toluidine blue stained intact/degranulated MC counts/mm 2 were evaluated. Try + /chy + MCs and ANXA1 were identified by streptavidin-biotin-peroxidase immunostaining and density was reported. In leprosy, degranulated MCs outnumbered intact ones regardless of the leprosy form (from tuberculoid/TT to lepromatous/LL), leprosy reactions (reactional/reaction-free) and type of reaction (T1R/T2R). Compared to other dermatoses, leprosy skin lesions showed lower numbers of degranulated and intact MCs. Try + MCs outnumbered chy + in leprosy lesions (reaction-free/reactional, particularly in T2R), but not in other dermatoses. Compared to other dermatoses, ANXA1 expression, which is also expressed in mast cells, was higher in the epidermis of leprosy skin lesions, independently of reactional episode. In leprosy, higher MC degranulation and differential expression of try + /chy + subsets independent of leprosy type and reaction suggest that the Mycobacterium leprae infection itself dictates the inflammatory MCs activation in skin lesions. Higher expression of ANXA1 in leprosy suggests its potential anti-inflammatory role to maintain homeostasis preventing tissue and nerve damage. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. THE REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES (ROS) THEORY OF ARSENIC CARCINOGENESIS

    EPA Science Inventory



    Arsenic is a human carcinogen in skin, lung, liver, urinary bladder
    and kidney. At this time, there is not a scientific consensus on the
    mechanisms/modes of action for arsenic carcinogenesis. Proposed
    mechanisms/modes of action for arsenic carcinogenesi...

  18. Hydrogen-enriched water restoration of impaired calcium propagation by arsenic in primary keratinocytes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, Wei-Tai; Chiu, Yi-Ching; Lee, Chih-Hung; Yoshioka, Tohru; Yu, Hsin-Su

    2013-11-01

    Endemic contamination of artesian water for drinking by arsenic is known to cause several human cancers, including cancers of the skin, bladder, and lungs. In skin, multiple arsenic-induced Bowen's disease (As-BD) can develop into invasive cancers after decades of arsenic exposure. The characteristic histological features of As-BD include full-layer epidermal dysplasia, apoptosis, and abnormal proliferation. Calcium propagation is an essential cellular event contributing to keratinocyte differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis, all of which occur in As-BD. This study investigated how arsenic interferes calcium propagation of skin keratinocytes through ROS production and whether hydrogen-enriched water would restore arsenic-impaired calcium propagation. Arsenic was found to induce oxidative stress and inhibit ATP- and thapsigaragin-induced calcium propagation. Pretreatment of arsenic-treated keratinocytes by hydrogen-enriched water or beta-mercaptoethanol with potent anti-oxidative effects partially restored the propagation of calcium by ATP and by thapsigaragin. It was concluded that arsenic may impair calcium propagation, likely through oxidative stress and interactions with thiol groups in membrane proteins.

  19. Alterations in leucocyte subsets and histomorphology in normal-appearing perilesional skin and early and chronic hidradenitis suppurativa lesions.

    PubMed

    van der Zee, H H; de Ruiter, L; Boer, J; van den Broecke, D G; den Hollander, J C; Laman, J D; Prens, E P

    2012-01-01

    Current insight into the histopathological course of events during disease progression in hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is fragmentary. To identify histological alterations and leucocyte subsets in normal-appearing perilesional skin, and early and chronic HS lesions. In this observational study we examined eight perilesional skin samples, and six early and 10 chronic prototypic HS lesions, as well as skin samples from four healthy donors using in situ immunostaining. Perilesional skin showed mild psoriasiform hyperplasia and follicular plugging as well as a low-grade influx of tryptase-positive mast cells, CD3+ T cells, CD138+ plasma cells and factor XIIIa+ dendritic cells. In early HS lesions, neutrophilic abscess formation and influx of mainly macrophages, monocytes and dendritic cells predominated. In chronic disease, the infiltrate expanded with markedly increased frequencies of CD20+ and CD79a+ B cells and CD138+ plasma cells. As in early lesions, free keratin fibres were detected in the dermis and within giant cells. Single detached keratinocytes and strands of follicular epithelium were observed in the dermis, the latter frequently expressing Ki67, indicative of active proliferation. Psoriasiform hyperplasia, follicular plugging and low-grade leucocytic infiltration are already present in normal-appearing perilesional skin. Keratin fibres in the dermis are associated with clinical disease. Early lesions are characterized by neutrophilic abscess formation and influx of mainly histiocytes, and chronic lesions mainly by expansion of B cells and plasma cells in 'pseudo' follicles. Proliferating strands of follicular epithelium may initiate fistula formation. Mast cells are increased in all stages of HS including perilesional skin. © 2011 The Authors. BJD © 2011 British Association of Dermatologists.

  20. Functional polysaccharides from Grifola frondosa aqueous extract inhibit atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice.

    PubMed

    Park, Hyeon Soo; Hwang, Yong Hyeon; Kim, Mun Ki; Hong, Gyeong Eun; Lee, Ho Jeong; Nagappan, Arulkumar; Yumnam, Silvia; Kim, Eun Hee; Heo, Jeong Doo; Lee, Sang Joon; Won, Chung Kil; Kim, Gon Sup

    2015-01-01

    Grifola frondosa (GF), distributed widely in far east Asia including Korea, is popularly used as traditional medicines and health supplementary foods, especially for enhancing the immune functions of the body. To extend the application of GF polysaccharides (GFP) for atopic dermatitis (AD), we investigated the effects of GFP on the 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene-induced AD-like skin lesion in NC/Nga mice. GFP treatment significantly reduced the dorsa skin dermatitis score and combination treatment with GFP, and dexamethasone has a synergistic effect in AD-like skin lesion by reduced Serum IgE, mast cells infiltration, and cytokines expression. These results indicate that GFP suppressed the AD-like skin lesions by controlling the Th-1/Th-2-type cytokines in NC/Nga mice. These findings strongly suggest that GFP can be useful for AD patients as a novel therapeutic agent and might be used for corticosteroids replacement or supplement agent.

  1. Arsenic: The Silent Killer

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Foster, Andrea

    2006-02-28

    Andrea Foster uses x-rays to determine the forms of potentially toxic elements in environmentally-important matrices such as water, sediments, plants, and microorganisms. In this free public lecture, Foster will discuss her research on arsenic, which is called the silent killer because dissolved in water, it is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, yet consumption of relatively small doses of this element in its most toxic forms can cause rapid and violent death. Arsenic is a well-known poison, and has been used as such since ancient times. Less well known is the fact that much lower doses of the element, consumed over years,more » can lead to a variety of skin and internal cancers that can also be fatal. Currently, what has been called the largest mass poisoning in history is occurring in Bangladesh, where most people are by necessity drinking ground water that is contaminated with arsenic far in excess of the maximum amounts determined to be safe by the World Health Organization. This presentation will review the long and complicated history with arsenic, describe how x-rays have helped explain the high yet spatially variable arsenic concentrations in Bangladesh, discuss the ways in which land use in Bangladesh may be exacerbating the problem, and summarize the impact of this silent killer on drinking water systems worldwide.« less

  2. Noninvasive monitoring of photodynamic therapy on skin neoplastic lesions using the optical attenuation coefficient measured by optical coherence tomography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Goulart, Viviane P.; dos Santos, Moisés O.; Latrive, Anne; Freitas, Anderson Z.; Correa, Luciana; Zezell, Denise M.

    2015-05-01

    Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has become a promising alternative for treatment of skin lesions such as squamous cell carcinoma. We propose a method to monitor the effects of PDT in a noninvasive way by using the optical attenuation coefficient (OAC) calculated from optical coherence tomography (OCT) images. We conducted a study on mice with chemically induced neoplastic lesions and performed PDT on these lesions using homemade photosensitizers. The response of neoplastic lesions to therapy was monitored using, at the same time, macroscopic clinical visualization, histopathological analysis, OCT imaging, and OCT-based attenuation coefficient measurement. Results with all four modalities demonstrated a positive response to treatment. The attenuation coefficient was found to be 1.4 higher in skin lesions than in healthy tissue and it decreased after therapy. This study shows that the OAC is a potential tool to noninvasively assess the evolution of skin neoplastic lesions with time after treatment.

  3. A Review of the Quantification and Classification of Pigmented Skin Lesions: From Dedicated to Hand-Held Devices.

    PubMed

    Filho, Mercedes; Ma, Zhen; Tavares, João Manuel R S

    2015-11-01

    In recent years, the incidence of skin cancer cases has risen, worldwide, mainly due to the prolonged exposure to harmful ultraviolet radiation. Concurrently, the computer-assisted medical diagnosis of skin cancer has undergone major advances, through an improvement in the instrument and detection technology, and the development of algorithms to process the information. Moreover, because there has been an increased need to store medical data, for monitoring, comparative and assisted-learning purposes, algorithms for data processing and storage have also become more efficient in handling the increase of data. In addition, the potential use of common mobile devices to register high-resolution images of skin lesions has also fueled the need to create real-time processing algorithms that may provide a likelihood for the development of malignancy. This last possibility allows even non-specialists to monitor and follow-up suspected skin cancer cases. In this review, we present the major steps in the pre-processing, processing and post-processing of skin lesion images, with a particular emphasis on the quantification and classification of pigmented skin lesions. We further review and outline the future challenges for the creation of minimum-feature, automated and real-time algorithms for the detection of skin cancer from images acquired via common mobile devices.

  4. Histopathology of Cervical Cancer and Arsenic Concentration in Well Water: An Ecological Analysis.

    PubMed

    Mostafa, Mohammad Golam; Queen, Zarat Jahin; Cherry, Nicola

    2017-10-06

    Arsenic in drinking water is causally linked with cancer of the skin, lung, and urinary bladder, but there is very little data on a possible role for arsenic in the etiology of cervical cancer, a disease in which human papilloma virus is held to be a necessary but not sufficient cause. All histopathology results from cervical specimens from the National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital (NICRH), Dhaka (1997-2015), and the Anowara Medical Services (2003-2015), both serving the whole of Bangladesh, were classified by cell type. Arsenic concentrations in well water in the thana of residence were estimated from systematic sampling carried out by the British Geological Survey. In a case-referent analysis arsenic estimates for cases of cervical cancer were compared with those found to have benign lesions. In this study, 3464 NICRH (CH) cervical specimens and 30,050 community medical service (CMS) specimens were available: 3329 (CH) and 899 (CMS) were recorded as malignant. Most were squamous cell carcinoma, of which 4.9% were poorly differentiated. Overall, there was no increase in cervical cancer with increasing arsenic concentration. Among those with squamous cell histology, a strong dose response was seen for poorly differentiated cancer with increasing arsenic exposure. The odds ratio increased monotonically, compared with exposure <10 μg/L, from 1.58 at 10 < 50 μg/L to 8.11 at >200 μg/L (p < 0.001). Given the high proportion of Bangladeshis using drinking water containing >50 μg/L of arsenic, the evidence that arsenic is implicated in cancer grade suggests a need for further investigation and the introduction of cervical screening in high arsenic areas.

  5. Skin lesion-associated pathogens from Octopus vulgaris: first detection of Photobacterium swingsii, Lactococcus garvieae and betanodavirus.

    PubMed

    Fichi, G; Cardeti, G; Perrucci, S; Vanni, A; Cersini, A; Lenzi, C; De Wolf, T; Fronte, B; Guarducci, M; Susini, F

    2015-07-23

    The common octopus Octopus vulgaris Cuvier, 1798 is extremely important in fisheries and is a useful protein source in most Mediterranean countries. Here we investigated pathogens associated with skin lesions in 9 naturally deceased specimens that included both cultured and wild common octopus. Within 30 min after death, each octopus was stored at 4°C and microbiologically examined within 24 h. Bacterial colonies, cultured from swabs taken from the lesions, were examined using taxonomical and biochemical analyses. Vibrio alginolyticus and V. parahaemolyticus were only isolated from cultured animals. A conventional PCR targeting the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene and sequencing were performed on 2 bacterial isolates that remained unidentified after taxonomical and biochemical analysis. The sequence results indicated that the bacteria had a 99% identity with Lactococcus garvieae and Photobacterium swingsii. L. garvieae was confirmed using a specific PCR based on the 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer region, while P. swingsii was confirmed by phylogenetic analyses. Although all animals examined were found to be infected by the protozoan species Aggregata octopiana localised in the intestines, it was also present in skin lesions of 2 of the animals. Betanodavirus was detected in both cultured and wild individuals by cell culture, PCR and electron microscopy. These findings are the first report of L. garvieae and betanodavirus from skin lesions of common octopus and the first identification of P. swingsii both in octopus skin lesions and in marine invertebrates in Italy.

  6. COMPARISON OF IN VITRO AND IN VIVO RESPONSES TO ARSENIC: GENE EXPRESSION PROFILING IN NORMAL HUMAN EPIDERMAL KERATINOCYTES AND HYPERKERATOSES FROM ARSENIC-EXPOSED HUMANS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Chronic exposure to arsenic is positively associated with skin, urinary bladder, lung, liver and kidney cancer development in humans. Elucidating the mode of action of arsenic carcinogenesis is a complicated issue as target cells are exposed to different toxic species of arsenic....

  7. [The care of skin lesions caused by extravasation of intravenous fluids in peripheral venous perfusion].

    PubMed

    Ly, C

    2017-09-01

    Infiltration and extravasation account for 23-78 % of the complications stemming from peripheral venous perfusions in neonatal intensive care units. Their consequences, sometimes dramatic, can be pain, infections, or even loss of skin, which can lead to nerve and/or muscle damage, particularly severe for preterm neonates. Today there are no recommendations on the care of these lesions, which can lead to an erroneous choice or to a delay in the possible treatments. This review of the literature aims to explore and propose elements of therapeutic care collected in the scientific literature. It focuses on skin lesions due to extravasation of peripheral venous perfusions in neonatal intensive care units. The PubMed database and the publishers' platform ScienceDirect were used. The bibliographies of the selected articles were also run. All types of studies examining one or several treatments for the care of postextravasation skin lesions in neonatal intensive care units were included in the search, without any limit on the date, except for case reports. To estimate the quality of the studies, the tool proposed by the French National Authority for Health, which classifies the various types of studies according to their proof level, was used. Thirteen publications were analyzed, including four case series, five retrospective studies, and four interventional studies. The vast majority of these studies have been published since 2005. No comparative, controlled, and randomized trials appear in the literature. Chronologically, we observed a growing interest in the premature infant population, in parallel with the increasing number of publications. Among the significant number of treatments proposed, five main categories were identified: topical treatment, surgery, the Gault method, no specific treatment, and others. All the skin lesions of the babies studied healed, without important aftereffects. These publications also show that most of the time a combination of different

  8. The effect of hydroxychloroquine on lupus erythematosus-like skin lesions in MRL/lpr mice.

    PubMed

    Shimomatsu, Tatsuya; Kanazawa, Nobuo; Mikita, Naoya; Nakatani, Yumi; Li, Hong-Jin; Inaba, Yutaka; Ikeda, Takaharu; Kondo, Toshikazu; Furukawa, Fukumi

    2016-09-01

    To evaluate the effect and safety of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) on lupus erythematosus (LE)-like skin lesions in the MRL/lpr mouse, a model for systemic LE (SLE). We divided the MRL/lpr mice into three groups that were given: (1) drinking water, (2) HCQ at a dose of 4 mg/kg/d, or (3) HCQ at a dose of 40 mg/kg/d. The HCQ was administered to examine the effect and safety of HCQ on skin lesions and the number of infiltrating cells including mast cells in the dermis. Six of 13 mice in the group given drinking water, 3 of 11 mice in the group administered low-dose HCQ (4 mg/kg/d), and 1 of 10 mice in the group administered high-dose HCQ (40 mg/kg/d) presented the skin lesions. The average number of mast cells was 81, 50, and 12 (magnification, ×100), the mortality rate was 24%, 8%, and 9% and the mean body weight gain was 4.6 g, 8.0 g and 5.1 g, respectively. HCQ was demonstrated to decrease the appearance of LE-like lesions and the number of mast cells in the dermis. Furthermore, there were no obvious systemic adverse effects. This study provides evidence that suggests benefits in human patients.

  9. Influence of social mixing and group size on skin lesions and mounting in organic entire male pigs.

    PubMed

    Thomsen, R; Edwards, S A; Rousing, T; Labouriau, R; Sørensen, J T

    2016-07-01

    Alternatives to surgical castration are needed, due to stress and pain caused by castration of male pigs. One alternative is production of entire male pigs. However, changed behaviour of entire males compared with castrated males might adversely affect the welfare of entire males and changes in management procedures and production system might be needed. Elements from the organic pig production system might be beneficial in this aspect. The aim of this article is to investigate the effect of grouping strategy including social mixing and group size on levels of mounting behaviour and skin lesions, hypothesising that procedures that disrupt the social stability (e.g. regrouping) will have a larger negative effect in small groups compared with large groups. Approximately 1600 organic entire male pigs of the breed (Landrace×Yorkshire)×Duroc were reared in parallel in five organic herds, distributed across four batches in a 2×2 factorial design in order to test the influence of social mixing (presence or absence of social mixing at relocation) and group size (15 and 30 animals). Animals were able to socialise with piglets from other litters during the lactation period, and were all mixed across litters at weaning. A second mixing occurred at insertion to fattening pens for pigs being regrouped. Counting of skin lesions (1348 or 1124 pigs) and registration of mounting behaviour (1434 or 1258 pigs) were done on two occasions during the experimental period. No interactive effects were found between social mixing and group size on either skin lesions or mounting frequency. Herd differences were found for both mounting frequency and number of skin lesions. No association between skin lesions and mounting were revealed. Social mixing and group size were shown as interacting effects with herds on mounting frequency (P<0.0001), but with no consistent pattern across all herds. In addition, no effect of social mixing was found on mean number of skin lesions, but more lesions

  10. A case of stranded Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) with lobomycosis-like skin lesions in Kinko-wan, Kagoshima, Japan.

    PubMed

    Tajima, Yuko; Sasaki, Kyoko; Kashiwagi, Nobuyuki; Yamada, Tadasu K

    2015-08-01

    Lobomycosis is a chronic fungal disease caused by the etiologic agent, Lacazia loboi, in the skin and subcutaneous tissues in humans and dolphins in tropical and transitional tropical climates. An Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) stranded in Kagoshima, Japan, had severe skin lesions characterized by granulomatous reactions and hyperkeratosis that were similar to those of the lobomycosis, but no fungal organism was observed in the skin lesion. In this paper, we report a stranded Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin with lobomycosis-like lesions based on pathological examinations in Japan.

  11. A case of stranded Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) with lobomycosis-like skin lesions in Kinko-wan, Kagoshima, Japan

    PubMed Central

    TAJIMA, Yuko; SASAKI, Kyoko; KASHIWAGI, Nobuyuki; YAMADA, Tadasu K.

    2015-01-01

    Lobomycosis is a chronic fungal disease caused by the etiologic agent, Lacazia loboi, in the skin and subcutaneous tissues in humans and dolphins in tropical and transitional tropical climates. An Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) stranded in Kagoshima, Japan, had severe skin lesions characterized by granulomatous reactions and hyperkeratosis that were similar to those of the lobomycosis, but no fungal organism was observed in the skin lesion. In this paper, we report a stranded Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin with lobomycosis-like lesions based on pathological examinations in Japan. PMID:25866402

  12. Specific Skin Lesions of Sarcoidosis Located at Venipuncture Points for Blood Sample Collection.

    PubMed

    Marcoval, Joaquim; Penín, Rosa M; Mañá, Juan

    2018-05-01

    It has been suggested that the predilection of sarcoidosis to affect scars is due to the presence of antigens or foreign bodies that can serve as a stimulus for granuloma formation. Several patients with sarcoidosis-specific skin lesions in venous puncture sites have been reported. However, in these patients the pathogenesis of the cutaneous lesions is not clear because the presence of foreign bodies is not to be expected. Our objective was to describe 3 patients who developed specific lesions of sarcoidosis in areas of venipuncture and to discuss their possible pathogenesis. The database of the Sarcoid Clinic of Bellvitge Hospital (an 800-bed university referral center providing tertiary care to approximately 1 million people in Barcelona, Spain) was reviewed to detect those patients with specific cutaneous lesions of systemic sarcoidosis in areas of venipuncture. Three patients with biopsy-proven specific cutaneous lesions of systemic sarcoidosis in areas of venipuncture for blood collection were detected (3 women, mean age 56 years). In one case, the histopathological image shows the hypothetical path of a needle through the skin. In 2 cases, an amorphous birefringent material was detected under polarized light. This material was consistent with silicone. In patients who are developing sarcoidosis, the smallest amount of oil used as lubricant in the needle for sample blood collection may induce the formation of granulomas. In addition to exploring scars, it is advisable to explore the cubital folds to detect specific cutaneous lesions of sarcoidosis.

  13. mHealth App for Risk Assessment of Pigmented and Nonpigmented Skin Lesions-A Study on Sensitivity and Specificity in Detecting Malignancy.

    PubMed

    Thissen, Monique; Udrea, Andreea; Hacking, Michelle; von Braunmuehl, Tanja; Ruzicka, Thomas

    2017-12-01

    With the advent of smartphone devices, an increasing number of mHealth applications that target melanoma identification have been developed, but none addresses the general context of melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer identification. In this study a smartphone application using fractal and classical image analysis for the risk assessment of skin lesions is systematically evaluated to determine its sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer along with actinic keratosis and Bowen's disease. In the Department of Dermatology, Catharina Hospital Eindhoven, The Netherlands, 341 melanocytic and nonmelanocytic lesions were imaged using SkinVision app; 239 underwent histopathological examination, while the rest of 102 lesions were clinically diagnosed as clearly benign and not removed. The algorithm has been calibrated using the images of the first 233 lesions. The calibrated version of the algorithm was used in a subset of 108 lesions, and the obtained results were compared with the medical findings. On the 108 cases used for evaluation the algorithm scored 80% sensitivity and 78% specificity in detecting (pre)malignant conditions. Although less accurate than the dermatologist's clinical eye, the app may offer support to other professionals who are less familiar with differentiating between benign and malignant lesions. An mHealth application for the risk assessment of skin lesions was evaluated. It adds value to diagnosis tools of its type by taking into consideration pigmented and nonpigmented lesions all together and detecting signs of malignancy with high sensitivity.

  14. Arsenic in drinking water and peripheral nerve conduction velocity among residents of a chronically arsenic-affected area in Inner Mongolia.

    PubMed

    Fujino, Yoshihisa; Guo, Xiaojuan; Shirane, Kiyoyumi; Liu, Jun; Wu, Kegong; Miyatake, Munetoshi; Tanabe, Kimiko; Kusuda, Tetsuya; Yoshimura, Takesumi

    2006-09-01

    It remains unclear whether chronic ingestion of arsenic in drinking water affects the peripheral nervous system. We examined the effects of arsenic exposure on nerve conduction velocity using electromyography. A cross-sectional study was conducted of a population living in an arsenic-affected village in Hetao Plain, Inner Mongolia, China. A total of 134 (93.7%) of 143 inhabitants took part in the study, and 36 (76.6%) of 47 inhabitants in a low-arsenic exposed village were recruited as a control group. Of the participants, 109 inhabitants in the arsenic-affected village and 32 in the low-arsenic exposed village aged > or =18 years were used for the analyses. An expert physician performed skin examinations, and median nerve conduction velocity was examined by electromyography. Arsenic levels in tube-well water and urine were measured. A mean level of arsenic in tube-well water in the arsenic-affected village was 158.3 microg/L, while that in the low-arsenic exposed village was 5.3 microg/L. No significant differences in the means of the motor nerve conduction velocity (MCV) and sensory nerve conduction velocity (SCV) were observed in relation to arsenic levels in tube wells, urine, and the duration of tube-well use. Further, no differences in mean MCV or SCV were found between the subjects with and without arsenic dermatosis, with mean SCV of 52.8 m/s (SD 6.3) in those without and 54.6 m/s (5.2) in subjects with arsenic dermatosis (p=0.206). These findings suggest that chronic arsenic poisoning from drinking water is unlikely to affect nerve conduction velocity, at least within the range of arsenic in drinking water examined in the present study.

  15. Arsenic exposure and adverse health effects: a review of recent findings from arsenic and health studies in Matlab, Bangladesh.

    PubMed

    Yunus, Mohammad; Sohel, Nazmul; Hore, Samar Kumar; Rahman, Mahfuzar

    2011-09-01

    The recent discovery of large-scale arsenic (As) contamination of groundwater has raised much concern in Bangladesh. Reliable estimates of the magnitude of As exposure and related health problems have not been comprehensively investigated in Bangladesh. A large population-based study on As and health consequences in Matlab (AsMat) was done in Matlab field site where International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh has maintained a health and demographic surveillance system registering prospectively all vital events. Taking advantage of the health and demographic surveillance system and collecting data on detailed individual level As exposure using water and urine samples, AsMat investigated the morbidity and mortality associated with As exposure. Reviews of findings to date suggest the adverse effects of As exposure on the risk of skin lesions, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, chronic disease, and all-cause infant and adult disease mortality. Future studies of clinical endpoints will enhance our knowledge gaps and will give directions for disease prevention and mitigations. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  16. Improved detection reveals active β-papillomavirus infection in skin lesions from kidney transplant recipients.

    PubMed

    Borgogna, Cinzia; Lanfredini, Simone; Peretti, Alberto; De Andrea, Marco; Zavattaro, Elisa; Colombo, Enrico; Quaglia, Marco; Boldorini, Renzo; Miglio, Umberto; Doorbar, John; Bavinck, Jan N Bouwes; Quint, Koen D; de Koning, Maurits N C; Landolfo, Santo; Gariglio, Marisa

    2014-08-01

    The aim of this study was to determine whether detection of β-HPV gene products, as defined in epidermodysplasia verruciformis skin cancer, could also be observed in lesions from kidney transplant recipients alongside the viral DNA. A total of 111 samples, corresponding to 79 skin lesions abscised from 17 kidney transplant recipients, have been analyzed. The initial PCR analysis demonstrated that β-HPV-DNA was highly present in our tumor series (85%). Using a combination of antibodies raised against the E4 and L1 proteins of the β-genotypes, we were able to visualize productive infection in 4 out of 19 actinic keratoses, and in the pathological borders of 1 out of 14 squamous cell carcinomas and 1 out of 31 basal cell carcinomas. Increased expression of the cellular proliferation marker minichromosome maintenance protein 7 (MCM7), that extended into the upper epithelial layers, was a common feature of all the E4-positive areas, indicating that cells were driven into the cell cycle in areas of productive viral infections. Although the present study does not directly demonstrate a causal role of these viruses, the detection of E4 and L1 positivity in actinic keratosis and the adjacent pathological epithelium of skin cancer, clearly shows that β-HPV are actively replicating in the intraepidermal precursor lesions of kidney transplant recipients and can therefore cooperate with other carcinogenic agents, such as UVB, favoring skin cancer promotion.

  17. Evaluation of chronic arsenic poisoning due to consumption of contaminated ground water in West Bengal, India.

    PubMed

    Ghosh, Asutosh

    2013-08-01

    Chronic arsenic poisoning is an important public health problem and most notable in West Bengal and Bangladesh. In this study different systemic manifestations in chronic arsenic poisoning were evaluated. A nonrandomized, controlled, cross-sectional, observational study was carried out in Arsenic Clinic, Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Kolkata, West Bengal, over a period of 1 year 4 months. Seventy-three cases diagnosed clinically, consuming water containing arsenic ≥50 μg/L and having hair and nail arsenic level >0.6 μg/L, were included. Special investigations included routine parameters and organ-specific tests. Arsenic levels in the drinking water, hair, and nail were measured in all. Twenty-five nonsmoker healthy controls were evaluated. Murshidabad and districts adjacent to Kolkata, West Bengal, were mostly affected. Middle-aged males were the common sufferers. Skin involvement was the commonest manifestation (100%), followed by hepatomegaly [23 (31.5%)] with or without transaminitis [7 (9.58%)]/portal hypertension [9 (12.33%)]. Restrictive abnormality in spirometry [11 (15.06%)], bronchiectasis [4 (5.47%)], interstitial fibrosis [2 (2.73%)], bronchogenic carcinoma [2 (2.73%)], oromucosal plaque [7 (9.58%)], nail hypertrophy [10 (13.69%)], alopecia [8 (10.95%)], neuropathy [5 (6.84%)], and Electrocardiography abnormalities [5 (6.84%)] were also observed. Mucocutaneous and nail lesions, hepatomegaly, and restrictive change in spirometry were the common and significant findings. Other manifestations were characteristic but insignificant.

  18. Topical Application of Eupatilin Ameliorates Atopic Dermatitis-Like Skin Lesions in NC/Nga Mice.

    PubMed

    Lee, Ji Hyun; Lee, Ye Jin; Lee, Jun Young; Park, Young Min

    2017-02-01

    Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an inflammatory skin disorder with severe pruritus. Despite advancements in medicine, therapeutic treatments for AD are still limited. Eupatilin (5,7-dihydroxy-30,40,6-trimethoxyflavone) is one of the lipophilic flavonoids from Artemisia umbelliformis Lam. and Artemisia genipi Weber. Although it has been reported to act a role in improving inflammation, its action on AD is uncertain. In this study, we examined the role of eupatilin on AD-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice. 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene was repeatedly applied to the ear of NC/Nga mice to produce AD-like skin lesions. Eupatilin (1%, once a day for 5 consecutive days/week) was applied topically for four weeks for the evaluation of its therapeutic effects. 1% eupatilin cream significantly reduced the clinical severity score of AD-like lesions, compared to the vehicle ( p <0.005). A histopathological analysis revealed that 1% eupatilin cream significantly decreased the mast cell infiltration as well as inflammatory cell infiltration, compared to the vehicle ( p <0.005). We showed that 1% eupatilin cream significantly reduced the expression of thymic stromal lymphopoietin, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-4, and interleukin-19, but not interferon-γ, compared to the vehicle ( p <0.005). Considering the therapeutic reaction of eupatilin on AD-like lesions as in this study, the substance has a promising to be an adjuvant topical agent for the control of AD.

  19. Prediction of reduction in aggressive behaviour of growing pigs using skin lesion traits as selection criteria.

    PubMed

    Desire, S; Turner, S P; D'Eath, R B; Doeschl-Wilson, A B; Lewis, C R G; Roehe, R

    2016-08-01

    Aggression at regrouping is a common issue in pig farming. Skin lesions are genetically and phenotypically correlated with aggression and have been shown to have a significant heritable component. This study predicts the magnitude of reduction in complex aggressive behavioural traits when using lesion numbers on different body regions at two different time points as selection criteria, to identify the optimum skin lesion trait for selection purposes. In total, 1146 pigs were mixed into new social groups, and skin lesions were counted 24 h (SL24h) and 3 weeks (SL3wk) post-mixing, on the anterior, centre and posterior regions of the body. An animal model was used to estimate genetic parameters for skin lesion traits and 14 aggressive behavioural traits. Estimated breeding values (EBVs) and phenotypic values were scaled and standardised to allow direct comparison across multiple traits. Individuals with SL24h and SL3wk EBVs in the least aggressive 10% of the population were compared with the population mean to predict the expected genetic and phenotypic response in aggressive behaviour to selection. At mixing, selection for low anterior lesions was predicted to affect substantially more behavioural traits of aggressiveness than lesions obtained on other body parts, with EBVs between -0.21 and -1.17 SD below the population mean. Individuals with low central SL24h EBVs also had low EBVs for aggressive traits (-0.33 to -0.55). Individuals with high SL3wk EBVs had low EBVs for aggression at mixing (between -0.24 and -0.53 SD below the population mean), although this was predicted to affect fewer traits than selection against SL24h. These results suggest that selection against anterior SL24h would result in the greatest genetic and phenotypic reduction in aggressive behaviour recorded at mixing. Selection for increased SL3wk was predicted to reduce aggression at mixing; however, current understanding about aggressive behaviour under stable social conditions is insufficient

  20. Associations between toenail arsenic concentration and dietary factors in a New Hampshire population.

    PubMed

    Gruber, Joann F; Karagas, Margaret R; Gilbert-Diamond, Diane; Bagley, Pamela J; Zens, M Scot; Sayarath, Vicki; Punshon, Tracy; Morris, J Steven; Cottingham, Kathryn L

    2012-06-29

    Dietary factors such as folate, vitamin B12, protein, and methionine are important for the excretion of arsenic via one-carbon metabolism in undernourished populations exposed to high levels of arsenic via drinking water. However, the effects of dietary factors on toenail arsenic concentrations in well-nourished populations exposed to relatively low levels of water arsenic are unknown. As part of a population-based case-control study of skin and bladder cancer from the USA, we evaluated relationships between consumption of dietary factors and arsenic concentrations in toenail clippings. Consumption of each dietary factor was determined from a validated food frequency questionnaire. We used general linear models to examine the associations between toenail arsenic and each dietary factor, taking into account potentially confounding effects. As expected, we found an inverse association between ln-transformed toenail arsenic and consumption of vitamin B12 (excluding supplements) and animal protein. Unexpectedly, there were also inverse associations with numerous dietary lipids (e.g., total fat, total animal fat, total vegetable fat, total monounsaturated fat, total polyunsaturated fat, and total saturated fat). Finally, increased toenail arsenic concentrations were associated with increased consumption of long chain n-3 fatty acids. In a relatively well-nourished population exposed to relatively low levels of arsenic via water, consumption of certain dietary lipids may decrease toenail arsenic concentration, while long chain n-3 fatty acids may increase toenail arsenic concentration, possibly due to their association with arsenolipids in fish tissue.

  1. Associations between toenail arsenic concentration and dietary factors in a New Hampshire population

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Dietary factors such as folate, vitamin B12, protein, and methionine are important for the excretion of arsenic via one-carbon metabolism in undernourished populations exposed to high levels of arsenic via drinking water. However, the effects of dietary factors on toenail arsenic concentrations in well-nourished populations exposed to relatively low levels of water arsenic are unknown. Methods As part of a population-based case–control study of skin and bladder cancer from the USA, we evaluated relationships between consumption of dietary factors and arsenic concentrations in toenail clippings. Consumption of each dietary factor was determined from a validated food frequency questionnaire. We used general linear models to examine the associations between toenail arsenic and each dietary factor, taking into account potentially confounding effects. Results As expected, we found an inverse association between ln-transformed toenail arsenic and consumption of vitamin B12 (excluding supplements) and animal protein. Unexpectedly, there were also inverse associations with numerous dietary lipids (e.g., total fat, total animal fat, total vegetable fat, total monounsaturated fat, total polyunsaturated fat, and total saturated fat). Finally, increased toenail arsenic concentrations were associated with increased consumption of long chain n-3 fatty acids. Conclusion In a relatively well-nourished population exposed to relatively low levels of arsenic via water, consumption of certain dietary lipids may decrease toenail arsenic concentration, while long chain n-3 fatty acids may increase toenail arsenic concentration, possibly due to their association with arsenolipids in fish tissue. PMID:22747713

  2. In vivo assessment of optical properties of melanocytic skin lesions and differentiation of melanoma from non-malignant lesions by high-definition optical coherence tomography.

    PubMed

    Boone, M A L M; Suppa, M; Dhaenens, F; Miyamoto, M; Marneffe, A; Jemec, G B E; Del Marmol, V; Nebosis, R

    2016-01-01

    One of the most challenging problems in clinical dermatology is the early detection of melanoma. Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is an added tool to dermoscopy improving considerably diagnostic accuracy. However, diagnosis strongly depends on the experience of physicians. High-definition optical coherence tomography (HD-OCT) appears to offer additional structural and cellular information on melanocytic lesions complementary to that of RCM. However, the diagnostic potential of HD-OCT seems to be not high enough for ruling out the diagnosis of melanoma if based on morphology analysis. The aim of this paper is first to quantify in vivo optical properties such as light attenuation in melanocytic lesions by HD-OCT. The second objective is to determine the best critical value of these optical properties for melanoma diagnosis. The technique of semi-log plot whereby an exponential function becomes a straight line has been implemented on HD-OCT signals coming from four successive skin layers (epidermis, upper papillary dermis, deeper papillary dermis and superficial reticular dermis). This permitted the HD-OCT in vivo measurement of skin entrance signal (SES), relative attenuation factor normalized for the skin entrance signal (µ raf1) and half value layer (z 1/2). The diagnostic accuracy of HD-OCT for melanoma detection based on the optical properties, µ raf1 , SES and z 1/2 was high (95.6, 82.2 and 88.9 %, respectively). High negative predictive values could be found for these optical properties (96.7, 89.3 and 96.3 %, respectively) compared to morphologic assessment alone (89.9 %), reducing the risk of mistreating a malignant lesion to a more acceptable level (3.3 % instead of 11.1 %). HD-OCT seems to enable the combination of in vivo morphological analysis of cellular and 3-D micro-architectural structures with in vivo analysis of optical properties of tissue scatterers in melanocytic lesions. In vivo HD-OCT analysis of optical properties permits melanoma

  3. PROTEOMIC PROFILING OF CULTURED HUMAN BLADDER CELLS AFTER TRIVALENT ARSENIC EXPOSURES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Chronic exposure to arsenic has been associated with human cancers of the bladder, kidney, lung, liver, and skin. Inorganic arsenic is biotransformed in a stepwise manner via both a reduction and then an oxidative methylation step in which arsenic cycles between +5 and +3 oxidati...

  4. PROTEOMIC PROFILING OF CULTURED HUMAN BLADDER CELLS AFTER TRIVALENT ARSENICAL EXPOSURES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Chronic exposure to arsenic has been associated with human cancers of the bladder, kidney, lung, liver, and skin. Inorganic arsenic is biotransformed in a stepwise manner via both a reduction and then an oxidative methylation step in which arsenic cycles between +5 and +3 oxidati...

  5. Skin conditions: benign nodular skin lesions.

    PubMed

    Nguyen, Tam; Zuniga, Ramiro

    2013-04-01

    Benign subcutaneous lesions are a common reason that patients visit family physicians. Lipomas are the most common of these lesions; they most often occur on the trunk and proximal extremities. Recent data show that as many as half of the fat cells in lipomas are atypical. Ultrasound is used increasingly to confirm lipoma diagnosis, but deep lesions should be evaluated with magnetic resonance imaging study or computed tomography scan to exclude involvement of underlying structures and/or liposarcoma. Small lesions can sometimes be managed with serial injections of midpotency steroids. Larger lesions (larger than 5 cm), those compressing other structures, or those suspicious for malignancy should be excised using standard surgical excision or, when possible, the newer minimal-scar segmental extraction technique. Ganglion cysts are another common lesion, the presence of which often is confirmed with ultrasound if the diagnosis is not clinically apparent. Management includes splinting, aspiration, and/or injection of steroids, with or without hyaluronidase. Epidermal inclusion cysts, also called sebaceous cysts, typically are asymptomatic unless they become infected. Ultrasound can aid in diagnosis. The only definitive management is surgical excision with complete removal of the cyst wall or capsule, using minimal-scar segmental extraction or conventional surgical removal. Written permission from the American Academy of Family Physicians is required for reproduction of this material in whole or in part in any form or medium.

  6. Segmentation of skin lesions in chronic graft versus host disease photographs with fully convolutional networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Jianing; Chen, Fuyao; Dellalana, Laura E.; Jagasia, Madan H.; Tkaczyk, Eric R.; Dawant, Benoit M.

    2018-02-01

    Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is a frequent and potentially life-threatening complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) and commonly affects the skin, resulting in distressing patient morbidity. The percentage of involved body surface area (BSA) is commonly used for diagnosing and scoring the severity of cGVHD. However, the segmentation of the involved BSA from patient whole body serial photography is challenging because (1) it is difficult to design traditional segmentation method that rely on hand crafted features as the appearance of cGVHD lesions can be drastically different from patient to patient; (2) to the best of our knowledge, currently there is no publicavailable labelled image set of cGVHD skin for training deep networks to segment the involved BSA. In this preliminary study we create a small labelled image set of skin cGVHD, and we explore the possibility to use a fully convolutional neural network (FCN) to segment the skin lesion in the images. We use a commercial stereoscopic Vectra H1 camera (Canfield Scientific) to acquire 400 3D photographs of 17 cGVHD patients aged between 22 and 72. A rotational data augmentation process is then applied, which rotates the 3D photos through 10 predefined angles, producing one 2D projection image at each position. This results in 4000 2D images that constitute our cGVHD image set. A FCN model is trained and tested using our images. We show that our method achieves encouraging results for segmenting cGVHD skin lesion in photographic images.

  7. PEPTIDE BINDING AS A MODE OF ACTION FOR THE CARCINOGENICITY AND TOXICITY OF ARSENIC

    EPA Science Inventory

    Arsenic exposure leads to tumors in human skin, lung, urinary bladder, kidney and liver. Three likely initial stages of arsenical-macromolecular interaction are (1) binding of trivalent arsenicals to the sulfhydryl groups of peptides and proteins, (2) arsenical-induced generation...

  8. Location of skin lesions in Henoch-Schönlein purpura and its association with significant renal involvement.

    PubMed

    St John, Jessica; Vedak, Priyanka; Garza-Mayers, Anna Cristina; Hoang, Mai P; Nigwekar, Sagar U; Kroshinsky, Daniela

    2018-01-01

    Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) is a small vessel IgA-predominant vasculitis. To describe adult patients with HSP and determine if the distribution of skin lesions (ie, purpura above the waist or purpura below the waist only), is a predictor of significant renal involvement at the time of the skin biopsy and the months following. A retrospective study on renal function from 72 adult patients with skin-biopsy proven HSP. Longitudinal renal data were analyzed after HSP diagnosis by using baseline renal function for comparison. Statistical analysis adjusted for sex, age, and baseline creatinine revealed a trend between HSP lesions only on the upper and lower extremities and long-term renal involvement (4.767, P = .067). Moreover, in another analysis adjusted for age and baseline creatinine, lesions located only on the upper and lower extremities significantly increased the odds of having long-term significant renal involvement (6.55, P = .049) in men. This retrospective study used patient information that was subject to selection bias. In patients with HSP, skin lesion distribution on the extremities might be predictive of significant long-term renal involvement and might be critical for risk stratification and development of personalized diagnostics and therapeutics. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Spectrum of skin lesions of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis in kala-azar endemic areas of Bangladesh.

    PubMed

    Sultana, A; Zakaria, S M; Bhuiyan, S I; Habib, A; Dey, S K; Rahman, M; Basher, A

    2012-07-01

    Post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) is a complication of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and serves as a potential reservoir for Leishmania parasite. The study was aimed to evaluate the spectrum of skin lesions of PKDL in kala-azar endemic areas in Bangladesh. This cross sectional study was carried out to observe the characteristics of skin lesions among 250 PKDL cases. The suspected PKDL patients in highly endemic villages of Fulbaria Upazilla of Mymensingh district.were subjected to a dipstick test (rK39) for kala azar. The median time interval between diagnosing kala-azar and PKDL was 23 month (m-21, r- 0-60 months). The most common skin lesions were multiple symmetrical hypopigmented macules with irregular margins in 179(71.6%) cases followed by erythematous facial induration in 74(29.6%), papular in 33(13.2%), nodular in 28(11.2%) cases, combination of macules, papules, nodules and plaques in 88(35.2%) cases, annular in 7(2.8%) cases and Papillomatous mucosal growth in 2(0.8%) cases. Sites of involvement were mostly in face (92.4%), Trunk (84.8%), extremities (33.2%), oral mucosa and tongue (0.8%) and Genitalia (1.2%). Suspicion of PKDL on the basis of skin lesions will lead to early diagnosis and prompt treatment will impart an important role in prevention and eradication of Leishmaniasis in Bangladesh.

  10. EFFECTS OF DIETARY FOLATE ON ARSENIC-INDUCED GENE EXPRESSION IN MICE

    EPA Science Inventory

    Effects of Dietary Folate on Arsenic-induced Gene Expression in Mice

    Arsenic, a drinking water contaminant, is a known carcinogen. Human exposure to inorganic arsenic has been linked to tumors of skin, bladder, lung, and to a lesser extent, kidney and liver. Dietary fola...

  11. New fat-derived products for treating skin-induced lesions of scleroderma in nude mice.

    PubMed

    Serratrice, Nicolas; Bruzzese, Laurie; Magalon, Jérémy; Véran, Julie; Giraudo, Laurent; Aboudou, Houssein; Ould-Ali, Djaffar; Nguyen, Pierre Sébastien; Bausset, Olivier; Daumas, Aurélie; Casanova, Dominique; Granel, Brigitte; Andrac-Meyer, Lucile; Sabatier, Florence; Magalon, Guy

    2014-12-17

    Scleroderma is characterized by cutaneous manifestations that mainly affect the hands, arms and face. As of today, there is no treatment for fibrotic skin lesions of scleroderma. Previously we generated and validated a model of scleroderma-like skin sclerosis in nude mice, appropriate to inject human derived products. We showed that the subcutaneous injection of micro-fat (MF), purified and injected using small caliber cannulas, have anti-fibrotic and pro-angiogenic effects and appears more suitable for the treatment of skin lesions of scleroderma compared to the gold standard (Coleman's technique or macro-fat). Here we compared the long-term efficacy of micro-fat "enriched" with other therapeutic products including the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) of fat and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) from blood in our murine model of scleroderma. We used 72 nude mice in this study. We formed six experimental groups: Macro-fat, MF, SVF, PRP, MF + SVF, MF + PRP. This project has three phases: i) Induction of skin sclerosis by daily subcutaneous injections of bleomycin (BLM) for 4 weeks in nude mice; ii) Purification and injection of the different cell therapy products; iii) Histological analyses done 8 weeks post-injections. MF + SVF and MF + PRP significantly reversed dermal and epidermal sclerosis (P <0.01). Macro-fat, SVF, PRP only corrected the dermal sclerosis (P <0.05). Epidermal sclerosis was reduced in treatments containing MF (P <0.01). MF was more stable. Products containing the SVF were associated with a significant increase of the local vascularization (P <0.01). All tested substances were effective in treating skin-induced lesions of scleroderma with different levels of fibrosis and vascular improvement; MF derived products are more stable and SVF demonstrated better pro-angiogenic effects. The observed efficacy of this combination of products in the animal model provides a rationale for potential clinical applications to treat human disease.

  12. Effects of topically applied rapamycin and mycophenolic acid on TNCB-induced atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice.

    PubMed

    Jung, Kyung Eun; Lee, Ye Jin; Ryu, Yun Hee; Kim, Jung Eun; Kim, Hei Sung; Kim, Beom Joon; Kang, Hoon; Park, Young Min

    2015-06-01

    Rapamycin (RPM) and mycophenolic acid (MPA) are immunosuppressive drugs approved for use in preventing transplant rejection. These drugs have also been used in the field of dermatology as glucocorticoid sparing agents for autoimmune and inflammatory disorders such as atopic dermatitis (AD). The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effect of topically applied RPM and/or MPA on AD-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice. RPM (0.04% - 4%), MPA (0.2% - 5%), and formulations of both agents at various ratios were administrated topically to NC/Nga mice with 2-chloro-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene (TNCB)-induced AD-like skin lesions. The therapeutic effects of topical RPM, MPA, and the mixed formulations in TNCB-treated NC/Nga mice were assessed by measuring skin severity scores, ear thickness, and histological changes in the lesioned skin including mast cell count and total serum IgE levels. Expression of interleukin (IL)-4, and interferon (IFN)-γ was also assessed. Topical 4% RPM and/or 1% MPA treatment significantly improved clinical signs of AD such as erythema, edema, excoriation, and dryness on day 29 (P<0.05). In addition, 4% RPM, 1% MPA, and the mixed formulations significantly decreased epidermal thickening, dermal edema, and cellular infiltration into the dermis compared with the vehicle. RPM (4%) and/or MPA (1%) significantly reduced the expression of IL-4 and IFN-γ mRNA and protein levels compared with the vehicle (P<0.05). No significant change in the levels of total serum IgE was induced by topical 4% RPM and/or 1% MPA. The present results demonstrated that topical 4% RPM and/or 1% MPA improved TNCB-induced AD-like lesions of NC/Nga mice by suppressing expression of Th2-related cytokines (IL-4) and Th1-related cytokines (IFN-γ). These findings suggest that RPM and/or MPA may be promising topical therapeutic candidates for the treatment of AD. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Acousto-optical assessment of skin viscoelasticity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kirkpatrick, Sean J.; Duncan, Donald D.

    2003-07-01

    A multiphysics approach, combining acoustics, optics, and mechanics can be used to detect regions of skin with distinct mechanical behavior that may indicate a pathology, such as a cancerous skin lesion. Herein, an acousto-optical approach to evaluating the viscoelastic behavior of superficial skin layers will be presented. The method relies upon inducing low frequency guided surface waves in the skin and detecting these waves by monitoring the shift in the backscattered laser speckle pattern created by illuminating a small region of the skin with coherent light. Artificial lesions in the form of chemical cross-linking and chemical softening were induced in superficial porcine skin layers and detected based upon variations in local mechanical behavior. The lesions affect not only the time-of-flight of the guided surface waves, but also change the relative phase of the acoustic waves as determined optically. The method may be applicable in the study and diagnosis of superficial skin lesions.

  14. 6-Shogaol, an active compound of ginger, alleviates allergic dermatitis-like skin lesions via cytokine inhibition by activating the Nrf2 pathway

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Park, Gunhyuk, E-mail: uranos5@kiom.re.kr

    Allergic dermatitis (AD) clinically presents with skin erythematous plaques, eruption, and elevated serum IgE, and T helper cell type 2 and 1 (Th2 and Th1) cytokine levels. 6-Shogaol [1-(4-hydroxy-methoxyphenyl)-4-decen-one], a pungent compound isolated from ginger, has shown anti-inflammatory effects, but its inhibitory effects on AD are unknown. The aim of this study was to examine whether 6-shogaol inhibits AD-like skin lesions and their underlying mechanism in vivo and in vitro. An AD-like response was induced by tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) + IFN-γ in human keratinocytes or by 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) in mice. In vivo, 6-shogaol inhibited the development of DNCB-induced AD-likemore » skin lesions and scratching behavior, and showed significant reduction in Th2/1-mediated inflammatory cytokines, IgE, TNF-α, IFN-γ, thymus and activation-regulated chemokine, IL-1, 4, 12, and 13, cyclooxygenase-2, and nitric oxide synthase levels. In vitro, 6-shogaol inhibited reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) signaling, and increased the levels of total glutathione, heme oxygenase-1, and quinone 1 via nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) activation. 6-Shogaol can alleviate AD-like skin lesions by inhibiting immune mediators via regulating the ROS/MAPKs/Nrf2 signaling pathway, and may be an effective alternative therapy for AD. - Highlights: • 6-Shogaol inhibited Th2/1-mediated inflammatory mediators in vitro and in vivo. • 6-Shogaol regulated ROS/MAPKs/Nrf2 signaling pathway. • 6-Shogaol can protect against the development of AD-like skin lesions.« less

  15. Assessing the Validity and Reliability of the Peristomal Skin Lesion Assessment Instrument Adapted for Use in Turkey.

    PubMed

    Ay, Ali; Bulut, Hulya

    2015-08-01

    Many ostomy patients experience peristomal skin lesions. A descriptive study was conducted to assess the validity, usability, and reliability of the Peristomal Skin Lesions Assessment instrument (SACS instrument) adapted to Turkish from English. The SACS Instrument consists of 2 main assessments: lesion type (utilizing definitions and photographs) and lesion area by location around the ostomy. The study was performed in 2 stages: 1) the SACS language was changed and its content validity established; and 2) the instrument\\'92s content validity and inter-observer agreement (consistency) were determined among pairs of nurses who used the tool to assess peristomal skin lesions. Patients (included if they were >18 years old and receiving treatment/observation at 1 of the 4 participating stomatherapy units) and 8 stomatherapy nurses also completed appropriate sociodemographic questionnaires. Of the 393 patients screened during the 7-month study, 100 (average age 56.74 \\'b1 14.03 years, 55 men) participated; most (79) had a planned operation. A little more than half (59) of the patients had colorectal cancer and 28 had their stoma site marked preoperatively by a stomatherapy nurse. The most common peristomal skin lesion risk factors were having an ileostomy and unplanned surgery. The content validity index of the entire Turkish SACS instrument was 1, and the inter-observer agreement Kappa statistic was very good (K = 0.90, 95% CI 0.80- 0.99). Individual SACS item K values ranged from K = 0.84 (95% CI 0.63\\'961) to K = 1 (95% CI 1). Most (62.5%) nurses found the terms and pictures used in the SACS classification adequate and suitable, and 50% believed the Turkish version of the SACS instrument was a valid and suitable assessment tool for use by Turkish stomatherapy nurses. Validity and reliability studies involving larger and more diverse patient and nurse samples are warranted.

  16. Expression of macrophage migration inhibitory factor in footpad skin lesions with diabetic neuropathy.

    PubMed

    Up Noh, Sun; Lee, Won-Young; Kim, Won-Serk; Lee, Yong-Taek; Jae Yoon, Kyung

    2018-01-01

    Background Diabetic neuropathy originating in distal lower extremities is associated with pain early in the disease course, overwhelming in the feet. However, the pathogenesis of diabetic neuropathy remains unclear. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor has been implicated in the onset of neuropathic pain and the development of diabetes. Objective of this study was to observe pain syndromes elicited in the footpad of diabetic neuropathy rat model and to assess the contributory role of migration inhibitory factor in the pathogenesis of diabetic neuropathy. Methods Diabetic neuropathy was made in Sprague Dawley rats by streptozotocin. Pain threshold was evaluated using von Frey monofilaments for 24 weeks. On comparable experiment time after streptozotocin injection, all footpads were prepared for following procedures; glutathione assay, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated biotinylated UTP nick end labeling staining, immunohistochemistry staining, real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and Western blot. Additionally, human HaCaT skin keratinocytes were treated with methylglyoxal, transfected with migration inhibitory factor/control small interfering RNA, and prepared for real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. Results As compared to sham group, pain threshold was significantly reduced in diabetic neuropathy group, and glutathione was decreased in footpad skin, simultaneously, cell death was increased. Over-expression of migration inhibitory factor, accompanied by low expression of glyoxalase-I and intraepidermal nerve fibers, was shown on the footpad skin lesions of diabetic neuropathy. But, there was no significance in expression of neurotransmitters and inflammatory mediators such as transient receptor potential vanilloid 1, mas-related G protein coupled receptor D, nuclear factor kappa B, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin-6 between diabetic neuropathy group and sham group. Intriguingly

  17. Effect of Safe Water on Arsenicosis: A Follow-up Study.

    PubMed

    Majumdar, Kunal K; Ghose, Aloke; Ghose, Nilima; Biswas, Anirban; Mazumder, D N Guha

    2014-04-01

    Arsenic pollution in groundwater, used for drinking purposes, has been envisaged as a problem of global concern. Treatment options for the management symptoms of chronic arsenicosis are limited. Mitigation option available for dealing with the health problem of ground water arsenic contamination rests mainly on supply of arsenic safe water in arsenic-endemic region of Indo-Bangladesh subcontinent. Limited information is available regarding the long-term effect of chronic arsenic toxicity after stoppage of consumption of arsenic-containing water. The current study was, therefore, done to assess, objectively, the effect of drinking arsenic safe water (<50 μg/L) on disease manifestation of arsenicosis. Manifestations of various skin lesions and systemic diseases associated with chronic arsenic exposure were ascertained initially by carrying on baseline study on 208 participants in Nadia (Cohort-I, with skin lesion and Cohort-II, without skin lesion) using a scoring system, as developed by us, and compared objectively at the end of each year for 3 year follow-up period. All the participants who had arsenic contaminated drinking water source in their houses were supplied with arsenic removal filters for getting arsenic-free water during the follow-up period. In participants belonging to Cohort-I, the skin score was found to improve significantly at the end of each year, and it was found to be reduced significantly from 2.17 ± 1.09 to 1.23 ± 1.17; P < 0.001 at the end of 3 year's intervention study indicating beneficial effect of safe water on skin lesions. The systemic disease symptom score was also found to improve, but less significantly, at the end of 3 years in both the cohorts. Most important observation during the follow-up study was persistence of severe symptoms of chronic lung disease and severe skin lesion including Bowen's disease in spite of taking arsenic-safe water. Further, death could not be prevented to occur because of lung cancer and severe lung

  18. The radiation dose from a proposed measurement of arsenic and selenium in human skin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gherase, Mihai R.; Mader, Joanna E.; Fleming, David E. B.

    2010-09-01

    Dose measurements following 10 min irradiations with a portable x-ray fluorescence spectrometer composed of a miniature x-ray tube and a silicon PiN diode detector were performed using thermoluminescent dosimeters consisting of LiF:Mg,Ti chips of 3 mm diameter and 0.4 mm thickness. The table-top setup of the spectrometer was used for all measurements. The setup included a stainless steel lid which served as a radiation shield. Two rectangular polyethylene skin/soft tissue phantoms with two cylindrical plaster of Paris bone phantoms were used to study the effect of x-ray beam attenuation and backscatter on the measured dose. Eight different irradiation experiments were performed. The average dose rate values measured with TLD chips within a 1 × 1 cm2 area were between 4.8 and 12.8 mGy min-1. The equivalent dose for a 1 × 1 cm2 skin area was estimated to be 13.2 mSv. The maximum measured dose rate values with a single TLD chip were between 7.5 and 25.1 mGy min-1. The effective dose corresponding to a proposed arsenic/selenium skin measurement was estimated to be 0.13 µSv for a 2 min irradiation.

  19. Combined empirical mode decomposition and texture features for skin lesion classification using quadratic support vector machine.

    PubMed

    Wahba, Maram A; Ashour, Amira S; Napoleon, Sameh A; Abd Elnaby, Mustafa M; Guo, Yanhui

    2017-12-01

    Basal cell carcinoma is one of the most common malignant skin lesions. Automated lesion identification and classification using image processing techniques is highly required to reduce the diagnosis errors. In this study, a novel technique is applied to classify skin lesion images into two classes, namely the malignant Basal cell carcinoma and the benign nevus. A hybrid combination of bi-dimensional empirical mode decomposition and gray-level difference method features is proposed after hair removal. The combined features are further classified using quadratic support vector machine (Q-SVM). The proposed system has achieved outstanding performance of 100% accuracy, sensitivity and specificity compared to other support vector machine procedures as well as with different extracted features. Basal Cell Carcinoma is effectively classified using Q-SVM with the proposed combined features.

  20. Exploring the relationship between skin property and absorbent pad environment.

    PubMed

    Shigeta, Yoshie; Nakagami, Gojiro; Sanada, Hiromi; Oba, Miho; Fujikawa, Junko; Konya, Chizuko; Sugama, Junko

    2009-06-01

    The aim of this study is to identify the related factors of skin lesions found in the surrounding environment of absorbent pads by clinical investigation. Most older patients with incontinence use absorbent products, therefore causing many patients to have skin lesion in the absorbent pad area. To prevent these skin lesions from occurring, it is necessary to examine the absorbent pad environment of clinical patients since there are many contributing factors that complicate the pathophysiology in this area. A cross-sectional design was used. One hundred older Japanese patients with faecal and/or urinary incontinence using diapers and absorbent pads participated. Excluding blanchable erythema, the presence of skin lesions in the absorbent pad area was confirmed. Skin pH, hydration level and bacterial cultures were used to assess the skin property. Absorbent pad environment and patient demographics were also investigated. The overall prevalence of skin lesions was 36%. Forty percent of the skin lesions were contact dermatitis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that only the presence of diarrhoea independently affected contact dermatitis. There was a significant relationship between contact dermatitis and the use of absorbent pads when the patient had diarrhoea. Although the factors related to skin lesions in the absorbent pad area are complexly intertwined, this study was the first to be able to determine diarrhoea as one specific factor in clinical setting. This finding suggests that the presence of diarrhoea is significantly related with contact dermatitis. Therefore, when a patient has diarrhoea, health-care professionals should immediately implement a preventative care program which includes careful skin observation and improved skin care. It is also necessary to develop a more effective absorbent pad to protect the skin of incontinent patients who suffer from the irritating effects of liquid stool.

  1. ASSESSING ARSENIC EXPOSURE AND SKIN HYPERKERATOSIS IN INNER MONGOLIA, CHINA

    EPA Science Inventory

    Arsenic is a known human carcinogen. The inorganic forms, especially arsenite (As+3), are believed to be the most toxic species. Methylation is often considered to be the
    detoxification pathway for the metabolism of inorganic arsenic. The ground water in Ba
    Men, Inner Mo...

  2. CCR4 is expressed on infiltrating cells in lesional skin of early mycosis fungoides and atopic dermatitis.

    PubMed

    Sugaya, Makoto; Morimura, Sohshi; Suga, Hiraku; Kawaguchi, Makiko; Miyagaki, Tomomitsu; Ohmatsu, Hanako; Fujita, Hideki; Sato, Shinichi

    2015-06-01

    CCR4 is expressed on tumor cells of mycosis fungoides (MF) and Sézary syndrome (SS). In MF, most infiltrating cells in patches and plaques express CXCR3, while tumor cells express CCR4 in advanced stages. Poteligeo Test IHC (CCR4 staining kit) is a newly developed staining kit that can examine the presence of CCR4 expressed on tumor cells of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma, peripheral T-cell lymphoma and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma before treatment of anti-CCR4 antibody using paraffin-embedded samples. In this study, we analyzed CCR4 expression in lesional skin of MF, SS, atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis with this new kit. CCR4 was expressed on infiltrating cells in lesional skin of patch, plaque, tumor MF and SS, and the number of positive cells increased as the disease progressed. Immunohistochemistry with frozen sections also showed some positive cells scattered in the dermis, although the quality was not high enough to quantify positive cells. There were significant positive correlations between CCR4(+) cells and serum lactate dehydrogenase levels. Interestingly, CCR4(+) cells were also detected in AD skin, whose number was larger than that in psoriatic skin. Previous studies showed only scattered CCR4(+) cells in skin samples by standard immunohistochemical staining. The new, sensitive CCR4 staining kit has revealed that CCR4 is expressed on infiltrating cells in lesional skin of early MF and AD as well as advanced MF and SS. These cells can be therapeutic targets for patients who are resistant to standard treatments. © 2015 Japanese Dermatological Association.

  3. Early Detection of Skin Cancer by Microtopography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    del Carmen López-Pacheco, María; Acevedo-Martínez, Claudia; Pereira da Cunha Martins Costa, Manuel Filipe; Domínguez-Cherit, Judith; Pichardo, Patricia; Pérez-Zapata, Aura Judith; Ramón-Gallegos, Eva

    2004-09-01

    The objective of this work was to determine the ruggedness of the skin with benign and malignant lesions. Latex impressions were taken from lesions of skin's patients and were analyzed by the MICROTOP 03.MFC inspection system. For the melanoma lesion it was observed that the average rugosity of this tumor was increased 67% compared with the rugosity of healthy skin. These measures allow us to distinguish significantly from other tumors, as it is the case of the basal cell carcinoma (49%), and benign lesions as the epidermoid cyst (37%) and the seborrhea keratosis (4%). It was observed a direct relation between the rugosity and the malignancy of the lesions. These results indicate that the rugosity is a characteristic that could be useful in the diagnosis of skin cancer.

  4. PLASMID DNA DAMAGE CAUSED BY METHYLATED ARSENICALS, ASCORBIC ACID AND HUMAN LIVER FERRITIN

    EPA Science Inventory

    Plasmid DNA damage caused by methylated arsenicals, ascorbic acid and human liver ferritin.

    Arsenic causes cancer in human skin, urinary bladder, lung, liver and kidney and is a significant world-wide public health problem. Although the metabolism of inorganic arsenic is ...

  5. Arsenic contamination of ground water and its health impact on population of district of nadia, west bengal, India.

    PubMed

    Mazumder, Debendra Nath Guha; Ghosh, Aloke; Majumdar, Kunal Kanti; Ghosh, Nilima; Saha, Chandan; Mazumder, Rathindra Nath Guha

    2010-04-01

    The global health impact and disease burden due to chronic arsenic toxicity has not been well studied in West Bengal. To ascertain these, a scientific epidemiological study was carried out in a district of the state. Epidemiological study was carried out by house-to-house survey of arsenic affected villages in the district of Nadia. A stratified multi-stage design has been adopted for this survey for the selection of the participants. A total number of 2297 households of 37 arsenic affected villages in all the 17 blocks were surveyed in the district. Out of 10469 participants examined, prevalence rate of arsenicosis was found to be 15.43%. Out of 0.84 million people suspected to be exposed to arsenic, 0.14 million people are estimated to be suffering from arsenicosis in the district. Highest level of arsenic in drinking water sources was found to be 1362 μg/l, and in 23% cases it was above 100 μg/l. Majority of the population living in the arsenic affected villages were of low socio-economic condition, inadequate education and were farmers or doing physical labour. Chronic lung disease was found in 207 (12.81%) subjects among cases and 69 (0.78%) in controls. Peripheral neuropathy was found in 257 (15.9%) cases and 136 (1.5%) controls. Large number of people in the district of Nadia are showing arsenical skin lesion. However, insufficient education, poverty, lack of awareness and ineffective health care support are major factors causing immense plight to severely arsenic affected people.

  6. Biological effects and epidemiological consequences of arsenic exposure, and reagents that can ameliorate arsenic damage in vivo

    PubMed Central

    Rao, Chinthalapally V.; Pal, Sanya; Mohammed, Altaf; Farooqui, Mudassir; Doescher, Mark P.; Asch, Adam S.; Yamada, Hiroshi Y.

    2017-01-01

    Through contaminated diet, water, and other forms of environmental exposure, arsenic affects human health. There are many U.S. and worldwide “hot spots” where the arsenic level in public water exceeds the maximum exposure limit. The biological effects of chronic arsenic exposure include generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to oxidative stress and DNA damage, epigenetic DNA modification, induction of genomic instability, and inflammation and immunomodulation, all of which can initiate carcinogenesis. High arsenic exposure is epidemiologically associated with skin, lung, bladder, liver, kidney and pancreatic cancer, and cardiovascular, neuronal, and other diseases. This review briefly summarizes the biological effects of arsenic exposure and epidemiological cancer studies worldwide, and provides an overview for emerging rodent-based studies of reagents that can ameliorate the effects of arsenic exposure in vivo. These reagents may be translated to human populations for disease prevention. We propose the importance of developing a biomarker-based precision prevention approach for the health issues associated with arsenic exposure that affects millions of people worldwide. PMID:28915699

  7. Prevention and treatment of skin lesions associated with non-invasive mechanical ventilation. Recommendations of experts.

    PubMed

    Raurell-Torredà, M; Romero-Collado, A; Rodríguez-Palma, M; Farrés-Tarafa, M; Martí, J D; Hurtado-Pardos, B; Peñarrubia-San Florencio, L; Saez-Paredes, P; Esquinas, A M

    In the last two decades, non-invasive mechanical ventilation (NIV) has been consolidated as an initial strategy for the management of respiratory failure in critical adult and paediatric patients. To identify risk factors and preventive strategies to reduce the incidence of skin lesions associated with clinical devices (LESADIC) related to NIV, as well as the most effective treatment for injuries that cannot be avoided. Review in the MEDLINE, CINAHL and Cochrane databases of studies published in the last 10years to reach consensus through an expert panel. Knowledge about how to measure correct mask size and protection of the skin with foam or hydrocolloids dressings are factors related to the incidence of LESADIC, as it conditions the degree of pressure-friction and shear that the interface exerts on the skin. The interface that causes fewer LESADIC and is better tolerated is the face mask. When there are injuries, the first thing is to remove the interface that causes pressure on damaged skin, recommending a Helmet ® hood as an alternative, treating the infection, managing the exudate and stimulating perilesional skin. The mask of choice is the facial, always using foam or hydrocolloid dressings on the nasal bridge. Evaluate the condition of the skin under the interface and harness every 4hours (recommended) and 11hours (maximum). Evaluate the rotation strategy of the interface at 24hours if the NIV is still needed on an ongoing basis. Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Enfermería Intensiva y Unidades Coronarias (SEEIUC). Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  8. Skin pathology in Hawaiian goldring surgeonfish, Ctenochaetus strigosus (Bennett)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Work, Thierry M.; Aeby, Greta S.

    2014-01-01

    Twenty-eight goldring surgeonfish, Ctenochaetus strigosus (Bennett), manifesting skin lesions and originating from the north-western and main Hawaiian Islands were examined. Skin lesions were amorphous and ranged from simple dark or light discolouration to multicoloured tan to white sessile masses with an undulant surface. Skin lesions covered 2–66% of the fish surface, and there was no predilection for lesions affecting a particular part of the fish. Males appeared over-represented. Microscopy revealed the skin lesions to be hyperplasia, melanophoromas or iridophoromas. The presence of skin tumours in a relatively unspoiled area of Hawaii is intriguing. Explaining their distribution, cause and impact on survivorship of fish all merit further study because C. strigosus is an economically important fish in the region.

  9. Increased numbers of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in lesional skin of cats with allergic dermatitis.

    PubMed

    Roosje, P J; van Kooten, P J; Thepen, T; Bihari, I C; Rutten, V P; Koeman, J P; Willemse, T

    1998-07-01

    The aim of this study was to characterize T cells in the skin of cats with an allergic dermatitis histologically compatible with atopic dermatitis, since T cells play an important role in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis in humans. We observed a significantly greater number of T cells in lesional skin of domestic short-haired cats with allergic dermatitis (n = 10; median age 5.8 years) than in the skin of healthy control animals (n = 10; median age 5.0 years). In the skin of the healthy control animals, one or two CD4+ cells and no CD8+ cells were found. A predominant increase of CD4+ T cells and a CD4+/CD8+ ratio (mean +/- SD: 3.9 +/- 2.0) was found in the lesional skin of 10 cats with allergic dermatitis. The CD4+/CD8+ cell ratio in the skin of healthy control animals could not be determined because of the absence of CD8+ cells. The CD4+/CD8+ cell ratio in the peripheral blood of 10 cats with allergic dermatitis (mean +/- SD: 1.9 +/- 0.4) did not differ significantly from that in 10 healthy control animals (2.2 +/- 0.4). The CD4+/CD8+ cell ratio and predominance of CD4+ T cells in the lesional skin of cats with allergic dermatitis is comparable to that found in atopic dermatitis in humans. In addition, the observed increase of CD4+ T cells in the nonlesional skin of cats with allergic dermatitis compared to the skin of healthy cats is similar to what is seen in humans. Cytokines produced by T cells and antigen-specific T cells are important mediators in the inflammatory cascade resulting in atopic dermatitis in humans. This study is a first step to investigate their role in feline allergic dermatitis.

  10. Effect of rubber flooring on group-housed sows' gait and claw and skin lesions.

    PubMed

    Bos, E-J; van Riet, M M J; Maes, D; Millet, S; Ampe, B; Janssens, G P J; Tuyttens, F A M

    2016-05-01

    This study evaluated the influence of floor type on sow welfare in terms of lameness, claw lesions, and skin lesions. In a 2 × 3 factorial design, we have investigated the effect of rubber coverings on concrete floors and the effect of 3 levels of dietary zinc supplementation on locomotion and claw and skin lesions in group-housed sows. Six groups of 21 ± 4 hybrid sows were monitored during 3 successive reproductive cycles. The sows were group housed from d 28 after insemination (d 0) until 1 wk before expected farrowing date (d 108) in pens with either exposed concrete floors or concrete floors covered with rubber in part of the lying area and the fully slatted area. During each reproductive cycle, locomotion and skin lesions were assessed 4 times (d 28, 50, 108, and 140) and claw lesions were assessed twice (d 50 and 140). Results are given as least squares means ± SE. Locomotion and claw scores were given in millimeters, on analog scales of 150 and 160 mm, respectively. Here, we report on the effect of floor type, which did not interact with dietary zinc concentration ( > 0.10 for all variables). At move to group (d 28) and mid gestation (d 50), no differences between floor treatments were seen in locomotion ( > 0.10). At the end of gestation (d 108), sows housed on rubber flooring scored 9.9 ± 4.1 mm better on gait ( < 0.001). Regarding claw disorders, both parameters "heel overgrowth and erosion" (difference of 4.6 ± 1.8 mm; = 0.01) and "heel-sole crack" (difference of 3.1 ± 1.5 mm; = 0.04) scores were better for sows on rubber flooring at mid gestation (d 50). However, sows on rubber flooring scored worse for "vertical cracks in the wall horn" (difference of 3.4 ± 1.7 mm; = 0.04). At the end of lactation (d 140), both "white line" (difference of 2.9 ± 1 mm; = 0.02) and "claw length" (difference of 4.7 ± 1.4 mm; < 0.001) had better scores on rubber flooring. No differences for skin lesions were observed between floor treatments. The improved scores

  11. PROTEOMIC PROFILING OF CULTURED HUMAN BLADDER CELLS AFTER TRIVALENT ARSENICAL EXPOSURES (SOT 2008)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Chronic exposure to arsenic has been associated with human cancers of the bladder, kidney, lung, liver, and skin. Inorganic arsenic is biotransformed in a stepwise manner via both a reduction and then an oxidative methylation step in which arsenic cycles between +5 and +3 oxidati...

  12. Estimating melanin location in the pigmented skin lesions by hue-saturation-lightness color space values of dermoscopic images.

    PubMed

    Sakai, Hiroshi; Ando, Yoshimi; Ikinaga, Kuniko; Tanaka, Masaru

    2017-05-01

    The depth of melanin in the skin can be estimated roughly by observation of the color exhibited on dermoscopy. Currently, there are no objective methods to estimate it. The aim of the present study was to clarify the relationship between the depth of melanin in the skin and the color variation exhibited, and to objectively estimate the 3-D location of melanin in the pigmented skin lesions from dermoscopic images. Representative colors in dermoscopic images of acral compound nevus, Spitz nevus and blue nevus were evaluated by the subjectively perceived color on dermoscopy and objective values in hue-saturation-lightness color space values. Brown colors due to small quantities of superficial melanin in the skin had high saturation and low lightness values, whereas black colors due to large quantities of superficial melanin had low saturation and low lightness values. On the other hand, colors due to melanin in the dermis were perceived as blue-gray on dermoscopy, but extracted colors showed gray-brown hue and intermediate saturation and high lightness values. In all cases, extracted representative colors of pigmented skin lesions had similar hue values within the red-orange range. Objective estimation of the 3-D location of melanin in the pigmented skin lesions is possible by the saturation and lightness values of the colors extracted from dermoscopic images. Subjectively perceived colors of melanin, especially in the dermis, can be modified by the surrounding environment effect and blue color perception. © 2017 Japanese Dermatological Association.

  13. Arsenic Methylation, Oxidative Stress and Cancer - Is there a Link?

    EPA Science Inventory

    Arsenic is a multiorgan human carcinogen. The best-known example of this effect occurred in subgroups of the Taiwanese population who were chronically exposed to high levels of naturally occurring arsenic in drinking water and developed cancers of the skin, lung, urinary bladde...

  14. Extraction of skin lesions from non-dermoscopic images for surgical excision of melanoma.

    PubMed

    Jafari, M Hossein; Nasr-Esfahani, Ebrahim; Karimi, Nader; Soroushmehr, S M Reza; Samavi, Shadrokh; Najarian, Kayvan

    2017-06-01

    Computerized prescreening of suspicious moles and lesions for malignancy is of great importance for assessing the need and the priority of the removal surgery. Detection can be done by images captured by standard cameras, which are more preferable due to low cost and availability. One important step in computerized evaluation is accurate detection of lesion's region, i.e., segmentation of an image into two regions as lesion and normal skin. In this paper, a new method based on deep neural networks is proposed for accurate extraction of a lesion region. The input image is preprocessed, and then, its patches are fed to a convolutional neural network. Local texture and global structure of the patches are processed in order to assign pixels to lesion or normal classes. A method for effective selection of training patches is proposed for more accurate detection of a lesion's border. Our results indicate that the proposed method could reach the accuracy of 98.7% and the sensitivity of 95.2% in segmentation of lesion regions over the dataset of clinical images. The experimental results of qualitative and quantitative evaluations demonstrate that our method can outperform other state-of-the-art algorithms exist in the literature.

  15. Arsenic Exposure and Toxicology: A Historical Perspective

    PubMed Central

    Hughes, Michael F.; Beck, Barbara D.; Chen, Yu; Lewis, Ari S.; Thomas, David J.

    2011-01-01

    The metalloid arsenic is a natural environmental contaminant to which humans are routinely exposed in food, water, air, and soil. Arsenic has a long history of use as a homicidal agent, but in the past 100 years arsenic, has been used as a pesticide, a chemotherapeutic agent and a constituent of consumer products. In some areas of the world, high levels of arsenic are naturally present in drinking water and are a toxicological concern. There are several structural forms and oxidation states of arsenic because it forms alloys with metals and covalent bonds with hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, and other elements. Environmentally relevant forms of arsenic are inorganic and organic existing in the trivalent or pentavalent state. Metabolism of arsenic, catalyzed by arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase, is a sequential process of reduction from pentavalency to trivalency followed by oxidative methylation back to pentavalency. Trivalent arsenic is generally more toxicologically potent than pentavalent arsenic. Acute effects of arsenic range from gastrointestinal distress to death. Depending on the dose, chronic arsenic exposure may affect several major organ systems. A major concern of ingested arsenic is cancer, primarily of skin, bladder, and lung. The mode of action of arsenic for its disease endpoints is currently under study. Two key areas are the interaction of trivalent arsenicals with sulfur in proteins and the ability of arsenic to generate oxidative stress. With advances in technology and the recent development of animal models for arsenic carcinogenicity, understanding of the toxicology of arsenic will continue to improve. PMID:21750349

  16. DIFFERENTIAL MODULATION OF CANCER-RELATED MOLECULAR NETWORKS IN HUMAN AND RAT URINARY BLADDER CELLS EXPOSED TO TRIVALENT ARSENICALS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Arsenic (As) is classified as a known human carcinogen with primary targets of urinary bladder (UB), skin and lung. The most prevalent source of As exposure in humans is drinking water contaminated with inorganic As (iAs), and millions of people worldwide are exposed to drinking ...

  17. Skin cancer in the elderly

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Pollack, S.V.

    Skin cancer is a major concern in geriatric populations. Cumulative exposure to carcinogens and age-related factors both contribute to the high prevalence of cutaneous malignancy in the elderly. Although mortality rates from skin cancer are relatively low, morbidity can be significant, particularly if lesions are neglected. Physicians can have a major impact on the course of basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and malignant melanoma by nurturing a high index of suspicion for malignancy when unexplained cutaneous lesions are encountered. 56 references.

  18. MODES OF ACTION FOR THE CARCINOGENICITY AND TOXICITY OF ARSENIC - MOVING TOWARDS A MORE QUANTITATIVE RISK ASSESSMENT

    EPA Science Inventory

    Arsenic exposures can lead to human tumors in skin, lung, urinary bladder, kidney and liver. Three likely initial stages of arsenical¬macromolecular interaction are (1) binding of trivalent arsenicals to sulfhydryl groups of peptides and proteins, (2) arsenical-induced generation...

  19. Arsenic in midwestern glacial deposits? Occurrence and relation to selected hydrogeologic and geochemical factors

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Thomas, Mary Ann

    2003-01-01

    Ground-water-quality data collected as part of 12 U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment studies during 1996-2001 were analyzed to (1) document arsenic occurrence in four types of gla-cial deposits that occur in large areas of the Midwest, (2) identify hydrogeologic or geochemical factors asso-ciated with elevated arsenic concentrations, and (3) search for clues as to arsenic source(s) or mechanism(s) of mobilization that could be useful for designing future studies. Arsenic and other water-quality constituents were sampled in 342 monitor and domestic wells in parts of Illinois Indiana Ohio Michigan and Wisconsin. Arsenic was detected (at a concentration >1 ?g/L) in one-third of the samples. The maximum concentration was 84 ?g/L, and the median was less than 1 ?g/L. Eight percent of samples had arsenic concentrations that exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 10?g/L. Samples were from four aquifer types?confined valley fill, unconfined valley fill, outwash plain, and till with sand lenses. Highest arsenic concentrations were found in reducing waters from valley-fill depos-its. In confined valley fill, all waters were reducing and old (recharged before 1953), and almost half of sam-ples had arsenic concentrations greater than the MCL. In unconfined valley fill, redox conditions and ages were varied, and elevated arsenic concentrations were sporadic. In both types of valley fill, elevated arsenic concentrations are linked to the underlying bedrock on the basis of spatial relations and geochemical correla-tions. In shallow (150 ft), all deep wells were from a distinctive aquifer type (confined valley fill). It is not known whether wells at similar depths in other aquifer types would produce waters with simi-larly high arsenic concentrations. Correlations of arsenic with fluoride, strontium, and barium suggest that arsenic might be related to epi-genetic (Mississippi Valley-type) sulfide deposits in

  20. Revertant mosaicism repairs skin lesions in a patient with keratitis-ichthyosis-deafness syndrome by second-site mutations in connexin 26

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gudmundsson, Sanna; Wilbe, Maria; Ekvall, Sara

    Revertant mosaicism (RM) is a naturally occurring phenomenon where the pathogenic effect of a germline mutation is corrected by a second somatic event. Development of healthy-looking skin due to RM has been observed in patients with various inherited skin disorders, but not in connexin-related disease. We aimed to clarify the underlying molecular mechanisms of suspected RM in the skin of a patient with keratitis-ichthyosis-deafness (KID) syndrome. The patient was diagnosed with KID syndrome due to characteristic skin lesions, hearing deficiency and keratitis. Investigation of GJB2 encoding connexin (Cx) 26 revealed heterozygosity for the recurrent de novo germline mutation, c.148G >more » A, p.Asp50Asn. At age 20, the patient developed spots of healthy-looking skin that grew in size and number within widespread erythrokeratodermic lesions. Ultra-deep sequencing of two healthy-looking skin biopsies identified five somatic nonsynonymous mutations, independently present in cis with the p.Asp50Asn mutation. Functional studies of Cx26 in HeLa cells revealed co-expression of Cx26-Asp50Asn and wild-type Cx26 in gap junction channel plaques. However, Cx26-Asp50Asn with the second-site mutations identified in the patient displayed no formation of gap junction channel plaques. We argue that the second-site mutations independently inhibit Cx26-Asp50Asn expression in gap junction channels, reverting the dominant negative effect of the p.Asp50Asn mutation. Finally to our knowledge, this is the first time RM has been reported to result in the development of healthy-looking skin in a patient with KID syndrome.« less

  1. Revertant mosaicism repairs skin lesions in a patient with keratitis-ichthyosis-deafness syndrome by second-site mutations in connexin 26

    DOE PAGES

    Gudmundsson, Sanna; Wilbe, Maria; Ekvall, Sara; ...

    2017-02-01

    Revertant mosaicism (RM) is a naturally occurring phenomenon where the pathogenic effect of a germline mutation is corrected by a second somatic event. Development of healthy-looking skin due to RM has been observed in patients with various inherited skin disorders, but not in connexin-related disease. We aimed to clarify the underlying molecular mechanisms of suspected RM in the skin of a patient with keratitis-ichthyosis-deafness (KID) syndrome. The patient was diagnosed with KID syndrome due to characteristic skin lesions, hearing deficiency and keratitis. Investigation of GJB2 encoding connexin (Cx) 26 revealed heterozygosity for the recurrent de novo germline mutation, c.148G >more » A, p.Asp50Asn. At age 20, the patient developed spots of healthy-looking skin that grew in size and number within widespread erythrokeratodermic lesions. Ultra-deep sequencing of two healthy-looking skin biopsies identified five somatic nonsynonymous mutations, independently present in cis with the p.Asp50Asn mutation. Functional studies of Cx26 in HeLa cells revealed co-expression of Cx26-Asp50Asn and wild-type Cx26 in gap junction channel plaques. However, Cx26-Asp50Asn with the second-site mutations identified in the patient displayed no formation of gap junction channel plaques. We argue that the second-site mutations independently inhibit Cx26-Asp50Asn expression in gap junction channels, reverting the dominant negative effect of the p.Asp50Asn mutation. Finally to our knowledge, this is the first time RM has been reported to result in the development of healthy-looking skin in a patient with KID syndrome.« less

  2. 6-Shogaol, an active compound of ginger, alleviates allergic dermatitis-like skin lesions via cytokine inhibition by activating the Nrf2 pathway.

    PubMed

    Park, Gunhyuk; Oh, Dal-Seok; Lee, Mi Gi; Lee, Chang Eon; Kim, Yong-Ung

    2016-11-01

    Allergic dermatitis (AD) clinically presents with skin erythematous plaques, eruption, and elevated serum IgE, and T helper cell type 2 and 1 (Th2 and Th1) cytokine levels. 6-Shogaol [1-(4-hydroxy-methoxyphenyl)-4-decen-one], a pungent compound isolated from ginger, has shown anti-inflammatory effects, but its inhibitory effects on AD are unknown. The aim of this study was to examine whether 6-shogaol inhibits AD-like skin lesions and their underlying mechanism in vivo and in vitro. An AD-like response was induced by tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)+IFN-γ in human keratinocytes or by 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) in mice. In vivo, 6-shogaol inhibited the development of DNCB-induced AD-like skin lesions and scratching behavior, and showed significant reduction in Th2/1-mediated inflammatory cytokines, IgE, TNF-α, IFN-γ, thymus and activation-regulated chemokine, IL-1, 4, 12, and 13, cyclooxygenase-2, and nitric oxide synthase levels. In vitro, 6-shogaol inhibited reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) signaling, and increased the levels of total glutathione, heme oxygenase-1, and quinone 1 via nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) activation. 6-Shogaol can alleviate AD-like skin lesions by inhibiting immune mediators via regulating the ROS/MAPKs/Nrf2 signaling pathway, and may be an effective alternative therapy for AD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Transcriptome Assessment of Erythema Migrans Skin Lesions in Patients With Early Lyme Disease Reveals Predominant Interferon Signaling.

    PubMed

    Marques, Adriana; Schwartz, Ira; Wormser, Gary P; Wang, Yanmei; Hornung, Ronald L; Demirkale, Cumhur Y; Munson, Peter J; Turk, Siu-Ping; Williams, Carla; Lee, Chyi-Chia Richard; Yang, Jun; Petzke, Mary M

    2017-12-27

    The most common clinical manifestation of early Lyme disease is the erythema migrans (EM) skin lesion that develops at the tick bite site typically between 7 and 14 days after infection with Borreliella burgdorferi. The host-pathogen interactions that occur in the skin may have a critical role in determining outcome of infection. Gene arrays were used to characterize the global transcriptional alterations in skin biopsy samples of EM lesions from untreated adult patients with Lyme disease in comparison to controls. The transcriptional pattern in EM biopsies consisted of 254 differentially regulated genes (180 induced and 74 repressed) characterized by the induction of chemokines, cytokines, Toll-like receptors, antimicrobial peptides, monocytoid cell activation markers, and numerous genes annotated as interferon (IFN)-inducible. The IFN-inducible genes included 3 transcripts involved in tryptophan catabolism (IDO1, KMO, KYNU) that play a pivotal role in immune evasion by certain other microbial pathogens by driving the differentiation of regulatory T cells. This is the first study to globally assess the human skin transcriptional response during early Lyme disease. Borreliella burgdorferi elicits a predominant IFN signature in the EM lesion, suggesting a potential mechanism for spirochetal dissemination via IDO1-mediated localized immunosuppression. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  4. MEETING AT CAMBRIDGE, MA: GENE EXPRESSION IN NORMAL HUMAN KERATINOCYTES MODULATED BY TRIVALENT ARSENICALS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Arsenic exposure has been correlated with the development of several human cancers including those found in the skin, lung, liver, kidney and urinary bladder. Humans are generally exposed to inorganic forms of arsenic, which may be inhaled or ingested. Arsenic forms mono- and d...

  5. Development and psychometric testing of the 'Motivation and Self-Efficacy in Early Detection of Skin Lesions' index.

    PubMed

    Dyson, Judith; Cowdell, Fiona

    2014-12-01

    To develop and psychometrically test the Motivation and Self-Efficacy in Early Detection of Skin Lesions Index. Skin cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer worldwide. The primary strategy used to prevent skin cancer is promotion of sun avoidance and the use of sun protection. However, despite costly and extensive campaigns, cases of skin cancer continue to increase. If found and treated early, skin cancer is curable. Early detection is, therefore, very important. The study was conducted in 2013. Instrument Development. A literature review and a survey identified barriers (factors that hinder) and levers (factors that help) to skin self-examination. These were categorized according to a the Theoretical Domains Framework and this formed the basis of an instrument, which was tested for validity and reliability using confirmatory factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha respectively. A five-factor 20-item instrument was used that tested well for reliability and construct validity. Test-retest reliability was good for all items and domains. The five factors were: (i) Outcome expectancies; (ii) Intention; (iii) Self-efficacy; (iv) Social influences; (v) Memory. The Motivation and Self-Efficacy in Early Detection of Skin Lesions Index provides a reliable and valid method of assessing barriers and levers to skin self-examination. The next step is to design a theory-based intervention that can be tailored according to individual determinants to behaviour change identified by this instrument. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  6. Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia masquerading as cutaneous indeterminate dendritic cell tumor: Expanding the spectrum of skin lesions in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia.

    PubMed

    Loghavi, Sanam; Curry, Jonathan L; Garcia-Manero, Guillermo; Patel, Keyur P; Xu, Jie; Khoury, Joseph D; Torres-Cabala, Carlos A; Nagarajan, Priyadharsini; Aung, Phyu P; Gibson, Bernard R; Goodwin, Brandon P; Kelly, Brent C; Korivi, Brinda R; Medeiros, L Jeffrey; Prieto, Victor G; Kantarjian, Hagop M; Bueso-Ramos, Carlos E; Tetzlaff, Michael T

    2017-12-01

    Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) is a hematopoietic stem cell neoplasm exhibiting both myelodysplastic and myeloproliferative features. Cutaneous involvement by CMML is critical to recognize as it typically is a harbinger of disease progression and an increased incidence of transformation to acute myeloid leukemia. Cutaneous lesions of CMML exhibit heterogeneous histopathologic features that can be challenging to recognize as CMML. We describe a 67-year-old man with a 3-year history of CMML who had been managed on single-agent azacitidine with stable disease before developing splenomegaly and acute onset skin lesions. Examination of these skin lesions revealed a dense infiltrate of histiocytic cells morphologically resembling Langerhans type cells (lacking frank histopathologic atypia), and with the immunophenotype of an indeterminate cell histiocytosis (S100+ CD1a+ and langerin-). Given the history of CMML, next-generation sequencing studies were performed on the skin biopsy. These revealed a KRAS (p.G12R) mutation identical to that seen in the CMML 3 years prior, establishing a clonal relationship between the 2 processes. This case expands the spectrum for and underscores the protean nature of cutaneous involvement by CMML and underscores the importance of heightened vigilance when evaluating skin lesions of CMML patients. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  7. Suppressive effect of an aqueous extract of Diospyros kaki calyx on dust mite extract/2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene-induced atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions.

    PubMed

    Yu, Ju-Hee; Jin, Meiling; Choi, Young-Ae; Jeong, Na-Hee; Park, Jeong-Sook; Shin, Tae-Yong; Kim, Sang-Hyun

    2017-08-01

    Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease, affecting 10-20% of individuals worldwide. Therefore, the discovery of drugs for treating AD is an attractive subject and important to human health. Diospyros kaki and Diospyros kaki (D. kaki) folium exert beneficial effects on allergic inflammation. However, the effect of D. kaki calyx on AD remains elusive. The present study evaluated the effects of an aqueous extract of D. kaki calyx (AEDKC) on AD-like skin lesions using mouse and keratinocyte models. We used a mouse AD model by the repeated skin exposure of house dust mite extract [Dermatophagoides farinae extract (DFE)] and 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) to the ears. In addition, to determine the underlying mechanism of its operation, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ)-activated keratinocytes (HaCaT) were used. Oral administration of AEDKC decreased AD-like skin lesions, as demonstrated by the reduced ear thickness, serum immunoglobulin E (IgE), DFE-specific IgE, IgG2a, histamine level and inflammatory cell infiltration. AEDKC inhibited the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and a chemokine via downregulation of nuclear factor-κB and signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 in HaCaT cells. On examination of the AD-related factors in vivo and in vitro, it was confirmed that AEDKC decreased AD-like skin lesions. Taken together, the results suggest that AEDKC is a potential drug candidate for the treatment of AD.

  8. Proteomic Analysis of Arsenic-Induced Oxidative Stress in Human Epidermal Keratinocytes

    EPA Science Inventory

    Chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic (IAs) has been associated with the development of several human cancers, including those found in the skin, lung, urinary bladder, liver, prostate and kidney. The precise mechanisms by which arsenic causes cancer are unknown. Defining the mod...

  9. Association between Arsenic Exposure and Diabetes Mellitus in Cambodia

    PubMed Central

    Huang, Jhih-Wei; Cheng, Ya-Yun; Sung, Tzu-Ching; Guo, How-Ran

    2014-01-01

    Whereas studies in Taiwan found associations between arsenic exposure from drinking water and diabetes mellitus (DM), studies in other countries yielded inconsistent results, and diet might be a confounder. We conducted a study in Cambodia, where people have non-Western style diet, to evaluate the association. We measured well water and urine samples and examined skin signs of arsenicosis to assess arsenic exposure and used questionnaires to collect data on potential risk factors. We performed a fingertip blood glucose test followed by measurement of hemoglobin A1c to assess DM. The 43-male and 99-female participants had an average age of 40.4 years. We found that participants with skin signs of arsenicosis had a higher level of arsenic in the drinking water (1101.1 versus 972.2 μg/L, P = 0.02). Drinking water with arsenic levels above the median (907.25 μg/L) was associated with a nearly twofold increase in the risk of DM (odds ratio [OR] = 1.7, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.5–5.8), so was having skin sings of arsenicosis (OR = 1.7, 95% CI: 0.5–5.6). The ORs did not reach statistical significance most likely because of the small case number. Therefore, further studies with larger study populations are needed to confirm our findings. PMID:24949461

  10. Association between arsenic exposure and diabetes mellitus in Cambodia.

    PubMed

    Huang, Jhih-Wei; Cheng, Ya-Yun; Sung, Tzu-Ching; Guo, How-Ran; Sthiannopkao, Suthipong

    2014-01-01

    Whereas studies in Taiwan found associations between arsenic exposure from drinking water and diabetes mellitus (DM), studies in other countries yielded inconsistent results, and diet might be a confounder. We conducted a study in Cambodia, where people have non-Western style diet, to evaluate the association. We measured well water and urine samples and examined skin signs of arsenicosis to assess arsenic exposure and used questionnaires to collect data on potential risk factors. We performed a fingertip blood glucose test followed by measurement of hemoglobin A1c to assess DM. The 43-male and 99-female participants had an average age of 40.4 years. We found that participants with skin signs of arsenicosis had a higher level of arsenic in the drinking water (1101.1 versus 972.2 μ g/L, P = 0.02). Drinking water with arsenic levels above the median (907.25 μ g/L) was associated with a nearly twofold increase in the risk of DM (odds ratio [OR] = 1.7, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.5-5.8), so was having skin sings of arsenicosis (OR = 1.7, 95% CI: 0.5-5.6). The ORs did not reach statistical significance most likely because of the small case number. Therefore, further studies with larger study populations are needed to confirm our findings.

  11. Molecular detection of avian pox virus from nodular skin and mucosal fibrinonecrotic lesions of Iranian backyard poultry.

    PubMed

    Gholami-Ahangaran, Majid; Zia-Jahromi, Noosha; Namjoo, Abdolrasul

    2014-02-01

    In recent years, some outbreaks of skin lesions suspected to be avian pox were observed in the backyard poultry in different parts of western areas in Iran. Consequently, 328 backyard poultries with suspected signs of avian pox virus infection were sampled. All birds showed nodular lesions on unfeathered head skin and/or fibronecrotic lesions on mucus membrane of the oral cavity and upper respiratory tract. For histopathological analysis, the sections of tissue samples from cutaneous lesions of examined birds were stained with H&E method. For PCR, after DNA extraction a 578-bp fragment of avian pox virus from 4b core protein gene was amplified. Results showed 217 and 265 out of 328 (66.1 and 80.7%, respectively) samples were positive for avian pox virus on histopathological and PCR examination, respectively. In this study, the samples that had intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies on pathologic examination were PCR positive. This study revealed that PCR is a valuable tool for identification of an avian pox virus and that the frequency of pox infection in backyard poultry in western areas of Iran is high.

  12. Therapeutic application of human leukocyte antigen-G1 improves atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in mice.

    PubMed

    Maeda, Naoyoshi; Yamada, Chisato; Takahashi, Ami; Kuroki, Kimiko; Maenaka, Katsumi

    2017-09-01

    Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G is an immune checkpoint molecule that plays critical roles in immune response and in triggering inhibitory signaling to immune cells such as T cells, natural killer cells, and antigen-presenting cells. Thus, the application of HLA-G can be considered for treating immune response-related inflammatory disorders. We have previously reported that treatment with HLA-G1 and HLA-G2 ameliorates the joint swelling associated with collagen-induced arthritis of DBA/1 mice, an animal model for rheumatoid arthritis. In this study, we further investigated the effects of HLA-G1 on atopic dermatitis (AD), the most common inflammatory skin disorder. AD-like lesions were induced with the extract of the house dust mite Dermatophagoides farinae in NC/Nga mice. Continuous administration of HLA-G1 ameliorated the AD-like skin lesions in the mice. Furthermore, production of immunoglobulin E, interleukin (IL)-13, and IL-17A was significantly reduced in HLA-G1-treated mice, suggesting a Th2/Th17-mediated immune-inhibitory function of HLA-G1 in vivo. Our studies shed light on novel therapeutic strategies with recombinant HLA-G proteins for immune reaction-mediated chronic inflammatory disorders. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Laser-induced autofluorescence properties of base-cell lesions: analysis and algorithms for diagnosis and differentiation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Borisova, E.; Troyanova, P.; Avramov, L.

    2006-09-01

    The goals of this work were investigation of base-cell skin lesions by the method of laser-induced autofluorescence spectroscopy. Fluorescence spectra were obtained from benign base-cell papilloma and malignant base-cell carcinoma, as well as from healthy skin areas near to the lesions that were used posteriori to reveal changes between healthy and lesion skin spectra. Preliminarily lesions were classified by dermatoscopic method (MoleMax II, DERMA Instruments). All suspicious lesions were excised and were investigated histologically. The experimental set-up consists of a nitrogen laser (337 nm, 14 μJ, 10 Hz), lenses, filters, optical fibers, and a microspectrometer (PC2000, "Ocean Optics"). A computer controls this system. Spectrum of healthy skin consists of one main maximum at 470-500 nm spectral region and secondary maxima at in the regions around 400 and 440 nm. In cases of papilloma and base-cell carcinoma an intensity decrease was observed, related to accumulation of pigments in these cutaneous lesions. An relative increase of the fluorescence peak at 440 nm were registered in the case of base-cell carcinoma, related to metabolism activity increase, and appearance of green fluorescence, related to increase of keratin content in benign papilloma lesions were detected. The results, obtained were used to develop multispectral diagnostic algorithm of these base-cell lesions. An sensitivity of 89,4% and 91,0% and specificity of 99,6% and 97,4% for differentiation between normal skin and papilloma and carcinoma respectively were obtained. The capability of the human skin fluorescence spectroscopy for early diagnosis and differentiation of cutaneous lesions is shown.

  14. GENE EXPRESSION CHANGES IN MOUSE BLADDER TISSUE IN RESPONSE TO INORGANIC ARSENIC

    EPA Science Inventory

    Chronic human exposures to high arsenic concentrations are associated with lung, skin, and bladder cancer. Considerable controversy exists concerning arsenic mode of action and low dose extrapolation. This investigation was designed to identify dose-response changes in gene expre...

  15. Atypical mycobacterial infection presenting as persistent skin lesion in a patient with ulcerative colitis.

    PubMed

    Bamias, Giorgos; Daikos, George L; Siakavellas, Spyros I; Kaltsa, Garyfallia; Smilakou, Stavroula; Katsogridakis, Ioannis; Vafiadis-Zouboulis, Irene; Ladas, Spiros D

    2011-01-01

    Immunosuppressive drugs are commonly used for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. Patients receiving immunosuppressants are susceptible to a variety of infections with opportunistic pathogens. We present a case of skin infection with Mycobacterium chelonae in a 60-year-old Caucasian woman with ulcerative colitis who had been treated with corticosteroids and azathioprine. The disease manifested with fever and rash involving the right leg. Infliximab was administered due to a presumptive diagnosis of pyoderma gangrenosum, leading to worsening of the clinical syndrome and admission to our hospital. Routine cultures from various sites were all negative. However, Ziehl-Neelsen staining of pus from the lesions revealed acid-fast bacilli, and culture yielded a rapidly growing mycobacterium further identified as M. chelonae. The patient responded to a clarithromycin-based regimen. Clinicians should be aware of skin lesions caused by atypical mycobacteria in immunocompromised patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Furthermore, they should be able to thoroughly investigate and promptly treat these conditions.

  16. MEETING AT SAN DIEGO, CA: GENE EXPRESSION IN NORMAL HUMAN KERATINOCYTES MODULATED BY TRIVALENT ARSENICALS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Arsenic exposure has been correlated with the development of several human cancers including those found in the skin, lung, liver, kidney and urinary bladder. Humans are generally exposed to inorganic forms of arsenic, which may be inhaled or ingested. Arsenic forms mono- and di-...

  17. Neutrophilic Skin Lesions in Autoimmune Connective Tissue Diseases

    PubMed Central

    Hau, Estelle; Vignon Pennamen, Marie-Dominique; Battistella, Maxime; Saussine, Anne; Bergis, Maud; Cavelier-Balloy, Benedicte; Janier, Michel; Cordoliani, Florence; Bagot, Martine; Rybojad, Michel; Bouaziz, Jean-David

    2014-01-01

    Abstract The pathophysiology of neutrophilic dermatoses (NDs) and autoimmune connective tissue diseases (AICTDs) is incompletely understood. The association between NDs and AICTDs is rare; recently, however, a distinctive subset of cutaneous lupus erythematosus (LE, the prototypical AICTD) with neutrophilic histological features has been proposed to be included in the spectrum of lupus. The aim of our study was to test the validity of such a classification. We conducted a monocentric retrospective study of 7028 AICTDs patients. Among these 7028 patients, a skin biopsy was performed in 932 cases with mainly neutrophilic infiltrate on histology in 9 cases. Combining our 9 cases and an exhaustive literature review, pyoderma gangrenosum, Sweet syndrome (n = 49), Sweet-like ND (n = 13), neutrophilic urticarial dermatosis (n = 6), palisaded neutrophilic granulomatous dermatitis (n = 12), and histiocytoid neutrophilic dermatitis (n = 2) were likely to occur both in AICTDs and autoinflammatory diseases. Other NDs were specifically encountered in AICTDs: bullous LE (n = 71), amicrobial pustulosis of the folds (n = 28), autoimmunity-related ND (n = 24), ND resembling erythema gyratum repens (n = 1), and neutrophilic annular erythema (n = 1). The improvement of AICTDS neutrophilic lesions under neutrophil targeting therapy suggests possible common physiopathological pathways between NDs and AICTDs. PMID:25546688

  18. Angelicae Dahuricae Radix Inhibits Dust Mite Extract-Induced Atopic Dermatitis-Like Skin Lesions in NC/Nga Mice.

    PubMed

    Lee, Hoyoung; Lee, Jun Kyoung; Ha, Hyekyung; Lee, Mee-Young; Seo, Chang-Seob; Shin, Hyeun Kyoo

    2012-01-01

    We examined whether Angelicae Dahuricae Radix (AR) suppresses the development of atopic dermatitis (AD)-like skin lesions induced by Dermatophagoides farinae in NC/Nga mice. To investigate the effect of AR, we measured the AD severity score, measured plasma levels of IgE and histamine, and performed histological analysis in NC/Nga mice. We also confirmed the anti-inflammatory effects of AR by measuring TARC/CCL17 production from LPS-treated RAW 264.7 cells and mRNA levels of TARC and MDC/CCL22 in TNF-α/IFN-γ-treated HaCaT cells. 10 mg/day of AR extract was applied for 4 weeks to NC/Nga mice. Both the AR extract and 0.1% tacrolimus suppressed the development of AD-like skin lesions and reduced dermatitis scores of the back and ear skin. AR extracts caused an inhibition of histological changes induced by repeated application of D. farinae and a reduction of IgE and histamine levels in plasma (P < 0.05). Furthermore, NO production in LPS-treated RAW 264.7 cells was diminished in a dose-dependent manner, and hTARC production and TARC and MDC mRNA levels in TNF-α/IFN-γ-treated HaCaT cells were diminished by AR. The inhibitory effect of AR on NO, TARC and MDC production may be associated with the suppression of AD-like skin lesions in D. farinae-induced NC/Nga mice.

  19. ARSENIC SPECIES CAUSE RELEASE OF IRON FROM FERRITIN GENERATING REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES

    EPA Science Inventory

    ARSENIC SPECIES CAUSE RELEASE OF IRON FROM FERRITIN GENERATING REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES

    Arsenic-associated cancer (lung, bladder, skin, liver, kidney) remains a significant world- wide public health problem (e.g., Taiwan, Chile, Bangladesh, India, China and Thailand). Rece...

  20. ARSENIC SPECIES CAUSE RELEASE OF IRON FROM FERRITIN GENERATING REACTIVIE OXYGEN SPECIES

    EPA Science Inventory

    ARSENIC SPECIES. CAUSE RELEASE OF IRON , FROM FERRITIN GENERATING REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES

    Arsenic-associated cancer (lung, bladder, skin, liver, kidney) remains a significant world- wide public health problem (e.g., Taiwan, Chile, Bangladesh, India, China and Thailand). R...

  1. Bacterial skin infections: management of common streptococcal and stapylococcal lesions.

    PubMed

    Witkowski, J A; Parish, L C

    1982-10-01

    Skin infection occurs in any age-group, sex, and race but is particularly common in children. It is usually minor, but may indicate underlying systemic disease or may lead to systemic infection. Streptococci and staphylococci are common causes. Group A beta-hemolytic streptococci account for the majority of streptococcal infections in man. Infection most often involves the lower extremities and produces spreading erythema and necrosis but little purulence. Staphylococcal infections most commonly involve the face, the hair follicles and eccrine sweat ducts being the initial sites. Lesions appear as bullae and pustules with a narrow rim of erythema. Intense cellulitis surrounding the lesions usually points to a virulent, penicillin-resistant strain of Staphylococcus. Treatment of both types of infection consists of cleansing with antibacterial agents, removal of crusts, application of warm compresses, and use of topical or systemic antibiotics, depending on the severity of the infection and the type of pyoderma involved.

  2. A Herbal Formula, Atofreellage, Ameliorates Atopic Dermatitis-Like Skin Lesions in an NC/Nga Mouse Model.

    PubMed

    Kim, Won-Yong; Kim, Hyeong-Geug; Lee, Hye-Won; Lee, Jin-Seok; Im, Hwi-Jin; Kim, Hyo-Seon; Lee, Sung-Bae; Son, Chang-Gue

    2015-12-25

    We evaluated the anti-atopic dermatitis (AD) effect of Atofreellage (AF), a herbal formula composed of 10 medicinal plants. AD was induced on the dorsal skin areas of NC/Nga mice (male, seven weeks old) by daily application of 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) for five weeks. After three weeks of DNCB application, 200 μL of AF (0, 25, 50 or 100 mg/mL) was applied to the skin lesions. Histological findings, blood cell populations, serum levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE), histamine, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and inflammatory signaling in the skin tissue, and T-helper cell type 2 (Th₂)-related cytokines in splenocytes were analyzed. Histopathological findings showed AF treatment notably attenuated the thickness of dorsal skin, and eosinophil infiltration. AF treatment (especially 100 mg/mL) also demonstrably ameliorated the blood cell population abnormalities, as the notable elevation of serum concentrations of IgE, histamine, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β were remarkably normalized by AF treatment. Western blot analysis evidenced the apparent normalization of inflammatory signals (ERK, p38 MAP kinase, JNK, and NF-κB) in the skin tissue. Additionally, AF treatment notably attenuated the activation of Th₂-dominant cytokines (IL-13, IL-4, and IL-5) in Con A-treated splenocytes in an ex vivo assay. In conclusion, this study provides experimental evidence for the clinical relevance of Atofreellage.

  3. The relation between rice consumption, arsenic contamination, and prevalence of diabetes in South Asia

    PubMed Central

    Hassan, Fatima Ismail; Niaz, Kamal; Khan, Fazlullah; Maqbool, Faheem; Abdollahi, Mohammad

    2017-01-01

    Rice is the major staple food for about two billion people living in Asia. It has been reported to contain considerable amount of inorganic arsenic which is toxic to pancreatic beta cells and disrupt glucose homeostasis. Articles and conference papers published between 1992 and 2017, indexed in Scopus, PubMed, EMBASE, Google, and Google scholar were used. Arsenic exposure has been associated with increased blood glucose and insulin levels, or decreased sensitization of insulin cells to glucose uptake. Several studies have shown the association between inorganic arsenic exposure and incidence of diabetes mellitus. Considerable amounts of arsenic have been reported in different types of rice which may be affected by cultivation methods, processing, and country of production. Use of certain microbes, fertilizers, and enzymes may reduce arsenic uptake or accumulation in rice, which may reduce its risk of toxicity. Combined exposure to contaminated rice, other foods and drinking water may increase the risk of diabetes in these countries. Maximum tolerated daily intake of arsenic contaminated rice (2.1 µg/day kg body weight) has been set by WHO, which may be exceeded depending on its content in rice and amount consumed. Hence, increased prevalence of diabetes in South Asia may be related to the consumption of arsenic contaminated rice depending on its content in the rice and daily amount consumed. In this review, we have focused on the possible relation between rice consumption, arsenic contamination, and prevalence of diabetes in South Asia. PMID:29285009

  4. Environmental arsenic contamination and its health effects in a historic gold mining area of the Mangalur greenstone belt of Northeastern Karnataka, India

    PubMed Central

    Chakraborti, Dipankar; Rahman, Mohammad Mahmudur; Murrill, Matthew; Das, Reshmi; Siddayya; Patil, S.G.; Sarkar, Atanu; Dadapeer, H.J.; Yendigeri, Saeed; Ahmed, Rishad; Das, Kusal K.

    2014-01-01

    This report summarizes recent findings of environmental arsenic (As) contamination and the consequent health effects in a community located near historic gold mining activities in the Mangalur greenstone belt of Karnataka, India. Arsenic contents in water, hair, nail, soil and food were measured by FI-HG-AAS. Elemental analyses of soils were determined by ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry). Of 59 tube-well water samples, 79% had As above 10 μg L−1 (maximum 303 μg L−1). Of 12 topsoil samples, six were found to contain As greater than 2000 mg kg−1 possibly indicating the impact of mine tailings on the area. All hair and nail samples collected from 171 residents contained elevated As. Arsenical skin lesions were observed among 58.6% of a total 181 screened individuals. Histopathological analysis of puncture biopsies of suspected arsenical dermatological symptoms confirmed the diagnosis in 3 out of 4 patients. Based on the time-course of arsenic-like symptoms reported by the community as well as the presence of overt arsenicosis, it is hypothesized that the primary route of exposure in the study area was via contaminated groundwater; however, the identified high As content in residential soil could also be a significant source of As exposure via ingestion. Additional studies are required to determine the extent as well as the relative contribution of geologic and anthropogenic factors in environmental As contamination in the region. This study report is to our knowledge one of the first to describe overt arsenicosis in this region of Karnataka, India as well as more broadly an area with underlying greenstone geology and historic mining activity. PMID:23228450

  5. Characterization of acute and long-term pathologies of superficial and deep dermal sulfur mustard skin lesions in the hairless guinea pig model.

    PubMed

    Dachir, Shlomit; Cohen, Maayan; Kamus-Elimeleh, Dikla; Fishbine, Eliezer; Sahar, Rita; Gez, Rellie; Brandeis, Rachel; Horwitz, Vered; Kadar, Tamar

    2012-01-01

    Sulfur mustard induces severe acute and prolonged damage to the skin and only partially effective treatments are available. We have previously validated the use of hairless guinea pigs as an experimental model for skin lesions. The present study aimed to characterize a model of a deep dermal lesion and to compare it with the previously described superficial lesion. Clinical evaluation of the lesions was conducted using reflectance colorimetry, trans-epidermal water loss and wound area measurements. Prostaglandin E(2) content, matrix metalloproteinase-2 and 9 activity, and histopathology were conducted up to 4 weeks post-exposure. Sulfur mustard skin injury, including erythema and edema, impairment of skin barrier and wounds developed in a dose-dependent manner. Prostaglandin E(2) content and matrix metalloproteinase-2 and 9 activities were elevated during the wound development and the healing process. Histological evaluation revealed severe damage to the epidermis and deep dermis and vesications. At 4 weeks postexposure, healing was not completed: significantly impaired stratum corneum, absence of hair follicles, and epidermal hyperplasia were observed. These results confirm the use of the superficial and deep dermal skin injuries in the hairless guinea pigs as suitable models that can be utilized for the investigation of the pathological processes of acute as well as long-term injuries. These models will be further used to develop treatments to improve the healing process and prevent skin damage and long-term effects. © 2012 by the Wound Healing Society.

  6. Important considerations in the development of public health advisories for arsenic and arsenic-containing compounds in drinking water.

    PubMed

    Tchounwou, P B; Wilson, B; Ishaque, A

    1999-01-01

    Drinking water contamination by arsenic remains a major public health problem. Acute and chronic arsenic exposure via drinking water has been reported in many countries of the world; especially in Argentina, Bangladesh, India, Mexico, Thailand, and Taiwan, where a large proportion of drinking water (ground water) is contaminated with a high concentration of arsenic. Research has also pointed out significantly higher standardized mortality ratios and cumulative mortality rates for cancers of the bladder, kidney, skin, liver, and colon in many areas of arsenic pollution. General health effects that are associated with arsenic exposure include cardiovascular and peripheral vascular disease, developmental anomalies, neurologic and neurobehavioral disorders, diabetes, hearing loss, portal fibrosis of the liver, lung fibrosis, hematologic disorders (anemia, leukopenia, and eosinophilia), and carcinoma. Although, the clinical manifestations of arsenic poisoning appear similar, the toxicity of arsenic compounds depends largely u[on the chemical species and the form of arsenic involved. On the basis of its high degree of toxicity to humans, and the non-threshold dose-response assumption, a zero level exposure is recommended for arsenic, even though this level is practically non-attainable. In this review, we provide and discuss important information on the physical and chemical properties, production and use, fate and transport, toxicokinetics, systemic and carcinogenic health effects, regulatory and health guidelines, analytical methods, and treatment technologies that are applied to arsenic pollution. Such information is critical in assisting the federal, state and local officials who are responsible for protecting public health in dealing with the problem of drinking water contamination by arsenic and arsenic-containing compounds.

  7. Automatic Classification of Specific Melanocytic Lesions Using Artificial Intelligence.

    PubMed

    Jaworek-Korjakowska, Joanna; Kłeczek, Paweł

    2016-01-01

    Given its propensity to metastasize, and lack of effective therapies for most patients with advanced disease, early detection of melanoma is a clinical imperative. Different computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems have been proposed to increase the specificity and sensitivity of melanoma detection. Although such computer programs are developed for different diagnostic algorithms, to the best of our knowledge, a system to classify different melanocytic lesions has not been proposed yet. In this research we present a new approach to the classification of melanocytic lesions. This work is focused not only on categorization of skin lesions as benign or malignant but also on specifying the exact type of a skin lesion including melanoma, Clark nevus, Spitz/Reed nevus, and blue nevus. The proposed automatic algorithm contains the following steps: image enhancement, lesion segmentation, feature extraction, and selection as well as classification. The algorithm has been tested on 300 dermoscopic images and achieved accuracy of 92% indicating that the proposed approach classified most of the melanocytic lesions correctly. A proposed system can not only help to precisely diagnose the type of the skin mole but also decrease the amount of biopsies and reduce the morbidity related to skin lesion excision.

  8. The health effects of exposure to arsenic-contaminated drinking water: a review by global geographical distribution.

    PubMed

    Huang, Lei; Wu, Haiyun; van der Kuijp, Tsering Jan

    2015-01-01

    Chronic arsenic exposure through drinking water has been a vigorously studied and debated subject. However, the existing literature does not allow for a thorough examination of the potential regional discrepancies that may arise among arsenic-related health outcomes. The purpose of this article is to provide an updated review of the literature on arsenic exposure and commonly discussed health effects according to global geographical distribution. This geographically segmented approach helps uncover the discrepancies in the health effects of arsenic. For instance, women are more susceptible than men to a few types of cancer in Taiwan, but not in other countries. Although skin cancer and arsenic exposure correlations have been discovered in Chile, Argentina, the United States, and Taiwan, no evident association was found in mainland China. We then propose several globally applicable recommendations to prevent and treat the further spread of arsenic poisoning and suggestions of future study designs and decision-making.

  9. The apparent prevalence of skin lesions suspected to be human-inflicted in Danish finishing pigs at slaughter.

    PubMed

    Nielsen, Søren Saxmose; Michelsen, Anne Marie; Jensen, Henrik Elvang; Barington, Kristiane; Opstrup, Katharina Vester; Agger, Jens Frederik

    2014-11-01

    Skin lesions on pigs inflicted by humans compromise animal welfare and are the subject of increased public and political attention in Denmark. Systematic surveillance of such skin lesions was enforced in April 2010 at all Danish pig abattoirs, through the recording of meat inspection Code 904 for the presence of skin lesions suspected to be human inflicted. The objectives of the present study were to (a) estimate the apparent prevalence of Code 904s at the pig and herd owner level; (b) characterise the distribution of deliveries with pigs demonstrating a Code 904; (c) characterise the distribution of herd owners with repeated Code 904 recordings; and (d) determine the developments in Code 904 prevalence over time in Danish finishing pigs in the period from May 1, 2010 to September 30, 2013. Data from the 12 largest finishing pig abattoirs from Denmark were included and recordings were comprised from 65,504,021 pigs from 651,681 deliveries originating from 10,796 herd owners. Overall, 7200 (0.011%) of the pigs were recorded with a Code 904, and 21% of herd owners had a minimum of one Code 904 delivery with at least one pig with skin lesions inflicted by humans. On the pig-level, the apparent prevalence was 0.020% in 2010, which was reduced to 0.008% in 2013. In the first quarter of the study period, 17% of the herd owners had a Code 904 delivery, while 7% had one in the last quarter. Nine per cent of the herds had more than one Code 904 recording, with up to 16 Code 904 deliveries from one herd owner. Most deliveries included one single pig with a Code 904, but up to 102 Code 904 recordings were made in a single delivery. The apparent prevalence at the four smallest and four middle sized abattoirs decreased from the first to the second quarter, while the apparent prevalence decreased more substantially in the largest four abattoirs; with significant decreases from both the first to the second, and from the second to the third quarter. The study showed that recorded

  10. [Skin and chronic kidney disease].

    PubMed

    Rizzo, Raffaella; Mancini, Elena; Santoro, Antonio

    2014-01-01

    Kidneys and skin are seldom considered associated, but their relationship is more closer than generally believed. In some immunological diseases (SLE...) and genetic syndromes (tuberous sclerosis, Fabrys disease...) the cutaneous manifestations are integral parts of the clinical picture. In advanced uremia, besides the well-known itching skin lesions, calciphylaxis may appear, a typical example of cutaneous involvement secondary to the metabolic complications (calcium-phosphate imbalance) of the renal disease. Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis appears only in patients with renal failure and it has a very severe prognosis due to the systemic organ involvement. Moreover, there is a heterogeneous group of metabolic diseases, with renal involvement, that may be accompanied by skin lesions, either related to the disease itself or to its complications (diabetes mellitus, porphyrias). In systemic amyloidosis, fibrils may deposit even in dermis leading to different skin lesions. In some heroin abusers, in the presence of suppurative lesions in the sites of needle insertion, renal amyloidosis should be suspected, secondary to the chronic inflammation. Atheroembolic disease is nowadays frequently observed, as a consequence of the increasing number of invasive intravascular manoeuvres. Skin manifestations like livedo reticularis or the blue toe syndrome are the most typical signs, but often renal dysfunction is also present. In all these conditions, the skin lesion may be a first sign, a warning, that should arouse the suspicion of a more complex pathology, even with renal involvement. Being aware of this relationship is fundamental to accelerate the diagnostic process.

  11. Skin lesion removal

    MedlinePlus

    ... benign; Cryosurgery - skin, benign; BCC - removal; Basal cell cancer - removal; Actinic keratosis - removal; Wart - removal; Squamous cell - removal; Mole - removal; Nevus - removal; Nevi - removal; Scissor ...

  12. Autofluorescence of pigmented skin lesions using a pulsed UV laser with synchronized detection: clinical results

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheng, Haynes P. H.; Svenmarker, Pontus; Xie, Haiyan; Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter; Jensen, Ole B.; Bendsoe, Niels; Svanberg, Katarina; Petersen, Paul Michael; Pedersen, Christian; Andersson-Engels, Stefan; Andersen, Peter E.

    2010-04-01

    We report preliminary clinical results of autofluorescence imaging of malignant and benign skin lesions, using pulsed 355 nm laser excitation with synchronized detection. The novel synchronized detection system allows high signal-tonoise ratio to be achieved in the resulting autofluorescence signal, which may in turn produce high contrast images that improve diagnosis, even in the presence of ambient room light. The synchronized set-up utilizes a compact, diode pumped, pulsed UV laser at 355 nm which is coupled to a CCD camera and a liquid crystal tunable filter. The excitation and image capture is sampled at 5 kHz and the resulting autofluorescence is captured with the liquid crystal filter cycling through seven wavelengths between 420 nm and 580 nm. The clinical study targets pigmented skin lesions and evaluates the prospects of using autofluorescence as a possible means in differentiating malignant and benign skin tumors. Up to now, sixteen patients have participated in the clinical study. The autofluorescence images, averaged over the exposure time of one second, will be presented along with histopathological results. Initial survey of the images show good contrast and diagnostic results show promising agreement based on the histopathological results.

  13. Assessing health risk due to exposure to arsenic in drinking water in Hanam Province, Vietnam.

    PubMed

    Huy, Tung Bui; Tuyet-Hanh, Tran Thi; Johnston, Richard; Nguyen-Viet, Hung

    2014-07-24

    We assessed health risks related to Arsenic (As) in contaminated drinking water in Hanam, applying the Australian Environmental Health Risk Assessment Framework, which promotes stakeholder involvement in risk assessments. As concentrations in 300 tube-well water samples, before and after filtration, were analyzed and the water consumption levels in 150 households were estimated. Skin cancer risk was characterized using Cancer Slope Factor index and lifetime average daily dose with a probabilistic approach. The results showed that arsenic concentrations in tube-well water ranged from 8-579 ppb (mean 301 ppb) before filtration and current sand filters used by the households did not meet the standard for As removal. Arsenic daily consumption of 40% of the adults exceeded the level of TDI (Tolerable Daily Intake) at 1 µg/kg/day. The average skin cancer risk in adults due to consuming filtered tube-well water for drinking purpose were 25.3 × 10-5 (using only well water) and 7.6 × 10-5 (using both well and rain water). The skin cancer risk would be 11.5 times higher if the water was not filtered. Improvement of filtration measures or the replacement of the current drinking water sources to minimize the health risks to the local population is urgently needed.

  14. Assessing Health Risk due to Exposure to Arsenic in Drinking Water in Hanam Province, Vietnam

    PubMed Central

    Bui Huy, Tung; Tuyet-Hanh, Tran Thi; Johnston, Richard; Nguyen-Viet, Hung

    2014-01-01

    We assessed health risks related to Arsenic (As) in contaminated drinking water in Hanam, applying the Australian Environmental Health Risk Assessment Framework, which promotes stakeholder involvement in risk assessments. As concentrations in 300 tube-well water samples, before and after filtration, were analyzed and the water consumption levels in 150 households were estimated. Skin cancer risk was characterized using Cancer Slope Factor index and lifetime average daily dose with a probabilistic approach. The results showed that arsenic concentrations in tube-well water ranged from 8–579 ppb (mean 301 ppb) before filtration and current sand filters used by the households did not meet the standard for As removal. Arsenic daily consumption of 40% of the adults exceeded the level of TDI (Tolerable Daily Intake) at 1 µg/kg/day. The average skin cancer risk in adults due to consuming filtered tube-well water for drinking purpose were 25.3 × 10−5 (using only well water) and 7.6 × 10−5 (using both well and rain water). The skin cancer risk would be 11.5 times higher if the water was not filtered. Improvement of filtration measures or the replacement of the current drinking water sources to minimize the health risks to the local population is urgently needed. PMID:25062276

  15. Skin Cancer in Skin of Color

    PubMed Central

    Bradford, Porcia T.

    2009-01-01

    Skin cancers in skin of color often present atypically or with advanced stage in comparison to Caucasian patients. Health care providers must maintain a high index of suspicion when examining skin lesions in skin of color. PMID:19691228

  16. Use of the spectrophotometric color method for the determination of the age of skin lesions on the pig carcass and its relationship with gene expression and histological and histochemical parameters.

    PubMed

    Vitali, M; Conte, S; Lessard, M; Deschêne, K; Benoit-Biancamano, M O; Celeste, C; Martelli, G; Sardi, L; Guay, F; Faucitano, L

    2017-09-01

    The presence of lesions on the pig carcass is an indicator of poor animal welfare and has economic impact as it downgrades the carcass value. The assessment of the age of lesions on the carcass may help identify risk factors and ultimately prevent their occurrence. The aim of this study was to assess the age of lesions on pig carcasses through spectrophotometric color evaluation and to relate the results with gene expression and histological and histochemical parameters. A total of 96 barrows were mixed 4 times over 3 d before slaughter and 80 lesions were selected after skin lesion observations to define 4 age categories: < 7 h (T1), 7-25 h (T2), 25-30 h (T3), and 49-54 h (T4). A nonlesioned skin area was used as a control. At slaughter, 3 biopsies per lesion and control skin were taken immediately after bleeding for analyses of gene expression (, , , , , , , , , ), skin histological characteristics (inflammation, erosion or ulceration, and necrosis), and enzyme activity (alkaline phosphatase and adenosine triphosphatase). The number of lesions was counted on each carcass, and the color was assessed visually by a pictorial chart and instrumentally through a spectrophotometer. Delta values (Δ) were calculated as the difference between the value of the lesion and the value of the control for all measures, except for the histological analysis. Results indicated that visual color observation was not sufficiently accurate to discriminate lesions by time of infliction ( > 0.10), while the spectrophotometer ΔL* and Δa* values variation allowed the identification of < 7 h or > 25 h old lesions ( < 0.05). Similarly, the expression of , , , , and genes was higher ( < 0.05) in < 7 h old lesions, while gene expression was higher ( < 0.05) in < 25 h old lesions. As for the histological analysis, the severity of inflammation was correlated with the age of the lesion (lower score in < 7 h old lesions and higher score in > 25 h old lesions; < 0.05). To conclude, the

  17. Sea Buckthorn (Hippophaë rhamnoides L.) Oil Improves Atopic Dermatitis-Like Skin Lesions via Inhibition of NF-κB and STAT1 Activation.

    PubMed

    Hou, Dian-Dong; Di, Zheng-Hong; Qi, Rui-Qun; Wang, He-Xiao; Zheng, Song; Hong, Yu-Xiao; Guo, Hao; Chen, Hong-Duo; Gao, Xing-Hua

    2017-01-01

    The objective of this study was to evaluate the topical effects of sea buckthorn (SBT) oil on atopic dermatitis (AD)-like lesions in a mouse model generated by repeated topical administration of DNCB in BALB/c mice. DNCB was applied repeatedly on the dorsal skin of mice to induce AD-like lesions. Following AD induction, SBT oil was applied daily on the dorsal skin for 4 weeks. The severity of skin lesions was examined macroscopically and histologically. We further measured the production of MDC/CCL22 and TARC/CCL17 in IFN-γ/TNF-α activated HaCaT cells. Topically applied SBT oil in DNCB-treated mice ameliorated the severity score of dermatitis, decreased epidermal thickness, reduced spleen and lymph node weights, and prevented mast cell infiltration. In addition, SBT oil suppressed the Th2 chemokines TARC and MDC via dose-dependent inhibition of NF-κB, JAK2/STAT1, and p38-MAPK signaling pathways in IFN-γ/TNF-α-activated HaCaT cells. These results suggest that SBT oil had a beneficial effect on AD-like skin lesions, partially via inhibition of the Th2 chemokines TARC and MDC in inflamed skin. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  18. Hock lesions and free-stall design.

    PubMed

    Weary, D M; Taszkun, I

    2000-04-01

    We compared the prevalence and severity of skin lesions on the hocks of lactating dairy cows in southern British Columbia, comparing 20 farms using three common bedding surfaces: sawdust, sand, and geotextile mattresses. Skin lesions were scored at five positions on the hock. For each position we noted if the lesion showed inflammatory attributes, and then assigned a severity score. Of the 1752 lactating cows scored, 1267 cows (73%) had at least one hock lesion. Of those cows with lesions, 87% had lesions on both legs, 76% had lesions on more than one location on the hock, and 78% had a lesion of at least moderate severity (i.e., evidence of skin breakage or an area of hair loss >10 cm2). Lesions were most prevalent on farms that used geotextile mattresses (91% of cows) and least common on farms that used sand (24% of cows). Moreover, lesions on cows from farms using mattresses were more numerous and more severe than those on cows from sand-bedded farms. The prevalence and severity of lesions on farms using sawdust was intermediate. Lesions also varied in relation to location on the hock. For farms using geotextile mattresses, lesions were more common and more severe on the lateral surfaces of both the tuber calcis and the tarsal joint. On farms using sawdust, lesions were common on the dorsal surface of the tuber calcis and the lateral surfaces of both the tuber calcis and the tarsal joint. Lesions were rare on all five positions for cows from sand-bedded farms. Among the 10 farms sampled using sawdust, we found a significant negative relationship between the length of the stall and severity of lesions. For cows with lesions, the number and severity of lesions increased with age.

  19. Elevated levels of plasma uric acid and its relation to hypertension in arsenic-endemic human individuals in Bangladesh

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Huda, Nazmul; Department of Medicine, Rajshahi Medical College, Rajshahi 6000; Hossain, Shakhawoat

    Blood uric acid has been recognized as a putative marker for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). CVDs are the major causes of arsenic-related morbidity and mortality. However, the association of arsenic exposure with plasma uric acid (PUA) levels in relation to CVDs has not yet been explored. This study for the first time demonstrated the associations of arsenic exposure with PUA levels and its relationship with hypertension. A total of 483 subjects, 322 from arsenic-endemic and 161 from non-endemic areas in Bangladesh were recruited as study subjects. Arsenic concentrations in the drinking water, hair and nails of the study subjects were measuredmore » by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy. PUA levels were measured using a colorimetric method. We found that PUA levels were significantly (p < 0.001) higher in males and females living in arsenic-endemic areas than those in non-endemic area. Arsenic exposure (water, hair and nail arsenic) levels showed significant positive correlations with PUA levels. In multiple regression analyses, arsenic exposure levels were found to be the most significant contributors on PUA levels among the other variables that included age, body mass index, blood urea nitrogen, and smoking. There were dose–response relationships between arsenic exposure and PUA levels. Furthermore, diastolic and systolic blood pressure showed significant positive correlations with PUA levels. Finally, the average PUA levels were significantly higher in the hypertensive group than those in the normotensive group in both males and females living in arsenic-endemic areas. These results suggest that arsenic exposure-related elevation of PUA levels may be implicated in arsenic-induced CVDs. - Highlights: • PUA levels were higher in arsenic-endemic subjects than in non-endemic subjects. • Drinking water, hair and nail arsenic showed significant associations with PUA levels. • Drinking water, hair and nail arsenic showed dose

  20. Immunohistological Analysis of In Situ Expression of Mycobacterial Antigens in Skin Lesions of Leprosy Patients Across the Histopathological Spectrum

    PubMed Central

    Verhagen, Claudia; Faber, William; Klatser, Paul; Buffing, Anita; Naafs, Ben; Das, Pranab

    1999-01-01

    The presence of mycobacterial antigens in leprosy skin lesions was studied by immunohistological methods using monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to Mycobacterium leprae-specific phenolic glycolipid I (PGL-I) and to cross-reactive mycobacterial antigens of 36 kd, 65 kd, and lipoarabinomannan (LAM). The staining patterns with MAb to 36 kd and 65 kd were heterogeneous and were also seen in the lesions of other skin diseases. The in situ staining of PGL-I and LAM was seen only in leprosy. Both antigens were abundantly present in infiltrating macrophages in the lesions of untreated multibacillary (MB) patients, whereas only PGL-I was occasionally seen in scattered macrophages in untreated paucibacillary lesions. During treatment, clearance of PGL-I from granulomas in MB lesions occurred before that of LAM, although the former persisted in scattered macrophages in some treated patients. This persistence of PGL-I in the lesions paralleled high serum anti-PGL-I antibody titers but was not indicative for the presence of viable bacilli in the lesions. Interestingly, we also observed a differential expression pattern of PGL-I and LAM in the lesions of MB patients with reactions during the course of the disease as compared with those without reactions. In conclusion, the in situ expression pattern of PGL-I and LAM in MB patients may assist in early diagnosis of reactions versus relapse. PMID:10362804

  1. Cytogenetic insights into DNA damage and repair of lesions induced by a monomethylated trivalent arsenical

    EPA Science Inventory

    Arsenic is a human carcinogen, and only recently have animal models been developed that are useful in investigating its carcinogenic mode ofaction (MOA). However, how arsenic induces cancer is still an open question. In a previous paper, we proposed a model detailing how arsenic ...

  2. Genomic Evidence Reveals the Extreme Diversity and Wide Distribution of the Arsenic-Related Genes in Burkholderiales

    PubMed Central

    Li, Xiangyang; Zhang, Linshuang; Wang, Gejiao

    2014-01-01

    So far, numerous genes have been found to associate with various strategies to resist and transform the toxic metalloid arsenic (here, we denote these genes as “arsenic-related genes”). However, our knowledge of the distribution, redundancies and organization of these genes in bacteria is still limited. In this study, we analyzed the 188 Burkholderiales genomes and found that 95% genomes harbored arsenic-related genes, with an average of 6.6 genes per genome. The results indicated: a) compared to a low frequency of distribution for aio (arsenite oxidase) (12 strains), arr (arsenate respiratory reductase) (1 strain) and arsM (arsenite methytransferase)-like genes (4 strains), the ars (arsenic resistance system)-like genes were identified in 174 strains including 1,051 genes; b) 2/3 ars-like genes were clustered as ars operon and displayed a high diversity of gene organizations (68 forms) which may suggest the rapid movement and evolution for ars-like genes in bacterial genomes; c) the arsenite efflux system was dominant with ACR3 form rather than ArsB in Burkholderiales; d) only a few numbers of arsM and arrAB are found indicating neither As III biomethylation nor AsV respiration is the primary mechanism in Burkholderiales members; (e) the aio-like gene is mostly flanked with ars-like genes and phosphate transport system, implying the close functional relatedness between arsenic and phosphorus metabolisms. On average, the number of arsenic-related genes per genome of strains isolated from arsenic-rich environments is more than four times higher than the strains from other environments. Compared with human, plant and animal pathogens, the environmental strains possess a larger average number of arsenic-related genes, which indicates that habitat is likely a key driver for bacterial arsenic resistance. PMID:24632831

  3. Towards noncontact skin melanoma selection by multispectral imaging analysis.

    PubMed

    Kuzmina, Ilona; Diebele, Ilze; Jakovels, Dainis; Spigulis, Janis; Valeine, Lauma; Kapostinsh, Janis; Berzina, Anna

    2011-06-01

    A clinical trial comprising 334 pigmented and vascular lesions has been performed in three Riga clinics by means of multispectral imaging analysis. The imaging system Nuance 2.4 (CRi) and self-developed software for mapping of the main skin chromophores were used. Specific features were observed and analyzed for malignant skin melanomas: notably higher absorbance (especially as the difference of optical density relative to the healthy skin), uneven chromophore distribution over the lesion area, and the possibility to select the "melanoma areas" in the correlation graphs of chromophores. The obtained results indicate clinical potential of this technology for noncontact selection of melanoma from other pigmented and vascular skin lesions.

  4. Arsenic in groundwater of Licking County, Ohio, 2012—Occurrence and relation to hydrogeology

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Thomas, Mary Ann

    2016-02-23

    (2) deeper open intervals, relative to the water level.The spatial distribution of arsenic concentrations was compared to hydrogeologic characteristics of Licking County. Elevated concentrations of arsenic (and iron) were associated with areas of flat topography and thick (greater than 100 feet),clay-rich glacial deposits. These characteristics are conducive to development of strongly reducing redox conditions, which can cause arsenic associated with iron oxyhydroxides in the aquifer matrix to be released to the groundwater.Hydrogeologic characteristics conducive to the development of strongly reducing groundwater are relatively wide-spread in the western part of Licking County, which is part of the Central Lowland physiographic province. In this area, a thick layer of clay-rich glacial deposits obscures the bedrock surface and creates flat to gently rolling landscape with poorly developed drainage networks. In the eastern part of the county, which is part of the Appalachian Plateaus physiographic province, the landscape includes steep-sided valleys and bedrock uplands. In this area, elevated arsenic concentrations were detected in buried valleys but not in the bedrock uplands, where glacial deposits are thin or absent. The observation that elevated concentrations of arsenic (and iron) were more prevalent in the western part of Licking County is true for both glacial and bedrock aquifers.In Licking County, thick, clay-rich glacial deposits (and elevated concentrations of arsenic) are associated with two hydrogeologic settings—buried valley and complex thick drift. Most wells in the buried-valley setting had low arsenic concentrations, but a few samples had very high concentrations (30–44 µg/L) and very reducing redox conditions (methanogenic and near-methanogenic). For wells in the complex-thick-drift setting, elevated arsenic concentrations are more prevalent, but the maximum concentration was lower (about 21 µg/L). Similar observations were made about arsenic

  5. Arsenic toxicity and accumulation in radish as affected by arsenic chemical speciation.

    PubMed

    Carbonell-Barrachina, A A; Burló, F; López, E; Martínez-Sánchez, F

    1999-07-01

    Arsenic (As) uptake by Rhapanus sativus L. (radish), cv. Nueva Orleans, growing in soil-less culture conditions was studied in relation to the chemical form and concentration of As. A 4 x 3 factorial experiment was conducted with treatments consisting of four As chemical forms [As(III), As(V), MMAA, DMAA] and three As concentrations (1.0, 2.0, and 5.0 mg As L-1). None of the As treatments were clearly phytotoxic to this radish cultivar. Arsenic phytoavailability was primarily determined by the As chemical form present in the nutrient solution and followed the trend DMAA < or = As(V) < or = As(III) < MMAA. Root and shoot As concentrations significantly increased with increasing As application rates. Monomethyl arsonic acid treatments caused the highest As accumulation in both roots and shoots, and this organic arsenical showed a higher uptake rate than the other As compounds. Inner root As concentrations were, in general, within the normal range for As contents in food crops but root skin As levels were close or above the maximum threshold set for As content in edible fruit, crops and vegetables. The statement that toxicity limits plant As uptake to safe levels was not confirmed in our study. If radish plants are exposed to a large pulse of As, as growth on contaminated nutrient solutions, they may accumulate residues which are unacceptable for animal and human consumption without exhibiting symptoms of phytotoxicity.

  6. HLA-C expression pattern is spatially different between psoriasis and eczema skin lesions.

    PubMed

    Carlén, Lina; Sakuraba, Kazuko; Ståhle, Mona; Sánchez, Fabio

    2007-02-01

    Interactions between genetic and environmental factors underlie the immune dysregulation and keratinocyte abnormalities that characterize psoriasis. Among known psoriasis susceptibility loci (PSORS), PSORS1 on chromosome 6 has the strongest association to disease. Altered expression of some PSORS1 candidate genes has been reported but little is known about HLA-C expression in psoriasis. This study compared expression of major histocompatibility complex class Ia and HLA-C in psoriasis, allergic contact eczema, and normal skin. Although HLA-C was abundant in protein extracts from both eczema and psoriasis, a consistent and intriguing difference in the expression pattern was observed; strong immunoreactivity in the basal cell layer, polarized towards the basement membrane in psoriasis, whereas in eczema lesions HLA-C immunostaining was present mostly in suprabasal cells. Inflammatory cells in the dermis were strongly stained in both diseases. Normal skin epithelium showed less intense but similar HLA-C staining as eczema lesions. HLA class Ia expression overall resembled that of HLA-C in all samples. The distinct HLA-C expression patterns in psoriasis and eczema suggest a functional role in the specific psoriasis immune response and not only a general feature of inflammation.

  7. Automatic histologically-closer classification of skin lesions.

    PubMed

    Rebouças Filho, Pedro Pedrosa; Peixoto, Solon Alves; Medeiros da Nóbrega, Raul Victor; Hemanth, D Jude; Medeiros, Aldisio Gonçalves; Sangaiah, Arun Kumar; de Albuquerque, Victor Hugo C

    2018-06-04

    According to the American Cancer Society, melanoma is one of the most common types of cancer in the world. In 2017, approximately 87,110 new cases of skin cancer were diagnosed in the United States alone. A dermatoscope is a tool that captures lesion images with high resolution and is one of the main clinical tools to diagnose, evaluate and monitor this disease. This paper presents a new approach to classify melanoma automatically using structural co-occurrence matrix (SCM) of main frequencies extracted from dermoscopy images. The main advantage of this approach consists in transform the SCM in an adaptive feature extractor improving his power of discrimination using only the image as parameter. The images were collected from the International Skin Imaging Collaboration (ISIC) 2016, 2017 and Pedro Hispano Hospital (PH2) datasets. Specificity (Spe), sensitivity (Sen), positive predictive value, F Score, Harmonic Mean, accuracy (Acc) and area under the curve (AUC) were used to verify the efficiency of the SCM. The results show that the SCM in the frequency domain work automatically, where it obtained better results in comparison with local binary patterns, gray-level co-occurrence matrix and invariant moments of Hu as well as compared with recent works with the same datasets. The results of the proposed approach were: Spe 95.23%, 92.15% and 99.4%, Sen 94.57%, 89.9% and 99.2%, Acc 94.5%, 89.93% and 99%, and AUC 92%, 90% and 99% in ISIC 2016, 2017 and PH2 datasets, respectively. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Fu, Songbo; Wu, Jie; Li, Yuanyuan

    To investigate the differences in urinary arsenic metabolism patterns of individuals exposed to a high concentration of inorganic arsenic (iAs) in drinking water, an epidemiological investigation was conducted with 155 individuals living in a village where the arsenic concentration in the drinking water was 969 μg/L. Blood and urine samples were collected from 66 individuals including 51 cases with skin lesions and 15 controls without skin lesions. The results showed that monomethylated arsenic (MMA), the percentage of MMA (%MMA) and the ratio of MMA to iAs (MMA/iAs) were significantly increased in patients with skin lesions as compared to controls, whilemore » dimethylated arsenic (DMA), the percentage of DMA (%DMA) and the ratio of DMA to MMA (DMA/MMA) were significantly reduced. The percent DMA of individuals with the Ala/Asp genotype of glutathione S-transferase omega 1 (GSTO1) was significantly lower than those with Ala/Ala. The percent MMA of individuals with the A2B/A2B genotype of arsenic (+ 3 oxidation state) methyltransferase (AS3MT) was significantly lower than those with AB/A2B. The iAs and total arsenic (tAs) content in the urine of a Tibetan population were significantly higher than that of Han and Hui ethnicities, whereas MMA/iAs was significantly lower than that of Han and Hui ethnicities. Our results showed that when exposed to the same arsenic environment, different individuals exhibited different urinary arsenic metabolism patterns. Gender and ethnicity affect these differences and above polymorphisms may be effectors too. - Highlights: • We first survey a village with high iAs content in the drinking water (969 μg/L). • 90 villagers suffered typical skin lesions with a morbidity rate of 58%. • Cases exhibited higher %MMA and MMA/iAs, and lower %DMA and DMA/MMA than controls. • Gender and ethnicity affect the differences of iAs methylation metabolism levels. • GSTO1 and AS3MT gene polymorphisms may be factors too.« less

  9. Optical assessment of tissue mechanics: acousto-optical elastography of skin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kirkpatrick, Sean J.

    2003-10-01

    A multiphysics approach, combining acoustics, optics, and mechanics can be used to detect regions of skin with distinct mechanical behavior that may indicate a pathology, such as a cancerous skin lesion. Herein, an acousto - optical approach to evaluating the viscoelastic behavior of superficial skin layers will be presented. The method relies upon inducing low frequency guided surface waves in the skin and detecting these waves by monitoring the shift in the backscattered laser speckle pattern created by illuminating a small region of the skin with coherent light. Artificial lesions in the form of chemical cross-linking and chemical softening were induced in superficial porcine skin layers and detected based upon variations in local mechanical behavior. The lesions affect not only the time-of-flight of the guided surface waves, but also change the relative phase of the acoustic waves as determined optically. The method may be applicable in the study and diagnosis of superficial skin lesions.

  10. Imaging inflammatory acne: lesion detection and tracking

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cula, Gabriela O.; Bargo, Paulo R.; Kollias, Nikiforos

    2010-02-01

    It is known that effectiveness of acne treatment increases when the lesions are detected earlier, before they could progress into mature wound-like lesions, which lead to scarring and discoloration. However, little is known about the evolution of acne from early signs until after the lesion heals. In this work we computationally characterize the evolution of inflammatory acne lesions, based on analyzing cross-polarized images that document acne-prone facial skin over time. Taking skin images over time, and being able to follow skin features in these images present serious challenges, due to change in the appearance of skin, difficulty in repositioning the subject, involuntary movement such as breathing. A computational technique for automatic detection of lesions by separating the background normal skin from the acne lesions, based on fitting Gaussian distributions to the intensity histograms, is presented. In order to track and quantify the evolution of lesions, in terms of the degree of progress or regress, we designed a study to capture facial skin images from an acne-prone young individual, followed over the course of 3 different time points. Based on the behavior of the lesions between two consecutive time points, the automatically detected lesions are classified in four categories: new lesions, resolved lesions (i.e. lesions that disappear completely), lesions that are progressing, and lesions that are regressing (i.e. lesions in the process of healing). The classification our methods achieve correlates well with visual inspection of a trained human grader.

  11. Automatic Classification of Specific Melanocytic Lesions Using Artificial Intelligence

    PubMed Central

    Jaworek-Korjakowska, Joanna; Kłeczek, Paweł

    2016-01-01

    Background. Given its propensity to metastasize, and lack of effective therapies for most patients with advanced disease, early detection of melanoma is a clinical imperative. Different computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems have been proposed to increase the specificity and sensitivity of melanoma detection. Although such computer programs are developed for different diagnostic algorithms, to the best of our knowledge, a system to classify different melanocytic lesions has not been proposed yet. Method. In this research we present a new approach to the classification of melanocytic lesions. This work is focused not only on categorization of skin lesions as benign or malignant but also on specifying the exact type of a skin lesion including melanoma, Clark nevus, Spitz/Reed nevus, and blue nevus. The proposed automatic algorithm contains the following steps: image enhancement, lesion segmentation, feature extraction, and selection as well as classification. Results. The algorithm has been tested on 300 dermoscopic images and achieved accuracy of 92% indicating that the proposed approach classified most of the melanocytic lesions correctly. Conclusions. A proposed system can not only help to precisely diagnose the type of the skin mole but also decrease the amount of biopsies and reduce the morbidity related to skin lesion excision. PMID:26885520

  12. Vesicular LL-37 Contributes to Inflammation of the Lesional Skin of Palmoplantar Pustulosis

    PubMed Central

    Murakami, Masamoto; Kaneko, Takaaki; Nakatsuji, Teruaki; Kameda, Kenji; Okazaki, Hidenori; Dai, Xiuju; Hanakawa, Yasushi; Tohyama, Mikiko; Ishida-Yamamoto, Akemi; Sayama, Koji

    2014-01-01

    “Pustulosis palmaris et plantaris”, or palmoplantar pustulosis (PPP), is a chronic pustular dermatitis characterized by intraepidermal palmoplantar pustules. Although early stage vesicles (preceding the pustular phase) formed in the acrosyringium contain the antimicrobial peptides cathelicidin (hCAP-18/LL-37) and dermcidin, the details of hCAP-18/LL-37 expression in such vesicles remain unclear. The principal aim of the present study was to clarify the manner of hCAP-18/LL-37 expression in PPP vesicles and to determine whether this material contributed to subsequent inflammation of lesional skin. PPP vesicle fluid (PPP-VF) induced the expression of mRNAs encoding IL-17C, IL-8, IL-1α, and IL-1β in living skin equivalents, but the level of only IL-8 mRNA decreased significantly upon stimulation of PPP vesicle with depletion of endogenous hCAP-18/LL-37 by affinity chromatography (dep-PPP-VF). Semi-quantitative dot-blot analysis revealed higher concentrations of hCAP-18/LL-37 in PPP-VF compared to healthy sweat (2.87±0.93 µM vs. 0.09±0.09 µM). This concentration of hCAP-18/LL-37 in PPP-VF could upregulate expression of IL-17C, IL-8, IL-1α, and IL-1β at both the mRNA and protein levels. Recombinant hCAP-18 was incubated with dep-PPP-VF. Proteinase 3, which converts hCAP-18 to the active form (LL-37), was present in PPP-VF. Histopathological and immunohistochemical examination revealed that early stage vesicles contained many mononuclear cells but no polymorphonuclear cells, and the mononuclear cells were CD68-positive. The epidermis surrounding the vesicle expresses monocyte chemotactic chemokine, CCL2. In conclusion, PPP-VF contains the proteinase required for LL-37 processing and also may directly upregulate IL-8 in lesional keratinocytes, in turn contributing to the subsequent inflammation of PPP lesional skin. PMID:25330301

  13. The value of Tzanck smear test in diagnosis of erosive, vesicular, bullous, and pustular skin lesions.

    PubMed

    Durdu, Murat; Baba, Mete; Seçkin, Deniz

    2008-12-01

    Tzanck smear is generally used for the diagnosis of the pemphigus group of autoimmune bullous diseases and mucocutaneous herpesvirus infections. There are only a few studies in the literature investigating its diagnostic value. We aimed to investigate Tzanck smear findings and to determine the diagnostic value of this test in moist (erosive, vesicular, bullous, and pustular) skin lesions. We also aimed to develop an algorithmic approach for the diagnosis of these types of skin lesions according to the Tzanck smear findings. Samples were stained with May-Grünwald-Giemsa and evaluated by the same dermatologist. In some patients, methylene blue and Gram staining or direct immunofluorescence examinations were additionally performed. In all of the study cases, after the evaluation of clinical and laboratory findings (including, when appropriate, potassium hydroxide examination; viral serology; bacterial and fungal cultures; histopathology; direct and indirect immunofluorescence; patch testing), the definite diagnosis was established. We also determined the sensitivity and the specificity of certain Tzanck smear findings. Tzanck smear was performed in a total of 400 patients with moist skin lesions. The sensitivities of multinucleated giant cells and acantholytic cells in herpetic infections, dyskeratotic acantholytic cells and cocci in bullous impetigo, pseudohyphae in candidiasis, acantholytic cells in pemphigus and more than 10 tadpole cells (magnification x100) in spongiotic dermatitis were 84.7%, 92%, 100%, 100%, and 81.5%, respectively. Because Tzanck smears were evaluated by the same dermatologist, no comment could be made regarding the interobserver reliability of this test and how the level of experience with this technique might affect the results. Also, the sensitivity and the specificity of Tzanck smear test findings for certain diseases could not be calculated because of an insufficient number of patients. The Tzanck smear test is an inexpensive, useful

  14. Modelling the variation in skin-test tuberculin reactions, post-mortem lesion counts and case pathology in tuberculosis-exposed cattle: Effects of animal characteristics, histories and co-infection.

    PubMed

    Byrne, A W; Graham, J; Brown, C; Donaghy, A; Guelbenzu-Gonzalo, M; McNair, J; Skuce, R A; Allen, A; McDowell, S W

    2018-06-01

    Correctly identifying bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cattle remains a significant problem in endemic countries. We hypothesized that animal characteristics (sex, age, breed), histories (herd effects, testing, movement) and potential exposure to other pathogens (co-infection; BVDV, liver fluke and Mycobacterium avium reactors) could significantly impact the immune responsiveness detected at skin testing and the variation in post-mortem pathology (confirmation) in bTB-exposed cattle. Three model suites were developed using a retrospective observational data set of 5,698 cattle culled during herd breakdowns in Northern Ireland. A linear regression model suggested that antemortem tuberculin reaction size (difference in purified protein derivative avium [PPDa] and bovine [PPDb] reactions) was significantly positively associated with post-mortem maximum lesion size and the number of lesions found. This indicated that reaction size could be considered a predictor of both the extent (number of lesions/tissues) and the pathological progression of infection (maximum lesion size). Tuberculin reaction size was related to age class, and younger animals (<2.85 years) displayed larger reaction sizes than older animals. Tuberculin reaction size was also associated with breed and animal movement and increased with the time between the penultimate and disclosing tests. A negative binomial random-effects model indicated a significant increase in lesion counts for animals with M. avium reactions (PPDb-PPDa < 0) relative to non-reactors (PPDb-PPDa = 0). Lesion counts were significantly increased in animals with previous positive severe interpretation skin-test results. Animals with increased movement histories, young animals and non-dairy breed animals also had significantly increased lesion counts. Animals from herds that had BVDV-positive cattle had significantly lower lesion counts than animals from herds without evidence of BVDV infection. Restricting the data set to only

  15. METHYLATION INACTIVATES PENTAVALENT ARSENIC SPECIES BUT ACTIVATES TRIVALENT ARSENIC SPECIES TO POTENT GENOTOXICANTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Methylation Inactivates Pentavalent Arsenic Species but Activates Trivalent Arsenic Species to Potent Genotoxicants

    The sensitivity ofhumans to arsenic-induced cancer is thought to be related in part to the limited ability of humans to detoxify arsenic. Recently, methyl- ...

  16. Acral melanocytic lesions in the United States: Prevalence, awareness, and dermoscopic patterns in skin-of-color and non-Hispanic white patients.

    PubMed

    Madankumar, Reshmi; Gumaste, Priyanka V; Martires, Kathryn; Schaffer, Panta R; Choudhary, Sonal; Falto-Aizpurua, Leyre; Arora, Harleen; Kallis, Penelope J; Patel, Shailee; Damanpour, Shadi; Sanchez, Margaret I; Yin, Natalie; Chan, Aegean; Sanchez, Miguel; Polsky, David; Kanavy, Holly; Grichnik, James M; Stein, Jennifer A

    2016-04-01

    Acral lentiginous melanoma has increased mortality compared with other melanoma subtypes and disproportionately affects ethnic minorities. Acral melanocytic lesions have not been well studied in diverse populations of the United States. We sought to assess the prevalence, awareness, and dermoscopic patterns of acral melanocytic lesions in skin-of-color and non-Hispanic white patients. We prospectively examined the palms and soles of 1052 patients presenting to dermatology clinics in New York, NY, and Miami, FL, from October 2013 to April 2015. Acral melanocytic lesions were observed in 36% of our cohort. Skin-of-color patients were more likely to have acral melanocytic lesions than non-Hispanic white patients (P < .01). Acral melanocytic lesions correlated with increased mole counts, particularly on non-Hispanic white patients. The majority of lesions demonstrated benign dermoscopic patterns. We observed 2 lesions with the parallel ridge pattern in our cohort, both found to be atypical nevi on biopsy specimen. Patients often lacked awareness of the presence of their lesions. Interobserver variability in assessing dermoscopic patterns is a limitation. Melanocytic lesions of the palms and soles are common, particularly in a cohort of multiple ethnicities from the United States. Dermoscopy of acral lesions is an important clinical tool for diagnosis and management of these lesions. Copyright © 2015 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Arsenic-induced alteration in the expression of genes related to type 2 diabetes mellitus

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Diaz-Villasenor, Andrea; Burns, Anna L.; Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico

    2007-12-01

    Chronic exposure to high concentrations of arsenic in drinking water is associated with an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes. The present revision focuses on the effect of arsenic on tissues that participate directly in glucose homeostasis, integrating the most important published information about the impairment of the expression of genes related to type 2 diabetes by arsenic as one of the possible mechanisms by which it leads to the disease. Many factors are involved in the manner in which arsenic contributes to the occurrence of diabetes. The reviewed studies suggest that arsenic might increase the risk for typemore » 2 diabetes via multiple mechanisms, affecting a cluster of regulated events, which in conjunction trigger the disease. Arsenic affects insulin sensitivity in peripheral tissue by modifying the expression of genes involved in insulin resistance and shifting away cells from differentiation to the proliferation pathway. In the liver arsenic disturbs glucose production, whereas in pancreatic beta-cells arsenic decreases insulin synthesis and secretion and reduces the expression of antioxidant enzymes. The consequences of these changes in gene expression include the reduction of insulin secretion, induction of oxidative stress in the pancreas, alteration of gluconeogenesis, abnormal proliferation and differentiation pattern of muscle and adipocytes as well as peripheral insulin resistance.« less

  18. Arsenic in the groundwater: Occurrence, toxicological activities, and remedies.

    PubMed

    Jha, S K; Mishra, V K; Damodaran, T; Sharma, D K; Kumar, Parveen

    2017-04-03

    Arsenic (As) contamination in groundwater has become a geo-environmental as well as a toxicological problem across the globe affecting more than 100-million people in nearly 21 countries with its associated disease "arsenicosis." Arsenic poisoning may lead to fatal skin and internal cancers. In present review, an attempt has been made to generate awareness among the readers about various sources of occurrence of arsenic, its geochemistry and speciation, mobilization, metabolism, genotoxicity, and toxicological exposure on humans. The article also emphasizes the possible remedies for combating the problem. The knowledge of these facts may help to work on some workable remedial measure.

  19. Prehistological evaluation of benign and malignant pigmented skin lesions with optical computed tomography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kokolakis, Athanasios; Zacharakis, Giannis; Krasagakis, Konstantin; Lasithiotakis, Konstantinos; Favicchio, Rosy; Spiliopoulos, George; Giannikaki, Elpida; Ripoll, Jorge; Tosca, Androniki

    2012-06-01

    Discrimination of benign and malignant melanocytic lesions is a major issue in clinical dermatology. Assessment of the thickness of melanoma is critical for prognosis and treatment selection. We aimed to evaluate a novel optical computed tomography (optical-CT) system as a tool for three-dimensional (3-D) imaging of melanocytic lesions and its ability to discriminate benign from malignant melanocytic lesions while simultaneously determining the thickness of invasive melanoma. Seventeen melanocytic lesions, one hemangioma, and normal skin were assessed immediately after their excision by optical-CT and subsequently underwent histopathological examination. Tomographic reconstructions were performed with a back-propagation algorithm calculating a 3-D map of the total attenuation coefficient (AC). There was a statistically significant difference between melanomas, dysplastic nevi, and non-dysplastic nevi, as indicated by Kruskal-Wallis test. Median AC values were higher for melanomas compared with dysplastic and non-dysplastic nevi. No statistically significant difference was observed when thickness values obtained by optical-CT were compared with histological thickness using a Wilcoxon sighed rank test. Our results suggest that optical-CT can be important for the immediate prehistological evaluation of biopsies, assisting the physician for a rapid assessment of malignancy and of the thickness of a melanocytic lesion.

  20. Clinical studies of pigmented lesions in human skin by using a multiphoton tomograph

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Balu, Mihaela; Kelly, Kristen M.; Zachary, Christopher B.; Harris, Ronald M.; Krasieva, Tatiana B.; König, Karsten; Tromberg, Bruce J.

    2013-02-01

    In vivo imaging of pigmented lesions in human skin was performed with a clinical multiphoton microscopy (MPM)-based tomograph (MPTflex, JenLab, Germany). Two-photon excited fluorescence was used for visualizing endogenous fluorophores such as NADH/FAD, keratin, melanin in the epidermal cells and elastin fibers in the dermis. Collagen fibers were imaged by second harmonic generation. Our study involved in vivo imaging of benign melanocytic nevi, atypical nevi and melanoma. The goal of this preliminary study was to identify in vivo the characteristic features and their frequency in pigmented lesions at different stages (benign, atypical and malignant) and to evaluate the ability of in vivo MPM to distinguish atypical nevi from melanoma. Comparison with histopathology was performed for the biopsied lesions. Benign melanocytic nevi were characterized by the presence of nevus cell nests at the epidermal-dermal junction. In atypical nevi, features such as lentiginous hyperplasia, acanthosis and architectural disorder were imaged. Cytological atypia was present in all the melanoma lesions imaged, showing the strongest correlation with malignancy. The MPM images demonstrated very good correlation with corresponding histological images, suggesting that MPM could be a promising tool for in vivo non-invasive pigmented lesion diagnosis, particularly distinguishing atypical nevi from melanoma.

  1. Groundwater arsenic contamination in Bangladesh-21 Years of research.

    PubMed

    Chakraborti, Dipankar; Rahman, Mohammad Mahmudur; Mukherjee, Amitava; Alauddin, Mohammad; Hassan, Manzurul; Dutta, Rathindra Nath; Pati, Shymapada; Mukherjee, Subhash Chandra; Roy, Shibtosh; Quamruzzman, Quazi; Rahman, Mahmuder; Morshed, Salim; Islam, Tanzima; Sorif, Shaharir; Selim, Md; Islam, Md Razaul; Hossain, Md Monower

    2015-01-01

    Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE), Bangladesh first identified their groundwater arsenic contamination in 1993. But before the international arsenic conference in Dhaka in February 1998, the problem was not widely accepted. Even in the international arsenic conference in West-Bengal, India in February, 1995, representatives of international agencies in Bangladesh and Bangladesh government attended the conference but they denied the groundwater arsenic contamination in Bangladesh. School of Environmental Studies (SOES), Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India first identified arsenic patient in Bangladesh in 1992 and informed WHO, UNICEF of Bangladesh and Govt. of Bangladesh from April 1994 to August 1995. British Geological Survey (BGS) dug hand tube-wells in Bangladesh in 1980s and early 1990s but they did not test the water for arsenic. Again BGS came back to Bangladesh in 1992 to assess the quality of the water of the tube-wells they installed but they still did not test for arsenic when groundwater arsenic contamination and its health effects in West Bengal in Bengal delta was already published in WHO Bulletin in 1988. From December 1996, SOES in collaboration with Dhaka Community Hospital (DCH), Bangladesh started analyzing hand tube-wells for arsenic from all 64 districts in four geomorphologic regions of Bangladesh. So far over 54,000 tube-well water samples had been analyzed by flow injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (FI-HG-AAS). From SOES water analysis data at present we could assess status of arsenic groundwater contamination in four geo-morphological regions of Bangladesh and location of possible arsenic safe groundwater. SOES and DCH also made some preliminary work with their medical team to identify patients suffering from arsenic related diseases. SOES further analyzed few thousands biological samples (hair, nail, urine and skin scales) and foodstuffs for arsenic to know arsenic body burden and people sub

  2. Arsenic pollution sources.

    PubMed

    Garelick, Hemda; Jones, Huw; Dybowska, Agnieszka; Valsami-Jones, Eugenia

    2008-01-01

    Arsenic is a widely dispersed element in the Earth's crust and exists at an average concentration of approximately 5 mg/kg. There are many possible routes of human exposure to arsenic from both natural and anthropogenic sources. Arsenic occurs as a constituent in more than 200 minerals, although it primarily exists as arsenopyrite and as a constituent in several other sulfide minerals. The introduction of arsenic into drinking water can occur as a result of its natural geological presence in local bedrock. Arsenic-containing bedrock formations of this sort are known in Bangladesh, West Bengal (India), and regions of China, and many cases of endemic contamination by arsenic with serious consequences to human health are known from these areas. Significant natural contamination of surface waters and soil can arise when arsenic-rich geothermal fluids come into contact with surface waters. When humans are implicated in causing or exacerbating arsenic pollution, the cause can almost always be traced to mining or mining-related activities. Arsenic exists in many oxidation states, with arsenic (III) and (V) being the most common forms. Similar to many metalloids, the prevalence of particular species of arsenic depends greatly on the pH and redox conditions of the matrix in which it exists. Speciation is also important in determining the toxicity of arsenic. Arsenic minerals exist in the environment principally as sulfides, oxides, and phosphates. In igneous rocks, only those of volcanic origin are implicated in high aqueous arsenic concentrations. Sedimentary rocks tend not to bear high arsenic loads, and common matrices such as sands and sandstones contain lower concentrations owing to the dominance of quartz and feldspars. Groundwater contamination by arsenic arises from sources of arsenopyrite, base metal sulfides, realgar and orpiment, arsenic-rich pyrite, and iron oxyhydroxide. Mechanisms by which arsenic is released from minerals are varied and are accounted for by

  3. Prenatal Arsenic Exposure and Birth Outcomes among a Population Residing near a Mining-Related Superfund Site.

    PubMed

    Claus Henn, Birgit; Ettinger, Adrienne S; Hopkins, Marianne R; Jim, Rebecca; Amarasiriwardena, Chitra; Christiani, David C; Coull, Brent A; Bellinger, David C; Wright, Robert O

    2016-08-01

    Limited epidemiologic data exist on prenatal arsenic exposure and fetal growth, particularly in the context of co-exposure to other toxic metals. We examined whether prenatal arsenic exposure predicts birth outcomes among a rural U.S. population, while adjusting for exposure to lead and manganese. We collected maternal and umbilical cord blood samples at delivery from 622 mother-infant pairs residing near a mining-related Superfund site in Northeast Oklahoma. Whole blood arsenic, lead, and manganese were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. We modeled associations between arsenic concentrations and birth weight, gestational age, head circumference, and birth weight for gestational age. Median (25th-75th percentile) maternal and umbilical cord blood metal concentrations, respectively, were as follows: arsenic, 1.4 (1.0-2.3) and 2.4 (1.8-3.3) μg/L; lead, 0.6 (0.4-0.9) and 0.4 (0.3-0.6) μg/dL; manganese, 22.7 (18.8-29.3) and 41.7 (32.2-50.4) μg/L. We estimated negative associations between maternal blood arsenic concentrations and birth outcomes. In multivariable regression models adjusted for lead and manganese, an interquartile range increase in maternal blood arsenic was associated with -77.5 g (95% CI: -127.8, -27.3) birth weight, -0.13 weeks (95% CI: -0.27, 0.01) gestation, -0.22 cm (95% CI: -0.42, -0.03) head circumference, and -0.14 (95% CI: -0.24, -0.04) birth weight for gestational age z-score units. Interactions between arsenic concentrations and lead or manganese were not statistically significant. In a population with environmental exposure levels similar to the U.S. general population, maternal blood arsenic was negatively associated with fetal growth. Given the potential for relatively common fetal and early childhood arsenic exposures, our finding that prenatal arsenic can adversely affect birth outcomes is of considerable public health importance. Claus Henn B, Ettinger AS, Hopkins MR, Jim R, Amarasiriwardena C, Christiani DC

  4. Arsenic chemistry in soils and sediments

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Fendorf, S.; Nico, P.; Kocar, B.D.

    2009-10-15

    Arsenic is a naturally occurring trace element that poses a threat to human and ecosystem health, particularly when incorporated into food or water supplies. The greatest risk imposed by arsenic to human health results from contamination of drinking water, for which the World Health Organization recommends a maximum limit of 10 {micro}g L{sup -1}. Continued ingestion of drinking water having hazardous levels of arsenic can lead to arsenicosis and cancers of the bladder, skin, lungs and kidneys. Unfortunately, arsenic tainted drinking waters are a global threat and presently having a devastating impact on human health within Asia. Nearly 100 millionmore » people, for example, are presently consuming drinking water having arsenic concentrations exceeding the World Health Organization's recommended limit (Ahmed et al., 2006). Arsenic contamination of the environment often results from human activities such as mining or pesticide application, but recently natural sources of arsenic have demonstrated a devastating impact on water quality. Arsenic becomes problematic from a health perspective principally when it partitions into the aqueous rather than the solid phase. Dissolved concentrations, and the resulting mobility, of arsenic within soils and sediments are the combined result of biogeochemical processes linked to hydrologic factors. Processes favoring the partitioning of As into the aqueous phase, potentially leading to hazardous concentrations, vary extensively but can broadly be grouped into four categories: (1) ion displacement, (2) desorption (or limited sorption) at pH values > 8.5, (3) reduction of arsenate to arsenite, and (4) mineral dissolution, particularly reductive dissolution of Fe and Mn (hydr)oxides. Although various processes may liberate arsenic from solids, a transition from aerobic to anaerobic conditions, and commensurate arsenic and iron/manganese reduction, appears to be a dominant, but not exclusive, means by which high concentrations of

  5. Time course pathogenesis of sulphur mustard-induced skin lesions in mouse model.

    PubMed

    Lomash, Vinay; Jadhav, Sunil E; Vijayaraghavan, Rajagopalan; Pant, Satish C

    2013-08-01

    Sulphur mustard (SM) is a bifunctional alkylating agent that causes cutaneous blistering in humans and animals. In this study, we have presented closer views on pathogenesis of SM-induced skin injury in a mouse model. SM diluted in acetone was applied once dermally at a dose of 5 or 10 mg/kg to Swiss albino mice. Skin was dissected out at 0, 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 168 hours, post-SM exposure for studying histopathological changes and immunohistochemistry of inflammatory-reparative biomarkers, namely, transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-α), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and interlukin 6 (IL-6). Histopathological changes were similar to other mammalian species and basal cell damage resembled the histopathological signs observed with vesication in human skin. Inflammatory cell recruitment at the site of injury was supported by differential expressions of IL-6 at various stages. Time-dependent expressions of eNOS played pivotal roles in all the events of wound healing of SM-induced skin lesions. TGF-α and FGF were strongly associated with keratinocyte migration, re-epithelialisation, angiogenesis, fibroblast proliferation and cell differentiation. Furthermore, quantification of the tissue leukocytosis and DNA damage along with semiquantitative estimation of re-epithelialisation, fibroplasia and neovascularisation on histomorphologic scale could be efficiently used for screening the efficacy of orphan drugs against SM-induced skin injury. © 2012 The Authors. International Wound Journal © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Medicalhelplines.com Inc.

  6. Skin Lesions in European Hibernating Bats Associated with Geomyces destructans, the Etiologic Agent of White-Nose Syndrome

    PubMed Central

    Wibbelt, Gudrun; Puechmaille, Sébastien J.; Ohlendorf, Bernd; Mühldorfer, Kristin; Bosch, Thijs; Görföl, Tamás; Passior, Karsten; Kurth, Andreas; Lacremans, Daniel; Forget, Frédéric

    2013-01-01

    White-nose syndrome (WNS) has claimed the lives of millions of hibernating insectivorous bats in North America. Its etiologic agent, the psychrophilic fungus Geomyces destructans, causes skin lesions that are the hallmark of the disease. The fungal infection is characterized by a white powdery growth on muzzle, ears and wing membranes. While WNS may threaten some species of North American bats with regional extinction, infection in hibernating bats in Europe seems not to be associated with significant mortality. We performed histopathological investigations on biopsy samples of 11 hibernating European bats, originating from 4 different countries, colonized by G. destructans. One additional bat was euthanized to allow thorough examination of multiple strips of its wing membranes. Molecular analyses of touch imprints, swabs and skin samples confirmed that fungal structures were G. destructans. Additionally, archived field notes on hibernacula monitoring data in the Harz Mountains, Germany, over an 11-year period (2000–2011) revealed multiple capture-recapture events of 8 banded bats repeatedly displaying characteristic fungal colonization. Skin lesions of G. destructans-affected hibernating European bats are intriguingly similar to the epidermal lesions described in North American bats. Nevertheless, deep invasion of fungal hyphae into the dermal connective tissue with resulting ulceration like in North American bats was not observed in the biopsy samples of European bats; all lesions found were restricted to the layers of the epidermis and its adnexae. Two bats had mild epidermal cupping erosions as described for North American bats. The possible mechanisms for any difference in outcomes of G. destructans infection in European and North American bats still need to be elucidated. PMID:24023927

  7. TELOMERASE AND CHRONIC ARSENIC EXPOSURE IN HUMANS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Arsenic exposure has been associated with increased risk of skin, lung and bladder cancer in humans. The mechanisms of carcinogenesis are not well understood. Telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein containing human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), can extend telomeres of eukary...

  8. Urinary arsenic species, toenail arsenic, and arsenic intake estimates in a Michigan population with low levels of arsenic in drinking water.

    PubMed

    Rivera-Núñez, Zorimar; Meliker, Jaymie R; Meeker, John D; Slotnick, Melissa J; Nriagu, Jerome O

    2012-01-01

    The large disparity between arsenic concentrations in drinking water and urine remains unexplained. This study aims to evaluate predictors of urinary arsenic in a population exposed to low concentrations (≤50 μg/l) of arsenic in drinking water. Urine and drinking water samples were collected from a subsample (n=343) of a population enrolled in a bladder cancer case-control study in southeastern Michigan. Total arsenic in water and arsenic species in urine were determined using ICP-MS: arsenobetaine (AsB), arsenite (As[III]), arsenate (As[V]), methylarsenic acid (MMA[V]), and dimethylarsenic acid (DMA[V]). The sum of As[III], As[V], MMA[V], and DMA[V] was denoted as SumAs. Dietary information was obtained through a self-reported food intake questionnaire. Log(10)-transformed drinking water arsenic concentration at home was a significant (P<0.0001) predictor of SumAs (R(2)=0.18). Associations improved (R(2)=0.29, P<0.0001) when individuals with less than 1 μg/l of arsenic in drinking water were removed and further improved when analyses were applied to individuals who consumed amounts of home drinking water above the median volume (R(2)=0.40, P<0.0001). A separate analysis indicated that AsB and DMA[V] were significantly correlated with fish and shellfish consumption, which may suggest that seafood intake influences DMA[V] excretion. The Spearman correlation between arsenic concentration in toenails and SumAs was 0.36 and between arsenic concentration in toenails and arsenic concentration in water was 0.42. Results show that arsenic exposure from drinking water consumption is an important determinant of urinary arsenic concentrations, even in a population exposed to relatively low levels of arsenic in drinking water, and suggest that seafood intake may influence urinary DMA[V] concentrations.

  9. Accuracy of SIAscopy for pigmented skin lesions encountered in primary care: development and validation of a new diagnostic algorithm.

    PubMed

    Emery, Jon D; Hunter, Judith; Hall, Per N; Watson, Anthony J; Moncrieff, Marc; Walter, Fiona M

    2010-09-25

    Diagnosing pigmented skin lesions in general practice is challenging. SIAscopy has been shown to increase diagnostic accuracy for melanoma in referred populations. We aimed to develop and validate a scoring system for SIAscopic diagnosis of pigmented lesions in primary care. This study was conducted in two consecutive settings in the UK and Australia, and occurred in three stages: 1) Development of the primary care scoring algorithm (PCSA) on a sub-set of lesions from the UK sample; 2) Validation of the PCSA on a different sub-set of lesions from the same UK sample; 3) Validation of the PCSA on a new set of lesions from an Australian primary care population. Patients presenting with a pigmented lesion were recruited from 6 general practices in the UK and 2 primary care skin cancer clinics in Australia. The following data were obtained for each lesion: clinical history; SIAscan; digital photograph; and digital dermoscopy. SIAscans were interpreted by an expert and validated against histopathology where possible, or expert clinical review of all available data for each lesion. A total of 858 patients with 1,211 lesions were recruited. Most lesions were benign naevi (64.8%) or seborrhoeic keratoses (22.1%); 1.2% were melanoma. The original SIAscopic diagnostic algorithm did not perform well because of the higher prevalence of seborrhoeic keratoses and haemangiomas seen in primary care. A primary care scoring algorithm (PCSA) was developed to account for this. In the UK sample the PCSA had the following characteristics for the diagnosis of 'suspicious': sensitivity 0.50 (0.18-0.81); specificity 0.84 (0.78-0.88); PPV 0.09 (0.03-0.22); NPV 0.98 (0.95-0.99). In the Australian sample the PCSA had the following characteristics for the diagnosis of 'suspicious': sensitivity 0.44 (0.32-0.58); specificity 0.95 (0.93-0.97); PPV 0.52 (0.38-0.66); NPV 0.95 (0.92-0.96). In an analysis of lesions for which histological diagnosis was available (n = 111), the PCSA had a significantly

  10. Relation of polymorphism of arsenic metabolism genes to arsenic methylation capacity and developmental delay in preschool children in Taiwan.

    PubMed

    Hsieh, Ru-Lan; Su, Chien-Tien; Shiue, Horng-Sheng; Chen, Wei-Jen; Huang, Shiau-Rung; Lin, Ying-Chin; Lin, Ming-I; Mu, Shu-Chi; Chen, Ray-Jade; Hsueh, Yu-Mei

    2017-04-15

    Inefficient arsenic methylation capacity has been associated with developmental delay in children. The present study was designed to explore whether polymorphisms and haplotypes of arsenic methyltransferase (AS3MT), glutathione-S-transferase omegas (GSTOs), and purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) affect arsenic methylation capacity and developmental delay. A case-control study was conducted from August 2010 to March 2014. All participants were recruited from the Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Teaching Hospital. In total, 179 children with developmental delay and 88 children without delay were recruited. Urinary arsenic species, including arsenite (As III ), arsenate (As V ), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA V ), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA V ) were measured using a high-performance liquid chromatography-linked hydride generator and atomic absorption spectrometry. The polymorphisms of AS3MT, GSTO, and PNP were performed using the Sequenom MassARRAY platform with iPLEX Gold chemistry. Polymorphisms of AS3MT genes were found to affect susceptibility to developmental delay in children, but GSTO and PNP polymorphisms were not. Participants with AS3MT rs3740392 A/G+G/G genotype, compared with AS3MT rs3740392 A/A genotype, had a significantly lower secondary methylation index. This may result in an increased OR for developmental delay. Participants with the AS3MT high-risk haplotype had a significantly higher OR than those with AS3MT low-risk haplotypes [OR and 95% CI, 1.59 (1.08-2.34)]. This is the first study to show a joint dose-response effect of this AS3MT high-risk haplotype and inefficient arsenic methylation capacity on developmental delay. Our data provide evidence that AS3MT genes are related to developmental delay and may partially influence arsenic methylation capacity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. INVESTIGATIONS INTO AGE-RELATED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO ARSENIC CARCONOGENICITY

    EPA Science Inventory

    Environmental Issue. Arsenic compounds are ubiquitous throughout the environment and are a major health problem in many parts of the world. Human exposure to arsenic has been identified from both natural and anthropogenic sources. Most chronic exposure comes from drinking water, ...

  12. Exposure, metabolism, and health effects of arsenic in residents from arsenic-contaminated groundwater areas of Vietnam and Cambodia: a review.

    PubMed

    Agusa, Tetsuro; Kunito, Takashi; Kubota, Reiji; Inoue, Suguru; Fujihara, Junko; Minh, Tu Binh; Ha, Nguyen Ngoc; Tu, Nguyen Phuc Cam; Trang, Pham Thi Kim; Chamnan, Chhoun; Takeshita, Haruo; Iwata, Hisato; Tuyen, Bui Cach; Viet, Pham Hung; Tana, Touch Seang; Tanabe, Shinsuke

    2010-01-01

    In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on exposure, metabolism, and health effects of arsenic (As) in residents from As-contaminated groundwater areas of Vietnam and Cambodia based on our findings from 2000 and other studies. The health effects of As in humans include severe gastrointestinal disorders, hepatic and renal failure, cardiovascular disturbances, skin pigmentation, hyperkeratosis, and cancers in the lung, bladder, liver, kidney, and skin. Arsenic contamination in groundwater is widely present at Vietnam and Cambodia and the highest As levels are frequently found in groundwater from Cambodia. Sand filter system can reduce As concentration in raw groundwater. The results of hair and urine analyses indicate that residents from these As-contaminated areas are exposed to As. In general, sex, age, body mass index, and As exposure level are significantly associated with As metabolism. Genetic polymorphisms in arsenic (+III) methyltransferase and glutathione-S-transferase isoforms may be influenced As metabolism and accumulation in a Vietnamese population. It is suggested oxidative DNA damage is caused by exposure to As in groundwater from residents in Cambodia. An epidemiologic study on an association of As exposure with human health effects is required in these areas.

  13. Expression and localization of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors and nuclear factor kappaB in normal and lesional psoriatic skin.

    PubMed

    Westergaard, Majken; Henningsen, Jeanette; Johansen, Claus; Rasmussen, Sofie; Svendsen, Morten Lyhne; Jensen, Uffe Birk; Schrøder, Henrik Daa; Staels, Bart; Iversen, Lars; Bolund, Lars; Kragballe, Knud; Kristiansen, Karsten

    2003-11-01

    Abnormal epidermal proliferation and differentiation characterize the inflammatory skin disease psoriasis. Here we demonstrate that expression of PPARdelta mRNA and protein is markedly upregulated in psoriatic lesions and that lipoxygenase products accumulating in psoriatic lesions are potent activators of PPARdelta. The expression levels of NF-kappaB p50 and p65 were not significantly altered in lesional compared with nonlesional psoriatic skin. In the basal layer of normal epidermis both p50 and p65 were sequestered in the cytoplasm, whereas p50, but not p65, localized to nuclei in the suprabasal layers, and this distribution was maintained in lesional psoriatic skin. In normal human keratinocytes PPAR agonists neither impaired IL-1beta-induced translocation of p65 nor IL-1beta-induced NF-kappaB DNA binding. We show that PPARdelta physically interacts with the N-terminal Rel homology domain of p65. Irrespective of the presence of agonists none of the PPAR subtypes decreased p65-mediated transactivation in keratinocytes. In contrast p65, but not p50, was a potent repressor of PPAR-mediated transactivation. The p65-dependent repression of PPARdelta- but not PPARalpha- or PPARgamma-mediated transactivation was partially relieved by forced expression of the coactivators p300 or CBP. We suggest that deficient NF-kappaB activation in chronic psoriatic plaques permitting unabated PPARdelta-mediated transactivation contributes to the pathologic phenotype of psoriasis.

  14. Arsenic toxicosis in sheep: The first report from Iran.

    PubMed

    Ashrafihelan, Javad; Amoli, Jamileh Salar; Alamdari, Mehran; Esfahani, Tahereh Ali; Mozafari, Morteza; Nourian, Ali Reza; Bahari, Ali Asghar

    2013-06-01

    Arsenic contamination of groundwater has been previously reported in Ghopuz, a village located in the Northwest of Iran. Samples were taken from consuming and irrigation water and plants of the region for chemical analysis. A seven-year old ewe, which had lived in and fed a lifelong at the same place, with clinical signs such as weakness, wasting and inappropriate integument was necropsied. Grossly, buccal erosion, stomatitis, cutaneous ulcers and serous atrophy of fat deposits were observed. Rumen contents, wool and several tissue samples were obtained for toxicological and histopathological examinations. Mean arsenic concentration in the spring water, irrigation water and grass/algae were 70.11, 48.74 and 141.85 ppb (µg/kg), respectively. Arsenic levels were 486.73, 247.94, 127.92, 125.97 and 231.24 ppb in wool, skin, rumen contents, liver and kidney, respectively. Microscopic study revealed hyperemia and heavy parasitic infestation of the abomasal wall. Hyperemia and regeneration of renal tubule epithelia were observed in kidneys and hyperkeratosis, suppurative deep dermatitis and paniculitis were found in skin. Periacinar fibrosis and a poorly differentiated cholangiocarcinoma were seen in liver. In pancreas, reduced cell density of islands of Langerhans was noticeable. In the central nervous system, perineuronal and perivascular edema, ischemic changes in gray matter neurons, and microcavitation of white matter were present. Our findings confirmed chronic arsenic toxicosis in small ruminants in this region. It can be concluded that long-term consumption of arsenic contamined water and forage may be associated with chronic arsenic poisoning in domestic animals and human beings, with consequent neoplastic disease and induction of diabetes in this region.

  15. Arsenic (+3 Oxidation State) Methyltransferase and the Methylation of Arsenicals

    PubMed Central

    Thomas, David J.; Li, Jiaxin; Waters, Stephen B.; Xing, Weibing; Adair, Blakely M.; Drobna, Zuzana; Devesa, Vicenta; Styblo, Miroslav

    2008-01-01

    Metabolic conversion of inorganic arsenic into methylated products is a multistep process that yields mono-, di-, and trimethylated arsenicals. In recent years, it has become apparent that formation of methylated metabolites of inorganic arsenic is not necessarily a detoxification process. Intermediates and products formed in this pathway may be more reactive and toxic than inorganic arsenic. Like all metabolic pathways, understanding the pathway for arsenic methylation involves identification of each individual step in the process and the characterization of the molecules which participate in each step. Among several arsenic methyltransferases that have been identified, arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase is the one best characterized at the genetic and functional levels. This review focuses on phylogenetic relationships in the deuterostomal lineage for this enzyme and on the relation between genotype for arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase and phenotype for conversion of inorganic arsenic to methylated metabolites. Two conceptual models for function of arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase which posit different roles for cellular reductants in the conversion of inorganic arsenic to methylated metabolites are compared. Although each model accurately represents some aspects of enzyme’s role in the pathway for arsenic methylation, neither model is a fully satisfactory representation of all the steps in this metabolic pathway. Additional information on the structure and function of the enzyme will be needed to develop a more comprehensive model for this pathway. PMID:17202581

  16. Age-related differences in human skin proteoglycans.

    PubMed

    Carrino, David A; Calabro, Anthony; Darr, Aniq B; Dours-Zimmermann, Maria T; Sandy, John D; Zimmermann, Dieter R; Sorrell, J Michael; Hascall, Vincent C; Caplan, Arnold I

    2011-02-01

    Previous work has shown that versican, decorin and a catabolic fragment of decorin, termed decorunt, are the most abundant proteoglycans in human skin. Further analysis of versican indicates that four major core protein species are present in human skin at all ages examined from fetal to adult. Two of these are identified as the V0 and V1 isoforms, with the latter predominating. The other two species are catabolic fragments of V0 and V1, which have the amino acid sequence DPEAAE as their carboxyl terminus. Although the core proteins of human skin versican show no major age-related differences, the glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) of adult skin versican are smaller in size and show differences in their sulfation pattern relative to those in fetal skin versican. In contrast to human skin versican, human skin decorin shows minimal age-related differences in its sulfation pattern, although, like versican, the GAGs of adult skin decorin are smaller than those of fetal skin decorin. Analysis of the catabolic fragments of decorin from adult skin reveals the presence of other fragments in addition to decorunt, although the core proteins of these additional decorin catabolic fragments have not been identified. Thus, versican and decorin of human skin show age-related differences, versican primarily in the size and the sulfation pattern of its GAGs and decorin in the size of its GAGs. The catabolic fragments of versican are detected at all ages examined, but appear to be in lower abundance in adult skin compared with fetal skin. In contrast, the catabolic fragments of decorin are present in adult skin, but are virtually absent from fetal skin. Taken together, these data suggest that there are age-related differences in the catabolism of proteoglycans in human skin. These age-related differences in proteoglycan patterns and catabolism may play a role in the age-related changes in the physical properties and injury response of human skin.

  17. Problems and complications of full-face carbon dioxide laser resurfacing for pathological lesions of the skin.

    PubMed

    Read-Fuller, Andrew M; Yates, David M; Vu, David D; Hoopman, John E; Finn, Richard A

    2017-01-01

    Facial resurfacing with a CO 2 laser has been used for treatment of pathologic lesions and for cosmetic purposes. Postoperative complications and problems after laser resurfacing include infections, acneiform lesions, and pigment changes. This retrospective study describes the most common problems and complications in 105 patients and assesses postoperative pain in 38 patients. All patients received CO 2 laser resurfacing for treatment of malignant/premalignant lesions and had postoperative follow-up to assess problems and complications. Some had follow-up to assess postoperative pain. All patients had Fitzpatrick I-III skin types and underwent the same perioperative care regimen. There were 11 problems and 2 complications. Problems included infection, acneiform lesion/milia, and uncontrolled postoperative pain. Complications included hyperpigmentation. Among the postoperative pain group, 53% reported no pain and the rest had mild or moderate pain. Complications are rare. Infection and acneiform lesions/milia were the most common problems, as previously reported. Most patients do not experience postoperative pain. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Dietary apigenin attenuates the development of atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice.

    PubMed

    Yano, Satomi; Umeda, Daisuke; Yamashita, Shuya; Yamada, Koji; Tachibana, Hirofumi

    2009-11-01

    One of the flavones, apigenin has various physiological functions including anti-inflammatory activities. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronically relapsing inflammatory disorder that is characterized by pruritic and eczematous skin lesions. To evaluate the anti-allergic effect of apigenin in vivo, we examined the effect of dietary apigenin on picrylchloride (PiCl)-induced AD-like pathology in NC/Nga mice. NC/Nga mice were fed experimental diets containing apigenin from Day 18 after sensitized with PiCl for 4 weeks. Dietary apigenin significantly alleviated the development of skin lesions, accompanied by lower serum immunoglobulin (Ig) G1 and IgE levels in NC/Nga mice. Interferon (IFN)-gamma mRNA expression level in spleen cells from NC/Nga mice was reduced by apigenin feeding. Moreover, interleukin 4-induced signal transducers and activators of transcription 6 phosphorylation in primary spleen cells from BALB/c mice was inhibited by treatment with apigenin. These results suggest that apigenin attenuates exacerbation of AD-like symptoms in part through the reduction of serum IgE level and IFN-gamma expression in NC/Nga mice.

  19. Automated Dermoscopy Image Analysis of Pigmented Skin Lesions

    PubMed Central

    Baldi, Alfonso; Quartulli, Marco; Murace, Raffaele; Dragonetti, Emanuele; Manganaro, Mario; Guerra, Oscar; Bizzi, Stefano

    2010-01-01

    Dermoscopy (dermatoscopy, epiluminescence microscopy) is a non-invasive diagnostic technique for the in vivo observation of pigmented skin lesions (PSLs), allowing a better visualization of surface and subsurface structures (from the epidermis to the papillary dermis). This diagnostic tool permits the recognition of morphologic structures not visible by the naked eye, thus opening a new dimension in the analysis of the clinical morphologic features of PSLs. In order to reduce the learning-curve of non-expert clinicians and to mitigate problems inherent in the reliability and reproducibility of the diagnostic criteria used in pattern analysis, several indicative methods based on diagnostic algorithms have been introduced in the last few years. Recently, numerous systems designed to provide computer-aided analysis of digital images obtained by dermoscopy have been reported in the literature. The goal of this article is to review these systems, focusing on the most recent approaches based on content-based image retrieval systems (CBIR). PMID:24281070

  20. Primary administration of Lactobacillus johnsonii NCC533 in weaning period suppresses the elevation of proinflammatory cytokines and CD86 gene expressions in skin lesions in NC/Nga mice.

    PubMed

    Inoue, Ryo; Otsuka, Mai; Nishio, Ayako; Ushida, Kazunari

    2007-06-01

    The administration of probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) has been studied for its potential to prevent atopic dermatitis (AD). The objective of this study was to assess the inhibitory mechanism of a skin lesion by LAB using an experimental model that we previously demonstrated in NC/Nga mice. Lactobacillus johnsonii NCC533 (La1) was administered orally to the La1 group from 20 to 22 days after birth, while phosphate-buffered saline was given to the control group. After the induction of skin lesions in 6-week-old mice, the expression of genes supposedly involved in AD was evaluated. Gene expression of the proinflammatory cytokines [interleukin-8 (IL-8), IL-12 and IL-23] was significantly enhanced in the lesional skin of the control group by the induction of the lesion, whereas gene expression of those in the La1 group was not elevated. Interestingly, expression of the costimulatory molecule CD86 showed a pattern similar to the expression of the cytokines in the lesional skin. Moreover, the La1 group showed a significantly lower gene expression of CD86 in Peyer's patches and mesenteric lymph nodes than the control group. The suppression of proinflammatory cytokines and CD86 by primary administration of La1 may significantly contribute to the inhibitory effect on the skin lesion.

  1. Arsenic is Cytotoxic and Genotoxic to Primary Human Lung Cells

    PubMed Central

    Xie, Hong; Huang, ShouPing; Martin, Sarah; Wise, John P.

    2014-01-01

    Arsenic originates from both geochemical and numerous anthropogenic activities. Exposure of the general public to significant levels of arsenic is widespread. Arsenic is a well-documented human carcinogen. Long-term exposure to high levels of arsenic in drinking water have been linked to bladder, lung, kidney, liver, prostate, and skin cancer. Among them, lung cancer is of great public concern. However, little is known about how arsenic causes lung cancer and few studies have considered effects in normal human lung cells. The purpose of this study was to determine the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of arsenic in human primary bronchial fibroblast and epithelial cells. Our data show that arsenic induces a concentration-dependent decrease in cell survival after short (24 h) or long (120 h) exposures. Arsenic induces concentration-dependent but not time-dependent increases in chromosome damage in fibroblasts. No chromosome damage is induced after either 24 h or 120 h arsenic exposure in epithelial cells. Using neutral comet assay and gamma-H2A.X foci forming assay, we found that 24 h or 120 h exposure to arsenic induces increases in DNA double strand breaks in both cell lines. These data indicate that arsenic is cytotoxic and genotoxic to human lung primary cells but lung fibroblasts are more sensitive to arsenic than epithelial cells. Further research is needed to understand the specific mechanisms involved in arsenic-induced genotoxicity in human lung cells. PMID:24291234

  2. Empiric antibiotic treatment of erythema migrans-like skin lesions as a function of geography: a clinical and cost effectiveness modeling study.

    PubMed

    Lantos, Paul M; Brinkerhoff, R Jory; Wormser, Gary P; Clemen, Robert

    2013-12-01

    The skin lesion of early Lyme disease, erythema migrans (EM), is so characteristic that routine practice is to treat all such patients with antibiotics. Because other skin lesions may resemble EM, it is not known whether presumptive treatment of EM is appropriate in regions where Lyme disease is rare. We constructed a decision model to compare the cost and clinical effectiveness of three strategies for the management of EM: Treat All, Observe, and Serology as a function of the probability that an EM-like lesion is Lyme disease. Treat All was found to be the preferred strategy in regions that are endemic for Lyme disease. Where Lyme disease is rare, Observe is the preferred strategy, as presumptive treatment would be expected to produce excessive harm and increased costs. Where Lyme disease is rare, clinicians and public health officials should consider observing patients with EM-like lesions who lack travel to Lyme disease-endemic areas.

  3. Subchronic exposure to arsenic through drinking water alters expression of cancer-related genes in rat liver.

    PubMed

    Cui, Xing; Li, Song; Shraim, Amjad; Kobayashi, Yayoi; Hayakawa, Toru; Kanno, Sanae; Yamamoto, Megumi; Hirano, Seishiro

    2004-01-01

    Although arsenic exposure causes liver disease and/or hepatoma, little is known about molecular mechanisms of arsenic-induced liver toxicity or carcinogenesis. We investigated the effects of arsenic on expression of cancer-related genes in a rat liver following subchronic exposure to sodium arsenate (1, 10, 100 ppm in drinking water), by using real-time quantitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemical analyses. Arsenic accumulated in the rat liver dose-dependently and caused hepatic histopathological changes, such as disruption of hepatic cords, sinusoidal dilation, and fatty infiltration. A 1-month exposure to arsenic significantly increased hepatic mRNA levels of cyclin D1 (10 ppm), ILK (1 ppm), and p27(Kip1) (10 ppm), whereas it reduced mRNA levels of PTEN (1 ppm) and beta-catenin (100 ppm). In contrast, a 4-month arsenic exposure showed increased mRNA expression of cyclin D1 (100 ppm), ILK (1 ppm), and p27(Kip1) (1 and 10 ppm), and decreased expression of both PTEN and beta-catenin at all 3 doses. An immunohistochemical study revealed that each protein expression accords closely with each gene expression of mRNA level. In conclusion, subchronic exposure to inorganic arsenate caused pathological changes and altered expression of cyclin D1, p27(Kip1), ILK, PTEN, and beta-catenin in the liver. This implies that arsenic liver toxicity involves disturbances of some cancer-related molecules.

  4. Usefulness of skin immunofluorescence for distinguishing SLE from SLE-like renal lesions: a pilot study.

    PubMed

    L'Erario, Ines; Frezzolini, Alessandra; Ruggiero, Barbara; De Pità, Ornella; Emma, Francesco; Gianviti, Alessandra

    2011-01-01

    Lupus nephritis (LN) may represent a diagnostic problem, particularly in pediatric patients that present with typical histological lesions but do not fulfill the American Rheumatism Association (ARA) criteria for the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Based on the well-described deposition of immunoglobulins (Ig) and complement at the dermoepithelial junction in SLE, we hypothesized that skin biopsies may help in the diagnosis of LN. To test this hypothesis, we carried out a pilot study, performing a skin biopsy in 22 patients with LN and 13 patients with lupus-like lesions, regardless of the time elapsed from onset of renal disease. The latter group of patients was further divided into a purely renal group, designated as isolated full-house nephropathy (FHN), and a dubious cases group, presenting with additional clinical and biological features consistent with SLE but insufficient for diagnosing SLE. None of the 6 isolated FHN patients had positive skin immunofluorescence. Conversely, 5/7 patients in the dubious cases group (p<0.02) and 13/22 in the LN group (p<0.002) had positive staining for C1q, and 5/7 patients in the dubious cases group (p<0.02) and 16/22 patients in the LN group (p<0.001) had positive staining for IgM. No correlation was observed with the time elapsed from the initial diagnosis. These data suggest that skin biopsies may help distinguishing LN from isolated FHN. In addition, they identify an intermediate group of patients with evidence of systemic involvement despite the absence of a sufficient number of ARA criteria to be labeled as SLE.

  5. Blood Pressure Changes in Relation to Arsenic Exposure in a U.S. Pregnancy Cohort

    PubMed Central

    Farzan, Shohreh F.; Chen, Yu; Wu, Fen; Jiang, Jieying; Liu, Mengling; Baker, Emily; Korrick, Susan A.

    2015-01-01

    Background Inorganic arsenic exposure has been related to the risk of increased blood pressure based largely on cross-sectional studies conducted in highly exposed populations. Pregnancy is a period of particular vulnerability to environmental insults. However, little is known about the cardiovascular impacts of arsenic exposure during pregnancy. Objectives We evaluated the association between prenatal arsenic exposure and maternal blood pressure over the course of pregnancy in a U.S. population. Methods The New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study is an ongoing prospective cohort study in which > 10% of participant household wells exceed the arsenic maximum contaminant level of 10 μg/L established by the U.S. EPA. Total urinary arsenic measured at 24–28 weeks gestation was measured and used as a biomarker of exposure during pregnancy in 514 pregnant women, 18–45 years of age, who used a private well in their household. Outcomes were repeated blood pressure measurements (systolic, diastolic, and pulse pressure) recorded during pregnancy. Results Using linear mixed effects models, we estimated that, on average, each 5-μg/L increase in urinary arsenic was associated with a 0.15-mmHg (95% CI: 0.02, 0.29; p = 0.022) increase in systolic blood pressure per month and a 0.14-mmHg (95% CI: 0.02, 0.25; p = 0.021) increase in pulse pressure per month over the course of pregnancy. Conclusions In our U.S. cohort of pregnant women, arsenic exposure was associated with greater increases in blood pressure over the course of pregnancy. These findings may have important implications because even modest increases in blood pressure impact cardiovascular disease risk. Citation Farzan SF, Chen Y, Wu F, Jiang J, Liu M, Baker E, Korrick SA, Karagas MR. 2015. Blood pressure changes in relation to arsenic exposure in a U.S. pregnancy cohort. Environ Health Perspect 123:999–1006; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1408472 PMID:25793356

  6. Renal, hepatic, pulmonary and adrenal tumors induced by prenatal inorganic arsenic followed by dimethylarsinic acid in adulthood in CD1 mice

    PubMed Central

    Tokar, Erik J.; Diwan, Bhalchandra A.; Waalkes, Michael P.

    2012-01-01

    Inorganic arsenic, an early life carcinogen in humans and mice, can initiate lesions promotable by other agents in later life. The biomethylation product of arsenic, dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), is a multi-site tumor promoter. Thus, pregnant CD1 mice were given drinking water (0 or 85 ppm arsenic) from gestation day 8 to 18 and after weaning male offspring received DMA (0 or 200 ppm; drinking water) for up to 2 years. No renal tumors occurred in controls or DMA alone treated mice while gestational arsenic exposure plus later DMA induced a significant renal tumor incidence of 17% (primarily renal cell carcinoma). Arsenic plus DMA or arsenic alone also increased renal hyperplasia over control but DMA alone did not. Arsenic alone, DMA alone and arsenic plus DMA all induced urinary bladder hyperplasia (33–35%) versus control (2%). Compared to control (6%), arsenic alone tripled hepatocellular carcinoma (20%), and arsenic plus DMA doubled this rate again (43%), but DMA alone had no effect. DMA alone, arsenic alone, and arsenic plus DMA increased lung adenocarcinomas and adrenal adenomas versus control. Overall, DMA in adulthood promoted tumors/lesions initiated by prenatal arsenic in the kidney and liver, but acted independently in the urinary bladder, lung and adrenal. PMID:22230260

  7. An improved strategy for skin lesion detection and classification using uniform segmentation and feature selection based approach.

    PubMed

    Nasir, Muhammad; Attique Khan, Muhammad; Sharif, Muhammad; Lali, Ikram Ullah; Saba, Tanzila; Iqbal, Tassawar

    2018-02-21

    Melanoma is the deadliest type of skin cancer with highest mortality rate. However, the annihilation in early stage implies a high survival rate therefore, it demands early diagnosis. The accustomed diagnosis methods are costly and cumbersome due to the involvement of experienced experts as well as the requirements for highly equipped environment. The recent advancements in computerized solutions for these diagnoses are highly promising with improved accuracy and efficiency. In this article, we proposed a method for the classification of melanoma and benign skin lesions. Our approach integrates preprocessing, lesion segmentation, features extraction, features selection, and classification. Preprocessing is executed in the context of hair removal by DullRazor, whereas lesion texture and color information are utilized to enhance the lesion contrast. In lesion segmentation, a hybrid technique has been implemented and results are fused using additive law of probability. Serial based method is applied subsequently that extracts and fuses the traits such as color, texture, and HOG (shape). The fused features are selected afterwards by implementing a novel Boltzman Entropy method. Finally, the selected features are classified by Support Vector Machine. The proposed method is evaluated on publically available data set PH2. Our approach has provided promising results of sensitivity 97.7%, specificity 96.7%, accuracy 97.5%, and F-score 97.5%, which are significantly better than the results of existing methods available on the same data set. The proposed method detects and classifies melanoma significantly good as compared to existing methods. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  8. Altered Microbiomes in Bovine Digital Dermatitis Lesions, and the Gut as a Pathogen Reservoir

    PubMed Central

    Zinicola, Martin; Lima, Fabio; Lima, Svetlana; Machado, Vinicius; Gomez, Marilia; Döpfer, Dörte; Guard, Charles; Bicalho, Rodrigo

    2015-01-01

    Bovine digital dermatitis (DD) is the most important infectious disease associated with lameness in cattle worldwide. Since the disease was first described in 1974, a series of Treponema species concurrent with other microbes have been identified in DD lesions, suggesting a polymicrobial etiology. However, the pathogenesis of DD and the source of the causative microbes remain unclear. Here we characterized the microbiomes of healthy skin and skin lesions in dairy cows affected with different stages of DD and investigated the gut microbiome as a potential reservoir for microbes associated with this disease. Discriminant analysis revealed that the microbiomes of healthy skin, active DD lesions (ulcerative and chronic ulcerative) and inactive DD lesions (healing and chronic proliferative) are completely distinct. Treponema denticola, Treponema maltophilum, Treponema medium, Treponema putidum, Treponema phagedenis and Treponema paraluiscuniculi were all found to be present in greater relative abundance in active DD lesions when compared with healthy skin and inactive DD lesions, and these same Treponema species were nearly ubiquitously present in rumen and fecal microbiomes. The relative abundance of Candidatus Amoebophilus asiaticus, a bacterium not previously reported in DD lesions, was increased in both active and inactive lesions when compared with healthy skin. In conclusion, our data support the concept that DD is a polymicrobial disease, with active DD lesions having a markedly distinct microbiome dominated by T. denticola, T. maltophilum, T. medium, T. putidum, T. phagedenis and T. paraluiscuniculi. Furthermore, these Treponema species are nearly ubiquitously found in rumen and fecal microbiomes, suggesting that the gut is an important reservoir of microbes involved in DD pathogenesis. Additionally, the bacterium Candidatus Amoebophilus asiaticus was highly abundant in active and inactive DD lesions. PMID:25781328

  9. Verrucous lesions arising in lymphedema and diabetic neuropathy: Elephantiasis nostras verrucosa or verrucous skin lesions on the feet of patients with diabetic neuropathy?

    PubMed

    Hotta, Eri; Asai, Jun; Okuzawa, Yasutaro; Hanada, Keiji; Nomiyama, Tomoko; Takenaka, Hideya; Katoh, Norito

    2016-03-01

    Verrucous skin lesions on the feet in diabetic neuropathy (VSLDN) develop in areas with sensory loss in diabetic patients. Although various types of chronic stimulation, such as pressure or friction, are considered an important factor in the development of such lesions, the precise pathogenesis of VSLDN remains obscure, and there is currently no established treatment for this disease. Here, we present a case of VSLDN on the dorsum of the right foot. However, because lymphedema was also observed at the same site, this lesion could also be diagnosed as elephantiasis nostras verrucosa arising in diabetic neuropathy. The lesion was successfully treated with a combination of elastic stocking and mixed killed bacterial suspension and hydrocortisone ointment, which suggested that VSLDN might have been exacerbated by the pre-existing lymphedema. Because various types of chronic stimulation can trigger VSLDN, treatment plans should be devised on a case-by-case basis. Therefore, it is important to investigate the presence of factors that can induce or exacerbate chronic inflammatory stimulation, such as lymphedema in our case, in each patient with VSLDN. © 2015 Japanese Dermatological Association.

  10. Th17 Cells and Activated Dendritic Cells Are Increased in Vitiligo Lesions

    PubMed Central

    Fuentes-Duculan, Judilyn; Moussai, Dariush; Gulati, Nicholas; Sullivan-Whalen, Mary; Gilleaudeau, Patricia; Cohen, Jules A.; Krueger, James G.

    2011-01-01

    Background Vitiligo is a common skin disorder, characterized by progressive skin de-pigmentation due to the loss of cutaneous melanocytes. The exact cause of melanocyte loss remains unclear, but a large number of observations have pointed to the important role of cellular immunity in vitiligo pathogenesis. Methodology/Principal Findings In this study, we characterized T cell and inflammation-related dermal dendritic cell (DC) subsets in pigmented non-lesional, leading edge and depigmented lesional vitiligo skin. By immunohistochemistry staining, we observed enhanced populations of CD11c+ myeloid dermal DCs and CD207+ Langerhans cells in leading edge vitiligo biopsies. DC-LAMP+ and CD1c+ sub-populations of dermal DCs expanded significantly in leading edge and lesional vitiligo skin. We also detected elevated tissue mRNA levels of IL-17A in leading edge skin biopsies of vitiligo patients, as well as IL-17A positive T cells by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. Langerhans cells with activated inflammasomes were also noted in lesional vitiligo skin, along with increased IL-1ß mRNA, which suggest the potential of Langerhans cells to drive Th17 activation in vitiligo. Conclusions/Significance These studies provided direct tissue evidence that implicates active Th17 cells in vitiligo skin lesions. We characterized new cellular immune elements, in the active margins of vitiligo lesions (e.g. populations of epidermal and dermal dendritic cells subsets), which could potentially drive the inflammatory responses. PMID:21541348

  11. Metabolic changes in psoriatic skin under topical corticosteroid treatment.

    PubMed

    Sitter, Beathe; Johnsson, Margareta Karin; Halgunset, Jostein; Bathen, Tone Frost

    2013-08-14

    MR spectroscopy of intact biopsies can provide a metabolic snapshot of the investigated tissue. The aim of the present study was to explore the metabolic pattern of uninvolved skin, psoriatic skin and corticosteroid treated psoriatic skin. The three types of skin biopsy samples were excised from patients with psoriasis (N = 10). Lesions were evaluated clinically, and tissue biopsies were excised and analyzed by one-dimensional 1H MR spectroscopy. Relative levels were calculated for nine tissue metabolites. Subsequently, relative amounts of epidermis, dermis and subcutaneous tissue were scored by histopathological evaluation of HES stained sections. Seven out of 10 patients experienced at least 40% reduction in clinical score after corticosteroid treatment. Tissue biopsies from psoriatic skin contained lower levels of the metabolites myo-inositol and glucose, and higher levels of choline and taurine compared to uninvolved skin. In corticosteroid treated psoriatic skin, tissue levels of glucose, myo-inositol, GPC and glycine were increased, whereas choline was reduced, in patients with good therapeutic effect. These tissue levels are becoming more similar to metabolite levels in uninvolved skin. This MR method demonstrates that metabolism in psoriatic skin becomes similar to that of uninvolved skin after effective corticosteroid treatment. MR profiling of skin lesions reflect metabolic alterations related to pathogenesis and treatment effects.

  12. Relation between skin micro-topography, roughness, and skin age.

    PubMed

    Trojahn, C; Dobos, G; Schario, M; Ludriksone, L; Blume-Peytavi, U; Kottner, J

    2015-02-01

    The topography of the skin surface consists of lines, wrinkles, and scales. Primary and secondary lines form a network like structure that may be identified as polygons. Skin surface roughness measurements are widely applied in dermatological research and practice but the relation between roughness parameters and their anatomical equivalents are unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether the number of closed polygons (NCP) per measurement field can be used as a reliable parameter to measure skin surface topography. For this purpose, we analysed the relation between skin surface roughness parameters and NCP in different age groups. Images of the volar forearm skin of 38 subjects (14 children, 12 younger, and 12 older adults) were obtained with the VisioScan VC98. The NCP was counted by three independent researchers and selected roughness parameters were measured. Interrater reliability of counting the number of closed polygons and correlations between NCP, roughness parameters, and age were calculated. The mean NCP/mm² in children was 3.1 (SD 1.1), in younger adults 1.0 (SD 0.7), and in older adults 1.0 (SD 0.9). The interrater reliability was 0.9. A negative correlation of NCP/mm² with age was observed, whereas measured roughness parameters were positively associated with age. NCP/mm² was weakly related to skin roughness. The NCP/mm² is a reproducible parameter for characterizing the skin surface topography. It is proposed as an additional parameter in dermatological research and practice because it represents distinct aspects of the cutaneous profile not covered by established roughness parameters. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  13. 29 CFR 1910.1018 - Inorganic arsenic.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ...) Coveralls or similar full-body work clothing; (ii) Gloves, and shoes or coverlets; (iii) Face shields or... possibility of skin or eye irritation from exposure to inorganic arsenic wash their hands and face prior to... well your respirator fits your face is very important, your employer is required to conduct fit tests...

  14. 29 CFR 1910.1018 - Inorganic arsenic.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ...) Coveralls or similar full-body work clothing; (ii) Gloves, and shoes or coverlets; (iii) Face shields or... possibility of skin or eye irritation from exposure to inorganic arsenic wash their hands and face prior to... well your respirator fits your face is very important, your employer is required to conduct fit tests...

  15. Instrument-related Skin Disorders in Musicians.

    PubMed

    Patruno, Cataldo; Napolitano, Maddalena; La Bella, Serena; Ayala, Fabio; Balato, Nicola; Cantelli, Mariateresa; Balato, Anna

    2016-01-01

    Among artists, musicians may suffer from occupational skin problems; notwithstanding, these conditions have been rarely reviewed. The characteristics of individual performer and the type of instrument will determine the kind of disease. Moreover, the hours that the musician spent to advance artistic skill may influence the severity. The frequency and risk factors of instrument-related skin disorders in musicians from southern Italy were analyzed. An observational study was conducted in 628 musicians. A questionnaire including questions related to age, sex, instrument played, musical activity, previous or current skin disorders, and impact of skin symptoms on music making was submitted. Of 628 musicians, 199 (31.7%) reported suffering from at least 1 skin disease. Cutaneous diseases likely directly correlated with the use of the musical instrument were found in 129 (20.5%) of the 628 subjects. In particular, different patterns of irritant contact dermatitis were found. Skin conditions may be a significant problem in professional instrumentalists. They are mainly related to musical activity. Preventive measures should be established.

  16. The Broad Scope of Health Effects from Chronic Arsenic Exposure: Update on a Worldwide Public Health Problem

    PubMed Central

    Anderson, Beth; Ahsan, Habibul; Aposhian, H. Vasken; Graziano, Joseph H.; Thompson, Claudia; Suk, William A.

    2013-01-01

    Background: Concerns for arsenic exposure are not limited to toxic waste sites and massive poisoning events. Chronic exposure continues to be a major public health problem worldwide, affecting hundreds of millions of persons. Objectives: We reviewed recent information on worldwide concerns for arsenic exposures and public health to heighten awareness of the current scope of arsenic exposure and health outcomes and the importance of reducing exposure, particularly during pregnancy and early life. Methods: We synthesized the large body of current research pertaining to arsenic exposure and health outcomes with an emphasis on recent publications. Discussion: Locations of high arsenic exposure via drinking water span from Bangladesh, Chile, and Taiwan to the United States. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maximum contaminant level (MCL) in drinking water is 10 µg/L; however, concentrations of > 3,000 µg/L have been found in wells in the United States. In addition, exposure through diet is of growing concern. Knowledge of the scope of arsenic-associated health effects has broadened; arsenic leaves essentially no bodily system untouched. Arsenic is a known carcinogen associated with skin, lung, bladder, kidney, and liver cancer. Dermatological, developmental, neurological, respiratory, cardiovascular, immunological, and endocrine effects are also evident. Most remarkably, early-life exposure may be related to increased risks for several types of cancer and other diseases during adulthood. Conclusions: These data call for heightened awareness of arsenic-related pathologies in broader contexts than previously perceived. Testing foods and drinking water for arsenic, including individual private wells, should be a top priority to reduce exposure, particularly for pregnant women and children, given the potential for life-long effects of developmental exposure. PMID:23458756

  17. The broad scope of health effects from chronic arsenic exposure: update on a worldwide public health problem.

    PubMed

    Naujokas, Marisa F; Anderson, Beth; Ahsan, Habibul; Aposhian, H Vasken; Graziano, Joseph H; Thompson, Claudia; Suk, William A

    2013-03-01

    Concerns for arsenic exposure are not limited to toxic waste sites and massive poisoning events. Chronic exposure continues to be a major public health problem worldwide, affecting hundreds of millions of persons. We reviewed recent information on worldwide concerns for arsenic exposures and public health to heighten awareness of the current scope of arsenic exposure and health outcomes and the importance of reducing exposure, particularly during pregnancy and early life. We synthesized the large body of current research pertaining to arsenic exposure and health outcomes with an emphasis on recent publications. Locations of high arsenic exposure via drinking water span from Bangladesh, Chile, and Taiwan to the United States. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maximum contaminant level (MCL) in drinking water is 10 µg/L; however, concentrations of > 3,000 µg/L have been found in wells in the United States. In addition, exposure through diet is of growing concern. Knowledge of the scope of arsenic-associated health effects has broadened; arsenic leaves essentially no bodily system untouched. Arsenic is a known carcinogen associated with skin, lung, bladder, kidney, and liver cancer. Dermatological, developmental, neurological, respiratory, cardiovascular, immunological, and endocrine effects are also evident. Most remarkably, early-life exposure may be related to increased risks for several types of cancer and other diseases during adulthood. These data call for heightened awareness of arsenic-related pathologies in broader contexts than previously perceived. Testing foods and drinking water for arsenic, including individual private wells, should be a top priority to reduce exposure, particularly for pregnant women and children, given the potential for life-long effects of developmental exposure.

  18. Relation of polymorphism of arsenic metabolism genes to arsenic methylation capacity and developmental delay in preschool children in Taiwan

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hsieh, Ru-Lan

    Inefficient arsenic methylation capacity has been associated with developmental delay in children. The present study was designed to explore whether polymorphisms and haplotypes of arsenic methyltransferase (AS3MT), glutathione-S-transferase omegas (GSTOs), and purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) affect arsenic methylation capacity and developmental delay. A case-control study was conducted from August 2010 to March 2014. All participants were recruited from the Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Teaching Hospital. In total, 179 children with developmental delay and 88 children without delay were recruited. Urinary arsenic species, including arsenite (As{sup III}), arsenate (As{sup V}), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA{sup V}), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA{sup V}) weremore » measured using a high-performance liquid chromatography-linked hydride generator and atomic absorption spectrometry. The polymorphisms of AS3MT, GSTO, and PNP were performed using the Sequenom MassARRAY platform with iPLEX Gold chemistry. Polymorphisms of AS3MT genes were found to affect susceptibility to developmental delay in children, but GSTO and PNP polymorphisms were not. Participants with AS3MT rs3740392 A/G + G/G genotype, compared with AS3MT rs3740392 A/A genotype, had a significantly lower secondary methylation index. This may result in an increased OR for developmental delay. Participants with the AS3MT high-risk haplotype had a significantly higher OR than those with AS3MT low-risk haplotypes [OR and 95% CI, 1.59 (1.08–2.34)]. This is the first study to show a joint dose-response effect of this AS3MT high-risk haplotype and inefficient arsenic methylation capacity on developmental delay. Our data provide evidence that AS3MT genes are related to developmental delay and may partially influence arsenic methylation capacity. - Highlights: • AS3MT genotypes were found to affect susceptibility to developmental delay. • AS3MT rs3740392 A/G and G/G genotype had a significantly low SMI (DMA

  19. [The morphological characteristic of the skin lesions inflicted by plastic knives with four cutting edges].

    PubMed

    Leonov, S V; Finkel'shtein, V T

    2015-01-01

    The objective of the present work was to study the morphological features of the skin lesions inflicted by the blades of the Fgx Boot Blade I knives having four cutting edges. The study revealed the signs that can be used to distinguish between morphological characteristics of the stab and lacerated wounds having the primary and secondary incisions made by the four-edge blade.

  20. Comparison of topical capsaicin and betamethasone in the treatment of chronic skin lesions due to sulfur mustard exposure.

    PubMed

    Panahi, Yunes; Davoudi, Seyyed Masoud; Moharamzad, Yashar; Beiraghdar, Fatemeh; Naghizadeh, Mohammad Mehdi

    2008-01-01

    Chronic pruritic skin lesions are considered to be one of the late complications of sulfur mustard exposure. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of topical capsaicin with that of betamethasone in the treatment of these lesions. In this investigator-blinded, randomized clinical trial, patients applied capsaicin cream 0.025% (n=32) or betamethasone cream 0.1% (n=32) 2 times a day for 6 weeks. Efficacy was based on a dermatologist assessment. The severity of the pruritus was assessed by pruritic score questionnaire and a visual analog scale before and after treatment. All patients complained of pruritus. Both groups showed a significant decrease in pruritus, scaling, and skin dryness (p<0.05), but burning sensation was not improved significantly in the capsaicin group. The mean (+/- standard deviation [SD]) baseline pruritic scores in the capsaicin and betamethasone groups were 29.4 (13.1) and 33.6 (7.2), respectively (p=0.1). The mean (SD) pruritus score change from baseline to after the treatment was significantly higher (p<0.001) in the betamethasone group than in the capsaicin group, 12.7 (6.4) vs. 6.9 (5.6). Fourteen (35%) patients in the capsaicin group reported a burning sensation and intolerable odor, but these effects were not serious enough to necessitate discontinuing the treatment. Topical capsaicin cream 0.025% was much less well tolerated than betamethasone and inferior to betamethasone in reducing chronic skin lesions and symptoms from sulfur mustard exposure.

  1. Topical treatment of malignant and premalignant skin lesions by very low concentrations of a standard mixture (BEC) of solasodine glycosides.

    PubMed

    Cham, B E; Daunter, B; Evans, R A

    1991-09-01

    A cream formulation containing high concentrations (10%) of a standard mixture of solasodine glycosides (BEC) has been shown to be effective in the treatment of malignant and benign human skin tumours. We now report that a preparation (Curaderm) which contains very low concentrations of BEC (0.005%) is effective in the treatment of keratoses, basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) and squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) of the skin of humans. In an open study, clinical and histological observations indicated that all lesions (56 keratoses, 39 BCCs and 29 SCCs) treated with Curaderm had regressed. A placebo formulation had no effect on a smaller number of treated lesions. Curaderm had no adverse effect on the liver, kidneys or haematopoietic system.

  2. Statistical image segmentation for the detection of skin lesion borders in UV fluorescence excitation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ortega-Martinez, Antonio; Padilla-Martinez, Juan Pablo; Franco, Walfre

    2016-04-01

    The skin contains several fluorescent molecules or fluorophores that serve as markers of structure, function and composition. UV fluorescence excitation photography is a simple and effective way to image specific intrinsic fluorophores, such as the one ascribed to tryptophan which emits at a wavelength of 345 nm upon excitation at 295 nm, and is a marker of cellular proliferation. Earlier, we built a clinical UV photography system to image cellular proliferation. In some samples, the naturally low intensity of the fluorescence can make it difficult to separate the fluorescence of cells in higher proliferation states from background fluorescence and other imaging artifacts -- like electronic noise. In this work, we describe a statistical image segmentation method to separate the fluorescence of interest. Statistical image segmentation is based on image averaging, background subtraction and pixel statistics. This method allows to better quantify the intensity and surface distributions of fluorescence, which in turn simplify the detection of borders. Using this method we delineated the borders of highly-proliferative skin conditions and diseases, in particular, allergic contact dermatitis, psoriatic lesions and basal cell carcinoma. Segmented images clearly define lesion borders. UV fluorescence excitation photography along with statistical image segmentation may serve as a quick and simple diagnostic tool for clinicians.

  3. Induction of atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome-like skin lesions by repeated topical application of a crude extract of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus in NC/Nga mice.

    PubMed

    Kang, Jong Soon; Lee, Kiho; Han, Sang-Bae; Ahn, Ji-Mi; Lee, Hyunju; Han, Mi Hwa; Yoon, Yeo Dae; Yoon, Won Kee; Park, Song-Kyu; Kim, Hwan Mook

    2006-10-01

    Mite antigen has been considered to play important roles in the development of atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome (AEDS). In the present study, we attempted to induce an AEDS-like skin lesion in mice using Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus crude extract (DPE) as an antigen and performed pathophysiological evaluations. Ears of mice were tape-stripped and DPE was painted 3 times a week. Eczematous skin lesion and ear swelling were apparent in NC/Nga mice treated with DPE after 2 weeks, whereas neither skin lesion nor ear swelling were observed in BALB/c mice even after 30 days. Histological evaluation demonstrated that edema, epidermal hyperplasia and the accumulation of inflammatory cells were apparent in the ears of DPE-treated NC/Nga mice. In contrast to skin lesion and ear swelling, total serum IgE levels were increased in both NC/Nga and BALB/c mice. Treatment with DPE also increased auricular lymph node weight in both NC/Nga mice and BALB/c mice. To further characterize, we analyzed cytokine mRNA expression in ears and lymph nodes of DPE-treated NC/Nga mice. Increased expression of IL-4 and TNF-alpha mRNA was observed in both ears and lymph nodes of NC/Nga mice treated with DPE. Additionally, there was no change in the responsiveness of BALB/c mice to DPE treatment by adaptive transfer of serum from DPE-treated NC/Nga mice to BALB/c mice. Taken together, our results indicate that eczematous skin lesion and ear swelling caused by repeated application of DPE in NC/Nga mice has a Th2-dominant background and that inflammation is involved in this process. The animal model of AEDS established in this report may be used to investigate the pathogenesis of AEDS and evaluate the potential therapeutic agents for AEDS.

  4. Toward noninvasive microspectrofluorometry of skin lesions for diagnostic and prognostic evaluation of cell metabolism and organelle interactions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hirschberg, Joseph G.; Schachtschabel, Astrid; Kohen, Elli; Kohen, Cahide; Schachtschabel, Dietrich O.

    1995-02-01

    The basic principle of this approach relies on microspectrofluorometric observations of upheavals in the cell's energy metabolism and cell-to-cell metabolic communication in human and mouse melanoma cells. A striking feature is the definition of a highly active nuclear energy metabolism in M8255 human melanoma cells which is characterized by an intense fluorescence response associated with NAD(P) reduction by substrates of glycolysis or the hexose monophosphate shunt. Changes are also expected in the steady state levels of reduced/oxidized NAD(P) in the nuclear, cytoplasmic and mitochondrial compartments, which are probably dependent on ATP levels and distribution (as determined by cell metabolism and eventually the presence of ATP traps). A topographic scanning of skin lesions, either under metabolic steady state conditions or in the presence of permeating substrates, can lead to the recognition of characteristic patterns associated with pigmented and nonpigmented, malignant and nonmalignant skin lesions. The method is, in a way, an extension of microscopic transillumination techniques which have led to the identification of specific patterns associated with such lesions. However, here, a new dimension is added by introduction of fluorescence evaluations. This can represent the first step in a multiparameter approach to the non-invasive in situ fluorescence scan of dermatological lesions by inclusion of: (1) fluorescence excitation and emission spectra; (2) new fluorescence probes of cytoplasmic organelles and nuclear components. Primary emphasis should be placed on the highly active nuclear energy metabolism, which can be triggered to maximum levels when the role of mitochondria as the `cells's policeman' with regard to metabolic control is suppressed by use of topically cytotoxic agents such as the `antipsoriatic' anthralin and dicarboxylic acids used in the local treatment of melanoma. Fluorescence excitation spectroscopy may be of particular advantage in

  5. Whole-house arsenic water treatment provided more effective arsenic exposure reduction than point-of-use water treatment at New Jersey homes with arsenic in well water

    PubMed Central

    Spayd, Steven E.; Robson, Mark G.; Buckley, Brian T.

    2014-01-01

    A comparison of the effectiveness of whole house (point-of-entry) and point-of-use arsenic water treatment systems in reducing arsenic exposure from well water was conducted. The non-randomized observational study recruited 49 subjects having elevated arsenic in their residential home well water in New Jersey. The subjects obtained either point-of-entry or point-of-use arsenic water treatment. Prior ingestion exposure to arsenic in well water was calculated by measuring arsenic concentrations in the well water and obtaining water-use histories for each subject, including years of residence with the current well and amount of water consumed from the well per day. A series of urine samples were collected from the subjects, some starting before water treatment was installed and continuing for at least nine months after treatment had begun. Urine samples were analyzed and speciated for inorganic-related arsenic concentrations. A two-phase clearance of inorganic-related arsenic from urine and the likelihood of a significant body burden from chronic exposure to arsenic in drinking water were identified. After nine months of water treatment the adjusted mean of the urinary inorganic-related arsenic concentrations were significantly lower (p < 0.0005) in the point-of-entry treatment group (2.5 μg/g creatinine) than in the point-of-use treatment group (7.2 μg/g creatinine). The results suggest that whole house arsenic water treatment systems provide a more effective reduction of arsenic exposure from well water than that obtained by point-of-use treatment. PMID:24975493

  6. Arsenic in Ground-Water Resources of the United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Welch, Alan H.; Watkins, Sharon A.; Helsel, Dennis R.; Focazio, Michael J.

    2000-01-01

    Arsenic is a naturally occurring element in rocks, soils, and the waters in contact with them. Recognized as a toxic element for centuries, arsenic today also is a human health concern because it can contribute to skin, bladder, and other cancers (National Research Council, 1999). Recently, the National Research Council (1999) recommended lowering the current maximum contaminant level (MCL) allowed for arsenic in drinking water of 50 ?g/L (micrograms per liter), citing risks for developing bladder and other cancers. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) will propose a new, and likely lower, arsenic MCL during 2000 (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000). This fact sheet provides information on where and to what extent natural concentrations of arsenic in ground water exceed possible new standards. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has collected and analyzed arsenic in potable (drinkable) water from 18,850 wells in 595 counties across the United States during the past two decades. These wells are used for irrigation, industrial purposes, and research, as well as for public and private water supply. Arsenic concentrations in samples from these wells are similar to those found in nearby public supplies (see Focazio and others, 1999). The large number of samples, broad geographic coverage, and consistency of methods produce a more accurate and detailed picture of arsenic concentrations than provided by any previous studies.

  7. UVB induces atypical melanocytic lesions and melanoma in human skin.

    PubMed Central

    Atillasoy, E. S.; Seykora, J. T.; Soballe, P. W.; Elenitsas, R.; Nesbit, M.; Elder, D. E.; Montone, K. T.; Sauter, E.; Herlyn, M.

    1998-01-01

    A direct causal relationship between ultraviolet (UV) light in the B range and melanoma development has not been demonstrated in humans; this study aims to establish causality. A total of 158 RAG-1 mice, grafted with human newborn foreskin, were separated into four groups and observed for a median of 10 months: 1) no treatment, 2) a single treatment with 7,12-dimethyl(a)benzanthracene (DMBA), 3) UVB irradiation at 500 J/m2 alone, three times weekly, and 4) a combination of DMBA and UVB. Twenty-three percent of 40 normal human skin grafts treated with UVB only and 38% of 48 grafts treated with the combination of DMBA and UVB developed solar lentigines within 5 to 10 months of treatment. Melanocytic hyperplasia was found in 73% of all UVB-treated xenografts. Histological melanocytic changes resembling lentigo and lentigo maligna were seen in several skin grafts treated with both DMBA and UVB. In one graft of an animal treated with a combination of DMBA and UVB, a human malignant melanoma, nodular type, developed. This experimental system demonstrates that chronic UVB irradiation with or without an initiating carcinogen can induce human melanocytic lesions, including melanoma. Images Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 PMID:9588887

  8. Effects of arsenic on adipocyte metabolism: Is arsenic an obesogen?

    PubMed

    Ceja-Galicia, Zeltzin A; Daniel, Alberto; Salazar, Ana María; Pánico, Pablo; Ostrosky-Wegman, Patricia; Díaz-Villaseñor, Andrea

    2017-09-05

    The environmental obesogen model proposes that in addition to a high-calorie diet and diminished physical activity, other factors such as environmental pollutants and chemicals are involved in the development of obesity. Although arsenic has been recognized as a risk factor for Type 2 Diabetes with a specific mechanism, it is still uncertain whether arsenic is also an obesogen. The impairment of white adipose tissue (WAT) metabolism is crucial in the onset of obesity, and distinct studies have evaluated the effects of arsenic on it, however only in some of them for obesity-related purposes. Thus, the known effects of arsenic on WAT/adipocytes were integrated based on the diverse metabolic and physiological processes that occur in WAT and are altered in obesity, specifically: adipocyte growth, adipokine secretion, lipid metabolism, and glucose metabolism. The currently available information suggests that arsenic can negatively affect WAT metabolism, resulting in arsenic being a potential obesogen. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. EFFECT OF ARSENICALS ON CELL CYCLE DISTRIBUTION AND EXPRESSION OF CELL CYCLE PROTEINS IN HUMAN PRIMARY KERATINOCYTES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Environmental exposure to arsenic is a major public health concern. Epidemiological studies have demonstrated a strong correlation between levels of arsenic in drinking water and incidence of cancers of skin, lung, bladder and peripheral and cerebro vascular diseases. Despite eno...

  10. Photoacoustic discrimination of vascular and pigmented lesions using classical and Bayesian methods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Swearingen, Jennifer A.; Holan, Scott H.; Feldman, Mary M.; Viator, John A.

    2010-01-01

    Discrimination of pigmented and vascular lesions in skin can be difficult due to factors such as size, subungual location, and the nature of lesions containing both melanin and vascularity. Misdiagnosis may lead to precancerous or cancerous lesions not receiving proper medical care. To aid in the rapid and accurate diagnosis of such pathologies, we develop a photoacoustic system to determine the nature of skin lesions in vivo. By irradiating skin with two laser wavelengths, 422 and 530 nm, we induce photoacoustic responses, and the relative response at these two wavelengths indicates whether the lesion is pigmented or vascular. This response is due to the distinct absorption spectrum of melanin and hemoglobin. In particular, pigmented lesions have ratios of photoacoustic amplitudes of approximately 1.4 to 1 at the two wavelengths, while vascular lesions have ratios of about 4.0 to 1. Furthermore, we consider two statistical methods for conducting classification of lesions: standard multivariate analysis classification techniques and a Bayesian-model-based approach. We study 15 human subjects with eight vascular and seven pigmented lesions. Using the classical method, we achieve a perfect classification rate, while the Bayesian approach has an error rate of 20%.

  11. Arsenic in groundwater in Bangladesh: A geostatistical and epidemiological framework for evaluating health effects and potential remedies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, Winston H.; Harvey, Charles M.; Harvey, Charles F.

    2003-06-01

    This paper examines the health crisis in Bangladesh due to dissolved arsenic in groundwater. First, we use geostatistical methods to construct a map of arsenic concentrations that divides Bangladesh into regions and estimate vertical concentration trends in these regions. Then, we use census data to estimate exposure distributions in the regions; we use epidemiological data from West Bengal and Taiwan to estimate dose response functions for arsenicosis and arsenic-induced cancers; and we combine the regional exposure distributions and the dose response models to estimate the health effects of groundwater arsenic in Bangladesh. We predict that long-term exposure to present arsenic concentrations will result in approximately 1,200,000 cases of hyperpigmentation, 600,000 cases of keratosis, 125,000 cases of skin cancer, and 3000 fatalities per year from internal cancers. Although these estimates are very uncertain, the method provides a framework for incorporating better data as it becomes available. Moreover, we examine the remedy of drilling deeper wells in selected regions of Bangladesh. By replacing 31% of the wells in the country with deeper wells the health effects of drinking groundwater arsenic could be reduced by approximately 70% provided that arsenic concentrations in deep wells remain relatively low.

  12. Skin lesion removal-aftercare

    MedlinePlus

    ... skin cleansers, alcohol, peroxide, iodine, or soap with antibacterial chemicals. These can damage the wound tissue and ... the wound from re-opening by keeping strenuous activity to a minimum. Make sure your hands are ...

  13. Breslow depth of cutaneous melanoma: impact of factors related to surveillance of the skin, including prior skin biopsies and family history of melanoma.

    PubMed

    Fisher, Nina M; Schaffer, Julie V; Berwick, Marianne; Bolognia, Jean L

    2005-09-01

    Because the early detection of cutaneous melanoma can dramatically improve survival, identification and surveillance of persons at risk have received much attention. Our purpose was to examine the influences of personal or family history, patterns of detection, and prior skin biopsies (considered to be a measurement of surveillance by medical personnel) on the Breslow depth of cutaneous melanomas. A retrospective cohort analysis of 218 patients with a history of at least one invasive cutaneous melanoma who visited the Yale Pigmented Lesion Clinic between January 1995 and January 1996 was performed. Data on patterns of detection, melanocytic nevi, and skin biopsies before and after the initial diagnosis of melanoma were collected, and patients with a family history of melanoma were compared with sporadic patients. Initial melanomas discovered by dermatologists were more likely to be 0.75 mm or less in depth than those found by other physicians (P = .03). Although patients detected 45% of the initial primary melanomas (98/218), dermatologists discovered 80% of the second primary tumors (33/41; P = .001). A personal history of melanoma was predictive of a thinner Breslow depth (P = .01), but a family history of melanoma was not. Having a biopsy of any type or combination of types of skin lesion(s) performed in the 5 years, 2 years, or 1 year before the first diagnosis of melanoma did not predict a melanoma of thinner Breslow depth among either familial or sporadic patients. The mean number of skin biopsies performed per patient was 8 times higher in the 5-year period after (5.6) versus the 5-year period before (0.7) the initial diagnosis of melanoma, with a peak in the first year after the diagnosis (2.3 vs 0.25 in the prior year). In 27 patients, one or more skin biopsies were performed in the year before the initial diagnosis of melanoma; 41% of these biopsies (23/56) were of lesions in normally exposed sites (eg, the face, neck, and forearms) compared with 22% of

  14. The relation of maternal blood arsenic to anemia during pregnancy.

    PubMed

    Vigeh, Mohsen; Yokoyama, Kazuhito; Matsukawa, Takehisa; Shinohara, Atsuko; Ohtani, Katsumi

    2015-01-01

    To clarify the relationship of prenatal arsenic exposure to hemoglobin concentrations and anemia during pregnancy, a longitudinal study was conducted of 364 participants during early pregnancy from October 2006 to March 2011 in Tehran, Iran. Maternal whole blood (taken between 8-12 and 20-24 weeks of gestation, and at delivery) and umbilical cord blood samples were collected for arsenic measurement. The mean concentration of maternal blood arsenic in the first trimester of pregnancy was significantly lower in anemic women compared with non-anemic participants (mean ± SD: 12.4 ± 3.4 versus 14.8 ± 4.0 μg/L, respectively, p < 0.001). Maternal whole blood arsenic levels in the first and third trimesters were significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with hemoglobin concentrations measured throughout gestation (r = 0.312, 0.424, and 0.183). Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that increased maternal blood arsenic levels in the first trimester were significantly negatively associated to anemia during pregnancy (OR = 0.85, CI: 0.77-0.94, p < 0.01). The present study showed that prenatal blood arsenic exposure was not a risk factor for the occurrence of anemia.

  15. Diversity of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius in carriage sites and skin lesions of dogs with superficial bacterial folliculitis: potential implications for diagnostic testing and therapy.

    PubMed

    Larsen, Rikke Friis; Boysen, Lene; Jessen, Lisbeth Rem; Guardabassi, Luca; Damborg, Peter

    2018-05-21

    Staphylococcus pseudintermedius is genotypically diverse within the canine population and multiple strains may colonize individual dogs at any given time. If multiple strains with distinct antimicrobial resistance profiles are present in superficial bacterial folliculitis (SBF), sampling a single skin lesion for culture and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) might be inadequate to select effective therapy. To investigate S. pseudintermedius diversity in carriage sites and lesions of dogs with SBF. Fourteen dogs with SBF. Staphylococcus pseudintermedius isolates obtained from perineum, gingiva and four to six skin lesions per dog were subjected to pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and AST to assess diversity between lesions. For two dogs, 14-16 isolates per lesion were included in the analysis to assess diversity within lesions. Analysis of one isolate per lesion revealed one to four strains displaying unique PFGE profiles, and up to three unique antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiles for each dog. Multiple pustules from the same dog always harboured the same strain, whereas papules, crusts and collarettes did not. Up to four strains with distinct AMR profiles were isolated from the same lesion in two dogs. In 12 dogs, at least one carriage site strain also was represented in lesions. Lesions of SBF may harbour multiple S. pseudintermedius strains with distinct antimicrobial resistance profiles. Pustules are the best target for bacterial culture. It remains unclear whether isolation of different strains from other lesion types is a consequence of contamination or co-infection by multiple strains. © 2018 ESVD and ACVD.

  16. Non tuberculous mycobacterial lesion of the parotid gland and facial skin in a 4year old girl: A proposed treatment strategy.

    PubMed

    Berkovic, Juraj; Vanchiere, John A; Gungor, Anil

    2016-01-01

    We report a case of a parotid-facial caseating granulomatous infection caused by atypical mycobacteria (Mycobacterium avium) in an immuno-competent child. The size and depth of the lesion and its proximity to the facial nerve present a challenge for a purely surgical treatment strategy. An alternative treatment strategy is developed to avoid severe disfigurement. Atypical mycobacterial infection of the parotid region in a 5 year old girl: timeline and definition of a planned combined treatment strategy with antibiotics and surgical excision. Cervicofacial infections caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) may present surgical challenges due to the size and depth of the lesion and its proximity to the facial nerve and major vascular structures. Even minor scars are highly visible and poorly tolerated. Close clinical monitoring combined with judicious treatment strategies is necessary for successful treatment and good cosmesis. Recent literature provides insufficient guidance in formulating the best treatment strategy for the individual patient. Comparisons of antibiotic therapy with variations of surgical excision are abundant but poorly formulated. Our case presented with a lesion involving skin, superficial and deep lobe of the parotid gland. Lesion was in immediate proximity to the distribution of the facial nerve through the parotid gland. The risk of surgical damage to the facial nerve in the acute phase of the inflammation and the required extent of skin excision were significant. We decided to start treatment with combination antimycobacterial antibiotics in close cooperation with the pediatric infectious disease specialists. We observed and documented the regress and executed a delayed surgical excision when the lesion was reduced to skin only. In our opinion this was the best treatment strategy that helped us avoid extensive dissection in the vicinity of the facial nerve as well as a parotidectomy. Excision of the involved skin with the deep portion

  17. Predicting oral relative bioavailability of arsenic in soil from in vitro bioaccessibility

    EPA Science Inventory

    Several investigations have been conducted to develop in vitro bioaccessibility (IVBA) assays that reliably predict in vivo oral relative bioavailability (RBA) of arsenic (As). This study describes a meta-regression model relating soil As RBA and IVBA that is based upon data comb...

  18. A mobile system for skin cancer diagnosis and monitoring

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gu, Yanliang; Tang, Jinshan

    2014-05-01

    In this paper, we propose a mobile system for aiding doctors in skin cancer diagnosis and other persons in skin cancer monitoring. The basic idea is to use image retrieval techniques to help the users to find the similar skin cancer cases stored in a database by using smart phones. The query image can be taken by a smart phone from a patient or can be uploaded from other resources. The shapes of the skin lesions are used for matching two skin lesions, which are segmented from skin images using the skin lesion extraction method developed in 1. The features used in the proposed system are obtained by Fourier descriptor. A prototype application has been developed and can be installed in an iPhone. In this application, the iPhone users can use the iPhone as a diagnosis tool to find the potential skin lesions in a persons' skin and compare the skin lesions detected by the iPhone with the skin lesions stored in a database in a remote server.

  19. Association of malignancy with rapid growth in early lesions induced by irradiation of rat skin

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    McGregor, J.F.

    1979-04-01

    Epithelial lesions induced by irradiation of rat skin were studied to determine (a) the relationship of malignancy to dose, (b) the types of lesions and circumstances leading to overt malignancy, and (c) the growth rates of lesions progressing to malignancy versus those of lesions remaining benign. High doses of radiation were shown to be associated with the production of epidermal cancers, the maximum yield being obtained at 6,400 rads. Conversely, a peak yield of noncancerous lesions was obtained at 1,600 rads. This association between malignancy and high dose was consistent for cancers evolving from warts, cysts, and chronic ulcers. Althoughmore » the proportion of warts among the induced lesions was much higher than that of the cysts or chronic ulcers (76, 14, and 10%, respectively), the likelihood of warts becoming cancerous was substantially lower (14, 23, and 21%). The combined data for all doses showed that the latency period of the epidermal cancers was significantly (P = 0.015) shorter than that of the benign tumors. Rapid growth rates were observed for warts, cysts, and chronic ulcers progressing to overt cancer, and these did not overlap at any point on the growth scale with rates for benign tumors. This finding suggested that the potential for malignant development had been established early in the carcinogenic process, very likely at induction.« less

  20. Porcine Skin Visible Lesion Thresholds for Near-Infrared Lasers Including Modeling at Two Pulse Durations and Spot Sizes

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-08-01

    injuries, including corneal, lenticular , and retinal lesions as a function of pulse duration. American National Standards Institute (ANSI) laser...little for skin effects. Unlike most other laser wavelengths, 1315-nm irradiation has been shown to cause damage at corneal, lenticular , and retinal

  1. Microspectroscopic Analysis Of HpD Fluorescence In Bioptic Samples From Human Pre-Malignant And Malignant Lesions Of The Skin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bottiroli, G.; Dell'Acqua, R.; Jucci, A.; Ricevuti, G.; Sacchi, A. S.

    1987-07-01

    Microfluorometric analysis was performed on bioptic samples of pre-malignant and malignant cutanous lesions present in the same patients, 48 h after i.v. injection of HpD. Data obtained indicate that actinic keratosis and squamous celle carcinoma show a preferential accumulation if compared to normal skin. The two lesions differ for both intensity and spectral shape of HpD fluorescence. This difference is correlated with a different clinical response to HpD laser phototherapy.

  2. Automatic lesion boundary detection in dermoscopy images using gradient vector flow snakes

    PubMed Central

    Erkol, Bulent; Moss, Randy H.; Stanley, R. Joe; Stoecker, William V.; Hvatum, Erik

    2011-01-01

    Background Malignant melanoma has a good prognosis if treated early. Dermoscopy images of pigmented lesions are most commonly taken at × 10 magnification under lighting at a low angle of incidence while the skin is immersed in oil under a glass plate. Accurate skin lesion segmentation from the background skin is important because some of the features anticipated to be used for diagnosis deal with shape of the lesion and others deal with the color of the lesion compared with the color of the surrounding skin. Methods In this research, gradient vector flow (GVF) snakes are investigated to find the border of skin lesions in dermoscopy images. An automatic initialization method is introduced to make the skin lesion border determination process fully automated. Results Skin lesion segmentation results are presented for 70 benign and 30 melanoma skin lesion images for the GVF-based method and a color histogram analysis technique. The average errors obtained by the GVF-based method are lower for both the benign and melanoma image sets than for the color histogram analysis technique based on comparison with manually segmented lesions determined by a dermatologist. Conclusions The experimental results for the GVF-based method demonstrate promise as an automated technique for skin lesion segmentation in dermoscopy images. PMID:15691255

  3. Environmental arsenic exposure from a coal-burning power plant as a potential risk factor for nonmelanoma skin carcinoma: results from a case-control study in the district of Prievidza, Slovakia.

    PubMed

    Pesch, Beate; Ranft, Ulrich; Jakubis, Pavel; Nieuwenhuijsen, Mark J; Hergemöller, Andre; Unfried, Klaus; Jakubis, Marian; Miskovic, Peter; Keegan, Tom

    2002-05-01

    To investigate the risk of arsenic exposure from a coal-burning power plant in Slovakia on nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) development, a 1996-1999 population-based case-control study was conducted with 264 cases and 286 controls. Exposure assessment was based on residential history and annual emissions (Asres1, Asres2) and on nutritional habits and arsenic content in food (Asnut1, Asnut2). Asres1 was assessed as a function of the distance of places of residence to the plant. Asres2 additionally considered workplace locations. Asnut1 was used to calculate arsenic uptake by weighting food frequencies with arsenic concentrations and annual consumption of food items. Asnut2 additionally considered consumption of local products. Age- and gender-adjusted risk estimates for NMSC in the highest exposure category (90th vs. 30th percentile) were 1.90 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.39, 2.60) for Asres1, 1.90 (95% CI: 1.38, 2.62) for Asres2, 1.19 (95% CI: 0.64, 2.12) for Asnut1, and 1.83 (95% CI: 0.98, 3.43) for Asnut2. No interaction was found between arsenic exposure and dietary and residential data. Other plant emissions could have confounded the distance-based exposure variables. Consumption of contaminated vegetables and fruits could be confounded by the protective effects of such a diet. Nevertheless, the authors found an excess NMSC risk for environmental arsenic exposure.

  4. Mussels and clams from the italian fish market. is there a human exposition risk to metals and arsenic?

    PubMed

    Chiesa, L M; Ceriani, F; Caligara, M; Di Candia, D; Malandra, R; Panseri, S; Arioli, F

    2018-03-01

    Seafood is associated with many beneficial effects on human health. However, the overall level of contaminants in biota has increased over the last two centuries and seafood is one of the source of oral exposition to contaminants. Therefore, this work aimed to evaluate cadmium, lead, mercury, arsenic, chromium and nickel presence in mussels and clams, from the Italian market, and the associated risk. The samples were from five different FAO areas. Analyses were carried out using inductively-coupled plasms-mass spectrometry. The sample concentrations were below the maximum levels stated by Commission Regulation (EC) 1881/2006, except one mussel sample, which was non-compliant for cadmium (2.13 ± 0.20 mg kg -1 ). For arsenic, nickel and chromium, maximum levels are not stated by the European Union. In this study, arsenic ranged from 1.29 to 13.35 mg kg -1 and nickel ranged from skin lesions, was >1, and BMDL 10 for lung bladder and skin cancer in all mussel samples was overcome, in the 100% and 25% of mussel and clam samples, respectively. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Occupational skin problems in construction workers.

    PubMed

    Shah, Kartik R; Tiwari, Rajnarayan R

    2010-10-01

    Construction workers handle cement which has constituents to produce both irritant contact dermatitis and corrosive effects (from alkaline ingredients, such as lime) and sensitization, leading to allergic contact dermatitis (from ingredients, such as chromium). The present study has been carried out among unorganized construction workers to find the prevalence of skin problems. The present cross-sectional study was conducted in 92 construction workers of Ahmedabad and Vadodara. All the workers were subjected to clinical examination after collection of information regarding demographic characteristics, occupational characteristics and clinical history on a predesigned proforma. Of them, 47.8% had morbid skin conditions. Frictional callosities in palm were observed in 18 (19.6%) subjects while 4 (4.3%) subjects had contact dermatitis. Other conditions included dry, fissured and scaly skin, infectious skin lesion, tinea cruris, lesion and ulcers on hands and/or soles. The skin conditions were common in the age group of 20-25 years, males, those having ≥1 year exposure and those working for longer hours. Half of the workers not using personal protective equipment had reported skin-related symptoms.

  6. Role of complex organic arsenicals in food in aggregate exposure to arsenic.

    PubMed

    Thomas, David J; Bradham, Karen

    2016-11-01

    For much of the world's population, food is the major source of exposure to arsenic. Exposure to this non-essential metalloid at relatively low levels may be linked to a wide range of adverse health effects. Thus, evaluating foods as sources of exposure to arsenic is important in assessing risk and developing strategies that protect public health. Although most emphasis has been placed on inorganic arsenic as human carcinogen and toxicant, an array of arsenic-containing species are found in plants and animals used as foods. Here, we 2evaluate the contribution of complex organic arsenicals (arsenosugars, arsenolipids, and trimethylarsonium compounds) that are found in foods and consider their origins, metabolism, and potential toxicity. Commonalities in the metabolism of arsenosugars and arsenolipids lead to the production of di-methylated arsenicals which are known to exert many toxic effects. Evaluating foods as sources of exposure to these complex organic arsenicals and understanding the formation of reactive metabolites may be critical in assessing their contribution to aggregate exposure to arsenic. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  7. Douchi (fermented Glycine max Merr.) alleviates atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice by regulation of PKC and IL-4.

    PubMed

    Jung, A-Ram; Ahn, Sang-Hyun; Park, In-Sik; Park, Sun-Young; Jeong, Seung-Il; Cheon, Jin-Hong; Kim, Kibong

    2016-10-24

    Douchi (fermented Glycine max Merr.) is produced from fermented soybeans, which is widely used in traditional herbal medicine. In this study, we investigated whether Douchi attenuates protein kinase C (PKC) and interleukin (IL)-4 response and cutaneous inflammation in Atopic dermatitis (AD)-like NC/Nga mice. To induce AD-like skin lesions, D. farinae antigen was applied to the dorsal skin of 3-week-old NC/Nga mice. After inducing AD, Douchi extract was administered 20 mg/kg daily for 3 weeks to the Douchi-treated mice group. We identified the changes of skin barrier and Th2 differentiation through PKC and IL-4 by immunohistochemistry. Douchi treatment of NC/Nga mice significantly reduced clinical scores (p < 0.01) and histological features. The levels of PKC and IL-4 were significantly reduced in the Douchi-treated group (p < 0.01). The reduction of IL-4 and PKC led to decrease of inflammatory factors such as substance P, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and Matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP-9) (all p < 0.01). Douchi also down-regulated Th1 markers (IL-12, TNF-α) as well as Th2 markers (IL-4, p-IκB) (p < 0.01). Douchi alleviates AD-like skin lesions through suppressing of PKC and IL-4. These results also lead to diminish levels of substance P, iNOS and MMP-9 in skin lesions. Therefore, Douchi may have potential applications for the prevention and treatment of AD.

  8. CONSEQUENCES OF ACUTE AND CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO ARSENIC

    EPA Science Inventory

    Arsenic is a toxic chemical and may cause adverse health effects in children and adults. It is known to affect the nervous, gastrointestinal, and hematological systems and cause skin and internal cancers in people exposed to levels greater than 300 ppb in their drinking water. Fo...

  9. 850nm light-emitting-diode phototherapy plus low-dose tacrolimus (FK-506) as combination therapy in the treatment of Dermatophagoides farinae-induced atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice.

    PubMed

    Kim, Chang-Hyun; Cheong, Kyung Ah; Lee, Ai-Young

    2013-11-01

    Light emitting diode (LED) phototherapy is an effective alternative for the treatment of inflammatory skin disorders. Tacrolimus (FK-506) is a potent immunomodulating agent, which has been used to treat AD. Combination therapy is often used in the treatment of AD to improve therapeutic efficacy or to reduce the dose of each drug. To investigate the therapeutic efficacy of monotherapy with either 850nm LED phototherapy or low-dose FK-506, and combination therapy in Dermatophagoides farina (Df)-induced AD-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice. The Df-induced NC/Nga mice with a clinical score of 7 were used for treatment with LED (10 and 25J/cm(2)) alone, low-dose FK-506 (1mg/kg) or in combination. The synergistic effects of combined therapy were evaluated by dermatitis scores, skin histology, skin barrier function, and immunological parameters, such as IgE, NO, Th2-mediated cytokines and chemokines. Combination therapy with 850nm (25J/cm(2)) LED and low-dose FK-506 showed a significant reduction in the severity of skin lesions. Combined therapy decreased in the serum level of IgE, NO, and in the splenic level of Th2-mediated cytokines and chemokines. Combination therapy significantly also reduced the inflammatory cellular infiltrate into the skin lesions. Moreover, combination therapy led to recovery of skin barrier function in the skin lesions. The use of combination of LED phototherapy and low-dose immunosuppressant improved Df-induced AD-like skin lesions in an NC/Nga mouse model by dominantly reducing IgE, NO, suppressing Th2-mediated immune responses, and inhibiting inflammatory cells, as well as improving skin barrier function. Copyright © 2013 Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. The feasibility of using manual segmentation in a multifeature computer-aided diagnosis system for classification of skin lesions: a retrospective comparative study.

    PubMed

    Chang, Wen-Yu; Huang, Adam; Chen, Yin-Chun; Lin, Chi-Wei; Tsai, John; Yang, Chung-Kai; Huang, Yin-Tseng; Wu, Yi-Fan; Chen, Gwo-Shing

    2015-05-03

    To investigate the feasibility of manual segmentation by users of different backgrounds in a previously developed multifeature computer-aided diagnosis (CADx) system to classify melanocytic and non-melanocytic skin lesions based on conventional digital photographic images. In total, 347 conventional photographs of melanocytic and non-melanocytic skin lesions were retrospectively reviewed, and manually segmented by two groups of physicians, dermatologists and general practitioners, as well as by an automated segmentation software program, JSEG. The performance of CADx based on inputs from these two groups of physicians and that of the JSEG program was compared using feature agreement analysis. The estimated area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for classification of benign or malignant skin lesions based were comparable on individual segmentation by the gold standard (0.893, 95% CI 0.856 to 0.930), dermatologists (0.886, 95% CI 0.863 to 0.908), general practitioners (0.883, 95% CI 0.864 to 0.903) and JSEG (0.856, 95% CI 0.812 to 0.899). The agreement in the malignancy probability scores among the physicians was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.91). By selecting an optimal cut-off value of malignancy probability score, the sensitivity and specificity were 80.07% and 81.47% for dermatologists and 79.90% and 80.20% for general practitioners. This study suggests that manual segmentation by general practitioners is feasible in the described CADx system for classifying benign and malignant skin lesions. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  11. Cryotherapy - skin

    MedlinePlus

    ... skin; Warts - freezing; Warts - cryotherapy; Actinic keratosis - cryotherapy; Solar keratosis - cryotherapy ... warts Destroy precancerous skin lesions (actinic keratoses or solar keratoses) In rare cases, cryotherapy is used to ...

  12. Arsenic metabolism and one-carbon metabolism at low-moderate arsenic exposure: Evidence from the Strong Heart Study.

    PubMed

    Spratlen, Miranda Jones; Gamble, Mary V; Grau-Perez, Maria; Kuo, Chin-Chi; Best, Lyle G; Yracheta, Joseph; Francesconi, Kevin; Goessler, Walter; Mossavar-Rahmani, Yasmin; Hall, Meghan; Umans, Jason G; Fretts, Amanda; Navas-Acien, Ana

    2017-07-01

    B-vitamins involved in one-carbon metabolism (OCM) can affect arsenic metabolism efficiency in highly arsenic exposed, undernourished populations. We evaluated whether dietary intake of OCM nutrients (including vitamins B2, B6, folate (B9), and B12) was associated with arsenic metabolism in a more nourished population exposed to lower arsenic than previously studied. Dietary intake of OCM nutrients and urine arsenic was evaluated in 405 participants from the Strong Heart Study. Arsenic exposure was measured as the sum of iAs, monomethylarsonate (MMA) and dimethylarsenate (DMA) in urine. Arsenic metabolism was measured as the individual percentages of each metabolite over their sum (iAs%, MMA%, DMA%). In adjusted models, increasing intake of vitamins B2 and B6 was associated with modest but significant decreases in iAs% and MMA% and increases in DMA%. A significant interaction was found between high folate and B6 with enhanced arsenic metabolism efficiency. Our findings suggest OCM nutrients may influence arsenic metabolism in populations with moderate arsenic exposure. Stronger and independent associations were observed with B2 and B6, vitamins previously understudied in relation to arsenic. Research is needed to evaluate whether targeting B-vitamin intake can serve as a strategy for the prevention of arsenic-related health effects at low-moderate arsenic exposure. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. SPECIATION OF ARSENIC IN EDIBLE BIOTA TO SUPPORT RISK ASSESSMENT DETERMINATION OF RELATIVE SOURCE CONTRIBUTION FOR ARSENIC

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Office of Research and Development has designated the study of arsenic as a high priority research area because of the health risk associated from exposure to this element. Present monitoring efforts are primarily focused on total concentration of arsenic in drinking water. ...

  14. Biological and environmental hazards associated with exposure to chemical warfare agents: arsenicals.

    PubMed

    Li, Changzhao; Srivastava, Ritesh K; Athar, Mohammad

    2016-08-01

    Arsenicals are highly reactive inorganic and organic derivatives of arsenic. These chemicals are very toxic and produce both acute and chronic tissue damage. On the basis of these observations, and considering the low cost and simple methods of their bulk syntheses, these agents were thought to be appropriate for chemical warfare. Among these, the best-known agent that was synthesized and weaponized during World War I (WWI) is Lewisite. Exposure to Lewisite causes painful inflammatory and blistering responses in the skin, lung, and eye. These chemicals also manifest systemic tissue injury following their cutaneous exposure. Although largely discontinued after WWI, stockpiles are still known to exist in the former Soviet Union, Germany, Italy, the United States, and Asia. Thus, access by terrorists or accidental exposure could be highly dangerous for humans and the environment. This review summarizes studies that describe the biological, pathophysiological, toxicological, and environmental effects of exposure to arsenicals, with a major focus on cutaneous injury. Studies related to the development of novel molecular pathobiology-based antidotes against these agents are also described. © 2016 New York Academy of Sciences.

  15. Biological and environmental hazards associated with exposure to chemical warfare agents: arsenicals

    PubMed Central

    Li, Changzhao; Srivastava, Ritesh K.; Athar, Mohammad

    2016-01-01

    Arsenicals are highly reactive inorganic and organic derivatives of arsenic. These chemicals are very toxic and produce both acute and chronic tissue damage. Based on these observations, and considering the low cost and simple methods of their bulk syntheses, these agents were thought to be appropriate for chemical warfare. Among these, the most known agent synthesized and weaponized during World War I (WWI) is Lewisite. Exposure to Lewisite causes painful inflammatory and blistering responses in the skin, lung, and eye. These chemicals also manifest systemic tissue injury following their cutaneous exposure. Although largely discontinued after WWI, their stockpiles are still known to exist in the former Soviet Union, Germany, Italy, the United States, and Asia. Thus, their access by terrorists or accidental exposure could be highly dangerous for humans and the environment. This review summarizes studies which describe the biological, pathophysiological, toxicological, and environmental effects of exposure to arsenicals, with a major focus on cutaneous injury. Studies related to the development of novel molecular pathobiology–based antidotes against these agents are also described. PMID:27636894

  16. A 28-Year-Old Male Patient with Nail Tumors, Skin Lesions, and Epilepsy

    PubMed Central

    Balak, Deepak M.W.; Zonnenberg, Bernard A.; Spitzer-Naaijkens, Juliette M.J.; Hulshof, Mieke M.

    2017-01-01

    Background Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by the development of benign hamartomas in multiple organs. Most patients with TSC exhibit cutaneous manifestations. Methods We report a 28-year-old patient with multiple pink papules at the proximal nail fold of several toes. Results Histopathological analysis of a biopsy of a papule was consistent with an ungual fibroma. Histopathological analysis of a biopsy of an elevated skin-colored plaque at the lower back was diagnostic for a Shagreen patch. These findings were consistent with a clinical diagnosis of TSC. This patient was subsequently referred to a multidisciplinary TSC clinic for further screening, which revealed a giant cell astrocytoma and multiple subependymal tubers. Annual monitoring was recommended. The skin lesions were treated with topical rapamycin ointment. Conclusions Recognizing dermatological manifestations of TSC is of importance to allow early diagnosis. TSC should be considered as a differential diagnosis in the case of ungual fibromas, even in older patients. PMID:28203158

  17. A 28-Year-Old Male Patient with Nail Tumors, Skin Lesions, and Epilepsy.

    PubMed

    Balak, Deepak M W; Zonnenberg, Bernard A; Spitzer-Naaijkens, Juliette M J; Hulshof, Mieke M

    2017-01-01

    Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by the development of benign hamartomas in multiple organs. Most patients with TSC exhibit cutaneous manifestations. We report a 28-year-old patient with multiple pink papules at the proximal nail fold of several toes. Histopathological analysis of a biopsy of a papule was consistent with an ungual fibroma. Histopathological analysis of a biopsy of an elevated skin-colored plaque at the lower back was diagnostic for a Shagreen patch. These findings were consistent with a clinical diagnosis of TSC. This patient was subsequently referred to a multidisciplinary TSC clinic for further screening, which revealed a giant cell astrocytoma and multiple subependymal tubers. Annual monitoring was recommended. The skin lesions were treated with topical rapamycin ointment. Recognizing dermatological manifestations of TSC is of importance to allow early diagnosis. TSC should be considered as a differential diagnosis in the case of ungual fibromas, even in older patients.

  18. Evidence-based Danish guidelines for the treatment of Malassezia-related skin diseases.

    PubMed

    Hald, Marianne; Arendrup, Maiken C; Svejgaard, Else L; Lindskov, Rune; Foged, Erik K; Saunte, Ditte Marie L

    2015-01-01

    Internationally approved guidelines for the diagnosis and management of Malassezia-related skin diseases are lacking. Therefore, a panel of experts consisting of dermatologists and a microbiologist under the auspices of the Danish Society of Dermatology undertook a data review and compiled guidelines for the diagnostic procedures and management of pityriasis versicolor, seborrhoeic dermatitis and Malassezia folliculitis. Main recommendations in most cases of pityriasis versicolor and seborrhoeic dermatitis include topical treatment which has been shown to be sufficient. As first choice, treatment should be based on topical antifungal medication. A short course of topical corticosteroid or topical calcineurin inhibitors has an anti-inflammatory effect in seborrhoeic dermatitis. Systemic antifungal therapy may be indicated for widespread lesions or lesions refractory to topical treatment. Maintenance therapy is often necessary to prevent relapses. In the treatment of Malassezia folliculitis systemic antifungal treatment is probably more effective than topical treatment but a combination may be favourable.

  19. Specific substance of Maruyama (SSM) suppresses immune responses in atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in DS-Nh mice by modulating dendritic cell functions.

    PubMed

    Mitsuishi, Tsuyoshi; Kabashima, Kenji; Tanizaki, Hideaki; Ohsawa, Ikuroh; Oda, Fumino; Yamada, Yuko; Halifu, Yilinuer; Kawana, Seiji; Kato, Toshihiko; Iida, Kazumi

    2011-09-01

    Specific substance of Maruyama (SSM) is a carcinostatic immunotherapeutic agent extracted from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The efficacy of SSM induced interleukin(IL)-12 and IFN-γ production, and inhibition of IL-4, resulting in a shift from Th2 to Th1 in vivo. The DS-Nh mice are a model of human atopic dermatitis (AD), which spontaneously develop dermatitis under conventional conditions. In this study, to determine whether SSM can prevent the development of skin lesions in a murine model of AD. DS-Nh mice were injected with SSM 5 days per week for 11 weeks. Pharmacological, histological and serological studies were performed to investigate the therapeutic effect of SSM for DS-Nh mice. Analysis of cytokines responses to SSM using quantitative RT-PCR and flow cytometry were also performed to evaluate their therapeutic mechanisms in these AD model mice. Clinically, erythema, erosions, excoriation, and edema were observed in DS-Nh mice at 16 weeks of age, which advanced with age. Histologically, the relative number of mast cells increased in DS-Nh mice. SSM treatment alleviated the clinical and histological findings in accord with reduced serum IgE level, and increased IgG2a level. TSLP expression was not induced, but IL-1β, IL-12, IL-17A, and IFN-γ were induced in SSM-treated DS-Nh mice. Overall, SSM treatments increased the number of activated DCs in lesions. SSM induced CD80, CD86, and MHC class II expression on bone marrow-derived DCs. SSM enhanced IL-12 production, but suppressed TSLP expression, resulting in a shift from Th2 to Th1 responses. This shift suppressed AD-like skin lesions in a similar fashion as the BCG vaccine. Therefore, SSM may be a useful adjuvant for suppressing skin lesions in AD models. Copyright © 2011 Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. The alkylphenols 4-nonylphenol, 4-tert-octylphenol and 4-tert-butylphenol aggravate atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice.

    PubMed

    Sadakane, Kaori; Ichinose, Takamichi; Takano, Hirohisa; Yanagisawa, Rie; Koike, Eiko; Inoue, Ken-ichiro

    2014-08-01

    Phthalate esters in plastics act as adjuvants for immunoglobulin production, which aggravates allergic disease. However, the effects of alkylphenols (used as plasticizers and surfactants) on atopic dermatitis have not been studied in detail. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to investigate the effects of the alkylphenols 4-nonylphenol (NP), 4-tert-octylphenol (OP) and 4-tert-butylphenol (BP) in a murine model of atopic dermatitis. NC/Nga mice were intraperitoneally administered NP, OP or BP and were subcutaneously injected with mite allergen in one ear to induce atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions (ADSLs). The condition of the skin was observed, and the levels of immunoglobulin in serum and inflammatory cytokines in lesions were determined. NP exacerbated mite allergen-induced ADSLs according to dose. OP and BP also significantly exacerbated skin lesions but not as a function of dose. Alkylphenols tended to increase the levels of IgE and antigen-specific IgG1 in serum. Further, the treatment of the alkylphenols increased the expression in lesions of inflammatory cytokines, interleukin-4 and monocyte chemotactic protein-3. Thymic stromal lymphopoietin levels increased according to ADSL severity. In contrast, the levels of the T-helper 1 cytokines (interleukin-18 and interferon-gamma) decreased. NP, OP or BP may enhance T-helper 2-type immune responses in NC/Nga mice, which aggravates mite allergen-induced ADSLs. Therefore, the uptake of very low levels of alkylphenols may contribute to the increase in the incidence of atopic dermatitis. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  1. Ultrastructural and x-ray microanalytical observations of minocycline-related hyperpigmentation of the skin

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sato, S.; Murphy, G.F.; Bernhard, J.D.

    1981-09-01

    In order to elucidate the nature and distribution of the pigment responsible for the circumscribed blue-black cutaneous hyperpigmentation occurring after administration of minocycline hydrochloride, transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive electron x-ray microanalysis were performed on lesional skin. Ultrastructural observations demonstrated electron-dense iron-containing particles either incorporated into a variety of siderosomes, within dermal histiocytes, free within the cytoplasm, or, rarely, scattered among dermal collagen fibers. Electron x-ray microanalysis confirmed iron content present within these particles. Although siderosomal inclusions contained occasional melanosome complexes, the degree of deposition of electron-dense iron-containing particles in dermal histiocytes seemed to be primarily responsible for the blue-blackmore » discoloration of the skin. The present study is an investigation of the structure and composition of the pigment responsible for minocycline-related cutaneous hyperpigmentation.« less

  2. Adult honey bee losses in Utah as related to arsenic poisoning

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Knowlton, G.F.; Sturtevant, A.P.; Sorenson, C.J.

    1950-08-01

    A study has been conducted to determine the source of arsenic that has caused serious losses of honey bees in Utah. Samples of dead and dying bees, pollen, plant blossoms, soil, pond water, algae, and moss were collected and analyzed for the presence of arsenic. Although some of the deaths were caused by improperly timed orchard spraying, a large percentage of arsenical materials found in blossoms must have come from some source other than through plant absorption from the soil. Plants apparently do not take up sufficient quantities of arsenic from the soil to poison bees. The data support themore » conclusion that most honey bee losses were caused by arsenic containing dusts from the operation of smelters. Some beekeepers reported that losses were especially noticeable after a light rain following a period of drought.« less

  3. Contamination of drinking-water by arsenic in Bangladesh: a public health emergency.

    PubMed Central

    Smith, A. H.; Lingas, E. O.; Rahman, M.

    2000-01-01

    The contamination of groundwater by arsenic in Bangladesh is the largest poisoning of a population in history, with millions of people exposed. This paper describes the history of the discovery of arsenic in drinking-water in Bangladesh and recommends intervention strategies. Tube-wells were installed to provide "pure water" to prevent morbidity and mortality from gastrointestinal disease. The water from the millions of tube-wells that were installed was not tested for arsenic contamination. Studies in other countries where the population has had long-term exposure to arsenic in groundwater indicate that 1 in 10 people who drink water containing 500 micrograms of arsenic per litre may ultimately die from cancers caused by arsenic, including lung, bladder and skin cancers. The rapid allocation of funding and prompt expansion of current interventions to address this contamination should be facilitated. The fundamental intervention is the identification and provision of arsenic-free drinking water. Arsenic is rapidly excreted in urine, and for early or mild cases, no specific treatment is required. Community education and participation are essential to ensure that interventions are successful; these should be coupled with follow-up monitoring to confirm that exposure has ended. Taken together with the discovery of arsenic in groundwater in other countries, the experience in Bangladesh shows that groundwater sources throughout the world that are used for drinking-water should be tested for arsenic. PMID:11019458

  4. Microtopographic Inspection and Fractal Analysis of Skin Neoplasia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Costa, Manuel F. M.; Hipolito, Alberto Valencia; Gutierrez, Gustavo Fidel; Chanona, Jorge; Gallegos, Eva Ramón

    2008-04-01

    Early detection of skin cancer is fundamental to a successful treatment. Changes in the shape, including the relief, of skin lesions are an indicator of a possible malignity. Optical microtopographic inspection of skin lesions can be used to identify diagnostic patterns of benign and malign skin' lesions. Statistical parameters like the mean roughness (Ra) may allow the discrimination between different types of lesions and degree of malignity. Fractal analysis of bi-dimensional and 3D images of skin lesions can validate or complement that assessment by calculation of its fractal dimensions (FD). On the study herein reported the microtopographic inspection of the skin lesions were performed using the optical triangulation based microtopographer developed at the Physics Department of the University of Minho, MICROTOP.03.MFC. The patients that participated in this research work were men and women older than 15 years with the clinical and histopathology diagnoses of: melanoma, basocellular carcinoma, epidermoide carcinoma, actinic keratosis, keratoacantosis and benign nevus. Latex impressions of the lesions were taken and microtopographically analyzed. Characteristic information for each type of studied lesion was obtained. For melanoma it was observed that on the average these tumors present an increased roughness of around 67 percent compared to the roughness of the healthy skin. This feature allows the distinction from other tumors as basocellular carcinoma (were the roughness increase was in the average of 49 percent) and benign lesions as the epidermoide cyst (37 percent) or the seborrhea keratosis (4 percent). Tumor size and roughness are directly proportional to the grade of malignality. The characterization of the fractal geometry of 2D (histological slides) and 3D images of skin lesions was performed by obtaining its FD evaluated by means of the Box counting method. Results obtained showed that the average fractal dimension of histological slide images (FDh

  5. Effects of biological and behavioral factors on urinary arsenic ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Abstract In older men and women who were long-term residents of Churchill County, Nevada, we examined the relation between arsenic exposure from home tap water and urinary levels of inorganic arsenic and its methylated metabolites. Over a wide exposure range (up to 1850 ug of arsenic per liter), urinary concentrations of inorganic, monomethylated, and dimethylated arsenicals strongly correlated with home tap water arsenic concentrations. However, percentages of summed urinary concentrations of inorganic, monomethylated, and dimethylated arsenicals accounted for by each arsenical species were unaffected by arsenic concentration in home tap water, suggesting thc1t capacity for formation and excretion of methylated metabolites was not exceeded. Biological factors (gender, age, body mass index, and genotype) and a behavioral factor (smoking) influenced absolute and relative levels of arsenicals in urine. A multivariate regression model showed that both biological and behavioral factors were significant predictors of absolute and relative concentrations of inorganic arsenic and its methylated metabolites in urine. These findings suggest that analyses of dose-response relations in arsenic-exposed populations should account for these biological and behavioral factors. Furthermore, evidence of significant effects of these factors on arsenic metabolism may support mode of action studies in appropriate experimental models. Running title- Methylated arsenicals as urinary b

  6. The suppressive effect of puerarin on atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions through regulation of inflammatory mediators in vitro and in vivo.

    PubMed

    Lee, Ji-Hyun; Jeon, Yong-Deok; Lee, Young-Mi; Kim, Dae-Ki

    2018-04-15

    Atopic dermatitis (AD) is one of the common inflammatory immune disorders. Puerarin is the main isoflavonoid obtained from the root of Pueraria lobata and has been known have ameliorative effects on diverse inflammatory diseases. However, the effects of puerarin on AD have not been uncovered. 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) was used to induce atopic dermatitis(AD)-like skin lesions on BALB/c mice for 17 days. Further, the BALB/c mice were orally administered puerarin. Puerarin ameliorated DNCB-induced AD-like symptoms in the mice by regulating skin thickness, degranulation of mast cells, and serum immunoglobulin E (IgE). Human keratinocytes (HaCaT cells) were also used to clarify the effects of puerarin on the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Puerarin inhibited the secretion of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective and alleviative effect of puerarin on AD in vitro and in vivo. The results in this study indicated that puerarin ameliorates AD-like skin lesion and skin inflammation via regulation of various atopic and inflammatory mediators. Therefore, puerarin might be useful in treating AD and other skin diseases. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Arsenic concentrations, related environmental factors, and the predicted probability of elevated arsenic in groundwater in Pennsylvania

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Gross, Eliza L.; Low, Dennis J.

    2013-01-01

    Logistic regression models were created to predict and map the probability of elevated arsenic concentrations in groundwater statewide in Pennsylvania and in three intrastate regions to further improve predictions for those three regions (glacial aquifer system, Gettysburg Basin, Newark Basin). Although the Pennsylvania and regional predictive models retained some different variables, they have common characteristics that can be grouped by (1) geologic and soils variables describing arsenic sources and mobilizers, (2) geochemical variables describing the geochemical environment of the groundwater, and (3) locally specific variables that are unique to each of the three regions studied and not applicable to statewide analysis. Maps of Pennsylvania and the three intrastate regions were produced that illustrate that areas most at risk are those with geology and soils capable of functioning as an arsenic source or mobilizer and geochemical groundwater conditions able to facilitate redox reactions. The models have limitations because they may not characterize areas that have localized controls on arsenic mobility. The probability maps associated with this report are intended for regional-scale use and may not be accurate for use at the field scale or when considering individual wells.

  8. Diet and toenail arsenic concentrations in a New Hampshire population with arsenic-containing water

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Limited data exist on the contribution of dietary sources of arsenic to an individual’s total exposure, particularly in populations with exposure via drinking water. Here, the association between diet and toenail arsenic concentrations (a long-term biomarker of exposure) was evaluated for individuals with measured household tap water arsenic. Foods known to be high in arsenic, including rice and seafood, were of particular interest. Methods Associations between toenail arsenic and consumption of 120 individual diet items were quantified using general linear models that also accounted for household tap water arsenic and potentially confounding factors (e.g., age, caloric intake, sex, smoking) (n = 852). As part of the analysis, we assessed whether associations between log-transformed toenail arsenic and each diet item differed between subjects with household drinking water arsenic concentrations <1 μg/L versus ≥1 μg/L. Results As expected, toenail arsenic concentrations increased with household water arsenic concentrations. Among the foods known to be high in arsenic, no clear relationship between toenail arsenic and rice consumption was detected, but there was a positive association with consumption of dark meat fish, a category that includes tuna steaks, mackerel, salmon, sardines, bluefish, and swordfish. Positive associations between toenail arsenic and consumption of white wine, beer, and Brussels sprouts were also observed; these and most other associations were not modified by exposure via water. However, consumption of two foods cooked in water, beans/lentils and cooked oatmeal, was more strongly related to toenail arsenic among those with arsenic-containing drinking water (≥1 μg/L). Conclusions This study suggests that diet can be an important contributor to total arsenic exposure in U.S. populations regardless of arsenic concentrations in drinking water. Thus, dietary exposure to arsenic in the US warrants consideration as a potential

  9. Diet and toenail arsenic concentrations in a New Hampshire population with arsenic-containing water.

    PubMed

    Cottingham, Kathryn L; Karimi, Roxanne; Gruber, Joann F; Zens, M Scot; Sayarath, Vicki; Folt, Carol L; Punshon, Tracy; Morris, J Steven; Karagas, Margaret R

    2013-11-16

    Limited data exist on the contribution of dietary sources of arsenic to an individual's total exposure, particularly in populations with exposure via drinking water. Here, the association between diet and toenail arsenic concentrations (a long-term biomarker of exposure) was evaluated for individuals with measured household tap water arsenic. Foods known to be high in arsenic, including rice and seafood, were of particular interest. Associations between toenail arsenic and consumption of 120 individual diet items were quantified using general linear models that also accounted for household tap water arsenic and potentially confounding factors (e.g., age, caloric intake, sex, smoking) (n = 852). As part of the analysis, we assessed whether associations between log-transformed toenail arsenic and each diet item differed between subjects with household drinking water arsenic concentrations <1 μg/L versus ≥1 μg/L. As expected, toenail arsenic concentrations increased with household water arsenic concentrations. Among the foods known to be high in arsenic, no clear relationship between toenail arsenic and rice consumption was detected, but there was a positive association with consumption of dark meat fish, a category that includes tuna steaks, mackerel, salmon, sardines, bluefish, and swordfish. Positive associations between toenail arsenic and consumption of white wine, beer, and Brussels sprouts were also observed; these and most other associations were not modified by exposure via water. However, consumption of two foods cooked in water, beans/lentils and cooked oatmeal, was more strongly related to toenail arsenic among those with arsenic-containing drinking water (≥1 μg/L). This study suggests that diet can be an important contributor to total arsenic exposure in U.S. populations regardless of arsenic concentrations in drinking water. Thus, dietary exposure to arsenic in the US warrants consideration as a potential health risk.

  10. Enhanced Detoxification of Arsenic Under Carbon Starvation: A New Insight into Microbial Arsenic Physiology.

    PubMed

    Nandre, Vinod S; Bachate, Sachin P; Salunkhe, Rahul C; Bagade, Aditi V; Shouche, Yogesh S; Kodam, Kisan M

    2017-05-01

    Nutrient availability in nature influenced the microbial ecology and behavior present in existing environment. In this study, we have focused on isolation of arsenic-oxidizing cultures from arsenic devoid environment and studied effect of carbon starvation on rate of arsenite oxidation. In spite of the absence of arsenic, a total of 40 heterotrophic, aerobic, arsenic-transforming bacterial strains representing 18 different genera were identified. Nineteen bacterial species were isolated from tannery effluent and twenty-one from tannery soil. A strong co-relation between the carbon starvation and arsenic oxidation potential of the isolates obtained from the said niche was observed. Interestingly, low carbon content enhanced the arsenic oxidation ability of the strains across different genera in Proteobacteria obtained. This represents the impact of physiological response of carbon metabolism under metal stress conditions. Enhanced arsenic-oxidizing ability of the strains was validated by the presence of aio gene and RT-PCR, where 0.5- to 26-fold up-regulation of arsenite oxidase gene in different genera was observed. The cultures isolated from tannery environment in this study show predominantly arsenic oxidation ability. This detoxification of arsenic in lack of carbon content can aid in effective in situ arsenic bioremediation.

  11. The studying of washing of arsenic and sulfur from coals having different ranges of arsenic contents

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wang, M.; Song, D.; Zheng, B.; Finkelman, R.B.; ,

    2008-01-01

    To study the effectiveness of washing in removal of arsenic and sulfur from coals with different ranges of arsenic concentration, coal was divided into three groups on the basis of arsenic content: 0-5.5 mg/kg, 5.5 mg/kg-8.00 mg/kg, and over 8.00 mg/kg. The result shows that the arsenic in coals with higher arsenic content occurs mainly in an inorganic state and can be relatively easily removed. Arsenic removal is very difficult and less complete when the arsenic content is lower than 5.5 mg/kg because most of this arsenic is in an organic state. There is no relationship between washing rate of total sulfur and arsenic content, but the relationship between the washing rate of total sulfur and percent of organic sulfur is very strong. ?? 2008 New York Academy of Sciences.

  12. Infiltration and activation of acidophilic granulocytes in skin lesions of gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata, naturally infected with lymphocystis disease virus.

    PubMed

    Dezfuli, B S; Lui, A; Giari, L; Castaldelli, G; Mulero, V; Noga, E J

    2012-01-01

    Light, ultrastructural and immunocytochemical investigations were carried out on the skin of gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata L., naturally infected with lymphocystis iridovirus, to assess pathology and host cellular responses. Of 220,000 young seabream examined, 32,400 (14.7%) had clinical signs of lymphocystis and within 6 months of disease appearance, 45% of clinically affected fish had died. A subsample of 20 S. aurata (80.0 ± 12.5mm total length, mean ± S.D.), including 10 with lymphocystis on the skin and 10 clinically normal, were examined via immunohistochemistry. Affected skin displayed macroscopic, wart-like clusters of hypertrophic fibroblasts which arose from the dermis and were covered by the epithelium. Clusters were encountered on the head, trunk and fins, but there was no evidence of visceral lymphocystis. The lymphocysts were surrounded by numerous granular cells that were positive for the antimicrobial peptide (AMP) piscidin 3 and underwent intense degranulation. To identify the type of granular cells involved in this viral disease, a double immunohistochemical staining with the monoclonal antibody G7 (mAb G7), which is specific for seabream acidophilic granulocytes (AGs), and with anti-histamine (as a marker for mast cells, MCs) was applied to the skin sections of the 10 clinically normal fish and 10 fish with lymphocystis. In infected skin, the number of G7-positive cells (i.e., AGs) (18.5 ± 10.5, mean number of cells per 20,000 μm(2) ± S.D.) was significantly higher compared to their density in uninfected skin (1.4 ± 2.2) (t test, p<0.01). Notably, the AGs that infiltrated the skin lesions of infected animals were found to be degranulated and to produce the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1β. No histamine-positive granular cells (i.e., MCs) were encountered in the lymphocystis lesions. The present study shows the response of skin to lymphocystis disease virus (LCDV) and provides evidence that AGs, but not MCs, are recruited and

  13. Immunohistochemical expression of perforin in lichen planus lesions.

    PubMed

    Gaber, Mohamed Abdelwahed; Maraee, Alaa Hassan; Alsheraky, Dalia Rifaat; Azeem, Marwa Hussain Abdel

    2014-12-01

    Lichen planus (LP) is a chronic inflammatory papulosquamous skin disease characterized by epidermal basal cell damage and a particular band-like infiltrate predominantly of T cells in the upper dermis. It is characterized by the formation of colloid bodies representing apoptotic keratinocytes. The apoptotic process mediated by CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes and natural killer cells mainly involves two distinct pathways: the perforin/granzyme pathway and the Fas/FasL pathway. So far, little is known regarding the role of perforin-mediated apoptosis in LP. Is to study the expression and distribution of perforin in the epidermis and dermis of lesional LP skin. Skin biopsy specimens from lesional skin of 31 patients with LP and 10 healthy persons were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Significant accumulation of perforin + cells was found in both epidermis and dermis of LP lesions compared with healthy skin. Perforin expression was significantly upregulated in the epidermis of LP lesions. Accumulation of perforin + cells in the epidermis of LP lesions suggest a potential role of perforin in the apoptosis of basal keratinocytes.

  14. Characterization of intracellular inclusions in the urothelium of mice exposed to inorganic arsenic.

    PubMed

    Dodmane, Puttappa R; Arnold, Lora L; Muirhead, David E; Suzuki, Shugo; Yokohira, Masanao; Pennington, Karen L; Dave, Bhavana J; Lu, Xiufen; Le, X Chris; Cohen, Samuel M

    2014-01-01

    Inorganic arsenic (iAs) is a known human carcinogen at high exposures, increasing the incidences of urinary bladder, skin, and lung cancers. In most mammalian species, ingested iAs is excreted mainly through urine primarily as dimethylarsinic acid (DMA(V)). In wild-type (WT) mice, iAs, DMA(V), and dimethylarsinous acid (DMA(III)) exposures induce formation of intramitochondrial urothelial inclusions. Arsenite (iAs(III)) also induced intranuclear inclusions in arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase knockout (As3mt KO) mice. The arsenic-induced formation of inclusions in the mouse urothelium was dose and time dependent. The inclusions do not occur in iAs-treated rats and do not appear to be related to arsenic-induced urothelial cytotoxicity. Similar inclusions in exfoliated urothelial cells from humans exposed to iAs have been incorrectly identified as micronuclei. We have characterized the urothelial inclusions using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), DNA-specific 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI), and non-DNA-specific Giemsa staining and determined the arsenical content. The mouse inclusions stained with Giemsa but not with the DAPI stain. Analysis of urothelial mitochondrial- and nuclear-enriched fractions isolated from WT (C57BL/6) and As3mt KO mice exposed to arsenate (iAs(V)) for 4 weeks showed higher levels of iAs(V) in the treated groups. iAs(III) was the major arsenical present in the enriched nuclear fraction from iAs(V)-treated As3mt KO mice. In conclusion, the urothelial cell inclusions induced by arsenicals appear to serve as a detoxifying sequestration mechanism similar to other metals, and they do not represent micronuclei.

  15. Skin Lesions Associated with Nutritional Management of Maple Syrup Urine Disease

    PubMed Central

    Uaariyapanichkul, Jaraspong; Saengpanit, Puthita; Damrongphol, Ponghatai; Suphapeetiporn, Kanya

    2017-01-01

    Introduction Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is an inborn error of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) metabolism. We report an infant with MSUD who developed 2 episodes of cutaneous lesions as a result of isoleucine deficiency and zinc deficiency, respectively. Case Presentation A 12-day-old male infant was presented with poor milk intake and lethargy. The diagnosis of MSUD was made based on clinical and biochemical data. Management and Outcome Specific dietary restriction of BCAAs was given. Subsequently, natural protein was stopped as the patient developed hospital-acquired infections which resulted in an elevation of BCAAs. Acrodermatitis dysmetabolica developed and was confirmed to be from isoleucine deficiency. At the age of 6 months, the patient developed severe lethargy and was on natural protein exclusion for an extended period. Despite enteral supplementation of zinc sulfate, cutaneous manifestations due to zinc deficiency occurred. Discussion Skin lesions in MSUD patients could arise from multiple causes. Nutritional deficiency including isoleucine and zinc deficiencies can occur and could complicate the treatment course as a result of malabsorption, even while on enteral supplementation. Parenteral nutrition should be considered and initiated accordingly. Clinical status, as well as BCAA levels, should be closely monitored in MSUD patients. PMID:29209542

  16. [Skin cancer as occupational disease].

    PubMed

    Bauer, A

    2016-11-01

    The incidence of epithelial skin neoplasms, such as squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma is significantly increasing worldwide. Leisure time solar UV exposure is causative in the overwhelming majority of cases in the general population; however, occupational exposure is responsible for a certain percentage of cases. Employees with a relevant exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soot, raw paraffin, coal tar, anthracene, pitch or similar substances, to sunlight in outdoor occupations as well as to arsenic and ionizing radiation have a significantly increased risk to develop occupational skin cancer compared to the general population. In the official occupational disease list in the appendix of the German by-law on occupational diseases, the following occupational diseases concerning skin cancer are listed: BK 5102 "skin cancer and carcinoma in situ caused by soot, raw paraffin, coal tar, anthracene, pitch or similar substances" (e.g. various solid paraffins, asphalt and mazut as well as mineral oils, grease, cylinder and drilling oils), BK 5103 "squamous cell carcinoma or multiple actinic keratosis caused by natural UV radiation", BK 1108 "diseases caused by arsenic and its compounds" and BK 2402 "diseases caused by ionizing radiation". For further occupational exposure to carcinogenic substances and potential occupationally acquired skin tumors, no official lists are currently available. These cancers might be considered under a special opt out paragraph in the German Social Law (§ 9 para 2 SGB VII). Tumors in scars after occupational skin trauma or occupational burns are compensated as consequences of work accidents. The current official list of occupational skin cancers and new developments for expert opinions are described in this article.

  17. Atorvastatin restores arsenic-induced vascular dysfunction in rats: Modulation of nitric oxide signaling and inflammatory mediators

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kesavan, Manickam; Sarath, Thengumpallil Sasindran; Kannan, Kandasamy

    We evaluated whether atorvastatin, an extensively prescribed statin for reducing the risks of cardiovascular diseases, can reduce the risk of arsenic-induced vascular dysfunction and inflammation in rats and whether the modulation could be linked to improvement in vascular NO signaling. Rats were exposed to sodium arsenite (100 ppm) through drinking water for 90 consecutive days. Atorvastatin (10 mg/kg bw, orally) was administered once daily during the last 30 days of arsenic exposure. On the 91{sup st} day, blood was collected for measuring serum C-reactive protein. Thoracic aorta was isolated for assessing reactivity to phenylephrine, sodium nitroprusside and acetylcholine; evaluating eNOSmore » and iNOS mRNA expression and measuring NO production, while abdominal aorta was used for ELISA of cytokines, chemokine and vascular cell adhesion molecules. Histopathology was done in aortic arches. Arsenic did not alter phenylephrine-elicited contraction. Atorvastatin inhibited E{sub max} of phenylephrine, but it augmented the contractile response in aortic rings from arsenic-exposed animals. Sodium nitroprusside-induced relaxation was not altered with any treatment. However, arsenic reduced acetylcholine-induced relaxation and affected aortic eNOS at the levels of mRNA expression, protein concentration, phosphorylation and NO production. Further, it increased aortic iNOS mRNA expression, iNOS-derived NO synthesis, production of pro-inflammatory mediators (IL-1β, IL-6, MCP-1, VCAM, sICAM) and serum C-reactive protein and aortic vasculopathic lesions. Atorvastatin attenuated these arsenic-mediated functional, biochemical and structural alterations. Results show that atorvastatin has the potential to ameliorate arsenic-induced vascular dysfunction and inflammation by restoring endothelial function with improvement in NO signaling and attenuating production of pro-inflammatory mediators and cell adhesion molecules. - Highlights: • We evaluated if atorvastatin reduce

  18. Risk of death from cardiovascular disease associated with low-level arsenic exposure among long-term smokers in a US population-based study

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Farzan, Shohreh F.; Departments of Population Health and Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY; Chen, Yu

    High levels of arsenic exposure have been associated with increases in cardiovascular disease risk. However, studies of arsenic's effects at lower exposure levels are limited and few prospective studies exist in the United States using long-term arsenic exposure biomarkers. We conducted a prospective analysis of the association between toenail arsenic and cardiovascular disease mortality using longitudinal data collected on 3939 participants in the New Hampshire Skin Cancer Study. Using Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for potential confounders, we estimated hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals associated with the risk of death from any cardiovascular disease, ischemic heart disease, and stroke,more » in relation to natural-log transformed toenail arsenic concentrations. In this US population, although we observed no overall association, arsenic exposure measured from toenail clipping samples was related to an increased risk of ischemic heart disease mortality among long-term smokers (as reported at baseline), with increased hazard ratios among individuals with ≥ 31 total smoking years (HR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.02, 2.27), ≥ 30 pack-years (HR: 1.66, 95% CI: 1.12, 2.45), and among current smokers (HR: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.04, 2.75). These results are consistent with evidence from more highly exposed populations suggesting a synergistic relationship between arsenic exposure and smoking on health outcomes and support a role for lower-level arsenic exposure in ischemic heart disease mortality. - Highlights: • Arsenic (As) has been associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. • Little is known about CVD effects at lower levels of As exposure common in the US. • Few have investigated the joint effects of As and smoking on CVD in US adults. • We examine chronic low-level As exposure and smoking in relation to CVD mortality. • Arsenic exposure may increase ischemic heart disease mortality among smokers in US.« less

  19. Multispectral detection of cutaneous lesions using spectroscopy and microscopy approaches

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Borisova, E.; Genova-Hristova, Ts.; Troyanova, P.; Pavlova, E.; Terziev, I.; Semyachkina-Glushkovskaya, O.; Lomova, M.; Genina, E.; Stanciu, G.; Tranca, D.; Avramov, L.

    2018-02-01

    Autofluorescence, diffuse-reflectance and transmission spectral, and microscopic measurements were made on different cutaneous neoplastic lesions, namely basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, malignant melanoma, and dysplastic and benign lesions related. Spectroscopic measurements were made on ex vivo tissue samples, and confocal microscopy investigations were made on thin tissue slices. Fluorescence spectra obtained reveal statistically significant differences between the different benign, dysplastic and malignant lesions by the level of emission intensity, as well by spectral shape, which are fingerprints applicable for differentiation algorithms. In reflectance mode the most significant differences are related to the influence of skin pigments - melanin and hemoglobin. Transmission spectroscopy mode gave complementary optical properties information about the tissue samples investigated to that one of reflectance and absorption spectroscopy. Using autofluorescence detection of skin lesions we obtain very good diagnostic performance for distinguishing of nonmelanoma lesions. Using diffuse reflectance and transmission spectroscopy we obtain significant tool for pigmented pathologies differentiation, but it is a tool with moderate sensitivity for non-melanoma lesions detection. One could rapidly increase the diagnostic accuracy of the received combined "optical biopsy" method when several spectral detection techniques are applied in common algorithm for lesions' differentiation. Specific spectral features observed in each type of lesion investigated on micro and macro level would be presented and discussed. Correlation between the spectral data received and the microscopic features observed would be discussed in the report.

  20. Approaches to Increase Arsenic Awareness in Bangladesh: An Evaluation of an Arsenic Education Program

    PubMed Central

    George, Christine Marie; Factor-Litvak, Pam; Khan, Khalid; Islam, Tariqul; Singha, Ashit; Moon-Howard, Joyce; van Geen, Alexander; Graziano, Joseph H.

    2013-01-01

    The objective of this study was to design and evaluate a household-level arsenic education and well water arsenic testing intervention to increase arsenic awareness in Bangladesh. The authors randomly selected 1,000 study respondents located in 20 villages in Singair, Bangladesh. The main outcome was the change in knowledge of arsenic from baseline to follow-up 4 to 6 months after the household received the intervention. This was assessed through a pre- and postintervention quiz concerning knowledge of arsenic. Respondents were between 18 and 102 years of age, with an average age of 37 years; 99.9% were female. The knowledge of arsenic quiz scores for study participants were significantly higher at follow-up compared with baseline. The intervention was effective in increasing awareness of the safe uses of arsenic-contaminated water and dispelling the misconception that boiling water removes arsenic. At follow-up, nearly all respondents were able to correctly identify the meaning of a red (contaminated) and green (arsenic safe) well relative to arsenic (99%). The educational program also significantly increased the proportion of respondents who were able to correctly identify the health implications of arsenic exposure. However, the intervention was not effective in dispelling the misconceptions in the population that arsenicosis is contagious and that illnesses such as cholera, diarrhea, and vomiting could be caused by arsenic. Further research is needed to develop effective communication strategies to dispel these misconceptions. This study demonstrates that a household-level arsenic educational program can be used to significantly increase arsenic awareness in Bangladesh. PMID:22984214

  1. Approaches to increase arsenic awareness in Bangladesh: an evaluation of an arsenic education program.

    PubMed

    George, Christine Marie; Factor-Litvak, Pam; Khan, Khalid; Islam, Tariqul; Singha, Ashit; Moon-Howard, Joyce; van Geen, Alexander; Graziano, Joseph H

    2013-06-01

    The objective of this study was to design and evaluate a household-level arsenic education and well water arsenic testing intervention to increase arsenic awareness in Bangladesh. The authors randomly selected 1,000 study respondents located in 20 villages in Singair, Bangladesh. The main outcome was the change in knowledge of arsenic from baseline to follow-up 4 to 6 months after the household received the intervention. This was assessed through a pre- and postintervention quiz concerning knowledge of arsenic. Respondents were between 18 and 102 years of age, with an average age of 37 years; 99.9% were female. The knowledge of arsenic quiz scores for study participants were significantly higher at follow-up compared with baseline. The intervention was effective in increasing awareness of the safe uses of arsenic-contaminated water and dispelling the misconception that boiling water removes arsenic. At follow-up, nearly all respondents were able to correctly identify the meaning of a red (contaminated) and green (arsenic safe) well relative to arsenic (99%). The educational program also significantly increased the proportion of respondents who were able to correctly identify the health implications of arsenic exposure. However, the intervention was not effective in dispelling the misconceptions in the population that arsenicosis is contagious and that illnesses such as cholera, diarrhea, and vomiting could be caused by arsenic. Further research is needed to develop effective communication strategies to dispel these misconceptions. This study demonstrates that a household-level arsenic educational program can be used to significantly increase arsenic awareness in Bangladesh.

  2. Occupational risk and the development of premalignant skin lesions among paraquat manufacturers.

    PubMed

    Wang, J D; Li, W E; Hu, F C; Hu, K H

    1987-03-01

    The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence rate and possible aetiological factors of premalignant skin lesions observed among paraquat manufacturers. A total of 228 workers in 28 factories were interviewed and independently examined by a dermatologist during site inspection in 1985. Information concerning past working experience, current toxic exposures, other risk factors of hyperpigmented macules and keratosis, and the past and present manufacturing processes of each factory was collected. Sixty nine cases of hyperpigmented macules and 17 of hyperkeratosis were found. Typical macules were irregular in shape, pin head size, hyperpigmented, with or without hyperkeratosis, and usually distributed symmetrically over the forearms, hands, neck, and upper chest, where exposure to sunlight was maximal. Six patients with hyperkeratotic lesions subsequently had biopsies performed and two showed Bowenoid changes. Eighty per cent (28 cases) and 67% (38 cases) of workers developed hyperpigmented macules if they had ever been engaged in bipyridine centrifugation and crystallisation, respectively; there were three workers 3% with such lesions among those who performed packaging or administrative jobs, or both. There was a significant trend (p less than 0.0001) for workers to develop hyperpigmented macules and hyperkeratosis the longer they had been exposed to centrifugation or crystallisation, or both, independent of age and the duration of exposure to sunlight. Evidence is presented to suggest that sunlight is a necessary cofactor and that the aetiological agent was produced during high temperature sodium process of bipyridine synthesis, and possibly bipyridine isomer(s).

  3. [Health risk for the vulnerable population exposed to arsenic in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina].

    PubMed

    Navoni, Julio A; De Pietri, Diana; Garcia, Susana; Villaamil Lepori, Edda C

    2012-01-01

    To analyze the concentration of arsenic in water collected in localities of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the epidemiological relationship of that concentration to factors of susceptibility and associated pathologies. In 152 samples from 52 localities of Buenos Aires from 2003-2008, the concentration of arsenic was quantified through the generation of hydride spectrophotometry of atomic absorption. A composite index of health (CIH) was constructed using the content of arsenic and the percentages of households with unmet basic needs and dwellings without access to the potable water. Through the CIH, risk areas associated with mortality from malignant neoplasms related to arsenic were defined. Concentrations of arsenic spanned a broad range from 0.3 to 187 mg/L, with a median of 40 mg/L. Of the samples, 82% presented levels of arsenic higher than the acceptable limit of 10 mg/L, and more than half of those came from households with potable water connections. In the departments studied, the average mortality (deaths/100 000 inhabitants) from tumors was greater in men than in women: respiratory tract (310 versus 76), urinary tract (44 versus 11), and skin (21 versus 11), respectively. The regions with greater concentrations of arsenic and of poverty, together with the lack of potable water connections, had a two-to-four times greater risk. The findings from the composite index of health summarized the health risk from exposure to arsenic for lower socioeconomic levels of the population for a broad area of the province of Buenos Aires.

  4. Reevaluation of the non-lesional dry skin in atopic dermatitis by acute barrier disruption: an abnormal permeability barrier homeostasis with defective processing to generate ceramide.

    PubMed

    Sugiura, Ayumi; Nomura, Tsuyoshi; Mizuno, Atsuko; Imokawa, Genji

    2014-07-01

    Atopic dermatitis is characterized by disruption of the cutaneous barrier due to reduced ceramide levels even in non-lesional dry skin. Following further acute barrier disruption by repeated tape strippings, we re-characterized the non-lesional dry skin of subjects with atopic dermatitis, which shows significantly reduced levels of barrier function and ceramide but not of beta-glucocerebrosidase activity. For the first time, we report an abnormal trans-epidermal water loss homeostasis in which delayed recovery kinetics of trans-epidermal water loss occurred on the first day during the 4 days after acute barrier disruption compared with healthy control skin. Interestingly, whereas the higher ceramide level in the stratum corneum of healthy control skin was further significantly up-regulated at 4 days post-tape stripping, the lower ceramide level in the stratum corneum of subjects with atopic dermatitis was not significantly changed. In a parallel study, whereas beta-glucocerebrosidase activity at 4 days post-tape stripping was significantly up-regulated in healthy control skin compared with before tape stripping, the level of that activity remained substantially unchanged in atopic dermatitis. These findings indicate that subjects with atopic dermatitis have a defect in sphingolipid-metabolic processing that generates ceramide in the interface between the stratum corneum and the epidermis. The results also support the notion that the continued disruption of barrier function in atopic dermatitis non-lesional skin is associated with the impaired homeostasis of a ceramide-generating process, which underscores an atopy-specific inflammation-triggered ceramide deficiency that is distinct from other types of dermatitis.

  5. Altered gene expression by low-dose arsenic exposure in humans and cultured cardiomyocytes: Assessment by real-time PCR array

    EPA Science Inventory

    Arsenic contamination in drinking water has become a great public health concern worldwide. Chronic arsenic exposure results in higher risk of skin, lung and bladder cancer, as well as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects o...

  6. The influence of a magnesium-rich marine extract on behaviour, salivary cortisol levels and skin lesions in growing pigs.

    PubMed

    O'Driscoll, K; O'Gorman, D M; Taylor, S; Boyle, L A

    2013-06-01

    Growing pigs can display undesirable behaviours, reflecting or causing poor welfare. Addition of magnesium (Mg) to the diet could reduce these, as Mg supplementation has been associated with improved coping ability in response to stress. This study examined the effect of supplementation with a Mg-rich marine extract-based product (Supplement) on the behaviour, skin and tail lesion scores and salivary cortisol concentrations of growing pigs. At weaning (28 days), 448 piglets were assigned to either Control or Supplement (0.05%) diets in single-sex groups of 14. Four weeks later (c. 17 kg), pigs were blocked according to weight and back test scores. Seven piglets from each pen were mixed with seven from another pen of the same sex and dietary treatment to yield the following groups: control male, Supplement male, control female and Supplement female (n = 4 of each). This marked the start of the 9-week experimental period. Instances of the following behaviours were recorded in each pen for 8 × 2 min periods 1 day/week: aggression (fight, head-knock and bite); harmful (tail-in-mouth, ear-chewing and belly-nosing); and sexual/mounting behaviour. Four focal pigs were selected from each pen, and their behaviour was continuously recorded for 2 × 5 min periods on the same day. Saliva was collected once per week at 1000 h by allowing pigs to chew on a cotton bud for c. 1 min. Salivary cortisol was analysed in duplicate by an enzyme immunoassay. Skin and tail lesions were scored according to severity 1 day/week. There were fewer aggressive incidents in Supplement pens (P < 0.01), and mounting behaviour (performed only by males) was almost three times lower in Supplement than in control pens (P < 0.01). However, there was no effect of Supplement on the incidence of each of the harmful behaviours. Behaviour of the focal pigs showed no treatment effect on the duration or incidence of aggressive behaviour. However, Supplement pigs spent less time performing harmful behaviours

  7. Assessment of arsenic exposures and controls in gallium arsenide production.

    PubMed

    Sheehy, J W; Jones, J H

    1993-02-01

    The electronics industry is expanding the use of gallium arsenide in the production of optoelectronic devices and integrated circuits. Workers in the electronics industry using gallium arsenide are exposed to hazardous substances such as arsenic, arsine, and various acids. Arsenic requires stringent controls to minimize exposures (the current OSHA PEL for arsenic is 10 micrograms/m3 and the NIOSH REL is 2 micrograms/m3 ceiling). Inorganic arsenic is strongly implicated in respiratory tract and skin cancer. For these reasons, NIOSH researchers conducted a study of control systems for facilities using gallium arsenide. Seven walk-through surveys were performed to identify locations for detailed study which appeared to have effective controls; three facilities were chosen for in-depth evaluation. The controls were evaluated by industrial hygiene sampling. Including personal breathing zone and area air sampling for arsenic and arsine; wipe samples for arsenic also were collected. Work practices and the use of personal protective equipment were documented. This paper reports on the controls and the arsenic exposure results from the evaluation of the following gallium arsenide processes: Liquid Encapsulated Czochralski (LEC) and Horizontal Bridgeman (HB) crystal growing, LEC cleaning operations, ingot grinding/wafer sawing, and epitaxy. Results at one plant showed that in all processes except epitaxy, average arsenic exposures were at or above the OSHA action level of 5 micrograms/m3. While cleaning the LEC crystal pullers, the average potential arsenic exposure of the cleaning operators was 100 times the OSHA PEL. At the other two plants, personal exposures for arsenic were well controlled in LEC, LEC cleaning, grinding/sawing, and epitaxy operations.

  8. Expression of cancer-related carbonic anhydrases IX and XII in normal skin and skin neoplasms.

    PubMed

    Syrjänen, Leo; Luukkaala, Tiina; Leppilampi, Mari; Kallioinen, Matti; Pastorekova, Silvia; Pastorek, Jaromir; Waheed, Abdul; Sly, William S; Parkkila, Seppo; Karttunen, Tuomo

    2014-09-01

    Purpose of the study was to evaluate the presence of hypoxia-inducible, tumour-associated carbonic anhydrases IX and XII in normal skin and a series of cutaneous tumours. Human tumour samples were taken during surgical operations performed on 245 patients and were immunohistochemically stained. A histological score value was calculated for statistical analyses which were performed using SPSS for Windows, versions 17.0 and 20.0. In normal skin, the highest expression of CA IX was detected in hair follicles, sebaceous glands, and basal parts of epidermis. CA XII was detected in all epithelial components of skin. Both CA IX and CA XII expression levels were significantly different in epidermal, appendigeal, and melanocytic tumour categories. Both CA IX and XII showed the most intense immunostaining in epidermal tumours, whereas virtually all melanocytic tumours were devoid of CA IX and XII immunostaining. In premalignant lesions, CA IX expression significantly increased when the tumours progressed to more severe dysplasia forms. Both CA IX and XII are highly expressed in different epithelial components of skin. They are also highly expressed in epidermal tumours, in which CA IX expression levels also correlate with the dysplasia grade. Interestingly, both isozymes are absent in melanocytic tumours. © 2014 APMIS. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Detecting skin malignancy using elastic light scattering spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Canpolat, Murat; Akman, Ayşe; Çiftçioğlu, M. Akif; Alpsoy, Erkan

    2007-07-01

    We have used elastic light scattering spectroscopy to differentiate between malign and benign skin lesions. The system consists of a UV spectrometer, a single optical fiber probe and a laptop. The single optical fiber probe was used for both delivery and detection of white light to tissue and from the tissue. The single optical fiber probe received singly scattered photons rather than diffused photons in tissue. Therefore, the spectra are correlated with morphological differences of the cells. It has been shown that spectra of malign skin lesions are different than spectra of benign skin lesions. While slopes of the spectra taken on benign lesions or normal skin tissues were positive, slopes of the spectra taken on malign skin lesions tissues were negative. In vivo experiments were conducted on 20 lesions from 18 patients (11 men with mean age of 68 +/- 9 years and 7 women with mean age of 52 +/- 20 years) applied to the Department of Dermatology and Venerology. Before the biopsy, spectra were taken on the lesion and adjacent (approximately 1 cm distant) normal-appearing skin. Spectra of the normal skin were used as a control group. The spectra were correlated to the pathology results with sensitivity and specificity of 82% and 89%, respectively. Due to small diameter of fiber probe and limited number of sampling (15), some positive cases are missed, which is lowered the sensitivity of the system. The results are promising and could suggest that the system may be able to detect malignant skin lesion non-invasively and in real time.

  10. Correlation of Breastmilk Arsenic With Maternal, Infant Urinary Arsenic and Drinking Water Arsenic in an Arsenic Affected Area of Bangladesh

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alauddin, M.; Islam, M. R.; Milton, A. H.; Alauddin, S. T.; Mouly, T.; Behri, E.; Ayesha, A.; Akter, S.; Islam, M. M.

    2016-12-01

    About 97% of population in Bangladesh depend on groundwater as the principle source of drinking water and this water is highly contaminated with inorganic arsenic. Consumption of arsenic contaminated drinking water by pregnant women raises the prospect of early life exposure to inorganic arsenic for newborn which may be lead to adverse health effect in later life. This work was carried out in parts of Gopalganj district in Bangladesh, a region affected by arsenic contamination in groundwater. The objective of the work was to assess potential early life exposure to arsenic for infants through breastfeeding by mothers who were drinking water with arsenic levels ranging from 100 to 300 µg/l. A cohort of 30 mother-baby pairs were selected for the current study. Breastmilk samples from mothers, urine samples from each pair of subjects at 1, 6 and 9 month age of infant were collected and total arsenic were determined in these samples. In addition speciation of urinary arsenic and metabolites were carried out in 12 mother-baby pairs. Median level for breastmilk arsenic were 0.50 µg/l. Urinary arsenic of infants did not correlate with breastmilk arsenic with progressing age of infants. Maternal and infant urinary total arsenic at 1 month age of infant showed some positive correlation (r = 0.39). In infant urine major metabolite were dimethyl arsenic acid (DMA) (approximately 70%) indicating good methylating capacity for infants at 1 and 6 months of age. In conclusion, infants were not exposed to arsenic through breastfeeding even though mothers were exposed to significant levels of arsenic through drinking water.

  11. Arsenic Exposure in Relation to Ischemic Stroke: The Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke Study.

    PubMed

    Tsinovoi, Cari L; Xun, Pengcheng; McClure, Leslie A; Carioni, Vivian M O; Brockman, John D; Cai, Jianwen; Guallar, Eliseo; Cushman, Mary; Unverzagt, Frederick W; Howard, Virginia J; He, Ka

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this case-cohort study was to examine urinary arsenic levels in relation to incident ischemic stroke in the United States. We performed a case-cohort study nested within the REGARDS (REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke) cohort. A subcohort (n=2486) of controls was randomly sampled within region-race-sex strata while all incident ischemic stroke cases from the full REGARDS cohort (n=671) were included. Baseline urinary arsenic was measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Arsenic species, including urinary inorganic arsenic and its metabolites monomethylarsonic acid and dimethylarsinic acid, were measured in a random subset (n=199). Weighted Cox's proportional hazards models were used to calculate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals of ischemic stroke by arsenic and its species. The average follow-up was 6.7 years. Although incident ischemic stroke showed no association with total arsenic or total inorganic arsenic, for each unit higher level of urinary monomethylarsonic acid on a log-scale, after adjustment for potential confounders, ischemic stroke risk increased ≈2-fold (hazard ratio=1.98; 95% confidence interval: 1.12-3.50). Effect modification by age, race, sex, or geographic region was not evident. A metabolite of arsenic was positively associated with incident ischemic stroke in this case-cohort study of the US general population, a low-to-moderate exposure area. Overall, these findings suggest a potential role for arsenic methylation in the pathogenesis of stroke, having important implications for future cerebrovascular research. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

  12. Significantly increased risk of carotid atherosclerosis with arsenic exposure and polymorphisms in arsenic metabolism genes

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hsieh, Yi-Chen; Lien, Li-Ming; School of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan

    2011-08-15

    Individual susceptibility to arsenic-induced carotid atherosclerosis might be associated with genetic variations in arsenic metabolism. The purpose of this study is to explore the interaction effect on risk of carotid atherosclerosis between arsenic exposure and risk genotypes of purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP), arsenic (+3) methyltransferase (As3MT), and glutathione S-transferase omega 1 (GSTO1) and omega 2 (GSTO2). A community-based case-control study was conducted in northeastern Taiwan to investigate the arsenic metabolic-related genetic susceptibility to carotid atherosclerosis. In total, 863 subjects, who had been genotyped and for whom the severity of carotid atherosclerosis had been determined, were included in the present study.more » Individual well water was collected and arsenic concentration determined using hydride generation combined with flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The result showed that a significant dose-response trend (P=0.04) of carotid atherosclerosis risk associated with increasing arsenic concentration. Non-significant association between genetic polymorphisms of PNP Gly51Ser, Pro57Pro, As3MT Met287Thr, GSTO1 Ala140Asp, and GSTO2 A-183G and the risk for development of carotid atherosclerosis were observed. However, the significant interaction effect on carotid atherosclerosis risk was found for arsenic exposure (>50 {mu}g/l) and the haplotypes of PNP (p=0.0115). A marked elevated risk of carotid atherosclerosis was observed in subjects with arsenic exposure of >50 {mu}g/l in drinking water and those who carried the PNP A-T haplotype and at least either of the As3MT risk polymorphism or GSTO risk haplotypes (OR, 6.43; 95% CI, 1.79-23.19). In conclusion, arsenic metabolic genes, PNP, As3MT, and GSTO, may exacerbate the formation of atherosclerosis in individuals with high levels of arsenic concentration in well water (>50 {mu}g/l). - Highlights: {yields}Arsenic metabolic genes might be associated with carotid atherosclerosis

  13. Arsenic in the human food chain, biotransformation and toxicology--Review focusing on seafood arsenic.

    PubMed

    Molin, Marianne; Ulven, Stine Marie; Meltzer, Helle Margrete; Alexander, Jan

    2015-01-01

    Fish and seafood are main contributors of arsenic (As) in the diet. The dominating arsenical is the organoarsenical arsenobetaine (AB), found particularly in finfish. Algae, blue mussels and other filter feeders contain less AB, but more arsenosugars and relatively more inorganic arsenic (iAs), whereas fatty fish contain more arsenolipids. Other compounds present in smaller amounts in seafood include trimethylarsine oxide (TMAO), trimethylarsoniopropionate (TMAP), dimethylarsenate (DMA), methylarsenate (MA) and sulfur-containing arsenicals. The toxic and carcinogenic arsenical iAs is biotransformed in humans and excreted in urine as the carcinogens dimethylarsinate (DMA) and methylarsonate (MA), producing reactive intermediates in the process. Less is known about the biotransformation of organoarsenicals, but new insight indicates that bioconversion of arsenosugars and arsenolipids in seafood results in urinary excretion of DMA, possibly also producing reactive trivalent arsenic intermediates. Recent findings also indicate that the pre-systematic metabolism by colon microbiota play an important role for human metabolism of arsenicals. Processing of seafood may also result in transformation of arsenicals. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  14. Role of Metabolism in Arsenic-Induced Toxicity: Identification and Quantification of Arsenic Metabolites in Tissues and Excreta

    EPA Science Inventory

    Arsenic is a known toxicant and carcinogen. Methylation of inorganic arsenic was once thought to be a detoxification mechanism because of the rapid excretion and relatively lower toxicity of the pentavalent organic arsenical metabolites. Advances in analytical chemistry have al...

  15. Genetic Susceptible Locus in NOTCH2 Interacts with Arsenic in Drinking Water on Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

    PubMed Central

    Pan, Wen-Chi; Kile, Molly L.; Seow, Wei Jie; Lin, Xihong; Quamruzzaman, Quazi; Rahman, Mahmuder; Mahiuddin, Golam; Mostofa, Golam; Lu, Quan; Christiani, David C.

    2013-01-01

    Background Chronic exposure to arsenic in drinking water is associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) but the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. Objectives This study evaluated the interaction between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes associated with diabetes and arsenic exposure in drinking water on the risk of developing T2DM. Methods In 2009–2011, we conducted a follow up study of 957 Bangladeshi adults who participated in a case-control study of arsenic-induced skin lesions in 2001–2003. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between 38 SNPs in 18 genes and risk of T2DM measured at follow up. T2DM was defined as having a blood hemoglobin A1C level greater than or equal to 6.5% at follow-up. Arsenic exposure was characterized by drinking water samples collected from participants' tubewells. False discovery rates were applied in the analysis to control for multiple comparisons. Results Median arsenic levels in 2001–2003 were higher among diabetic participants compared with non-diabetic ones (71.6 µg/L vs. 12.5 µg/L, p-value <0.001). Three SNPs in ADAMTS9 were nominally associated with increased risk of T2DM (rs17070905, Odds Ratio (OR)  = 2.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.17–4.50; rs17070967, OR = 2.02, 95%CI 1.00–4.06; rs6766801, OR = 2.33, 95%CI 1.18–4.60), but these associations did not reach the statistical significance after adjusting for multiple comparisons. A significant interaction between arsenic and NOTCH2 (rs699780) was observed which significantly increased the risk of T2DM (p for interaction = 0.003; q-value = 0.021). Further restricted analysis among participants exposed to water arsenic of less than 148 µg/L showed consistent results for interaction between the NOTCH2 variant and arsenic exposure on T2DM (p for interaction  = 0.048; q-value = 0.004). Conclusions These findings suggest that genetic variation in NOTCH2 increased

  16. Profile of skin biopsies and patterns of skin cancer in a tertiary care center of Western Nepal.

    PubMed

    Kumar, Ajay; Shrestha, Prashanna Raj; Pun, Jenny; Thapa, Pratichya; Manandhar, Merina; Sathian, Brijesh

    2015-01-01

    Skin biopsy is the method to assist clinicians to make definite dermatological diagnosis which further helps in holistic management. Skin cancers are relatively rare clinical diagnosis in developing countries like Nepal, but the prevalence is on rise. To investigate the profile of skin biopsies and frequencies and pattern of skin cancers in a tertiary care centre of Western Nepal. The materials consisted of 434 biopsies (1.37%) out of 31,450 OPD visits performed in the Department of Dermatology, Manipal Teaching Hospital, Pokhara, Nepal, during the period of Dec 2011-Nov 2014. Data were collected and analyzed using SPSS-16 with reference to incidence, age, sex, race and clinical and histopathological features. The commonest disorders observed in biopsies were papulosquamous lesions, skin tuberculosis of different types, benign skin tumors, leprosy, collagen and fungal diseases. Viral diseases were rarely seen, probably due to straight forward clinical diagnosis. Dermatological malignancies accounted for 55/434 (12.67%) of biopsies. Skin disorders in general were commoner in females 280/434 (64%), including malignancies 32/55(58.2%). Mean age of patients with skin cancer was 54.5 years. Facilities for proper laboratory investigation of dermatological disorders will improve the quality of life. The most prevalent lesion in skin biopsies was papulosquamous disorders followed by skin tuberculosis of different types. Dermatological malignancy constituted 55/434 (12.67%) cases. The prevalence of skin malignancy is on rise in Nepalese society probably due to increase in life expectancy and better diagnostic services.

  17. Ultra-high-sensitive optical micro-angiography provides depth resolved visualization of microcirculations within human skin under psoriatic conditions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qin, Jia; An, Lin; Wang, Ruikang

    2011-03-01

    Adequate functioning of the peripheral micro vascular in human skin is necessary to maintain optimal tissue perfusion and preserve normal hemodynamic function. There is a growing body of evidence suggests that vascular abnormalities may directly related to several dermatologic diseases, such as psoriasis, port-wine stain, skin cancer, etc. New in vivo imaging modalities to aid volumetric microvascular blood perfusion imaging are there for highly desirable. To address this need, we demonstrate the capability of ultra-high sensitive optical micro angiography to allow blood flow visualization and quantification of vascular densities of lesional psoriasis area in human subject in vivo. The microcirculation networks of lesion and non-lesion skin were obtained after post processing the data sets captured by the system. With our image resolution (~20 μm), we could compare these two types of microcirculation networks both qualitatively and quantitatively. The B-scan (lateral or x direction) cross section images, en-face (x-y plane) images and the volumetric in vivo perfusion map of lesion and non-lesion skin areas were obtained using UHS-OMAG. Characteristic perfusion map features were identified between lesional and non-lesional skin area. A statistically significant difference between vascular densities of lesion and non-lesion skin area was also found using a histogram based analysis. UHS-OMAG has the potential to differentiate the normal skin microcirculation from abnormal human skin microcirculation non-invasively with high speed and sensitivity. The presented data demonstrates the great potential of UHS-OMAG for detecting and diagnosing skin disease such as psoriasis in human subjects.

  18. Investigation of Health Effects According to the Exposure of Low Concentration Arsenic Contaminated Ground Water

    PubMed Central

    Hong, Young-seoub; Ye, Byeong-jin; Kim, Yu-mi; Kim, Byoung-gwon; Kang, Gyeong-hui; Kim, Jeong-jin; Song, Ki-hoon; Kim, Young-hun

    2017-01-01

    Recent epidemiological studies have reported adverse health effects, including skin cancer, due to low concentrations of arsenic via drinking water. We conducted a study to assess whether low arsenic contaminated ground water affected health of the residents who consumed it. For precise biomonitoring results, the inorganic (trivalent arsenite (As III) and pentavalent arsenate (As V)) and organic forms (monomethylarsonate (MMA) and dimethylarsinate (DMA)) of arsenic were separately quantified by combining high-performance liquid chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy from urine samples. In conclusion, urinary As III, As V, MMA, and hair arsenic concentrations were significantly higher in residents who consumed arsenic contaminated ground water than control participants who consumed tap water. But, most health screening results did not show a statistically significant difference between exposed and control subjects. We presume that the elevated arsenic concentrations may not be sufficient to cause detectable health effects. Consumption of arsenic contaminated ground water could result in elevated urinary organic and inorganic arsenic concentrations. We recommend immediate discontinuation of ground water supply in this area for the safety of the residents. PMID:29186890

  19. Assessment of occupational exposure to inorganic arsenic based on urinary concentrations and speciation of arsenic.

    PubMed Central

    Farmer, J G; Johnson, L R

    1990-01-01

    An analytical speciation method, capable of separating inorganic arsenic (As (V), As (III] and its methylated metabolites (MMAA, DMAA) from common, inert, dietary organoarsenicals, was applied to the determination of arsenic in urine from a variety of workers occupationally exposed to inorganic arsenic compounds. Mean urinary arsenic (As (V) + As (III) + MMAA + DMAA) concentrations ranged from 4.4 micrograms/g creatinine for controls to less than 10 micrograms/g for those in the electronics industry, 47.9 micrograms/g for timber treatment workers applying arsenical wood preservatives, 79.4 micrograms/g for a group of glassworkers using arsenic trioxide, and 245 micrograms/g for chemical workers engaged in manufacturing and handling inorganic arsenicals. The maximum recorded concentration was 956 micrograms/g. For the most exposed groups, the ranges in the average urinary arsenic speciation pattern were 1-6% As (V), 11-14% As (III), 14-18% MMAA, and 63-70% DMAA. The highly raised urinary arsenic concentrations for the chemical workers, in particular, and some glassworkers are shown to correspond to possible atmospheric concentrations in the workplace and intakes in excess of, or close to, recommended and statutory limits and those associated with inorganic arsenic related diseases. PMID:2357455

  20. Artefactual skin lesions in children and adolescents: review of the literature and two cases of factitious purpura.

    PubMed

    Ring, Hans Christian; Miller, Iben M; Benfeldt, Eva; Jemec, Gregor B E

    2015-01-01

    Self harm is a great diagnostic and treatment challenge. In addition, psychocutaneous conditions are rare in the pediatric population and may therefore be misdiagnosed. Dermatitis artefacta is a psychocutaneous syndrome, which is a subgroup of the general spectrum of self-inflicted skin lesions. Dermatitis artefacta encompasses an array of different clinical manifestations, including purpura. Factitious purpura has rarely been reported in children. Case report and review of the literature. We describe two Caucasian patients (9-year-old boy and 10-year-old girl) with striking purpuric lesions diagnosed as factitious purpura. The clinical lesions were similar, but the underlying psychological problems differed significantly (depression and stress). The current state of knowledge of dermatitis artefacta in children and adolescents was reviewed. The presence of purpura in children and adolescents typically causes extensive intervention programs due to the possible serious pathological consequences. The two cases demonstrate a need for a high degree of attention to psychological disturbances, lesional evolution, and distribution once the suspicion is established. © 2014 The International Society of Dermatology.

  1. A retrospective review of the dermatologic manifestations of chronic arsenic poisoning in the Philippines.

    PubMed

    Sy, Sheena Maureen T; Salud-Gnilo, Charissa M; Yap-Silva, Claudine; Tababa, Erin Jane L

    2017-07-01

    The Section of Dermatology of the University of the Philippines, Philippine General Hospital, reported a case of chronic arsenic poisoning from a community in Luzon island to the Department of Health resulting in the conduct of two health and environmental assessment missions in December 2014. To describe the demographic profile and cutaneous manifestations of chronic arsenic poisoning among affected residents in Luzon, Philippines. A review of the medical records of 116 residents screened during the health assessment missions in December 2014 was conducted. Among the 116 residents screened, 81 (70%) had clinically confirmed arsenic keratoses and hyperpigmentation. Among them, 52 were males and 29 were females with age range of 4-82 years. Two cases of squamous cell carcinoma in situ were detected through skin biopsy. High levels of arsenic in the tap water and topsoil supported the occurrence of an epidemic of chronic arsenic poisoning. Specific dermatologic findings of arsenic keratoses and pigmentation were common among the residents screened. Significantly higher occurrence of arsenic keratoses was seen in adults. © 2017 The International Society of Dermatology.

  2. Associations between benthic flora and diel changes in dissolved arsenic, phosphorus, and related physico-chemical parameters

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kuwabara, James S.

    1992-01-01

    Diel relationships between physical and chemical parameters and biomass were examined along a 57-km reach of Whitewood Creek, South Dakota, between 29 August and 2 September 1988. A time lag of ∼3-6 h for fluctuations in soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) concentrations (ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 μM at the downstream sites) relative to dissolved arsenic (ranging from 0.3 to 1.2 μM as arsenate (pentavalent arsenic)) was consistent with our laboratory studies (reported elsewhere) showing preferential cell sorption of orthophosphate over arsenate by creek periphyton. The potential biological effects on SRP diel fluctuations contrasts with abiotic sorption controls for dissolved arsenate (a chemically similar anion). Cycles for pH, like water temperature cycles, lagged irradiance cycles by 1-3 h. Like pH, the amplitude of dissolved arsenic diel cycles was greatest at the site with most abundant biomass. Diel fluctuations in specific conductance (an indicator of groundwater inputs at elevated conductivity relative to the water column) were out of phase with both SRP and dissolved arsenic concentrations suggesting that groundwater was not the direct source of these solutes.

  3. Sulfur mustard skin lesions: A systematic review on pathomechanisms, treatment options and future research directions.

    PubMed

    Rose, Dorothee; Schmidt, Annette; Brandenburger, Matthias; Sturmheit, Tabea; Zille, Marietta; Boltze, Johannes

    2018-09-01

    Sulfur mustard (SM) is a chemical warfare, which has been used for one hundred years. However, its exact pathomechanisms are still incompletely understood and there is no specific therapy available so far. In this systematic review, studies published between January 2000 and July 2017 involving pathomechanisms and experimental treatments of SM-induced skin lesions were analyzed to summarize current knowledge on SM pathology, to provide an overview on novel treatment options, and to identify promising targets for future research to more effectively counter SM effects. We suggest that future studies should focus on (I) systemic effects of SM intoxication due to its distribution throughout the body, (II) removal of SM depots that continuously release active compound contributing to chronic skin damage, and (III) therapeutic options that counteract the pleiotropic effects of SM. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Relation between in Utero Arsenic Exposure and Birth Outcomes in a Cohort of Mothers and Their Newborns from New Hampshire.

    PubMed

    Gilbert-Diamond, Diane; Emond, Jennifer A; Baker, Emily R; Korrick, Susan A; Karagas, Margaret R

    2016-08-01

    Studies suggest that arsenic exposure influences birth outcomes; however, findings are mixed. We assessed in utero arsenic exposure in relation to birth outcomes and whether maternal prepregnancy weight and infant sex modified the associations. Among 706 mother-infant pairs exposed to low levels of arsenic through drinking water and diet, we assessed in utero arsenic exposure using maternal second-trimester urinary arsenic, maternal prepregnancy weight through self-report, and birth outcomes from medical records. Median (interquartile range) of total urinary arsenic [tAs; inorganic arsenic (iAs) + monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) + dimethylarsinic acid (DMA)] was 3.4 μg/L (1.7-6.0). In adjusted linear models, each doubling of tAs was associated with a 0.10-cm decrease (95% CI: -0.19, -0.01) in head circumference. Results were similar for MMA and DMA. Ln(tAs) and ln(DMA) were positively associated with birth length in infant males only; among males, each doubling of tAs was associated with a 0.28-cm increase (95% CI: 0.09, 0.46) in birth length (pinteraction = 0.04). Results were similar for DMA. Additionally, arsenic exposure was inversely related to ponderal index, and associations differed by maternal weight. Each ln(tAs) doubling of tAs was associated with a 0.55-kg/m3 lower (95% CI: -0.82, -0.28, p < 0.001) ponderal index for infants of overweight/obese, but not normal-weight, mothers (pinteraction < 0.01). Finally, there was a significant interaction between maternal weight status, infant sex, and arsenic exposure on birth weight (pinteraction = 0.03). In girls born of overweight/obese mothers, each doubling of tAs was associated with a 62.9-g decrease (95% CI: -111.6, -14.2) in birth weight, though the association was null in the other strata. Low-level arsenic exposure may affect fetal growth, and the associations may be modified by maternal weight status and infant sex. Gilbert-Diamond D, Emond JA, Baker ER, Korrick SA, Karagas MR. 2016. Relation between in

  5. In vivo analysis of tissue by Raman microprobe: examination of human skin lesions and esophagus Barrett's mucosa on an animal model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tfayli, Ali; Piot, Olivier; Derancourt, Sylvie; Cadiot, Guillaume; Diebold, Marie D.; Bernard, Philippe; Manfait, Michel

    2006-02-01

    In the last few years, Raman spectroscopy has been increasingly used for the characterization of normal and pathological tissues. A new Raman system, constituted of optic fibers bundle coupled to an axial Raman spectrometer (Horiba Jobin Yvon SAS), was developed for in vivo investigations. Here, we present in vivo analysis on two tissues: human skin and esophagus mucosa on a rat model. The skin is a directly accessible organ, representing a high diversity of lesions and cancers. Including malignant melanoma, basal cell carcinoma and the squamous cell carcinoma, skin cancer is the cancer with the highest incidence worldwide. Several Raman investigations were performed to discriminate and classify different types of skin lesions, on thin sections of biopsies. Here, we try to characterize in vivo the different types of skin cancers in order to be able to detect them in their early stages of development and to define precisely the exeresis limits. Barrett's mucosa was also studied by in vivo examination of rat's esophagus. Barrett's mucosa, induced by gastro-esophageal reflux, is a pretumoral state that has to be carefully monitored due to its high risk of evolution in adenocarcinoma. A better knowledge of the histological transformation of esophagus epithelium in a Barrett's type will lead to a more efficient detection of the pathology for its early diagnosis. To study these changes, an animal model (rats developing Barrett's mucosa after duodenum - esophagus anastomosis) was used. Potential of vibrational spectroscopy for Barrett's mucosa identification is assessed on this model.

  6. HPV16-E7 Expression in skin induces TSLP secretion, type 2 ILC infiltration and atopic dermatitis-like lesions

    PubMed Central

    Bergot, Anne-Sophie; Monnet, Nastasia; Tran, Le Son; Mittal, Deepak; Al-Kouba, Jane; Steptoe, Raymond J.; Grimbaldeston, Michele A.; Frazer, Ian H.; Wells, James W.

    2014-01-01

    Atopic dermatitis is a common pruritic and inflammatory skin disorder with unknown etiology. Most commonly occurring during early childhood, atopic dermatitis is associated with eczematous lesions and lichenification, in which the epidermis becomes hypertrophied resulting in thickening of the skin. In this study, we report an atopic dermatitis-like pathophysiology results in a murine model following the expression of the high-risk Human Papillomavirus (HPV) 16 oncoprotein E7 in keratinocytes under the Keratin 14 promoter. We show that HPV 16 E7 expression in the skin is associated with skin thickening, acanthosis and light spongiosis. Locally, HPV 16 E7 expressing skin secreted high levels of TSLP and contained increased numbers of ILCs. High levels of circulating IgE were associated with increased susceptibility to skin allergy in a model of cutaneous challenge, and to airway bronchiolar inflammation, enhanced airway goblet cell metaplasia and mucus production in a model of atopic march. Surprisingly, skin pathology occurred independently of T-cells and mast cells. Thus, our findings suggest that the expression of a single HPV oncogene in the skin can drive the onset of atopic dermatitis-like pathology through the induction of TSLP and type 2 ILC infiltration. PMID:25601274

  7. Visible lesion thresholds and model predictions for Q-switched 1318-nm and 1540-nm laser exposures to porcine skin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zohner, Justin J.; Schuster, Kurt J.; Chavey, Lucas J.; Stolarski, David J.; Kumru, Semih S.; Rockwell, Benjamin A.; Thomas, Robert J.; Cain, Clarence P.

    2006-02-01

    Skin damage thresholds were measured and compared with theoretical predictions using a skin thermal model for near-IR laser pulses at 1318 nm and 1540 nm. For the 1318-nm data, a Q-switched, 50-ns pulse with a spot size of 5 mm was applied to porcine skin and the damage thresholds were determined at 1 hour and 24 hours postexposure using Probit analysis. The same analysis was conducted for a Q-switched, 30-ns pulse at 1540 nm with a spot size of 5 mm. The Yucatan mini-pig was used as the skin model for human skin due to its similarity to pigmented human skin. The ED 50 for these skin exposures at 24 hours postexposure was 10.5 J/cm2 for the 1318-nm exposures, and 6.1 J/cm2 for the 1540-nm exposures. These results were compared to thermal model predictions. We show that the thermal model fails to account for the ED 50 values observed. A brief discussion of the possible causes of this discrepancy is presented. These thresholds are also compared with previously published skin minimum visible lesion (MVL) thresholds and with the ANSI Standard's MPE for 1318-nm lasers at 50 ns and 1540-nm lasers at 30 ns.

  8. Reflectance spectroscopy of pigmented cutaneous benign and malignant lesions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Borisova, E.; Jeliazkova, Al.; Pavlova, E.; Troyanova, P.; Kundurdjiev, T.; Pavlova, P.; Avramov, L.

    2014-10-01

    For the DRS measurements of skin benign, dysplastic and malignant lesions in vivo we applied halogen lamp (LS-1, OceanOptics Inc, Dunedin, Fl, USA) as a continuous light source in the region of 400-900 nm, optical probe (6+1 fibers) for the delivery of illumination and diffuse reflected light from the skin investigated and microspectrometer USB4000 (OceanOptics Inc., Dunedin, Fl, USA) for a storage and display of the spectra detected. As a diffuse reflectance standard Spectralon® plate was used to calibrate the spectrometer. The reflectance spectra obtained from normal skin in identical anatomic sites of different patients have similar spectral shape features, slightly differ by the reflectance intensity at different wavelengths, depending on the particular patient' skin phototype. One could find diagnostically important spectral features, related to specific intensity changes for a given wavelength due to specific pigments appearance, slope changes by value and sign for the reflectance spectra curves in a specific spectral range, disappearance or manifestation of minima, related to hemoglobin absorption at 410-420 nm, 543, 575 nm. Based on the observed peculiarities multispectral analysis of the reflectance spectra of the different lesions was used and diagnostically specific features are found. Discrimination using the DRS data obtained between benign compound and dermal nevi (45 cases), dysplastic nevi (17 cases) and pigmented malignant melanoma (41 cases) lesions is achieved with a diagnostic accuracy of 96 % for the benign nevi vs. MM, and 90 % for the dysplastic nevi vs. MM.

  9. Role of complex organic arsenicals in food in aggregate exposure to arsenic

    EPA Science Inventory

    For much of the world’s population, food is the major source of exposure to arsenic. Exposure to this non-essential metalloid at relatively low levels has been linked to a wide range of adverse health effects. Thus, evaluating foods as sources of exposure to arsenic is important ...

  10. Binational arsenic exposure survey: methodology and estimated arsenic intake from drinking water and urinary arsenic concentrations.

    PubMed

    Roberge, Jason; O'Rourke, Mary Kay; Meza-Montenegro, Maria Mercedes; Gutiérrez-Millán, Luis Enrique; Burgess, Jefferey L; Harris, Robin B

    2012-04-01

    The Binational Arsenic Exposure Survey (BAsES) was designed to evaluate probable arsenic exposures in selected areas of southern Arizona and northern Mexico, two regions with known elevated levels of arsenic in groundwater reserves. This paper describes the methodology of BAsES and the relationship between estimated arsenic intake from beverages and arsenic output in urine. Households from eight communities were selected for their varying groundwater arsenic concentrations in Arizona, USA and Sonora, Mexico. Adults responded to questionnaires and provided dietary information. A first morning urine void and water from all household drinking sources were collected. Associations between urinary arsenic concentration (total, organic, inorganic) and estimated level of arsenic consumed from water and other beverages were evaluated through crude associations and by random effects models. Median estimated total arsenic intake from beverages among participants from Arizona communities ranged from 1.7 to 14.1 µg/day compared to 0.6 to 3.4 µg/day among those from Mexico communities. In contrast, median urinary inorganic arsenic concentrations were greatest among participants from Hermosillo, Mexico (6.2 µg/L) whereas a high of 2.0 µg/L was found among participants from Ajo, Arizona. Estimated arsenic intake from drinking water was associated with urinary total arsenic concentration (p < 0.001), urinary inorganic arsenic concentration (p < 0.001), and urinary sum of species (p < 0.001). Urinary arsenic concentrations increased between 7% and 12% for each one percent increase in arsenic consumed from drinking water. Variability in arsenic intake from beverages and urinary arsenic output yielded counter intuitive results. Estimated intake of arsenic from all beverages was greatest among Arizonans yet participants in Mexico had higher urinary total and inorganic arsenic concentrations. Other contributors to urinary arsenic concentrations should be evaluated.

  11. Binational Arsenic Exposure Survey: Methodology and Estimated Arsenic Intake from Drinking Water and Urinary Arsenic Concentrations

    PubMed Central

    Roberge, Jason; O’Rourke, Mary Kay; Meza-Montenegro, Maria Mercedes; Gutiérrez-Millán, Luis Enrique; Burgess, Jefferey L.; Harris, Robin B.

    2012-01-01

    The Binational Arsenic Exposure Survey (BAsES) was designed to evaluate probable arsenic exposures in selected areas of southern Arizona and northern Mexico, two regions with known elevated levels of arsenic in groundwater reserves. This paper describes the methodology of BAsES and the relationship between estimated arsenic intake from beverages and arsenic output in urine. Households from eight communities were selected for their varying groundwater arsenic concentrations in Arizona, USA and Sonora, Mexico. Adults responded to questionnaires and provided dietary information. A first morning urine void and water from all household drinking sources were collected. Associations between urinary arsenic concentration (total, organic, inorganic) and estimated level of arsenic consumed from water and other beverages were evaluated through crude associations and by random effects models. Median estimated total arsenic intake from beverages among participants from Arizona communities ranged from 1.7 to 14.1 µg/day compared to 0.6 to 3.4 µg/day among those from Mexico communities. In contrast, median urinary inorganic arsenic concentrations were greatest among participants from Hermosillo, Mexico (6.2 µg/L) whereas a high of 2.0 µg/L was found among participants from Ajo, Arizona. Estimated arsenic intake from drinking water was associated with urinary total arsenic concentration (p < 0.001), urinary inorganic arsenic concentration (p < 0.001), and urinary sum of species (p < 0.001). Urinary arsenic concentrations increased between 7% and 12% for each one percent increase in arsenic consumed from drinking water. Variability in arsenic intake from beverages and urinary arsenic output yielded counter intuitive results. Estimated intake of arsenic from all beverages was greatest among Arizonans yet participants in Mexico had higher urinary total and inorganic arsenic concentrations. Other contributors to urinary arsenic concentrations should be evaluated. PMID:22690182

  12. Of Soap and Seborrhea: Skin Problems in Infants

    PubMed Central

    Nickerson, Granville

    1972-01-01

    Skin lesions in infants can herald serious internal problems or be relatively benign. Interpreting skin manifestations can be extremely confusing, therefore, and although many can be ‘spot’ diagnoses, puzzling rashes should be approached systematically according to the areas that are affected and the nature of the lesions. Dr. Nickerson describes common dermatological conditions seen in the newborn and older infants and advocates a common sense approach, especially on questions of what to bathe the baby with. He outlines followup procedures for those conditions which are signs of more serious internal disorders, and emphasizes reassurance and education of the mother. PMID:20468758

  13. Anal lesions presenting in a cohort of child gastroenterological examinations. Implications for sexual traumatic injuries.

    PubMed

    Rougé-Maillart, Clotilde; Houdu, Sora; Darviot, Estelle; Buchaillet, Céline; Baron, Céline

    2015-05-01

    The purpose of this study was to describe the anal lesions found in children during a pediatric gastroenterology consultation when the reason for the complaint was related to a digestive disease. This prospective descriptive study included 100 children under 15 years of age over a 13-month period, consulting due to digestive symptoms. The children were under 8 years old (90%) and 25% were under 3.1 years old. Constipation was the most frequent reason for consultation (69%). Fifty-one anal lesions were observed, of which 58.8% were anal fissures, 15.7% were skin tags and 5.8% were venous congestions related to straining. Anal fissures and skin tags were located at the median line, according to the clock-face method in supine position. No child had more than two anal lesions. No anal dilatation, sphincter hypotonia, anal scars, anal lacerations or bruises were found. The two most common anal lesions were anal fissures and skin tags. These anal lesions were mainly observed at the median line and were due to constipation. No cases of multiple anal lesions were found in terms of common digestive diseases. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

  14. Abundant immunoglobulin E-positive cells in skin lesions support an allergic etiology of atopic dermatitis in the elderly

    PubMed Central

    Tanei, R; Hasegawa, Y; Sawabe, M

    2013-01-01

    Background/Objectives Atopic dermatitis (AD) in the elderly is gradually increasing in industrialized countries in association with the aging of society. We report herein four cases of elderly AD {three extrinsic [immunoglobulin (Ig)E-mediated allergy]; one intrinsic (non-IgE-allergy)} in which we investigated the presence of IgE+ cells in lesional skin. Methods/Results Single immunohistochemical and double immunofluorescence stainings were performed for skin biopsy specimens from AD patients and non-atopic control subjects with chronic eczema. In the lesional lichenified skin of patients with extrinsic elderly AD, numerous IgE+ cells were found among inflammatory cells infiltrates in the upper dermis. Comparative analysis of single immunohistochemistry results using serial paraffin and/or frozen sections found that many IgE+ cells showed identical distributions to tryptase+ mast cells. IgE+ cells coincident with CD1a+ Langerhans cells in the epidermis were found in small numbers only in frozen sections. Double immunofluorescence staining for IgE and CD11c revealed cells coexpressing IgE and CD11c with a dendritic morphology in the papillary and upper dermis. These IgE+ mast cells and IgE+ CD11c+ cells were also found in cured normal-looking skin from a patient with extrinsic elderly AD after successful treatment. Although only a few weakly positive IgE+ cells were detected, no IgE+CD11c+ cells were found in specimens from patients with intrinsic elderly AD or non-atopic chronic eczema. Conclusion IgE-mediated allergic inflammation may play an important role in the pathobiology of elderly AD, similar to other age groups of AD. PMID:22702954

  15. The Association of Arsenic Metabolism with Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, and Diabetes: A Systematic Review of the Epidemiological Evidence

    PubMed Central

    Moon, Katherine A.; Wang, Shu-Li; Silbergeld, Ellen; Navas-Acien, Ana

    2017-01-01

    Background: The available evidence on the role of arsenic metabolism in individual susceptibility to the development of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes has not been formally and comprehensively reviewed. Objectives: Our goal was to systematically investigate the association of arsenic metabolism with cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes-related outcomes in epidemiologic studies. As a secondary objective, we characterized the variation of arsenic metabolism in different populations worldwide. Methods: We searched Medline/PubMed and EMBASE from inception to January 2016 and applied predetermined exclusion criteria. Compositional data analysis was used to describe the distribution of arsenic metabolism biomarkers and evaluate the association between arsenic exposure and metabolism. Results: Twenty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria, 12 on cancer, nine on cardiovascular disease, and seven on diabetes-related outcomes. The median (interquartile range) for mean iAs%, MMA%, and DMA% was 11.2 (7.8–14.9)%, 13.0 (10.4–13.6)%, and 74.9 (69.8–80.0)%, respectively. Findings across studies suggested that higher arsenic exposure levels were associated with higher iAs% and lower DMA% and not associated with MMA%. For cancer, most studies found a pattern of higher MMA% and lower DMA% associated with higher risk of all-site, urothelial, lung, and skin cancers. For cardiovascular disease, higher MMA% was generally associated with higher risk of carotid atherosclerosis and clinical cardiovascular disease but not with hypertension. For diabetes-related outcomes, the pattern of lower MMA% and higher DMA% was associated with higher risk of metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Conclusions: Population level of iAs% and DMA%, but not MMA%, were associated with arsenic exposure levels. Overall, study findings suggest that higher MMA% was associated with an increased risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, while lower MMA% was associated with an increased risk

  16. Image analysis of skin color heterogeneity focusing on skin chromophores and the age-related changes in facial skin.

    PubMed

    Kikuchi, Kumiko; Masuda, Yuji; Yamashita, Toyonobu; Kawai, Eriko; Hirao, Tetsuji

    2015-05-01

    Heterogeneity with respect to skin color tone is one of the key factors in visual perception of facial attractiveness and age. However, there have been few studies on quantitative analyses of the color heterogeneity of facial skin. The purpose of this study was to develop image evaluation methods for skin color heterogeneity focusing on skin chromophores and then characterize ethnic differences and age-related changes. A facial imaging system equipped with an illumination unit and a high-resolution digital camera was used to develop image evaluation methods for skin color heterogeneity. First, melanin and/or hemoglobin images were obtained using pigment-specific image-processing techniques, which involved conversion from Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage XYZ color values to melanin and/or hemoglobin indexes as measures of their contents. Second, a spatial frequency analysis with threshold settings was applied to the individual images. Cheek skin images of 194 healthy Asian and Caucasian female subjects were acquired using the imaging system. Applying this methodology, the skin color heterogeneity of Asian and Caucasian faces was characterized. The proposed pigment-specific image-processing techniques allowed visual discrimination of skin redness from skin pigmentation. In the heterogeneity analyses of cheek skin color, age-related changes in melanin were clearly detected in Asian and Caucasian skin. Furthermore, it was found that the heterogeneity indexes of hemoglobin were significantly higher in Caucasian skin than in Asian skin. We have developed evaluation methods for skin color heterogeneity by image analyses based on the major chromophores, melanin and hemoglobin, with special reference to their size. This methodology focusing on skin color heterogeneity should be useful for better understanding of aging and ethnic differences. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. Concentrations of urinary arsenic species in relation to rice and seafood consumption among children living in Spain.

    PubMed

    Signes-Pastor, Antonio J; Vioque, Jesus; Navarrete-Muñoz, Eva M; Carey, Manus; García de la Hera, Manoli; Sunyer, Jordi; Casas, Maribel; Riaño-Galán, Isolina; Tardón, Adonina; Llop, Sabrina; Amorós, Rubén; Amiano, Pilar; Bilbao, José R; Karagas, Margaret R; Meharg, Andrew A

    2017-11-01

    Inorganic arsenic (i-As) has been related to wide-ranging health effects in children, leading to lifelong concerns. Proportionally, dietary i-As exposure dominates in regions with low arsenic drinking water. This study aims to investigate the relation between rice and seafood consumption and urinary arsenic species during childhood and to assess the proportion of urinary i-As metabolites. Urinary arsenic species concentration in 400 4-year-old children living in four geographical areas of Spain, in addition to repeated measures from 100 children at 7 years of age are included in this study. Rice and seafood products intake was collected from children's parents using a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). At 4 years of age, children's urine i-As and monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) concentrations increased with rice product consumption (p-value = 0.010 and 0.018, respectively), and urinary arsenobetaine (AsB) with seafood consumption (p = 0.002). Four-year-old children had a higher consumption of both rice and seafood per body weight and a higher urinary %MMA (p-value = 0.001) and lower % dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) (p-value = 0.017). This study suggests increased dietary i-As exposure related to rice product consumption among children living in Spain, and the younger ones may be especially vulnerable to the health impacts of this exposure also considering that they might have a lower i-As methylation capacity than older children. In contrast, seafood consumption did not appear to influence the presence of potentially toxic arsenic species in this population of children. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. SLC39A2 and FSIP1 polymorphisms as potential modifiers of arsenic-related bladder cancer

    PubMed Central

    Andrew, Angeline S.; Nelson, Heather H.; Li, Zhongze; Punshon, Tracy; Schned, Alan; Marsit, Carmen J.; Morris, J. Steven; Moore, Jason H.; Tyler, Anna L.; Gilbert-Diamond, Diane; Guerinot, Mary-Lou; Kelsey, Karl T.

    2012-01-01

    Arsenic is a carcinogen that contaminates drinking water worldwide. Accumulating evidence suggests that both exposure and genetic factors may influence susceptibility to arsenic-induced malignancies. We sought to identify novel susceptibility loci for arsenic-related bladder cancer in a US population with low to moderate drinking water levels of arsenic. We first screened a subset of bladder cancer cases using a panel of approximately 10,000 non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Top ranking hits on the SNP array then were considered for further analysis in our population-based case–control study (n = 832 cases and 1,191 controls). SNPs in the fibrous sheath interacting protein 1 (FSIP1) gene (rs10152640) and the solute carrier family 39, member 2 (SLC39A2) in the ZIP gene family of metal transporters (rs2234636) were detected as potential hits in the initial scan and validated in the full case–control study. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for the FSIP1 polymorphism was 2.57 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13, 5.85] for heterozygote variants (AG) and 12.20 (95% CI 2.51, 59.30) for homozygote variants (GG) compared to homozygote wild types (AA) in the high arsenic group (greater than the 90th percentile), and unrelated in the low arsenic group (equal to or below the 90th percentile) (P for interaction = 0.002). For the SLC39A2 polymorphism, the adjusted ORs were 2.96 (95% CI 1.23, 7.15) and 2.91 (95% CI 1.00, 8.52) for heterozygote (TC) and homozygote (CC) variants compared to homozygote wild types (TT), respectively, and close to one in the low arsenic group (P for interaction = 0.03). Our findings suggest novel variants that may influence risk of arsenic-associated bladder cancer and those who may be at greatest risk from this widespread exposure. PMID:21947419

  19. SLC39A2 and FSIP1 polymorphisms as potential modifiers of arsenic-related bladder cancer.

    PubMed

    Karagas, Margaret R; Andrew, Angeline S; Nelson, Heather H; Li, Zhongze; Punshon, Tracy; Schned, Alan; Marsit, Carmen J; Morris, J Steven; Moore, Jason H; Tyler, Anna L; Gilbert-Diamond, Diane; Guerinot, Mary-Lou; Kelsey, Karl T

    2012-03-01

    Arsenic is a carcinogen that contaminates drinking water worldwide. Accumulating evidence suggests that both exposure and genetic factors may influence susceptibility to arsenic-induced malignancies. We sought to identify novel susceptibility loci for arsenic-related bladder cancer in a US population with low to moderate drinking water levels of arsenic. We first screened a subset of bladder cancer cases using a panel of approximately 10,000 non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Top ranking hits on the SNP array then were considered for further analysis in our population-based case-control study (n = 832 cases and 1,191 controls). SNPs in the fibrous sheath interacting protein 1 (FSIP1) gene (rs10152640) and the solute carrier family 39, member 2 (SLC39A2) in the ZIP gene family of metal transporters (rs2234636) were detected as potential hits in the initial scan and validated in the full case-control study. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for the FSIP1 polymorphism was 2.57 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13, 5.85] for heterozygote variants (AG) and 12.20 (95% CI 2.51, 59.30) for homozygote variants (GG) compared to homozygote wild types (AA) in the high arsenic group (greater than the 90th percentile), and unrelated in the low arsenic group (equal to or below the 90th percentile) (P for interaction = 0.002). For the SLC39A2 polymorphism, the adjusted ORs were 2.96 (95% CI 1.23, 7.15) and 2.91 (95% CI 1.00, 8.52) for heterozygote (TC) and homozygote (CC) variants compared to homozygote wild types (TT), respectively, and close to one in the low arsenic group (P for interaction = 0.03). Our findings suggest novel variants that may influence risk of arsenic-associated bladder cancer and those who may be at greatest risk from this widespread exposure.

  20. Excitation-emission matrices measurements of human cutaneous lesions: tool for fluorescence origin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhelyazkova, A.; Borisova, E.; Angelova, L.; Pavlova, E.; Keremedchiev, M.

    2013-11-01

    The light induced fluorescence (LIF) technique has the potential of providing real-time diagnosis of malignant and premalignant skin tissue; however, human skin is a multilayered and inhomogeneous organ with different optical properties that complicate the analysis of cutaneous fluorescence spectra. In spite of the difficulties related to the detection and analysis of fluorescent data from skin lesions, this technique is among the most widely applied techniques in laboratorial and pre-clinical investigations for early skin neoplasia diagnosis. The important point is to evaluate all sources of intrinsic fluorescence and find any significant alterations distinguishing the normal skin from a cancerous state of the tissue; this would make the autofluorescence signal obtained useful for the development of a non-invasive diagnostic tool for the dermatological practice. Our investigations presented here were based on ex vivo point-by-point measurements of excitation-emission matrices (EEM) from excised tumor lesions and the surrounding skin taken during the daily clinical practice of Queen Jiovanna- ISUL University Hospital, Sofia, the local Ethical Committee's approval having already been obtained. The fluorescence emission was measured between 300 nm and 800 nm using excitation in the 280-440 nm spectral range. In the process of excitation-emission matrices (EEM) measurements we could establish the origin of the autofluorescence and the compounds related by assigning the excitation and emission maxima obtained during the experiments. The EEM were compared for normal human skin, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, benign nevi and malignant melanoma lesions to obtain information for the most common skin malignancies and their precursors. The main spectral features and the applicability of the technique of autofluorescent spectroscopy of human skin in general as an initial diagnostic tool are discussed as well.