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.

Epidermal Growth Factor Relieves Inflammatory Signals in Staphylococcus aureus-Treated Human Epidermal Keratinocytes and Atopic Dermatitis-Like Skin Lesions in Nc/Nga Mice.

PubMed

Choi, Sun Young; Lee, You Jin; Kim, Ji Min; Kang, Hyun Ji; Cho, Sang Hyun; Chang, Sung Eun

2018-01-01

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with a defective immunologic barrier, which is aggravated by Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) . Epidermal growth factor (EGF) suppresses inflammation and EGF receptor inhibitors increased S. aureus colonization. Thus, we investigated the potential roles of EGF in AD, which is often aggravated by S. aureus . We determined how EGF affects the expression of inflammatory cytokines and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in human epidermal keratinocytes (HEKs) treated with heat-inactivated S. aureus (HKSA) in vitro and 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene-induced AD-like skin lesions in Nc/Nga mice. HKSA increased IL-6 and NF κ B expression; EGF treatment had the opposite effect. EGF increased human β defensin-2 expression in HEKs and murine β defensin-3 in mice. In mice, both EGF and pimecrolimus groups showed less erythema with significantly reduced inflammation and decreased expression of thymic stromal lymphopoietin. EGF relieved S. aureus -induced inflammation and AD-like skin lesions in Nc/Nga mice. Therefore, EGF could be a potential topical treatment for AD.

Epidermal Growth Factor Relieves Inflammatory Signals in Staphylococcus aureus-Treated Human Epidermal Keratinocytes and Atopic Dermatitis-Like Skin Lesions in Nc/Nga Mice

PubMed Central

Choi, Sun Young; Lee, You Jin; Kim, Ji Min; Kang, Hyun Ji

2018-01-01

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with a defective immunologic barrier, which is aggravated by Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Epidermal growth factor (EGF) suppresses inflammation and EGF receptor inhibitors increased S. aureus colonization. Thus, we investigated the potential roles of EGF in AD, which is often aggravated by S. aureus. We determined how EGF affects the expression of inflammatory cytokines and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in human epidermal keratinocytes (HEKs) treated with heat-inactivated S. aureus (HKSA) in vitro and 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene-induced AD-like skin lesions in Nc/Nga mice. HKSA increased IL-6 and NFκB expression; EGF treatment had the opposite effect. EGF increased human β defensin-2 expression in HEKs and murine β defensin-3 in mice. In mice, both EGF and pimecrolimus groups showed less erythema with significantly reduced inflammation and decreased expression of thymic stromal lymphopoietin. EGF relieved S. aureus-induced inflammation and AD-like skin lesions in Nc/Nga mice. Therefore, EGF could be a potential topical treatment for AD.

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.

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

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.

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.

Therapeutic effects of combination using glucosamine plus tacrolimus (FK-506) on the development of atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice.

PubMed

Kim, C-H; Cheong, K A; Park, C D; Lee, A-Y

2012-05-01

Tacrolimus (FK-506) has been found to exhibit potent inhibitory effects on spontaneously developed dermatitis. We previously showed that glucosamine prevents the development of Atopic dermatitis (AD)-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice. The aims of our study were to investigate the synergistic therapeutic efficacy of combination of glucosamine plus FK-506 in dermatophagoides farina (Df)-induced AD-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice and to determine the underlying therapeutic mechanisms. The Df-induced NC/Nga mice with a clinical score of 8 were used for treatment with glucosamine (500 mg/kg) alone, FK-506 (1.0 mg/kg) or in combination. The synergistic effects of combination therapy were evaluated by dermatitis scores, skin histology and immunological parameters such as IgE, Th2-mediated cytokines and chemokines, CD3(+) T cells and CLA(+) T cells. Combined therapy using glucosamine plus FK-506 improved the development of AD-like skin lesions as exemplified by a significant decrease in total skin symptom severity scores. The suppression of dermatitis by combined therapy was accompanied by a decrease in the plasma level of IgE and in the splenic level of IL-5, IL-13, TARC and eotaxin. Histological finding indicated that the dermal infiltration of inflammatory cells including mast cells and eosinophils was greatly reduced. Particularly, immunohistological evaluation reveals a reduction in CD3(+) T cells and CLA(+) cells in the combined therapy. Our findings suggest that combination therapy of glucosamine plus FK-506 was more synergistic efficacy than single-modality treatment with either alone to improve the development of established dermatitis in NC/Nga mice model. This combined immunosuppressive therapy may provide an effective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of AD. © 2011 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Immunology © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

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.

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.

Substance P restores normal skin architecture and reduces epidermal infiltration of sensory nerve fiber in TNCB-induced atopic dermatitis-like lesions in NC/Nga mice.

PubMed

Choi, Hyeongwon; Kim, Dong-Jin; Nam, Seungwoo; Lim, Sunki; Hwang, Jae-Sung; Park, Ki Sook; Hong, Hyun Sook; Won, Younsun; Shin, Min Kyung; Chung, Eunkyung; Son, Youngsook

2018-03-01

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder characterized by intense pruritus and eczematous lesion. Substance P (SP) is an 11-amino-acid endogenous neuropeptide that belongs to the tachykinin family and several reports recently have supported the anti-inflammatory and tissue repairing roles of SP. In this study, we investigated whether SP can improve AD symptoms, especially the impaired skin barrier function, in 2, 4, 6-trinitrochlorobenzene (TNCB)-induced chronic dermatitis of NC/Nga mice or not. AD-like dermatitis was induced in NC/Nga mice by repeated sensitization with TNCB for 5 weeks. The experimental group designations and topical treatments were as follows: vehicle group (AD-VE); SP group (AD-SP); and SP with NK1R antagonist CP99994 (AD-SP-A) group. Histological analysis was performed to evaluate epidermal differentiation, dermal integrity, and epidermal nerve innervation in AD-like lesions. The skin barrier functions and pruritus of NC/Nga mice were evaluated by measuring transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and scratching behavior, respectively. Topical SP treatment resulted in significant down-regulation of Ki67 and the abnormal-type keratins (K) K6, K16, and K17, restoration of filaggrin and claudin-1, marked reduction of TEWL, and restoration of basement membrane and dermal collagen deposition, even under continuous sensitization of low dose TNCB. In addition, SP significantly reduced innervation of itch-evoking nerve fibers, gelatinase activity and nerve growth factor (NGF) expression in the epidermis but upregulated semaphorin-3A (Sema3A) expression in the epidermis, along with reduced scratching behavior in TNCB-treated NC/Nga mice. All of these effects were completely reversed by co-treatment with the NK1R antagonist CP99994. In cultured human keratinocytes, SP treatment reduced expression of TGF-α, but upregulated TGF-β and Sema3A. Topically administered SP can restore normal skin barrier function, reduce epidermal infiltration

Oral administration of Yokukansan inhibits the development of atopic dermatitis-like lesions in isolated NC/Nga mice.

PubMed

Jiang, Ju; Yamaguchi, Takuji; Funakushi, Naoko; Kuhara, Takatoshi; Fan, Ping-shen; Ueki, Rie; Suto, Hajime; Kase, Yoshio; Ikeda, Shigaku; Ogawa, Hideoki

2009-10-01

Increasing evidence suggests that stress can trigger and exacerbate atopic dermatitis (AD). Psychotherapy is becoming more important in the treatment of AD patients. Yokukansan (YKS, Yi-Gan San in Chinese), a traditional Japanese medicine, has been widely utilized in the treatment of neurosis, insomnia and anxiety especially in Asian countries. Furthermore, it was reported that YKS inhibited skin lesions in socially isolated mice but not in group-housed mice. Therefore, in the present study it was investigated whether or not YKS was effective in the treatment of AD using socially isolated NC/Nga mice. The present study was designed to assess the effect of YKS on the development of AD-like lesions in socially isolated NC/Nga mice to obtain information about its usefulness in the treatment of AD. Ten-week-old male NC/Nga mice were socially isolated under conventional conditions. YKS was administered orally to mice at the dose of 0.5% or 1.0% together with diet. The efficacy of YKS was evaluated by assessing skin lesion severity, scratching behaviors, skin hydration, and infiltration of inflammatory cells in the skin. Grooming behaviors evoked by social isolation stress and serum corticosterone levels were also measured. Oral administration of YKS to socially isolated NC/Nga mice resulted in the inhibition of exacerbation of AD-like skin lesions. It seemed that the inhibition of exacerbation of AD-like skin lesions observed in NC/Nga mice might be due to suppression of the scratching and grooming behaviors, inhibition of the infiltration of mast cells and eosinophils, and retention of humidity in the skin. Serum corticosterone levels were also significantly inhibited in the 1%-YKS-treated mice as compared with those of the control mice. There were no significant differences in the levels of serum total IgE and nerve growth factor (NGF) between the YKS-treated mice and the non-treated control mice. YKS inhibited the development of AD-like skin lesions in socially

Oral administration of Uncariae rhynchophylla inhibits the development of DNFB-induced atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions via IFN-gamma down-regulation in NC/Nga mice.

PubMed

Kim, Dong-Young; Jung, Jung-A; Kim, Tae-Ho; Seo, Sang-Wan; Jung, Sung-Ki; Park, Cheung-Seog

2009-04-21

Uncariae rhynchophylla (UR) is an herb which has blood pressure lowering and anti-inflammatory effects and has been prescribed traditionally to treat stroke and vascular dementia. In the present study, we examined whether UR suppress Atopic dermatitis (AD)-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice treated with 2, 4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) under SPF conditions. The effect of UR in DNFB- treated NC/Nga mice was determined by measuring the skin symptom severity, levels of serum IgE, and of the amounts of IL-4 and IFN-gamma secreted by activated T cells in draining lymph nodes. Oral administration of UR to DNFB-treated NC/Nga mice was found to inhibit ear thickness increases and the skin lesions induced by DNFB. IFN-gamma production by CD4+ T cells from the lymph nodes of DNFB-treated NC/Nga mice was significantly inhibited by UR treatment, although levels of IL-4 and total IgE in serum were not. UR may suppress the development of AD-like dermatitis in DNFB-treated NC/Nga mice by reducing IFN-gamma production.

Inhibitory Effect of Valencene on the Development of Atopic Dermatitis-Like Skin Lesions in NC/Nga Mice.

PubMed

Yang, In Jun; Lee, Dong-Ung; Shin, Heung Mook

2016-01-01

Valencene (VAL) isolated from Cyperus rotundus possesses various biological effects such as antiallergic and antimelanogenesis activity. We investigated the effect of VAL on atopic dermatitis (AD) skin lesions and their molecular mechanisms. We topically applied VAL to 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DNCB) sensitized NC/Nga mice. Modified scoring atopic dermatitis index, scratching behavior, and histological/immunohistochemical staining were used to monitor disease severity. RT-PCR, western blotting, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to determine the level of IgE, proinflammatory cytokines/chemokines production, and skin barrier proteins expression. Topical application of VAL significantly reduced AD-like symptoms and recovered decreased expression of filaggrin in DNCB-sensitized NC/Nga mice. The levels of serum IgE, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-13 in skin/splenic tissue were reduced. In vitro studies using TNF-α and IFN-γ treated HaCaT cells revealed that VAL inhibited the exaggerated expression of Th2 chemokines including TARC/CCL17, MDC/CCL22, and proinflammatory chemokines such as CXCL8, GM-CSF, and I-CAM through blockade of the NF-κB pathway. In addition, expression of the skin barrier protein, involucrin, was also increased by VAL treatment. VAL inhibited the production and expression of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-6 in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. These results suggest that VAL may serve as a potential therapeutic option for AD.

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

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.

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.

Luffa cylindrica suppresses development of Dermatophagoides farinae-induced atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in Nc/Nga mice.

PubMed

Ha, Hyekyung; Lim, Hye-Sun; Lee, Mee-Young; Shin, In-Sik; Jeon, Woo Young; Kim, Jung-Hoon; Shin, Hyeun Kyoo

2015-04-01

The fruit pulp of Luffa cylindrica Roemer (Cucurbitaceae) (LC) has been used to induce hemostasis, resolve phlegm and clear fever in traditional Korean medicine. However, the efficacy of LC has not been examined in atopic dermatitis (AD). A 70% ethanol extract of LC was evaluated to determine anti-inflammation and anti-AD effects in vitro and in vivo. The inhibitory effects of LC on the production of PGE2 and histamine were respectively measured in lipopolysaccharide-treated (1 μg/mL) RAW264.7 macrophages and phorbol-12 myristate 13-acetate (50 nM) and A23187 (1 µM)-stimulated HMC-1 mast cells. The production of AD-related chemokines (RANTES, TARC, and MDC) were evaluated in IFN-γ and TNF-α-stimulated (10 ng/mL, each) HaCaT keratinocytes. LC (10 mg/mouse/d) was topically applied to the dorsal skin and ears of Dermatophagoides farina (Pyroglyphidae)-sensitized Nc/Nga mice for 4 weeks. The IC50 values of LC on PGE2 and histamine production were 16.89 and 139.9 μg/mL, individually. The production of TARC and RANTES were inhibited 20% and 12% by LC (50 μg/mL) in HaCaT cells, respectively (p < 0.05). In sensitized-NC/Nga mice, the plasma levels of IgE and histamine were suppressed 36% and 41% by LC, respectively (p < 0.05). LC also reduced hemorrhage, hypertrophy, and hyperkeratosis of the epidermis and infiltration of mast cells in the dorsal skin and ear. LC can inhibit AD-like skin lesions and reduce the generation of IgE via inhibition of the inflammatory responses. LC has potential as a therapeutic agent to treat allergic diseases, including AD.

Therapeutic effects of full spectrum light on the development of atopic dermatitis-like lesions in NC/Nga mice.

PubMed

Kwon, Tae-Rin; Mun, Seog Kyun; Oh, Chang Taek; Hong, Hyuckki; Choi, Yeon Shik; Kim, Bong-Jun; Kim, Beom Joon

2014-01-01

Full spectrum light (FSL) includes UVA, visible light and infrared light. Many studies have investigated the application of FSL in severe cases of atopic dermatitis (AD) in humans; however, FSL has not yet been studied in an animal model. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of FSL on AD-like skin lesions using NC/Nga mice, with the aim of mitigating itching and attenuating the expression of adhesion molecules. We examined the effects of FSL on mite allergen-treated NC/Nga mice by assessing skin symptom severity, ear thickness, serum IgE levels, and the cytokine expression. We examined the histology of lesions using hematoxylin-eosin, toluidine blue and immunohistochemical staining. Our findings suggest that FSL phototherapy exerts positive therapeutic effects on Dermatophagoides farinae (Df)-induced AD-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice by reducing IgE levels, thus promoting recovery of the skin barrier. The mechanisms by which FSL phototherapy exerts its effects may also involve the inhibition of scratching behavior, reduction of IL-6 levels and reductions in adhesion molecule expression. The present study indicates that FSL phototherapy inhibits the development of AD in NC/Nga mice by suppressing cytokine, chemokine and adhesion molecule expression, and thus, could potentially be useful in treating AD. © 2014 The American Society of Photobiology.

Ameliorating effect of Yokukansan on the development of atopic dermatitis-like lesions and scratching behavior in socially isolated NC/Nga mice.

PubMed

Funakushi, Naoko; Yamaguchi, Takuji; Jiang, Ju; Imamura, Sachiko; Kuhara, Takatoshi; Suto, Hajime; Ueki, Rie; Kase, Yoshio; Kobayashi, Hiroyuki; Ogawa, Hideoki; Ikeda, Shigaku

2011-11-01

Yokukansan (YKS) has been used in Japan as a remedy for neurosis, insomnia, and children with night crying. In a previous study, we reported that YKS controls scratching behavior and inhibits the development of atopic dermatitis (AD)-like lesions in NC/Nga mice. In this study, we investigated the effects of YKS on the development of AD-like lesions in socially isolated NC/Nga mice compared with the effects of fexofenadine and elucidated the mechanism of the ameliorating effect of YKS on the skin lesions. Ten-week-old male NC/Nga mice were divided into three groups (n = 5/group): the conventional control, the YKS-treated, and the fexofenadine-treated groups, and were kept isolated under conventional conditions for 6 weeks. Measurements were made of dermatitis scores and transepidermal water loss (TEWL), scratching and grooming behaviors. Immunohistochemistry and mRNA levels were also evaluated. We performed similar experiments under specific pathogen free (SPF) conditions that served as a SPF control. YKS and fexofenadine inhibited the aggravation of skin lesions and decreased TEWL, but only YKS decreased the numbers of scratching and pathologic grooming behaviors. Immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR revealed that N-methyl-D: -aspartate (NMDA) receptor expression was increased in the skin of conventional control mice and was decreased in YKS-treated mice. Glutamate transporter-1 (GLT-1) mRNA levels were decreased in the skin of conventional control mice and were increased in YKS-treated mice. The results indicate that YKS ameliorates AD-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice through a mechanism distinct from that of fexofenadine. Furthermore, the effects of YKS are suggested to be mediated via glutamate signaling in the skin lesions.

Ameliorative effects of Artemisia argyi Folium extract on 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene-induced atopic dermatitis-like lesions in BALB/c mice

PubMed Central

Han, Hyoung-Min; Kim, Seung-Ju; Kim, Jong-Sik; Kim, Bum Hoi; Lee, Hai Woong; Lee, Yong Tae; Kang, Kyung-Hwa

2016-01-01

Artemisia argyi Folium has been used to treat skin diseases, including eczema and dermatitis, in South Korean medicine. The present study investigated the curative effects of Artemisia argyi Folium extract (AAFE) on 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-induced atopic dermatitis (AD)-like skin lesions in a BALB/c mouse model. Briefly, the dorsal skin of the BALB/c mice was sensitized three times with DNCB, whereas the ears were challenged twice. Repeated treatment with DNCB induced AD-like lesions. The effects of AAFE on AD-like lesions were evaluated by clinical observation, histopathological analysis, immunohistochemistry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In addition, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and western blotting were performed. Treatment with AAFE reduced AD-like lesions, as determined by clinical observation, histopathological analysis, and detection of the serum levels of histamine, immunoglobulin E and cytokines. With regards to its mechanism of action, AAFE inhibited the phosphorylation of Lck/yes-related novel tyrosine kinase (Lyn), spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk), mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt and IκBα, which have essential roles in the production of various cytokines in lymph nodes. The suppressive activity of AAFE may be due to the inhibition of a series of immunopathological events, including the release of proinflammatory cytokines. The results of the present study strongly suggest that AAFE exerts an anti-AD effect by inhibiting the Lyn, Syk, MAPKs, PI3K/Akt and IκBα pathways. Therefore, AAFE may be considered an effective herbal remedy for the treatment of AD. PMID:27571702

Mechanism underlying the effect of combined therapy using glucosamine and low-dose cyclosporine A on the development of atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice.

PubMed

Kim, Chang-Hyun; Choi, Yun-Seok; Cheong, Kyung Ah; Lee, Ai-Young

2013-02-01

Combination therapy is often used in the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD) to improve clinical efficacy or to spare the dose of each drug. Cyclosporine A (CsA) is a calcineurin inhibitor that was developed for the treatment of AD. Glucosamine (Glu) is a potent immunosuppressant that inhibits Th2-mediated immunity. We previously reported that Glu has an ameliorative effect on the development of the pathology in NC/Nga mice. The aims of our study were to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of combination of Glu and low-dose CsA in dermatophagoides farina (Df)-induced AD-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice and to determine the underlying therapeutic mechanisms. The Df-induced NC/Nga mice with a clinical score of 7 were used for treatment with Glu (500mg/kg) alone, low-dose CsA (2, 5, and 10mg/kg) or in combination. The clinical scores were reduced significantly by the combination treatment with Glu and low-dose CsA. The suppression of dermatitis by combined therapy was accompanied by decrease in the plasma level of IgE and in the splenic level of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, TARC and eotaxin. Histological analysis of the skin also revealed that combination treatment significantly reduced the inflammatory cellular infiltrate, including mast cells and eosinophils. Particularly, immunological evaluation reveals an increase of CD4(+)CD25(+) Treg cells in the combined treatment. The induction of TSLP, which leads to systemic Th2 response, was reduced in the skin on combination treatment. The protein expression of filaggrin and involucrin was recovered by combination treatment in the skin lesions, whereas the protein expression of keratin-10 and keratin-14 decreased in the combination treatment. Collectively, our findings suggest that combination treatment of Glu and low-dose CsA leads to the therapeutic effects in Df-induced AD-like skin lesion in NC/Nga mice through inhibition of IgE, inflammatory cellular infiltrate, and recovery of skin barrier function via a mechanism that may

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.

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

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.

Protective Effect of Botulinum Toxin Type A Against Atopic Dermatitis-Like Skin Lesions in NC/Nga Mice.

PubMed

Han, Sang Bum; Kim, Hyeree; Cho, Sang Hyun; Chung, Jin Ho; Kim, Hei Sung

2017-04-24

Botulinum neurotoxin (BTX) A possesses various biological activities, including anti-inflammatory and antipruritic actions. Human and animal studies have shown that BTX is effective in treating histamine-induced itch, lichen simplex chronicus, psoriasis, rosacea, allergic rhinitis, and scar prevention. However, its effect on atopic dermatitis (AD) has not been studied yet. To examine the effect of BTX on AD using a mouse model. The primary outcome was skin thickness and transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and the secondary outcome was the alteration in skin severity scores, histological, and laboratory test results. Forty-two NC/Nga mice (a mouse model for AD) were allocated into 6 groups (the untreated, 2-Chloro-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene [TNCB] alone, TNCB + BTX 30 U/kg, TNCB + BTX 60 U/kg, TNCB + vehicle [0.9% saline], TNCB + 0.03% tacrolimus). Those of the BTX group received intradermal injections of BTX on the rostral back once on the day of TNCB sensitization. The effect of BTX in TNCB-treated NC/Nga mice was assessed by measuring skin thickness, TEWL (primary outcome), the skin severity scores, histological changes of test skin including mast cell count, interleukin (IL)-4 mRNA and protein expression, and total serum IgE (secondary outcome). A single intradermal injection of BTX significantly suppressed skin thickness and TEWL in the TNCB-applied skin. The clinical severity scores, acanthosis and mast cell infiltration, were less in the BTX groups. BTX injection also inhibited TNCB-induced increase in IL-4 mRNA and protein expression in mice, but its effect on serum IgE level was not significant. The preliminary results suggest that BTX may be a novel approach to the prevention and supplemental treatment of acute AD lesions.

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.

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.

Persistent kallikrein 5 activation induces atopic dermatitis-like skin architecture independent of PAR2 activity.

PubMed

Zhu, Yanan; Underwood, Joanne; Macmillan, Derek; Shariff, Leila; O'Shaughnessy, Ryan; Harper, John I; Pickard, Chris; Friedmann, Peter S; Healy, Eugene; Di, Wei-Li

2017-11-01

Upregulation of kallikreins (KLKs) including KLK5 has been reported in atopic dermatitis (AD). KLK5 has biological functions that include degrading desmosomal proteins and inducing proinflammatory cytokine secretion through protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2). However, due to the complex interactions between various cells in AD inflamed skin, it is difficult to dissect the precise and multiple roles of upregulated KLK5 in AD skin. We investigated the effect of upregulated KLK5 on the expression of epidermal-related proteins and cytokines in keratinocytes and on skin architecture. Lesional and nonlesional AD skin biopsies were collected for analysis of morphology and protein expression. The relationship between KLK5 and barrier-related molecules was investigated using an ex vivo dermatitis skin model with transient KLK5 expression and a cell model with persistent KLK5 expression. The influence of upregulated KLK5 on epidermal morphology was investigated using an in vivo skin graft model. Upregulation of KLK5 and abnormal expression of desmoglein 1 (DSG1) and filaggrin, but not PAR2 were identified in AD skin. PAR2 was increased in response to transient upregulation of KLK5, whereas persistently upregulated KLK5 did not show this effect. Persistently upregulated KLK5 degraded DSG1 and stimulated secretion of IL-8, IL-10, and thymic stromal lymphopoietin independent of PAR2 activity. With control of higher KLK5 activity by the inhibitor sunflower trypsin inhibitor G, restoration of DSG1 expression and a reduction in AD-related cytokine IL-8, thymic stromal lymphopoietin, and IL-10 secretion were observed. Furthermore, persistently elevated KLK5 could induce AD-like skin architecture in an in vivo skin graft model. Persistently upregulated KLK5 resulted in AD-like skin architecture and secretion of AD-related cytokines from keratinocytes in a PAR2 independent manner. Inhibition of KLK5-mediated effects may offer potential as a therapeutic approach in AD. Copyright

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.

Sarcoid-like lesions in Paracoccidioidomycosis: immunological factors*

PubMed Central

de Medeiros, Vanessa Lucília Silveira; Arruda, Lúcia

2013-01-01

The clinical presentation of paracoccidioidomycosis is spectral. Spontaneous cure, state of latency or active disease with different levels of severity can occur after the hematogenous dissemination. The morphology and number of skin lesions will depend on the interaction of host immunity, which is specific and individual, and fungus virulence. Some individuals have natural good immunity, which added to the low virulence of the fungus maintain the presence of well-marked granulomas with no microorganism and negative serology for a long time, making the diagnosis a challenge. Factors inherent to the fungus, however, may modulate the immune response and modify the clinical picture over the time. We present a sarcoidosis-like clinical presentation and discuss the immunological factors involved. PMID:23539015

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.

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

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.

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

Antibodies against human cytomegalovirus late protein UL94 in the pathogenesis of scleroderma-like skin lesions in chronic graft-versus-host disease.

PubMed

Pastano, Rocco; Dell'Agnola, Chiara; Bason, Caterina; Gigli, Federica; Rabascio, Cristina; Puccetti, Antonio; Tinazzi, Elisa; Cetto, Gianluigi; Peccatori, Fedro; Martinelli, Giovanni; Lunardi, Claudio

2012-09-01

Human cytomegalovirus (hCMV) infection and its reactivation correlate both with the increased risk and with the worsening of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Because scleroderma-like skin lesions can occur in chronic GVHD (cGVHD) in allogeneic stem-cell transplant (HCT) patients and hCMV is relevant in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc), we evaluated the possible pathogenetic link between hCMV and skin cGVHD. Plasma from 18 HCT patients was tested for anti-UL94 and/or anti-NAG-2 antibodies, identified in SSc patients, by direct ELISA assays. Both donors and recipients were anti-hCMV IgG positive, without autoimmune diseases. Patients' purified anti-UL94 and anti-NAG-2 IgG binding to human umbilical endothelial cells (HUVECs) and fibroblasts was performed by FACS analysis and ELISA test. HUVECs apoptosis and fibroblasts proliferation induced by patients' anti-NAG-2 antibodies were measured by DNA fragmentation and cell viability, respectively. About 11/18 patients developed cGVHD and all of them showed skin involvement, ranging from diffuse SSc-like lesions to limited erythema. Eight of eleven cGVHD patients were positive for anti-UL94 and/or anti-NAG-2 antibodies. Remarkably, 4/5 patients who developed diffuse or limited SSc-like lesions had antibodies directed against both UL94 and NAG-2; their anti-NAG-2 IgG-bound HUVECs and fibroblasts induce both endothelial cell apoptosis and fibroblasts proliferation, similar to that induced by purified anti-UL94 and anti-NAG-2 antibodies obtained from SSc patients. In conclusion, our data suggest a pathogenetic link between hCMV infection and scleroderma-like skin cGVHD in HCT patients through a mechanism of molecular mimicry between UL94 viral protein and NAG-2 molecule, as observed in patients with SSc.

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.

Using Imiquimod-Induced Psoriasis-Like Skin as a Model to Measure the Skin Penetration of Anti-Psoriatic Drugs

PubMed Central

Lin, Yin-Ku; Yang, Sien-Hung; Chen, Chin-Chuan; Kao, Hsiao-Ching; Fang, Jia-You

2015-01-01

Objective Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease and topical therapy remains a key role for treatment. The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of psoriasis-like lesions on the cutaneous permeation of anti-psoriatic drugs. Methods We first set up imiquimod-induced dermatitis in mice that closely resembles human psoriasis lesions. The development of the lesions is based on the IL-23/IL17A axis for phenotypical and histological characteristics. Four drugs, 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), tacrolimus, calcipotriol, and retinoic acid, were used to evaluate percutaneous absorption. Results The most hydrophilic molecule, ALA, revealed the greatest enhancement on skin absorption after imiquimod treatment. Imiquimod increased the skin deposition and flux of ALA by 5.6 to 14.4-fold, respectively, compared to normal skin. The follicular accumulation of ALA was also increased 3.8-fold. The extremely lipophilic drug retinoic acid showed a 1.7- and 3.8-fold increase in skin deposition and flux, respectively. Tacrolimus flux was enhanced from 2 to 21 μg/cm2/h by imiquimod intervention. However, imiquimod did not promote skin deposition of this macrolide. The lipophilicity, but not the molecular size, dominated drug permeation enhancement by psoriatic lesions. The in vivo percutaneous absorption of ALA and rhodamine B examined by confocal microscopy confirmed the deficient resistance of epidermal barrier for facilitating cutaneous delivery of drugs via psoriasis-like skin. Conclusion We established the topical delivery profiles of anti-psoriatic drugs via imiquimod-treated psoriasis-like skin. PMID:26355594

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.

Systemic sclerosis complicated with localized scleroderma-like lesions induced by Köbner phenomenon.

PubMed

Saigusa, Ryosuke; Asano, Yoshihide; Yamashita, Takashi; Takahashi, Takehiro; Nakamura, Kouki; Miura, Shunsuke; Ichimura, Yohei; Toyama, Tetsuo; Taniguchi, Takashi; Sumida, Hayakazu; Tamaki, Zenshiro; Miyazaki, Miki; Yoshizaki, Ayumi; Sato, Shinichi

2018-03-01

Scleroderma is a chronic disease of unknown etiology characterized by skin fibrosis and is divided into two clinical entities: systemic sclerosis (SSc) and localized scleroderma (LSc). In general, LSc is rarely complicated with SSc, but a certain portion of SSc patients manifests bilateral symmetric LSc-like lesions on the trunk and extremities. We investigated SSc patients with LSc-like lesions to clarify the underlying pathophysiology. Nine SSc cases complicated with LSc-like lesions were clinically and histologically characterized. SSc patients with LSc-like lesions exhibited multiple progressive hyper- and/or hypo-pigmented plaques with mild sclerosis symmetrically distributed on the trunk and extremities, especially abdominal region. In histological assessment, epidermal IL-1α expression was elevated in both forearms and LSc-like lesions of these patients to a greater extent than in forearms of control patients (SSc patients without LSc-like lesions). Of note, the infiltration and degranulation of mast cells were evident throughout the dermis of LSc-like lesions, while detectable to a lesser extent in forearms of SSc patients with LSc-like lesions and control patients. The epidermis of SSc patients with LSc-like lesions seems to possess an inflammatory phenotype, leading to the activation of mast cells in the dermis of mechanically stressed skin. Köbner phenomenon may be involved in the induction of LSc-like lesions in a certain subset of SSc. Copyright © 2017 Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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

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.

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 ...

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

Sex steroid levels and AD-like pathology in 3xTgAD mice

PubMed Central

Ma, Chunqi; Taves, Matthew D.; Soma, Kiran K.; Mufson, Elliott J.

2014-01-01

Decreases in testosterone (T) and 17β-oestradiol (E2) are associated with an increased risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD), which has been attributed to an increase in beta amyloid (Aβ) and tau pathologic lesions. While recent studies have used transgenic animal models to test the effects of sex steroid manipulations on AD-like pathology, virtually none have systematically characterised the associations between AD lesions and sex steroid levels in the blood or brain in any mutant model. The present study evaluated age-related changes in T and E2 concentrations, as well as androgen receptor (AR) and oestrogen receptor (ER) α and β expression, in brain regions displaying AD pathology in intact male and female 3xTgAD and non-transgenic (ntg) mice. We report for the first time that circulating and brain T levels significantly increase in male 3xTgAD mice with age, but without changes in AR-immunoreactive (ir) cell number in either the hippocampal CA1 or medial amygdala. The age-related increase in hippocampal T levels correlated positively with increases in the conformational tau isoform, Alz50. These data suggest that the over-expression of human tau may up regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in these mice. Although circulating and brain E2 levels remained stable with age in both male and female 3xTgAD and ntg mice, ER-ir cell number in the hippocampus and medial amygdala decreased with age in female transgenic mice. Further, E2 levels were significantly higher in the hippocampus than in serum, suggesting local production of E2. Although triple transgenic mice mimic AD-like pathology, they do not fully replicate changes in human sex steroid levels, and may not be the best model for studying the effects of sex steroids on AD lesions. PMID:22889357

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

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.

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

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.

Differentiated Vulvar Intraepithelial Neoplasia-like and Lichen Sclerosus-like Lesions in HPV-associated Squamous Cell Carcinomas of the Vulva.

PubMed

Rakislova, Natalia; Alemany, Laia; Clavero, Omar; Del Pino, Marta; Saco, Adela; Quirós, Beatriz; Lloveras, Belen; Alejo, Maria; Halec, Gordana; Quint, Wim; de Sanjosé, Silvia; Ordi, Jaume

2018-06-01

Most human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated vulvar squamous cell carcinomas (VSCCs) originate from high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, also named usual type vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia. However, growing evidence suggests that morphologic studies have limitations in predicting HPV status in vulvar lesions. We aimed to evaluate adjacent intraepithelial lesions in a series of DNA HPV-positive VSCCs, focusing on unusual histologic patterns mimicking differentiated vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (dVIN) or lichen sclerosus (LS). We identified 326 DNA HPV-positive VSCC with at least 1 cm of skin adjacent to the invasive tumor and analyzed HPV typing, HPV E6*I mRNA, and p16 immunohistochemistry in all cases. A careful histologic evaluation was conducted. A conclusive association with HPV was based on a positive p16 or HPV E6*I mRNA result or both in addition to the HPV DNA, whereas cases negative for both markers were classified as nonconclusively associated with HPV. One hundred twenty-one tumors (37.1%) had normal adjacent skin, 191 (58.6%) had only high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, also named usual type vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia, and unusual intraepithelial lesions were identified in 14 (4.3%) tumors. Seven cases showed dVIN-like features, 5 showed adjacent LS-like lesion, and in 2 cases dVIN-like and LS-like lesions were identified simultaneously. Six of them were conclusively associated with HPV (3 dVIN-like, 2 LS-like, 1 with combined dVIN/LS-like features). All 6 tumors were associated with HPV16 and were positive for both p16 and HPV mRNA, and p16 was also positive in the dVIN-like and LS-like lesions. In summary, a small subset of VSCCs conclusively associated with HPV may arise on intraepithelial lesions, mimicking precursors of HPV-independent VSCC.

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.

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.

7,8,4′-Trihydroxyisoflavone Attenuates DNCB-Induced Atopic Dermatitis-Like Symptoms in NC/Nga Mice

PubMed Central

Kim, Heejung; Kim, Jong Rhan; Kang, Heerim; Choi, Jinhwan; Yang, Hee; Lee, Pomjoo; Kim, Jiyoung; Lee, Ki Won

2014-01-01

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is characterized by chronic highly pruritic and relapsing inflammatory skin lesions. Despite its growing prevalence, therapeutic treatments remain limited. Natural immune modulators from herbal extracts or derivatives may be useful for treating AD symptoms. This study examined the effect of 7,8,4′-trihydroxyisoflavone (7,8,4′-THIF), a metabolite of soy isoflavone daidzin, on AD-like symptoms. Repeated epicutaneous application of 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) was performed on the ear and dorsal skin of NC/Nga mice to induce AD-like symptoms and skin lesions, and 7,8,4′-THIF (200 and 400 nmol) or tacrolimus (100 µg) was applied topically for 3 weeks to assess their anti-pruritic effects. We found that 7,8,4′-THIF alleviated DNCB-induced AD-like symptoms as quantified by skin lesion, dermatitis score, ear thickness, and scratching behavior. Histopathological analysis demonstrated that 7,8,4′-THIF decreased DNCB-induced eosinophil and mast cell infiltration into skin lesions. We also found that 7,8,4′-THIF significantly alleviated DNCB-induced loss of water through the epidermal layer. In addition to reducing the DNCB-induced increase in serum IgE, 7,8,4′-THIF also lowered skin lesion levels of the chemokine thymus and activation regulated chemokine; Th2 cytokines interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, and IL-13; and Th1 cytokines IL-12 and interferon-γ. These results suggest that 7,8,4′-THIF might be a potential therapeutic candidate for the treatment of atopic dermatitis. PMID:25170825

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.

Atopic dermatitis-associated protein interaction network lead to new insights in chronic sulfur mustard skin lesion mechanisms.

PubMed

Amiri, Mojtaba; Jafari, Mohieddin; Azimzadeh Jamalkandi, Sadegh; Davoodi, Seyed-Masoud

2013-10-01

Chronic sulfur mustard skin lesions (CSMSLs) are the most common complications of sulfur mustard exposure; however, its mechanism is not completely understood.According to clinical signs, there are similarities between CSMSL and atopic dermatitis (AD). In this study, proteomic results of AD were reviewed and the AD-associated protein-protein interaction network (PIN) was analyzed. According to centrality measurements, 16 proteins were designated as pivotal elements in AD mechanisms. Interestingly, most of these proteins had been reported in some sulfur mustard-related studies in late and acute phases separately. Based on the gene enrichment analysis, aging, cell response to stress, cancer, Toll- and NOD-like receptor and apoptosis signaling pathways have the greatest impact on the disease. By the analysis of directed protein interaction networks, it is concluded that TNF, IL-6, AKT1, NOS3 and CDKN1A are the most important proteins. It is possible that these proteins play role in the shared complications of AD and CSMSL including xerosis and itching.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

In vitro skin permeation and anti-atopic efficacy of lipid nanocarriers containing water soluble extracts of Houttuynia cordata.

PubMed

Kwon, Taek Kwan; Kim, Jin-Chul

2014-10-01

The aims of this work are to enhance the in vitro skin permeation of Houttuynia cordata (water-soluble extract of H. cordata; HCWSE) and to boost the efficacy of HCWSE against atopic dermatitis (AD) - like skin lesion in hairless mice using lipid nano-carriers (liposome and cubosome). HCWSE was obtained by a hot water extraction. Monoolein cubosomal suspension containing HCWSE and egg phosphatidylcholine liposomal suspension containing the same was prepared by a sonication and a film hydration method, respectively. The lipid nano-carriers, especially cubosome, enhanced the in vitro skin permeation of HCWSE. The inhibitory effects of HCWSE-containing lipid carrier suspensions on the development of 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DNCB)-induced AD-like skin lesion in hairless mice were investigated by observing appearance of skin surface, serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) level and cytokine expression. HCWSE-containing preparations suppressed IgE production and interleukin 4 expression, whereas they promoted interferon gamma expression. The order of lymphocyte (B-cell, Th1 cell and Th2 cell) modulating effect was HCWSE-containing cubosomal suspension > HCWSE-containing liposomal suspension > HCWSE solution in phosphate buffered saline, indicating that the cubosomal suspension, among the preparations, was the most efficacious in inhibiting the development of DNCB-induced AD-like skin lesion. It is believed that the cubosomal suspension containing HCWSE would be an efficacious preparation for the treatment of AD.

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

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.

Manifestation of atopic dermatitis-like skin in TNCB-induced NC/Nga mice is ameliorated by topical treatment of substance P, possibly through blockade of allergic inflammation.

PubMed

Choi, Hyeongwon; Kim, Dong-Jin; Nam, Seungwoo; Lim, Sunki; Hwang, Jae-Sung; Park, Ki Sook; Hong, Hyun Sook; Shin, Min Kyung; Chung, Eunkyung; Son, Youngsook

2018-04-01

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder characterized by intense pruritus and eczematous lesion. In this study, topically applied substance P (SP) significantly alleviated AD-like clinical symptoms in 2, 4, 6-trinitrochlorobenzene (TNCB)-induced dermatitis in NC/Nga mice. This effect was nullified by pretreatment of the neurokinin-1 receptor (NK-1R) antagonist CP99994. SP treatment significantly reduced the infiltration of mast cells and CD3-positive T cells as well as inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), in AD-like skin lesions and decreased the levels of IgE and thymus and activation-regulated chemokine in serum. This SP-induced alleviation of allergic inflammatory responses was also confirmed as reduced activation in the axillary lymph nodes (aLN) and spleen, suggesting the systemic effect of SP on immune responses in TNCB-induced NC/Nga mice. Furthermore, SP-mediated TSLP reduction was confirmed in human keratinocyte culture under pro-inflammatory TNF-α stimulation. Taken together, these results suggest that topically administered SP may have potential as a medication for atopic dermatitis. © 2017 The Authors. Experimental Dermatology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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.

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.

NOD2 and TLR2 ligands trigger the activation of basophils and eosinophils by interacting with dermal fibroblasts in atopic dermatitis-like skin inflammation

PubMed Central

Jiao, Delong; Wong, Chun-Kwok; Qiu, Huai-Na; Dong, Jie; Cai, Zhe; Chu, Man; Hon, Kam-Lun; Tsang, Miranda Sin-Man; Lam, Christopher Wai-Kei

2016-01-01

The skin of patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) has a unique predisposition for colonization by Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), which contributes to the inflammation and grim prognosis of AD. Although the mechanism underlying the S. aureus-induced exacerbation of AD remains unclear, recent studies have found a pivotal role for pattern recognition receptors in regulating the inflammatory responses in S. aureus infection. In the present study, we used a typical mouse model of AD-like skin inflammation and found that S. aureus-associated nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 2 (NOD2) and toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) ligands exacerbated AD-like symptoms, which were further deteriorated by the in vivo expansion of basophils and eosinophils. Subsequent histological analyses revealed that dermal fibroblasts were pervasive in the AD-like skin lesions. Co-culture of human dermal fibroblasts with basophils and eosinophils resulted in a vigorous cytokine/chemokine response to the NOD2/TLR2 ligands and the enhanced expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 on the dermal fibroblasts. Basophils and eosinophils were primarily responsible for the AD-related cytokine/chemokine expression in the co-cultures. Direct intercellular contact was necessary for the crosstalk between basophils and dermal fibroblasts, while soluble mediators were sufficient to mediate the eosinophil–fibroblast interactions. Moreover, the intracellular p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, and nuclear factor-kappa B signaling pathways were essential for NOD2/TLR2 ligand-mediated activation of basophils, eosinophils, and dermal fibroblasts in AD-related inflammation. This study provides the evidence of NOD2/TLR2-mediated exacerbation of AD through activation of innate immune cells and therefore sheds light on a novel mechanistic pathway by which S. aureus contributes to the pathophysiology of AD. PMID:26388234

Squamous cell carcinoma-like and pox lesions occurring simultaneously in chorioallantoic membranes of chicken embryos inoculated with materials from squamous cell carcinoma and pox lesions in broiler chickens.

PubMed

Fallavena, L C; Rodrigues, N C; Moraes, H L; Salle, C T; da Silva, A B; Nascimento, V P; Rodrigues, O

1997-01-01

The finding of closely associated squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)-like lesions and pox lesions in chorioallantoic membranes (CAMs) inoculated with skin and palate samples taken from broilers is described. The samples were obtained from two broilers coming from different flocks that were not vaccinated against fowl pox. Both birds presented skin lesions, which were diagnosed in one bird as fowl pox, and in the other as SCC. After inoculation of CAMs with fresh tissues from both birds, histologic examination revealed, in all CAMs, lesions that were characteristic of fowl pox together with lesions consistent with those seen in the skin of broilers affected with SCC. This finding was unexpected and may shed some light on the etiology of SCC.

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.

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.

Cytokine profiles in interstitial fluid from chronic atopic dermatitis skin.

PubMed

Szegedi, K; Lutter, R; Res, P C; Bos, J D; Luiten, R M; Kezic, S; Middelkamp-Hup, M A

2015-11-01

The in vivo levels of inflammatory mediators in chronic atopic dermatitis (AD) skin are not well-defined due to the lack of a non-invasive or minimally invasive sampling technique. To investigate the cytokine milieu in interstitial fluid (ISF) collected from chronic lesional AD skin as compared to ISF from non-lesional AD skin and/or healthy donor skin. ISF was obtained using a minimally invasive technique of creating micropores in the skin by a laser, and harvesting ISF through aspiration. We determined the levels of 33 cytokines by Luminex and ELISA in ISF and plasma from sixteen AD patients and twelve healthy individuals. In seven AD patients, we analysed the IL-13, IL-31, IL-17, IL-22 and IFN-γ production by T cells isolated from lesional skin. AD patients were genotyped for the filaggrin gene (FLG)-null mutations 2282del4, R501X, R2447X and S3247X. Twenty-five of 33 examined mediators were detected in the ISF. The levels of IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-18, IL-1RA, IL-5, IL-13, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, RANTES(CCL-5), MIG(CXCL-9), IP-10(CXCL-10), TARC(CCL-17), VEGF and G-CSF showed significant differences between either lesional, non-lesional and/or healthy skin. IP-10 levels in ISF from lesional and non-lesional AD skin showed significant correlation with IP-10 blood levels. IP-10 also showed a significant correlation with clinical severity (SCORAD), as did IL-13. Levels of both IP-10 and IL-13 were more pronounced in patients with FLG-null mutations. Furthermore, FLG-null mutation carriers had more severe AD. The presented minimally invasive technique is a valuable tool to determine the in vivo cytokine profile of AD skin. © 2015 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

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

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.

Altered expression of antimicrobial peptide genes in the skin of dogs with atopic dermatitis and other inflammatory skin conditions.

PubMed

Lancto, Cheryl A; Torres, Sheila M F; Hendrickson, Julie A; Martins, Kyra V; Rutherford, Mark S

2013-08-01

Reports indicate that human and canine patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) have reduced production of several skin antimicrobial peptides, but more recent data have called those results into question. To compare the mRNA expression of seven antimicrobial peptide genes in lesional and adjacent nonlesional skin biopsy specimens from dogs with AD with those from normal dogs and from dogs experiencing other inflammatory skin conditions. Normal dogs and patients with AD or other inflammatory skin conditions were enrolled with owner permission and approval of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Transcripts were measured by quantitative RT-PCR using a standard curve assessment. Normal transcript levels for all seven antimicrobial peptides varied depending on the body site assessed. Transcripts for secretory leukocyte proteinase inhibitor (SLPI) and skin-derived antileucoproteinase (SKALP; also known as elafin) were typically ~10-fold greater in number than transcripts for the canine β-defensins (CBD)-1, -102, -103, -122 and -124. Transcripts for SKALP, SLPI, CBD-1, CBD-103 and CBD-122 were lower in both lesional and adjacent nonlesional skin from dogs with AD in comparison to normal skin. Transcripts were reduced to a similar extent versus normal dogs in skin of dogs with inflammatory skin conditions from both lesional and nonlesional biopsies, except for CBD-122, which was reduced only in lesional skin. Compared with normal dog skin, transcripts for CBD-102 and CBD-124 were unaffected in dogs with AD. Both SKALP and SLPI may be important contributors to skin innate immunity, but their decreased expression in AD patients does not account for increased skin infections compared with other skin conditions. © 2013 The Authors. Veterinary Dermatology © 2013 ESVD and ACVD.

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

Long-pulsed 1064-nm Nd: YAG laser ameliorates LL-37-induced rosacea-like skin lesions through promoting collagen remodeling in BALB/c mice.

PubMed

Kim, Miri; Kim, Jongsic; Jeong, Seo-Won; Jo, Hyunmu; Park, Hyun Jeong

2018-02-01

Long-pulsed 1064-nm neodymium: yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser (LPND) effectively treats rosacea, although the underlying mechanism is unclear, to evaluate the histological effects and molecular mechanism of LPND on LL-37-induced rosacea-like skin lesions in mice. Intradermal injection of LL-37 was performed into the dorsal skin of BALB/c mice (n = 30) twice a day for 2 days. Fifteen mice were treated with LPND. After 48 h, the excised skin sample was stained for histology and type I collagen; transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interleukin (IL)-1α mRNA levels were determined by real-time RT-PCR. Intradermal injection of LL-37 induced rosacea-like clinical features. LPND treatment significantly reduced erythema and increased dermal collagen production. Levels of Type I collagen, TGF-β, and MMP-1 mRNA were significantly higher in LPND-treated mice than in untreated mice. LPND may improve rosacea by ameliorating dermal connective tissue disorganization and elastosis through MMP-mediated dermal collagen remodeling.

Vitiligo-like lesions occurring in patients receiving anti-programmed cell death-1 therapies are clinically and biologically distinct from vitiligo.

PubMed

Larsabal, Maiana; Marti, Aurélie; Jacquemin, Clément; Rambert, Jérôme; Thiolat, Denis; Dousset, Léa; Taieb, Alain; Dutriaux, Caroline; Prey, Sorilla; Boniface, Katia; Seneschal, Julien

2017-05-01

The use of anti-programmed cell death (PD)-1 therapies in metastatic tumors is associated with cutaneous side effects including vitiligo-like lesions. We sought to characterize clinically and biologically vitiligo-like lesions occurring in patients receiving anti-PD-1 therapies by studying a case series of 8 patients with metastatic tumors and 30 control subjects with vitiligo. Eight patients receiving anti-PD-1 therapies with features of vitiligo-like lesions seen in our department were recruited. Clinical features and photographs were analyzed. For some patients, skin and blood samples were obtained. Results were compared with the vitiligo group. All patients developed lesions localized on photoexposed areas with a specific depigmentation pattern consisting of multiple flecked lesions without Koebner phenomenon. In contrast to vitiligo, patients receiving anti-PD-1 therapies who developed vitiligo-like lesions did not report any personal or family histories of vitiligo, thyroiditis, or other autoimmune disorders. Analysis of blood and skin samples revealed increased C-X-C motif ligand 10 levels in serum of patients developing vitiligo-like lesions, associated with skin infiltration of CD8 T-cells expressing C-X-C motif receptor 3 and producing elevated levels of interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor-alfa. This cross-sectional study concerned a single center. Clinical and biological patterns of vitiligo-like lesions occurring in patients receiving anti-PD-1 therapies differ from vitiligo, suggesting a different mechanism. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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

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.

Morphological study on the pressure ulcer-like dermal lesions formed in the rat heel skin after transection of the sciatic nerves.

PubMed

Haba, Daijiro; Minami, Chie; Miyagawa, Miki; Arakawa, Takamitsu; Miki, Akinori

2017-01-01

Due to transection of bilateral sciatic nerves, pressure ulcer-like dermal lesion occurred in the hairy skin covering of the heel skin in almost all rats. In the present study, chronological changes of the rat heel skin after the transection were morphologically and immunohistochemically examined. In the heel skin, redness and swelling began by 3days after the operation, and open wound formed by 17days. At the redness and swelling stage, edema extensively occurred in the dermis. At the thickening stage, the epidermis at the pressed site became transiently thicker, and at the whitening stage, rapidly thinner. At these stages, the epidermis in the skin surrounding the pressed site became gradually thicker. At the yellow scar stage, the skin was covered only by necrotic tissues and horny layer. These layers were scratched during walking and turning, and the yellow scar stage became the open wound stage. Inflammatory reaction began at the thickening stage, and at the yellow scar and open wound stages, necrosis, infiltration of inflammatory cells and dilation of small blood vessels were observed. These morphological features are quite similar to those in the human pressure ulcer. These findings suggest that these dermal injuries could compare the human pressure ulcer for medical treatment and depressurization in future study. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Topical treatments of Saussurea costus root and Thuja orientalis L. synergistically alleviate atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions by inhibiting protease-activated receptor-2 and NF-κB signaling in HaCaT cells and Nc/Nga mice.

PubMed

Yang, Hye Jeong; Kim, Min Jung; Kang, Suna; Moon, Na Rang; Kim, Da Sol; Lee, Na Ra; Kim, Kang Sung; Park, Sunmin

2017-03-06

The root of Saussurea costus (Aucklandia lappa Decne, Aucklandiae Radix, SC) and Thuja orientalis L. (TOL) have been traditionally used as anti-inflammatory agents in Korea. However, they have not been studied for the efficacy of atopic dermatitis (AD) treatment, a chronic inflammatory skin disease. We investigated the efficacy of topical applications with 1,3-butyleneglycol extracts of SC and TOL to alleviate the symptoms of AD. HaCaT cells and the dorsal skin of Nc/Nga mice had a local exposure of house mite extracts and 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB), respectively. After lesions developed, we topically applied 1,3-butylen glycol (vehicle; control), SC (30%), TOL (30%), or SC (15%)+TOL (15%) to the skin lesions for 5 weeks. The normal-control was not exposed to DNCB. The skin thickness, mast cell infiltration, serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) and IgG1 and gene expressions of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-13, and IFN-γ in the dorsal skin and HaCaT cells were measured. Chlorogenic acid (129.6±10.2μg/g) for SC and catechin and apigenin (93.4±13.2 and 16.9±1.3μg/g, respectively) for TOL were used as indicator compounds for the strength of the extracts. SC+TOL decreased the expression of protease-activated receptor-2 and ICAM-1 and the release of TNF-α and IL-6 in HaCaT cells activated by 3μg/mL house mite extracts in comparison to either of SC or TOL alone. In Nc/Nga mice challenged with DNCB, SC+TOL synergistically attenuated clinical symptoms of AD such as erythema, hemorrhage, edema, excoriation and dryness in the dorsal skin better than either SC or TOL alone. Histological analysis of the dorsal skin also showed that SC+TOL treatment significantly and additively decreased the inflammatory cellular infiltrate, including mast cells and eosinophils in comparison to either of SC or TOL. SC+TOL also decreased serum IgE and IgG1 levels and the expression of IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-13 mRNA in dorsal skin in DNCB-treated Nc/Nga mice. SC+TOL relieved the symptoms of AD by

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.

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

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.

Stratum corneum hydration and skin surface pH in patients with atopic dermatitis.

PubMed

Knor, Tanja; Meholjić-Fetahović, Ajša; Mehmedagić, Aida

2011-01-01

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronically relapsing skin disease with genetic predisposition, which occurs most frequently in preschool children. It is considered that dryness and pruritus, which are always present in AD, are in correlation with degradation of the skin barrier function. Measurement of hydration and pH value of the stratum corneum is one of the noninvasive methods for evaluation of skin barrier function. The aim of the study was to assess skin barrier function by measuring stratum corneum hydration and skin surface pH of the skin with lesions, perilesional skin and uninvolved skin in AD patients, and skin in a healthy control group. Forty-two patients were included in the study: 21 young and adult AD patients and 21 age-matched healthy controls. Capacitance, which is correlated with hydration of stratum corneum and skin surface pH were measured on the forearm in the above areas by SM810/CM820/pH900 combined units (Courage AND Khazaka, Germany). The mean value of water capacitance measured in AD patients was 44.1 ± 11.6 AU (arbitrary units) on the lesions, 60.2 ± 12.4 AU on perilesional skin and 67.2 ± 8.8 AU on uninvolved skin. In healthy controls, the mean value was 74.1 ± 9.2 AU. The mean pH value measured in AD patients was 6.13 ± 0.52 on the lesions, 5.80 ± 0.41 on perilesional skin, and 5.54 ± 0.49 on uninvolved skin. In control group, the mean pH of the skin surface was 5.24 ± 0.40. The values of both parameters measured on lesional skin were significantly different (capacitance decreased and pH increased) from the values recorded on perilesional skin and uninvolved skin. The same held for the relation between perilesional and uninvolved skin. According to study results, the uninvolved skin of AD patients had significantly worse values of the measured parameters as compared with control group. The results of this study suggested the skin barrier function to be degraded in AD patients, which is specifically expressed in lesional skin.

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

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

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

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

Therapeutic Effects of Fermented Flax Seed Oil on NC/Nga Mice with Atopic Dermatitis-Like Skin Lesions.

PubMed

Yang, Joonhyoung; Min, Sangyeon; Hong, Seungug

2017-01-01

Background . Atopic Dermatitis (AD) is one of the most common chronic inflammatory skin diseases. Objective . This experiment aimed to study the effects of Fermented Flax Seed Oil (FFSO) on symptoms such as redness, eczema, and pruritus induced by AD. Materials and Methods . AD-induced NC/Nga mice were used to observe the immunological and therapeutic effects of FFSO on skin in vivo. Raw 264.7 cells were used to investigate the effects of FFSO in cells. Fc receptor expression and concentration of beta-hexosaminidase were measured. Nitric oxide assay, Western blotting, real-time PCR, image analysis, and statistical analysis were performed in vitro. Results . In the immunohistochemical results, p-ERK 1/2 expression decreased, fibrogenesis strongly increased, and distribution reduction is observed. Distribution of IL-4-positive cells in the corium near the basal portion of the epithelium in the AT group was reduced. FFSO treatment reduced the number of cells showing NF- κ B p65 and iNOS expression. The level of LXR in the AT group was higher than that in the AE group, and elevation of PKC expression was significantly reduced by FFSO treatment. Conclusion . FFSO could alleviate symptoms of AD such as epithelial damage, redness, swelling, and pruritus.

α-Lipoic acid suppresses the development of DNFB-induced atopic dermatitis-like symptoms in NC/Nga mice.

PubMed

Kim, Gun-Dong; Kim, Tae-Ho; Jang, An-Hee; Ahn, Hyun-Jong; Park, Yong Seek; Park, Cheung-Seog

2011-02-01

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common skin disease that has complex pathogenic mechanisms. Under specific pathogen-free conditions, repeated epicutaneous treatment of 2-4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) evokes AD-like clinical symptoms in NC/Nga mice. α-Lipoic acid (α-LA; 1, 2-dithiolane-3-pentanoic acid) is a dietary component that is synthesized in bacteria, yeast, plants, and mammals. α-LA and its reduced form, dihydrolipoic acid, are powerful antioxidants that have many physiological functions, including free radical scavenging of reactive oxygen species, generation of cellular antioxidants, chelation of metal ions, and inflammatory suppression. In this study, we investigated whether α-LA suppresses AD-like skin lesions induced by repeated DNFB application in NC/Nga mice. α-LA significantly suppressed production of interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-4 by activated CD4(+) T cells. We found that the oral administration of α-LA reduced AD-like clinical symptoms and inhibited increases of epidermal thickness in DNFB-induced AD-like skin lesions of NC/Nga mice. Furthermore, total serum IgE levels were dramatically reduced by topical α-LA treatment. Our findings suggest that oral administration of α-LA suppresses the development of AD in DNFB-treated NC/Nga mice and reduces IFN-γ and IL-4 production from activated CD4(+) T cells as well as total serum IgE levels. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Scabies presenting with bullous pemphigoid-like lesions.

PubMed

Ansarin, Habib; Jalali, Mir Hadi Aziz; Mazloomi, Shadi; Soltani-Arabshahi, Razieh; Setarehshenas, Roya

2006-01-27

A wide range of clinical manifestations may be seen in scabies, from classic pruritic papules and burrows to secondary features such as impetigo. Bullus lesions are a less frequent. Twenty cases of scabies presenting with bullae have been reported so far in the medical literature. Differentiating this subtype of scabies from the immunobullous disease bullus pemphigoid is a diagnostic challenge. A 42-year-old man was referred to our dermatology outpatient clinic with 3-month history of severe pruritus and tense blisters affecting mainly the lower trunk, arms and legs. An initial biopsy was suggestive for bullous pemphigoid. Close physical examination revealed small excoriated papules and a few burrows on borders of the hands and wrists. Skin scraping of the lesions on wrists was positive for Sarcoptes scabiei. Another biopsy specimen from a recent blister revealed subepidermal bullae with fibrin and inflammatory cells, particularly eosinophils. Direct immunofluorescence exam was negative. The patient was treated with lindane lotion followed by crotamiton cream with near complete resolution of the lesions. Scabies must be considered in patients presenting with recent onset of unexplained pruritic bullous lesions. Biopsy and immunofluorescence studies together with skin scrapings for Sarcoptes scabiei could help to differentiate these cases from bullous pemphigoid. Antiscabietic treatment results in resolution of bullous lesions in the affected patients.

Atopic March from Atopic Dermatitis to Asthma-Like Lesions in NC/Nga Mice Is Accelerated or Aggravated by Neutralization of Stratum Corneum but Partially Inhibited by Acidification.

PubMed

Lee, Hae-Jin; Lee, Noo Ri; Jung, Minyoung; Kim, Dong Hye; Choi, Eung Ho

2015-12-01

Prolonged and/or repeated damage to the skin barrier followed by atopic dermatitis (AD) is an initial step in atopic march that ultimately progresses to respiratory allergy. Maintaining normal stratum corneum (SC) acidity has been suggested as a therapeutic or preventive strategy for barrier impairment caused by skin inflammation. We determined whether a representative AD murine model, NC/Nga mice, develops airway inflammation after repeated epicutaneous application followed by inhalation of house dust mite (HDM), implying atopic march, and whether prolongation of non-proper SC acidity accelerates respiratory allergy. HDM was applied to the skin of NC/Nga mice, accompanied by the application of neutral cream (pH 7.4) or acidic cream (pH 2.8) for 6 weeks. Intranasal inhalation of HDM was administered daily during the last 3 days. Repeated epicutaneous applications followed by inhalation of HDM in NC/Nga mice induced an atopic march-like progression from AD lesions to respiratory allergy. Concurrent neutral cream treatment accelerated or aggravated the allergic inflammation in the skin and respiratory system, whereas an acidic cream partially alleviated these symptoms. Collectively, we developed an atopic march in NC/Nga mice by HDM application, and found that prevention of a neutral environment in the SC may be an interventional method to inhibit the march.

Modeling of skin cancer dermatoscopy images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iralieva, Malica B.; Myakinin, Oleg O.; Bratchenko, Ivan A.; Zakharov, Valery P.

2018-04-01

An early identified cancer is more likely to effective respond to treatment and has a less expensive treatment as well. Dermatoscopy is one of general diagnostic techniques for skin cancer early detection that allows us in vivo evaluation of colors and microstructures on skin lesions. Digital phantoms with known properties are required during new instrument developing to compare sample's features with data from the instrument. An algorithm for image modeling of skin cancer is proposed in the paper. Steps of the algorithm include setting shape, texture generation, adding texture and normal skin background setting. The Gaussian represents the shape, and then the texture generation based on a fractal noise algorithm is responsible for spatial chromophores distributions, while the colormap applied to the values corresponds to spectral properties. Finally, a normal skin image simulated by mixed Monte Carlo method using a special online tool is added as a background. Varying of Asymmetry, Borders, Colors and Diameter settings is shown to be fully matched to the ABCD clinical recognition algorithm. The asymmetry is specified by setting different standard deviation values of Gaussian in different parts of image. The noise amplitude is increased to set the irregular borders score. Standard deviation is changed to determine size of the lesion. Colors are set by colormap changing. The algorithm for simulating different structural elements is required to match with others recognition algorithms.

Tinea infection with scutula-like lesions caused by Microsporum gypseum in a SLE patient: case report and literature review.

PubMed

Feng, Jiao; Liu, Fang; Wu, Fan; De Deng, Quan; Zeng, Hua Mei; Kong, Tao Qing; Chen, Jun; Sang, Hong

2013-10-01

Scutula are characteristic lesions of tinea favosa or favus; the most frequently identified causative organism is Trichophyton schoenleinii. Although scutula-like lesions were described in Microsporum gypseum infection, their presence on glabrous skin in a patient with SLE has not been reported previously. We report a case of tinea infection with scutula-like lesions caused by Microsporum gypseum in a SLE patient, who was treated with topical terbinafine cream, and the lesions resolved completely. In addition, we reviewed the reported cases about this rare clinical manifestation caused by Microsporum gypseum in the medical literature.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Parthenium dermatitis manifesting clinically as polymorphic light eruption and prurigo nodularis- like lesions with vasculitis-like picture on histopathology

PubMed Central

Lakshmi, Chembolli; Srinivas, C. R.; Pillai, Suma B.; Shanthakumari, S.

2011-01-01

Parthenium dermatitis is a widespread and distressing dermatoses in rural and urban India caused by the air borne allergen of the Compositae weed Parthenium hysterophorus. Parthenium dermatitis has been thought to be mediated solely by type IV hypersensitivity, but recently a combined immediate (type I) and delayed (type IV) hypersensitivity mechanism has been postulated in the initiation and perpetuation of parthenium dermatitis, especially in sensitized subjects with an atopic diathesis. Initially, the exposed sites of the body are involved. Later in the course of the disease, unexposed sites may get involved. Various clinical presentations have been described in parthenium dermatitis. Typically, it presents as an air borne contact dermatitis (ABCD) involving the eyelids and nasolabial folds Other presentations include a photodermatitis (essentially a pseudo photodermatitis), atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, exfoliative dermatitis, hand dermatitis. Photosensitive lichenoid dermatitis and prurigo nodularis are rarer presentations. Uncommon presentations have been described in parthenium dermatitis. They include prurigo nodularis-like lesions and photosensitive lichenoid eruption. Three cases are presented, two of whom presented as polymorphic-like lesions and one as prurigo nodularis. All three patch tested positive to parthenium on Day 2. Prick testing was positive in two of the three patients. Parthenium dermatitis mimicking polymorphic light eruption has not been reported. Histopathology revealed vasculitis in the lesional skin in two of the patients. Although leukocytoclastic vasculitis has been reported earlier from the prick-tested site, this is the first report demonstrating the presence of vasculitis in lesional skin of parthenium dermatitis. PMID:23130236

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Neuroprotective effects of sulforaphane on cholinergic neurons in mice with Alzheimer's disease-like lesions.

PubMed

Zhang, Rui; Zhang, Jingzhu; Fang, Lingduo; Li, Xi; Zhao, Yue; Shi, Wanying; An, Li

2014-08-18

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disease in elderly individuals, and effective therapies are unavailable. This study was designed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of sulforaphane (an activator of NF-E2-related factor 2) on mice with AD-like lesions induced by combined administration of aluminum and D-galactose. Step-down-type passive avoidance tests showed sulforaphane ameliorated cognitive impairment in AD-like mice. Immunohistochemistry results indicated sulforaphane attenuated cholinergic neuron loss in the medial septal and hippocampal CA1 regions in AD-like mice. However, spectrophotometry revealed no significant difference in acetylcholine level or the activity of choline acetyltransferase or acetylcholinesterase in the cerebral cortex among groups of control and AD-like mice with and without sulforaphane treatment. Sulforaphane significantly increased the numbers of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine-positive neurons in the subventricular and subgranular zones in AD-like mice which were significantly augmented compared with controls. Atomic absorption spectrometry revealed significantly lower aluminum levels in the brains of sulforaphane-treated AD-like mice than in those that did not receive sulforaphane treatment. In conclusion, sulforaphane ameliorates neurobehavioral deficits by reducing cholinergic neuron loss in the brains of AD-like mice, and the mechanism may be associated with neurogenesis and aluminum load reduction. These findings suggest that phytochemical sulforaphane has potential application in AD therapeutics.

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.

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

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

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

In vivo assessment of the effect of taxifolin glycoside on atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions using biomedical tools in NC/Nga mice.

PubMed

Kim, J Y; Lee, O S; Ha, S; Kim, J H; Park, G; Kim, J K; Oh, C H

2015-07-01

Noninvasive methods of assessment are widely used in clinical trials. However, such methods have not been established in atopic dermatitis (AD), which is a chronic inflammatory skin disease. To demonstrate, using biomedical tools, the benefits of a new substance, taxifolin glycoside (TAX), in an AD model, the NC/Nga mouse. We evaluated the efficacy of topical TAX for AD by measuring clinical skin severity score, cytokine expression and serum IgE level, and by using biomedical measures (vapometry and corneometry). Topical TAX was applied to AD-induced NC/Nga mice for 3 weeks. The anti-inflammatory effects of this compound were demonstrated noninvasively using biomedical tools and immunological assays. Our method of AD assessment using biomedical tools is more objective and accurate than visual inspection. The results obtained using the biomedical tools were identical to those obtained using immunological assays. In vivo biomedical tools are useful for diagnosing and monitoring treatment effects in AD. © 2014 British Association of Dermatologists.

Chemokine-like factor 1 (CLFK1) is over-expressed in patients with atopic dermatitis.

PubMed

Yang, Gao-Yun; Chen, Xue; Sun, Ya-Chun; Ma, Chen-Li; Qian, Ge

2013-01-01

Human chemokine-like factor 1 (CKLF1), a recently discovered chemokine, has a broad spectrum of biological functions in immune-mediated diseases. It is highly expressed on Th2 lymphocytes and is a functional ligand for human CCR4. CKLF1 has a major role in the recruitment and activation of leucocytes, which plays an important role in the pathogenesis of allergic diseases. The present study was designed to determine the expression of CKLF1 in skin and serum in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). The CKLF1 protein expression in skin lesion was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and ELISA. The mRNA expression of CKLF1 in skin lesion was detected by Real-time PCR. The serum levels of CKLF1, IgE, eotaxin, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 were measured by ELISA. Histopathological changes in the skin of AD patients showed local inflammation with epidermal thickening and significant inflammatory cellular infiltration. Immunohistochemistry results demonstrated that CKLF1-staining positive cells were located in the epidermal and dermis, and that the CKLF1 expression in AD patients was significantly higher than that in normal control. The CKLF1 mRNA expression in AD patients was significantly higher than that in healthy controls. Serum CKLF1 and IgE levels were significantly increased in AD patients, as were the serum levels of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and eotaxin. Both CKLF1 protien and mRNA levels are overexpressed in the skin lesion of AD patients, along with an increase in serum CKLF1 level, indicating that CKLF1 may play an important role in the development of atopic dermatitis.

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

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

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

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.

Infected Atopic Dermatitis Lesions Contain Pharmacologic Amounts of Lipoteichoic Acid

PubMed Central

Travers, Jeffrey B.; Kozman, Amal; Mousdicas, Nico; Saha, Chandan; Landis, Megan; Al-Hassani, Mohammed; Yao, Weiguo; Yao, Yongxue; Hyatt, Ann-Marie; Sheehan, Michael P.; Haggstrom, Anita N.; Kaplan, Mark H.

2009-01-01

Background Bacterial infection with Staphylococcus aureus is a known trigger for worsening of atopic dermatitis (AD); the exact mechanisms by which bacterial infection worsens dermatitis are unknown. Objective We sought to characterize the amounts of the biologically active bacterial lipoprotein lipoteichoic acid (LTA) in infected AD lesions. Methods Eighty-nine children with clinically impetiginized lesions of AD were enrolled in this study. A lesion was graded clinically using the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI), and then wash fluid obtained from the lesion for quantitative bacterial culture, and measurement of LTA and cytokines. The staphylococcal isolate was tested for antibiotic susceptibilities. The patients were treated with a regimen that included topical corticosteroids and systemic antibiotics and the lesion was re-analyzed after two weeks. Results S. aureus was identified in 79 of 89 children enrolled in the study. The bacterial CFU correlated with the EASI lesional score (p = 0.04). LTA levels up to 9.8 μg/ml were measured in the wash fluid samples and the amounts correlated with the lesional EASI scores (p = 0.01) and S. aureus CFU (p < 0.001). Approximately 30% of clinically impetiginized AD lesions contained greater than 1 μg/ml LTA, amounts that exert effects on various cell types in vitro. Moreover, injection of skin tissue ex vivo with amounts of LTA found in AD lesions resulted in epidermal cytokine gene expression. Conclusions Pharmacologic levels of LTA are found in many infected atopic dermatitis lesions. Clinical Implications These findings suggest that staphylococcal LTA could be an important mediator of the increased skin inflammation associated with infected AD. Capsule Summary These studies demonstrate high levels of staphylococcal LTA are found on impetiginized AD lesions. Moreover, subjects harboring MRSA exhibited greater total body involvement of AD. PMID:19962742

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.

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.

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.

[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.

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.

Theobroma cacao extract attenuates the development of Dermatophagoides farinae-induced atopic dermatitis-like symptoms in NC/Nga mice.

PubMed

Kang, Heerim; Lee, Chang Hyung; Kim, Jong Rhan; Kwon, Jung Yeon; Son, Myoung-Jin; Kim, Jong-Eun; Lee, Ki Won

2017-02-01

Cacao beans from Theobroma cacao are an abundant source of polyphenols, particularly flavonoids. Previous studies demonstrated that cacao flavanols decrease pro-inflammatory cytokines resulting in the alleviation of allergic symptoms. We sought to investigate the effects of cacao extract (CE) on Dermatophagoides farinae extract (DFE)-induced atopic dermatitis (AD)-like symptoms. CE attenuated DFE-induced AD-like symptoms as assessed by skin lesion analyses, dermatitis score, and skin thickness. Histopathological analysis revealed that CE suppressed DFE-induced immune cell infiltration into the skin. These observations occurred concomitantly with the downregulation of inflammatory markers including serum immunoglobulin (Ig) E, chemokine; thymus and activation-regulated chemokine and macrophage-derived chemokine as well as the skin-derived cytokines interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, and interferon-γ. CE also significantly alleviated transepidermal water loss and increased skin hydration. These results suggest that CE, a natural phytochemical-rich food, has potential therapeutic efficacy for the treatment of AD. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

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.

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

The Leaves of Broussonetia kazinoki Siebold Inhibit Atopic Dermatitis-Like Response on Mite Allergen-Treated Nc/Nga Mice.

PubMed

Lee, Hoyoung; Ha, Hyekyung; Lee, Jun Kyoung; Park, Sang-Joon; Jeong, Seung-Ii; Shin, Hyeun Kyoo

2014-09-01

Broussonetia kazinoki Siebold. (B. kazinoki) has long been used in the manufacture of paper in Asian countries. Although B. kazinoki leaves (BK) have been employed in dermatological therapy, use of BK has not been tested in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). Using Nc/Nga mice, which are genetically predisposed to develop AD-like skin lesions, we confirmed the efficacy of BK in AD treatment. BK extract was applied topically to Dermatophagoides farinae-induced AD-like lesions in Nc/Nga mice, and the effects were assessed both clinically and by measuring skin thickness on the back and ears. We measured the effects of BK extract on plasma levels of IgE and IL-4. We also measured the ability of BK extract to inhibit the secretion of hTARC in HaCaT cells after stimulation by TNF-α and IFN-γ. We found that BK extract significantly reduced ear and dorsal skin thickness and the clinical signs of AD, as well as significantly down-regulating the plasma levels of IgE and IL-4 (p<0.01 for each comparison). Moreover, 500 μg/mL of BK extract inhibited hTARC secretion in HaCaT cells by activated TNF-α/IFN-γ by about 87%. These findings suggest that topical application of BK extract has excellent potential in the treatment of AD.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Oncostatin M overexpression induces skin inflammation but is not required in the mouse model of imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like inflammation.

PubMed

Pohin, Mathilde; Guesdon, William; Mekouo, Adela Andrine Tagne; Rabeony, Hanitriniaina; Paris, Isabelle; Atanassov, Hristo; Favot, Laure; Mcheik, Jiad; Bernard, François-Xavier; Richards, Carl D; Amiaud, Jérôme; Blanchard, Frédéric; Lecron, Jean-Claude; Morel, Franck; Jégou, Jean-François

2016-07-01

Oncostatin M (OSM) has been reported to be overexpressed in psoriasis skin lesions and to exert proinflammatory effects in vitro on human keratinocytes. Here, we report the proinflammatory role of OSM in vivo in a mouse model of skin inflammation induced by intradermal injection of murine OSM-encoding adenovirus (AdOSM) and compare with that induced by IL-6 injection. Here, we show that OSM potently regulates the expression of genes involved in skin inflammation and epidermal differentiation in murine primary keratinocytes. In vivo, intradermal injection of AdOSM in mouse ears provoked robust skin inflammation with epidermal thickening and keratinocyte proliferation, while minimal effect was observed after AdIL-6 injection. OSM overexpression in the skin increased the expression of the S100A8/9 antimicrobial peptides, CXCL3, CCL2, CCL5, CCL20, and Th1/Th2 cytokines, in correlation with neutrophil and macrophage infiltration. In contrast, OSM downregulated the expression of epidermal differentiation genes, such as cytokeratin-10 or filaggrin. Collectively, these results support the proinflammatory role of OSM when it is overexpressed in the skin. However, OSM expression was not required in the murine model of psoriasis induced by topical application of imiquimod, as demonstrated by the inflammatory phenotype of OSM-deficient mice or wild-type mice treated with anti-OSM antibodies. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

IL-10+ innate-like B cells are part of the skin immune system and require α4β1 integrin to migrate between the peritoneum and inflamed skin1

PubMed Central

Glabman, Raisa A.; Ruthel, Gordon; Hamann, Alf; Debes, Gudrun F.

2016-01-01

The skin is an important barrier organ and frequent target of autoimmunity and allergy. Here we found innate-like B cells that expressed the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 in the skin of humans and mice. Unexpectedly, innate-like B1 and conventional B2 cells showed differential homing capacities with peritoneal B1 cells preferentially migrating into the inflamed skin of mice. Importantly, the skin-homing B1 cells included IL-10 secreting cells. B1 cell homing into the skin was independent of typical skin-homing trafficking receptors and instead required α4β1-integrin. Moreover, B1 cells constitutively expressed activated β1 integrin and relocated from the peritoneum to the inflamed skin and intestine upon innate stimulation, indicating an inherent propensity to extravasate into inflamed and barrier sites. We conclude that innate-like B cells migrate from central reservoirs into skin, adding an important cell type with regulatory and protective functions to the skin immune system. PMID:26851219

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Human Atopic Dermatitis Skin-derived T Cells can Induce a Reaction in Mouse Keratinocytes in vivo.

PubMed

Martel, B C; Blom, L; Dyring-Andersen, B; Skov, L; Thestrup-Pedersen, K; Skov, S; Skak, K; Poulsen, L K

2015-08-01

In atopic dermatitis (AD), the inflammatory response between skin-infiltrating T cells and keratinocytes is fundamental to the development of chronic lesional eczema. The aim of this study was to investigate whether skin-derived T cells from AD patients could induce an inflammatory response in mice through keratinocyte activation and consequently cause the development of eczematous lesions. Punch biopsies of the lesional skin from AD patients were used to establish skin-derived T cell cultures, which were transferred to NOD.Cg-Prkd(scid) Il2rg(tm1Sug) /JicTac (NOG) mice. We found that the subcutaneous injection of the human AD skin-derived T cells resulted in the migration of the human T cells from subcutis to the papillary dermis followed by the development of erythema and oedema in the mouse skin. Furthermore, the human T cells induced a transient proliferative response in the mouse keratinocytes shown as increased numbers of Ki-67(+) keratinocytes and increased epidermal thickness. Out of six established AD skin-derived T cell cultures, two were superior at inducing a skin reaction in the mice, and these cultures were found to contain >10% CCR10(+) T cells compared to <2% for the other cultures. In comparison, blood-derived in vitro-differentiated Th2 cells only induced a weak response in a few of the mice. Thus, we conclude that human AD skin-derived T cells can induce a reaction in the mouse skin through the induction of a proliferative response in the mouse keratinocytes. © 2015 The Foundation for the Scandinavian Journal of Immunology.

Hydrogel-gauze dressing for moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis: development and efficacy study on atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice.

PubMed

Ng, Shiow-Fern; Lew, Pit-Chin; Sin, Yong-Boey

2014-11-01

Topical emollients are known to provide symptomatic relief for atopic dermatitis. In hospitals, wet-wrap therapy has been shown to benefit children with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD), but the application of wet-wraps is tedious and time-consuming. Topical emollients have low residence time and often dry out easily. The aim of this work was to develop a hydrogel-gauze dressing that is not only easy to apply but also rehydrates and traps moisture to provide longer relief for AD patients. In this study, a prototype hydrogel-gauze dressing was developed with varying ratios of sodium carboxymethylcellulose (NaCMC) and propylene glycol. The hydrogel-gauze dressings were assessed based on the moisture vapor transmission rate, moisture absorption, mechanical properties and storage stability over three months. Then, the efficacy of the hydrogel-gauze dressing was compared to topical emollients using transgenic NC/Nga mice with AD-like lesions. The NaCMC hydrogel-gauze dressings significantly lowered transepidermal water loss, and the animals displayed a faster recovery, which indicates that hydrogel-gauze dressings can trap moisture more effectively and accelerate AD healing. Hence, we propose that hydrogel-gauze dressings can potentially become an alternative to wet-wrap therapy due to the ease of application and the higher efficacy compared to topical products.

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.

Increased syndecan-4 expression in sera and skin of patients with atopic dermatitis.

PubMed

Nakao, Momoko; Sugaya, Makoto; Takahashi, Naomi; Otobe, Sayaka; Nakajima, Rina; Oka, Tomonori; Kabasawa, Miyoko; Suga, Hiraku; Morimura, Sohshi; Miyagaki, Tomomitsu; Fujita, Hideki; Asano, Yoshihide; Sato, Shinichi

2016-11-01

Syndecan-4 (SDC-4) is a cell surface proteoglycan, which participates in signaling during cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, endocytosis, and mechanotransduction, and is expressed on various cells, including endothelial cells, epithelial cells, T cells, and eosinophils. Emerging evidences have suggested that SDC-4 might contribute to Th2-driven allergic immune responses. Here, we examined the role of SDC-4 in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). Serum SDC-4 levels in AD patients were significantly higher than in healthy individuals, and they increased according to the disease severity. Importantly, they positively correlated with Eczema Area and Severity Index and itch visual analogue scale scores. Furthermore, serum SDC-4 levels decreased after treatment. We also analyzed SDC-4 expression in AD lesional skin. SDC-4 mRNA levels in AD skin were significantly higher than those of normal skin. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that SDC-4 was highly expressed in the epidermis and endothelial cells in AD lesional skin. Taken together, our study has demonstrated that SDC-4 expression was increased in sera and skin of AD patients, suggesting that SDC-4 may contribute to the development of AD.

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.

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.

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

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.

Characterisation of T cell phenotypes, cytokines and transcription factors in the skin of dogs with cutaneous adverse food reactions.

PubMed

Veenhof, Eveline Z; Knol, Edward F; Schlotter, Yvette M; Vernooij, Johannes C; Rutten, Victor P; Willemse, Ton

2011-03-01

The immunopathogenesis of cutaneous adverse food reactions (CAFRs) in dogs is unknown. Since the clinical manifestations in the skin are like those found in canine atopic dermatitis (AD), this study investigated the similarity in T cell phenotypes and gene expression of cytokines and transcription factors in CAFRs. In addition, the influence of an elimination diet on these parameters was tested. In the skin of canine CAFRs, a predominant presence of CD8(+) T cells and increased expression of the IL-4, IL-13, Foxp3 and SOCS-3 genes were observed. IFN-γ gene expression was increased in lesional compared to non-lesional skin. The predominance of CD8(+) T cells indicates that the immunopathogenesis of CAFRs is different from that of canine AD. The elimination diet relieved clinical signs, but did not influence T cell phenotypes or expression of the cytokine and transcription factor genes in the skin of dogs with CAFRs, indicating a continuously pre-activated immune status in dogs sensitised to food constituents. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[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.

Hydrogen water ameliorates the severity of atopic dermatitis-like lesions and decreases interleukin-1β, interleukin-33, and mast cell infiltration in NC/Nga mice.

PubMed

Kajisa, Takuya; Yamaguchi, Takuji; Hu, Ailing; Suetake, Nobuhiro; Kobayashi, Hiroyuki

2017-09-01

To examine the effect of hydrogen water (HW) on the severity of atopic dermatitis (AD) and elucidate the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. For this experimental study between March 2015 and December 2015, NC/Nga mice characterized by mild AD severity were given either HW (n=11) or purified water (PW) (n=9) ad libitum; specific-pathogen-free mice (n=9) were used as AD-free control. Atopic dermatitis severity score and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) were examined at baseline (0 week), and after 4 weeks of HW/PW treatment. Levels of serum thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) and cytokines in the AD lesion were measured by ELISA; and mRNA expression of TARC  and aquaporin (AQP-3) genes in the skin was examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: Mice treated with HW for 4 weeks demonstrated a significant decrease in the AD severity score compared with PW-treated mice (p less than 0.01). Hydrogen water administration also significantly reduced TEWL and serum TARC levels (p less than 0.01), infiltration of mast cells (p less than 0.05), and secretion of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-33 (p less than 0.05) in skin lesions compared with PW. However, no difference was observed between PW and HW groups in interferon-γ secretion and expression of AQP-3 and TARC genes. Conclusion: Hydrogen water suppressed inflammation in AD mice, leading to amelioration of disease severity, which suggests the therapeutic potential of HW in AD treatment.

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

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

Unusual benign polypoid and papular neoplasms and tumor-like lesions of the vulva.

PubMed

AbdullGaffar, Badr; Keloth, Tasnim R; Raman, Lakshmiah G; Mahmood, Suaad; Almulla, Amal; AlMarzouqi, Mamoun; Al-Hasani, Salam

2014-04-01

We aimed to investigate the prevalence and spectrum of unusual benign neoplasms and tumor-like lesions presenting as vulvar polyps and papules, to study their clinical, pathologic, hormonal, and developmental features and whether they have important associations with other pathologic lesions or clinical diseases. We conducted a retrospective review study of 115 vulvar specimens over 7 years. Common lesions, for example, fibroepithelial polyps, skin tags, papillomas, abscesses, viral warts and common cysts, were excluded. We found 21 cases (18%) with uncommon benign vulvar lesions. They included 7 epithelial cysts, 3 vascular lesions, 3 glandular neoplasms, 3 endometrioses, 1 caruncle, 1 pilonidal sinus, 1 prolapsed urethra, 1 seborrheic keratosis, and 1 granular cell tumor. The age range was between 1 and 64 years with a mean age of 33 years. Most (86%) were 2.5 cm or less. Many were asymptomatic incidental pathologic findings that can be missed clinically. Nine cases have important clinical associations or coexisting incidental pathologic lesions. Some lesions demonstrated hormone receptors. Some were clinically confused with fibroepithelial polyps, abscesses, warts, melanocytic lesions, and tumors. In conclusion, although the vulva is a small compartment, its developmental and histologic complexity can result in a variety of unusual and rare benign polypoid and papular lesions, some unique to the vulva, which might present diagnostic challenges to the clinicians and pathologists. In addition, many bear controversy regarding their histogenesis and origin of development in the vulva. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

Strawberry disease lesions in rainbow trout from southern Idaho are associated with DNA from a Rickettsia-like organism.

PubMed

Lloyd, Sonja J; LaPatra, Scott E; Snekvik, Kevin R; St-Hilaire, Sophie; Cain, Kenneth D; Call, Douglas R

2008-11-20

Strawberry disease (SD) in the USA is a skin disorder of unknown etiology that occurs in rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss and is characterized by bright red inflammatory lesions. To identify a candidate bacterial agent responsible for SD, we constructed 16S rDNA libraries from 7 SD lesion samples and 2 apparently healthy skin samples from SD-affected fish. A 16S rDNA sequence highly similar to members of the order Rickettsiales was present in 3 lesion libraries at 1%, 32% and 54% prevalence, but this sequence was not found in either healthy tissue library. Based on phylogenetic analysis, this Rickettsia-like organism (RLO) sequence is most closely related to 16S rDNA sequences of bacteria that may form a novel lineage within the Rickettsiales. We used nested PCR assays to screen 25 SD-affected fish for RLO or Flavobacterium psychrophilum DNA. Sixteen lesion samples were positive for the RLO sequence and 4 of the matched healthy samples were positive resulting in a significant association between SD lesions and presence of RLO DNA. While F. psychrophilum is reportedly associated with 'cold water strawberry disease' in the UK, we found no significant association between SD lesions and the presence of F. psychrophilum DNA. The statistical association between SD lesions and presence of RLO DNA is not proof of etiology, but these data suggest that RLO may play a role in SD in southern Idaho, USA.

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.

Asian sand dust aggregate causes atopic dermatitis-like symptoms in Nc/Nga mice.

PubMed

Takeshita, Sayaka; Tokunaga, Takahiro; Tanabe, Yoshiko; Arinami, Tadao; Ichinose, Takamichi; Noguchi, Emiko

2015-01-01

Asian sand dust (ASD) originates from the arid and semiarid areas of China, and epidemiologic studies have shown that ASD exposure is associated with various allergic and respiratory symptoms. However, few studies have been performed to assess the relationship between skin inflammation and ASD exposure. Twelve-week-old NC/Nga mice were divided into 6 groups (n = 8 for each group): hydrophilic petrolatum only (control); hydrophilic petrolatum plus ASD (ASD); hydrophilic petrolatum and heat inactivated-ASD (H-ASD); Dermatophagoides farinae extract (Df); Df and ASD (Df + ASD), and; Df and H-ASD (Df + H-ASD). The NC/Nga mice in each group were subjected to treatment twice a week for 4 weeks. We evaluated skin lesions by symptoms, pathologic changes, and serum IgE levels. ASD alone did not induce atopic dermatitis (AD)-like skin symptoms. However, Df alone, Df + H-ASD and Df + ASD all induced AD-like symptoms, and dermatitis scores in the group of Df + ASD group were significantly greater than that of the Df group (P = 0.0011 at day 21; and P = 0.017 at day 28). Mean serum IgE was markedly increased in the Df and Df + ASD groups, compared to the ASD and control groups (P < 0.0001), and serum IgE levels in the Df + ASD group were significantly higher compared to the Df group (P = 0.003). ASD alone did not cause AD-like symptoms in NC/Nga mice. However, AD-like symptoms induced by Df, a major allergen, were enhanced by adding ASD. Although no epidemiological studies have been conducted for the association between ASD and symptoms of dermatitis, our data suggest that it is likely that ASD may contribute to the exacerbation of not only respiratory symptoms, but also skin diseases, in susceptible individuals.

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

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.

Added value of SPECT/spiral CT versus SPECT or CT alone in diagnosing solitary skeletal lesions.

PubMed

Zhang, Yiqiu; Li, Beilei; Shi, Hongcheng; Yu, Haojun; Gu, Yushen; Xiu, Yan

2017-08-14

The aim of this study was to investigate the added value of SPECT/spiral CT versus SPECT or CT alone in the differential diagnosis of solitary skeletal lesions. This was a retrospective study on a total of 69 patients who had a solitary skeletal "hot spot" that could not be definitively diagnosed using planar scintigraphy. Thus, SPECT/spiral CT was performed on the indeterminate lesions. SPECT, CT and SPECT/spiral CT images were independently interpreted by two experienced doctors who have both identification of CT and nuclear medicine. Each lesion was graded on a 4-point diagnostic scale (1: benign, 2: likely benign, 3: likely malignant, 4: malignant). The final diagnosis of each lesion was based on pathological confirmation after surgery within 3 weeks of the bone scan. Final diagnoses based on the pathological results revealed that 43 of the 69 patients were diagnosed with malignancy, and the remaining 26 patients were diagnosed as having benign lesions. For SPECT and CT scans, both of the reviewers rated 55.1 % (38/69) and 37.7 % (26/69) of lesions as equivocal, with the help of SPECT/CT, 33.3 % (23/69) of lesions were rated as equivocal. The diagnostic accuracies of SPECT, CT alone and SPECT/CT were 66.7 % (46/69) ,82.6 % (57/69) and 85.5 %(59/69), respectively. The kappa scores for the degree of agreement between SPECT, CT alone or SPECT/CT with pathological results were 0.185 (p = 0.054) , 0.612 (p < 0.001) and 0.671 (p < 0.001), respectively. Compared with SPECT or imaging alone, SPECT/spiral CT imaging was more accurate and valuable in the differential diagnosis of solitary skeletal lesions and resulted in significantly fewer equivocal findings.

Atopic dermatitis induces the expansion of thymus-derived regulatory T cells exhibiting a Th2-like phenotype in mice.

PubMed

Moosbrugger-Martinz, Verena; Tripp, Christoph H; Clausen, Björn E; Schmuth, Matthias; Dubrac, Sandrine

2016-05-01

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a widespread inflammatory skin disease with an early onset, characterized by pruritus, eczematous lesions and skin dryness. This chronic relapsing disease is believed to be primarily a result of a defective epidermal barrier function associated with genetic susceptibility, immune hyper-responsiveness of the skin and environmental factors. Although the important role of abnormal immune reactivity in the pathogenesis of AD is widely accepted, the role of regulatory T cells (Tregs) remains elusive. We found that the Treg population is expanded in a mouse model of AD, i.e. mice topically treated with vitamin D3 (VitD). Moreover, mice with AD-like symptoms exhibit increased inducible T-cell costimulator (ICOS)-, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4)- and Glycoprotein-A repetitions predominant receptor (GARP)-expressing Tregs in skin-draining lymph nodes. Importantly, the differentiation of Tregs into thymus-derived Tregs is favoured in our mouse model of AD. Emigrated skin-derived dendritic cells are required for Treg induction and Langerhans cells are responsible for the biased expansion of thymus-derived Tregs . Intriguingly, thymus-derived Tregs isolated from mice with AD-like symptoms exhibit a Th2 cytokine profile. Thus, AD might favour the expansion of pathogenic Tregs able to produce Th2 cytokines and to promote the disease instead of alleviating symptoms. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine.

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.

The inhibitory effect of naringenin on atopic dermatitis induced by DNFB in NC/Nga mice.

PubMed

Kim, Tae-Ho; Kim, Gun-Dong; Ahn, Hyun-Jong; Cho, Jeong-Je; Park, Yong Seek; Park, Cheung-Seog

2013-10-10

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic and relapsing inflammatory dermatitis characterized by pruritic and eczematous skin lesions. Here, we investigated the therapeutic effect of the fruit flavonoid naringenin on DNFB induced atopic dermatitis mice model. AD-like skin lesion was induced by repetitive skin contact with DNFB in NC/Nga mice and the effects of the fruit flavonoid naringenin were evaluated on the basis of histopathological findings of skin, ear swelling and cytokine production of CD4(+)T cells. Intraperitoneal injection of naringenin for one week after DNFB challenge significantly lowered ear swelling and improved back skin lesions. In addition, naringenin significantly suppressed production of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) by activated CD4(+) T cells and serum IgE level. Furthermore, naringenin reduced DNFB-induced infiltration of eosinophils, mast cells, CD4(+) T cells, and CD8(+) T cells in skin lesions. Naringenin may suppress the development of AD-like skin lesions in DNFB-treated NC/Nga mice by reducing IFN-γ production of activated CD4(+) T cells, serum IgE levels and infiltration of immune cells to skin lesion. © 2013.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Meningioma-like tumor of the skin. An ultrastructural and immunohistochemical study.

PubMed

Barr, R J; Yi, E S; Jensen, J L; Wuerker, R B; Liao, S Y

1993-08-01

Three unusual cutaneous tumors are described along with ultrastructural and immunohistochemical studies. All lesions were asymptomatic red-brown papulonodules. Light microscopic examination revealed a whorled configuration of spindle-shaped cells, some concentrically arranged around blood vessels. Immunohistochemical panels exhibited positive staining only with antibody to vimentin and negative staining with antibodies against S-100 protein, muscle markers, cytokeratin, epithelial membrane antigen, Leu 7, type IV collagen, and factor XIIIa, ruling out obvious nevomelanocytic, nerve sheath, meningothelial, smooth muscle, and perithelial differentiation. Electron microscopic examination demonstrated cells producing poorly formed collagen fibrils, sparse collagen fibers, and possessing occasional ill-defined intercellular junctions between their elongated cell processes. This rare tumor is considered to be either an immature fibrohistiocytic or possibly a nerve sheath neoplasm with striking similarities to so-called canine hemangiopericytoma. Because the prominent whorled pattern was reminiscent of meningioma, the lesion was referred to as meningioma-like tumor of the skin.

The Immunology of AD and its Reversibility with Broad Spectrum and Targeted Therapies

PubMed Central

Brunner, Patrick M.; Guttman-Yassky, Emma; Leung, Donald Y. M.

2017-01-01

Atopic dermatitis (AD), the most common chronic inflammatory skin disease, is driven by both terminal keratinocyte differentiation defects and strong type 2 immune responses. In contrast to chronic plaque-type psoriasis, AD is now understood to be a much more heterogeneous disease, with additional activation of Th22, Th17/IL-23 and Th1 cytokine pathways, depending on the subtype of the disease. In this review, we discuss our current understanding of the AD immune map in both early-onset as well as chronic disease. Clinical studies using broad and targeted therapeutics have helped to elucidate the contribution of various immune axes to the disease phenotype. Importantly, immune activation extends well beyond lesional AD, as non-lesional skin and the blood component harbor AD-specific inflammatory changes. For this reason, future therapeutics will need to focus on a systemic treatment approach, especially in patients suffering from moderate-to-severe disease. PMID:28390479

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.

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...

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.

'Wanting' and 'liking' skin picking: A validation of the Skin Picking Reward Scale.

PubMed

Snorrason, Ivar; Olafsson, Ragnar P; Houghton, David C; Woods, Douglas W; Lee, Han-Joo

2015-12-01

Excoriation (skin-picking) disorder (SPD) is often conceptualized as a behavioral addiction in which aberrant reward processing may play an important role. The current study sought to develop a self-report instrument--the Skin Picking Reward Scale (SPRS)--that measures how strongly skin picking is 'liked' (i.e., the degree of pleasurable feelings while receiving the reward) and 'wanted' (i.e., the degree of the motivation to seek the reward). We administered the SPRS to individuals who endorsed excessive skin picking in online surveys and examined the scale's factor structure (Studies 1 and 2). We then asked individuals with documented pathological skin picking to complete the SPRS and other relevant questionnaires on two occasions one week apart (Study 3). Exploratory (Study 1; n = 330) and confirmatory (Study 2; n = 144) factor analyses consistently supported a two-factor structure reflecting the 'liking' and 'wanting' constructs. Results from Study 3 (N = 36) indicated that the Wanting and the Liking scales had adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Additionally, consistent with predictions, the Wanting scale, but not the Liking scale, was associated with picking urges the following week, greater cue-reactivity, and more picking-related routines/habits. These initial findings suggest that SPRS is a psychometrically sound measure of 'wanting' and 'liking' in pathological skin picking. The SPRS may facilitate research on reward processing anomalies in SPD and serve as a useful clinical instrument (e.g., to identify those at risk for cue-induced relapse).

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

Amelioration of atopic-like skin conditions in NC/Tnd mice by topical application with distilled Alpinia intermedia Gagnep extracts.

PubMed

Amagai, Yosuke; Katsuta, Chihiro; Nomura, Yoshihiro; Oida, Kumiko; Matsuda, Kenshiro; Jang, Hyosun; Ahn, Ginnae; Hamasaki, Tetsuyoshi; Matsuda, Hiroshi; Tanaka, Akane

2017-11-01

Alpinia intermedia, a perennial plant that belongs to the Zingiberaceae family, has been used in folk medicine for a long time in the southern region of Japan. Because skin care is an effective approach that enables patients to manage their atopic dermatitis (AD), various herbal ingredients with few adverse effects have been evaluated for use in AD patients in recent years. In this study, we examined whether distilled extracts obtained from A. intermedia were beneficial for AD-like skin conditions in NC/Tnd mice. Topical application with the A. intermedia extracts significantly reduced the severity of AD, transepidermal water loss and scratching behavior in the mice. Supplementation of the extracts to cell cultures suppressed the expression of Tslp mRNA in PAM212 keratinocytes, degranulation in bone marrow-derived cultured mast cells (BMCMC), and neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells and dorsal root ganglia. In addition, the component analysis revealed that β-pinene was a major constituent of the A. intermedia extracts. The inhibitory effects of β-pinene both in vivo and in vitro were also demonstrated. These results indicate that topical application with the A. intermedia extract to the skin of NC/Tnd mice improved the condition of the skin by suppressing multiple inflammatory responses. The extracts may become novel skin-care remedies for AD patients. © 2017 The Authors. The Journal of Dermatology published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Dermatological Association.

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.

TSLP elicits IL-33–independent innate lymphoid cell responses to promote skin inflammation

PubMed Central

Kim, Brian S.; Siracusa, Mark C.; Saenz, Steven A.; Noti, Mario; Monticelli, Laurel A.; Sonnenberg, Gregory F.; Hepworth, Matthew R.; Van Voorhees, Abby S.; Comeau, Michael R.

2013-01-01

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are a recently identified family of heterogeneous immune cells that can be divided into three groups based on their differential developmental requirements and expression of effector cytokines. Among these, group 2 ILCs produce the type 2 cytokines IL-5 and IL-13 and promote type 2 inflammation in the lung and intestine. However, whether group 2 ILCs reside in the skin and contribute to skin inflammation has not been characterized. Here, we identify for the first time a population of skin-resident group 2 ILCs present in healthy human skin that are enriched in lesional human skin from atopic dermatitis (AD) patients. Group 2 ILCs were also found in normal murine skin and were critical for the development of inflammation in a murine model of AD-like disease. Remarkably, in contrast to group 2 ILC responses in the intestine and lung, which are critically regulated by IL-33 and IL-25, ILC responses in the skin and skin-draining lymph nodes were independent of these canonical cytokines but were critically dependent on thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP). Collectively, these results demonstrate an essential role for IL-33– and IL-25–independent group 2 ILCs in promoting skin inflammation. PMID:23363980

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

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.

Evaluation of intraepidermal nerve fibres in the skin of normal and atopic dogs.

PubMed

Laprais, Aurore; Dunston, Stanley M; Torres, Sheila M F; Favrot, Claude; Olivry, Thierry

2017-08-01

Interest in intraepidermal nerve fibres (IENFs) is rising in human medicine, because variations in fibre density occur in some diseases and these neurites might contribute to disease pathogenesis. An increase in IENF density is seen in human atopic dermatitis (AD); there are no such data in atopic dogs. To compare the prevalence of IENFs in normal and atopic canine skin. Eight millimetre skin punch biopsies were taken from six sites of 25 healthy dogs without dermatitis and compared to lesional and nonlesional skin samples of dogs with AD (23 and 14 dogs, respectively). Thirty micrometre-thick paraffin-embedded sections were stained by indirect immunofluorescence for neuronal beta-3 tubulin. Only sections with detectable dermal nerves were then screened for the presence of IENFs. IENFs were identified in all 25 normal nasal planum sections, but in only one biopsy collected from each of the normal canine haired skin (NCHS) sites. As there was no significant difference in IENF prevalence between NCHS areas, they were grouped together. The rate of detection of IENFs was significantly higher (one-tailed Fisher's test, P = 0.004) in lesional AD specimens (18 of 23; 78%) than in nonlesional AD (four of 14; 29%) and NCHS specimens (four of 111; 4%, P < 0.0001). The prevalence of IENF detection in nonlesional AD samples was significantly higher than in normal canine skin (P = 0.006). IENFs are detected more commonly in canine AD than in normal haired skin; these results are comparable to those seen for human AD. © 2017 ESVD and ACVD.

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.

Immunosuppressive effects of fisetin against dinitrofluorobenzene-induced atopic dermatitis-like symptoms in NC/Nga mice.

PubMed

Kim, Gun-Dong; Lee, Seung Eun; Park, Yong Seek; Shin, Dong-Hoon; Park, Gwi Gun; Park, Cheung-Seog

2014-04-01

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a multifactorial chronic skin disorder that is increasing in prevalence globally. In NC/Nga mice, repetitive epicutaneous applications of 2-4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) induces AD-like clinical symptoms. Bioflanonol fisetin (3,7,3',4'-tetrahydroxyflavone) is a dietary component found in plants, fruits and vegetables. Fisetin has various physiological effects that include anti-oxidation, anti-angiogenesis, anti-carcinogenesis and anti-inflammation. In this study, we investigated whether fisetin relieves AD-like clinical symptoms induced by repeated DNFB treatment in NC/Nga mice. Fisetin significantly inhibited infiltration of inflammatory cells including eosinophils, mast cells and CD4(+) T and CD8(+) T cells, and suppressed the expressions of cytokines and chemokines associated with dermal infiltrates in AD-like skin lesions. Total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels and the ratio of phospho-NF-κB p65 to total NF-κB p65 were markedly reduced by fisetin. Fisetin also reduced the production of interferon-gamma and interleukin-4 by activated CD4(+) T cells in a dose-dependent manner, whereas the anti-inflammatory cytokine, interleukin-10 was increased. These results implicate fisetin as a potential therapeutic for AD. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In Vitro Susceptibility of Malassezia pachydermatis Isolates from Canine Skin with Atopic Dermatitis to Ketoconazole and Itraconazole in East Asia

PubMed Central

WATANABE, Shion; KOIKE, Anna; KANO, Rui; NAGATA, Masahiko; CHEN, Charles; HWANG, Cheol-Yong; HASEGAWA, Atsuhiko; KAMATA, Hiroshi

2013-01-01

ABSTRACT Topical or oral azole antifungals are commonly used in canine atopic dermatitis (AD), as the lipophilic yeast Malassezia pachydermatis exacerbates canine AD. To examine whether canine AD lesions harbor azole-resistant M. pachydermatis isolates in East Asia, we investigated the in vitro susceptibility of M. pachydermatis isolates to ketoconazole (KTZ) and itraconazole (ITZ) obtained from AD lesions of canines in Japan, Korea and Taiwan. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of KTZ and ITZ were measured by the E-test using Sabouraud dextrose agar with 0.5% Tween 40. The MICs of KTZ and ITZ for isolates from canines with AD were significantly higher than the MICs for isolates from healthy canines. Our findings suggested that the clinical isolates from canine AD skin lesions were less susceptible to azoles than those from normal canine skin in East Asia. PMID:24334863

In vitro susceptibility of Malassezia pachydermatis isolates from canine skin with atopic dermatitis to ketoconazole and itraconazole in East Asia.

PubMed

Watanabe, Shion; Koike, Anna; Kano, Rui; Nagata, Masahiko; Chen, Charles; Hwang, Cheol-Yong; Hasegawa, Atsuhiko; Kamata, Hiroshi

2014-04-01

Topical or oral azole antifungals are commonly used in canine atopic dermatitis (AD), as the lipophilic yeast Malassezia pachydermatis exacerbates canine AD. To examine whether canine AD lesions harbor azole-resistant M. pachydermatis isolates in East Asia, we investigated the in vitro susceptibility of M. pachydermatis isolates to ketoconazole (KTZ) and itraconazole (ITZ) obtained from AD lesions of canines in Japan, Korea and Taiwan. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of KTZ and ITZ were measured by the E-test using Sabouraud dextrose agar with 0.5% Tween 40. The MICs of KTZ and ITZ for isolates from canines with AD were significantly higher than the MICs for isolates from healthy canines. Our findings suggested that the clinical isolates from canine AD skin lesions were less susceptible to azoles than those from normal canine skin in East Asia.

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.

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

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

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.

Selective Ablation of Ctip2/Bcl11b in Epidermal Keratinocytes Triggers Atopic Dermatitis-Like Skin Inflammatory Responses in Adult Mice

PubMed Central

Guha, Gunjan; Li, Shan; Kyrylkova, Kateryna; Kioussi, Chrissa; Leid, Mark; Ganguli-Indra, Gitali; Indra, Arup K.

2012-01-01

Background Ctip2 is crucial for epidermal homeostasis and protective barrier formation in developing mouse embryos. Selective ablation of Ctip2 in epidermis leads to increased transepidermal water loss (TEWL), impaired epidermal proliferation, terminal differentiation, as well as altered lipid composition during development. However, little is known about the role of Ctip2 in skin homeostasis in adult mice. Methodology/Principal Findings To study the role of Ctip2 in adult skin homeostasis, we utilized Ctip2ep−/− mouse model in which Ctip2 is selectively deleted in epidermal keratinocytes. Measurement of TEWL, followed by histological, immunohistochemical, and RT-qPCR analyses revealed an important role of Ctip2 in barrier maintenance and in regulating adult skin homeostasis. We demonstrated that keratinocytic ablation of Ctip2 leads to atopic dermatitis (AD)-like skin inflammation, characterized by alopecia, pruritus and scaling, as well as extensive infiltration of immune cells including T lymphocytes, mast cells, and eosinophils. We observed increased expression of T-helper 2 (Th2)-type cytokines and chemokines in the mutant skin, as well as systemic immune responses that share similarity with human AD patients. Furthermore, we discovered that thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) expression was significantly upregulated in the mutant epidermis as early as postnatal day 1 and ChIP assay revealed that TSLP is likely a direct transcriptional target of Ctip2 in epidermal keratinocytes. Conclusions/Significance Our data demonstrated a cell-autonomous role of Ctip2 in barrier maintenance and epidermal homeostasis in adult mice skin. We discovered a crucial non-cell autonomous role of keratinocytic Ctip2 in suppressing skin inflammatory responses by regulating the expression of Th2-type cytokines. It is likely that the epidermal hyperproliferation in the Ctip2-lacking epidermis may be secondary to the compensatory response of the adult epidermis that is defective in

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.

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.

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.

Lactobacillus salivarius LA307 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus LA305 attenuate skin inflammation in mice.

PubMed

Holowacz, S; Blondeau, C; Guinobert, I; Guilbot, A; Hidalgo, S; Bisson, J F

2018-02-27

Oral probiotics potential for the management of dermatological diseases is vast. However, results of available studies in skin diseases, such as atopic dermatitis (AD), are inconsistent, partly because probiotic effects are strain specific. Careful selection of probiotic strains is therefore indispensable to ensure efficacy of treatment. In this study, Lactobacillus salivarius LA307, Lactobacillus rhamnosus LA305 and Bifidobacterium bifidum PI22, three strains that were previously identified for their interesting immunomodulatory properties in allergy and/or colitis models, were assessed in the prevention of chronic skin inflammation induced by repeated applications of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate in hairless SKH-1 mice. Macroscopic and microscopic evaluation of skin lesions was performed together with measurements of serum levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), IL-17, IL-22, IL-10 and IL-4. Daily oral treatment with the three strains at the dose of 1×10 9 cfu/day for 3 weeks limited the development of chronic skin inflammation, the effects being strain dependent. Indeed the two Lactobacillus strains significantly limited the intensity of skin inflammation both at the macroscopic and microscopic levels. Macroscopic observations were correlated to the histological observations and the resulting microscopic score. This limitation of the development of AD-like skin lesions involved the modulation of cytokine production. Treatment with the two Lactobacillus strains induced a decrease in the serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-17, IL-22 and at the opposite an increase in the production of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 and also of IL-4. Globally, B. bifidum PI22 had lower benefits. These results obtained in mice suggest that L. salivarius LA307 and L. rhamnosus LA305 could be good candidates for preserving skin integrity and homeostasis via the modulation of the gut microbiota and that

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.

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.

[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.

Self-cleaning skin-like prosthetic polymer surfaces

DOEpatents

Simpson, John T [Clinton, TN; Ivanov, Ilia N [Knoxville, TN; Shibata, Jason [Manhattan Beach, CA

2012-03-27

An external covering and method of making an external covering for hiding the internal endoskeleton of a mechanical (e.g., prosthetic) device that exhibits skin-like qualities is provided. The external covering generally comprises an internal bulk layer in contact with the endoskeleton of the prosthetic device and an external skin layer disposed about the internal bulk layer. The external skin layer is comprised of a polymer composite with carbon nanotubes embedded therein. The outer surface of the skin layer has multiple cone-shaped projections that provide the external skin layer with superhydrophobicity. The carbon nanotubes are preferably vertically aligned between the inner surface and outer surface of the external skin layer in order to provide the skin layer with the ability to transmit heat. Superhydrophobic powders may optionally be used as part of the polymer composite or applied as a coating to the surface of the skin layer to enhance superhydrophobicity.

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.

Lesser-known myelin-related disorders: focal tumour-like demyelinating lesions.

PubMed

Jiménez Arango, J A; Uribe Uribe, C S; Toro González, G

2015-03-01

Focal tumour-like demyelinating lesions are defined as solitary demyelinating lesions with a diameter greater than 2 cm. In imaging studies, these lesions may mimic a neoplasm or brain abscess; as a result, invasive diagnostic and therapeutic measures may be performed that will in some cases increase morbidity. Our aim was to analyse and characterise these lesions according to their clinical, radiological, and pathological characteristics, and this data in addition to our literature review will contribute to a better understanding of these lesions. This descriptive study includes 5 cases with pathological diagnoses. We provide subject characteristics gathered through reviewing their clinical, radiology, and pathology reports. Patients' ages ranged from 12 to 60 years; 3 patients were female. The time delay between symptom onset and hospital admission was 3 to 120 days. Clinical manifestations were diverse and dependent on the location of the lesion, pyramidal signs were found in 80% of patients, there were no clinical or radiological signs of spinal cord involvement, and follow-up times ranged from 1 to 15 years. Brain biopsy is the gold standard for the diagnosis of demyelinating tumour-like lesions; however, their clinical features, along with several magnetic resonance imaging features such as open ring enhancement, venular enhancement, the presence of glutamate in spectroscopy, and others, may be sufficient to differentiate neoplastic lesions from focal tumour-like demyelinating lesions. Copyright © 2012 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

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

Inhibitory effect of Patrinia scabiosifolia Link on the development of atopic dermatitis-like lesions in human keratinocytes and NC/Nga mice.

PubMed

Cha, Kyung-Jae; Im, Mi Ae; Gu, Ayoung; Kim, Da Hye; Lee, Daye; Lee, Jeong Soo; Lee, Ji-Sook; Kim, In Sik

2017-07-12

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic pruritic and inflammatory disease occurring in skin. Patrinia scabiosifolia Link (PS), a member of the Patrinia genus (Caprifoliaceae family), has traditionally been used in folk medicines to treat various inflammatory diseases such as acute appendicitis, ulcerative colitis, and pelvic inflammation in Korea and other parts of East Asia. This study investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of PS on AD in vitro and in vivo. Whole PS plants were dried, powdered, and then underwent extraction with DMSO. Both ELISA and western blotting were performed to evaluate cytokine concentration and the expression and activation of filaggrin and signaling proteins. Five-week-old female NC/Nga mice were used as an AD-like mouse model by treating them with 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB). In human keratinocytic HaCaT cells, PS extract inhibited the production of IL-8, and TARC, which had been increased by TNF-α and IFN-γ. The TNF-α and IFN-γ suppressed filaggrin expression was associated with phosphorylation of JNK1 and JNK2, and NF-κB translocation. PS recovered the inhibition of filaggrin expression induced by TNF-α and IFN-γ by blocking the activation of JNK1/2, and NF-κB by the IFN-γ and TNF-α treatment. The in vivo experiment results showed that, compared to DNCB treatment PS administration reduced thickening of the epidermis and infiltration of inflammatory cells into the dermis. Moreover, the decrease of filaggrin expression due to DNCB treatment was recovered by PS administration. The serum IgE level was decreased by PS treatment. Additionally, secretions of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, and eotaxin in splenocytes were lower in the PS-treated group than in the DNCB group. PS may attenuate the development of AD-like lesions by increasing filaggrin expression and lowering IgE and inflammatory cytokine levels. These results indicate the potential for development of a PS-based drug treatment for AD. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

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

Injury downregulates the expression of the human cathelicidin protein hCAP18/LL-37 in atopic dermatitis.

PubMed

Mallbris, Lotus; Carlén, Lina; Wei, Tianling; Heilborn, Johan; Nilsson, Margareta Frohm; Granath, Fredrik; Ståhle, Mona

2010-05-01

Reduced production of antimicrobial peptides was proposed to contribute to susceptibility for skin infections in atopic dermatitis (AD). Focusing on the human cathelicidin protein, hCAP18, the aim of the present study was to explore whether reduced hCAP18 expression is a constitutive trait in AD and if established inducers affect the expression of hCAP18 in the skin of AD. First, we compared levels of hCAP18 mRNA between lesional skin in AD and psoriasis and verified significantly lower expression of hCAP18 mRNA in AD. In non-lesional skin, however, there was no difference between AD, psoriasis and healthy, indicating that there is no constitutive defect in the production of hCAP18 in AD patients. In healthy skin, hCAP18 was reported to be rapidly induced following wounding and here we verified this pattern in healthy controls and in psoriasis. In AD lesions, however, the expression of hCAP18 mRNA was markedly suppressed following wounding. Obviously, the inflammation in AD lesions neutralizes the expected induction of hCAP18 and even induces suppression. Notably, the mechanism to upregulate hCAP18 following vitamin D treatment was functional in lesional as well as in non-lesional AD indicating that the CAMP gene is normally regulated in this respect. In addition, cultured primary keratinocytes from non-lesional skin of psoriasis, AD and healthy skin, upregulated hCAP18mRNA following treatment with vitamin D. Itching is a hallmark of AD and scratching inevitably injures the skin. Failure to upregulate hCAP18 in eczema following injury is likely to affect antimicrobial protection and tissue repair in AD.

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

Cutaneous microbiome effects of fluticasone proprionate cream and adjunctive bleach baths in childhood atopic dermatitis

PubMed Central

Gonzalez, Mercedes E.; Schaffer, Julie V.; Orlow, Seth J.; Gao, Zhan; Li, Huilin; Alekseyenko, Alexander V.; Blaser, Martin J.

2016-01-01

Background Patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) are prone to skin infections, with microbes like Staphylococcus aureus suspected of contributing to pathogenesis. Bleach baths might improve AD by reducing skin microbial burden. Objective To characterize the microbiota of lesional and nonlesional skin in young children with AD and controls and compare changes after treatment with a topical corticosteroid (TCS) alone or TCS + dilute bleach baths (BB). Methods In a randomized, placebo-controlled, single-blinded clinical trial in 21 children with AD and 14 healthy children, lesional and nonlesional AD skin was examined at baseline and after 4-week treatment with TCS alone or TCS plus BB. Microbial DNA was extracted for qPCR of predominant genera and 16S rRNA sequencing. Results At baseline, densities of total bacteria and Staphylococcus, including S. aureus, were significantly higher at the worst AD lesional site than nonlesional (p=0.001) or control (p<0.001) skin; bacterial communities on lesional and nonlesional AD skin significantly differed from each other (p=0.04) and from control (p<0.001). After TCS + BB or TCS alone, bacterial compositions on lesional skin normalized (p<0.0001), resembling nonlesional skin, with microbial diversity restored to control skin levels. Limitations The 4-week time period and/or the twice-weekly baths may not have been sufficient for additional impact on the cutaneous microbiome. More detailed sequencing may allow better characterization of the distinguishing taxa with BB-treatment. Conclusions Treatment with a topical corticosteroid cream suffices to normalize the cutaneous microbiota on lesional AD; after treatment, bacterial communities on lesional skin resemble nonlesional skin but remain distinct from control. PMID:27543211

Anti-allergic effects of Vernonia amygdalina leaf extracts in hapten-induced atopic dermatitis-like disease in mice.

PubMed

Ngatu, Nlandu Roger; Okajima, Maiko K; Yokogawa, Maki; Hirota, Ryoji; Takaishi, Mikiro; Eitoku, Masamitsu; Muzembo, Basilua Andre; Sabah, Asif Bhati; Saruta, Takao; Miyamura, Mitsuhiko; Kaneko, Tatsuo; Sano, Shigetoshi; Suganuma, Narufumi

2012-12-01

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by pruritic and eczematous skin lesions. In this study, AD-like disease was induced in NC/Nga mice so as to evaluate the anti-allergic effects of Vernonia amygdalina leaf extracts (VAM). Forty NC/Nga mice were purchased for each of the two protocols (prophylactic and curative) of the study. Mice were randomly divided in groups of five or six after sensitization with 5% trinitrochlorobenzene (TNCB): aqueous extracts (VAM1), methanolic extracts (VAM2), hydrocortisone (HCT), buffer for the control (TNCB) and the normal mice (NORM) groups. As for HCT, VAM1 and VAM2-pretreated mice showed significantly lower number of scratching behavior episodes (p < 0.01; vs. TNCB) following TNCB challenge. In addition, VAM1, VAM2 exerted a significant inhibitory effect on the development of AD skin symptoms (vs. TNCB group; p < 0.001), the production of IgE, TNF-alpha (p < 0.05), IL-5 and IFN-gamma (p < 0.01) (vs. TNCB group) and on the increase in ear thickness (p < 0.05) in prophylactic protocol. In the AD curative protocol, topical VAM1, VAM2 markedly improved skin lesions such as erythema/hemorrhage (p < 0.05), scaling/dryness, erosion/excoriation (p < 0.01) (vs. TNCB mice). Furthermore, a significant decrease in ear thickness was noted in VAM1, VAM2, HCT groups (vs. TNCB group; p < 0.05) as well as the serum total IgE, MCP-1 (p < 0.01) and eotaxin (p < 0.05). VAM2 also improved chronic eczema dermatitis skin symptoms in a patient. Results from this report suggest that VAM extracts, known as ERK pathway inhibitor, prevent and improve atopic/eczema dermatitis syndrome.

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.

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

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.

Intrinsic atopic dermatitis (AD) shows similar Th2 and higher Th17 immune activation compared to extrinsic AD

PubMed Central

Suárez-Fariñas, M; Dhingra, N; Gittler, J; Shemer, A; Cardinale, I; de Guzman Strong, C; Krueger, JG; Guttman-Yassky, E

2013-01-01

Background Atopic dermatitis (AD) is classified as extrinsic (ADe) and intrinsic (ADi), representing approximately 80% and 20% of patients, respectively. While sharing a similar clinical phenotype, only ADe is characterized by high serum IgE. Since most AD patients exhibit high IgE, an “allergic”/IgE-mediated disease pathogenesis was hypothesized. However, current models associate AD with T-cell activation, particularly Th2/Th22 polarization, and epidermal barrier defects. Objective To define if both variants share a common pathogenesis. Methods We stratified 51 severe AD patients as ADe (42) and ADi (9) (with similar mean disease activity/SCORAD), and analyzed the molecular and cellular skin pathology of lesional and non-lesional ADi and ADe using gene-expression (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry. Results A significant correlation between IgE levels and SCORAD (r=0.76, p<10−5) was found only in ADe. Marked infiltrates of T-cells and dendritic cells and corresponding epidermal alterations (K16, Mki67, S100A7/A8/A9) defined lesional skin of both variants. However, higher activation of all inflammatory axes (including Th2) was detected in ADi, particularly Th17 and Th22-cytokines. Positive correlations between Th17-related molecules and SCORAD were only found in ADi, while only ADe showed positive correlations between SCORAD and Th2-cytokines (IL-4, IL-5), and negative correlations with differentiation products (loricrin, periplakin). Conclusions Although differences in Th17 and Th22 activation exist between ADi and ADe, we identified common disease-defining features of T-cell activation, production of polarized cytokines, and keratinocyte responses to immune products. Our data indicate that a Th2 bias is not the sole cause of high IgE in ADe, with important implications for similar therapeutic interventions. Clinical Implications Both extrinsic and intrinsic AD variants might be treated with T-cell targeted therapeutics or agents that modify keratinocyte

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.

Widespread skin rash following travel to South-East Asia.

PubMed

Creamer, Andrew

2014-02-20

A 21-year-old man presented with a widespread, intensely pruritic skin rash, which developed acutely 5 days after returning from a backpacking holiday in Thailand. On initial presentation to his general practitioner, an erythematous, papular rash was noted in the upper right back, with smaller clusters of lesions on the buttocks and right arm. Based on the anatomical distribution of the lesions, a preliminary diagnosis of shingles was made. Over the following 2 weeks, the lesions failed to improve, and new snake-like lesions appeared. A dermatologist made the diagnosis of cutaneous larva migrans. The skin lesions rapidly resolved following oral albendazole therapy.

IL-22 is required for Th17 cell-mediated pathology in a mouse model of psoriasis-like skin inflammation.

PubMed

Ma, Hak-Ling; Liang, Spencer; Li, Jing; Napierata, Lee; Brown, Tom; Benoit, Stephen; Senices, Mayra; Gill, Davinder; Dunussi-Joannopoulos, Kyriaki; Collins, Mary; Nickerson-Nutter, Cheryl; Fouser, Lynette A; Young, Deborah A

2008-02-01

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease resulting from the dysregulated interplay between keratinocytes and infiltrating immune cells. We report on a psoriasis-like disease model, which is induced by the transfer of CD4(+)CD45RB(hi)CD25(-) cells to pathogen-free scid/scid mice. Psoriasis-like lesions had elevated levels of antimicrobial peptide and proinflammatory cytokine mRNA. Also, similar to psoriasis, disease progression in this model was dependent on the p40 common to IL-12 and IL-23. To investigate the role of IL-22, a Th17 cytokine, in disease progression, mice were treated with IL-22-neutralizing antibodies. Neutralization of IL-22 prevented the development of disease, reducing acanthosis (thickening of the skin), inflammatory infiltrates, and expression of Th17 cytokines. Direct administration of IL-22 into the skin of normal mice induced both antimicrobial peptide and proinflammatory cytokine gene expression. Our data suggest that IL-22, which acts on keratinocytes and other nonhematopoietic cells, is required for development of the autoreactive Th17 cell-dependent disease in this model of skin inflammation. We propose that IL-22 antagonism might be a promising therapy for the treatment of human psoriasis.

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

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.

The prevention of TNF-α/IFN-γ mixture-induced inflammation in human keratinocyte and atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in Nc/Nga mice by mineral-balanced deep sea water.

PubMed

Lee, Kyu-Shik; Chun, So-Young; Lee, Min-Gu; Kim, Soyoung; Jang, Tae-Jung; Nam, Kyung-Soo

2018-01-01

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease caused by environmental and chemical allergens. Despite the complexity of its pathogenesis, many investigations have shown that substances having anti-inflammatory activities alleviated the pathology of AD. Here, we evaluated the effects of mineral-balanced deep sea water (DSW) on AD-like skin damage in both in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that mineral-balanced DSW regressed inflammatory chemokines, such as macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC), thymus- and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) and regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), and cytokines, interleukin (IL)-6 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) mRNA expression in HaCaT immortal human keratinocyte treated with tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α/ interferon (IFN)-γ mixture. Furthermore, increased cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 protein expressions were also reversed, filaggrin gene expression was enhanced and decreased involucrin transcriptions was recovered by mineral-balanced DSW in TNF-α/IFN-γ mixture-treated HaCaT human keratinocyte. Moreover, we revealed that the inhibitory effects of mineral-balanced DSW were mediated with the suppression of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 1 phosphorylation. In animal experiments, we showed that hardness 2000 of mineral-balanced DSW decreased the serum levels of IgE, IL-4, and histamine, and alleviated the severity score and numbers of scratching in dinitrochlorobezene (DNCB)-treated Nc/Nga mice. Furthermore, increased epidermal thickness and mast cell infiltration by DNCB treatment were reversed by the application of hardness 2000 mineral-balanced DSW. Taken together, the present investigation indicates that mineral-balanced DSW is a potent substance with anti-atopic dermatitis activity. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

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.

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.

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.

Molecular Analysis of Malassezia Microflora on the Skin of Atopic Dermatitis Patients and Healthy Subjects

PubMed Central

Sugita, Takashi; Suto, Hajime; Unno, Tetsushi; Tsuboi, Ryoji; Ogawa, Hideoki; Shinoda, Takako; Nishikawa, Akemi

2001-01-01

Members of the genus Malassezia, lipophilic yeasts, are considered to be one of the exacerbating factors in atopic dermatitis (AD). We examined variation in cutaneous colonization by Malassezia species in AD patients and compared it with variation in healthy subjects. Samples were collected by applying transparent dressings to the skin lesions of AD patients. DNA was extracted directly from the dressings and amplified in a specific nested PCR assay. Malassezia-specific DNA was detected in all samples obtained from 32 AD patients. In particular, Malassezia globosa and M. restricta were detected in approximately 90% of the AD patients and M. furfur and M. sympodialis were detected in approximately 40% of the cases. The detection rate was not dependent on the type of skin lesion. In healthy subjects, Malassezia DNA was detected in 78% of the samples, among which M. globosa, M. restricta, and M. sympodialis were detected at frequencies ranging from 44 to 61%, with M. furfur at 11%. The diversity of Malassezia species found in AD patients was greater (2.7 species detected in each individual) than that found in healthy subjects (1.8 species per individual). Our results suggest that M. furfur, M. globosa, M. restricta, and M. sympodialis are common inhabitants of the skin of both AD patients and healthy subjects, while the skin microflora of AD patients shows more diversity than that of healthy subjects. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the use of a nested PCR as an alternative to fungal culture for analysis of the distribution of cutaneous Malassezia spp. PMID:11574560

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.

Solitary ecthyma gangrenosum (EG)-like lesion consequent to Candida albicans in a neonate.

PubMed

Agarwal, Shilpi; Sharma, Meenal; Mehndirata, Vibhu

2007-06-01

Ecthyma gangrenosum (EG) is a well recognized cutaneous lesion most commonly associated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia. It usually occurs in immunocompromized and critically ill patients. Uncommonly, EG like lesions have also been observed in patients with fungal infections, like Fusarium Candida, Mucor and Aspergillus. We present a case of EG- Like lesion due to Candida albicans, in a 12 day old neonate.

Carbon dioxide laser effects on caries-like lesions of dental enamel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Featherstone, John D. B.; Zhang, S. H.; Shariati, M.; McCormack, Sandra M.

1991-05-01

Previous studies by the authors have shown that carbon dioxide (CO2) laser light has marked effects on dental hard tissues and that these effects are wavelength-dependent. The aim of the present study was to determine whether treatment by CO2 laser of caries-like lesions in human enamel would inhibit subsequent lesion progression. Nine groups of 10 teeth each with preformed caries-like lesions were treated with/without CO2 laser (9.32 micrometers , 15 mJ or 25 mJ per pulse) by a pulsed laser (100-200 nsec) for either 200 or 400 pulses. Preformed lesions were then treated with acidulated phosphate fluoride for 5 minutes with control groups with no fluoride treatment. Teeth were subjected to a subsequent pH cycling challenge to determine the protection against lesion progression. Low energy laser treatment coupled with fluoride treatment entirely inhibited subsequent lesion progression in this model system.

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.

[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

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.

Dermoscopy of pigmented lesions on mucocutaneous junction and mucous membrane.

PubMed

Lin, J; Koga, H; Takata, M; Saida, T

2009-12-01

The dermoscopic features of pigmented lesions on the mucocutaneous junction and mucous membrane are different from those on hairy skin. Differentiation between benign lesions and malignant melanomas of these sites is often difficult. To define the dermoscopic patterns of lesions on the mucocutaneous junction and mucous membrane, and assess the applicability of standard dermoscopic algorithms to these lesions. An unselected consecutive series of 40 lesions on the mucocutaneous junction and mucous membrane was studied. All the lesions were imaged using dermoscopy devices, analysed for dermoscopic patterns and scored with algorithms including the ABCD rule, Menzies method, 7-point checklist, 3-point checklist and the CASH algorithm. Benign pigmented lesions of the mucocutaneous junction and mucous membrane frequently presented a dotted-globular pattern (25%), a homogeneous pattern (25%), a fish scale-like pattern (18.8%) and a hyphal pattern (18.8%), while melanomas of these sites showed a multicomponent pattern (75%) and a homogeneous pattern (25%). The fish scale-like pattern and hyphal pattern were considered to be variants of the ring-like pattern. The sensitivities of the ABCD rule, Menzies method, 7-point checklist, 3-point checklist and CASH algorithm in diagnosing mucosal melanomas were 100%, 100%, 63%, 88% and 100%; and the specificities were 100%, 94%, 100%, 94% and 100%, respectively. The ring-like pattern and its variants (fish scale-like pattern and hyphal pattern) are frequently observed as well as the dotted-globular pattern and homogeneous pattern in mucosal melanotic macules. The algorithms for pigmented lesions on hairy skin also apply to those on the mucocutaneous junction and mucous membrane with high sensitivity and specificity.

The domestic pig as a potential model for Borrelia skin infection.

PubMed

Reiter, Michael; Knecht, Christian; Müller, Andreas; Schötta, Anna-Margarita; Leschnik, Michael; Wijnveld, Michiel; Weissenböck, Herbert; Stockinger, Hannes; Stanek, Gerold; Sipos, Wolfgang

2017-02-01

The skin lesion erythema migrans is a characteristic early manifestation of Lyme borreliosis in humans. However, the pathomechanisms leading to development of this erythema are not fully understood. Models that mimic human skin would enhance research in this field. Human and porcine skin structures strongly resemble each other. Therefore, we attempted to induce erythema migrans lesions in experimental Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato infection in the skin of domestic pigs. The formation of erythema migrans-like lesions was observed after intradermal injection of these spirochetes, with the lesions forming very clearly in 2/6 animals when a strain of B. garinii was used. However, no molecular or clinical proof of systemic infection of the pigs with B. afzelii, B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, or B. garinii could be achieved. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

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

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.

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.

IL-22 is required for Th17 cell–mediated pathology in a mouse model of psoriasis-like skin inflammation

PubMed Central

Ma, Hak-Ling; Liang, Spencer; Li, Jing; Napierata, Lee; Brown, Tom; Benoit, Stephen; Senices, Mayra; Gill, Davinder; Dunussi-Joannopoulos, Kyriaki; Collins, Mary; Nickerson-Nutter, Cheryl; Fouser, Lynette A.; Young, Deborah A.

2008-01-01

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease resulting from the dysregulated interplay between keratinocytes and infiltrating immune cells. We report on a psoriasis-like disease model, which is induced by the transfer of CD4+CD45RBhiCD25– cells to pathogen-free scid/scid mice. Psoriasis-like lesions had elevated levels of antimicrobial peptide and proinflammatory cytokine mRNA. Also, similar to psoriasis, disease progression in this model was dependent on the p40 common to IL-12 and IL-23. To investigate the role of IL-22, a Th17 cytokine, in disease progression, mice were treated with IL-22–neutralizing antibodies. Neutralization of IL-22 prevented the development of disease, reducing acanthosis (thickening of the skin), inflammatory infiltrates, and expression of Th17 cytokines. Direct administration of IL-22 into the skin of normal mice induced both antimicrobial peptide and proinflammatory cytokine gene expression. Our data suggest that IL-22, which acts on keratinocytes and other nonhematopoietic cells, is required for development of the autoreactive Th17 cell–dependent disease in this model of skin inflammation. We propose that IL-22 antagonism might be a promising therapy for the treatment of human psoriasis. PMID:18202747

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.

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.

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

Hataedock treatment has preventive therapeutic effects for atopic dermatitis through skin barrier protection in Dermatophagoides farinae-induced NC/Nga mice.

PubMed

Cha, Ho-Yeol; Ahn, Sang-Hyun; Cheon, Jin-Hong; Park, Sun-Young; Kim, Kibong

2017-07-12

Hataedock treatment is traditionally used for the purpose of preventing the future skin disease by feeding herbal extracts to the newborn in traditional Chinese and Korean medicine. This study investigated the preventive therapeutic effects of Hataedock (HTD) treatment for atopic dermatitis (AD) through skin barrier protection in Dermatophagoides farinae-induced NC/Nga mice. To the HTD treatment group, the extract of Coptis japonica Makino and Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fischer, which analyzed with High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)-fingerprint for quality consistency, was administered orally to the 3-week-old mice before inducing AD. After that, Dermatophagoides farinae was applied except the control group to induce AD-like skin lesions. We confirmed the effects of HTD on morphological changes, protection of skin barrier, regulation of Th2 differentiation, inflammation regulation and induction of apoptosis through histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, and Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. HTD effectively reduced edema, angiogenesis and skin lesion. HTD also increased the levels of liver X receptor (LXR) and filaggrin but decreased the level of protein kinase C (PKC) (p<0.01). The levels of interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-13, signal transducer and activator of transcription-6 (STAT-6) and Cluster of differentiation 40 (CD40) were significantly reduced in the HTD treated group (p<0.01). HTD also suppressed the mast cell degranulation and the level of the high-affinity IgE receptor (FcɛRI), substance P, Matrix metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) (p<0.01). The levels of inflammatory factors such as nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) p65, phosphorylated IκB (p-IκB) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were also decreased (p<0.01). Apoptosis of inflammatory cells was also found to increase (p<0.01). Our results indicate that HTD effectively regulate the Th2 differentiation, mast cell activation and

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 ...

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.

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.

Artemisia capillaris inhibits atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions in Dermatophagoides farinae-sensitized Nc/Nga mice

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Artemisia capillaries Thunb. (AC) has been used to treat inflammatory and hepatic disorders such as hepatic injury, hepatic fibrosis and hepatitis. However, the efficacy of AC against atopic dermatitis (AD), an inflammatory disease, has not been examined. In the present study, AC was evaluated for anti-inflammatory and anti-AD effects using both in vitro and in vivo systems. Methods The contents of six compounds (chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, isochlorogenic acid A, hyperoside, isoquercitrin and scoparone) in AC were simultaneously assayed using HPLC system. To evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of AC, NO production was measured in RAW264.7 cell stimulated with 1 μg/mL LPS. Histamine levels were assayed in MC/9 cells stimulated with 50 nM PMA and 1 μM A23187. To examine the role of AC in vivo, AC (10 mg/mouse/day) was topically applied for four weeks the back and ears of Dermatophagoides farinae-sensitized Nc/Nga mice. Protopic ointment (0.1% tacrolimus) was used as a positive control. Results The contents of the six components in AC range from 0.44 to 43.14 mg/g. Chlorogenic acid (21.06 ± 0.08 mg/g) and isochlorogenic acid A (43.14 ± 0.12 mg/g) were major components in AC. AC inhibited NO and histamine production in cells respectively. In D. farinae-sensitized Nc/Nga mice, the topical application of AC reduced dermatitis scores, hemorrhage, hypertrophy and hyperkeratosis of the epidermis in the dorsal skin and ear. The treatment of AC also reduced the plasma levels of histamine (1.5 fold) and IgE (1.4 fold). Conclusions Our results suggest that AC should be explored as a potential therapeutic agent to treat atopic dermatitis and analysis by HPLC will help to improve the quality of AC. PMID:24624888

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.

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

Dimerized Translationally Controlled Tumor Protein-Binding Peptide Ameliorates Atopic Dermatitis in NC/Nga Mice.

PubMed

Jin, Xing-Hai; Lim, Juhyeon; Shin, Dong Hae; Maeng, Jeehye; Lee, Kyunglim

2017-01-26

Our previous study showed that dimerized translationally controlled tumor protein (dTCTP) plays a role in the pathogenesis of allergic diseases, such as asthma and allergic rhinitis. A 7-mer peptide, called dTCTP-binding peptide 2 (dTBP2), binds to dTCTP and inhibits its cytokine-like effects. We therefore examined the protective effects of dTBP2 in house dust mite-induced atopic dermatitis (AD)-like skin lesions in Nishiki-nezumi Cinnamon/Nagoya (NC/Nga) mice. We found that topical administration of dTBP2 significantly reduced the AD-like skin lesions formation and mast cell infiltration in NC/Nga mice, similarly to the response seen in the Protopic (tacrolimus)-treated group. Treatment with dTBP2 also decreased the serum levels of IgE and reduced IL-17A content in skin lesions and inhibited the expression of mRNAs of interleukin IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-13, macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC), thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP). These findings indicate that dTBP2 not only inhibits the release of Th2 cytokine but also suppresses the production of proinflammatory cytokines in AD-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice, by inhibiting TCTP dimer, in allergic responses. Therefore, dTCTP is a therapeutic target for AD and dTBP2 appears to have a potential role in the treatment of AD.

Alterations of epidermal proliferation and cytokeratin expression in skin biopsies from heavy draught horses with chronic pastern dermatitis.

PubMed

Geburek, Florian; Ohnesorge, Bernhard; Deegen, Eckehard; Doeleke, Renate; Hewicker-Trautwein, Marion

2005-12-01

We report the historical, clinical and histopathological characteristics of skin lesions in biopsies from 37 heavy draught horses with chronic pastern dermatitis. The skin lesions were divided into four macroscopic groups: scaling (group I, n=5), hyperkeratotic and hyperplastic plaque-like lesions (group II, n=14), nodular skin masses (group III, n=16) and verrucous skin lesions (group IV, n=2). The principal histological findings were hyperkeratosis and epidermal hyperplasia. There was a gradual increase in epidermal hyperplasia from groups I to IV, suggesting that the lesions represent different stages of disease. In all cases, there was perivascular dermatitis dominated by T lymphocytes with an increase in MHC class II-positive dendritic-like cells. Immunohistochemical labelling for cytokeratins CK5/6(4), CK10 and CK14 indicated a change in their expression pattern. This correlated with the degree of epidermal hyperplasia, indicating abnormal differentiation of keratinocytes. There was a statistically significant correlation between the severity of skin lesions and several other factors including increasing age, increasing cannon circumference, prominence of anatomical structures such as fetlock tufts of hairs, ergots and chestnuts, and bulges in the fetlock region.

Chronic cholera-like lesions caused by Moraxella osloensis.

PubMed

Emerson, F G; Kolb, G E; VanNatta, F A

1983-01-01

Cholera-like lesions appeared in four house-confined flocks of tom turkeys on one farm from October 30, 1980, to December 2, 1980; Moraxella osloensis was isolated from the tissues. All flocks were treated with 0.04% sulfaquinoxaline in the water for 3 days. The flocks returned to normal and had normal condemnation rates at slaughter. An experiment was conducted in which six hen turkeys were inoculated with a M. osloensis isolate. The same gross lesions were produced as seen in the field cases.

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.

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

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.

Simulated color: a diagnostic tool for skin lesions like port-wine stain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Randeberg, Lise L.; Svaasand, Lars O.

2001-05-01

A device independent method for skin color visualization has been developed. Colors reconstructed from a reflectance spectrum are presented on a computer screen by sRGB (standard Red Green Blue) color coordinates. The colors are presented as adjacent patches surrounded by a medium grey border. CIELAB color coordinates and CIE (International Commission on Illumination) color difference (Delta) E are computed. The change in skin color due to a change in average blood content or scattering properties in dermis is investigated. This is done by analytical simulations based on the diffusion approximation. It is found that an 11% change in average blood content and a 15% change in scattering properties will give a visible color change. A supposed visibility limit for (Delta) E is given. This value is based on experimental testing and the known properties of the human visual system. This limit value can be used as a tool to determine when to terminate laser treatment of port- wine stain due to low treatment response, i.e. low (Delta) E between treatments. The visualization method presented seems promising for medical applications as port-wine stain diagnostics. The method gives good possibilities for electronic transfer of data between clinics because it is device independent.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices towards yaws and yaws-like skin disease in Ghana.

PubMed

Marks, Michael; Kwakye-Maclean, Cynthia; Doherty, Rachel; Adwere, Paul; Aziz Abdulai, Abdul; Duah, Fredrick; Ohene, Sally-Ann; Mitja, Oriol; Oguti, Blanche; Solomon, Anthony W; Mabey, David C W; Adu-Sarkodie, Yaw; Asiedu, Kingsley; Ackumey, Mercy M

2017-07-01

Yaws is endemic in Ghana. The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new global eradication campaign based on total community mass treatment with azithromycin. Achieving high coverage of mass treatment will be fundamental to the success of this new strategy; coverage is dependent, in part, on appropriate community mobilisation. An understanding of community knowledge, attitudes and practices related to yaws in Ghana and other endemic countries will be vital in designing effective community engagement strategies. A verbally administered questionnaire was administered to residents in 3 districts in the Eastern region of Ghana where a randomised trial on the treatment of yaws was being conducted. The questionnaire combined both quantitative and qualitative questions covering perceptions of the cause and mechanisms of transmission of yaws-like lesions, the providers from which individuals would seek healthcare for yaws-like lesions, and what factors were important in reaching decisions on where to seek care. Chi-square tests and logistic regression were used to assess relationships between reported knowledge, attitudes and practices, and demographic variables. Thematic analysis of qualitative data was used to identify common themes. A total of 1,162 individuals participated. The majority of individuals (n = 895, 77%) reported that "germs" were the cause of yaws lesions. Overall 13% (n = 161) of respondents believed that the disease was caused by supernatural forces. Participants frequently mentioned lack of personal hygiene, irregular and inefficient bathing, and washing with dirty water as fundamental to both the cause and the prevention of yaws. A majority of individuals reported that they would want to take an antibiotic to prevent the development of yaws if they were asymptomatic (n = 689, 61.2%), but a substantial minority reported they would not want to do so. A majority of individuals (n = 839, 72.7%) reported that if they had a yaws-like skin lesion

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.

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.

Advancing Survivors' Knowledge (ASK) about skin cancer study: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Daniel, Casey L; Armstrong, Gregory T; Keske, Robyn R; Davine, Jessica A; McDonald, Aaron J; Sprunck-Harrild, Kim M; Coleman, Catherine; Haneuse, Sebastien J; Mertens, Ann C; Emmons, Karen M; Marghoob, Ashfaq A; Elkin, Elena B; Dusza, Stephen W; Robison, Leslie L; Geller, Alan C

2015-03-24

Advances in treatment have increased childhood cancer 5-year survival rates to greater than 80%. However, children previously treated with radiation are at significantly increased risk of developing subsequent neoplasms, the most common of which are skin cancers. The National Cancer Institute and Children's Oncology Group have issued recommendations for survivors treated with radiation to perform monthly skin self-examinations and receive a physician skin examination at least annually, as early detection has demonstrated markedly improved outcomes in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancers. The goal of the present study is to increase rates of skin self-examinations and clinical skin examinations among adult survivors of childhood cancer treated with radiation. This randomized controlled trial uses a 3-group comparative effectiveness design comparing: (1) Patient Activation and Education (PAE) including text messaging, print and web-based tutorials over 12 months; (2) PAE plus physician activation (PAE + MD) adding physician activation/educational materials about survivors' increased skin cancer risk and conducting full-body skin exams; and (3) PAE plus physician activation, plus teledermoscopy (PAE + MD + TD) adding participant receipt of a dermatoscope intended to empower them to photograph suspect moles or lesions for review by the study dermatologist. The current study addresses barriers to screening in this population by providing educational and motivational information for both survivors and physicians regarding the value of periodic skin examinations. It also utilizes innovative mobile health technology to encourage and motivate (that is activate) survivors to conduct skin self-examinations, request physician exams, and obtain treatment when worrisome lesions are found. Finally, as a comparative effectiveness trial, this study isolates the effects of adding specific components to the patient activation intervention to test the most effective

Changes in mRNA expression precede changes in microRNA expression in lesional psoriatic skin during treatment with adalimumab.

PubMed

Raaby, L; Langkilde, A; Kjellerup, R B; Vinter, H; Khatib, S H; Hjuler, K F; Johansen, C; Iversen, L

2015-08-01

Tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α inhibition is an effective treatment for moderate to severe plaque-type psoriasis. A change in the cytokine expression profile occurs in the skin after 4 days of treatment, preceding any clinical or histological improvements. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression, but miRNA expression has never been studied in psoriatic skin during treatment. To investigate changes in miRNA expression in psoriatic skin during adalimumab treatment and to compare results with changes in miRNA expression in a mouse model of Aldara-induced psoriasis-like skin inflammation. Punch biopsies were obtained from nonlesional and lesional psoriatic skin during adalimumab treatment. In the mouse model of Aldara-induced skin inflammation, biopsies were obtained from TNF-α knockout (KO), IL-17A KO and wild-type mice. miRNA expression levels were analysed with microarray, reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction and in situ hybridization. In psoriatic skin, no changes in miRNA expression were seen 4 days after treatment initiation. After 14 days of treatment, the expression of several miRNAs was normalized towards the level seen in nonlesional skin before treatment. miR-23b expression increased after 14 days of treatment and remained high for 84 days, despite unaltered levels at baseline. In the mouse model of Aldara-induced skin inflammation, the level of miR-146a increased, whereas no regulation was seen for miR-203, miR-214-3p, miR-125a, miR-23b or let-7d-5p. This study demonstrates that the changes seen in the cytokine expression levels after 4 days of treatment with adalimumab are not facilitated by early changes in miRNA expression. © 2015 British Association of Dermatologists.

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

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

BENIGN TUMORS AND TUMOR-LIKE LESIONS OF THE PANCREAS

PubMed Central

Basturk, Olca; Askan, Gokce

2017-01-01

Synopsis The pancreas is a complex organ that may give rise to large number of neoplasms and non-neoplastic lesions. This article will focus on benign neoplasms such as serous neoplasms as well as tumor-like (pseudotumoral) lesions that may be mistaken for neoplasm not only by clinicians and radiologists, but also by pathologists. The family of pancreatic pseudotumors, by a loosely defined conception of that term, includes a variety of lesions including heterotopia, hamartoma, and lipomatous pseudohypertrophy. Autoimmue pancreatitis (covered in chronic pancreatitis chapter) and paraduodenal (“groove”) pancreatitis may also lead to pseudotumor formation. Knowledge of these entities will help in making an accurate diagnosis. PMID:27926363

Hounsfield unit values of retropharyngeal abscess-like lesions seen in Kawasaki disease.

PubMed

Sasaki, Toru; Miyata, Rie; Hatai, Yoshiho; Makita, Kohzoh; Tsunoda, Koichi

2014-04-01

Retropharyngeal abscess-like lesions are occasionally seen in computed tomography (CT) imaging of patients with Kawasaki disease (KD) and these patients often undergo unnecessary surgery. We could distinguish the lesions from true abscesses by measuring their Hounsfield unit values (HUs). To distinguish the retropharyngeal abscess-like lesions from true abscesses without any surgical procedure. We investigated six cases of KD showing such lesions on CTs, both with and without contrast enhancement (CE). We measured the HUs of those lesions and compared them with those of 10 true abscesses as controls. Abscess-like lesions of KD were well enhanced by CE, whereas abscesses showed virtually no enhancement. The mean HU in the six KD cases was 20.0 ± 4.65 (mean ± SD) on plain CTs and 35.6 ± 4.49 on contrast CTs. In abscesses, it was 30.3 ± 4.42 on plain CTs and 30.3 ± 3.57 on contrast CTs. The difference in HU values [(HU on contrast CT) - (HU on plain CT)] was defined as ΔHU. The mean ΔHU was 15.6 ± 5.36 in the six KD lesions and 0.0 ± 2.93 in abscesses, with statistical significance of p < 0.0001 by Student's t test. Thus, ΔHU value may potentially be a useful parameter for their distinction.

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

Inhibitory effect of kyungohkgo in the development of 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene-induced atopic dermatitis in NC/Nga mice.

PubMed

Im, Lee-Rang; Ahn, Ji-Young; Kim, Jun-Ho; Xin, Mingjie; Kwon, Se-Uk; Kim, Yun-Kyung; Kim, Dae-Ki; Lee, Young-Mi

2011-02-01

Kyungohkgo (KOG) is one of the most important formulas in traditional oriental medicine. We investigated the remedial effect of KOG on the development of atopic dermatitis (AD) in female NC/Nga mice. AD-like lesion was induced by the application of 2,4-Dinitrochlorobenzene on to the back skin repeatedly; KOG was administered orally (12.5 and 25.0 mg/kg) and topically (0.5 and 1.0 mg/mouse) to NC/Nga mice once a day for all through the period of this experiment and every mouse body weight was periodically taken. The effects of KOG on 2,4-Dinitrochlorobenzene-treated NC/Nga mice were determined by measuring AD-like skin lesions, the infiltration of mast cells and serum immunoglobulin E concentration. After the KOG applications are over, the KOG groups had less skin lesions than the atopy one, their immunoglobulin E levels were significantly downregulated and the infiltration of mast cells in the dorsal skin were reduced. Our results suggest that KOG may be effective in alleviating the development of AD. The inhibition of AD in NC/Nga mice may be influenced by the prevention of mast cell activation.

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.

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.

Skin-derived TSLP triggers progression from epidermal-barrier defects to asthma.

PubMed

Demehri, Shadmehr; Morimoto, Mitsuru; Holtzman, Michael J; Kopan, Raphael

2009-05-19

Asthma is a common allergic lung disease frequently affecting individuals with a prior history of eczema/atopic dermatitis (AD); however, the mechanism underlying the progression from AD to asthma (the so-called "atopic march") is unclear. Here we show that, like humans with AD, mice with skin-barrier defects develop AD-like skin inflammation and are susceptible to allergic asthma. Furthermore, we show that thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), overexpressed by skin keratinocytes, is the systemic driver of this bronchial hyper-responsiveness. As an AD-like model, we used mice with keratinocyte-specific deletion of RBP-j that sustained high systemic levels of TSLP. Antigen-induced allergic challenge to the lung airways of RBP-j-deficient animals resulted in a severe asthmatic phenotype not seen in similarly treated wild-type littermates. Elimination of TSLP signaling in these animals blocked the atopic march, demonstrating that high serum TSLP levels were required to sensitize the lung to allergic inflammation. Furthermore, we analyzed outbred K14-TSLP(tg) mice that maintained high systemic levels of TSLP without developing any skin pathology. Importantly, epidermal-derived TSLP was sufficient to trigger the atopic march, sensitizing the lung airways to inhaled allergens in the absence of epicutaneous sensitization. Based on these findings, we propose that in addition to early treatment of the primary skin-barrier defects, selective inhibition of systemic TSLP may be the key to blocking the development of asthma in AD patients.

Sarcoidosis-Like Lesions: Another Paradoxical Reaction to Anti-TNF Therapy?

PubMed

Decock, Amelie; Van Assche, Gert; Vermeire, Séverine; Wuyts, Wim; Ferrante, Marc

2017-03-01

Since the introduction of anti-tumour necrosis factor [TNF] therapy in inflammatory diseases, paradoxical reactions are increasingly being reported. One of these paradoxical reactions is the development of sarcoidosis-like lesions. This presentation is paradoxical since anti-TNF therapy can also be therapeutic in refractory cases of sarcoidosis. We report two cases of sarcoidosis-like lesions under anti-TNF therapy. Both were patients with inflammatory bowel disease [IBD], treated successfully with adalimumab. Next, we reviewed the literature for similar cases. Medical subject heading terms 'adalimumab', 'infliximab', 'etanercept', 'golimumab' or 'certolizumab', and 'sarcoidosis' were used to perform key word searches of the PubMed database. We identified 90 reported cases of sarcoidosis-like lesions, which developed during anti-TNF therapy. In most cases, the anti-TNF drug involved was etanercept. The median age was 43 years and there was a predominance of female patients. The underlying disease was rheumatoid arthritis in most cases, followed by ankylosing spondylitis and psoriasiform arthritis. In six cases, the underlying disease was IBD. In 71 cases there was at least a partial resolution by discontinuation of the anti-TNF treatment, initiation of steroids or both. Re-initiation of anti-TNF therapy gave relapse in seven out of 20 cases. Sarcoidosis-like lesions are increasingly reported during anti-TNF treatment. Vigilance is appropriate when patients present with symptoms compatible with sarcoidosis. Copyright © 2016 European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

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.

The topical application of low-temperature argon plasma enhances the anti-inflammatory effect of Jaun-ointment on DNCB-induced NC/Nga mice.

PubMed

Choi, Jeong-Hae; Song, Yeon-Suk; Lee, Hae-June; Kim, Gyoo-Cheon; Hong, Jin-Woo

2017-06-27

Jaun-ointment (JO), also known as Shiunko in Japan, is one of the most popular medicinal formulae used in Korean traditional medicine for the external treatment of skin wound and inflammatory skin conditions. Since JO is composed of crude mixture of two herbal extracts (radix of Lithospermum erythrorhizon Siebold & Zucc and Angelica gigas Nakai), those been proved its anti-inflammatory activities in-vitro and in-vivo, JO has been expected as a good alternative treatment option for atopic dermatitis (AD). However, due to the lack of strategies for the penetrating methods of JO's various anti-inflammatory elements into the skin, an effective and safe transdermal drug delivery system needs to be determined. Here, low-temperature argon plasma (LTAP) was adopted as an ancillary partner of topically applied JO in a mice model of AD and the effectiveness was examined. Dorsal skins of NC/Nga mice were challenged with DNCB (2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene) to induce AD. AD-like skin lesions were treated with JO alone, or in combination with LTAP. Inflammatory activity in the skin tissues was evaluated by histological analysis and several molecular biological tests. LTAP enhanced the effect of JO on AD-like skin lesion. Topical application of JO partially inhibited the development of DNCB-induced AD, shown by the moderate reduction of eosinophil homing and pro-inflammatory cytokine level. Combined treatment of JO and LTAP dramatically inhibited AD phenotypes. Interestingly, treatment with JO alone did not affect the activity of nuclear factor (NF)κB/RelA in the skin, but combined treatment of LTAP-JO blocked DCNB-mediated NFκB/RelA activation. LTAP markedly enhanced the anti-inflammatory activity of JO on AD-like skin lesions. The effect of LTAP may be attributed to enhancement of drug penetration and regulation of NFκB activity. Therefore, the combination treatment of JO and LTAP could be a potential strategy for the treatment of AD.

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

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

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.

Nonsurgical root canal therapy of large cyst-like inflammatory periapical lesions and inflammatory apical cysts.

PubMed

Lin, Louis M; Ricucci, Domenico; Lin, Jarshen; Rosenberg, Paul A

2009-05-01

It is a general belief that large cyst-like periapical lesions and apical true cysts caused by root canal infection are less likely to heal after nonsurgical root canal therapy. Nevertheless, there is no direct evidence to support this assumption. A large cyst-like periapical lesion or an apical true cyst is formed within an area of apical periodontitis and cannot form by itself. Therefore, both large cyst-like periapical lesions and apical true cysts are of inflammatory and not of neoplastic origin. Apical periodontitis lesions, regardless of whether they are granulomas, abscesses, or cysts, fail to heal after nonsurgical root canal therapy for the same reason, intraradicular and/or extraradicular infection. If the microbial etiology of large cyst-like periapical lesions and inflammatory apical true cysts in the root canal is removed by nonsurgical root canal therapy, the lesions might regress by the mechanism of apoptosis in a manner similar to the resolution of inflammatory apical pocket cysts. To achieve satisfactory periapical wound healing, surgical removal of an apical true cyst must include elimination of root canal infection.

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.

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

Method of making self-cleaning skin-like prosthetic polymer surfaces

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

Simpson, John T.; Ivanov, Ilia N.; Shibata, Jason

An external covering and method of making an external covering for hiding the internal endoskeleton of a mechanical (e.g., prosthetic) device that exhibits skin-like qualities is provided. The external covering generally comprises an internal bulk layer in contact with the endoskeleton of the prosthetic device and an external skin layer disposed about the internal bulk layer. The external skin layer is comprised of a polymer composite with carbon nanotubes embedded therein. The outer surface of the skin layer has multiple cone-shaped projections that provide the external skin layer with superhydrophobicity. The carbon nanotubes are preferably vertically aligned between the innermore » surface and outer surface of the external skin layer in order to provide the skin layer with the ability to transmit heat. Superhydrophobic powders may optionally be used as part of the polymer composite or applied as a coating to the surface of the skin layer to enhance superhydrophobicity.« less

Chronic Morel-Lavallée Lesion: A Novel Minimally Invasive Method of Treatment.

PubMed

Mettu, Ramireddy; Surath, Harsha Vardhan; Chayam, Hanumantha Rao; Surath, Amaranth

2016-11-01

A Morel-Lavallée lesion is a closed internal degloving injury resulting from a shearing force applied to the skin. The etiology of this condition may be motor vehicle accidents, falls, contact sports (ie, football, wrestling),1 and iatrogenic after mammoplasty or abdominal liposuction.2 Common sites of the lesions include the pelvis and/or thigh.3 Isolated Morel-Lavallée lesions without underlying fracture are likely to be missed, which result in chronicity. Management of this condition often requires extensive surgical procedures such as debridement, sclerotherapy, serial percutaneous drainage, negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT), and skin grafting.4,5 The authors wish to highlight a minimally invasive technique for the treatment of chronic Morel-Lavallée lesions.

[Tumor-like bone lesions of the forearm after karate training].

PubMed

Steckel, H; Oldenburg, M; Klinger, H M; Schultz, W

2005-03-01

Differentiation between malignant bone tumors and tumor-like lesions after repetitive microtrauma following sport activities can be difficult just using radiographic methods. We present the case of a fifteen year old karate fighter, who was examined by imaging diagnostics because of a progressive swelling and pain in the distal right forearm. A tumor-like appearance with bone mass formation in the x-ray, an enhancement in the surrounding tissue shown in the MRI and an increased activity in the bone scintigraphy made the diagnosis of an osteosarcoma very likely. Blood tests were not helpful. Only the evaluation of a bone biopsy could demonstrate hypertrophic reparative bone formation after multiple osseous microtrauma. Cast immobilisation reduced the osseous alteration. With the start of the training the swelling reappeared again but then finally vanished after modifying the training technique. The case demonstrates that even modern imaging techniques cannot always distinguish between tumor and tumor-like lesions caused by sports. It also stresses the importance of a correct technique in sports like karate.

Inhibitory effect of arazyme on the development of atopic dermatitis-like lesions in BALB/c and Nc/Nga mice.

PubMed

Kim, In Sik; Lee, Na Rae; Baek, Seung Yeop; Kim, Eun Jeong; Kim, Jung Seok; Jeong, Tae-Sook; Shin, Dong-Ha; Park, Ho-Yong; Lee, Ji-Sook

2015-05-01

Arazyme is a metalloprotease released by Aranicola proteolyticus that was shown to inhibit cytokine release in HaCaT and endothelial cells. However, the regulatory effects of arazyme in atopic dermatitis remain to be fully understood. In the present study, the anti‑inflammatory effects of arazyme in BALB/c and Nc/Nga mice induced with 2,4‑dinitrochlrobenzene (DNCB) were investigated. BALB/c mice were sensitized with DNCB and were subsequently administered arazyme for 4 weeks either orally, dorsally or orally/dorsally. Arazyme administration significantly reduced epidermal thickening and infiltration of inflammatory cells into the dermis compared with the DNCB group. However, serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels were not altered by arazyme treatment. Additionally, the level of secretion of interleukins (IL)‑4, ‑5 and ‑13 in the splenocytes of BALB/c mice was elevated following stimulation with concanavalin A, while the increase of IL‑4 and IL‑13 was inhibited by arazyme. Administration of arazyme (25 mg/kg in phosphate‑buffered saline) to Nc/Nga mice that had been sensitized with DNCB for 6 weeks reduced the skin severity score compared with that in the DNCB group and inhibited the histological manifestations of atopic dermatitis‑like skin lesions. In addition, the serum IgE levels were reduced in the arazyme‑treated NC/Nga mice relative to the DNCB group. Collectively, these results indicated that arazyme attenuates the development of atopic dermatitis‑like lesions via lowering the levels of IgE and inflammatory cytokines. The results of the present study will aid in the development of effective therapeutic strategies for the treatment of allergic diseases, including atopic dermatitis.

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.

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.

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.

Clinical study of imaging skin cancer margins using polarized light imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samatham, Ravikant; Lee, Ken; Jacques, Steven L.

2012-02-01

Skin cancer is most commons type of cancer in United States that occur on sun-exposed cosmetically sensitive areas like face, neck, and forearms. Surgical excision of skin cancer is challenging as more than one-third the actual margins extend beyond the clinically determined margins. Polarized light camera (polCAM) provides images of the superficial layers of the tissue with enhanced contrast which was used to image skin cancer margins. In a NIH-funded pilot study polCAM was used to image skin cancer in patients undergoing Mohs micrographic surgery for skin cancer. Polarized light imaging utilizes the polarization properties of light to create an image of a lesion comprised only of light scattering from the superficial layers of the skin which yields a characteristic "fabric pattern" of the putative lesion and the surrounding normal tissue. In several case studies conducted with a system developed for the clinic, we have found that skin cancer disrupts this fabric pattern, allowing the doctor a new means of identifying the margins of the lesion. Data is acquired before the patient underwent surgery. The clinically determined skin cancer margins were compared with margins determined by examination of the polCAM images. The true margins were provided by the dermatophathologist on examination of the frozen sections. Our initial data suggests that the contrast due to polarization changes associated with cancerous lesions can elucidate margins that were not recognized by the surgeon under normal conditions but were later confirmed by the pathologist.

Rosmarinic acid attenuates 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene-induced atopic dermatitis in NC/Nga mice.

PubMed

Jang, An-Hee; Kim, Tae-Ho; Kim, Gun-Dong; Kim, Jeong Eun; Kim, Ha Jin; Kim, Sung Soo; Jin, Young-Ho; Park, Yong Seek; Park, Cheung-Seog

2011-09-01

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is one of the most common skin diseases, and its incidence is increasing in industrialized countries. Furthermore, the epicutaneous application of a hapten, such as 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB), evokes an AD-like lesion in NC/Nga mice under specific pathogen-free (SPF) conditions. Rosmarinic acid (RA) is a secondary metabolite that is frequently found in herbs, and has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-microbial effects. In this study, we studied whether RA is an effective treatment against DNFB-induced AD-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice. RA at 1 or 5 μM was found to suppress the productions of interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-4 significantly by activated CD4(+) T cells. Furthermore, an intraperitoneal injection of RA at 10 or 50 mg/kg significantly inhibited skin lesion development and ear thickness and total serum IgE level increases in DNFB-treated NC/Nga mice. In addition, intraperitoneal administered RA at 10 or 50 mg/kg significantly inhibited the infiltrations of CD4(+) T, CD8(+) T, and mast cells into DNFB-induced skin lesions in NC/Nga mice. This study suggests that RA suppresses the development of AD-like dermatitis in DNFB-treated NC/Nga mice by reducing IFN-γ and IL-4 production by activated T cells and total serum IgE levels. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.