ABSTRACT
To report a case of 16-month-old boy with anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia with immunodeficiency who experienced disseminated herpes simplex infection. From 2 months of age, the patient experienced multiple pyrexial episodes of undetermined origin, which responded well to anti-inflammatory agents after undressed. Abnormal sweat with dry skin was noted; therefore, the skin biopsy of right axilla was performed at 7 months of age, and suggested a diagnosis of anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia. Since 6 months of age, he developed recurrent upper respiratory infections and 2 episodes of pneumonia. Twenty days before, several glossal erosions occurred in the patient, supervened by painful and erosive eruptions and numerous blisters around the mouth and both hands with hyperpyrexia. Four days before, the patient was transferred to the department owing to skin lesion exacerbation. Cutaneous examination showed multiple crested or ulcerated plaques distributed eriorificially (mouth and nasal cavity) on the face. Several irregular, demarcated ulcers were scattered on the buttocks, scrotum and lower limbs, surrounded by grouped and umbilicated vesicles arising on erythema. Both hands were swelling, crusting and painful. Dentition was abnormal, and the patient had only 2 upper conical incisors. Routine investigation revealed that white cell count and C-reactive protein extremely elevated. Immunologic profile showed an abnormal distribution of lymphocyte subsets with decreased CD3+ T cells, CD8+ T cells and NK cells. Serum IgM level was slightly low. IgM antibodies to herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) were detected by serological testing. Based on the above-mentioned features, a diagnosis of anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia with immunodeficiency and disseminated herpes simplex infection was confirmed. The patient was resolved favourahly after intravenous ganciclovir and antibiotics for 3 weeks without relapse of skin lesions.
ABSTRACT
Objective:The purpose of this study is to investigate the expression of tumor stem cell marker aldehyde dehydrogE-nase 1 (ALDH1) in breast cancer and its clinical significance. Methods:The expression of ALDH1 protein was examined by immunohistochemical staining in 92 breast cancer tissues. The correlation analysis and diseasE-free survival analysis of patients was evaluated based on the clinical follow-up data. Results:Expression of ALDH1 protein had a significant correlation with progesterone receptor (PR) and cerb-B2 (P0.05). The 2-year diseasE-free survival rate of AlDH1-positive patients was lower than that of ALDH1-negative patients (P<0.05). ALDH1-positive patients, who received CEF regimen chemotherapy and hormone therapy, had lower 2-year diseasE-free survival rate than that of ALDH1-negative patients (P<0.05). Conclusion:The decreased diseasE-free survival rate of ALDH1-positive patients is related with drug resistance. ALDH1 could be used as an independent factor for predicting the prognosis of breast cancer.
ABSTRACT
Objective To determine in vitro drug susceptibility to five antifungal agents of clinical Cryptococcus neoformans strains isolated from different areas of China in recent ten years. Methods Eighty clinical isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans were isolated from Shanghai, Guangdong, Fujian, Beijing and some other areas of China from 1998 to 2007. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the isolates to five antifungal agents, including amphotericin B, fluconazole, flucytosine, itraconazole and voriconazole, were determined using broth microdilution procedure (document M27-A2) recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test was employed for the statistical analysis. Results The MIC50 of the Cryptococcus neoforrnans isolates tested for amphotericin B, fluconazole, flucytosine, itraconazole and voriconazole were 0.5, 4, 2, 0.25 and ≤0.031 3 mg/L, respectively; and the MIC<,90> of the isolates tested for the above antifungal agents were 1, 8, 4, 0.5 and 0.062 5 mg/L, respectively. Among the tested isolates, 3 (3.8 %) were resistant to flucytosine, 4 (5.0 %) were resistant to itraconazole. All isolates were susceptible to amphotericin B and voriconazole. There was no significant difference in MIC of the strains isolated from any particular years to the five agents (χ2=0.500,2.687,2.211, 2.660,0.677,P>0.05). Conclusions The Cryptococcusneoformans isolates are highly susceptible to the five antifungal agents, while a few strains are resistant to flucytosine or itraconazole. The drug susceptibilities of the strains isolated from particular years are similar.
ABSTRACT
The patient is an 11-year old boy, who was born with universe alopecia as well as dry and coarse skin. When he was 3 months old, photophobia was noticed, and since then, upper respiratory tract infection had occurred twice a month complicated by frequent diarrhea. He had short stature with slight conjunc- rival congestion, corneal vascularization, opacity, coarseness and poor vision. No abnormality was found in the teeth, sweating ability, or hearing. He had universal alopecia; his skin was dry and rough with generalized rhombus- or polygon-shaped scaly patches. Particularly thick brown scales were observed on the upper limbs. Moreover, there were spiny follicular papules on the abdomen and axillae, hyperkeratosis of palm and sole, and dystrophic nails. Hyperextensibility of proximal interphalangeal joints of the third, fourth and fifth fingers was noticed. He also suffered from mental retardation, the verbal intelligence quotient being 52, performance intelligence quotient lower than 40, full intelligence quotient lower than 40, but no abnormality was found in the heart, lung, liver or spleen. Histopathology of skin on the abdomen suggested a change characteristic of ichthyosis. Chromosome analysis revealed a karyotype of 46, XY. This is the first diagnosed case of ichthyosis follicularis with atrichia and photophobia syndrome in China.