Gene Expression Analysis of Inflammatory Cytokines in Korean Psoriatic Patients

BACKGROUND: Although phenotypic heterogeneity of psoriasis is suggested by the alternate activation of either T-helper (Th)1-related or Th17-related cytokines, little is known about the mRNA levels of inflammatory cytokines. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether there is differential expression of Th1-related and Th17-related inflammatory cytokine genes 1) between psoriatic patients and healthy controls, and 2) between patients with different psoriasis phenotypes. METHODS: Twenty-five patients with psoriasis (10 with guttate psoriasis and 15 with plaque psoriasis) and 5 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. The mRNA levels of circulating cytokines (interleukin [IL]-2, IL-12p40, interferon-γ, IL-17A, IL-22, and IL-23R) were measured by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The comparison between psoriatic and healthy control samples revealed that IL-12p40, IL-17A, and IL-22 mRNA levels were significantly higher (approximately 4∼6 folds) in the patients with psoriasis. The mRNA levels of these six cytokines in the blood did not differ between the guttate and plaque psoriasis groups. CONCLUSION: We found that the mRNA levels of blood inflammatory cytokines (IL-12p40, IL-17A, and IL-22) were significantly elevated in patients with psoriasis compared to the levels in healthy controls, but they did not significantly differ between patients with guttate and plaque type psoriasis.

Comments to "Various Nail Disorders Misdiagnosed and Treated as Onychomycosis" / 대한피부과학회지

No abstract available.

Isolated Neurofibromas on Both Soles / 대한피부과학회지

Neurofibromas are spindle cell tumors of peripheral nerves that may be solitary or multiple. Usually neurofibromas may occur on any part of the body, but seldom involve the palms and soles. There have been no reports of neurofibromas developing on the sole in the Korean dermatologic literature. We report a 34-year-old woman with neurofibromas occurring on both soles.

Two Cases of Facial Foreign Body Granuloma Induced by Needle-Embedding Therapy / 대한피부과학회지

In oriental medicine, "needle-embedding therapy" or "acupoint embedding therapy" is currently being used for cosmetic purposes such as correcting facial wrinkles and face-lifting. However, there is not much knowledge about the adverse events associated with needle-embedding therapy. We herein report on two cases of foreign body granuloma that developed due to injection of acupoint embedding thread by herbal medicine doctors. Two women aged 48 and 36 years old presented with erythematous plaques and patches with crust on the face, respectively. They had previously received several sessions of needle-embedding therapy for facial rejuvenation in an oriental medicine clinic. The diagnosis of foreign body granuloma was confirmed by the histological findings.

Development of Bullous Acrodermatitis Enteropathica during the Course of Chemotherapy for Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia

Acrodermatitis enteropathica (AE) is an uncommon autosomal recessive genetic disorder of zinc malabsorption. The acquired form may be associated with inadequate intake, impaired absorption, and increased excretion of zinc. Those afflicted present with diarrhea, stomatitis, psychiatric symptoms, non-scarring alopecia, and nail dystrophy accompanied by erythematous which appears as scaly patches with erosion vesicles and pustules mostly affecting the extremities, perineal, and periorificial areas. Due to the variable findings of most case reports, the clinical and histopathological features of AE are often regarded as non-specific. We report an unusual case of bullous AE secondary to total parenteral nutrition for the treatment of acute pancreatitis occurring in a six-year-old male with acute lymphocytic leukemia who underwent chemotherapy. He presented with periorificial, reddish, eroded bullae with multiple vesicles and blisters on his fingers, toes, and buttock, showing necrotic keratinocytes with multiple intraepidermal vesicles and perivascular infiltration with predominant lymphocytes and few neutrophils within the dermis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of bullous AE in the Korean dermatologic literature.

Two Cases of Eosinophilic Fasciitis

Eosinophic fasciitis (EF) is an uncommon connective tissue disease characterized by scleroderma-like cutaneous changes, peripheral eosinophilia, hypergammaglobulinemia, and an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). Typical histopathologic findings include chronic inflammatory infiltration affecting the deep fascia with lymphocytes, histiocytes, and occasionally eosinophils. We report two cases of EF, the first of which is a 36-year-old man with a tender brownish induration on both forearms, for 2 months. Histopathologic examination showed fibrotic fascia with a mixed inflammatory cell infiltration. The second case is a 52-year-old woman with a symmetrical painful swelling and skin induration on both forearms, for 4 months. A deep biopsy demonstrated chronic inflammatory cell infiltration and hyaline degeneration in the fascia. Increased signal intensity in the fascia and tendon sheath was shown on magnetic resonance imaging. In laboratory examination, mild eosinophilia was found in both cases. Both patients had a history of physical activity (weight training and excessive housework, respectively) and showed marked improvement with high doses of oral prednisolone for several months.

A Case of Gianotti-Crosti Syndrome after Hepatitis A Vaccination / 대한피부과학회지

Gianotti-Crosti syndrome (GCS) is a relatively common skin disorder characterized by a distinctive, self-limiting, non-recurrent erythematous or skin-colored papulovesicular eruption. It mainly affects the extremities, buttocks and face. It commonly occurs in infants, young children and, infrequently, in adults. GCS following immunization has already been described with DTP, MMR, BCG, oral polio and influenza vaccinations. We report a case of GCS in an 18 month-old boy. He had suffered from symmetrical, flat-topped, erythematous papules on the face, buttocks, and extensor surfaces of extremities for 10 days. He had received a hepatitis A vaccination 1 month ago. Otherwise, there was no noticeable past history. The viral markers were all negative and other laboratory findings including liver function tests were within normal range. The skin lesions disappeared after conservative treatment. We, herein, report a case of GCS, of which hepatitis A vaccination might be a possible cause.

Comparison of the Expression Profile of JunB, c-Jun, and S100A8 (Calgranulin A) in Psoriasis Vulgaris and Guttate Psoriasis

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory, immune- mediated skin disease. Recently, several psoriasis-linked genetic loci have been reported; PSORS4 contains S100A8 (calgranulin A), and PSOR6 (19p13) locus harbors JunB (19p13.2). S100A8 is considered to be a marker of inflammation in a variety of diseases. The expression of JunB and c-Jun have been reported to be reduced in psoriatic lesions. OBJECTIVE: We attempted to assess the role and correlation of S100A8, JunB, and c-Jun in the pathogenesis of guttate psoriasis and psoriasis vulgaris by studying whether any difference of immunohistochemical expression existed. METHODS: Skin biopsy specimens from patients with psoriasis vulgaris (n=37) and guttate psoriasis (n=17), and a normal skin controls (n=9) were utilized in the study. Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue sections were prepared and JunB, c-Jun, and calgranulin A were immunohistochemically stained in order to compare the expression of those three proteins in each group. RESULTS: Reduced JunB expression was observed in patients with psoriasis vulgaris and guttate psoriasis, as compared to patients in the control group; however, c-Jun expression was reduced only in the psoriasis vulgaris group. The expression of S100A8 increased in the psoriasis groups as compared to the control group. In addition, the expression of S100A8 was different between the psoriasis vulgaris and guttate psoriasis groups; S100A8 was expressed more profoundly in the guttate psoriasis group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that S100A8 contributes to the pathogenesis of guttate psoriasis, and it may be a good target for therapy for guttate psoriasis provoked by microorganisms.

A Clinical Study of 21 Cases of Washboard Nail / 대한피부과학회지

BACKGROUND: Washboard nail most commonly involves the thumbnail or great toenail. As its name implies, it resembles a washboard with a series of evenly spaced ridges across the nail. A central depression can be seen as well. This can develop as the result of repeated habitual trauma to the proximal nail fold by the other fingers or by biting the nailplate. Thus, it is also called habit tic deformity or traumatic nail dystrophy. Although it is known to be not uncommon, there have been no studies on this with a sufficient number of cases and long term follow up. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to provide a better understanding of washboard nail and to estimate the outcome of it. METHODS: We reviewed all the medical records and clinical photographs of 21 patients who had been diagnosed with washboard nail at our department between July 2000 and July 2009. RESULTS: The male to female ratio was 1:1.3. The patients' ages varied from 6 to 68 years, with an average of 25.4 years. The mean duration at the first visit was 4.4 years. The most common involved site was both thumbnails. Predisposing factors were found in 42.9% of the patients, which included nail picking or onychophagia. The treatment options were primarily intralesional triamcinolone injection and topical steroid. If the patient had the habitual tic, we educated them to restrain it. The follow up periods varied from 1 to 32 months with a mean of 7.9 months. Among the 14 patients with adequate follow up, 50% of these patients showed clinical improvement. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated the clinical features of washboard nail. Physicians should closely observe the nail changes and long-term follow up is needed to determine the therapeutic response of patients with washboard nail.

The Usefulness of Nasal Bone CT in Diagnosis of the Nasal Bones Fractures of Children

The incidence of nasal bone fracture in children is relatively uncommon compared with that in adults. But nasal injuries in children merit special attention, because the disturbance of the growth centers essential to the normal development may cause significant cosmetic or functional disabilities, the patients should be carefully examined and properly treated. Because the injured nose swells more quickly and more diffusely in children than in adults, the diagnosis is more difficult. The pediatric patient does not permit even the most gentle examination at times and x-ray examination is often inconclusive. Because of these reasons, the diagnosis of nasal fractures in children is often difficult. The authors have performed facial bone CT in accurate diagnosis of the nasal bones fractures in such children. Conclusively, facial bone CT is useful in early accurate evaluation of the nasal bones fractures in children.

In vitro stimulation of nih 3t3 fibroblast proliferation by interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha generated from peritoneal macrophages activated by silicone gel

Silicone gel breast implants may induce local(fibrous capsular contracture) or systemic(rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis, etc) complications. The exact mechanism of fibrous capsular contracture has not been fully understood. In the present study, we tried to find out the effect of silicone gel on the fibroblast proliferation which has been known as a major contributing factor in fibrous capsular contracture formation. In vitro, activated macrophages are known to secrete monokines which affect fibroblast proliferation and collagen synthesis. And tumour necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6(IL-6), which were released by macrophages, were reported as potent stimulator of fibroblast proliferation. The goal of this study is to investigate the role of macrophages and tumour necrosis factor-alphaor interleukin-6 in the interaction of fibroblasts and silicone gel. We designed four groups, two experimental and two control, using Institute for Cancer Research(ICR) mouse peritioneal macrophage and silicone gel. For the preparation of the conditioned medium of macrophages, peritoneal macrophages were prepared and cultured for 24 hours on the silicone gel-coated and naked (not coated) surface [silicone gel-macrophage conditioned medium(SCM; experimental group) and normal polystyrene-macrophage conditioned medium(NCM; control group) respectively]. To correct the effect of 10% fetal bovine serum which was included in Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing Institute (RPMI) 1640 medium and draw the effect only by macrophages, the RPMI 1640 medium with 10% fetal bovine serum was cultured by the same method on the silicone gel-coated and naked surface (silicone gel-macrophage free conditioned medium; SFM and normal polystyrene-macrophage free conditioned medium; NFM respectively). Each conditioned medium was added onto NIH 3T3 fibroblasts culture at a final 25% concentration of total culture medium and followed by the cultivation for 24 hours. For antibody neutralizing experiments, each conditioned medium was preincubated with polyclonal rabbit anti-mouse TNF-alpha antibody or polyclonal rat anti-mouse IL-6 antibody for 1 hour and then, conditioned medium with antibody was added to the culture medium of NIH 3T3 fibroblasts by the same method. After 24 hours cultivation, total number of viable fibroblast(cell growth), DNA synthesis and collagen synthesis of fibroblasts with each medium were measured by sulforhodamine B(SRB) assay, 3H-thymidine and 3H-proline incorporation respectively. The results were as follows: 1. In the experiment about the effect of the conditioned medium on the fibroblast activity, the experimental group(SCM), compared with the control group(NCM), showed a significant increase of the cell growth (p<0.01), a significant decrease of DNA synthesis(p<0.001), but no significant difference in the collagen synthesis. 2. In the experiment about the effect of polyclonal rabbit anti-mouse TNF-alpha antibody on the fibroblast activity, after the addition of antibody the experimental group, compared with the control group, showed a significant decrease of the cell growth(p<0.001), a significant increase of DNA synthesis(p<0.01), but no significant difference in the collagen syn thesis. 3. In the experiment about the effect of polyclonal rat anti-mouse IL-6 antibody on the fibroblast activity, after the addition of antibody the experimental group, compared with the control group, showed a significant decrease of the cell growth(p<0.001), a significant increase of DNA synthesis(p<0.0001), but no significant difference in the collagen synthesis. In conclusion, culture supernatants (conditioned medium) of peritoneal macrophages, activated by silicone gel, stimulate the NIH 3T3 fibroblast proliferation. TNF-alpha and IL-6, products of macrophage, are involved in the stimulation of NIH 3T3 fibroblast proliferation in an in vitro condition.