ABSTRACT
Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), remains one of the most important infectious diseases worldwide. Mtb and its culture filtrates or sonic extracts induce apoptosis in macrophages. However, there is a little known about Mtb components that modulate apoptosis and their regulating mechanism. We identified Rv0753c protein with apoptotic potential through searching the biologic active proteins from the multidimensional fractions of Mtb culture filtrate. Here, we investigated the apoptotic effects of Rv0753c on RAW264.7 cells. The recombinant Rv0753c induced RAW264.7 cells apoptosis in a caspase-9-dependent manner. Dissipation of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential (ΔΨ m ), mitochondrial translocation of Bax, and release of cytochrome c from mitochondria were observed in macrophages treated with Rv0753c. Enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was required for Rv0753c-mediated apoptosis. Furthermore, ROS-mediated JNK activation was major signaling pathway for Rv0753c-induced apoptosis. Moreover, Rv0753c-mediated apoptosis is dependent on TLR4. Altogether, these results suggest that Rv0753c induce apoptosis through ROS-JNK signaling pathway in RAW264.7 cells.
ABSTRACT
Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), remains one of the most important infectious diseases worldwide. Mtb and its culture filtrates or sonic extracts induce apoptosis in macrophages. However, there is a little known about Mtb components that modulate apoptosis and their regulating mechanism. We identified Rv0753c protein with apoptotic potential through searching the biologic active proteins from the multidimensional fractions of Mtb culture filtrate. Here, we investigated the apoptotic effects of Rv0753c on RAW264.7 cells. The recombinant Rv0753c induced RAW264.7 cells apoptosis in a caspase-9-dependent manner. Dissipation of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential (ΔΨ m ), mitochondrial translocation of Bax, and release of cytochrome c from mitochondria were observed in macrophages treated with Rv0753c. Enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was required for Rv0753c-mediated apoptosis. Furthermore, ROS-mediated JNK activation was major signaling pathway for Rv0753c-induced apoptosis. Moreover, Rv0753c-mediated apoptosis is dependent on TLR4. Altogether, these results suggest that Rv0753c induce apoptosis through ROS-JNK signaling pathway in RAW264.7 cells.
ABSTRACT
Eruptive vellus hair cysts (EVHCs) are small, red- or brown-colored cystic papules that usually occur on the chest and proximal extremities of children and adults. Histologically, these small cysts are observed in the mid-dermis and contain multiple hair shafts and keratinous material. Pathogenesis of EVHC has not been completely understood. A 40-year-old man with mental retardation presented with multiple bluish papules on his back. A biopsy specimen showed features of eruptive vellus hair cysts. We report a case of EVHC that occurred at an unusual site in a patient with mental retardation.
Subject(s)
Adult , Child , Humans , Biopsy , Extremities , Hair , Intellectual Disability , ThoraxABSTRACT
Serum sickness-like reaction (SSLR) is an abnormal self-limited reaction that can cause fever, myalgia, fatigue, lymphadenopathy, arthralgia, and skin rashes. Its etiology is yet unknown; however, SSLR often develops in patients with hepatitis B and after drug and vaccination administration. SSLR's typical cutaneous manifestations include polycyclic, erythematous wheal-like or plaque-like lesions. A 47-year-old male hepatitis B carrier visited our emergency department with high fever and multiple annular erythematous plaques with clear centers on his trunk and upper and lower extremities. The patient's hematologic laboratory results indicated an acute exacerbation of hepatitis B, and his symptoms correlated with those of SSLR. Here, we report a case of SSLR in a patient with an acute exacerbation of hepatitis B with clinical, hematological, and histopathological evidence.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Arthralgia , Emergency Service, Hospital , Exanthema , Fatigue , Fever , Hepatitis B , Hepatitis , Lower Extremity , Lymphatic Diseases , Myalgia , VaccinationABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Data regarding the incidence rates of skin diseases that are held by general hospitals provide readily available sources of information that may be representative of the provinces they serve. The population of Goyang city has increased rapidly. Hence, a statistical study of the latest data is necessary. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence rates of common dermatoses in Goyang city and to compare these with previous findings. METHODS: We reviewed the records of 21,693 outpatients who visited the Department of Dermatology at Myongji Hospital from 2009 to 2013, and we statistically analyzed the findings. RESULTS: Of the 21,693 outpatients' records reviewed, 9,939 (45.8%) were male patients and 11,754 (54.2%) were female patients. Patients most frequently presented with dermatoses in the fourth decade of life (16.0%), followed by the first (15.2%), fifth (15.0%), and third (13.1%) decades of life, and these four age groups comprised 59.3% of the total number of outpatients. The 15 most common dermatoses were dermatophytoses, alopecia, other eczematous conditions, urticaria, herpes zoster infections, viral warts, atopic dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, acne, irritant contact dermatitis, benign epidermal tumors, melanocytic nevi, molluscum contagiosum, and pruritus. Diseases that occurred frequently during the summer were dermatophytoses, urticaria, irritant contact dermatitis, herpes zoster infections, and molluscum contagiosum. Diseases that occurred frequently during the winter were other eczematous conditions, atopic dermatitis, and melanocytic nevi. Viral warts and acne occurred frequently in summer and winter. Seborrheic dermatitis, dermatophytoses, molluscum contagiosum, viral warts, alopecia, and benign epidermal tumors showed higher frequencies in males than in females, whereas allergic contact dermatitis, irritant contact dermatitis, herpes zoster infections, melanocytic nevi, urticaria, pruritus, acne, and other eczematous conditions showed higher frequencies in females than in males. CONCLUSION: Compared with previous studies, the current population of Goyang city showed higher levels of herpes zoster infections and viral warts.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Male , Acne Vulgaris , Alopecia , Dermatitis, Allergic Contact , Dermatitis, Atopic , Dermatitis, Contact , Dermatitis, Seborrheic , Dermatology , Herpes Zoster , Hospitals, General , Incidence , Molluscum Contagiosum , Nevus, Pigmented , Outpatients , Prevalence , Pruritus , Skin Diseases , Statistics as Topic , Tinea , Urticaria , WartsABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Live/killed mycobacteria and culture supernatants can suppress asthmatic reactions. This study investigated whether mycobacterial secretory proteins have therapeutic effects on asthma. METHODS: Mycobacterium bovis bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG; 2x105 CFUs) and mycobacterial secretory proteins (Ag85 complex, 38-kDa protein or MPB70; 4 or 20 microg) were administered intraperitoneally to female BALB/c mice with established airway hyperresponsiveness. One week after treatment, the mice underwent a methacholine challenge test, and then inflammatory cell numbers in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) and around bronchi (<500 microm), and cytokine levels in splenocyte supernatants, were assessed. RESULTS: BCG and all of the tested secretory proteins significantly improved airway sensitivity compared to baseline values (P<0.05). The secretory protein Ag85 complex significantly suppressed airway reactivity also (P<0.05), while 38-kDa protein significantly suppressed reactivity and maximal narrowing (P<0.05). The number of eosinophils in BAL and around bronchi, and the goblet cell proportion, were also significantly reduced in mice in both the BCG and secretory protein groups compared to the asthma control group. IFN-gamma/IL-5 ratios were significantly higher in mice treated with BCG, 4 microg MPB70 or 4 microg 38-kDa protein than in asthma control mice (P<0.05), and were negatively associated with airway hyperresponsiveness, peribronchial eosinophil numbers and goblet cell proportion (all P<0.05). IL-17A was positively correlated with IL-5 (r=0.379, P<0.001), maximal airway narrowing, peribronchial eosinophil numbers and goblet cell proportion (all P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Secretory proteins from BCG and M. tuberculosis and live BCG were effective against established asthma, their effects being accompanied by increased IFN-gamma/IL-5 ratios. Thus, allergic asthma could be effectively treated with mycobacterial secretory proteins.
Subject(s)
Animals , Female , Humans , Mice , Asthma , Bronchi , Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid , Cell Count , Eosinophils , Goblet Cells , Indoles , Interleukin-17 , Interleukin-5 , Methacholine Chloride , Mycobacterium bovis , Proteins , TuberculosisABSTRACT
Cutaneous manifestations in leukemia present an important diagnostic challenge to dermatologists. The skin lesions can be classified as either specific or non specific. Lesions that are the direct result of infiltration and proliferation of leukemic cells in the skin are known as "specific lesions" or "leukemia cutis". Leukemic infiltration of the skin occurs in 3% to 11% of patients with adult leukemia. Non specific lesions(leukemids) occur in approximately 30% of patients with leukemia. Acute basophilic leukemia(ABL) is a rare disorder characterized by many mature and immature basophils in the blood, marrow, and other organs. This type of leukemia has not been included in the French-American-British(FAB) classification. The frequency of specific or non specific skin lesions associated with ABL has not been reported. We report herein a case of leukemid with various skin manifestations associated with ABL.
Subject(s)
Adult , Humans , Basophils , Bone Marrow , Classification , Leukemia , Leukemia, Basophilic, Acute , Leukemic Infiltration , Skin , Skin ManifestationsABSTRACT
Propylene glycol, which is capable of producing both primary irritant and allergic skin reaction, is a common used vehicle for numerous topical preparations. The topical imidazole antimycotics are widely used but an infrequent cause of contact allergy. A 20-year-old female presented with erythematous scaly patch on the lower leg. An erythematous pruritic papulovesicular eruption developed around the lesion after applying Nizoral cream and was aggravated after applying Travogen cream. Patch test with Korean standard series and the ingredients of both cream revealed positive reaction to the propylene glycol contained in Nizoral cream and isoconazole nitrate in Travogen cream.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Young Adult , Dermatitis, Allergic Contact , Hypersensitivity , Ketoconazole , Leg , Patch Tests , Propylene Glycol , SkinABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Psychosocial stress and stressful events in life have been reported to be closely related to the onset and acute exacerbation of some dermatologic disorders, such as alopecia areata, psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis and atopic dermatitis. However, the nature of the association between stress and dermatologic disorders remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to determine the relation of stress and the onset and exacerbation of dermatologic disorders. Furthermore we studied whether the coping strategies to stress are related to dermatologic disorders. METHOD: We examined 30 patients with alopecia areata, 30 patients with androgenetic alopecia who visited Dept. of Dermatology, Chung-Ang University Hospital and a control group of 30 who visited our clinic at the same time for tinea pedis and onychomycosis, which are supposed not to be related to stress. For the evaluation of stress we used questionares of 'Scale of Life Events' and 'Multidimensional Coping Scale'. RESULT: 1) The score of life event stress in the alopecia areata group was significantly higher than that of the normal control group. The score of life event stress in androgenetic alopecia was higher than that of the normal control group with no statistical significance. 2) In the aspect of coping strategies, the alopecia areata group was significantly higher than the normal control group at the passive withdrawal and fatalism, while in the normal control group, emotional pacification, positive comparison and religious seeking tended to be higher than the alopecia areata group. In the androgenetic alopecia group, no significant pathologic coping strategies were found compared with the control. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the psychosocial stress may play a role in the pathogenesis of alopecia areata and androgenetic alopecia. But to clarify the exact role of stress, further studies about biological parameters of physiologic changes to stress are needed in the future.
Subject(s)
Humans , Alopecia Areata , Alopecia , Dermatitis, Atopic , Dermatitis, Seborrheic , Dermatology , Life Change Events , Onychomycosis , Psoriasis , Tinea PedisABSTRACT
We present a case of subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus which fulfilled the criteria of systemic lupus erythematosus in a 52-year-old woman with annular and polycyclic erythematous patches on the neck and upper part of the anterior chest. She complained malar of resh, arthralgia, general weakness, and severe headache. Laboratory findings showed hematologic, serologic, central nervous system, and nephrologic abnormalities. Serologic abnormalities of this patient were positive anti-nuclear antibody, anti-La antibody, rhematoid factor, anti-RNP antibody and anti-platelet antibody, but anti-dsDNA and anti-Ro antibody test were negative. She was treated with oral prednisolone and intravenous cyclophosphamide. In the course of treatment, sepsis developed and she died from multi-organ system failure.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Arthralgia , Central Nervous System , Cyclophosphamide , Headache , Lupus Erythematosus, Cutaneous , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic , Neck , Prednisolone , Sepsis , ThoraxABSTRACT
Geotrichum(G.) candidum is a common fungus that is rarely pathogenic for man, first described by Link in 1809, and according to Dodge this fungus is classified as a subspecies of Eremnascaeae imperfectae. This species is largely saprophytic and is usually found in soil, decaying matters, and milk product, although isolation from skin, sputum, and feces of man is not unusual. Geotrichosis, caused by G. candidum may occur as an infection of the lung simulating chronic pulmonary tuberculosis or disseminated infection. Very rarely, skin and mucous membrane infection has been documented. These infections usually affect immunocompromised hosts. Literature concerning skin or soft tissue infection with this fungus is limited, especially in immunocompetent persons there are only a few reports by this organism. In this paper we report a case of cutaneous geotrichosis involving skin in a healthy woman, in which case steroid and trauma was supposed to play some roles in the pathogenesis.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Feces , Fungi , Geotrichosis , Geotrichum , Immunocompromised Host , Lung , Milk , Mucous Membrane , Skin , Soft Tissue Infections , Soil , Sputum , Tuberculosis, PulmonaryABSTRACT
Keloids are benign fibrous tumors which extend beyond the original wound. Methods of treatment include surgical excision, radiotherapy, intralesional steroid injection, cryotherapy, silicon gel and combined therapy. Postoperative irradiation or steroid injection could be an effective method for prevention of recurrence after surgical treatment. We report a case of earlobe keloid which occurred after ear piercing. It was treated by excision and saved autograft using the overlying skin of the keloid and then immediate corticosteroid intrawound injection after excision.
Subject(s)
Autografts , Body Piercing , Cryotherapy , Keloid , Radiotherapy , Recurrence , Silicone Gels , Skin , Wounds and InjuriesABSTRACT
Bleomycin, a tumoricidal antibiotic agent, may produce unusual cutaneous manifestations such as pigmentation scleroderma, and gangrene. We report a case of the development of linear streaky pigmentation and cutaneous scleroderma in a patient treated with bleomycin for choriocarcinoma of undescented testis. The patient was 45-year-old male presented with linear brown and slate gray streaking over the trunk and extremities after three cycles of chemotherapy(bleomycin, etoposide, cisplatine). After the fourth cycle of the same chemotherapy, 18 weeks after initiation of bleomycin, the development of cutaneous scleroderma-like conditions was observed involving the same sites. Histopathologic examination showed increased basal pigmentation and thick collagen bundles through the entire dermis, extending to the subcutis. Herein, we describe a case of streaky pigmentation and scleroderma in association with bleomycin anticancer chemotherapy simultaneously in a patient.