ABSTRACT
Background@#Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a ligand-activated transcription factor, is important for xenobiotic metabolism and binds to various endogenous and exogenous ligands in the skin. However, the functional role of AhR in patients with psoriasis (PS) and atopic dermatitis (AD) remains unclear. Objective: We aimed to determine whether AhR-regulated factors (AhR, CYP1A1, interleukin [IL]-17, IL-22) were affected by AhR ligands (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, TCDD) in chronic inflammatory skin diseases such as PS and AD. Methods: The expression levels of AhR-related factors were determined by quantitative PCR, western blotting, and immunocytochemistry. Specific siRNA targeting AhR was used to inhibit gene expression in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Cytokine assays were performed to determine the protein production of CD4+ T cells. @*Results@#In comparison with healthy controls, TCDD-treated PBMCs and CD4+ T cells from patients with PS and AD showed an increase in AhR gene levels as well as significantly increased expression of AhR-related factors (such as AhR, CYP1A1, IL-17, and IL-22). In contrast, 6-formyl indolo [3,2-b] carbazole (FICZ) inversely affected the differentiation of CD4+ T cells and their cytokine expression levels as compared with TCDD. CD4+ T cells from patients with AD and PS showed higher expression levels of AhR, CYP1A1, IL-17, and IL-22. Conclusion: Our results suggest that TCDD-induced AhR-related factor upregulation in AD and PS patients may increase the expression of AhR-regulatory genes, thereby contributing to the development of AD and PS.
ABSTRACT
Lymphangiomas are rare benign congenital lymphatic malformations. They can be divided into three groups: cutaneous lymphangioma circumscriptum (CLC), cavernous, and cystic. CLC is the most common type, and rarely occurs with cavernous or cystic lymphangioma under the lesion. Here, we describe the case of a 9-year-old girl who presented with an asymptomatic vesicular lesion on her back. She was finally diagnosed with CLC by clinical manifestations, dermoscopic findings, and histologic findings. Seven years ago, there was a history of surgical operation in the department of general surgery, and the surgery was soft tissue cystic lymphangioma removal surgery. There was no skin lesion for seven years after surgery, but one occurred a month ago. Herein, we present a case of CLC that occurred after a long interval after surgery for soft tissue cystic lymphangioma.
Subject(s)
Child , Female , Humans , Dermoscopy , Lymphangioma , Lymphangioma, Cystic , SkinABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Rosacea is associated with chronic systemic disease. However, research is lacking in Asian countries. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between rosacea and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) related systemic comorbidities, and the use of antihypertensive and antihyperlipidemic drugs in Korea. METHODS: A five-year retrospective study, using hospital database, was conducted in five medical centers for five years. Totally 1,399,528 patients were evaluated. RESULTS: The overall frequency for diagnosed rosacea was 0.18% over five years (2,536 rosacea patients). Patients with diabetes and patients with dyslipidemia were more likely to have rosacea (odd ratio [OR] 2.724, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.295~5.730, p=0.016; OR 1.788, 95% CI 1.445~2.212, p < 0.001). Patients with CVD were less likely to have rosacea (OR 0.431, 95% CI 0.244~0.760, p=0.003). Patients with α-blocker prescriptions and patients with β-blocker prescriptions showed a tendency diagnosed with rosacea frequently (OR 1.963, 95% CI 1.200~3.212, p=0.006; OR 3.939, 95% CI 3.512~4.419, p < 0.001). Patients with [beta]-hydroxy-[beta]-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor, and those with fibrate, were prone to have rosacea (OR 1.599, 95% CI 1.390~1.839, p < 0.001; OR 1.660, 95% CI 1.056~2.609, p=0.026). As adjusted results, among the patients who took HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor without dyslipidemia, rosacea was less likely to be diagnosed (OR 0.780, 95% CI 0.620~0.982, p=0.034). CONCLUSION: Rosacea is associated with chronic diseases and drugs.
Subject(s)
Humans , Antihypertensive Agents , Asian People , Cardiovascular Diseases , Case-Control Studies , Chronic Disease , Coenzyme A , Comorbidity , Dyslipidemias , Hyperlipidemias , Korea , Oxidoreductases , Prescriptions , Retrospective Studies , RosaceaABSTRACT
No abstract available.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Young Adult , Dermatitis, Atopic , Weight LossABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: In adult patients with chronic urticaria (CU), the prevalence of food allergy is low compared to childhood patients. However, there are many patients who report food-related aggravation of CU, and some of them may have histamine intolerance. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of ingested histamine and to investigate the effect of a histamine-free diet in adult patients with CU. METHODS: Twenty-two adult patients with CU were enrolled. Foods with high amounts of histamine were prohibited to all patients for four weeks. The degree of severity of the urticaria was evaluated using the urticaria severity score (USS) and urticaria activity score (UAS). Plasma histamine levels and diamine oxidase (DAO) activity were determined and compared before (baseline) and after the histamine-free diet. RESULTS: Twenty-two adult patients were recruited and completed four weeks of histamine-free diet. The USS and UAS scores each showed significant differences before and after the histamine-free diet (p=0.010, p=0.006). There was a significant reduction in plasma histamine level after the histamine free-diet, compared with baseline (p=0.010). However, DAO activity did not change after the histamine-free diet (p=0.165). CONCLUSION: Our study suggested that ingested histamine might be related to CU severity and that a histamine-free diet is helpful for treatment of adult patients with CU.
Subject(s)
Adult , Humans , Amine Oxidase (Copper-Containing) , Diet Therapy , Diet , Food Hypersensitivity , Histamine , Plasma , Prevalence , UrticariaABSTRACT
Corticosteroids are potent anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic agents used in the treatment of various inflammatory diseases, including allergic disease. They are frequently considered the therapy-of-choice for many skin diseases. However, allergic reactions caused by corticosteroids have been reported. Among these, delayed reactions to topical steroids are more common, whereas immediate reactions to systemic steroids are rare. Herein, we report the case of a 32-year-old woman with triamcinolone-induced immediate hypersensitivity reaction, in which the patient had a positive prick test result with triamcinolone. She has had atopic dermatitis (AD) for three years. She had used systemic steroid, cyclosporine, and antihistamine with topical steroids for AD. In clinic, approximately 10 minutes after intralesional injection of triamcinolone, she complained of erythematous patches with slight elevation and itching on the face, trunk, and both hands. After intravenous injection of dexamethasone, her symptoms got worse. After treatment with epinephrine, all symptoms resolved within two hours. We performed an open test and skin prick test. She had a positive result only from the prick test with triamcinolone; all other steroids showed negative results from the open tests. Dermatologists should be aware of the possibility of anaphylaxis or other allergic hypersensitivity in response to corticosteroids.
Subject(s)
Adult , Female , Humans , Adrenal Cortex Hormones , Anaphylaxis , Anti-Allergic Agents , Cyclosporine , Dermatitis, Atopic , Dexamethasone , Epinephrine , Hand , Hypersensitivity , Hypersensitivity, Immediate , Injections, Intralesional , Injections, Intravenous , Pruritus , Skin , Skin Diseases , Steroids , TriamcinoloneABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Histamine in food is known to cause food poisoning and allergic reactions. We usually ingest histamine in cooked food, but there are few studies about the influence of cooking method on the histamine level. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of cooking methods on the concentration of histamine in foods. METHODS: The foods chosen were those kinds consumed frequently and cooked by grilling, boiling, and frying. The histamine level of the food was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Grilled seafood had higher histamine levels than raw or boiled seafood. For meat, grilling increased the histamine level, whereas boiling decreased it. For eggs, there was not much difference in histamine level according to cooking method. Fried vegetables had higher histamine levels than raw vegetables. And fermented foods didn't show much difference in histamine level after being boiled. CONCLUSION: The histamine level in food has changed according to the cooking method used to prepare it. Frying and grilling increased histamine level in foods, whereas boiling had little influence or even decreased it. The boiling method might be helpful to control the effect of histamine in histamine-sensitive or susceptible patients, compared with frying and grilling.
Subject(s)
Humans , Biogenic Amines , Cooking , Eggs , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Foodborne Diseases , Histamine , Hypersensitivity , Meat , Methods , Ovum , Seafood , VegetablesABSTRACT
No abstract available.
ABSTRACT
Few studies of atopic dermatitis (AD) in adult patients have evaluated differences in clinical features of AD according to onset age. We aimed to characterize the clinical features of AD in adult patients according to age of onset. Subjects with AD outpatient visiting the Department of Dermatology at Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital were recruited for this study. A dermatologist conducted clinical evaluation, a survey of demographics, and onset of AD-associated signs and symptoms for each participant. Total immunoglobulin E (IgE) was also tested. A total of 280 adult AD patients were enrolled, among which 232 patients (82.86%) showed pre-adult-onset (age < 18 years) and 48 patients (17.14%) had adult-onset (age ≥ 18 years) of AD. There were significant differences between the 2 groups in the area of initial involvement (P = 0.017) and in treatment history (P = 0.010). Interestingly, patients with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 showed significantly higher Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) scores than did patients with BMI < 25 in the pre-adult-onset adult AD group (P = 0.048). On the other hand, there were no significant differences in sex, family history, BMI, EASI, and total IgE between patients with pre-adult-onset AD and patients with adult-onset AD. Our findings suggest that, even though many common features exist, there are significant differences between the clinical characteristics of pre-adult-onset and adult-onset AD subgroups, in adult patients with AD.
Subject(s)
Adult , Humans , Age of Onset , Body Mass Index , Demography , Dermatitis, Atopic , Dermatology , Eczema , Hand , Heart , Immunoglobulin E , Immunoglobulins , OutpatientsABSTRACT
No abstract available.
Subject(s)
Dermatitis, Atopic , Food Hypersensitivity , Milk Hypersensitivity , MilkABSTRACT
Discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) is a chronic form of cutaneous lupus that can cause permanent scarring. Treatment of DLE includes protection from sunlight and artificial sources of ultraviolet light, as well as systemic and topical medications. The first-line standard therapies are antimalarials and topical steroids. Other systemic therapies include systemic steroid, azathioprine, dapsone, and immunosuppressive agents. Topical tacrolimus and pimecrolimus have also been evaluated. Recent studies reported that several treatments, including pulsed dye laser, CO₂ laser, intense pulsed light (IPL), and 1,064-nm long-pulse neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum (Nd:YAG) have been used for the cosmetic treatment of DLE. Here, we report a case of a DLE scar that was successfully treated with a combination therapy of IPL and Q-switched 1,064-nm Nd:YAG laser.
Subject(s)
Aluminum , Antimalarials , Azathioprine , Cicatrix , Dapsone , Immunosuppressive Agents , Intense Pulsed Light Therapy , Lasers, Dye , Lupus Erythematosus, Discoid , Steroids , Sunlight , Tacrolimus , Ultraviolet Rays , YttriumABSTRACT
Atypical mycobacteria, widely distributed in nature, are opportunistic infection strain, rare pathogen in immunocompetent patients. Recently, the increase of invasive cosmetic treatment and surgery has increased the infection of atypical mycobacteria. We report a case of cutaneous infection by Mycobacterium fortuitum and Mycobacterium intracellulare that occurred after a fat graft. A 62-year-old female patient presented painful, erythematous nodules and purulent discharge on her face after a fat graft. A skin biopsy and culture were performed. Polymerase chain reaction-hybridization to identify mycobacterium other than tuberculosis revealed M. fortuitum and M. intracellulare. The patient was treated with clarithromycin, rifampicin, and ethambutol for 1 month after excision and drainage of pus, after which the skin lesions improved. In cases of refractory cutaneous infection after an invasive cosmetic procedure, atypical mycobacterial infection should be suspected.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Biopsy , Clarithromycin , Coinfection , Drainage , Ethambutol , Mycobacterium avium Complex , Mycobacterium fortuitum , Mycobacterium , Nontuberculous Mycobacteria , Opportunistic Infections , Rifampin , Skin , Suppuration , Transplants , TuberculosisABSTRACT
Cases involving dermatomal herpes zoster in two or more locations are rare, especially in immunocompetent patients. When two noncontiguous dermatomes are involved, if affected unilaterally, it is called herpes zoster duplex unilateralis; if bilaterally, bilateralis. Here, we report two cases of herpes zoster duplex unilateralis. A 66-year-old man presented with painful erythematous grouped vesicles on his left scalp, forehead, trunk, and back (left [Lt.] V1, Lt. T8). Histologic findings were consistent with herpetic infection. A 33-year-old woman presented with painful erythematous grouped vesicles and crust on her left forehead and neck (Lt. V1, Lt. C5). Both patients were treated with oral administration of famcyclovir 750 mg/day for seven days.