Unilateral milia-type intradermal tophi associated with underlying urate subcutaneous deposition: an uncommon cutaneous presentation of gout.

Tophi develop during the most advanced clinical stage of gout, and are usually located on or around the joints. However, unusual skin features caused by intradermal and/or subcutaneous deposition of tophaceous material at locations other than articular regions have been reported. We present the case of a patient with a condition that has been recently termed 'miliarial gout'. which is only the second such case, to our knowledge. A 51-year-old woman, who had a chronic joint disease that had been diagnosed and treated as psoriatic arthritis, presented with multiple asymptomatic, yellowish-white, firm papules (1-3 mm in size) on erythematous areas on the outside of her left leg. On histological examination of a skin biopsy, uric acid crystals were seen in the dermis and subcutis. The patient also had a raised level of serum urate, consistent with a diagnosis of gout. Treatment with allopurinol led to rapid improvement. Intake of corticosteroids and diuretics was a possible triggering factor for the development of cutaneous tophi in this patient.

Expression of somatostatin receptors in human melanoma cell lines: effect of two different somatostatin analogues, octreotide and SOM230, on cell proliferation.

Somatostatin analogues (SAs) are potential anticancer agents. This study was designed to investigate the expression of somatostatin receptors (SSTRs) in melanoma cells and the effect of two SAs on cell proliferation and viability. Eighteen primary and metastatic human cutaneous melanoma cell lines were treated with octreotide and SOM230. Expression of SSTR1, SSTR2, SSTR3 and SSTR5 was assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Proliferation, viability and cell death were assessed using standard assays. Inhibition was modelled by mixed-effect regression. Melanoma cells expressed one or more SSTR. Both SAs inhibited proliferation of most melanoma cell lines, but inhibition was < 50%. Neither SA affected cell viability or induced cell death. The results suggest that melanoma cell lines express SSTRs. The SAs investigated, under the conditions used in this study, did not, however, significantly inhibit melanoma growth or induce cell death. Novel SAs, combination therapy with SAs and their anti-angiogenic properties should be further investigated.