Malignant cutaneous tumours of the scalp: always remember to examine the head.

Around 2% of cutaneous neoplasms arise in the scalp (scalp tumours: STs). They can be classified as primary STs (epithelial, melanocytic and adnexal) or metastatic (from distal tumours or as a spreading from contiguous structures). This anatomic location is usually poorly examined during dermatological consultations, also due to the presence of the hair cover. Moreover, self-examination of the hair-covered skin is often harder for the patient. The peculiar features of the scalp may explain the worse prognosis of STs compared with neoplasms of other locations. The hair coverage protects the scalp from UV radiations, but due to the complex pathogenesis of STs, they may also develop in younger patients. Until now, STs have been not extensively investigated in the dermatological literature, and most publications are written by otolaryngologists, or by head, neck and plastic surgeons. Thus, dermatologists above all have the opportunity and the task to explore the scalp carefully, with the opportunity to make an early diagnosis, possibly changing the patient's prognosis. The aim of this paper was to review the main STs in order to increase awareness among dermatology specialists.

Characterization and pathological significance of monoclonal DNA-binding antibodies from mice with experimental malaria infection.

Malaria infection is accompanied by the production of a number of autoantibodies, including some that react with DNA. Epidemiological evidence implicates these in the nephritides that arise in human quartan malaria and in experimental malaria infections in mice. Through parallels with the involvement of DNA-reactive antibodies in the autoimmune syndrome systemic lupus erythematosus, a role for DNA-reactive antibodies in forming phlogistic immune deposits in the kidneys is implied. To more fully understand the relationship between antibodies of this specificity made in malaria and systemic lupus erythematosus, we prepared monoclonal DNA-reactive antibodies from BALB/c mice infected with Plasmodium berghei (clone RC) and compared their properties with those of other antibodies previously isolated from lupous MRL/Mp lpr/lpr and (NZB x NZW)F1 mice. Antibodies from malarial mice were all immunoglobulin M class and bound to single-stranded but not double-stranded DNA in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. They also reacted with synthetic polyribonucleotides in the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and with parasitized erythrocytes and parasite pigment in kidney sections. None of the antibodies from lupous mice had identical specificities. The potential involvement of the DNA-reactive antibodies in malarial nephritis was demonstrated, by use of immunocytochemical methods, on the basis of their binding to existing immune deposits in kidney sections from malarial mice, a similar property having been previously demonstrated for antibodies from lupous mice. Furthermore, antibodies from malarial mice expressed public idiotypes, notably Id.V-88, which is a member of the Id.16/6 family, commonly found on DNA-reactive antibodies in lupus and other infectious and connective tissue diseases. This study indicates that DNA-reactive antibodies in malaria have immunochemical properties similar but not identical to those of such antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus and that they have the potential to participate in the formation of immune deposits in nephritic malarial kidneys.