Gelsolin as a Potential Clinical Biomarker in Psoriasis Vulgaris.

Although discovering novel biomarkers for psoriasis is challenging, it may play an essential role in diagnosis, severity assessment, and prediction of treatment outcome and prognosis. The study was aimed to determine potential serum biomarkers of psoriasis via proteomic data analysis and clinical validity assessment. Thirty-one subjects manifested psoriasis and 19 subjects were healthy volunteers who were enrolled in the study. Protein expression was performed via two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) using psoriasis patients' sera before and after treatment and sera of patients without psoriasis. Image analysis was then performed. Nano-scale liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) experiments subsequently identified points showing differential expression in 2-DE image analysis. To measure levels of candidate proteins to validate results obtained from 2-DE, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was then conducted. Gelsolin was identified as a potential protein through LC-MS/MS analysis and database search. Serum gelsolin levels were lower in the groups of psoriasis patients before treatment than in the control group and the group of psoriasis patients after treatment. Additionally, in subgroup analysis, serum gelsolin level was correlated with various clinical severity scores. In conclusion, low serum gelsolin levels are associated with the severity of psoriasis, proposing the potential role of gelsolin as a biomarker for severity assessment and evaluation of treatment response of psoriasis.

Clinical Implication of Serum Adiponectin Levels in Adult Patients with Atopic Dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is characterized by chronic, relapsing, pruritic inflammatory skin disease. Adiponectin has been reported to have anti-inflammatory effects not only on metabolic disorders but also on various inflammatory disorders. The study aimed to validate adiponectin as a potential biomarker for AD disease severity and treatment response. Seventy-five patients with AD and 28 healthy volunteers were enrolled in the study. Patient information, including Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) scores and pruritus numeric rating scales (NRSs), were collected. An enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was conducted to measure levels of serum adiponectin. Additionally, sera of patients treated with dupilumab were collected and measured at 16 and 52 weeks from baseline. Serum adiponectin levels were significantly lower in moderate and severe AD patients than in the control and mild AD patients. Serum adiponectin level was negatively correlated with the EASI score and pruritus NRS. However, no significant changes were observed according to biologic treatment for AD. Low serum adiponectin levels are associated with moderate to severe AD, suggesting a potential role for adiponectin as a biomarker for severity assessment of AD.

Childhood granulomatous periorificial dermatitis.

Childhood granulomatous periorificial dermatitis (CGPD), also known as facial Afro-Caribbean childhood eruption (FACE), is a distinctive granulomatous form of perioral dermatitis. It is a condition of unknown etiology, characterized by monomorphous, small, papular eruptions around the mouth, nose and eyes that histopathologically show a granulomatous pattern. It affects prepubescent children of both sexes and typically persists for several months but resolved without scarring. We report a 9 year-old girl with multiple, discrete, monomorphic, papular eruptions of 2-months duration on the perioral and periocular areas. Histopathological examination demonstrated upper dermal and perifollicular granulomatous infiltrate.

An unusual case of congenital dermal melanocytosis.

Dermal melanocytosis is characterized by the presence of ectopic melanocytes in the dermis. The most common forms include the Mongolian spot, blue nevus, nevus of Ota, and nevus of Ito. Some types of dermal melanocytosis do not fit into any of these morphologic categories, however. Our case demonstrated an extensive amount of uniform deep blue patches of nevi with unilateral distribution on the left face, neck, chest, shoulder, and back. On histopathologic examination, a number of elongated melanocytes scattered throughout the dermis were found. We herein report a case of congenital unilateral dermal melanocytosis.

A case of zoster duplex bilateralis.

The skin lesions of herpes zoster are classically limited to a single dermatome and most cases of multidermatomal herpes zoster have contiguous skin lesions. Simultaneous involvement of two noncontiguous dermatomes is very rare and it has been referred to as zoster duplex unilateralis or bilateralis, depending whether one or both halves of the body are involved. A 67-year-old woman presented with a group of painful vesicles on the right buttock and thigh, and left anterior chest and back. The Tzanck smear and skin biopsy were consistent with a herpetic infection. We report a rare case of zoster duplex bilateralis.

Release of vascular endothelial growth factor from a human melanoma cell line, WM35, is induced by hypoxia but not ultraviolet radiation and is potentiated by activated Ras mutation.

Angiogenesis, the formation of blood vessels, is a major factor influencing tumor growth and metastatic capacity, and VEGF is the prototype angiogenic factor. VEGF expression is also found in the dermis and tumor stroma during the course of melanoma progression. Various oncogenes such as c-Src, v-Raf, and Ras, and multiple environmental stimuli, including hypoxia and ultraviolet radiation (UVR), can regulate VEGF expression under certain conditions. We have constructed several cell lines from a radial growth phase, primary human melanoma cell line, WM35. We have stably transfected WM35 cells with mutant activated H-ras, N-ras, dominant negative p53, or empty vector. In this report, we determined how VEGF expression and release from these melanoma cell lines were affected by the following important factors associated with melanoma initiation and progression: hypoxia, UVR, activated Ras, dominant negative p53, and culture conditions mimicking radial growth phase melanoma (monolayer culture) and vertical growth phase melanoma (spheroid culture). We found that hypoxia, but not UVR, up-regulates VEGF mRNA expression and protein release in these melanoma cells. In addition, activated Ras and dominant negative p53 enhances the hypoxia-induced VEGF protein release. We propose that hypoxia-induced VEGF release promotes tumor progression, especially in melanomas with Ras or p53 mutations.