ABSTRACT
Natural processes within the body are modulated almost exclusively by the interaction of specific amino acid sequences, either as peptides or as subsections of proteins. With respect to skin, proteins and peptides are involved in the modulation of cell proliferation, cell migration, inflammation, angiogenesis, melanogenesis, and protein synthesis and regulation. The creation of therapeutic or bioactive peptide analogs of specific interactive sequences has opened the door to a diverse new field of pharmaceutical and active cosmetic ingredients for the skincare industry. Here, we describe the origin of such sequences, their role in nature, their application to dermatology, as well as the advantages and challenges posed by this new technology.
Subject(s)
Peptides/chemistry , Peptides/therapeutic use , Skin Aging/drug effects , Acne Vulgaris/diagnosis , Acne Vulgaris/drug therapy , Biological Availability , Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions , Facial Dermatoses/diagnosis , Facial Dermatoses/drug therapy , Female , Forecasting , Humans , Male , Molecular Structure , Peptides/pharmacology , Skin Care/methods , Structure-Activity RelationshipABSTRACT
Twenty-three patients with chronic plaque-type psoriasis were treated with intramuscular administration of human recombinant interferon gamma. Patients were treated with doses of 0.01 to 0.25 mg/m2 daily (five out of seven days) for four weeks, or 0.25 mg/m2 three times weekly for one week with escalation to 0.5 mg/m2 for the subsequent seven weeks. Some patients treated with the 0.25-mg/m2 dose showed improvement coincident with their therapy. Although recombinant interferon gamma may have some therapeutic activity in certain patients' psoriasis, the magnitude of this effect is at best small. This result is in contrast to interferon alfa, which has been reported to cause an exacerbation of this disease. Staining of posttreatment biopsy specimens with a monoclonal antibody against HLA-DR antigen using an immunoperoxidase technique demonstrated HLA-DR expression by keratinocytes in some of the patients treated at the higher doses. No obvious correlation was seen between clinical improvement of the psoriasis and intensity or extent of HLA-DR antigen expression by keratinocytes in the skin biopsy specimens.
Subject(s)
Interferon-gamma/administration & dosage , Psoriasis/therapy , Biopsy, Needle , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Drug Evaluation , HLA-DR Antigens/analysis , Humans , Immunoenzyme Techniques , Injections, Intramuscular , Interferon-gamma/adverse effects , Phenotype , Psoriasis/immunology , Psoriasis/pathology , Recombinant Proteins/administration & dosage , Recombinant Proteins/adverse effects , Skin/immunology , Skin/pathology , Time FactorsABSTRACT
To establish sensitive histologic criteria for small congenital nevi (SCN), we examined 29 biopsy specimens of SCN from patients younger than age 1 year by serial sectioning and S100 immunoperoxidase staining. The depth of papillary and reticular dermal infiltration was variable; only the results of six biopsy specimens contained nevomelanocytes in the lower third of reticular dermis. However, all cases had focal nevomelanocytic involvement of adnexa at the midreticular dermis or below (26 of 29 cases in eccrine and 15 of 29 in pilosebaceous structures). Follow-up specimens in ten patients were obtained (mean interval, 10.25 years), and no difference in histologic pattern or cytology was observed. There were variable size increases in the surface area of SCN, ranging from no increase to a maximal ninefold increase.
Subject(s)
Nevus, Pigmented/congenital , Skin Neoplasms/congenital , Biopsy , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Immunoenzyme Techniques , Infant , Male , Melanocytes/pathology , Melanoma/etiology , Nevus, Pigmented/pathology , Risk , Skin/pathology , Skin Neoplasms/pathology , Time FactorsABSTRACT
Various tumours, in particular lymphomas, have been reported in association with azathioprine treatment, both after renal transplantation and in other conditions. A case is reported here of acute myeloid leukaemia associated with azathioprine therapy for rheumatoid arthritis, and this is now the third case reported in the world literature of leukaemia arising during azathioprine therapy for a non-malignant condition.
