ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The aetiology of mycosis fungoides and parapsoriasis (which may be considered as an early stage of mycosis fungoides) remains debated. Previous recent studies have suspected the involvement of viral agents and particularly human herpes viruses (HHV).The aim of the present study was to screen for the presence of HHV-6 and HHV-8 genome in parapsoriasis samples. METHOD: Fifty paraffin-embedded samples from skin biopsies of parapsoriasis were retrospectively collected from archival files in our Dermatology department. Total DNA was extracted from samples using the phenol-chloroform method and the presence of viral genomes was screened using real-time PCR. RESULTS: Forty nine out of the fifty tissue samples of parapsoriasis were interpretable, they were all found negative for HHV-6 and HHV-8. DISCUSSION: This study does not confirm the suspected role of HHV-6 or -8 in parapsoriasis. HHV-8 has been the most studied virus in parapsoriasis and more widely in cutaneous lymphoproliferative diseases and our results are in agreement with most of the studies which found none or few HHV-8 in more advanced stages of cutaneous lymphoproliferative diseases. Concerning HHV-6, our study is the first one investigating the presence of this virus in lesional tissue samples of patients with parapsoriasis. In conclusion, parapsoriasis does not seem to be associated with either HHV-6 or HHV-8.
Subject(s)
Herpesvirus 6, Human/physiology , Herpesvirus 8, Human/physiology , Parapsoriasis/physiopathology , Parapsoriasis/virology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Biopsy , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Mycosis Fungoides/physiopathology , Mycosis Fungoides/virology , Retrospective Studies , Skin/pathology , Skin/virology , Young AdultABSTRACT
Adult onset Still's disease is a rare condition presenting with high spiking fever, transient maculopapular rash, myalgias, polyarthralgias or arthritis, lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly and a sore throat, associated with leucocytosis and neutrophilia. Early diagnosis is difficult because clinical features are non-specific. We report a 33-year-old Chinese female with this condition who presented with recurrent high spiking fever and rash over a 4-month period. We highlight the sequence of events leading to this diagnosis with emphasis on the cutaneous changes.
Subject(s)
Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/diagnosis , Adult , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/administration & dosage , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/therapeutic use , Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/administration & dosage , Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/therapeutic use , Diagnosis, Differential , Female , Fever/diagnosis , Fever/etiology , Fever/physiopathology , Humans , Indomethacin/administration & dosage , Indomethacin/therapeutic use , Parapsoriasis/diagnosis , Parapsoriasis/physiopathology , Prednisolone/administration & dosage , Prednisolone/therapeutic use , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/drug therapy , Still's Disease, Adult-Onset/physiopathologyABSTRACT
A review of the literature concerning the pityriasis lichenoides and the study of 34 personal cases show that three main clinical patterns are found in pityriasis lichenoides: maculo-papular, leukomelanodermal, necrotic. The course is very variable: rarely seven weeks, more often seven months and sometimes seven years. The disease is issued from an angiitis including a mostly lymphocytic infiltration. The epidermis is secondarily invaded by inflammatory cells and shows focal parakeratosis. There is no specific immunologic disorder: immunohistopathologic study is generally normal (rarely IgM or C3 deposits); no circulating immune complex is found. Some patients improved with dapsone or photochemotherapy.
