The final destiny of acantholytic cells in pemphigus is Fas mediated.

BACKGROUND: Pemphigus is an autoimmune disease characterized by the formation of intra-epidermal blisters. Patients develop auto-antibodies against desmoglein 1 and 3 proteins and induce acantholysis. OBJECTIVE: This work addresses the issue of whether the Fas pathway mediates acantholysis. Furthermore, the possible suppliers of the Fas pathway were investigated. METHODS: Seventeen biopsies of pemphigus patients were studied by haematoxylin and eosin staining, and apoptosis was defined by TUNEL. The expression of Fas, FasL and caspase 3 was studied by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. Cell infiltrates were studied by immunofluorescence with monoclonal anti-CD3, CD4, CD8, CD19 and CD69. RESULTS: All of the biopsies showed intra-epidermal blisters, acantholytic cells and inflammatory infiltrates. The blisters expressed Fas, FasL and caspase 3. Cell infiltrates were composed of CD8 and a few CD4(+)CD69(+) cells. Additionally, CD19(+) cells were detected. Interestingly, the Fas expression was increased in acantholytic cells and perilesional keratinocytes. Incidentally, these cells exhibited apoptotic features. Interestingly, the CD8 cells expressed FasL. CONCLUSION: This paper presents the morphological evidence that apoptosis and acantholysis are linked. Therefore, the Fas pathway is associated with CD8 cells in pemphigus lesions.

Solitary subungual neurofibroma: an uncommon finding and a review of the literature.

We report an uncommon case of solitary subungual neurofibroma on the right first finger of a middle-aged healthy woman. Surgical excision was used for the treatment. Common clinical findings, treatment modalities, and reported recurrence rates in previous studies are reviewed.

Effectors of inflammation in actinic prurigo.

BACKGROUND: Actinic prurigo is a specific familial photodermatosis of uncertain pathogenesis. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to investigate the immunohistologic presentation of actinic prurigo to explore the involved pathomechanisms. METHODS: The present immunohistochemical study was performed on biopsy specimens from 20 Mexican patients presenting with a severe and perennial form of the disease. RESULTS: The dense inflammatory infiltrate was composed predominantly of helper T type 1 lymphocytes admixed with scattered B-cell lymphoid follicles and numerous dermal dendrocytes. Keratinocytes contained abundant tumor necrosis factor-alpha and calprotectin. CONCLUSION: In subjects genetically predisposed to actinic prurigo, ultraviolet light may trigger excessive tumor necrosis factor-alpha production by keratinocytes whose sustained release in turn exerts its proinflammatory activity and deleterious epidermal effects. Such a cascade of events is in line with the therapeutic benefit already reported when thalidomide is used to treat actinic prurigo.

[Inflammation mediators and the skin]. / Mediadores de la inflamación y piel.

Inflammation is a complex process that results from injured tissues. Several chemical mediators armoniously participate in this process to accomplish its goal: the repair of damaged tissue. The skin is the organ that is most accessible to investigators to study how mediators work. Arachidonic acid metabolites, the eicosanoids, are some of these mediators, that have particular interest in several inflammatory diseases of the skin. In this article, the metabolism of arachidonic acid and its effects on the skin are discussed, as well as some therapeutic applications that result from the understanding of them.

[Polymorphous light eruption: aspects of special interest]. / Erupción polimorfa lumínica: algunos aspectos de interés.

The authors make the revision of all the characteristic aspects of various clinical pictures which they consider to belong to the group of the Polimorphous Light Eruption. In this revision they include epidemiological, clinical, histopathological, differential diagnosis, pathogenical and terapeutical data.

[Demodecidosis and rosaceiform dermatitis]. / Demodecidósis y dermatitis rosaceiforme

The authors refer those dermatoses called "Rosacea like" or "Rosaceiform Dermatitis" that always offer differential diagnosis with Rosacea. Some of them supposedly have tuberculous etiology. They employ a special technique the "skin surface biopsy" to demonstrate the presence of "Demodex folliculorus" inside the pilosebaceous follicle in sufficient amount, that one can consider a certain etiologic role in those dermatoses. For treatment they use "Danish ointment" (olysulphine ointment) with important improvement of the disease. They conclude that this technique and the improvement obtained with the treatment can help to make an adequate correlation and diagnosis of such dermatoses.