Imiquimod-induced interleukin-1 alpha stimulation improves barrier homeostasis in aged murine epidermis.

In response to acute disruption of the permeability barrier of aged mammals there is a diminished capacity for barrier recovery, analogous to other aged organs when stressed. Acute barrier disruption increases levels of epidermal cytokines, and cytokines are known regulators of keratinocyte mitogenesis, as well as lipid synthesis in extracutaneous tissues. Underlying the sluggish barrier recovery in aged skin are diminished mRNA and protein levels for the interleukin-1 cytokine family, and its receptors.

Perineural spread of malignant melanoma of the head and neck: clinical and imaging features.

Background And Purpose: Extension of malignant melanoma along cranial nerves is a little-known complication of malignant melanoma of the head and neck. We describe the clinical and MR imaging findings of perineural spread of malignant melanoma to cranial nerves, emphasizing that this entity occurs more commonly with desmoplastic histology and may have a long latent period following primary diagnosis.

Methods: At two institutions, we identified and retrospectively reviewed eight cases of malignant melanoma of the head and neck that had MR imaging evidence of perineural spread of disease.

Prognostic factors in primary cutaneous melanoma.

Tumor thickness has historically been the single most important factor in risk assessment for stage I and II melanoma patients. However, it is possible to more accurately determine a patient's prognosis by also using other known prognostic indicators, such as ulceration, vascular invasion, and angiogenesis. A probabilistic approach to risk assessment has implications for the appropriate selection of treatment modalities, such as sentinel lymph node biopsy and re-excision margins.

Prognostic factors in patients with thick cutaneous melanoma (> 4 mm).

Background: The current study was conducted to examine the role of multiple clinical and histologic factors in the prognostic assessment of patients with thick primary melanoma (> 4 mm, classified as T4).

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed in 329 patients with T4 cutaneous melanomas who were seen at the University of California at San Francisco Melanoma Center between 1978 and 2000. Fourteen histopathologic features were recorded prospectively by a single dermatopathologist.