Omalizumab for difficult-to-treat dermatological conditions: clinical and immunological features from a retrospective real-life experience.

Background: Omalizumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody specific for human IgE, has thus far been used as add-on therapy for moderate-to-severe allergic asthma in adults and children.

Objective: The objective of this study was to test omalizumab efficacy in other conditions in which the IgE-mast cell axis is supposed to play a role.

Methods: Nine patients with dermatological manifestations possibly related to activation of the IgE-mast cell axis (six chronic spontaneous urticaria and three atopic dermatitis patients) were administered off-label omalizumab because of refractoriness to standard therapy.

Clinical and phenotypic features of CD5-negative B cell chronic lymphoproliferative disease resembling chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) B cells are phenotypically identified by surface expression of CD5 and CD23 antigens. Infrequently, patients with a monoclonal B cell lymphocytosis clinically resembling classic B-CLL have been found to harbor leukemic B cells lacking expression of the CD5 antigen. Little information is available concerning such CLL-like lymphoproliferative syndromes.

Lupus mastitis in systemic lupus erythematosus: a rare condition requiring a minimally invasive diagnostic approach.

Breast involvement is a rare event in SLE patients. The most frequent presentation is lupus panniculitis with skin erythema, tenderness, and parenchymal nodules. However, when breast masses are detected in SLE patients without significant superficial inflammation, it is mandatory to rule out breast carcinoma.

Behavior of circulating CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells in colon cancer patients undergoing surgery.

CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Treg) specialize in suppressing immune responses. In this study, 47 consecutive colon cancer patients were subjected to circulating Treg frequency assessment by flow cytometry before and after cancer resection. Thirty-two healthy subjects served as controls.