[Linear IgA bullous dermatosis in children with autoantibodies against 180 kDa pemphigoid antigen].

Background: Linear IgA bullous dermatosis (LABD) is an autoimmune subepidermal blistering disease defined on the basis of direct immunofluorescence findings.

Case Report: An 18 month-old girl suffering from LABD was studied by indirect immunofluorescence on salt-split skin and by Western blot in an attempt to characterize the involved autoantigen. Direct immunofluorescence showed an exclusive linear IgA deposit at the dermal-epidermal junction.

Potential role for arachidonic acid and eicosanoids in modulating progesterone secretion by ovine chorionic cells.

The present study was conducted to investigate whether arachidonic acid and its metabolites can modulate progesterone (P4) secretion in ovine chorionic cells. At concentrations of 7.5 mumol/l and 12.

20-alpha-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase from pseudopregnant rat ovary: obtention and characterization of a monoclonal antibody against the enzyme activity.

The enzyme 20-alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (20-alpha-HSD) was purified from pseudopregnant rat ovaries and used as antigen for the development of a monoclonal antibody by the hybridoma technique. Spleen cells of BALB/c mice immunized with purified 20-alpha-HSD were fused with SP2/0 mouse myeloma cells. Among the colonies of hybrid cells, one (designated mAb-HSD 11) was found to be secreting antibodies (IgM) able to inhibit 20-alpha-HSD activity.

Activation of phospholipase C by different effectors in rat placental cells.

The present communication documents the accumulation of inositol phosphates in rat placental cells by fluoride as well as by vanadate. These findings suggest the existence of the phosphoinositide pathway and its modulation by a G-protein. A concomitant action of fluoride on phosphoinositide breakdown was also observed.

Nucleolar organizer region enumeration in keratoacanthomas and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin.

Keratoacanthomas (KA) and squamous cell carcinomas (SSC) are epithelial skin tumors exhibiting distinctive clinical and histologic features. However, the differential diagnosis between them in individual cases may be difficult or even impossible. In this article the authors examine the possibility that enumeration of associated proteins of nucleolar organizer regions (AgNOR) could be of help in differentiating KA from SCC.

Evidence for modulation of progesterone secretion by calcium and protein kinase C activators in ovine chorionic cells.

The hypothesis that calcium-dependent mechanisms may be involved in regulating ovine placental steroidogenesis was investigated using chorionic cells isolated by enzymatic digestion. Treatment of the cells with the calmodulin antagonist trifluoperazine (TFP) or pimozide caused a dose-related inhibition of progesterone (P4) production by 80 percent (P less than 0.001) at 40 microM TFP and 56 per cent (P less than 0.

Oral hairy leukoplakia in a HIV-negative renal graft recipient.

Oral hairy leukoplakia (OHL) is seen almost exclusively in patients infected with HIV. A case is reported of OHL occurring in a patient who was seronegative for HIV and who had a renal graft. This occurred following an increase in his treatment with immunosuppressive drugs.

Human papillomavirus type 1-associated squamous cell carcinoma in a heart transplant recipient.

The occurrence of squamous cell carcinomas in organ transplant recipients with warts represents a good model to study viral carcinogenesis. Most of the cases were reported in renal transplant recipients. We present the case of a heart transplant recipient in whom multiple common warts, preepitheliomatous keratoses, and squamous cell carcinomas developed.

Neuron-specific enolase is a marker of cutaneous Langerhans' cell histiocytosis ("X")-a comparative study with S100 protein.

The immunohistochemical expression of neuron-specific enolase (gamma/gamma) (NSE) was studied comparatively with S100 protein in a group of Langerhans-cell-type ("X") (n = 8) and non-Langerhans-cell-type ("non X") (n = 24) cutaneous histiocytoses. NSE was expressed by the majority (70-90%) of histiocytic cells in all cases of Langerhans-cell histiocytoses, whereas it was absent from non-Langerhans-cell histiocytoses. S100 protein was expressed by the majority of Langerhans-cell histiocytosis cells but also by a small percentage (1-5%) of cells in non Langerhans-cell histiocytoses.

Reactivity of HMB-45 monoclonal antibody with sweat-gland tumours of the skin.

HMB-45, a monoclonal antibody claimed to be specific for malignant melanoma, has been observed to react with normal eccrine sweat glands and occasionally with normal mammary and bronchial epithelium. In this study we show that HMB-45 also decorates cells in approximately 15% of various sweatgland tumours of the skin. This finding, along with the reported reactivity on mammary carcinomas further outlines the lack of absolute specificity of HMB-45 for cells of the melanocytic lineage.

Pleural effusions in an overlap syndrome of idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome and erythema elevatum diutinum.

We report a patient with idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome presenting with bilateral eosinophilic pleural effusions. He also had erythema elevatum diutinum, a rare skin disease of the vasculitic type. No cardiomyopathy was present.

[Oral hairy leukoplakia in AIDS. Histologic and ultrastructural study of 8 cases].

Oral hairy leukoplakia is a disease of the oral mucosa occurring almost exclusively in HIV-infected (mostly AIDS) patients and due to the opportunistic development of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) within the oral epithelium. Clinically, it shows as whitish patches with a shaggy surface occurring on the lateral margins of the tongue, less frequently the buccal and labial mucosa or the soft palate. Histologically, it comprises parakeratotic hyperkeratosis, acanthosis and numerous koilocytoid cells within the stratum spinosum, i.

[Warts and epidermoid carcinoma after renal transplantation].

Unlabelled: Kidney transplant recipients suffer in the long-term from several cutaneous disorders linked to the transplantation. We had the opportunity to observe several patients presenting with pre-epitheliomatous keratoses and cutaneous carcinomas associated with warts. We report herein on five cases that were subjected to a clinical, histological and virological study.

Lack of short-term modulation of in vitro placental progesterone secretion in sheep.

Experiments were performed in order to determine whether progesterone secretion in the ovine placenta can be short-term regulated. There was an increase in progesterone content per unit weight in ovine fetal cotyledons as gestation progressed: 17.0 +/- 4.

Adenylate cyclase stimulation and luteinizing hormone-receptor interaction in plasma membranes from rat testicular interstitial cells in relation to the chemical structure of the hormone. Role of Mg2+.

To understand more closely the structural requirements of the LH molecule necessary to stimulate adenylate cyclase, we studied the modulation of this enzyme in partially purified plasma membranes prepared from isolated interstitial cells of rat testis submitted to oLH and to some oLH derivatives and natural analogues. The role of Mg2+ was also investigated in relation to the structural modifications of oLH. Some new facts appeared in this study: 1.

Concurrent LH and forskolin action on adenylate cyclase activation and progesterone synthesis in corpora lutea from pregnant ewes.

The present communication documents LH- and forskolin-induced activation of adenylate cyclase (AC) system and progesterone synthesis in corpora lutea from pregnant ewes. The activation of AC in plasma membranes by LH or forskolin was amplified by Gpp(NH)p. These results suggest that regulatory nucleotide component (Ns) of the AC complex is required for forskolin.

Eosinophilic cellulitis (Wells' syndrome): ultrastructural study of a case with circulating immune complexes.

A 42-year-old woman was observed during 3 bouts of eosinophilic cellulitis over a 6-year-period. Skin biopsies were taken at each relapse and processed for histological, immunofluorescent and ultrastructural studies. Histologically the eosinophilic infiltrate extended to the deep dermis and the subcutaneous fat.

[Systemic urticaria associated with autoimmune thyroiditis].

A case of chronic urticaria associated with thyroiditis is described. The diagnosis of autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's disease) rested on the presence of nodular goiter, thyroid dysfunction and significantly elevated thyroid microsomal antibodies (greater than 6,400). Skin biopsy showed changes suggestive of leucocytoclastic vasculitis.