Clinical stage of Merkel cell carcinoma and survival are not associated with Breslow thickness of biopsied tumor.

Background: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive malignancy that often presents on the skin with concurrent metastatic disease.

Objective: To determine whether Breslow thickness of biopsied MCC correlates with clinical disease stage.

Materials And Methods: We performed a retrospective review of clinical data and histopathology specimens from 34 individuals with MCC treated at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute for whom complete clinical information and histopathology specimens were available.

All you need is light: antimicrobial photoinactivation as an evolving and emerging discovery strategy against infectious disease.

The story of prevention and control of infectious diseases remains open and a series of highly virulent pathogens are emerging both in and beyond the hospital setting. Antibiotics were an absolute success story for a previous era. The academic and industrial biomedical communities have now come together to formulate consensus beliefs regarding the pursuit of novel and effective alternative anti-infective countermeasures.

Noninvasive extramammary Paget's disease treated with photodynamic therapy: case series from the Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

Background: Extramammary Paget's disease (EMPD) is a rare low-grade cutaneous malignancy that affects apocrine gland-bearing areas and most commonly occurs on the perineal skin. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) may represent a useful treatment option for extensive, noninvasive EMPD, alone or as part of multimodal therapy.

Objective: To analyze the clinical outcomes of PDT for noninvasive EMPD with topical aminolevulinic acid (ALA) or intravenous porfimer sodium as photosensitizing agents and argon laser as the photoactivator.

Safety and effectiveness of black tattoo clearance in a pig model after a single treatment with a novel 758 nm 500 picosecond laser: a pilot study.

Background: Optimal selective photothermolysis of a pigment particle requires pulse durations equal to or less than the particle's thermal relaxation time (t(1/2)). Since tattoo particles in skin range in diameter from 40 to 300 nm, picosecond pulses would approximate t(1/2) more closely and, therefore, might be more effective at tattoo particle fragmentation.

Materials And Methods: India Ink (carbon) or iron oxide tattoos were placed on the back of a Yorkshire pig.

Primary varicella in an immunocompetent adult.

Primary varicella zoster infection in adults and immunocompromised persons may result in serious complications. For this reason, a speedy and accurate diagnosis is essential to prevent life-threatening sequelae. Primary varicella presents as a vesicular exanthem with fevers and other constitutional symptoms.

Non-infectious granulomatous diseases of the skin and their associated systemic diseases: an evidence-based update to important clinical questions.

Non-infectious granulomatous diseases of the skin are a broad group of distinct reactive inflammatory conditions that share important similarities. As a group, they are relatively difficult to diagnose and distinguish both clinically as well as histologically. Many of these disorders have significant associations with systemic diseases that impact the patient's overall prognosis.

Treatment of hypertrophic and resistant port wine stains with a 755 nm laser: a case series of 20 patients.

Background And Objective: Port wine stains (PWS) are heterogeneous vascular malformations that can be treated with vascular-selective pulsed dye lasers (PDL). Hypertrophic PWS, especially in adults, are consistently less responsive to PDL. Furthermore, many PWS that respond well initially to PDL treatment may reach a response plateau, becoming unresponsive to further PDL treatments, a phenomenon termed "treatment resistance.

Treatment endpoints for resistant port wine stains with a 755 nm laser.

Laser therapy of port wine stains (PWS) resistant to pulsed dye laser is challenging and controversial. Based on the theory of selective photothermolysis, vessels in such lesions may be specifically targeted with the laser wavelength of 755 nm. There is much deeper penetration of the near-infrared light and it is difficult to visualize laser-induced changes within the deeper dermis.

Treatment of port wine stains with pulsed dye laser in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: practical considerations and complications.

There is a paucity of clinical information on the treatment of port wine stains (PWS) with pulse dye lasers (PDL) in patients with connective tissue diseases. Systemic lupus (SLE) is characterized by increased skin fragility and the potential for pigmentary alterations. Additionally, medications used to treat SLE may alter patient responses to laser therapy.

Laser photorejuvenation of Asian and ethnic skin.

Laser therapy of Asian and ethnic skin has been relatively poorly studied in the literature. Owing to particular physiologic aspects of darker skin, the physical properties of currently available lasers, and the nature of laser-tissue interactions, the use of lasers to treat chronological and photodamage in such patients may be challenging and fraught with complications. Nevertheless, both ablative and non-ablative technologies have been used successfully to address various cosmetic concerns.

Transient immunoreactivity after laser tattoo removal: report of two cases.

Background And Objective: Laser tattoo removal is one of most commonly used indications for medical lasers. Professional tattoos contain a multitude of potentially immunogenic chemicals that are released or modified by laser treatment. We studied potential immunologic reactions following laser tattoo removal.

The flushing patient: differential diagnosis, workup, and treatment.

Unlabelled: Cutaneous flushing-a common presenting complaint to dermatologists, allergists, internists, and family practitioners-results from changes in cutaneous blood flow triggered by multiple conditions. Most cases are caused by very common, benign diseases, such as rosacea or climacterum, that are readily apparent after a thorough taking of history and physical examination. However, in some cases, accurate diagnosis requires further laboratory, radiologic, or histopathologic studies to differentiate several important clinicopathologic entities.

The ICOS molecule plays a crucial role in the development of mucosal tolerance.

The ICOS molecule stimulates production of the immunoregulatory cytokine IL-10, suggesting an important role for ICOS in controlling IL-10-producing regulatory T cells and peripheral T cell tolerance. In this study we investigate whether ICOS is required for development of oral, nasal, and high dose i.v.

Androgen receptor expression helps to differentiate basal cell carcinoma from benign trichoblastic tumors.

Histologic differentiation between basal cell carcinoma and benign trichoblastic neoplasms such as trichoepithelioma and trichoblastoma can be difficult on small biopsies. Therefore, several attempts have been made to identify immunohistochemical differences between these entities. Recent studies have shown androgen receptor expression in a number of mature epithelial structures in the skin and in epithelial neoplasms including basal cell carcinoma.

IL-10 is involved in the suppression of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by CD25+CD4+ regulatory T cells.

CD25(+)CD4(+) regulatory T cells inhibit the activation of autoreactive T cells in vitro and in vivo, and suppress organ-specific autoimmune diseases. The mechanism of CD25(+)CD4(+) T cells in the regulation of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is poorly understood. To assess the role of CD25(+)CD4(+) T cells in EAE, SJL mice were immunized with myelin proteolipid protein (PLP)(139-151) to develop EAE and were treated with anti-CD25 mAb.

IFN-inducible protein 10/CXC chemokine ligand 10-independent induction of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

In multiple sclerosis (MS) and its animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), autoaggressive T cells traffic into the CNS and induce disease. Infiltration of these pathogenic T cells into the CNS has been correlated with the expression of the chemokine IFN-inducible protein (IP)10/CXC chemokine ligand (CXCL)10, a chemoattractant for activated T cells, and its receptor CXCR3, in the CNS of both MS patients and mice with EAE. In the present study, we report that targeted deletion of IP-10 did not diminish the expression, severity, or histopathology of EAE induced by active immunization with 100 micro g of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide (MOG)p35-55.

Prevalence of melanoma clinically resembling seborrheic keratosis: analysis of 9204 cases.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of melanoma clinically mimicking seborrheic keratosis.

Design: Retrospective review of cases submitted for histological examination with a clinical diagnosis of seborrheic keratosis or with a differential diagnosis that included seborrheic keratosis.

Setting: A tertiary medical care center-based dermatopathology laboratory serving academic dermatology clinics that have a busy pigmented lesion clinic.

Targeting monocyte recruitment in CNS autoimmune disease.

Monocytes and macrophages play a pathogenic role in a number of autoimmune inflammatory diseases. Recent studies in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the animal model of multiple sclerosis, have identified a critical chemokine-mediated mechanism of monocyte homing to the central nervous system (CNS). Here, we summarize the current findings in EAE, develop a rationale for targeting the chemokine axis in order to treat CNS inflammatory disease, and review currently available molecule-specific therapeutics that inhibit monocyte trafficking to the CNS.