Immunofluorescence findings in a reactivating lichenoid photoallergic chronic dermatitis (actinic reticuloid).

Background: Chronic photosensitivity dermatitis (CPD) (also named actinic reticuloid) is an unusual disease classically referred often in elderly men. Affected patients have severely itchy, thickened dry skin in areas exposed to the sun throughout the years.

Method: A Caucasian female patient who worked most of her life outside who had "chronic dermatitis" in her neck started planting chrysanthemum in her garden on a sunny day.

Extrusion of pilosebaceous units into blisters of patients affected by a new variant of endemic pemphigus in El Bagre, Colombia, South America.

Background: A new variant of endemic pemphigus foliaceus is present in El Bagre, Colombia, and surrounding municipalities (El Bagre-EPF) that affects the skin and in some presentations affects other organs with autoantibodies directed against cell junctions.

Methods: We studied 200 El Bagre-EPF patient perilesional skin biopsies, as well as 200 skin biopsies from normal controls in the endemic area.

Results: We observed blister extrusions of sebaceous glands or entire pilosebaceous units via the isthmus in 23% of the patients and not in the controls.

The Biomechanical Performance of the Latest All-Inside Meniscal Repair Devices.

Purpose: To evaluate the biomechanical characteristics of recently introduced meniscal repair devices with a hand-tied, inside-out meniscal suture in a human meniscus model.

Methods: In detached adult human menisci, vertical longitudinal cuts were created 3 mm from the synovial-meniscal junction, simulating a bucket-handle meniscal tear. Each cut was repaired using a single device.

Editorial Commentary: Glenoid Track Instability Management Score or Instability Severity Index Score-Will This Decrease Latarjet Abuse?

Open treatment of anterior shoulder instability using a coracoid transfer, such as the Latarjet procedure, is associated with low recurrence rates but with significant complications such as nerve injury, arthrosis, and graft osteolysis. However, an arthroscopic Bankart procedure, although less invasive and with a low complication rate, has the possibility of a higher recurrent instability rate. Scoring systems such as the Instability Severity Index Score, created to select patients for an arthroscopic Bankart procedure or coracoid transfer, have varying levels of success.

Involvement of the Areae Compositae of the Heart in Endemic Pemphigus Foliaceus.

Background: A new variant of endemic pemphigus foliaceus in El Bagre (El Bagre-EPF), Colombia, South America, shares features with Senear-Usher syndrome and occurs in an endemic fashion. Patients affected by El Bagre-EPF have heterogeneous antigenic reactivity not only to the skin but to other organs, including the heart. Here we test for autoantibodies to the areae compositae of the heart (structure consisting of typical desmosomal amalgamated fascia adherens molecules) and evaluate any possible clinical correlation.

A Biomechanical Comparison of Six Suture Configurations for Soft Tissue-Based Graft Traction and Fixation.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare 6 different graft fixation techniques to determine the preparation speed, fixation security, biomechanical strength, and resultant tissue trauma.

Methods: Six different techniques (10 samples each): #2 OrthoCord Krackow stitch, #2 FiberWire Krackow stitch, SpeedTrap, WhipKnot, Loop-in-loop stitch were created in the distal 3 cm of 9 cm bovine flexor tendons. The proximal 3 cm tendon segment was clamped in a testing machine and the distal suture ends secured by pneumatic grips.

Subclinical oral involvement in patients with endemic pemphigus foliaceus.

Background: We have described a variant of endemic pemphigus foliaceus (EPF) in El Bagre area known as pemphigus Abreu-Manu. Our previous study suggested that Colombian EPF seemed to react with various plakin family proteins, such as desmoplakins, envoplakin, periplakin BP230, MYZAP, ARVCF, p0071 as well as desmoglein 1.

Objectives: To explore whether patients affected by a new variant of endemic pemphigus foliaceus (El Bagre-EPF) demonstrated oral involvement.

Patients affected by endemic pemphigus foliaceus in Colombia, South America exhibit autoantibodies to optic nerve sheath envelope cell junctions.

Background: The majority of the patients affected by a new variant of endemic pemphigus foliaceus in El Bagre, Colombia (El Bagre EPF or pemphigus Abreu-Manu), have experienced vision problems; we have previously reported several ocular abnormalities.

Methods: Here, we aimed to investigate reactivity to optic nerves in these patients. We utilized bovine, rat and mouse optic nerves, and performed immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy to test for optical nerve autoreactivity.

Cell junction protein armadillo repeat gene deleted in velo-cardio-facial syndrome is expressed in the skin and colocalizes with autoantibodies of patients affected by a new variant of endemic pemphigus foliaceus in Colombia.

Background: We previously described a new variant of endemic pemphigus foliaceus in El Bagre, Colombia, South America (El Bagre-EPF, or pemphigus Abreu-Manu). El Bagre-EPF differs from other types of EPF clinically, epidemiologically, immunologically and in its target antigens. We reported the presence of patient autoantibodies colocalizing with armadillo repeat gene deleted in velo-cardio-facial syndrome (ARVCF), a catenin cell junction protein colocalizing with El Bagre-EPF autoantibodies in the heart and within pilosebaceous units along their neurovascular supply routes.

Autoantibodies to full body vascular cell junctions colocalize with MYZAP, ARVCF, desmoplakins I and II and p0071 in endemic pemphigus in Colombia, South America.

Background: We previously described a new variant of endemic pemphigus foliaceus in El Bagre, Colombia (El Bagre-EPF).

Methods: Here we aimed to investigate disease autoreactivity to vessels in all body organs/systems. We compared 57 patients and 57 controls from the endemic area, matched by demographics, age, sex, and work activity.

Periodic Acid-Schiff Staining Parallels the Immunoreactivity Seen By Direct Immunofluorescence in Autoimmune Skin Diseases.

Background: In many countries and laboratories, techniques such as direct immunofluorescence (DIF) are not available for the diagnosis of skin diseases. Thus, these laboratories are limited in the full diagnoses of autoimmune skin diseases, vasculitis, and rheumatologic diseases. In our experience with these diseases and the patient's skin biopsies, we have noted a positive correlation between periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining and immunofluorescence patterns; however, these were just empiric observations.

Immunofluorescence Patterns in Selected Dermatoses, Including Blistering Skin Diseases Utilizing Multiple Fluorochromes.

Background: Autoimmune vesiculobullous disorders represent a heterogeneous group of dermatoses whose diagnosis is made based on clinical history, histologic features, and immunopathologic features. The most commonly used techniques for the diagnosis of these diseases are direct and indirect immunofluorescence (DIF and IIF), including salt-split processing. NaCl split skin is used to determine the level of blister formation, and the localization of autoantibodies relative to the split.

Palmar and plantar lichen planus: a case report and review of the literature.

Palmoplantar lichen planus is an uncommon dermatosis. We present a case of 38-year-old Caucasian male with a history of pruritic, scaly lesions on the right plantar foot. Physical examination revealed whitish plaques and numerous spiny hyperkeratotic papules and focal scaling.

Markers for Sebaceoma Show a Spectrum of Cell Cycle Regulators, Tumor Suppressor Genes, and Oncogenes.

Background: Sebaceoma is a tumor for which the causative oncogenes are not well-understood. Sebaceomas demonstrate some histopathologic features similar to basal cell carcinoma (BCC), such as palisading borders and basaloid cells with additional features, including foamy cytoplasm and indented nuclei.

Aims: We examine multiple cell-cycle, oncogene, and tumor suppressor gene markers in sebaceomas, to try to find some suitable biological markers for this tumor, and compare with other published studies.

Tumor-suppressor Genes, Cell Cycle Regulatory Checkpoints, and the Skin.

The cell cycle (or cell-division cycle) is a series of events that take place in a cell, leading to its division and duplication. Cell division requires cell cycle checkpoints (CPs) that are used by the cell to both monitor and regulate the progress of the cell cycle. Tumor-suppressor genes (TSGs) or antioncogenes are genes that protect the cell from a single event or multiple events leading to cancer.

Ribosomal protein s6-ps240 is expressed in lesional skin from patients with autoimmune skin blistering diseases.

Background: The in situ signaling transduction within skin biopsies from patients affected by autoimmune skin blistering diseases is not well-characterized.

Aim: In autoimmune skin blistering diseases, autoantibodies seem to trigger several intracellular signaling pathways and we investigated the presence of the phosphorylated form of ribosomal protein S6-pS240 within autoimmune skin blistering diseases biopsies.

Materials And Methods: We utilized immunohistochemistry to evaluate the presence of S6-pS240 in lesional skin biopsies of patients affected by autoimmune skin blistering diseases including patients with an endemic and nonendemic pemphigus foliaceus (non EPF), with bullous pemphigoid (BP), pemphigus vulgaris (PV), dermatitis herpetiformis (DH), and the respective controls.

CD45/CD8 Myeloid Histioid Antigen and Plasma Cell Antibody Immune Response in a Case of Malignant Melanoma.

The immune response in metastatic melanoma is not well established and therefore is of particular interest to test for recruitment of immune cells to the tumor. A 46-year-old Caucasian female was evaluated for an asymptomatic right forearm mass. The lesion had been present for at least 4 years and had become painful 4 months ago.

Immune reactivity in psoriatic munro-saboureau microabscesses, stratum corneum and blood vessels.

Background: A characteristic feature of early active psoriatic lesions is the intraepidermal penetration of neutrophils, with attendant formation of Munro-Saboureau microabscesses. Previous immunofluorescence studies have shown reactivity of in vivo binding of stratum corneum antibodies (SCAs) within the Munro-Saboreau microabscesses in cases of psoriasis.

Aims: In our study, we aimed to investigate any correlation between the SCAs and the Munro-Saboureau microabscesses.

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and alpha 1 antitrypsin: a fatal outcome in a patient affected by endemic pemphigus foliaceus.

Background: Herpes virus infections are well known infectious complications of pemphigus and bullous pemphigoid. We describe pathologic findings utilizing autopsy tissue from several organs from a patient affected by a new variant of endemic pemphigus in El Bagre, Colombia, South America.

Case Report: We describe a patient by a new variant of endemic pemphigus foliaceus from El Bagre that was receiving high-dosage immunosuppressants when hospitalized and died suddenly following contact with a second patient affected by chicken pox.