Chemokine receptor CXCR4 is a novel marker for the progression of cutaneous malignant melanomas.

The CXCR4/CXCL12 pathway has recently been reported to be involved in stimulating the metastasis of many different neoplasms, in which CXCR4 activates various phenomena such as chemotaxis, invasion, angiogenesis and proliferation. The purpose of this study was to analyze a possible association between the expression of chemokine receptors CXCR4, CCR6 and CCR7 with the clinicopathological features of cutaneous malignant melanoma, and to assess the usefulness of these chemokine receptors for diagnosis and prognosis. In our study, a percentage of immunoexpression of both CXCR4 and its ligands CXCL12 was associated with high clinical risk.

Immunohistochemical analysis of CXCR4 expression in fibrohistiocytic tumors.

Functional chemokine receptors are expressed in many malignant tumors. These receptors promote tumor growth and metastasis in response to endogenous chemokines. We analyzed the expression of CXCR4, CCR6 and CCR7 in fibrohistiocytic tumors, including dermatofibrosarcoma protuberance (DFSP), malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH), dermatofibroma (DF) using immunohistochemistry.

Effective treatment of intractable skin ulcers using allogeneic cultured dermal substitutes in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Skin ulcers in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients are non-healing or intractable, because various factors or complications, including vasculitis and immunosuppressants, impair wound healing. In the present study, we applied cultured dermal substitutes (CDSs) to 3 cases of SLE skin ulcers because various systemic or topical therapies were ineffective. CDSs are prepared by culturing human fibroblasts on two-layered spongy matrices of hyaluronic acid and atelo-collagen, and they effectively promote the healing of severe skin defects.

Case report: a case of pyoderma gangrenosum with intractable leg ulcers treated by allogeneic cultured dermal substitutes.

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is an idiopathic, inflammatory, ulcerative disease of undetermined cause. Both topical and systemic treatments of corticosteroids and cyclosporine are commonly used for the ulcers of PG, but these ulcers are often intractable despite treatment. We employed allogeneic cultured dermal substitutes (CDS) in a patient with intractable ulcers due to PG.