Alterations in the spatiotemporal expression pattern of geminin during human epidermal morphogenesis.

Introduction: Geminin, a (25 kDa) protein, was originally identified as a key regulator of DNA replication licensing in the cell cycle and of cell fate during embryonic nervous system formation. Although geminin is involved in mechanisms underlying the regulation of transcription and patterning in embryonic development, its expression and possible significance in human epidermal morphogenesis remains unknown.

Methods: Forty-one skin biopsy specimens obtained from human fetuses (10th to 23rd week of estimated gestational age) were processed for immunohistochemistry using a primary rabbit polyclonal antibody against geminin.

Herpes Zoster after mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination: A Case Series.

We present seven immunocompetent patients devoid of any comorbidities and risk factors, who developed for the first time in their life varicella-zoster virus (VZV) reactivation shortly after 1st (four patients) and 2nd dose (three patients) of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.All four patients who exhibited herpes zoster after the 1st dose of vaccine received the 2nd dose without any adverse reactions or complications. Oral treatment prescribed to all patients with valacyclovir (Valtrex 1 mg tds/day) for 5-7 days led to a complete resolution of symptoms, and rashes disappeared within 9-14 days.

The expression pattern of galectins during human epidermal morphogenesis.

Introduction: Galectins constitute a phylogenetically conserved family of proteins with high binding affinity for glycoconjugates bearing β-galactoside residues. Surprisingly, knowledge of the expression pattern of galectins during human epidermal morphogenesis is very limited.

Methods: Fifty-eight biopsy skin specimens obtained from human embryos and 10 biopsy specimens obtained from healthy adult volunteers were processed for immunohistochemistry using a panel of antibodies against galectins 1, 3, 7, and 9.

In contrast to melanocytes, keratinocytes of normal human adult interfollicular epidermis do not express galectin-1.

Introduction: Galectins constitute a phylogenetically conserved family of proteins that specifically bind to glycoconjugates bearing β-galactoside residues. Although galectin-1 (Gal 1), the first identified member of the galectin family, is involved in highly important biological processes at the molecular and cellular level in human skin, its expression in keratinocytes of normal human adult interfollicular epidermis (NHAIE) remains in dispute, whereas that in epidermal melanocytes has drawn very little attention so far. This prompted us to investigate the expression of Gal 1 in the keratinocytes and melanocytes of NHAIE.

Erythema nodosum induced by oral isotretinoin in a patient with condylomata acuminata.

Erythema nodosum (EN) is a form of septal panniculitis, which is believed to represent a delayed hypersensitivity reaction activated by infectious agents, drugs, granulomatous and autoimmune diseases, pregnancy, and malignancies. There are only four reported cases of EN during oral isotretinoin therapy to our knowledge, all of them occurring in patients with severe acne. Since acne itself can trigger EN, the question as to whether there is indeed a causative relationship between isotretinoin and EN in the reported cases remains to be elucidated.

Extensive and recalcitrant common warts in an immunocompetent patient: rapid and complete remission after oral isotretinoin monotherapy.

An immunocompetent patient with extensive and recalcitrant common warts that was orally treated with isotretinoin (1 mg/kg/day) is reported. His lesions revealed a complete remission after 6 weeks of treatment, which was well tolerated. The patient has presently completed a 23-month follow-up and shows no evidence of relapse of his skin lesions.

Pemphigus vulgaris possibly associated with application of a tissue expander in a patient with Crohn's disease and primary sclerosing cholangitis.

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an autoimmune disease of the skin and mucous membranes characterized by suprabasal acantholysis and formation of blisters and erosions due to generation of IgG autoantibodies directed against desmosomal proteins. Tissue expanders are devices that, through controlled mechanical overstretch, are capable of generating new skin that is used to cover wounds or extended surgical defects. We report the case of a 13-year-old girl suffering from Crohn's disease (CD) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) who developed PV after application of a tissue expander for surgical removal of a giant congenital melanocytic nevus (GCMN).

Galectin 3: an extraordinary multifunctional protein in dermatology. Current knowledge and perspectives.

Galectin 3 is a unique ~31 kDa protein that recognizes the N-acetyl-lactosamine structure of several glycoconjugates. It mainly occurs in epithelial and myeloid cells, but is also found in a variety of human cell types. In view of the crucial role played by galectin 3 in the regulation of cellular processes of essential importance and in the pathogenetic mechanisms of diverse disorders, it is not surprising that, particularly in the last three decades, the attention of the scientific community has been increasingly drawn to this extraordinary and multifunctional galectin.

Late-onset pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia developing within a red ink tattoo.

The popularity of tattoos has increased dramatically worldwide particularly in the last three decades, giving rise to the frequent occurrence of a wide spectrum of secondary cutaneous and systemic complications. Pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia (PEH) is a benign irregular hyperplasia of the epidermis occurring in response to various stimuli, that clinically and histopathologically resembles cutaneous neoplasms such as squamous cell carcinoma and keratoacanthoma. In an attempt to improve the awareness of the possible occurrence of PEH in tattoos and of its diagnostic and therapeutic aspects, we present herein the case of a 30-year-old woman with histologically confirmed PEH related to a red-ink tattoo.

Persistent generalized Grover disease: complete remission after treatment with oral acitretin.

Grover disease (GD) is a disorder of unknown origin, clinically characterized by the occurrence of pruritic, erythematous or brownish papules and papulovesicles, which histologically reveal four different patterns of acantholysis. Usually, the eruption is self-limited and spontaneously remit within a few weeks. In some cases, however, it may persist for months or even years and show a therapy-resistant course.

Galectin 1 in dermatology: current knowledge and perspectives.

Galectins are a family of soluble proteins that are widely distributed in nature and bind to a variety of glycoproteins and glycolipids bearing β-galactoside residues. They are involved in highly important processes at the molecular and cellular level in human cutaneous and extracutaneous tissues, and they exert biological effects of paramount importance through their interaction with cytoplasmic and nuclear proteins and the components of the cell surface and extracellular matrix. Galectin 1 (Gal 1), the first galectin isolated, is a noncovalent homodimeric protein with a 14 kDa monomer that contains one carbohydrate-recognition domain (CRD) and preferentially recognizes galactose-β1-4-N-acetyl-glucosamine sequences on N- or O-linked glycans.

Golimumab-associated persistent erythema multiforme in a patient with ulcerative colitis in full remission.

Erythema multiforme is an immune-mediated cutaneous disorder that is thought to represent a hypersensitivity reaction to infections, drugs, vaccines, malignancies, autoimmune diseases, radiation, and menstruation. Golimumab is a human IgG1-kappa anti-TNF antibody that has been approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and ulcerative colitis. We report herein a 41-year-old woman with persistent erythema multiforme, that occurred 18 months after onset of golimumab treatment of her ulcerative colitis; the latter remains in full remission over a period of 36 months.

Classic form of eosinophilic pustular folliculitis in an immunocompetent girl: rapid and complete resolution after low-dose oral indomethacin treatment.

Eosinophilic pustular folliculitis (EPF) is a rare noninfectious pruritic dermatosis, first described by Ise and Ofuji in 1965. We report the case of a 15-year oldimmunocompetent girl that presented with a widespread papulopustular eruption four days after her arrival in Japan. The clinical diagnosis of the classicform of EPF was confirmed by histological examination of the lesional skin that revealed an intense, mainly eosinophilic, dermal infiltrate within and aroundpilosebaceous units.

Angioedema without urticaria caused by oral acitretin.

The efficacy of oral acitretin in the systemic treatment of severe and recalcitrant dermatoses has been established in a large number of clinical trials. Its mucocutaneous and ocular adverse reactions are common or relatively common, whereas systemic side effects are either uncommon or rare and include teratogenesis, hyperlipidemia, hepatotoxicity, intracranial hypertension, myopathy, and peripheral neuropathy. Angioedema is a term used to describe an acute, solitary or multiple, circumscribed, and non-pitting mucocutaneous swelling that affects the dermis and the subcutaneous tissue, lasts 24 to 72 hours, and may become potentially life-threatening when the pharynx and/or the larynx are involved.

Biologic Agents In Systemic Dermatotherapy: Cutaneous And Systemic Side Effects.

The recent significant breakthroughs in the understanding of the pathogenetic mechanisms of psoriasis and other immune-mediated inflammatory disorders, have led to the emergence of a wide array of biologic agents or biologics, that are especially designed to target selective intracellular or extracellular components and pathways of the dysregulated immune response. These targeted biologic agents have altered the landscape in dermatotherapy aiming to offer higher therapeutic efficacy and an alternative in patients who either failed on conventional systemic regimens or have no other therapeutic options. In the last two decades, the number of the commercially available biologic agents and the extent of their use have dramatically increased; today, these compounds represent a substantial part of modern dermatologic armamentarium.

Erythema multiforme following pneumococcal vaccination.

Erythema multiforme (EM) is an acute and usually self-limited immune-mediated mucocutaneous disorder that is a hypersensitivity reaction to drugs, infections, and vaccines. Clinically, it is characterized by maculopapular, target-like lesions symmetrically distributed on the extremities (minor form) or additionally affecting one or more mucous membranes and causing epidermal detachment involving < 10% of the total body surface area (major form). We report a novel association between pneumococcal vaccination and the development of EM in a 2.

Gestational Pityriasis Rosea: Suggestions for Approaching Affected Pregnant Women.

Dear Editor, Pityriasis rosea is a common, acute, and self-limiting dermatosis, which is associated with the endogenous systemic reactivation of human herpesvirus (HHV)-6 and/or HHV-7 (1). It predominantly affects individuals of both sexes in their second or third decade of life and is clinically characterized by the occurrence of an initial erythematosquamous plaque followed by the appearance of disseminated similar but smaller lesions one or two weeks later. Several patients develop systemic symptoms such as nausea, anorexia, malaise, headache, fever, arthralgia, and lymphadenopathy that may precede or accompany the eruption; the latter follows the cleavage lines of the trunk creating the configuration of a Christmas tree and spontaneously resolves within 4 to 8 weeks.

Sensorimotor polyneuropathy after a 1-month treatment with oral acitretin.

We report a 40-year-old male patient with widespread chronic plaque psoriasis, who complained of distal numbness in the right leg with gradual proximal extension after 1 month of treatment with oral acitretin. Neurological examination showed suppressed ankle reflexes, reduced pain and vibration sense in a glove and stocking distribution, and mild weakness of feet dorsiflexion. Neurophysiologic examination revealed a shift of the amplitude of all sensory and compound muscle action potentials toward low values, whereas in the case of sural and popliteal nerves, the amplitude felt below reference limits.