Alteration of microbial composition in the skin and blood in vasculitis.

Vasculitis is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by leukocyte infiltration into blood vessels. Various microorganisms have been associated with the pathogenesis of vasculitis; however, the causal microbial agents and underlying mechanisms are not fully understood, possibly because of the technical limitations of pathogen detection. In the present study, we characterized the microbiome profile of patients with cutaneous vasculitis using comprehensive metagenome shotgun sequencing.

Three cases of perioral dermatitis related to fusobacteria treated with β-lactam antibiotics.

Background: The oral tetracyclines, especially minocycline hydrochloride, are often used as an effective treatment for perioral dermatitis; however, they are sometimes difficult to use, especially in children, because of the side effects.

Objective: The effectiveness of β-lactam antibiotics was evaluated in three cases of perioral dermatitis.

Methods: Three Japanese patients with perioral dermatitis were treated with cefcapene pivoxil hydrochloride hydrate per os 100-300 mg/day.

Possible involvement of chemokine-induced platelet activation in thrombophilic diathesis of antiphospholipid syndrome.

Among the heterogeneous antiphospholipid antibodies, many studies suggest that those directed to beta2-glycoprotein I (beta2GPI) are the major pathogenic antibodies in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). They have been shown to activate the coagulation pathway via several mechanisms, activate platelets via thrombin formation, and suppress fibrinolysis. Additionally, we propose another possible mechanism that involves certain chemokines and results in platelet activation.

Effect of vitamin D3 on the increased expression of Bcl-xL in psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease characterized by epidermal hyperproliferation, which may be regulated by several mechanisms including apoptosis. In this study, we detected DNA fragmentation by the terminal deoxynucleotide transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) method and immunohistochemically examined the expression of Bcl-x and Bax in psoriasis. We determined the expression of bcl-xL mRNA by RT-PCR, and also determined the effect of vitamin D(3) (VD3) on bcl-xL mRNA expression in cultured normal human keratinocytes by RT-PCR, and the expression of Bcl-xL in psoriatic lesions before and after topical application of VD3.