[A case of rhabdomyolysis associated with Kaposi's varicelliform eruption].

Kaposi's varicelliform eruption is a common disease for dermatologists. In general, it is caused by Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) infection to skin which is affected by atopic dermatitis. There are some case reports which document a relationship between rhabdomyolysis and virus infection, in those cases, the major pathogenic virus of rhabdomyolysis is a influenza virus. It is exceedingly rare that rhabdomyolysis is caused by Herpes simplex virus. We introduce a case of rhabdomyolysis associated with Kaposi's varicelliform eruption induced by HSV-1. It was localized in the iliopsoas muscles. Since severe rhabdomyolysis may induce fatal acute renal failure, it is important to recognize that rhabdomyolysis can complicate Herpes simplex virus infection.

Imatinib as a novel antifibrotic agent in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice.

Imatinib mesylate is a potent and specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor against c-ABL, BCR-ABL, and c-KIT, and has been demonstrated to be highly active in chronic myeloid leukemia and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. We examined the antifibrotic effects of imatinib using a bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis model in mice because imatinib also inhibits tyrosine kinase of platelet-derived growth factor receptors (PDGFRs). Imatinib inhibited the growth of primary murine lung fibroblasts and the autophosphorylation of PDGFR-beta induced by PDGF. Administration of imatinib significantly prevented bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice, partly by reducing the number of mesenchymal cells incorporating bromodeoxyuridine. Analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage cells demonstrated that imatinib did not suppress early inflammation on Days 7 and 14 caused by bleomycin. These results suggest that imatinib has the potential to prevent pulmonary fibrosis by inhibiting the proliferation of mesenchymal cells, and that imatinib might be useful for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis in humans.