Cytokine expression in human dermal fibroblasts stimulated with eosinophil cationic protein measured by protein array.

BACKGROUND: Eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) was reported previously to be involved in allergic inflammation with cytotoxic activity. On the other hand, recent studies showed that ECP did not induce cell death but inhibited the growth of cancer-derived cells. Our previous study indicated that human ECP enhanced differentiation of rat neonatal cardiomyocytes and stress fiber formation in Balb/c 3T3 mouse fibroblasts, while the effects of human ECP on human fibroblasts are unknown. OBJECTIVE: The present study was performed to determine the effects of human ECP on cytokine expression in human fibroblasts by protein array. METHODS: The effects of recombinant human ECP (rhECP) on normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDF) were examined by assaying cell growth. Furthermore, cytokine expression of NHDF stimulated by ECP, which could influence cell growth, was evaluated by protein array. RESULTS: ECP was not cytotoxic but enhanced the growth of NHDF. The peak rhECP concentration that enhanced the cell counts by 1.56-fold was 100 ng/mL, which was significantly different from cultures without ECP stimulation (ANOVA/ Scheffe's test, P < 0.05). Array analyses indicated that ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), neutrophil-activating peptide (NAP)-2, and neurotrophin (NT)-3 were significantly upregulated in NHDF stimulated with 100 ng/mL ECP compared to those without stimulation. CONCLUSION: ECP is not cytotoxic but enhances the growth of NHDF. CNTF, NAP-2, and NT-3 were suggested to be involved in enhancing the growth of NHDF. These findings will contribute to determination of the role of ECP in allergic inflammation.

Cutaneous angiolipoleiomyoma.

We describe a girl with cutaneous angiolipoleiomyoma on the buttock. The 16-year-old girl had a 2.5- x 1.5-cm subcutaneous tumor on the right buttock, which was slightly tender. The tumor appeared to be vascular and was, therefore, surgically excised. Histologically, the lesion was poorly circumscribed and was composed of differently sized blood vessels, smooth-muscle bundles, and mature adipose tissue. These histologic findings were consistent with those of angiomyolipoma, which commonly occurs in the kidney. Cutaneous angiomyolipoma, which is also known as cutaneous angiolipoleiomyoma, is a rare benign mesenchymal tumor. To our knowledge, only 16 cases have been reported in the English-language literature. In our report, we review the clinical features of 17 cases, including the current one. We point out the differences between the cutaneous and renal forms of angiomyolipoma, and conclude that the cutaneous lesion is distinct from a renal lesion in several aspects, including tuberous sclerosis complex association and immunoreactivity to both HMB-45 and MART-1.

Oculocutaneous albinism type 4 is one of the most common types of albinism in Japan.

Oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) is a complex genetic disease with great clinical heterogeneity. Four different types of OCA have been reported to date (OCA1, OCA2, OCA3, and OCA4). MATP was recently reported in a single Turkish OCA patient as the fourth pathological gene, but no other patients with OCA4 have been reported. Here, we report the mutational profile of OCA4, determined by genetic analysis of the MATP gene in a large Japanese population with OCA. Of 75 unrelated patients that were screened, 18 individuals (24%) were identified as having OCA4; they harbored seven novel mutations, including four missense mutations (P58S, D157N, G188V, and V507L) and three frameshift mutations (S90CGGCCA-->GC, V144insAAGT, and V469delG), showing that MATP is the most frequent locus for tyrosinase-positive OCA in Japanese patients. We discuss the functional melanogenic activity of each mutant allele, judging from the relationship between the phenotypes and genotypes of the patients. This is the first report on a large group of patients with OCA4.

Comparison of the severity of atopic dermatitis lesions and the density of Staphylococcus aureus on the lesions after antistaphylococcal treatment.

We examined the relationship between atopic dermatitis (AD) and Staphylococcus aureus by comparing changes in AD lesions and the bacterial density on the lesions after antimicrobial treatment with cefdinir. We found that there was a greater density of S. aureus on red erythemas and exudative lesions than in light/dark red erythemas and non-exudative lesions of AD. Forty-one of 59 cases (69%) showed a decrease in colony count following antimicrobial treatment. In 28 of 39 cases (72%) there was a decrease of erythema, and in 18 of 22 cases (82%) there was a decrease in the amount of exudate both associated with a decrease in colony density following antimicrobial treatment. Because acute phases of atopic dermatitis, such as red erythemas and exudative lesions, were closely related to the colonization of S. aureus, dense colonization with S. aureus may be an important factor in the exacerbation of AD. We believe that staphylococcal products such as α-toxin, various enzymes, coagulase, and superantigenic exotoxins affect some aspect of the inflammatory process, resulting in exacerbation of AD. J Infect Chemother 1996;2:70-74.