Four-Leaf Clover Shape Agglomerate Keratoacanthomas: A Case Report.

Keratoacanthoma (KA) is a papule, plaque, or nodule in an exposed area, with a crater-like horn plug in the center. Multiple KAs are rare disorders, especially when the lesions are agglomerated together. Herein, we report a case of 65-year-old man who presented with four red nodules of different sizes on the right side of the chest. The lesions were clustered, with central keratotic cores, similar in appearance to a four-leaf clover. The nodules were completely removed by excisional surgery and the diagnosis of Agglomerate KAs was made based on clinical and pathological results. A 6-year follow-up found no recurrence.

A novel NIR fluorescent probe inhibits melanoma progression through apoptosis and ERK/DRP1-mediated mitochondrial fission.

Melanoma, a highly metastatic malignant tumour, necessitated early detection and intervention. This study focuses on a hemicyanine fluorescent probe activated by near-infrared (NIR) light for bioimaging and targeted mitochondrial action in melanoma cells. IR-418, our newly designed hemicyanine-based NIR fluorescent probe, demonstrated effective targeting of melanoma cell mitochondria for NIR imaging. In vitro and in vivo experiments revealed IR-418's inhibition of melanoma growth through the promotion of mitochondrial apoptosis (Bax/Bcl-2/Cleaved Caspase pathway). Moreover, IR-418 inhibited melanoma metastasis by inhibiting mitochondrial fission through the ERK/DRP1 pathway. Notably, IR-418 mitigated abnormal ATL and ASL elevations caused by tumours without inflicting significant organ damage, indicating its high biocompatibility. In conclusion, IR-418, a novel hemicyanine-based NIR fluorescent probe targeting the mitochondria, exhibits significant fluorescence imaging capability, anti-melanoma proliferation, anti-melanoma lung metastasis activities and high biosafety. Therefore, it has significant potential in the early diagnosis and treatment of melanoma.

Retraction Notice to: miR-140-3p Inhibits Cutaneous Melanoma Progression by Disrupting AKT/p70S6K and JNK Pathways through ABHD2.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1016/j.omto.2020.03.009.].

Downregulated BIRC5 inhibits proliferation and metastasis of melanoma through the ß-catenin/HIF-1α/VEGF/MMPs pathway.

PURPOSE: Melanoma is a malignant skin tumor caused by melanocytes and associated with high mortality rates. This study aims to investigate the specific mechanism of ZWZ-3 in melanoma proliferation and metastasis. METHODS: RNA sequencing was performed to identify the effect of ZWZ-3 on gene expression. siRNA was used to inhibit BIRC5 gene expression in the B16F10 cell line. A zebrafish tumor model was used to assess the therapeutic effect of ZWZ-3 in vivo. Mechanistic insights into the inhibition of tumor metastasis by ZWZ-3 were obtained through analysis of tumor tissue sections in mice. RESULTS: Our findings demonstrated that ZWZ-3 suppressed melanoma cell proliferation and migration. We performed RNA sequencing in melanoma cells after the treatment with ZWZ-3 and found that Birc5, which is closely associated with tumor metastasis, was significantly down-regulated. Bioinformatics analysis and the immuno-histochemical results of tissue chips for melanoma further confirmed the high expression of BIRC5 in melanoma and its effect on disease progression. Moreover, Birc5 knock-down significantly inhibited melanoma cell proliferation and metastasis, which was correlated with the ß-catenin/HIF-1α/VEGF/MMPs pathway. Additionally, ZWZ-3 significantly inhibited tumor growth in the zebrafish tumor model without any evident side effects. Histological and immuno-histochemical analyses revealed that ZWZ-3 inhibited tumor cell metastasis by down-regulating HIF-1α, VEGF, and MMP9. CONCLUSION: Our findings revealed that ZWZ-3 could downregulate BIRC5 and inhibit melanoma proliferation and metastasis through the ß-catenin/HIF-1α/VEGF/MMPs pathway. Therefore, BIRC5 represents a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of melanoma.

Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (C-PHQ-9) in patients with psoriasis: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (C-PHQ-9) in patients with psoriasis. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Tertiary care centre. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with psoriasis who have not been diagnosed with depression (n=148; mean age 43.37±17.46 years; 31.19% female). PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measures considered in this study were the C-PHQ-9 and the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD). The American Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-V) was used as the gold standard for the diagnosis of depression. Cronbach's α and test-retest reliability after 1 week were evaluated using reliability analysis, and criterion and structural validity were assessed using validity analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to identify the best demarcation score and diagnostic accuracy. RESULTS: Compared with DSM-V (27.27%), both C-PHQ-9 (39.19%) and HAMD (31.01%) had higher rates for detecting depression. The mean completion time for C-PHQ-9 evaluation (2.02±0.84 min) was significantly less than that for HAMD (23.37±3.21 min, p<0.001). The Cronbach's α coefficient for the C-PHQ-9 was 0.938. The correlation coefficients of the nine items with the total scale ranged from 0.540 to 0.854, and the mean inter-item correlation coefficients ranged from 0.376 to 0.933. After a week, the retest coefficient was 0.955 (p<0.01). Principal component factor analysis showed that C-PHQ-9 identified a unifactorial structure. The best cut-off point was 9 points, with a sensitivity of 98.00% and a specificity of 90.80%. The area under the ROC curve was 0.979 (95% CI 0.968 to 0.991). CONCLUSION: C-PHQ-9 has good reliability and validity in patients with psoriasis and can be used for primary screening of patients with psoriasis and depression. This scale has obvious time and labour advantages over the HAMD and should be considered for use in clinical practice.

miR-140-3p Inhibits Cutaneous Melanoma Progression by Disrupting AKT/p70S6K and JNK Pathways through ABHD2.

Because cutaneous melanoma (CM) is one of the most lethal human tumors, major treatment advances are vital. miR-140-3p has been suggested to act as a suppressor in a range of malignant tumors, implying its possible use as a biomarker for effective antineoplastic treatment. However, the potential role of miR-140-3p in CM and the underlying mechanism remain unclear. In the present study, we identified lower levels of miR-140-3p in both CM tissues and cell lines; this downregulation was strongly associated with worse CM survival. Additionally, overexpression of miR-140-3p significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in CM cells with different cell line origins. Importantly, by means of both bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay, we revealed abhydrolase domain containing 2 (ABHD2) to be a target of miR-140-3p in CM cells. Upregulation of ABHD2 reversed the tumor-suppressive effects of miR-140-3p in CM cells. Furthermore, miR-140-3p-targeted ABHD2 played a role in both activation of JNK signaling and inhibition of the AKT/p70S6K pathway in CM cells. Finally, in vivo results strongly suggested the suppressive effects of miR-140-3p on CM growth and metastasis. Collectively, our findings highlight a novel antineoplastic function for miR-140-3p in CM through ABHD2.

Association of brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels and depressive symptoms in young adults with acne vulgaris.

BACKGROUND: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is one of the proteins that contributes to the survival, growth, maintenance of neurons, and plays important roles in the pathophysiology of depression. It has been reported that depression is closely associated with the pathogenesis of acne vulgaris disease. But, there is no report of serum BDNF levels in patients with acne vulgaris. The study aimed to determine the potential association between BDNF and depressive symptoms in young adults with acne vulgaris. METHODS: In this analytical cross-sectional study, the serum BDNF levels were measured in peripheral blood samples of 20 consecutive acne vulgaris patients with depression and 98 consecutive acne vulgaris patients without depression and also compared it with a 59 healthy control group by using a ELISA. The potential correlation between the BDNF levels, interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and depressive symptoms such as nine-item patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Athens insomnia scale (AIS) were evaluated with multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Our results showed that levels of BDNF expression were lower in consecutive acne vulgaris patients when compared with healthy control (P < 0.05). There was a negative correlation between levels of BDNF and the PHQ-9 scores (r = - 0.486, P < 0.001). Furthermore, acne vulgaris patients with depression showed lower serum BDNF levels (10.96 ± 2.12 ng/ml) compared with acne vulgaris patients without depression (13.85 ± 2.47 ng/ml), as well as with healthy control (14.35 ± 2.70 ng/mg; both P < 0.05). No difference was found in serum BDNF levels between healthy control and acne vulgaris patients without depressive symptoms (z = 0.964, P > 0.05). Similarly, the overall area under the curve of receiver operating characteristic was 0.82, indicating the highly conserving of serum BDNF levels as an biomarker for screening of depression in young adults with acne vulgaris (72% sensitivity and 85% specificity). CONCLUSION: Serum BDNF levels were decreased and negatively associated with depressive symptoms in young Chinese adults with acne vulgaris.