Episodic angioedema associated with eosinophilia

Abstract: We report a 12-year-old girl who presented with recurrent angioedema on the face, trunk, and extremities, and concomitant marked weight gain for 5 years. During the episode, her white blood cell count increased to 47.7×109/L with 89.9% eosinophils, followed by elevated serum level of IL-5, IgE, IgM, and LDH. Histopathology showed perivascular eosinophilic infiltration and diffuse eosinophilic infiltration throughout the dermis. Possible causes of hypereosinophilia and eosinophilic infiltration of vital organs were ruled out. We also tested the FIP1L1/PDGFRa and ETV6/PDGFRb fusion gene to exclude the possibility of myeloid and lymphatic vessel neoplasms. The patient was treated with methylprednisolone and discharged with an oral prednisolone taper, which resulted in complete remission of the edema and normalization of peripheral blood eosinophil count, serum IL-5 level, IgE, IgM, and LDH.

DNA methylation modulates H19 and IGF2 expression in porcine female eye

Abstract The sexually dimorphic expression of H19/IGF2 is evolutionarily conserved. To investigate whether the expression of H19/IGF2 in the female porcine eye is sex-dependent, gene expression and methylation status were evaluated using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and bisulfite sequencing PCR (BSP). We hypothesized that H19/IGF2 might exhibit a different DNA methylation status in the female eye. In order to evaluate our hypothesis, parthenogenetic (PA) cells were used for analysis by qPCR and BSP. Our results showed that H19 and IGF2 were over-expressed in the female eye compared with the male eye (3-fold and 2-fold, respectively). We observed a normal monoallelic methylation pattern for H19 differentially methylated regions (DMRs). Compared with H19 DMRs, IGF2 DMRs showed a different methylation pattern in the eye. Taken together, these results suggest that elevated expression of H19/IGF2 is caused by a specific chromatin structure that is regulated by the DNA methylation status of IGF2 DMRs in the female eye.

Imported cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania major in a Chinese laborer who worked in Saudi Arabia

Abstract: We report an imported case of cutaneous leishmaniasis in a 37-year-old man from Saudi Arabia caused by Leishmania major. He presented with non-healing nodulo-ulcerative lesions with a "volcanic crater" on the lower limbs. It was clearly cutaneous leishmaniasis - a rare disease in China - as reflected by the patient's clinical history, the lesions' morphology, histopathological examination, culture and PCR analysis of the lesions. The patient was completely cured after two cycles of sodium stibogluconate treatment. This case report demonstrates that dermatologists should be aware of sporadic cutaneous leishmaniasis cases in non-endemic areas.

Combined acute interstitial pneumonitis and pancytopenia induced by low-dose methotrexate in a hemodialysis patient treated for bullous pemphigoid

Methotrexate has been widely used for many years in the treatment of a variety of diseases. Acute pneumonitis and bone marrow suppression are very serious side effects in methotrexate treatment. A 48-year-old man with end-stage renal disease undergoing chronic hemodialysis developed combined acute pneumonitis and pancytopenia after a cumulative dose of 20 mg methotrexate for bullous pemphigoid. Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) can effi ciently decrease serum methotrexate concentration. A rapid improvement of clinical symptoms and resolution of pulmonary opacifi cation were found after CRRT. Blood cell counts returned to normal after component blood transfusion and cytokine supportive therapy. Patients with impaired renal function are at high risk of methotrexate toxicity, and low-dose methotrexate should be prescribed with great caution.

A case of malignant atrophic papulosis with cranial nerve and peripheral nerve impairment

Malignant atrophic papulosisis is a rare, multisystem obliterative vasculopathy of unknown etiology, occasionally involving the cranial nerve. We describe the first case of malignant atrophic papulosisis with cranial nerve and peripheral nerve involvement in China. A 47-year-old woman presented to our hospital with atrophic porcelain white papules over the trunk and extremities, numbness in the right calf, vision decrease and impaired movement of the right eye. She was diagnosed with malignant atrophic papulosisis, based on characteristic symptoms and histopathologic examination. The patient was treated with dipyridamole and aspirin for 9 months, but later died of gastrointestinal hemorrhage. We reviewed currently available case reports on cranial nerve involvement in malignant atrophic papulosisis and emphasized the importance of skin biopsy in diagnosing this disease.

Cutaneous metastases from gastric adenocarcinoma 15 years after curative gastrectomy

We report the case of a 38-year-old man, who developed cutaneous metastases in the left inguinal groove 15 years after curative gastrectomy for advanced gastric adenocarcinoma. Histopathologic examination revealed poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma cells. They were stained positive for villin, CDX-2, CKpan (AE1/ AE3), CEA, CK8/18, CK19, CK7, EMA, Ki-67 (50%), and negative for S-100, CK20, CD34, GCDFP-15 and TTF-1. The patient underwent local excision, after the presence of other metastases was excluded. Nevertheless, local recurrence developed at the surgical bed one year later and PET/CT revealed metastases to lymph nodes, bone and skin. He died 2 years after the appearance of cutaneous metastases. We have reviewed the literature and described the immunohistochemical characteristics of cutaneous metastases from gastric adenocarcinoma.