Comparison of racial distribution of photodermatoses in USA academic dermatology clinics: A multicenter retrospective analysis of 1080 patients over a 10-year period.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies at single academic institutions have identified variations in the prevalence of photodermatoses among racial groups. The purpose of the study was to compare the distribution of photodermatoses between Whites and Blacks at four academic medical centers in the USA. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed at four institutions' general dermatology clinics using diagnoses consistent with the International Classification of Disease (ICD), Ninth and Tenth Revisions, codes related to photodermatoses between August 2006 and August 2016. A total of 9736 charts were manually reviewed and classified. Analyses were performed analyzing the frequency of photodermatoses between Whites and Blacks in the pooled data. RESULTS: There were 1,080 patients with photodermatoses identified. Statistically significant differences in the frequency of photodermatoses between Whites and Blacks were identified for polymorphous light eruption (more common in Blacks), photoallergic contact dermatitis, phototoxic drug eruption, phytophotodermatitis, porphyria, and solar urticaria (more common in Whites). The most commonly diagnosed photodermatoses were polymorphous light eruption (total 672), and photodermatitis not otherwise specified (total 189). CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated significantly higher proportions of polymorphous light eruption in Blacks, and higher proportions of photoallergic contact dermatitis, phototoxic drug eruptions, phytophotodermatitis, porphyrias, and solar urticaria in Whites.

Development of glandular models from human nasal progenitor cells.

Hyperplasia/hypertrophy of submucosal glands contributes to mucus overproduction in chronic diseases of the upper and lower respiratory tracts, especially in adult and pediatric chronic rhinosinusitis. Mechanisms that lead to glandular hyperplasia/hypertrophy are markedly understudied, reflecting a lack of in vitro model systems wherein airway epithelial progenitor cells differentiate into glandular cells. In this study, we developed and compared several in vitro three-dimensional systems using human nasal epithelial basal cells (HNEBCs) cultured by different methods on two types of extracellular matrices. We demonstrate that HNEBCs cultured on Matrigel (Corning, Tewksbury, MA) form glandular acini-like structures, whereas HNEBCs embedded in a collagen type I matrix form a network of tubules. Fibroblast-conditioned medium increases tubule formation in collagen type I. In contrast, HNEBCs cocultured with fibroblasts self-aggregate into organotypic structures with tubules and acini. These observations provide morphological evidence that HNEBCs are pluripotent and retain the capacity to differentiate into structures resembling specific structural components of submucosal glands depending on the extracellular matrices and culture conditions. The resultant models should prove useful in targeting cross-talk between epithelial cells and fibroblasts to decipher molecular mechanisms and specific signals responsible for the development of glandular hyperplasia/hypertrophy, which in turn may lead to new therapeutic strategies for chronic rhinosinusitis and other inflammatory respiratory diseases characterized by glandular hyperplasia/hypertrophy.

Aggressive meningioma presents as innocuous forehead lesion: a case report.

Cutaneous meningiomas are very rare neoplasms. In this case report we document a type III (anaplastic meningioma) presenting as a subcutaneous forehead mass. Anaplastic meningiomas arise from the neuraxis. They are biologically aggressive neoplasms that extend into the dermis or subcutaneous tissue via direct extension through the bone.

Senescence-Like Phenotypes in Human Nevi.

Cellular senescence is an irreversible arrest of cell proliferation at the G1 stage of the cell cycle in which cells become refractory to growth stimuli. Senescence is a critical and potent defense mechanism that mammalian cells use to suppress tumors. While there are many ways to induce a senescence response, oncogene-induced senescence (OIS) remains the key to inhibiting progression of cells that have acquired oncogenic mutations. In primary cells in culture, OIS induces a set of measurable phenotypic and behavioral changes, in addition to cell cycle exit. Senescence-associated ß-Galactosidase (SA-ß-Gal) activity is a main hallmark of senescent cells, along with morphological changes that may depend on the oncogene that is activated, or on the primary cell type. Characteristic cellular changes of senescence include increased size, flattening, multinucleation, and extensive vacuolation. At the molecular level, tumor suppressor genes such as p53 and p16 INK4A may play a role in initiation or maintenance of OIS. Activation of a DNA damage response and a senescence-associated secretory phenotype could delineate the onset of senescence. Despite advances in our understanding of how OIS suppresses some tumor types, the in vivo role of OIS in melanocytic nevi and melanoma remains poorly understood and not validated. In an effort to stimulate research in this field, we review in this chapter the known markers of senescence and provide experimental protocols for their identification by immunofluorescent staining in melanocytic nevi and malignant melanoma.

Teledermatology-directed surgical care is safe and reduces travel.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review and identified 186 Veterans in the VA Corporate Data Warehouse as having malignant melanomas or severely dysplastic nevi during the four-year period of observation from 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2013 and met inclusion and exclusion criteria for analysis. RESULTS: Three hundred and sixty-six surgical procedures were performed for diagnosis and treatment of these conditions including biopsy and wide-local excision, of which 189 carefully selected cases were performed by primary care clinicians with 2.0% biopsy complication rate and a 7.7% wide-local excision complication rate. Cases not performed by primary care providers were referred to specialists (e.g. dermatologists, general surgeons or specialty surgeons) who had a 2.5% complication rate in biopsies and wide-local excision complication rate of 13.5% in severely dysplastic nevi and pTis and pT1a lesions and a 10.7% complication rate for lesions pT1b and greater. DISCUSSION: These results show that a significant fraction of surgical procedures for diagnosis and treatment of malignant melanoma and severely dysplastic nevi can be safely performed in rural clinics by trained primary care providers.

Genomic analyses of aminergic signaling systems (dopamine, octopamine and serotonin) in Daphnia pulex.

Amines are one class of signaling molecules used by nervous systems. In crustaceans, four amines are recognized: dopamine, histamine, octopamine, and serotonin. While much is known about the physiological actions of amines in crustaceans, little is known about them at the molecular level. Recently, we mined the Daphnia pulex genome for proteins required for histaminergic signaling. Here, we expand this investigation, mining the D. pulex genome for proteins necessary for dopamine, octopamine and serotonin signaling. Using known Drosophila protein sequences, the D. pulex database was queried for genes encoding homologs of amine biosynthetic enzymes, receptors and transporters. Among the proteins identified were the biosynthetic enzymes tryptophan-phenylalanine hydroxylase (dopamine, octopamine and serotonin), tyrosine hydroxylase (dopamine), DOPA decarboxylase (dopamine and serotonin), tyrosine decarboxylase (octopamine), tyramine ß-hydroxylase (octopamine) and tryptophan hydroxylase (serotonin), as well as receptors for each amine and several amine transporters (dopamine and serotonin). Comparisons of the Daphnia proteins with their Drosophila queries showed high sequence identity/similarity, particularly in domains required for function. The data presented in this study provide the first molecular descriptions of dopamine, octopamine and serotonin signaling systems in Daphnia, and provide foundations for future molecular, biochemical, anatomical, and physiological investigations of aminergic signaling in this species.