Consensus statement on the diagnosis and treatment of sclerosing diseases of the skin, Part 2: Scleromyxoedema and scleroedema.

The term 'sclerosing diseases of the skin' comprises specific dermatological entities, which have fibrotic changes of the skin in common. These diseases mostly manifest in different clinical subtypes according to cutaneous and extracutaneous involvement and can sometimes be difficult to distinguish from each other. The present consensus provides an update to the 2017 European Dermatology Forum Guidelines, focusing on characteristic clinical and histopathological features, diagnostic scores and the serum autoantibodies most useful for differential diagnosis. In addition, updated strategies for the first- and advanced-line therapy of sclerosing skin diseases are addressed in detail. Part 2 of this consensus provides clinicians with an overview of the diagnosis and treatment of scleromyxoedema and scleroedema (of Buschke).

Activation of NLRP3 Inflammasome in the Skin of Patients with Systemic and Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus.

NLRP3 inflammasome is suggested to contribute to the complex pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus, but its role in cutaneous lupus erythematosus has not been addressed. This study investigated the expression of NLRP3 inflammasome components and levels of type I interferons in the skin of 20 patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Expression of NLRP1/3, adaptor protein ASC (apoptosis-associated speck-like protein), caspase-1, interferon-α (IFN-α), myxovirus resistance protein (MxA), and interferon-induced proteins 1 and 2 (IFIT 1/2) in the skin was assessed using reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR), western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Serum interferon-α protein levels from 12 patients were measured using digital enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA). Interleukin-1ß expression was significantly upregulated in the lesional skin of patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus compared with their uninvolved skin. However, NLRP1/3, ASC and caspase-1 were not significantly upregulated compared with the skin of control persons. IFN-α and IFN-induced proteins MxA and IFIT1/2 were strongly expressed in cutaneous lupus erythematosus skin. Variability in the expression of NLRP3 inflammasome components among patients suggests heterogeneity of pathological pathways in cutaneous lupus erythematosus.

Granuloma Annulare and Morphea: Correlation with Borrelia burgdorferi Infections and Chlamydia-related Bacteria.

A retrospective study of 109 skin biopsies with granuloma annulare (GA) or morphea histology from patients with suspected tick bite was performed. Biopsies were tested for cutaneous Borrelia burgdorferi DNA using PCR. The same biopsies were analysed for tick-borne novel agents, Chlamydia-related bacteria (members of the Chlamydiales order), using a PCR-based method. Borrelia DNA was detected in 7/73 (9.6%) biopsies with GA and in 1/36 (2.8 %) biopsies with morphea, while Chlamydiales DNA was found in 53/73 (72.6%) biopsies with GA and 25/34 (73.4%) biopsies with morphea. All Borrelia DNA-positive GA samples were also positive for Chlamydiales DNA. The Chlamydiales sequences detected in GA were heterogeneous and contained Waddliaceae and Rhabdochlamydiaceae bacteria, which are also present in Ixodes ricinus ticks, while the Chlamydiales sequences detected in morphea closely resembled those found in healthy skin. In conclusion, tick-mediated infections can trigger GA in some cases, while correlation of either Borrelia or Chlamydiales with morphea is unlikely.

Genome-wide association study identifies new susceptibility loci for cutaneous lupus erythematosus.

Cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease of the skin with typical clinical manifestations. Here, we genotyped 906 600 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 183 CLE cases and 1288 controls of Central European ancestry. Replication was performed for 13 SNPs in 219 case subjects and 262 controls from Finland. Association was particularly pronounced at 4 loci, all with genomewide significance (P < 5 × 10(-8) ): rs2187668 (PGWAS  = 1.4 × 10(-12) ), rs9267531 (PGWAS  = 4.7 × 10(-10) ), rs4410767 (PGWAS  = 1.0 × 10(-9) ) and rs3094084 (PGWAS  = 1.1 × 10(-9) ). All mentioned SNPs are located within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region of chromosome 6 and near genes of known immune functions or associations with other autoimmune diseases such as HLA-DQ alpha chain 1 (HLA-DQA1), MICA, MICB, MSH5, TRIM39 and RPP21. For example, TRIM39/RPP21 read through transcript is a known mediator of the interferon response, a central pathway involved in the pathogenesis of CLE and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Taken together, this genomewide analysis of disease association of CLE identified candidate genes and genomic regions that may contribute to pathogenic mechanisms in CLE via dysregulated antigen presentation (HLA-DQA1), apoptosis regulation, RNA processing and interferon response (MICA, MICB, MSH5, TRIM39 and RPP21).

The many faces of solitary and multiple erythema migrans.

Case definitions for European Lyme disease have been published. However, multiple erythema migrans may pose a diagnostic challenge. Therefore, we retrospectively reviewed the clinical and serological findings and response to therapy in a cohort of consecutive 54 patients with PCR-confirmed erythema migrans, referred to a university dermatology clinic. The proportion of patients with multiple erythema migrans lesions (usually 2 or 3) was almost equal (46%) to the proportion of patients with single erythema migrans lesions (54%). All patients, except for 2 multiple erythema migrans patients with a concomitant autoimmune disease, completely responded to treatment. In conclusion, multiple erythema migrans may be more common than anticipated, and since only 50% of the patients were seropositive when seeking medi-cal help, PCR testing of skin lesions is helpful to confirm the diagnosis in clinically atypical cases.

Accurate diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid requires multiple health care visits.

Introduction: Accurate use of diagnostic codes is crucial for epidemiological and genetic research based on electronic health record (EHR) data. Methods: This retrospective study validated the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 diagnostic code L12.0 for bullous pemphigoid (BP) using EHR data from two Finnish university hospitals. We found 1225 subjects with at least one EHR entry of L12.0 between 2009 and 2019. BP diagnosis was based on clinical findings characteristic of BP and positive findings on direct immunofluorescence (DIF), BP180-NC16A enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) assay. Results: True BP was found in 901 patients; the positive predictive value (PPV) for L12.0 was 73.6% (95% CI 71.0-76.0). L12.0 was more accurately registered in dermatology units than any specialized health care units (p<0.001). Including patients with multiple L12.0 registrations (≥3), increased the accuracy of the L12.0 code in both dermatology units and other settings. Discussion: One diagnostic code of L12.0 is not enough to recognize BP in a large epidemiological data set; including only L12.0 registered in dermatology units and excluding cases with <3 L12.0 record entries markedly increases the PPV of BP diagnosis.

Replication of GWAS-identified systemic lupus erythematosus susceptibility genes affirms B-cell receptor pathway signalling and strengthens the role of IRF5 in disease susceptibility in a Northern European population.

OBJECTIVE: A large number of genes, including several not previously implicated in SLE susceptibility, have recently been identified or confirmed by genome-wide association studies (GWAS). In this study, we sought to replicate some of these results in Finnish SLE patients (n = 275) and control individuals (n = 356). METHODS: We genotyped 32 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 12 of the best-supported GWAS-identified SLE genes and loci. We further investigated gene-gene interactions between the loci included in the study. RESULTS: The strongest evidence of association was found at the IRF5-TNPO3 locus, with the most significant P-value being 2.0 × 10(-7) and an odds ratio of 1.95 (95% CI 1.51, 2.50). Association between SLE and TNFAIP3, FAM167A-BLK, BANK1 and KIAA1542 was also confirmed, although at a lower significance level and contribution to individual risk. No significant association was found with 1q25.1, PXK, ATG5, ICA1, XKR6, LYN and SCUBE1. Furthermore, no significant gene-gene interactions were detected. CONCLUSION: Replication of previous GWAS findings across diverse populations is of importance to validate these associations and to get a better understanding of potential genetic heterogeneity between populations in SLE susceptibility. Our results attest the importance of B-cell receptor pathway and IFN signalling in SLE pathogenesis.

Clinical manifestations and comorbidities of pemphigus: a retrospective case-control study in southern Finland

Background: Pemphigus is associated with several autoimmune, dermatological, and psychiatric diseases. Previous studies have reported an increasing incidence of pemphigus in Finland, particularly pemphigus foliaceus and erythematosus. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the clinical presentation and associated comorbidities in pemphigus patients. Materials & Methods: We retrospectively assessed 66 pemphigus patients in Helsinki University Hospital and, with an age-standardised control group, performed a comparison of the studied comorbidities. Results: The patients displayed a 0.8 female:male distribution and a mean age of 57.4 years. Pemphigus vulgaris (41%), foliaceus (30%), and erythematosus (15%) were the most common subtypes. Hypertension (30%) and dyslipidaemia (21%) were the most prevalent comorbidities. We found a statistically significant association between pemphigus and a past history of, or concurrent malignancies and atopic dermatitis (p = 0.002 and p = 0.028, respectively). No significant difference was observed in the prevalence of cardiovascular disease, asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease, type I or II diabetes mellitus, inflammatory bowel disease, depression, or anxiety. Erosions (65%), bullae (59%), and crusted lesions (55%) were observed in most patients. Half of the patients experienced pruritus before or at diagnosis. Pruritus was associated with pemphigus without mucosal involvement (p = 0.01). Conclusion: We found a significant association between pemphigus and atopic dermatitis and a history of malignancy. The clinical picture frequently included pruritus. These results support the findings of some recent studies of pruritus occurring more frequently in patients with pemphigus foliaceus and cutaneous pemphigus vulgaris.

Expression and sequence diversity of the complement regulating outer surface protein E in Borrelia afzelii vs. Borrelia garinii in patients with erythema migrans or neuroborreliosis.

Outer surface protein E (OspE) is a complement factor H-binding virulence factor of borrelial subspecies. It is usually absent from in vitro grown Borrelia garinii, although in vivo B. garinii causes neuroborreliosis (NB). We analyzed the presence and sequence spectrum of the ospE genes in vivo in Borrelia spirochetes. DNA samples from the skin, serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with infections caused by Borrelia afzelii or B. garinii were studied, and anti-OspE antibodies in the corresponding patient sera were detected by IgG ELISA using recombinant OspE as an antigen. ospE genes were found in 20 of 23 erythema migrans (EM) skin biopsies with B. afzelii, in 2 EM skin biopsies with unknown underlying subspecies, in 5 of 9 EM biopsies with B. garinii, and in 1 of 4 CSF samples of NB patients with B. garinii infection. All OspE sequences from B. garinii samples were identical. In contrast, OspE of B. afzelii origin showed more variation. Anti-OspE antibodies were found in 8/21 (38.0%) sera from patients with B. afzelii-associated EM. In conclusion, our results indicate that all borrelial subspecies, but not necessarily all strains, causing human infections can carry ospE genes to protect themselves against complement attack in vivo.

Tyrosine kinase 2 and interferon regulatory factor 5 polymorphisms are associated with discoid and subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus.

Lupus erythematosus (LE) is a heterogeneous disease ranging from skin-restricted manifestations to a progressive multisystem disease. The specific skin lesions include chronic cutaneous, subacute cutaneous and acute cutaneous LE. Both genetic and environmental factors are involved in the development of LE. However, reports on the genetic background of cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) forms, namely discoid (DLE) and subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE), are sparse. We investigated whether the known systemic LE (SLE) susceptibility genes also predispose to CLE. Altogether, 219 Finnish patients with DLE or SCLE and 356 healthy controls were recruited. Single nucleotide polymorphisms tagging reported risk genes were genotyped. Tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) rs2304256 was associated with increased risk of DLE (P = 0.012, OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.01-1.98). Expression of TYK2 was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry in macrophage-like cells and neutrophils and interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5) in macrophage- and fibroblast-like cells of DLE, SCLE and SLE skin. IRF5 rs10954213 showed association with DLE (P = 0.017, OR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.06-1.86) and SCLE (P = 0.022, OR = 1.87, 95% CI = 1.09-3.21). A haplotype of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA4) showed association with DLE (P = 0.0065, OR = 2.51, 95% CI = 1.25-5.04). Our results show that the TYK2, IRF5 and CTLA4 genes previously associated with SLE also confer risk for DLE and SCLE, suggesting that different LE subphenotypes may share pathogenetic pathways.

Complement evasion strategies of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato.

Borreliosis (Lyme disease) is a spirochetal disease caused by the species complex of Borrelia burgdorferi transmitted by Ixodes spp. ticks. Recorded to be the most common tick-borne disease in the world, the last two decades have seen an increase in disease incidence and distribution, exceeding 360 000 cases in Europe alone. If untreated, infection may cause skin symptoms, arthritis, and neurological or cardiac complications. Borrelia spirochetes have developed strategies to evade the mammalian host immune system. These include the complement system, which is an important first-line defense mechanism against invading microbes. To evade the complement, spirochetes bind soluble complement regulators factor H (FH), factor H-like protein, and C4bp to their outer surfaces. B. burgdorferi spirochetes can inhibit the classical pathway of complement by the outer surface protein (Osp) BBK32, which blocks the activation of the C1 complex, composed of C1q, C1r, and C1s. The FH-binding proteins of borreliae include Osps OspE, CspA, and CspZ. Following repeated infections, antibodies against these proteins develop and may provide functional immunity against borreliosis. This review discusses critical immune evasion strategies, focusing on complement evasion by borreliae.

Depression and Anxiety in Patients with Bullous Pemphigoid: Impact and Management Challenges.

Bullous pemphigoid is the most common autoimmune subepidermal blistering disease of the skin and mucous membranes. It is also associated with high mortality and poor prognosis due to advanced age of the patients and coexisting comorbidities. There is a dearth of data in the literature regarding depression and anxiety among those patients. The objective of this brief review is to discuss the intertwining relationship between depression and anxiety with bullous pemphigoid.

Correction: Hokynar, K. et al. Chlamydia-Like Organisms (CLOs) in Finnish Ixodes ricinus Ticks and Human Skin. Microorganisms 2016, 4, 28.

The authors wish to make the following modification to this paper [...].

Outer surface protein E antibody response and its effect on complement factor H binding to OspE in Lyme borreliosis.

Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto and B. afzelii, but not B. garinii, are able to escape complement attack by binding factor H via OspE proteins. Recent finding of ospE genes also in B. garinii isolates has raised the question whether, under in vivo-conditions, B. garinii also expresses OspE proteins and consequently induces an antibody response. We set up an IgG ELISA by using recombinant OspE as an antigen. Sixty percent of acute and 64% of convalescent 25 erythema migrans patient samples were positive for anti-OspE antibodies. Anti-OspE antibodies were also found in the sera (83.6%) and cerebrospinal fluids (36%) of patients with neuroborreliosis. Since B. garinii is the major causative agent of neuroborreliosis, the result suggests that OspE is expressed by B. garinii in vivo. Of the 10 acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans patients, 80% had anti-OspE antibodies. Anti-OspE antibody positive sera inhibited factor H binding to Borrelia more efficiently than normal control sera (65% vs. 33.7%). Our results indicate that Borrelia spirochetes, including B. garinii, can induce the production of anti-OspE antibodies. This implies that OspE protein is produced in vivo by B. garinii possibly enabling it to escape complement and cause a CNS infection.

Chlamydia-Like Organisms (CLOs) in Finnish Ixodes ricinus Ticks and Human Skin.

Ticks carry several human pathogenic microbes including Borreliae and Flavivirus causing tick-born encephalitis. Ticks can also carry DNA of Chlamydia-like organisms (CLOs). The purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence of CLOs in ticks and skin biopsies taken from individuals with suspected tick bite. DNA from CLOs was detected by pan-Chlamydiales-PCR in 40% of adult ticks from southwestern Finland. The estimated minimal infection rate for nymphs and larvae (studied in pools) was 6% and 2%, respectively. For the first time, we show CLO DNA also in human skin as 68% of all skin biopsies studied contained CLO DNA as determined through pan-Chlamydiales-PCR. Sequence analyses based on the 16S rRNA gene fragment indicated that the sequences detected in ticks were heterogeneous, representing various CLO families; whereas the majority of the sequences from human skin remained "unclassified Chlamydiales" and might represent a new family-level lineage. CLO sequences detected in four skin biopsies were most closely related to "uncultured Chlamydial bacterium clones from Ixodes ricinus ticks" and two of them were very similar to CLO sequences from Finnish ticks. These results suggest that CLO DNA is present in human skin; ticks carry CLOs and could potentially transmit CLOs to humans.

Complement system in dermatological diseases - fire under the skin.

The complement system plays a key role in several dermatological diseases. Overactivation, deficiency, or abnormality of the control proteins are often related to a skin disease. Autoimmune mechanisms with autoantibodies and a cytotoxic effect of the complement membrane attack complex on epidermal or vascular cells can cause direct tissue damage and inflammation, e.g., in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), phospholipid antibody syndrome, and bullous skin diseases like pemphigoid. By evading complement attack, some microbes like Borrelia spirochetes and staphylococci can persist in the skin and cause prolonged symptoms. In this review, we present the most important skin diseases connected to abnormalities in the function of the complement system. Drugs having an effect on the complement system are also briefly described. On one hand, drugs with free hydroxyl on amino groups (e.g., hydralazine, procainamide) could interact with C4A, C4B, or C3 and cause an SLE-like disease. On the other hand, progress in studies on complement has led to novel anti-complement drugs (recombinant C1-inhibitor and anti-C5 antibody, eculizumab) that could alleviate symptoms in diseases associated with excessive complement activation. The main theme of the manuscript is to show how relevant the complement system is as an immune effector system in contributing to tissue injury and inflammation in a broad range of skin disorders.

Recombinant OspC from Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. afzelii and B. garinii in the serodiagnosis of Lyme borreliosis.

Genes for the outer-surface protein C (OspC) from three north European human isolates of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. afzelii and B. garinii were cloned and sequenced. Polyhistidine-tagged recombinant OspC (rOspC) proteins were produced in Escherichia coli and used, after biotinylation, as antigens on streptavidin-coated plates in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). In IgM ELISA, 30% (5/17) and 35% (6/17) of patients with erythema migrans (EM) in the acute or convalescent phase, respectively, reacted with one to three rOspCs. Of the patients, 53% (8/15) with neuroborreliosis (NB) and 53% (8/15) with Lyme arthritis (LA) had IgM antibodies to OspC. The immunoreactivity was stronger against rOspC from B. afzelii and B. garinii than against rOspC from B. burgdorferi sensu stricto. In early Lyme borreliosis (LB), rOspC and flagella performed equally well in detecting IgM antibodies. Cross-reactive antibodies to rOspC were observed in serum samples from patients with rheumatoid factor positivity and with syphilis or Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. In IgM ELISA, thiocyanate in the serum dilution buffer reduced EBV-associated non-specific positive reactions. Of the patient sera examined in IgG ELISA, 30% (5/17) with EM in the acute phase, 35% (6/17) with EM in the convalescent phase, 33% (5/15) with NB and 60% (9/15) with LA were positive. Because of the heterogeneity of OspC, a polyvalent antigen with several OspC variants from at least B. afzelii and B. garinii is needed to improve the sensitivity of OspC ELISA in the serodiagnosis of LB in Europe.