Adult Onset of BRAF(V600E)-Mutated Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis with Cutaneous Involvement Successfully Diagnosed by Immunohistochemical Staining.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is characterized by the clonal proliferation of Langerhans cells; it is categorized as a single-system disease with single or multifocal lesions, and as a multi-system disease with or without the risk of organ involvement. Although the skin is not categorized as a risk organ, the precise diagnosis of skin lesions is necessary to determine the protocol for the treatment of LCH. In this report, we describe a 28-year-old Japanese man with adult onset of BRAF(V600E)-mutated LCH with cutaneous involvement successfully diagnosed by immunohistochemical staining. Our report suggests that immunohistochemical staining for the BRAF(V600E) gene could be a diagnostic tool to determine the clinical type of LCH.

Successful treatment of plasmacytosis circumorificialis with topical tacrolimus: two case reports and an immunohistochemical study.

Plasmacytosis circumorificialis (PLC), a benign chronic inflammatory disease with an unknown pathogenesis, is characterized by erythema, erosion nodules and ulcers around the openings of the human body. In this report, we describe two cases of PLC successfully treated with topical tacrolimus. Interestingly, immunohistochemical staining revealed that prominent CD163(+) proinflammatory macrophages and IL-17-producing cells were infiltrating around plasma cells, which might suggest the reason for the therapeutic effect of topical tacrolimus on PLC.

Successful treatment of cutaneous botryomycosis with a combination of minocycline and topical heat therapy.

Cutaneous botryomycosis is a chronic focal infection characterized by a granulomatous inflammatory response to bacterial pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus. Treatment requires antibiotic therapy and may also require surgical debridement. We employed topical heat therapy and oral minocycline. The lesions became flattened and pigmented after 1 month. We consider that this simple treatment can be an effective and harmless complementary therapy for cutaneous botryomycosis.

Successful Treatment of MMP-9-Expressing Angiosarcoma with Low-Dose Docetaxel and Bisphosphonate.

We describe a 78-year-old Japanese patient with angiosarcoma on the scalp. Interestingly, immunohistochemical staining revealed this tumor as positive for matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9). After conventional therapy for angiosarcoma with surgical treatment and radiation therapy, we intravenously administered docetaxel at 40 mg/m(2) body surface area together with oral administration of 17.5 mg sodium risedronate hydrate. One and a half years after the standard treatment, there was no evidence of local recurrence or metastasis.

Geographic tongue treated with topical tacrolimus.

BACKGROUND: Geographic tongue, or benign migratory glossitis, is usually an asymptomatic inflammatory disorder of the tongue mucosa of unknown etiology. It is characterized by circinate, erythematous, ulcer-like lesions of the dorsum and lateral border of the tongue due to loss of filiform papillae of the tongue epithelium. Symptomatic treatments have not been evaluated rigorously. MAIN OBSERVATION: We describe herein two cases of adult patients with persistent and painful geographic tongue successfully treated with topical application of 0.1% tacrolimus ointment. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first report of successful treatment with topical 0.1% tacrolimus for symptomatic geographic tongue. Clinical trials are needed to confirm the efficacy and the safety of topical tacrolimus in treating geographic tongue.

Analysis of the spacial requirements for RNA-protein interactions within the N antitermination complex of bacteriophage lambda.

In bacteriophage lambda, formation of a transcriptional antitermination complex consisting of the lambda N protein, nut RNA transcript (boxA-boxB), host factors, and RNA polymerase is mediated by the interaction of the boxB RNA with the RNA-binding domain of N. In order to understand the spacial requirements of this boxB/N interaction within the complex, the effects of changes in the length of the nut site linker, the boxB stem, and the peptide spacer connecting the RNA-binding domain and activation domain of N were examined using a bacterial reporter system. As a result, we found that the requirements for the boxB stem length and N peptide linker length were optimized and strict. In contrast, when the boxB/N interaction was replaced by heterologous RNA/peptide interactions, the strict requirement for the length of the peptide linker and the RNA stem was relaxed, presumably due to the absence of the interaction between boxB/N and the host factor NusA in the wild-type complex. It was also shown that the decrease in activity upon stem lengthening could be partially suppressed by simultaneous lengthening of the RNA spacer, suggesting that a further understanding of the organization of the antitermination complex may provide insights into the engineering of functional ribonucleoprotein complexes.

Replacement of the lambda boxB RNA-N peptide with heterologous RNA-peptide interactions relaxes the strict spatial requirements for the formation of a transcription anti-termination complex.

In bacteriophage lambda, formation of a transcriptional anti-termination complex involving the elongating RNA polymerase is mediated by the interaction of boxB RNA with the RNA-binding domain of the N protein (N peptide). In an attempt to understand the spatial requirements for boxB/N peptide interaction within the anti-termination complex, the effects of changes in the distance between boxA and boxB RNA, the length of the boxB stem, and the distance between the N peptide and remainder of the N protein were examined using a bacterial reporter system. It was found that the requirements for boxB stem length and the distance between N peptide and the remainder of N were optimized and strict. In contrast, replacement of the boxB/N interaction by heterologous RNA-peptide interactions appeared to relax the strict requirement for RNA stem length and the orientation of the RNA-binding peptide, presumably due to the absence of the cooperative interaction between boxB/N and the host factor NusA. In addition, the decrease in activity upon stem lengthening could be partially suppressed by simultaneous lengthening of the RNA spacer. A further understanding of the structural organization of the anti-termination complex may provide insights into how functional ribonucleoprotein complexes may be engineered.

A simple method to treat an ingrowing toenail with a shape-memory alloy device.

An ingrowing toenail has no definitive treatment. Previously, effective methods were complicated but easy ones had less effect. We show both an easy and an effective way with Cu-Al-Mn-based shape-memory alloys (SMAs). They have a characteristic shape which patients themselves can detach easily without any pain. But they also have enough corrective force. Cu-based SMAs cost much less than Ni-Ti-based alloys. Despite not being appropriate for all cases of ingrowing toenails, it is an easy, effective and less costly alternative.