Solitary Interdigital Condyloma Latum in a Female Adolescent: A Case Report of an Unusual Form of Secondary Syphilis.

Condylomata lata are flat-topped, moist papules or plaques usually found in the anogenital area as cutaneous manifestations of secondary syphilis. Here, we present a unique case of a solitary interdigital condyloma latum of secondary syphilis in a 16-year-old female sex worker without other cutaneous findings. Sexual contact history, histopathology, including direct detection of Treponema pallidum, and serological tests were essential for the diagnosis of this case. The patient reached serological cure with two doses of intramuscularly delivered penicillin G benzathine. Owing to the dramatic rise in the incidence of primary and secondary syphilis, medical workers should be aware of the atypical skin manifestations of secondary syphilis in adolescents who are at risk of acquiring sexually transmitted diseases to avoid the progression to late syphilis and further transmission to sexual partners.

ULK1 Inhibition as a Targeted Therapeutic Strategy for Psoriasis by Regulating Keratinocytes and Their Crosstalk With Neutrophils.

Psoriasis is a common inflammatory skin disease resulting from an interplay of keratinocytes and immune cells. Previous studies have identified an essential role of autophagy in the maintenance of epidermal homeostasis including proliferation and differentiation. However, much less is known about the role of autophagy-related proteins in the cutaneous immune response. Herein, we showed that ULK1, the key autophagic initiator, and its phosphorylation at Ser556 were distinctively decreased in the epidermis from lesional skin of psoriasis patients. Topical application of SBI0206965, a selective ULK1 inhibitor, significantly attenuated epidermal hyperplasia, infiltration of neutrophils, and transcripts of the psoriasis-related markers in imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasiform dermatitis (PsD). In vitro, ULK1 impairment by siRNA and SBI0206965 arrested cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis of keratinocytes but had a marginal effect on the expression of proinflammatory mediators under steady status. Surprisingly, SBI0206965 blocked the production of chemokines and cytokines in keratinocytes stimulated by neutrophils. Of interest, the pro-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects of ULK1 inhibition cannot be fully replicated by autophagic inhibitors. Our findings suggest a self-regulatory process by downregulating ULK1 to maintain the immune homeostasis of psoriatic skin via regulating keratinocytes and their crosstalk with neutrophils, possibly through both autophagy-dependent and independent mechanisms. ULK1 might be a potential target for preventing or treating psoriasis.

A giant local interneuron modulates the rhythmic activities of the antennal lobe in Pupae Drosophila.

In Drosophila, olfaction is tightly related to feeding and reproduction. There are three classes of neurons forming synapses in the olfactory circuit: the olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs), projection neurons (PNs), and local interneurons (LNs). Here, we showed that giant local interneurons named GLNs, which were different from the classical neurons in the olfactory circuits, displayed distinctive rhythmic activities in the dorsolateral side of antennal lobe (AL) in Drosophila Pupae. Anatomically, GLNs were much larger than ipsilateral LNs and extended arborizations throughout the AL. Electrophysiologically, GLN exhibited typical 4-phased rhythmic spontaneous membrane activities, and the surrounding cells were dye-coupled when biocytin was injected into the cell body of GLN. Our study demonstrated that spontaneous activities of GLNs correlated with that of LNs and PNs. After the GLNs were damaged, the membrane activities of ipsilateral LNs and PNs became smaller, but faster. By depressing the firing frequencies of PNs and LNs, GLNs modulated the synchronization of AL and might play an important role as a "modulator" in the local circuit.