Congenital primary cutaneous anaplastic large-cell lymphoma: a case report.

Primary cutaneous anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (C-ALCL) is the second most common type of primary cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. The median age of onset of C-ALCL is 60 years. Presented here is a case of congenital CD30-positive (CD30(+)) primary C-ALCL in a 10-day-old neonate who presented with a large erythematous indurative plaque in the right postauricular area. A systemic workup of the patient excluded other potential causes. The neonate was treated with wide excision, but chemotherapy or radiation therapy was not administered, as the patient's parents did not consent to such treatment. The patient has been monitored for 30 months after excision and there has been no disease recurrence. C-ALCL rarely occurs in children, and to the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a neonate with congenital primary C-ALCL.

Intravascular cytotoxic T-cell lymphoma in a young immunocompetent woman.

Intravascular lymphoma (IVL) is a rare disorder characterized by the presence of large neoplastic lymphoid cells restricted to the lumens of small vessels with a predilection for the skin and the central nervous system. While the vast majority of cases involving IVL are of B-cell lineage, the disease rarely affects the T-cell, the histiocytes, and the natural killer cells. We report a case of intravascular T-cell lymphoma (IVTL) associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). A 23-year-old healthy woman presented with tender indurated erythematous patches with overlying telangiectasia on her right breast, abdomen, both the upper and the lower extremities and the back for 3 months. The pathology revealed an infiltration of dermal and subcutaneous vessels by large and atypical lymphoid cells with immunohistochemical features of the T-cell lineage with a cytotoxic phenotype (CD3+, CD8+, granzyme B+, TIA-1+, CD4-, CD5-, CD20-, CD56-). Interestingly, the DNA extracted from the skin biopsies demonstrated evidence of a monoclonal immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangement, but no T-cell receptor gene rearrangement was found. In situ hybridization study for EBV-encoded RNA was positive. She was diagnosed with an EBV-associated IVTL. The patient's skin lesions were refractory to the combination of chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplant, and she expired. The findings in the present case may highlight the unique clinicopathologic aspects of EBV-associated cytotoxic IVTL that occurred in a young, immunocompetent woman.

Expression of Inflammatory Biomarkers from Cultured Sebocytes was Influenced by Treatment with Vitamin D.

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory cytokines are the key factor in the pathophysiology of acne. It is well known that keratinocytes synthesize many kinds of inflammatory cytokines. In addition, it is reported that inflammatory cytokines are also expressed from sebocytes, which originate from the same stem cells with keratinocytes. AIM: To clarify changes in the expression of inflammatory biomarkers from cultured sebocytes after treatment with vitamin D. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was done to measure changes in the expression of inflammatory biomarkers, including interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), IL-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and several subtypes of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) after treatment of a group of cultured sebocytes with vitamin D. Vitamin D receptor (VDR) small interfering RNA (siRNA) was added in the other group of cultured sebocytes to assure the role of vitamin D on the expression of inflammatory biomarkers. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was also performed in the vitamin D-treated sebocytes. RESULTS: Cultured sebocytes showed non-significant changes in the gene expression of inflammatory biomarkers after treatment with vitamin D. In cultured sebocytes treated with a VDR siRNA, the expression of inflammatory biomarkers was not blocked after treatment with vitamin D. ELISA showed a significant decrease in the expression of IL-6, IL-8, and MMP-9, but a significant increase in the expression of MMP-1 and MMP-3, after treatment with vitamin D (10(-6) M). CONCLUSION: Expression of inflammatory biomarkers is influenced by treatment with vitamin D in cultured sebocytes, but not through VDR.

The clinical significance of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and microscopic satellites in acral melanoma in a korean population.

BACKGROUND: There are various histological prognostic parameters of cutaneous malignant melanoma, including tumor thickness and ulceration. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) are among these parameters and can be further classified into three categories: 'absent', 'non-brisk' and 'brisk'. Brisk TIL usually indicates better clinical prognosis. Microscopic satellite (Ms) is defined as a nest of tumor cells that is greater than 0.05 mm in diameter and definitely separated from the main tumor. Even though the incidence of Ms varies according to Breslow thickness, the presence of Ms generally indicates poor prognosis. OBJECTIVE: Clinical significance of both TIL and Ms has been extensively studied in western populations but much less so in Asian countries, including Korea, where acral melanoma is the most common subtype. METHODS: We reviewed 90 patients with acral melanoma diagnosed at Kyungpook National University Hospital in Korea. Tissue specimens were examined using hematoxylin-eosin and HMB45 immunohistochemical staining. They were also evaluated by the presence and categorization of TIL (absent, non-brisk and brisk) and the presence of Ms. We further evaluated their impact on survival events (recurrence, distant metastasis and death). RESULTS: The number of survival events by TIL type was 22 in the absent category (22/64, 34.4%), 3 in the non-brisk category (3/25, 12.0%) and 0 in the brisk category. For Ms, survival events were present in 7 patients in Ms-present group (7/11, 63.6%) and 21 patients in Ms-absent group (21/79, 26.6%). CONCLUSION: We suggest the possibility of TIL and Ms as prognostic indicators for acral melanoma in Korean population.

Open clinical trial for evaluation of efficacy and safety of a portable "dry-type" iontophoretic device in treatment of palmar hyperhidrosis.

BACKGROUND: Palmar hyperhidrosis is characterized by excessive sweating on the palm. Although botulinum toxin is effective and safe treatment for palmar hyperhidrosis, some patients require inexpensive, easy-to-use therapeutic modalities. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a portable "dry-type" iontophoretic device for treatment of palmar hyperhidrosis. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-three volunteers with idiopathic palmar hyperhidrosis were enrolled; 20 completed the study. METHODS: Participants were instructed to grasp the device with the left palm for 20 minutes once a day for 4 weeks. Follow-up evaluation was conducted during 4 weeks after termination of the treatment session. Sweat intensity, Investigator Global Assessment (IGA), patient satisfaction assessment (PSA), and hydration capacitance were measured for evaluation of efficacy. Adverse effects were investigated for evaluation of safety. RESULTS: Statistically significantly greater improvement in IGA and hydration capacitance was achieved in the treated palm than in the untreated palm. Improvement in sweat intensity and PSA was not statistically significantly different in the treated and untreated palms. Two cases of mild local adverse effects were noted. CONCLUSION: The device is an effective therapeutic modality for palmar hyperhidrosis in addition to local injection of botulinum toxin, endoscopic sympathectomy, and conventional iontophoretic treatments.