Epidermolysis bullosa herpetiformis (Dowling-Meara type) exhibits ultrastructural derangement of tonofilaments and desmosomes

Ultrastructural and immunohistochemical studies of clinically intact skin obtained from three severe neonatal cases of epidermolysis bullosa herpetiformis (Dowling-Meara type) demonstrated disorders in the assembly of keratin intermediate filaments and desmosomes of the keratinocytes. During mitosis, K5- and K14-positive and K1- and K10-negative tonofilaments were disrupted and formed spherical bodies associated with intracytoplasmic desmosomes by invagination of the desmosomes and the adjacent plasma membrane. During the invagination process, destructive changes in the internalized membrane were noted. These were accompanied by gradual loss of reactivity with a monoclonal antibody ZK31, which detected plasma membrane adjacent to the attachment plaques of desmosomes. However, the reactivity of the attachment plaques of the internalized desmosomes for desmoplakins and desmoglein did not decline during the process of internalization. In the suprabasal layers of the epidermis, filamentous substructures and K1 and K10 appeared at the periphery of the spherical bodies. Simultaneously, the desmosomes that were sparsely located in the lower epidermis, increased in number as cell differentiation progressed. Thus, the keratinocytes attained an almost normal appearance with respect to tonofilaments and desmosomes by the time they reached the upper layer of the epidermis. These findings may be relevant to the mechanism responsible for the clinical appearance of the herpetiform blisters in epidermolysis bullosa herpetiformis, which are also characterized by spontaneous involution during childhood or when exposed to high ambient temperatures.Part of this work was presented at the annual meeting of the Japanese Society for Ultrastructural Cutaneous Biology, 12 May 1990, Tokushima, Japan, at the joint meeting of the Society for Cutaneous Ultrastructure Research and the Japanese Society for Ultrastructural Cutaneous Biology, 23–25 May 1991, Vienna, Austria, and at the sixth Conference on Disorders of Keratinization, 6 July 1991, Tokyo, Japan     

Pneumatised superior turbinate: a common anatomic variation?

Summary Anatomic variations are important in preendoscopic CT evaluation of the paranasal sinuses. In this study, we investigated whether the superior turbinate could become pneumatised like the middle turbinate, pneumatisation of which is well-known. Images of 52 patients who underwent CT examination prior to endoscopic sinus surgery and who had normally aerated posterior ethmoidal cells and an unobscured nasal cavity were retrospectively evaluated. The patients were 12–68 years old (median age, 35 years); 28 were women and 24 were men. Pneumatisation of the superior turbinates was graded in two groups as minimal or marked. Pneumatisation was evident in 25 patients (48%). 13 unilateral (25%), 8 bilateral (15%) pneumatisations were detected in the group graded as minimal, whereas 1 unilateral and 3 bilateral pneumatisations were present in the markedly (8%) pneumatised group of patients. Superior turbinates were seemingly aerated through the posterior ethmoid cells. The superior turbinates can be pneumatised as the middle turbinate is a not frequent anatomic variation that should be taken into account in preendoscopic CT evaluation of the paranasal sinuses.

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La pneumatisation du cornet nasal supérieur : une variation anatomique courante ?

Résumé Les variations anatomiques sont importantes à connaitre dans le cadre du bilan tomodensitométrique précédant une chirurgie endoscopique des sinus paranasaux. Dans cette étude, nous avons recherché si le cornet nasal supérieur pouvait être pneumatisé comme l'est le cornet nasal moyen, entité anatomique bien connue. Les images de 52 patients ayant eu une tomodensitométrie avant chirurgie endoscopique et montrant des cellules ethmoïdales postérieures normalement pneumatisées et une cavité nasale nonopaque, ont été évaluées rétrospectivement. Les patients, 28 femmes et 24 hommes, étaient âgés de 12 à 68 ans (moyenne : 35 ans). La pneumatisation du cornet nasal supérieur a été classée en deux groupes; minime et prononçée. Cette pneumatisation était patente chez 25 patients (48 %). Treize pneumatisations unilatérales (25 %) et 8 pneumatisations bilatérales (15 %) furent retrouvées dans le groupe présentant une pneumatisation minime alors que 1 pneumatisation unilatérale et 3 bilatérales (8 %) étaient présentes dans le groupe dont la pneumatisation était plus marquée. Les cornets nasaux supérieurs semblaient être aérés par les cellules ethmoïdales postérieures. Les cornets nasaux supérieurs peuvent être pneumatisés, comme le sont les cornets nasaux moyens, avec une fréquence non-exceptionnelle. Cette variation anatomique mérite d'être prise en considération dans le bilan tomodensitométrique précédant toute chirurgie endoscopique des sinus paranasaux.

     

14例大疱性表皮坏死松解型药疹治疗体会

报告14例大疱性表皮坏死松解型药疹的治疗。以磺胺类药和解热镇痛药引起者居多,各4例。皮损面积按九分法计算,皮损面积80％以上者9例,80％以上者5例,治愈9例,死亡5例,我们认为早期使用足够剂量皮质激素类药物是有效措施。病程中注意防治感染,给予足够的液体以防止水电解质失平衡,局部治疗使用本院中药“五黄油”。     

痒疹样营养不良型大疱性表皮松解症一家系调查

报告痒疹样营养不良型大疱性表皮松解症一家系调查结果。该家系共5代34名成员,其中患病者15例(男8例,女7例),属常染色体显性遗传。先证者,女性,18岁。于1岁左右双踝部出现数个水疱,双胫前皮肤在外伤、搔抓后形成圆形或卵圆形丘疹、结节,似米粒至花生米大,暗红色,质地较硬,部分皮损表面有痂壳。双足多个趾甲增厚或脱失。皮损组织病理学表现为多处表皮下裂隙形成,真皮内散在较多的表皮样囊肿,并有少量淋巴细胞浸润。该家系中其他患者的皮损与先证者类似。     

The eye in epidermolysis bullosa.

AIMS: To describe the ophthalmic findings in a large cohort of epidermolysis bullosa (EB) patients managed in one large specialist centre. METHODS: A case note review of consecutive patients seen at Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital. Data on the dermatological disease, ophthalmic history, and examination were collected and coded onto a data sheet. RESULTS: 181 patients: 50 (28%) simplex EB; 15 (8%) junctional EB; 28 (15%) autosomal dominant dystrophic EB; 72 (40%) autosomal recessive dystrophic EB; nine patients (5%) with dystrophic EB whose inheritance could not be ascertained; and seven cases (4%) of EB that could not be classified. Ocular problems were found in 12% (n = 6) of simplex patients and 40% (n = 6) of those with junctional disease. One patient (of 28) in the autosomal dominant dystrophic group had ocular involvement and 51% (37/72) of patients in the autosomal recessive dystrophic group had ophthalmic complications: corneal (25/72), lid ectropions (3/72), lid blisters (5/72), and symblepharon (3/72). CONCLUSION: Ophthalmic complications are common in EB overall but the incidence varies widely with subtype. Ophthalmic complications are the most severe in the dystrophic recessive and junctional subtypes where there is a need for extra vigilance. The major treatment modality was use of ocular lubricants.     

PCR-DNA直接测序检测1例单纯型大疱性表皮松解症Weber-Cockayne亚型(WC-EBS)患者角蛋白K5基因点突变

单纯型大疱性表皮松解症（ＥＢＳ）是一组常染色体显性的遗传性疾病，研究表明本病存在角蛋白Ｋ５／Ｋ１４基因点突变。ＥＢＳ的各个亚型突变发生部位有一定差异，其中Ｗｅｂｅｒ－Ｃｏｃｋａｙｎｅ亚型（ＷＣ－ＥＢＳ）突变多位于Ｋ５／Ｋ１４的连接区Ｌ１－２。本研究设计了扩增Ｋ５基因Ｌ１－２区ＤＮＡ片段的引物，应用ＰＣＲ对－ＷＣ－ＥＢＳ家系的患者及未发病成员进行扩增。ＰＣＲ产物测序发现患者Ｋ５第３４６密码子发生了Ａ→Ｃ的碱基替换，导致色氨酸（ＴＡＴ）变成丝氨酸（ＴＣＴ），而未发病成员则未见有碱基突变。结果表明，通过ＰＣＲ结合ＤＮＡ直接测序不失为快速、准确检测基因突变的方法。此外，连接区在角蛋白结构中不如螺旋区重要，因而此区基因突变对角蛋白二聚体形成的影响不大，这与临床上ＷＣ－ＥＢＳ病情相对较轻是一致的。     

痒疹样营养不良型大疱性表皮松解症两家系调查

目的：总结痒疹样营养不良型大疱性表皮松解症（DEBP）的临床病理及家系特点。方法：先证者的皮肤活检行组织病理和透射电镜检查,并对其家系进行实地调查。结果：家系1中8例患病,其中6例主要在小腿出现丘疹、结节,1例仅有甲营养不良,1例儿童在小腿发生水疱、糜烂、瘢痕。家系2中除先证者发生头皮毛囊炎、躯干白色丘疹样损害和小腿丘疹、结节外,3个姐姐仅有躯干白色丘疹样损害。小腿结节的组织病理检查显示表皮角化过度,棘层肥厚,表皮下裂隙形成,真皮浅层纤维组织增生、血管扩张,血管周围少数单个核细胞浸润。透射电镜检查发现水疱位于致密板下层,锚原纤维数量减少。结论：不同家族或家族内不同DEBP病例的临床表现差异较大,免疫荧光、透射电镜检查和突变分析可明确诊断。     

Thalidomide in the management of epidermolysis bullosa pruriginosa

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) pruriginosa is a distinctive clinical subtype of dystrophic EB. We report a patient with dominant dystrophic EB pruriginosa, who had an excellent response to systemic thalidomide treatment. The mechanism of action of thalidomide in the management of pruriginous disorders is not yet completely understood. Most recent studies point towards an immunomodulatory action of thalidomide that may suppress excessive production of tumour necrosis factor-alpha and may downregulate certain cell surface adhesion molecules involved in leucocyte migration.     

Pretibial dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa: a recessively inherited COL7A1 splice site mutation affecting procollagen VII processing

Pretibial epidermolysis bullosa (PEB) is a rare form of localized epidermolysis bullosa dystrophica (EBD), a heterogeneous group of inherited, blistering diseases characterized by scarring, loss of dermal-epidermal adhesion and altered anchoring fibrils (AF). Mutations in the type VII collagen gene (COL7A1) underlie EBD and in a dominant PEB family a glycine substitution mutation has been identified. We report a 33-year-old man affected by PEB showing abnormal AF and reduced immunostaining for type VII collagen. Mutation search in the COL7A1 gene revealed a 14 bp deletion in the 115 exon-intron boundary (33563del14), which resulted in the in-frame skipping of exon 115 with elimination of 29 amino acids from the pro-alpha1(VII) polypeptide chain. As a consequence, procollagen VII failed to be processed to mature collagen VII and accumulated at the dermal-epidermal junction, as revealed by immunofluorescence staining using a NC-2 domain-specific antibody. The proband's father was a clinically unaffected heterozygous carrier of mutation 33563del14, whereas the maternal pathogenetic mutation has still not been identified. This represents the first report of a recessive deletion mutation in PEB and extends the range of EBD phenotypes associated with mutation 33563del14.     

Normal expression of the 19-DEJ-1 epitope in two siblings with late-onset junctional epidermolysis bullosa

We describe two siblings with late-onset junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB) (formerly called epidermolysis junctionalis progressiva). This is a subtype of autosomal recessive JEB characterized by late onset of the symptoms, between the ages of 5 and 8 years. The symptoms are mechanobullous lesions preferentially situated on hands and feet, nail dystrophy, loss of dermatoglyphic pattern, tooth enamel abnormalities and hyperhidrosis. In most forms of JEB a reduction or absence of a specific hemidesmosomal component can be demonstrated by means of immunohistochemical analysis. In this family, all known involved hemidesmosomal components, including uncein, recognized by the monoclonal antibody 19-DEJ-1, appeared to be normally expressed.