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J J Zone

Publications and source records attributed to J J Zone.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Immunogold localization of the 97-kD antigen of linear IgA bullous dermatosis (LABD) detected with patients' sera.

The classification of linear IgA bullous dermatosis in the group of subepidermal blistering diseases is still a matter of controversy. This situation is due partly to the considerable clinical heterogeneity of the disease but also results from the difficulties in characterization and localization of the specific basement membrane zone antigen(s) recognized by immunoglobulin (Ig)A antibodies. In the present study, we have combined the Western blot detection of circulating autoantibodies with an ultrastructural immunogold labeling of human skin antigens using the same patients' sera. Our results, obtained with a short series of sera showing exclusive IgA class reactivity with the epidermal portion of salt-split skin, indicate that the antibodies recognizing the 97-kD antigen on immunoblot bind to the hemidesmosomal plaques of basal keratinocytes and the adjacent lamina lucida. These homogeneous laboratory results remain in striking contrast to the heterogeneity of clinical pictures in the patients studied, suggesting a participation of complementary, possibly not humoral, phenomena in the pathogenesis of linear IgA bullous dermatosis.

Antigens↗

Antigenic specificity of antibodies from patients with linear basement membrane deposition of IgA.

We reviewed the immunoreactivity of sera binding to the epidermal side of basement membrane split skin from 13 adults and 8 children with IgA alone, 9 adults with IgA and IgG and 7 adults with IgA and ocular pemphigoid. Immunoblots were done against previously described 45-, 97-, 180- and 230-kD antigens, and reactivity was confirmed by elution of antibody from nitrocellulose and binding to the basement membrane. Ten of 13 adults and 7 of 8 children reacted with the 97-kD antigen. Sera with both IgA and IgG reacted in varying patterns and on occasion with more than 1 antigen. All 7 patients with ocular cicatricial pemphigoid reacted uniquely with a 45-kD antigen.

Adult↗

Antigen identification in drug-induced bullous pemphigoid.

Immunobullous diseases usually develop spontaneously, but drug-induced bullous disease develops in a small subgroup of patients. We examined a patient in whom bullous pemphigoid developed after she received enalapril for treatment of hypertension. IgG antibody directed against a 230 kd antigen was identified. The eluted IgG autoantibody was shown to bind to the basement membrane zone on split skin. This study demonstrates that drug-induced bullous pemphigoid autoantibody in this patient was directed against the same antigen as the spontaneous bullous pemphigoid antigen.

Aged↗

Immunoblotting studies of linear IgA disease.

Patients with linear IgA deposits at the basement membrane zone (BMZ) detected by direct immunofluorescence (IF) may show diverse clinical and laboratory findings. The aim of this study was to investigate the issue of target antigens for linear IgA disease (LAD) antibodies. We examined sera from 46 adults and children with exclusive IgA deposits at the BMZ, by both indirect IF on 1 M NaCl split human skin and immunoblotting. IgA anti-BMZ antibodies binding to the epidermal side of the split were found in 31 LAD sera. IgA anti-BMZ antibodies binding to the dermal side of the split were detected only in 4 LAD sera. No sera contained IgA anti-BMZ antibodies binding to both sides of the split. Immunoblotting revealed that 12 epidermal side-positive LAD sera reacted with the 97 kDa protein in the human epidermal extracts. Moreover, we found that 2 dermal side-positive LAD sera reacted with a protein of approximately 255 kDa on immunoblotting of the dermal extract. We conclude that there are at least two types of LAD. However, the nature of target antigens for LAD antibodies remains to be determined.

Adult↗

Identification of a basement membrane zone antigen reactive with circulating IgA antibody in ocular cicatricial pemphigoid.

Ocular cicatricial pemphigoid is a rare vesiculobullous disease characterized by linear deposition of IgG and/or IgA along the basement membrane zone of conjunctival biopsies. This study identifies a tissue antigen detected by ocular cicatricial pemphigoid patient sera. Patient selection was based on the presence of only ocular involvement and a positive direct immunofluorescence of conjunctiva. We evaluated patient and control sera using indirect immunofluorescence of basement membrane zone separated skin, Western blot, and purified antibodies from nitrocellulose and epidermal sheets. Direct immunofluorescence performed on the patients' conjunctival biopsy showed linear deposition of IgA along the basement membrane zone in all seven patients, and five of seven also demonstrated deposition of IgG along the basement membrane zone. Indirect immunofluorescence performed on the patients' sera demonstrated linear deposition of IgA along the epidermal side of the basement membrane zone of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-separated skin in all seven patients. IgA titers ranged from 1:20 to 1:80. No IgG was detected. Immunoblots detected IgA binding to a 45-kD antigen in all patients as well as sporadic IgA binding to a number of other proteins. Immunoblots stained with sera from patients did not show reactivity to the 230- or 180-kD bullous pemphigoid antigens or the 97-kD linear IgA bullous dermatosis antigen. Eluting IgA from the 45-kD region and other regions revealed that only antibodies eluted from the 45-kilodalton region bound linearly to the basement membrane on separated skin. Purification of IgA using epidermal sheets confirmed that the antibody responsible for staining on indirect immunofluorescence bound to the 45-kD region on Western blot. Sera from normals and patients with bullous pemphigoid, dermatitis herpetiformis, and linear IgA bullous dermatosis failed to demonstrate basement membrane zone IgA on elution of the 45-kD region. We conclude that these ocular cicatricial pemphigoid sera contain a unique IgA antibody that binds to a 45-kD basement membrane zone antigen.

Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic↗

Inhibition of neutrophil adherence to antibody by dapsone: a possible therapeutic mechanism of dapsone in the treatment of IgA dermatoses.

Dapsone is frequently effective in cutaneous diseases characterized by antibody deposition and accumulation of neutrophils. We hypothesized that this mechanism of action of dapsone may involve the inhibition of neutrophil adherence to antibody. The neutrophil adherence assay, which measures the binding of neutrophils to basement membrane zone-bound antibody on skin sections, was used to evaluate the effect of dapsone on neutrophil adherence to immunoglobulin A and immunoglobulin G. We evaluated the effect of dapsone on adherence of normal neutrophils to immunoglobulin A and immunoglobulin G from sera of linear immunoglobulin A bullous dermatosis and bullous pemphigoid patients, respectively. Linear immunoglobulin A bullous dermatosis or bullous pemphigoid antibody were bound to the basement membrane zone of normal skin sections as a substrate for the neutrophil adherence assay. Dapsone was added directly to the neutrophils or to the antibody source in concentrations of 0-50 micrograms/ml (pharmacologic range). Addition of dapsone to neutrophils produced an incremental inhibition of neutrophil adherence up to 75% at 50 micrograms/ml. Dapsone produced similar inhibition when added directly to the antibody itself, despite washing prior to usage in the neutrophil-adherence assay. Control specimens including irrelevant fractions of patient sera failed to demonstrate binding. Serum from a patient on dapsone therapy also showed inhibition of neutrophil adherence compared to the same patient on no therapy. We conclude that dapsone inhibits the adherence of neutrophils to basement membrane zone antibody in a dose-dependent manner. This may be related to an effect directly on antibody. This inhibition may contribute to the clinical efficacy of dapsone in antibody-mediated diseases.

Adult↗

Dermatitis herpetiformis and linear IgA bullous dermatosis.

DH is an uncommon vesicular disease of the skin which has attracted great interest because of myriad clinical and laboratory findings believed to be related to its immunopathogenesis. Investigations have centered on its relationship to gluten intake, multisystem disease associations, pathognomonic patterns of IgA deposition, and impressive therapeutic response to gluten restriction and dapsone. However, a coherent theory of pathogenesis has not yet been established. The circulating antibody responsible for the IgA deposition has not yet been identified, and indirect IF is negative. LABD has now been separated from DH on the basis of its unique immunopathologic finding of linear IgA along the cutaneous basement membrane and the presence of circulating IgA anti-basement membrane antibody, which binds to a 97-kD protein found in normal human skin. It has been suggested that CBDC and LABD are expressions of the same disease process in different age groups rather than two distinct disease processes. Supporting evidence for this theory is based on immunopathologic findings. Linear deposition of IgA along the basement membrane of perilesional skin is identical to LABD and, in addition, a circulating IgA anti-basement membrane antibody is present in the serum of some patients which binds to the 97-kD antigen described in LABD.

Dermatitis Herpetiformis↗

Inocoterone and acne. The effect of a topical antiandrogen: results of a multicenter clinical trial.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: Because acne is androgen dependent, antiandrogen therapy might improve the condition. Inocoterone acetate (RU 882) is a nonsteroidal antiandrogen that binds to the androgen receptor and has antiandrogenic activity in animal models. To test its topical effect on acne, 126 male subjects with facial acne completed a 16-week, multi-center, double-blind study in which the twice-daily application of a 10% solution of inocoterone was compared with vehicle solution. Baseline and monthly examinations included acne lesion counts and general and endocrine laboratory tests. RESULTS: Inflammatory papules and pustules showed greater reduction in the inocoterone-treated subjects than in the subjects treated with vehicle. This difference achieved statistical significance by week 12 (24% reduction vs 10%) and week 16 (26% reduction vs 13%) and, with longitudinal analysis, throughout the course of the study. Global assessments and changes in comedo counts and sebum excretion rates were not significantly different between the groups. No serious adverse reactions were encountered. CONCLUSIONS: In this double-blind study of 126 male subjects with acne, a topical solution of the antiandrogen inocoterone, compared with vehicle, produced a modest but statistically significant reduction in the number of inflammatory acne lesions.

Acne Vulgaris↗

The site of blister formation in dermatitis herpetiformis is within the lamina lucida.

BACKGROUND: Because the initial neutrophilic infiltrate in dermatitis herpetiformis is within the dermal papillae, most investigators have assumed the vesicles occur in this same area. This was supported by electron microscopy studies. In 1983 Klein et al. refuted this concept, suggesting that vesicle formation was within the lamina lucida above the lamina densa. Despite this study, current literature continues to state that blister formation is below the lamina densa. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine the ultrastructural site of blister formation in early and late vesicles of dermatitis herpetiformis. METHODS: We evaluated eight biopsy specimens from four patients by immunomapping with antibodies to bullous pemphigoid antigen, laminin, type IV collagen, and epidermolysis bullosa acquisita antigen. RESULTS: In both early and late vesicles blister formation was found to be above the lamina densa in the lamina lucida. CONCLUSION: These findings are contrary to the commonly held concept that the blister in dermatitis herpetiformis is below the lamina densa and confirm the findings of Klein et al. that the site of blister formation in dermatitis herpetiformis is above the lamina densa within the lamina lucida.

Basement Membrane↗

The incidence and prevalence of dermatitis herpetiformis in Utah.

BACKGROUND AND DESIGN: The incidence and prevalence of dermatitis herpetiformis has never been formally evaluated in any area of the United States. Several northern European studies have shown prevalence rates ranging from 1.2 per 100,000 to 39.2 per 100,000. The present study was performed to evaluate the incidence and prevalence of dermatitis herpetiformis in Utah. Information from 240 patients diagnosed with dermatitis herpetiformis was compiled from hospital records throughout Utah, as well as the sole private dermatopathologist in the state, and from the university referral center of the state. Criteria for inclusion in the study were a clinical diagnosis of dermatitis herpetiformis plus granular deposition of IgA in dermal papillae by direct immunofluorescence of uninvolved skin, or histopathologic findings consistent with the disease. Clinical diagnosis and response to dapsone alone was considered insufficient for inclusion in the study. On the basis of these criteria, as well as exclusion of non-Utah residents, 188 of the original 240 patients qualified for the study. RESULTS: The prevalence of dermatitis herpetiformis in Utah in 1987 was 11.2 per 100,000. The mean incidence for the years 1978 through 1987 was 0.98 per 100,000 per year. The mean age at onset of symptoms for male patients was 40.1 years, and that for female patients was 36.2 years. The male-female ratio was 1.44:1. CONCLUSIONS: This represents the first evaluation of the incidence and prevalence of dermatitis herpetiformis in the United States. These results are similar to those of the previous studies, probably because of Utah's largely northern European ancestry. This population base, plus a much smaller than average black and Oriental population, is likely to have produced a higher incidence and prevalence in Utah than would be seen in other areas of the United States.

Adult↗

Circulating activated T lymphocytes in autoeczematization.

BACKGROUND AND DESIGN: Autoeczematization, the symmetric diffuse spread of a previously localized dermatitis, has an unclear etiology although some investigators have postulated that activated T lymphocytes play a role. Two estimates of activation of peripheral T lymphocytes are the cell surface expression of the HLA-DR antigen and the interleukin 2 receptor (IL-2R). We measured the percentage of circulating activated T lymphocytes in nine patients with autoeczematization compared with normal controls (n = 10), patients with stasis dermatitis (n = 6), and patients with severe (n = 10) or mild (n = 8) psoriasis. The percentage of activated T lymphocytes was determined by fluorescent, activated cell sorter analysis of peripheral leukocytes doubly stained with antibodies to T lymphocytes and HLA-DR antigen or IL-2R. RESULTS: Statistically significant elevations of HLA-DR- and IL-2R--positive T lymphocytes were seen in autoeczematization patients (P less than .004 and P less than .04, respectively) and those with severe psoriasis (P less than .004 for HLA-DR antigen and IL-2R). Percentages of HLA-DR- and IL-2R--positive T lymphocytes in patients with mild psoriasis were not significantly elevated. Two patients with autoeczematization had a reduction of their previously elevated levels of HLA-DR- and IL-2R--positive T lymphocytes after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest a possible role for circulating activated T lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of autoeczematization and possibly in severe psoriasis.

Antigens, Surface↗

Inheritance of nevus number and size in melanoma and dysplastic nevus syndrome kindreds.

Previous studies of the genetics of melanoma have focused on the dysplastic nevus syndrome (DNS). The variability in clinical and histopathological expression of affected individuals, however, has made definition and diagnosis of the syndrome difficult and subjective. Independent of the DNS, case-control studies have demonstrated the total number of nevi to be a significant risk factor for melanoma. In this article, we report results of genetic analyses of two quantitative nevus phenotypes that can be measured objectively in all subjects: the total number of nevi on an individual (TNN) and total nevus density (TND), a derived phenotype which incorporates both number and size of nevi. Ten kindreds ascertained for multiple cases of DNS-melanoma (multiplex ascertainment) and 16 kindreds and 19 solitary cases ascertained from a sequential list of melanoma cases without regard for family history (simplex ascertainment) were studied. Both phenotypes exhibited increased levels in relatives of probands compared with those in spouse controls. While neither TNN nor TND exhibited evidence for a major factor in the simplex pedigrees, a major factor was strongly indicated in the multiplex kindreds for TND. When both phenotypes were examined in more detail in the multiplex kindreds, the phenotype incorporating nevus size, TND, fit a mendelian pattern of inheritance better than the TNN. Significant residual familial correlations were found for both phenotypes. Parameter estimates from the best fitting genetic model indicated that a major gene may be responsible for 55% of the phenotypic variability of TND in the multiplex kindreds.

Adolescent↗

Cigarette smoking: risk factor for premature facial wrinkling.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if cigarette smoking is a risk factor for the development of premature facial wrinkling. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Smoking cessation clinic and community. PATIENTS: Convenience sample of 132 adult smokers and non-smokers in 1988. MEASUREMENTS: A questionnaire was administered to quantify cigarette smoking and to obtain information about possibly confounding factors such as skin pigmentation, sun exposure, age, and sex. Wrinkling was assessed using photographs of the temple region, and a severity score based on predetermined criteria was assigned. A logistic regression model, which controlled for confounding variables, was developed to assess the risk for premature wrinkling in response to pack-years of smoking. MAIN RESULTS: The prevalence of premature wrinkling was independently associated with sun exposure and pack-years of smoking. After controlling for age, sex, and sun exposure, premature wrinkling increased with increased pack-years of smoking. Heavy cigarette smokers (greater than 50 pack-years) were 4.7 times more likely to be wrinkled than nonsmokers (95% CI, 1.0 to 22.6; P value for trend = 0.05). Sun exposure of more than 50,000 lifetime hours also increased the risk of being excessively wrinkled 3.1-fold (CI, 1.2 to 7.1). When excessive sun exposure and cigarette smoking occurred together, the risk for developing excessive wrinkling was multiplicative (prevalence ratio of 12.0; CI, 1.5 to 530). CONCLUSION: Cigarette smoking is an independent risk factor for the development of premature wrinkling.

Adult↗

Bullous pemphigoid antigens: extraction and degradation of antigens during epidermal preparation.

Although two groups of bullous pemphigoid antigens have been well characterized, different research groups have shown strikingly different prevalence rates of antibodies to these antigens in their patients. Potential explanations for this phenomena include a patient population that has different prevalence of antibodies, or that the antigen preparations used by the different groups contain different relative amounts of these antigens. We have compared the relative concentration of the different bullous pemphigoid antigens in epidermal extract preparations made by three different procedures commonly used to separate dermis from epidermis: NaCl, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), and heat. We have found that the amount of the 180-kD antigen present in extracts is dependent on the techniques involved in separation of the epidermis from dermis. NaCl- and EDTA-separation procedures result in partial proteolysis of the 180-kD antigen to smaller forms, including major brands at 160 kD and 97 kD in the EDTA preparation. Fragments of the 180-kD antigen are present in both the separation and wash fluids, associated with a significant reduction of the 180-kD form in the extract of the NaCl-separated skin. We conclude that the native molecular weight of the previously described minor bullous pemphigoid antigen is 180 kD, and that the apparent difference in patient reaction to the 180-kD antigen may be due to different preparations of the antigen rather than underlying differences in seropositivity in the patient population.

Autoantigens↗

The effect of an elemental diet with and without gluten on disease activity in dermatitis herpetiformis.

Elemental diets are reported to decrease activity of patients with dermatitis herpetiformis. We tested the hypothesis that gluten, given in addition to an elemental diet, is responsible for the intestinal abnormalities, cutaneous immunoreactant deposition, and skin disease activity in dermatitis herpetiformis. At entry eight patients with dermatitis herpetiformis, who were consuming unrestricted diets, were stabilized on their suppressive medications at dosage levels that allowed individual lesions to erupt. Six patients were then given an elemental diet plus 30 of gluten for 2 weeks, followed by the elemental diet alone for 2 weeks. Conversely, two patients received an elemental diet alone for 2 weeks followed by an elemental diet plus gluten during the final 2 weeks. Small bowel biopsies, skin biopsies, and clinical assessments were done at 0, 2, and 4 weeks. Suppressive medication dose requirement decreased over the 4 weeks by a mean of 66%. Six of eight subjects significantly improved clinically during the gluten-challenge phase of the elemental diet and all were improved at the end of the study. The amount of IgA in perilesional skin did not change significantly, but the amount of C3 increased in five of seven evaluable subjects after gluten challenge. Circulating anti-gluten and anti-endomysial antibodies were not significantly affected by the diets. All subjects completing evaluable small bowel biopsies (seven of seven) demonstrated worsening of their villus architecture (by scanning electron microscopy and intraepithelial lymphocyte counts) during gluten challenge and improvement (six of six subjects) after 2 weeks of elemental dietary intake. We conclude that 1) there is a significant improvement in clinical disease activity on an elemental diet, independent of gluten administration, 2) small bowel morphology improves rapidly on an elemental diet, and 3) complement deposition but neither IgA deposition nor circulating antibody levels correlate with gluten intake. It seems likely that dietary factors other than gluten are important in the pathogenesis of the skin lesions in dermatitis herpetiformis.

Adult↗

HMB-45 staining of dysplastic melanocytic nevi in melanoma risk groups.

To evaluate the hypothesis that reactivity of the intradermal component of melanocytic nevi to the monoclonal antibody HMB-45 correlates with melanoma risk, dysplastic compound melanocytic nevi were examined for expression of the HMB-45 epitope in three subject groups differing in epidemiological risk for melanoma. The study groups consisted of 10 subjects with dysplastic nevi and a personal history of melanoma, 25 subjects with dysplastic nevi and a history of melanoma in one or more first degree relatives, and 15 population control subjects with sporadic dysplastic nevi. For each case, sections from one lesion, immunohistochemically processed for HMB-45 binding, were evaluated by two pathologists without knowledge of the clinical data. Of all dysplastic nevi, 98% showed diffusely positive cytoplasmic staining of the junctional nevomelanocytes and 90% had such positive staining of those cells within the superficial dermis. Nevus cells within the deeper dermis did not stain positively in any case. Furthermore, the data showed no differences in frequency, pattern, or intensity of HMB-45 reactivity between the subject groups. These observations indicate that evaluation of dysplastic nevi with the monoclonal antibody HMB-45, an apparent marker of proliferative or otherwise stimulated melanocytes, has no discriminating value for identifying subjects at increased historical risk for melanoma. The data, however, support the concept that so-called dysplasia within nevi, as defined by histologic criteria, actually represents the active or proliferative phase of melanocytic nevi.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗