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Biomedical subjects

J Kanitakis

Publications and source records attributed to J Kanitakis.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Multiple eruptive dermatofibromas in a patient with HIV infection: case report and literature review.

Multiple eruptive dermatofibromas have been reported in the setting of autoimmune diseases treated with immunosuppressive drugs and more recently in the course of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. We report herein the ninth case of multiple eruptive dermato fibromas associated with HIV infection. The relevant literature is reviewed and the differences of these lesions from "ordinary" dermatofibromas are discussed.

HIV Infections↗
PubMed2000

Expression of the pro-apoptotic caspase 3/CPP32 in cutaneous basal and squamous cell carcinomas.

Apoptosis, a process of programmed cell death, plays an important role in normal and pathologic tissue homeostasis. The apoptotic cascade is triggered by caspases, a family of cystein proteases, among which caspase 3 (CPP32) seems to be the most directly related to apoptosis. Until now, few, if any, data exist on the role of CPP32 in skin tumors. We studied by immunohistochemistry, Western blot and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) the expression of CPP32 in specimens of normal human skin, basal and squamous cell carcinomas. CPP32 (both at the protein and mRNA level) was detected within epidermal and adnexal keratinocytes. CPP32 was also expressed in tumor masses of squamous cell carcinomas and more weakly in basal cell carcinomas; no correlation was found between CPP32 expression and depth of tumor invasion. CPP32 was occasionally expressed in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and peritumor endothelial cells. The expression of CPP32 in normal skin and in tumors arising from it suggests that this enzyme is involved in their homeostasis; its precise functional significance awaits further investigation.

Blotting, Western↗
PubMed2000

Neutrophilic eccrine hidradenitis secondary to infection with Serratia marcescens.

Neutrophilic eccrine hidradenitis (NEH) is a rare dermatosis which usually develops after administration of chemotherapeutic treatments. An infective origin is exceptional. We report a patient, previously operated on for ependymoma, who presented with an eruption typical of NEH even though he had not received chemotherapy. Culture of a skin biopsy revealed Serratia marcescens. The dermatosis improved after antibiotic therapy but recurred twice and culture again isolated S. marcescens; electron microscopy revealed cytoplasmic inclusions within neutrophils, suggestive of bacteria. The disease improved every time with appropriate antibiotic therapy. An infective aetiology for NEH is rare: three such cases have been reported, of which one was due to S. marcescens. The originality of our case is the recurrence of the disease on three occasions with the same bacterium isolated on each occasion, with disease remission after antibiotic therapy. This case confirms that infections may be a possible cause of NEH and underlines the necessity to search for infective agents, especially in patients immunocompromised by haematopoietic malignancies and/or chemotherapeutic treatments.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Olmsted syndrome: report of two new cases and literature review.

Olmsted syndrome is a rare keratinization disorder; 18 cases have been published so far. It associates a mutilating cogenital palmoplantar keratoderma with periorificial erythematokeratotic lesions. We report herein two new unrelated male children with Olmsted syndrome (OS), one of whom was studied by light and electron microscopy. Our histological, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural findings suggest that this disease is related to epidermal hyperproliferation. We present herein a review of the twenty cases published so far and discuss the major clinicopathological and genetic features of this disease.

Child↗
PubMed2000

Mummified ossified melanocytic naevus.

Ossification rarely occurs within melanocytic naevi. As far as we know, mummification (presence of shadow cells) has never been described within these lesions. We report herein the case of a benign naevus associating ossification and mummification; this case suggests that, similarly to pilomatricomas, osteoma formation within melanocytic naevi may develop as a result of mummification.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

[Cutaneous complications after organ transplant].

FREQUENT DIVERSE COMPLICATIONS: Skin problems in organ recipients mainly result from the induced immunosuppression but also from specific adverse effects of immunosuppressive drugs. The degree of extension and gravity of the clinical manifestations are often proportional to the intensity and/or duration of the immunosuppressive therapy. Immunodepression mainly leads to infectious and neoplastic complications. INFECTIONS: Viral and fungal infections are the most frequently encountered. Herpes simplex and zoster infections require treatment to prevent visceral involvement. Human papillomavirus infections occur in 80% of patients 5 years after transplantation and can lead to malignant transformation. Fungal infections include pityriasis versicolor and often extensive dermatophytosis. CANCER: Increased rate of cancer occurs especially in patients with viral disease. Skin cancers involving papillomavirus are the most frequent cancers observed in transplant recipients, occurring in half of the long-term survivors. Squamous cell carcinoma of exposed areas are the most common; they are often more aggressive than in non-immunodepressed patients (multiple sites, recurrence). Exposure to sun is a proven inducer. There is a 500-fold higher risk of Kaposi disease linked to HHV8 virus. This disease can regress simply after reducing the immunosuppressive treatment. Other more uncommon tumors such as lymphomas, melanomas, sarcomas and Merkel cell tumors also appear to occur at an increased rate in transplant recipients. PREVENTION: Most malignant skin tumors are the expression of marked immunodepression and their prognosis is improved with reduction in immunosuppressive therapy. Prevention requires regular dermatology work-ups and counseling about strict protection from sun exposure.

Graft Rejection↗
PubMed1999

Splicing modulation of integrin beta4 pre-mRNA carrying a branch point mutation underlies epidermolysis bullosa with pyloric atresia undergoing spontaneous amelioration with ageing.

A general improvement with ageing has been reported in a few cases of epidermolysis bullosa with pyloric atresia (PA-JEB), an autosomal recessive skin disease characterized by extensive disadhesion of epithelia. In a patient who improved from severe to mild PA-JEB, a search for mutations in the integrin beta4 gene (IGTB4) detected heterozygosity for a novel base substitution 3986-19T-->A in the putative branchpoint sequence of intron 31, and a point mutation 3802+1G-->A in the donor splice site of intron 30 previously associated with severe PA-JEB. Analysis of mRNA showed that the intronic mutation prevents legitimate splicing of the beta4 pre-mRNA. Functional splicing can be restored in vitro by seeding the proband's keratinocytes on feeders of irradiated fibroblasts. Study of mRNA in wild-type keratinocytes transfected with IGTB4 minigenes containing intron 31 with or without mutation 3986-19T-->A, confirmed the causative role of the intronic mutation in PA-JEB, and highlighted the influence of feeders on the maturation process of the mutated beta4 pre-mRNA. Our results show that in a context of overall reduction of the beta4 mRNA levels, activation of the legitimate splice site in the aberrant beta4 pre-mRNA underlies the transient severity of the condition. The results also point to the relevance which the interaction between epithelial and stromal cells may have in modulating expression of integrin receptors.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1999

Contact dermatitis II. Clinical aspects and diagnosis.

Contact dermatitis (CD) is an altered state of skin reactivity induced by exposure to an external agent. "Eczema" and "dermatitis" are often used synonymously to denote a polymorphic pattern of inflammation of the skin characterized, at least in its acute phase, by erythema, vesiculation and pruritus. Substances that induce CD after single or multiple exposures may be irritant or allergic in nature. The clinical presentation may vary depending on the identity of the triggering agent and the reactivity of the subject, but in all cases the lesions are primarily confined to the site of contact. According to the mechanism of elicitation, the following types of contact reactions may be distinguished: (1) allergic contact dermatitis (ACD); (2) irritant contact dermatitis (ICD); (3) phototoxic and photoallergic contact dermatitis, and (4) immediate type contact reactions. The present review will focus on allergic contact dermatitis. ACD is the clinical presentation of contact sensitivity in humans. The pathophysiology of the contact sensitivity reaction has been reviewed in a preceding issue of this journal [1].

Dermatitis, Allergic Contact↗
PubMed1999

[Proliferative characteristics of nevus in children with organ transplants].

INTRODUCTION: Organ-graft recipients are at increased risk for developing cutaneous tumors, mostly carcinomas; however, melanocytic nevi (MN) also develop in excess numbers in these patients. The aim of this study was to assess whether MN developing in pediatric organ graft recipients (OGR-MN) have a higher proliferative profile than similar lesions developing in non-immunosuppressed subjects (C-MN), a fact that could confer to them potential for malignant transformation into melanoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The immunohistochemical expression of two proliferation-associated markers (MIB1/Ki67 and PCNA) and of p53 oncoprotein was comparatively studied in a group of 10 and OGR-MN and 12 C-MN. RESULTS: MIB1/Ki67 and p53 were very weakly, if at all, expressed in all tumors, whereas PCNA was expressed in the majority of tumor cells in both groups of lesions. Overall, no significant differences were found between the two groups studied. DISCUSSION: Melanocytic nevi developing in organ transplant children do not have a higher proliferative potential, and therefore do not seem to be intrinsically more prone to malignant transformation than similar lesions appearing in non-immunosuppressed children; however the possibility exists that the decreased immune defense mechanisms indirectly favors the growth of these lesions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Thomsen-Friedenreich and its precursor (Tn) antigen expression in normal skin and in benign cutaneous tumours: a marker for sebaceous differentiation.

The Thomsen-Friedenreich (T) antigen is the core disaccharide of cancer-associated carbohydrates, whose expression allegedly correlates with the prognosis of some carcinomas. We studied the expression of the T antigen and its precursor (Tn) with monoclonal antibodies in formalin-fixed specimens of normal skin and various benign cutaneous tumours and inflammatory lesions (n: 105). In normal skin, both antigens were consistently expressed within the cytoplasm of mature sebocytes and rarely over the luminal surface of secretory sweat gland cells. All (21/21) sebaceous tumours showed strong T/Tn positivity; several (9/16) sweat-gland tumours were also immunoreactive, although more weakly. Pilar (n = 11), non-adnexal tumours (n = 45) and inflammatory lesions (n = 12) were as a rule unreactive. These results suggest that the T antigen is a sensitive marker of sebaceous differentiation that can be used for the study of adnexal skin tumours in routinely processed tissue specimens.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗
PubMed1998

Differential expression of the cancer associated antigens T (Thomsen-Friedenreich) and Tn to the skin in primary and metastatic carcinomas.

AIM: To study the immunohistochemical expression of the Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen (T) and its precursor, Tn, in the skin in various cancers. METHODS: T and Tn antigens were studied with monoclonal antibodies in 91 primary premalignant and malignant lesions, 13 cases of Paget's disease, and 26 carcinomas metastatic to the skin. The material had been collected over a 10 year period, formalin fixed, and paraffin embedded. Diagnoses had been made after examination of standard histological sections, supplemented when needed by appropriate immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: 21% and 29% of the primary cutaneous premalignant and malignant epithelial tumours expressed the Tn and T antigens, respectively. By contrast, 81% of metastatic carcinomas to the skin were Tn positive, while only 23% of them expressed the T antigen. All cases of Paget's disease were Tn positive but only 15% of them expressed the T antigen. The 21 nonepithelial tumours (including melanomas) were as a rule unreactive. CONCLUSIONS: The accumulation of the precursor (Tn) antigen in tumours metastasising to the skin highlights the incomplete glycosylation of carbohydrate antigens occurring in these tumours. The predominant Tn versus T antigen expression appears to be a useful immunohistochemical feature which may aid in the differentiation of primary cutaneous carcinomas from metastatic tumours.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗