Search PubMedSearch

Biomedical subjects

M W Cobb

Publications and source records attributed to M W Cobb.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Loose anagen hair syndrome mimicking the uncombable hair syndrome.

A 7-year-old female presented with messy, difficult to manage scalp hair and mild, diffuse alopecia. Hair pull specimens, diagnostic for loose anagen hair syndrome, also showed hair shaft abnormalities described in the uncombable hair syndrome. We suggest that dysmorphic hair shafts observed on our patient account for her clinically unmanageable hair. Pertinent clinical, pathologic, and diagnostic features of both syndromes are reviewed.

Alopecia

An atypical piloleiomyoma presenting as a nonhealing ulcerated nodule.

Piloleiomyomas are benign smooth muscle tumors arising from the arrectores pilorum muscles in the skin. They vary in size and number, and are often spontaneously painful or sensitive to touch and cold. An unusual case of an ulcerated and painless piloleiomyoma is presented.

Diagnosis, Differential

Toxic sock syndrome.

Candida is a common part of the normal flora in several noncutaneous body sites, but invasion of the skin can occur under certain conditions. A case is presented in which the prolonged wearing of combat boots and damp socks caused an acutely inflamed papulopustular candidiasis of the feet.

Adolescent

Unilateral Beau's lines associated with a fractured and immobilized wrist.

Beau's lines are transverse depressions of the nail plates. They are usually bilateral and result from a temporary cessation in the growth of the nail plate during severe systemic illnesses. Although transverse grooves can occur on the nails of one extremity, this has not been a commonly reported phenomenon. An unusual case of unilateral Beau's line associated with a metaphyseal fracture of the distal radius extending into the growth plate with wrist immobilization is presented. Other related causes of Beau's line are reviewed.

Adolescent

Knuckle pads.

Knuckle pads are well circumscribed thickenings of the skin over the metacarpophalangeal and, more commonly, the proximal interphalangeal joints. Although the association with several other clinical syndromes including Dupuytren's disease is well documented, most cases are idiopathic. We present a case of knuckle pads and briefly review the history and course of this disease.

Adult

Localized, perifollicular cold urticaria.

Cold urticaria is a condition with many clinical variants. We present the case of a young woman with a localized, perifollicular form that we believe represents a new and distinct clinical subtype of cold urticaria. We review other established clinical subtypes of cold urticaria.

Adult

Xanthomatized atypical T cells in a patient with mycosis fungoides and hyperlipidemia.

BACKGROUND: Lipoprotein-T-cell interactions are being reported with increasing frequency, and there is evidence that lipoproteins play a role in immunoregulation. We describe a patient with mycosis fungoides and hyperlipidemia who developed xanthomatization in one preexisting plaque. The case is unique in that some of the lipidized cells were atypical T cells. In previously reported cases of mycosis fungoides with dystrophic xanthomatosis, the lipid-containing cells have been identified only as histiocytes. OBSERVATIONS: Immunopathologic features, electron microscopy, and lipid stains of the xanthomatized plaque demonstrated that some of the lipid-laden cells were atypical T cells. CONCLUSIONS: In mycosis fungoides, malignant T cells may be intimately involved in processing of tissue lipids. We suggest that low-density lipoprotein receptors on activated T cells facilitated the cytoplasmic lipidization in this case.

Aged

Waldenström macroglobulinemia with an IgM-kappa antiepidermal basement membrane zone antibody.

BACKGROUND: Waldenström macroglobulinemia, a lymphoplasmacytoid cell malignant neoplasm associated with a monoclonal IgM paraprotein, has been associated with a number of cutaneous manifestations. On rare occasions, IgM deposits have been demonstrated in the epidermal basement zone of patients with WM. OBSERVATIONS: We report the case of a patient with Waldenström macroglobulinemia and IgM-kappa paraprotein who had development of an eruption of pruritic papules and demonstrated the following unusual immunopathologic findings: (1) deposits of IgM-kappa in the epidermal basement membrane zone of lesional and nonlesional skin; (2) a circulating IgM-kappa antiepidermal basement membrane zone antibody; and (3) binding of this circulating IgM-kappa antiepidermal basement membrane zone antibody to both sides of 1 mol/L sodium chloride split skin. The cutaneous eruption cleared completely with oral psoralen with long-wave UV radiation in the A range (PUVA) therapy. CONCLUSIONS: We present a patient with Waldenström macroglobulinemia who had a distinctive papular eruption and immunopathologic findings suggesting that his paraprotein has specificity for the epidermal basement membrane zone.

Basement Membrane

Digitate dermatosis.

Two cases of digitate dermatosis are presented. The clinical and histopathologic features of this unique entity are reviewed. We suspect that digitate dermatosis may be more prevalent than reported.

Humans

Human papillomavirus infection.

The human papillomavirus, well known as the etiologic agent of warts, has recently received much attention in the medical literature for its association with various cancers. This article discusses the virology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, immunology, clinical manifestations, and therapy for human papillomavirus infection. Some newer techniques for identifying human papillomavirus in tissue, based on recent advances in molecular biology, are also covered. Two final topics addressed are human papillomavirus infection in the immunocompromised host, including patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, and the possible role of human papillomavirus in several different carcinomas.

Adolescent

Furosemide-induced eruption simulating Sweet's syndrome.

This case report describes an 88-year-old man who developed an eruption that clinically and histologically simulated Sweet's syndrome 6 weeks after furosemide therapy was started. The rapid resolution of lesions on discontinuation of the medication, as well as several features atypical for Sweet's syndrome in this case, favored the diagnosis of drug eruption. A review of adverse cutaneous reactions induced by furosemide is also presented.

Aged