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Biomedical subjects

P Lehmann

Publications and source records attributed to P Lehmann.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Role of integrin alphaE(CD103)beta7 for tissue-specific epidermal localization of CD8+ T lymphocytes.

Tissue-specific T cell localization is crucial for immune surveillance of normal tissues and the pathogenesis of inflammatory disorders. In psoriatic skin, CD8+ lymphocytes predominantly reside within the epidermis, whereas CD4+ T cells are most abundant within the dermis. Molecular mechanisms guiding this spatial compartmentalization are not completely understood, however. Here, we demonstrate that 55% (+/-9.7%, n = 14) of the epidermal T cells, predominantly of the CD8+ phenotype, expressed the integrin alphaE(CD103)beta7. In contrast, only 5% (+/-2.0%) of the dermal T cells were alphaE(CD103)beta7+. Integrin alphaE(CD103)beta7 was not detected in normal skin (n = 10), and less than 1% of peripheral blood lymphocytes derived from normal (n = 11) or psoriatic (n = 10) donors expressed alphaE(CD103). When cultured T lymphoblasts (n = 12 donors) were stimulated with transforming growth factor beta1, expression of integrin alphaE(CD103)beta7 was induced on 52.8% (+/-16.2%) of CD8+ cells, but only on 6.1% (+/-2.3%) of CD4+ cells, suggesting selective inducibility on CD8+ lymphocytes. Whereas similar overall expression of transforming-growth-factor-beta1-specific mRNA was detected in normal and psoriatic skin by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry revealed focal overexpression of transforming growth factor beta1 underneath psoriatic, but not normal, epidermis. This heterogenous transforming growth factor beta1 expression may contribute to induction of alphaE(CD103) in vivo. Adhesion of transforming-growth-factor-beta1-stimulated CD8+, but not CD4+, T cells to cultured keratinocytes and psoriatic epidermis in frozen sections could be significantly inhibited by antibodies that blocked the alphaE(CD103)/E-cadherin interaction. Co-culture of lymphoblasts and keratinocytes resulted in marginal enhancement of alphaE(CD103)beta7 expression in some cases. Overall, integrin alphaE(CD103)beta7 appears to contribute to tissue-specific epidermal localization of CD8+ T lymphocytes.

Antigens, CD↗

Phototesting in lupus erythematosus: a 15-year experience.

It has long been observed that sun exposure can induce or exacerbate skin lesions in patients with certain forms of lupus erythematosus. Despite the frequency of photosensitivity in these patients, the mechanism by which ultraviolet radiation alters the pathogenic course of this disease remains poorly understood. After development of standardized test methods, our group demonstrated in 1986 that skin lesions in patients with lupus erythematosus can be experimentally reproduced by UVA and UVB irradiation. In the following years, phototesting has received much attention as a valid model to study photosensitivity of different forms of lupus erythematosus and the pathogenetic mechanism of this disease. Further investigations have also made it possible to find genetic and immunologic factors associated with photosensitivity and have helped to identify the pathophysiologic steps involved in the induction of such skin lesions. We present phototesting results and clinical correlations of more than 400 patients with different forms of lupus erythematosus and discuss the recent advances in provocative phototesting.

Adolescent↗

Aminolevulinic acid: pharmacological profile and clinical indication.

The role of aminolevulinic acid hydrochloride (ALA) in photodynamic therapy (PDT) of in situ neoplasias and tumours of epithelial tumours is steadily increasing and it has been shown to be the drug with most clinical use in PDT. In dermatology, topical PDT with ALA is already postulated to be the treatment of choice for actinic keratoses and superficial basal cell carcinomas. In gastroenterology, pulmonology, uro- and nephrology, neurology and gynaecology ALA has an important role as a photosensitiser not only in the diagnosis of neoplastic tissue but as therapy; first experiences have been made with PDT in these organs. Besides the therapeutic efficacy of this technique, the fluorescence of ALA-induced porphyrins can be effectively used to detect and delineate epithelial and endothelial neoplasms. In dermatology, other indications for ALA-treatment are non-tumoural applications, especially psoriasis, viral-induced diseases, or acne vulgaris. ALA is an effective compound in the diagnosis or therapy of various epithelial and endothelial neoplastic lesions.

Aminolevulinic Acid↗

Phototesting in lupus erythematosus tumidus--review of 60 patients.

Photosensitivity is an important characteristic feature of several forms of lupus erythematosus (LE), and induction of skin lesions by UV-A and UV-B irradiation has been proved to be an optimal model for evaluating light sensitivity in patients with this disease. Because lupus erythematosus tumidus (LET) has rarely been documented in the literature and is often difficult to differentiate from other photodermatoses such as polymorphous light eruption, we performed photoprovocation tests in 60 patients with LET according to a standardized protocol. Areas of uninvolved skin on the upper back were irradiated with single doses of UV-A (100 J/cm2) and/or UV-B (1.5 minimal erythema dose) daily for three consecutive days. Interestingly, patients with LET are more photosensitive than those with subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus, and in our study experimental phototesting revealed characteristic skin lesions in 43 patients (72%). Because of the latency period in developing positive phototest reactions, it might be difficult for these patients to link sun exposure with their skin lesions. Furthermore, our data revealed a positive correlation of antinuclear antibodies and positive provocative phototest reactions in these patients as seen for other forms of LE. In conclusion, the high incidence of positive phototest reactions in correlation with the clinical findings, history of photosensitivity and antinuclear antibodies enable the classification of LET as the most photosensitive type of LE.

Diagnosis, Differential↗

Up-regulation of macrophage inflammatory protein-3 alpha/CCL20 and CC chemokine receptor 6 in psoriasis.

Autoimmunity plays a key role in the immunopathogenesis of psoriasis; however, little is known about the recruitment of pathogenic cells to skin lesions. We report here that the CC chemokine, macrophage inflammatory protein-3 alpha, recently renamed CCL20, and its receptor CCR6 are markedly up-regulated in psoriasis. CCL20-expressing keratinocytes colocalize with skin-infiltrating T cells in lesional psoriatic skin. PBMCs derived from psoriatic patients show significantly increased CCR6 mRNA levels. Moreover, skin-homing CLA+ memory T cells express high levels of surface CCR6. Furthermore, the expression of CCR6 mRNA is 100- to 1000-fold higher on sorted CLA+ memory T cells than other chemokine receptors, including CXCR1, CXCR2, CXCR3, CCR2, CCR3, and CCR5. In vitro, CCL20 attracted skin-homing CLA+ T cells of both normal and psoriatic donors; however, psoriatic lymphocytes responded to lower concentrations of chemokine and showed higher chemotactic responses. Using ELISA as well as real-time quantitative PCR, we show that cultured primary keratinocytes, dermal fibroblasts, and dermal microvascular endothelial and dendritic cells are major sources of CCL20, and that the expression of this chemokine can be induced by proinflammatory mediators such as TNF-alpha/IL-1 beta, CD40 ligand, IFN-gamma, or IL-17. Taken together, these findings strongly suggest that CCL20/CCR6 may play a role in the recruitment of T cells to lesional psoriatic skin.

Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte↗

A route to hierarchical materials based on complexes of metallosupramolecular polyelectrolytes and amphiphiles.

Anisotropic thin film materials of metallosupramolecular polyelectrolyte-amphiphile complexes (denoted PACs) with structures at several length scales were fabricated through a multistep self-assembly process. Metal ion-mediated self-assembly of the ditopic ligand 1,4-bis(2,2':6',2"-terpyridine-4'-yl)benzene and electrostatic binding with the amphiphile dihexadecyl phosphate result in a PAC with tailored surface chemical properties, including solubility and surface activity. The PAC forms a stable monolayer at the air-water interface that is readily transferred and oriented on solid supports with the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. The presented strategy unifies colloid and metallosupramolecular chemistry and opens a versatile route to hierarchical materials with tailored structures and functions.

Journal Article↗

Cutting edge: the orphan chemokine receptor G protein-coupled receptor-2 (GPR-2, CCR10) binds the skin-associated chemokine CCL27 (CTACK/ALP/ILC).

We recently reported the identification of a chemokine (CTACK), which has been renamed CCL27 according to a new systematic chemokine nomenclature. We report that CCL27 binds the previously orphan chemokine receptor GPR-2, as detected by calcium flux and chemotactic responses of GPR-2 transfectants. We renamed this receptor CCR10. Because of the skin-associated expression pattern of CCL27, we focused on the expression of CCL27 and CCR10 in normal skin compared with inflammatory and autoimmune skin diseases. CCL27 is constitutively produced by keratinocytes but can also be induced upon stimulation with TNF-alpha and IL-1beta. CCR10 is not expressed by keratinocytes and is instead expressed by melanocytes, dermal fibroblasts, and dermal microvascular endothelial cells. CCR10 was also detected in T cells as well as in skin-derived Langerhans cells. Taken together, these observations suggest a role for this novel ligand/receptor pair in both skin homeostasis as well as a potential role in inflammatory responses.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Extent of misclassification of death from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in England 1979-96: retrospective examination of clinical records.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the extent to which deaths from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease were misclassified during 1979-96. DESIGN: Structured review of clinical records based on predetermined criteria to determine whether death could have been due to sporadic or variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. SETTING: 100 health authorities and 275 NHS trusts in England. SUBJECTS: 1485 people who died aged 15-44 years from selected neurological disorders in England during 1979-96. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Cause of death. RESULTS: The clinical records of 705 (48%) subjects were successfully traced. Tracing of clinical records was highest in subjects who died during 1990-6. There was sufficient information in the records of 640 (91%) of the 705 subjects to exclude Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease as a cause of death. In 61 (9%) subjects, there was insufficient information to reach any conclusion about the validity of the cause of death recorded on the death certificate. The clinical records of four subjects were examined further by the National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit; none was thought to have died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. CONCLUSIONS: No new cases of sporadic or variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease were detected in a sample of deaths most likely to have included misclassified cases. This suggests that the surveillance system is unlikely to have missed a significant number of cases among people aged 15-44 years. Hence, any rapid increase in the number of cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in this age group is likely to be real not artefactual.

Adolescent↗

Lupus erythematosus tumidus--a neglected subset of cutaneous Lupus erythematosus: report of 40 cases.

BACKGROUND: Lupus erythematosus tumidus (LET) is characterized clinically by erythematous, succulent, edematous, nonscarring plaques in sun-exposed areas. Results of histological examination show perivascular and periadnexal lymphocytic infiltration and interstitial mucin deposition. The main differential diagnoses are polymorphous light eruption, Jessner's lymphocytic infiltration of the skin, reticular erythematous mucinosis, and pseudolymphoma. Since its first description in 1930, LET has been documented rarely in the literature, and its clinical importance has not been fully appreciated. OBSERVATIONS: We characterized 40 patients with clinical and histological features of LET observed at our department from 1984 through 1998. The onset of the disease clustered in summer because of sun exposure, and 28 (70%) of the patients showed a remarkable photosensitivity confirmed by results of provocative phototesting. A complete resolution of the skin lesions was seen after systemic therapy with antimalarials and, in some cases, with local corticosteroids or spontaneously without any treatment. In 4 (10%) of the patients, antinuclear antibodies were detected; however, there was no evidence of underlying systemic involvement in any of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our data constitute the largest number of patients with LET collected until now. The clinical picture, extreme photosensitivity, histological findings, and effective treatment with antimalarials are so characteristic that LET should be considered as a separate entity and differentiated from other variants of cutaneous LE. Arch Dermatol. 2000;136:1033-1041

Adolescent↗

Surfactant-encapsulated clusters (SECs): (DODA)20(NH4)[H3Mo57V6(NO)6O183(H2O)18], a case study.

We present a comprehensive study of the partially reduced polyoxomolybdate [H3-Mo57V6(NO)6O183(H2O)18]21-encapsulated in a shell of dimethyldioctadecylammonium (DODA) surfacmolecules. Treatment of an aqueous solution of (NH4)21[H3Mo57V6-(NO)6O183(H2O)18] . 65H2O (1a) with a trichloromethane solution of the surfactant leads to instant transfer of the encapsulated complex anion into the organic phase. Results from vibrational spectroscopy. analytical ultracentrifugation, small-angle X-ray scattering, transmission electron microscopy, elemental analysis, and Langmuir compression isotherms are consistent with a single polyoxometalate core encapsulated within a shell of 20 DODA molecules. The molar mass of the supramolecular assembly is 20249 gmol(-1) and the diameter is 3.5 nm. A material with the empirical formula (DODA)20(NH4)[H3-Mo57V6NO)6O183(H2O)18] (2) was isolated as a dark violet solid, which readily dissolves in organic solvents. Slow evaporation of solutions of 2 on solid substrates forces the hydrophobic particles to aggregate into a cubic lattice. Annealing these so-formed films at elevated temperature causes de-wetting with terrace formation similar to liquid crystals and block copolymers. Compound 2 forms a stable Langmuir monolayer at the air-water interface; Langmuir-Blodgett multilayers are readily prepared by repeated transfer of monolayers on solid substrates. The films were characterized by optical ellipsometry, Brewster angle microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray reflectance.

Journal Article↗

[Combination of antimalarial drugs mepacrine and chloroquine in therapy refractory cutaneous lupus erythematosus].

Antimalarials represent the first line in treatment of cutaneous lupus erythematosus (LE). However, some patients show no improvement on monotherapy with chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine. A 30-year-old female patient had treatment-resistant cutaneous LE exhibiting features of both LE tumidus and subacute cutaneous LE. Previously, the patient had been unsuccessfully treated with chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, dapsone, and azathioprine, each in combination with variable doses of prednisolone. However, the LE lesions increased during these therapeutic regimens. A combination of chloroquine and mepacrine therapy led to improvement and then total clearing after 4 months of treatment.

Adult↗

[Annular erythema in Sjögren syndrome. A variant of cutaneous lupus erythematosus?].

Annular erythema has been recognised as a cutaneous manifestation of Sjögren's syndrome in the Asian literature and has been assumed to represent a distinct clinical entity. Since there are common pathophysiologic mechanisms, mainly the presence of anti-Ro/SSA or anti-La/SSB antibodies, it is difficult to separate the annular erythema from subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Histological examination may reveal dermal mucin deposition resembling lupus erythematosus tumidus. We present a Chinese patient with widespread annular erythema, keratoconjunctivitis sicca, and anti-Ro/SSA antibodies. Clinical, histopathological, and immunogenetic findings are discussed reviewing the current literature, and the differences between annular erythema associated with Sjögren's syndrome and cutaneous lupus erythematosus are emphasized.

Adult↗

[Rare cutaneous manifestaions of lupus erythematosus. A clinical overview].

Lupus erythematosus (LE) is a disease with a wide spectrum of cutaneous and systemic manifestations and has been the subject of many studies over several decades. Clinical features of patients with LE show a great variation, and for this reason it is difficult to develop a unifying concept of this disease. Consequently, this has led to the identification of subsets which have been defined by constellations of clinical and photobiological features, histological changes as well as laboratory abnormalities. Besides the characteristic classical forms such as systemic LE (SLE), subacute cutaneous LE (SCLE), and discoid LE (DLE), there are uncommon variants of LE which often lead to diagnostic difficulties. Bullous LE (BLE) and urticarial vasculitis are listed as characteristic but non-specific manifestations of systemic LE. LE tumidus (LET), LE hypertrophic/verrucous (LEHV), chilblain LE, and LE profundus (LEP) are uncommon subtypes of chronic cutaneous LE. Annular erythema and papulonodular mucinosis are further uncommon cutaneous manifestations of LE. This clinical review summarizes the typical features of the uncommon forms of LE in order to improve clinical diagnostic precision and to achieve a better differentiation of the subtypes.

Diagnosis, Differential↗