Near-ultraviolet Light Dermoscopy for Identification of Pigmented Skin Tumours

Abstract is missing (Short communication)

Anti-desmoglein 1 antibody-positive mother and antibody-negative child with Darier's disease

We report a mother and an adult son with Darier's disease. The mother, 76 years old and Japanese, had positivity for anti-desmoglein (Dsg)1 antibodies. She had erythema with hyperkeratosis and seborrheic and interstitial blistering. A high level of anti-Dsg1 antibodies was detected in the serum. Histopathological examination showed acantholysis and direct immunofluorescence testing revealed intercellular IgG and C3 deposition of the epidermis. Although she was diagnosed as having pemphigus foliaceus, the skin lesions slightly improved with immunosuppressive therapy. Her son, 47 years old, had similar skin lesions on the seborrheic and interstitial parts, but the anti-Dsg1 antibodies were negative in his serum. Histopathological examination showed acantholysis and dyskeratotic cells. Although Hailey-Hailey disease was first suspected, no mutation in the ATP2C1 was detected in either patient. Trio-exome analysis including the father showed a heterozygous c.2027C>A transition on exon 14 of ATP2A2, causing a replacement at amino acid 676 (p.Ala676Asp) in the mother and son only. The two patients were then diagnosed as having Darier's disease. Exome analysis further showed that a novel heterozygous missense mutation of DSG1 was identified only in the affected mother. Anti-Dsg1 antibody-positive Darier's disease is reported here for the first time. Very rare coexistence of Darier's disease and anti-Dsg1 antibody-positivity might be associated with this novel heterozygous DSG1 mutation. Experimental evidence is required to validate this hypothesis.

Subcorneal pustular dermatosis-type IgA pemphigus associated with multiple myeloma: A case report and literature review

Immunoglobulin A (IgA) pemphigus, also known as intercellular IgA dermatosis, is a rare autoimmune bullous disease presenting with IgA anti-keratinocyte cell surface autoantibodies. Concomitant lymphoproliferative disorders have been reported in IgA pemphigus, including IgA monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and IgA type multiple myeloma (MM). A 35-year-old Japanese woman with a 3-year history of pruritic papulovesicles on her lower legs and trunk was referred to our department. Histopathological examination revealed acantholytic blisters, and results of both direct and indirect immunofluorescence were negative. Direct and indirect immunofluorescence were still negative 3 years and 7 months later. Approximately 7 years after her first visit, the patient was re-referred to us because of disease exacerbation. Histopathological findings revealed subcorneal blistering with acantholysis, in which neutrophil-dominant inflammatory cells were present. Indirect immunofluorescence was positive for IgA on the epidermal cell surface and both desmoglein (Dsg) 1/3 and (Dsc) desmocollin 1-3 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for IgA were positive. The histological findings and positive Dsc1 IgA ELISA led to the diagnosis of subcorneal pustular dermatosis (SPD)-type IgA pemphigus. Further examination revealed hyper-IgA globulinemia, increased serum IgA-κ protein, and increased plasma cells in the bone marrow, enabling the diagnosis of IgA type MM. Daratumumab, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (DLd) therapy was effective for both the MM and the skin lesions, resulting in negative results on Dsg1/3 and Dsc1-3 IgA ELISAs. The association between IgA pemphigus and IgA type multiple myeloma remains unclear, and only seven cases including the present case have been reported. Literature review revealed associations between SPD-type and IgA κ chain in IgA pemphigus and MM, and that in most cases the onset or diagnosis of MM was simultaneous or occurred after the diagnosis of IgA pemphigus. Therefore, clinicians should be aware of the development of multiple myeloma during the clinical course of patients with SPD-type IgA pemphigus.

Normal coronal kinematics of dynamic alignment and bony positions relative to the ground in three-dimensional motion analysis during gait: A preliminary study

BACKGROUND

During gait, healthy knee coronal kinematics of each bony axis and lower extremity alignment are important because they could be useful as reference data for several surgeries and provide clarification of the etiology of diseases around the knee in healthy participants; however, it remains unknown.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to clarify the kinematics of lower extremity alignment and the bony axes relative to the ground during gait, focused on the coronal plane, in healthy individuals by applying our unique three-dimensional (3D) motion analysis.

METHODS

The study included 21 healthy individuals, including 9 healthy females and 12 healthy males with an average age of 36 ± 17 years. Knee kinematics were calculated in a gait analysis by combining the data from a motion-capture system and a 3D lower-extremity alignment assessment system on biplanar long-leg radiographs by using a 3D-2D registration technique. The main kinematic parameters were the dynamic position change relative to the ground, applying the femoral anatomical axis (FAA), tibial anatomical axis (TAA), and dynamic alignment in the coronal plane during the stance phase of gait.

RESULTS

The average changes in FAA, TAA, and dynamic varus alignment were 3.7° ± 1.2°, 3.5° ± 0.8°, and 3.0° ± 1.2°, respectively. The TAA tilted laterally during the loading response and a plateau area appeared afterwards; the FAA gradually inclined laterally until the terminal stance phase, and the dynamic alignment showed varus angular change during the loading response.

CONCLUSIONS

The tibia and femur were found to change approximately 2-5° of the position of the bony axes relative to the ground. In terms of clinical relevance, our findings can be used to clarify the etiology of diseases around the knee joint and as reference data for surgeries.

[Refractory esophageal stricture of esophageal mucous membrane pemphigoid after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation]

Haploidentical allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from her brother was performed on a 41-year-old lady with no prior history of pemphigoid to treat recurrent AML. On day 59 following transplantation, she experienced esophageal stenosis. During immunosuppressive therapy for graft vs. host disease, this condition was controlled with periodic esophageal dilatation (GVHD). Her esophageal stricture, which required periodic dilatation, grew worse after she stopped immunosuppressive therapy because of recurrent AML. The esophageal mucosa was easily hemorrhagic and desquamative. Histologic analysis revealed that the squamous cell layers had been divided. Indirect immunofluorescence was negative for IgG and positive for IgA on the epidermal layers, while direct immunofluorescence showed a linear deposition of IgG on the basement membrane zone. It was determined through immunoblotting utilizing recombinant protein of BP180 C-terminal domain that both IgG and IgA antibodies were present, supporting the diagnosis of mucous membrane pemphigoid with anti-BP180. After allogeneic transplantation, basal epidermal cell destruction by GVHD may result in autoimmune blistering disorders, which expose basement membrane proteins and antigen presentation. A similar mechanism could apply to our situation. For rare GVHD cases, a thorough histological diagnosis is required.

On the Lost Property of Telework During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: From the Perspective of Sociomateriality and Organizational Citizenship Behaviour

When telework was discussed in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic, the context of staying home was strongly considered. As a result, the primary focus has been on carrying out one's assigned work at home. In other words, people tend to focus on the fact that they can carry out their work without being restricted by location. However, the networked aspect of telework is important. In other words, to realize telework, it is necessary to fully consider the aspect of making one's own work visible and collaborating with others. In this paper, the author clarifies the significance of the "connection" that information systems engender by examining the mechanism of inducing organizational citizenship behaviour from the perspective of "sociomateriality" proposed by Wanda Orlikowski et al. in information systems research. Furthermore, we warn against "discretionary bias," a tendency to "free oneself from the constraints of time and place," which appears, because telework was introduced as a measure to prevent the spread of infection. In addition, this paper examines the case of intranets in the 1990s to clarify the nature of connection through information systems and to find new insights in old cases, just as the Industrial Revolution is referenced in discussions of whether AI will take away jobs.

Case report: Diagnostic clues for anti-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase myopathy in pediatric patients

Introduction

Anti-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) myopathy is a recently recognized pathology, but appears less common in children and the characteristics of pediatric cases remain unclear.

Case report

We report a pediatric case of anti-HMGCR myopathy accompanied by skin rash. Motor function and serum creatine kinase level normalized after combinational treatment including early intravenous immunoglobulin, methotrexate, and corticosteroid.

Literature review

We searched PubMed and identified reports with detailed clinical information of 33 pediatric patients <18 years old with anti-HMGCR myopathy. Among these 33 patients and our own case, skin rash and maximum serum creatine kinase level >5,000 IU/L were observed in 44% (15 patients) and 94% (32 patients), respectively. Skin rash was present in 15 of the 22 patients (68%) ≥7 years old and none of the 12 patients (0%) <7 years old. Among the 15 patients with skin rash, 12 (80%) presented with erythematous rash.

Conclusion

Erythematous skin rash may offer a clue to the diagnosis of anti-HMGCR myopathy in children with muscle weakness and serum creatine kinase level >5,000 IU/L in the absence of other myositis-specific antibodies, particularly in patients ≥7 years old. Our results suggest the importance of early anti-HMGCR testing in pediatric patients with these manifestations.

Mild small-for-gestational-age as a non-negligible risk factor for short stature

Risk of subsequent short stature remains unclear among mild small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants with birthweight <10th percentile and ≥-2 standard deviations. In this multicenter cohort study in Japan, height was found to be <-2 standard deviations at 3 years old even in 18 % of mild-SGA infants.

Clinical history analysis of Japanese melanoma cases and characteristics of melanoma with childhood onset

It remains debatable whether melanoma with a clinical history of early childhood onset truly arises from a nevus. To clarify the clinical and genetic characteristics of melanoma detected at birth or several years afterwards, 249 melanoma cases seen at Shinshu University Hospital between 2006 and 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Ten (4.0%) cases (median age 39.5 years, range 19-70 years; male/female 2/8; lesion site, 6 extremities, 2 trunk, 1 head, 1 face; cumulative sun damage [CSD] skin, 9 low-CSD, 1 high-CSD; detection at birth 3) had recorded early childhood onset. Median Breslow's tumor thickness in those cases was 6.0 mm (range: 0.4-17.5 mm). The frequency of lesions detected at <20 years of age was significantly higher for low-CSD melanoma (17.5%) than for high-CSD (3.3%) and acral (0.8%) melanoma. Although melanoma with a history of early childhood onset is rare, the characteristics of such cases should be established since most have progressed to an advanced stage at the initial visit.

Late Onset of Cardiac Metastasis of a Melanoma following Nivolumab Immunotherapy

In this report, we present a case of cardiac metastasis of a malignant melanoma originating from the nasal cavity and presenting with cardiac tamponade detected during immunotherapy. The patient was a 66-year-old man diagnosed with malignant melanoma of the right nasal cavity 4 years ago. Two years ago, the size of the melanoma increased making it unresectable; therefore, he was treated thrice with a combination therapy of nivolumab and ipilimumab. Subsequently, the treatment was changed to single-agent nivolumab therapy, which was continuously administered for one and a half years. Imaging evaluation conducted every 3 months showed no distant metastasis. General malaise occurred, and the patient visited our department. He was diagnosed to have cardiac tamponade using echocardiography and was admitted to the emergency department of our hospital. He underwent pericardiocentesis. Computed tomography revealed an irregular mass extending from the right atrium to the inferior vena cava, and malignant melanoma metastasis was diagnosed through catheter biopsy and histology. As the tumor was unresectable, radiotherapy (30 Gy/10 fractions) and dacarbazine administration were performed on the right atrial mass, and pericardial effusion improved.

Concordance in judgment of clinical borders of basal cell carcinomas in Japanese patients: A preliminary study of JCOG2005 (J-BASE-MARGIN)

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer, and surgical excision with clear margins is the standard of care. Surgical margins are determined based on risk factors (high or low risk) for recurrence according to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and Japanese basal cell carcinoma guidelines. The clarity of the clinical tumor border (well-defined or poorly defined) is considered a risk factor, and significant discrepancies in the judgment of clinical tumor borders among dermato-oncologists may occur. Therefore, we analyzed the dermato-oncologists' concordance in judging the clinical tumor border of basal cell carcinoma. Forty-seven dermato-oncologists (experts: 37; young trainees: 10) participated in this study. The datasets of clinical and dermoscopic photographs of 79 Japanese cases of head and neck basal cell carcinoma were used to determine the concordance in the judgment of clinical tumor border. The probability of the border that was selected more often was used to calculate the rater agreement rate for each dataset. Correct judgment was defined as a more frequently selected border, and the concordance rate of clarity of clinical tumor border for each dermato-oncologist was calculated based on the definition of the correct judgment. A median concordance rate of 85% or higher for all dermato-oncologists was predefined as an acceptable rate for clinical use. Of the 79 datasets, rater agreement rates were 80-100%, 60-79%, and 51-59% for 55, 19, and five datasets, respectively. The median concordance rate for all dermato-oncologists was 86% (interquartile range: 82-89%). There was no significant difference in the concordance rate between the experts and the trainees (median, 87% vs. 85.5%; p = 0.58). The concordance rates of dermato-oncologists for all datasets were relatively high and acceptable for clinical use.

Dermoscopic furrow ink test of the palmar lesion in loricrin keratoderma

Palmoplantar keratodermas (PPK) comprise a heterogeneous group of keratinization disorders that gradually progress during childhood, resulting in difficulties to establish a diagnosis and to identify a candidate gene for sequencing. Dermoscopic examination with staining of palmoplantar skin using a whiteboard marker, so-called "furrow ink test", could be a useful tool for differentiation between furrow and ridge in understanding the morphological characteristics of PPK. One of the striking features in autosomal dominant loricrin keratoderma (LK) is diffuse PPK with honeycomb pattern. In this study, we performed dermoscopic furrow ink test in a Japanese family of LK with the most frequent mutation c.684dup, p.Ser229Valfs*107 in the loricrin gene. The severe lesion revealed that irregular circular hyperkeratoses were aggregated and normal structures of furrows and ridges were disrupted. To accurately describe the nature of this dermoscopic patterned skin surface, we suggest that the condition could be termed as "irregular cobblestone appearance" rather than "honeycomb pattern". Regular cobblestone appearance to maintain parallel furrow structure was observed in early or mild hyperkeratotic lesions. Eccrine sweat glands that open on the surface of ridges nearly disappeared, resulting in hypohidrosis.

Eruptive xanthomas as a marker for metabolic disorders: A specific form of xanthoma that reflects hypertriglyceridemia

Eruptive xanthomas are skin manifestations associated with hypertriglyceridemia. Accordingly, the improvement of hypertriglyceridemia can ameliorate this condition. We report a case of a patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus who was diagnosed with this skin lesion. Clinicians should be aware that eruptive xanthomas could indicate metabolic disorders associated with atherosclerosis.

Super-resolution imaging detects BP180 autoantigen in immunoglobulin M pemphigoid

Bullous pemphigoid is generally caused by immunoglobulin (Ig)G autoantibodies against hemidesmosomal BP180 and/or BP230. Recently, the concept of IgM pemphigoid has been proposed. A 23-year-old Japanese woman presented with a 4-month history of severely itchy papules showing subepidermal separations with mild neutrophil infiltration. Direct immunofluorescence (DIF) revealed IgM deposits at the dermoepidermal junction, but neither IgG nor IgA deposits. Indirect immunofluorescence on 1 M NaCl-split skin demonstrated deposits on the epidermal side. The optical density (OD) value of a modified IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for full-length BP180, but not for BP180-NC16A, was increased. The patient was diagnosed with IgM pemphigoid and was treated with diphenyl sulfone at 50 mg/day without recurrence. To confirm the precise autoantigen, we tried to obtain super-resolution imaging. The deposition pattern of IgM autoantibodies seemed to be oriented parallel to that of BP180. The detailed images detect DIF deposits apart from BP180-NC16A staining, but are close to type VII collagen-NC1 staining. This result suggests that the IgM autoantibodies in the patient might target the C-terminus of BP180. IgM pemphigoid is still not a widely accepted concept, and the clinical course remains unknown. We will carefully follow-up the patient. Super-resolution images may help to detect precise autoantigens in autoimmune blistering diseases.

An autopsy case of recurrent pneumothorax and peliosis-like intrapulmonary hematoma with X-linked myotubular myopathy

BACKGROUND

The typical non-muscle complications of long-surviving X-linked myotubular myopathy (XLMTM) include scoliosis, head deformity, macrocephaly, gastroesophageal reflux disease and peliosis hepatis. Recently, pulmonary blebs and recurrent pneumothorax have also been reported as uncommon complications, whereas no reports on autopsy cases have focused on lung lesions.

CASE PRESENTATION

An 8-year-old boy with XLMTM presented recurrent pneumothorax requiring bleb resection and pleurodesis. He subsequently developed multiple pulmonary mass lesions. He died of hemorrhagic shock due to peliosis hepatis. Autopsy showed multiple peliosis-like hematomas in the blebs of the lung. The histopathological examination of the hematomas revealed pooled blood without a pathway to bronchus. No apparent increase in desmin- or α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA)-positive cells, namely myofibroblasts, was observed around hematomas, suggesting that the mutation in the myotubularin gene was involved in the defective repair process in the liver and lung tissues.

CONCLUSION

Recurrent pneumothorax should be considered as a non-muscle complication of XLMTM. Peliosis-like intrapulmonary hematoma may also be a critical complication caused by poor proliferation of myofibroblasts in the tissue repair process.

The medial inclination of the proximal tibia is associated with the external knee adduction moment in advanced varus knee osteoarthritis

PURPOSE

Whether the inclined articular surface on the medial proximal tibia and the external knee adduction moment (KAM) correlate remains unclear. The hypothesis was that a steeper inclined articular surface correlated with a larger KAM in advanced knee osteoarthritis (OA).

METHODS

A total of 44 females (non-OA, 9 knees; early OA, 14 knees; advanced OA, 21 knees; mean age, 58 ± 16 years) were examined. Three-dimensional (3D) assessment was used on biplanar long-leg radiographs and 3D bone models using a 3D to 2D image registration technique. The approximation plane in the proximal tibia was determined using the least-square method. The joint moments were mathematically calculated in a gait analysis, applying a motion capture system and force plates. The main evaluation parameters were the femorotibial angle (FTA), the coronal inclination of the approximation plane in the medial proximal tibia (coronal inclination), and internal knee joint moments. The KAM means the external moments balanced with the internal knee abduction moments.

RESULTS

The advanced OA showed a larger internal abduction moment (p = 0.017) at the loading response than the other groups. The larger FTA and steeper coronal inclination correlated with the larger internal abduction moment (FTA, p < 0.001; coronal inclination, p = 0.003) at the loading response.

CONCLUSIONS

As the clinical relevance, the association among the coronal inclination of the medial proximal tibia, lower extremity alignment, and KAM is one of the key factors to help better understand the etiology of knee OA.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

III.

Using a Minimal Parameter Set for Early Diagnosis of Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis in Non-European Children

Case series

Patients: Male, 4-day-old • Male, 29-day-old

Final Diagnosis: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH)

Symptoms: Fever

Medication: —

Clinical Procedure: —

Specialty: Hematology • Immunology

Life-long Skin Eruptions along Blaschko's Lines in a 27-year-old Woman: A Quiz

Abstract is missing (Quiz)