Stressful life events and pemphigus

BACKGROUND

Stress might be a triggering factor causing pemphigus. We studied 11 consecutive cases of pemphigus over 5 years.

OBJECTIVE

Studying and looking for a link between severe life events and the history of the disease.

METHODS

An epidemiological retrospective and prospective study was carried out, including an interview and a collection of the clinical history; then the life events were integrated into the clinical history with the patient blind. Two scales were used: Paykel's inventory (assessing the negative impact of life events) and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview DSM-IV (MINI).

RESULTS

10 patients out of 11 were included. With the MINI, 2 patients presented anxiety. Paykel's inventory showed type 3 life events for numerous patients, life event type 4 for 7 patients and type 5 for 3 patients, happening from 1 to 6 months before the first signs or worsening of pemphigus. We found stressful life events before the start or worsening of pemphigus for all patients with no other risk factors.

CONCLUSION

Stressful life events can worsen or trigger off a pemphigus. Psychological care, associated with the immunosuppressive treatment, should entail a better management of these patients.

Photodynamic action of red light for treatment of erythrasma: preliminary results

BACKGROUND

Erythrasma is a superficial cutaneous infection caused by Corynebacterium minutissimum and is characterized by fluorescence under Wood's light (UV) because of the presence of porphyrins. These molecules are photosensitizing and we propose to assess efficacy of red light that activates porphyrins (photodynamic reaction) in treatment of this pathology.

OBJECTIVES

Assessment of effects of photodynamic action of red light for treatment of erythrasma without exogenous photosensitizing molecules.

METHODS

Thirteen patients with erythrasma were treated by one illumination (80 J/cm2) by red light (broad band, peak at 635 nm) without exogenous photosensitizing molecules. Disappearance or reduction of extent of lesions were observed 2 weeks later. If lesions were still present, a second irradiation was conducted with the same method.

RESULTS

Preliminary results are presented. As a result of red light irradiation, we noticed a complete recovery for three patients and, in most other cases, reduction of extent of lesions (mean: -29% after one session). The treatment was well tolerated.

CONCLUSION

We report first cases of photodynamic treatment of erythrasma. There are other reports of clinical applications of antimicrobial action of photodynamic therapy in dermatology (acne vulgaris, leishmaniasis, warts, etc.). But there are few applications without addition of exogenous photosensitizing agent. The originality and interest of our study is to use spontaneous presence of porphyrins in the lesions. This technique seems to be an interesting alternative, inexpensive and easy, for the treatment of this localized infection. But an optimal method is still to be determined to improve efficacy.

Juvenile xanthogranuloma: a congenital giant form leading to a wide atrophic sequela

Juvenile xanthogranuloma is the most common non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis of infancy and childhood. It is a benign disorder that usually regresses spontaneously, more often without or with limited skin changes. The clinical features are very pleomorphic and recognition of the atypical presentations should facilitate the diagnosis. We report a 9-month-old boy who had an extensive, atrophic lesion on the proximal thigh that followed the course of the congenital giant form. The large size of the lesion does not alter the clinical course or result in extracutaneous involvement, which remains rare. However, uncommon clinical presentations raise the problem of differential diagnosis, requiring biopsy to eliminate other tumors with a less favorable prognosis.

Childhood pustular psoriasis associated with Panton-Valentine leukocidin-producing Staphylococcus aureus

We report the association of a generalized pustular psoriasis and infection by Staphylococcus aureus which produced Panton-Valentine leukocidin in a 5-year-old child. Another S. aureus strain with the same toxin gene content was also isolated among three family members presenting with cutaneous lesions. Although a methicillin-resistant staphylococcal strain has been reported in association with pustular psoriasis, this is the first report of a Panton-Valentine leukocidin strain associated with generalized pustular psoriasis. The causal relationship between S. aureus produced Panton-Valentine leukocidin and skin lesions is discussed.

Postvaccinal, corticosteroid-resistant bullous pemphigoid in infancy: treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin

Bullous pemphigoid is an autoimmune subepidermal blistering disorder that typically affects elderly adults but can also occur in childhood. We report on a 3-month-old boy who developed bullous pemphigoid 1 week after the second routine administration of a hexavalent vaccine. The disease was resistant to standard therapies (including oral and topical corticosteroids) but was relieved by intravenous immunoglobulin treatment. There was no recurrence of bullous pemphigoid after the next vaccination (3 mos after discontinuation of steroids).

Cutaneous Involvement in Waldenström's Macroglobulinaemia

Cutaneous involvement in Waldenström’s macroglobulinaemia (WM) has been poorly characterized. To describe this involvement, a retrospective study of 19 patients with WM and cutaneous involvement of tumour B cells was performed. Twelve patients (group 1) had lymphoplasmacytic, non-transformed cutaneous proliferation, while in 7 cases (group 2) cutaneous involvement corresponded to histological transformation. In group 1, skin involvement was inaugural in 6 cases. The lesions were infiltrated plaques (83%), papules (25%) and tumours (42%). Four patients had a similar clinical picture (purplish, bilateral and symmetrical infiltration on the face). MYD88 L265P mutation was detected in the skin biopsy in all 6 cases tested. The 3-year specific survival rate was 88%. In group 2, cutaneous transformation occurred during the followup of the WM (71%). Lesions presented as ulcerated tumours (86%) of the trunk (57%) and lower limbs (57%). The 3-year specific survival rate was 22%. Skin involvement in WM has distinctive characteristics (e.g. clinical, histological, immunohistochemical, MYD88 L265P mutation).

Carcinome neuroendocrine cutané primitif géant de la jambe

INTRODUCTION

Primitive cutaneous neuroendocrine carcinoma or Merkel cell carcinoma is a tumor characterized by rapid evolution. The size at the time of diagnosis is a mean of 2 to 3 centimeters. We report a case of a particular clinical and anatomopathological presentation.

OBSERVATION

A 76 year-old woman had a voluminous tumoral plaque on the left leg with multiple ulcero-necrotic lesions involving the bone structure without palpable, inguinal lymphadenopathy. The histological and immunocytochemistry examination led to the diagnosis of cutaneous neuroendocrine carcinoma. The normality of the chest, abdominal and pelvis investigations confirmed the primitive cutaneous origin. The patient died a few months later without lymph involvement.

DISCUSSION

To the best of our knowledge, such a presentation of primitive cutaneous neuroendocrine carcinoma has never been reported. The absence of lymphadenopathy despite the tumor volume and extensive skin involvement suggest the hypothesis of a non lymphophilic form of primitive cutaneous neuroendocrine carcinoma. This case report shows that lymphophily depends neither on the tumoral size nor to the degree of differentiation of tumoral cell proliferation, but on biological factors that require specification.

Exanthème maculo-papuleux néonatal révélateur d’une septicémie à Klebsiella pneumoniae par infection maternofœtale

BACKGROUND

Neonatal exanthema of bacterial origin is caused very rarely by Gram-negative bacilli. We report a case of neonatal maculopapular exanthema evocative of Klebsiella pneumoniae septicemia resulting from maternofetal infection.

OBSERVATION

On the fourth day of life, a newborn infant presented incipient morbilliform maculopapular exanthema on the face. During delivery, the mother had presented hyperthermia and meconium was found in the amniotic fluid. Clinical examination of the newborn was normal. No clinically obvious site of entry of infection was seen. Laboratory tests revealed major inflammatory syndrome. Blood cultures were positive for K. pneumoniae, which was also found in blood cultures from the mother. Screening for other causes of infection was negative. Parenteral antibiotics for 10 days yielded favorable results with simultaneous resolution of the exanthema, normalization of laboratory values and negative blood cultures.

DISCUSSION

Exanthemas of infectious origin are not associated with any specific organism. The most common causative micro-organisms are Listeria monocytogenes, B streptococci, colibacilli, and more rarely, staphylococci. There have been reports of a number of cases of neonatal septicemia due to Gram-negative bacilli responsible for maculopapular exanthemas but the causative organism was not identified. To our knowledge, Klebsiella pneumoniae has never been incriminated in the appearance of this type of rash via maternofetal transmission. Consequently, the presence of neonatal exanthema should prompt screening for sepsis, even in the absence of other evocative signs, and in particular in settings of apyrexia.

[Topical haemotherapy as treatment for necrotic angiodermatitis: a pilot study]

INTRODUCTION

Necrotic angiodermatitis is a variety of leg ulcer, characterized by very painful and rapidly spreading lesions. Healing takes time, a mean of 4 to 11 months. Current treatment is difficult and rarely satisfactory. Only early skin grafts lead to rapid sedation of pain and stop the lesion from extending. However, this technique, performed during a progressive phase, enhances the risk of losing a certain number of grafts. We wanted to confirm the efficacy of local auto-haemo-therapy proposed in 2 non-controlled studies.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Eleven patients with necrotic angiodermatitis were included in our non-controlled prospective study. The topical hemotherapy was applied three times a week for one month, with initial hospitalization for 15 days. The criteria of assessment were: evolution of pain, surface of the ulcer, colorimetric scale and the date of disappearance of the purple halo.

RESULTS

Ten patients were relieved by the treatment, with progressive withdrawal of the analgesics. The progression of the lesion had stopped and the purple halo had disappeared in general by D6 (range: 2 to 21 days). The percentage of granulation tissue with regard to the surface of the ulcer was of 45.4 p. 100 on D0, 80 p. 100 on D14 and 85 p. 100 on D28.

CONCLUSION

Topical hemotherapy applied during the initial phase of treatment would reduce the pain and prepare the lesion for a secondary skin graft.

Modern Treatments in Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: Temporal Trends and Effect on Survival. A French Population-Based Study

Extrapolation of clinical trials results to the general population is always challenging. We analysed 1047 patients diagnosed with an advanced stage disease between 1998 and 2005 in a french administrative department and found a good spread of modern chemotherapy since 1998 and targeted therapy since 2002. Moreover, the outcomes in patients treated according to guidelines are very proximal from those obtained in clinical trials.

BACKGROUND

Management of metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer has considerably evolved during the past 2 decades. In this study we aimed to assess how treatments have spread at a population-based level and their effect on survival.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Medical records of patients diagnosed from 1998 to 2005 in the French department of Bas-Rhin were checked to collect data on patient characteristics and treatments received. Multivariate analysis of survival was performed using pretherapeutic and therapeutic factors including targeted therapies received as third-line treatment.

RESULTS

We included 1047 patients with stage IIIB to IV non-small-cell lung cancer. The proportion of patients who underwent chemotherapy increased from 373/471 (79.2%) to 491/576 (85.2%) over the 1998 to 2001 and 2002 to 2005 periods, and there was an increased use of third-generation drugs associated with platin. Third-line treatment was gefitinib or erlotinib in 73/155 (47.1%) of the cases among patients diagnosed from 2002 to 2005. Compared with older agents, targeted therapy administered as third-line treatment was associated with a longer survival but there was no significant difference in survival with recent chemotherapy agents in multivariate analyses (hazard ratio, 0.773; 95% confidence interval, 0.445-1.343).

CONCLUSION

Results of our study showed a good spread of modern chemotherapy and targeted therapy use at a population-based level. However, even if the general outcomes were improved along the years, the results observed in real clinical practice were slightly different from those reported in clinical trials.

Formalism of thermal waves applied to the characterization of materials thermal effusivity

Thermal characterization of materials, especially civil engineering materials, in the way of non-destructive methods, are more and more widespread. In this article, we show an original point of view to describe the used method, the thermal waves, to obtain the thermal impedance of the studied system, using a specific sensor--a fluxmeter. The identification technique, based on a frequential approach, is optimized by applying a random input to the system. This kind of random heating is shown to provide a frequency range where the thermal effusivity is able to be identified and not correlated to another parameter. The strength of the method is also the determination of the contact resistance of the system, that allows to validate the identification process. Experimental results obtained from a sample with well-known thermal properties (polyvinyl chloride) are used to validate the proposed method.

IgG1 Subclass Restriction and Biochemical Peculiarities of Monoclonal Immunoglobulins in Scleromyxedema

BACKGROUND

Scleromyxedema (SME) is a rare mucinosis associated with monoclonal gammopathy. Several biochemical peculiarities of monoclonal immunoglobulins (Ig) in SME patients were reported in case reports or short series, such as IgGλ over-representation, cationic migration, and partial deletion.

METHODS

Monoclonal immunoglobulins (Ig) from the serum of 12 consecutive patients diagnosed with scleromyxedema (SME) were analyzed using electrophoretic and immunoblotting techniques.

RESULTS

All monoclonal Ig from 12 SME were of IgG1 subclass, with an overrepresentation of the lambda-type light chain and a cationic mobility on standard zone electrophoresis, as compared with 21 cases of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) of IgG1 subclass. Reactivity with specific monoclonal antibodies demonstrated no evident deletion of the heavy chain constant domains, which was also confirmed by analysis of Ig heavy chain molecular weight on a purified monoclonal component from one case.

CONCLUSIONS

Significant isotype restriction of both heavy and light chains, and peculiar biochemical properties suggest that monoclonal Ig might be involved in pathophysiological events of SME.

[Primitive cutaneous neuroendocrine carcinomas or Merkel's tumor. Clinical and therapeutic aspects in 22 patients]

INTRODUCTION

Primitive cutaneous neuroendocrine carcinoma (PCNC) is a rare tumor with poor prognosis. Surgery is the treatment of choice, but radiotherapy is taking a larger place in the management of these patients.

METHODS

The files of 22 patients were studied retrospectively over a period of 14 years.

RESULTS

The study included 17 women and 5 men with a mean age of 75.5 years. The localization of the tumor was the cephalic extremity in 12 cases. At the initial stage, the tumor in 3 of the 22 patients was of glandular or visceral localization. Thirteen stage I patients were treated surgically. Adjuvant radiotherapy was performed in 10 of these patients and only one relapsed (incomplete initial exeresis). The other three relapsed. Exclusive radiotherapy led to complete response in 4 patients who could not undergo surgery and in 2 with local relapses. Seven patients exhibited glandular involvement and 6 of them died (median 7 months) after the adenopathy had been discovered.

DISCUSSION

Our series illustrates the clinical characteristics of this tumor of the elderly, which is predominantly cephalic and of rapid progression. From a therapeutic point of view, our results underline the benefit of radiotherapy as adjuvant to surgery. When surgery is impossible, and in the case of local relapse, radiotherapy gives good results.