Faculty Bibliography

Purpura annularis telangiectoides of Majocchi (PATM) is a clinical variant of pigmented purpuric dermatoses. It is characterized by asymptomatic or mildly pruritic, erythematous, annular patches that vary in size. The patches exhibit central clearing and peripheral cayenne pepper petechiae. It classically occurs on the lower legs but may be more generalized. Histopathologic features include a lymphocytic capillaritis with subsequent capillary leakage and extravasated erythrocytes, which is typical of all pigmented purpuric dermatoses. The pathogenesis of PATM is unknown, but it may uncommonly be associated with underlying diseases such as hematologic disorders and rarely cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. There is no standard effective treatment.

We present a 58-year-old Jamaican man with an eight-month history of an isolated, vegetative, eroded, and crusted plaque on the posterior aspect of the scalp. One month prior to referral to the Charles C. Harris Skin and Cancer Pavilion he developed a few, scattered erosions on the extremities. A biopsy specimen showed suprabasal acantholysis along with deposition of C3 and IgG on a direct immunofluorescence test. Localized pemphigus is a rare variant of pemphigus vulgaris. Localized pemphigus presents with a localized plaque that remains localized for an extended period of time without generalized bullae formation. Our patient represents an unusual case of localized pemphigus of the scalp with vegetative features.

Erythema ab igne is a reticulated, erythematous or hyperpigmented dermatosis that results from chronic and repeated exposure to low levels of infrared radiation. Multiple heat sources have been reported to cause this condition, which include heated reclining chairs, heating pads, hot water bottles, car heaters, electric space heaters, and, more recently, laptop computers. Treatment consists of withdrawing the inciting heat source. Although erythema ab igne carries a good prognosis, it is not necessarily a self-limited diagnosis as patients are at long-term risk of developing subsequent cutaneous malignant conditions, which include squamous cell and merkel-cell carcinomas.

An 84-year-old woman presented with a three-month history of scaly, erythematous, annular papules and plaques on her chest, back, arms, and legs, which developed after a short course of doxycycline. Histopathologic examination of skin biopsy specimens was consistent with subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE). A presumptive diagnosis of drug-induced SCLE secondary to doxycycline was made. Although minocycline-induced SCLE is widely reported in the literature, there are no known previous case reports of doxycycline-induced SCLE.

CONTEXT/BACKGROUND:Obesity in adolescents is increasingly prevalent and its impact on cardiovascular risk important to determine. Hormonal predictors of cardiovascular risk markers in obese adolescents are not known. OBJECTIVE:Our objective was to examine whether relative GH deficiency and cortisol excess are determinants of increased cardiovascular risk markers in obese teenage girls. DESIGN AND SETTING/METHODS:A cross-sectional study was conducted at a clinical research center. STUDY PARTICIPANTS/METHODS:Thirty girls (15 obese girls and 15 normal-weight controls) 12-18 years old matched for maturity and race. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES/METHODS:Inflammatory markers of cardiovascular risk including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), TNF-alpha receptors 1 and 2, E-selectin, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and IL-6 were analyzed. Leptin, adiponectin, and 24-h urine free cortisol (UFC) were also measured. A GHRH-arginine stimulation test was performed. RESULTS:The hsCRP levels were higher in obese girls than controls (4.63 +/- 4.81 vs. 0.67 +/- 0.72 mg/liter; P = 0.002 after log conversion), as were other markers of cardiovascular risk. Eight of the 15 obese girls but no normal-weight girl had hsCRP higher than 3 mg/liter (P = 0.002). Body mass index sd score was higher than 4.0 in 87.5% of girls with hsCRP higher than 3 mg/liter and no girls with hsCRP less than 3 mg/liter. Girls with hsCRP higher than 3 mg/liter had higher UFC and lower peak GH compared with those with hsCRP less than 3 mg/liter. Peak GH was an important negative predictor of most markers of increased cardiovascular risk. In addition to peak GH, UFC and adiponectin independently predicted hsCRP. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Relative GH deficiency and cortisol excess are significant contributors to increased levels of markers of cardiovascular risk in obese adolescent girls.

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein is thought to contribute to HCV pathogenesis through its interaction with various signal transduction pathways. In this study, we explored the interaction of the core protein with innate defense pathways (interferon [IFN] regulatory factor [IRF], Jak-Stat, and inducible nitric oxide synthase [iNOS]) in HeLa and Huh7 human cell lines. Expression of a patient-derived genotype 1b core protein activated human IRF-1 and guanylate-binding protein-2 (GBP-2) promoters, induced IRF-1 mRNA, but failed to induce IRF-3 phosphorylation. HCV core protein caused dose-dependent induction of the IFN-beta promoter and IFN-beta mRNA but not the IFN-alpha1 and IFN-alpha4 promoters. In the presence of IFN-alpha, core expression was associated with increased IFN-stimulated gene factor 3 (ISGF3) binding to the IFN-stimulated response element (ISRE) and tyrosine phosphorylation of Stat1. Core expression resulted in dose-dependent activation of the ISRE and gamma activated sequence (GAS) promoters, in both the absence and the presence of either IFN-alpha or IFN-gamma. Core stimulated the human iNOS promoter and induced iNOS protein. The data indicate that HCV core can modulate IRF, Jak-Stat, and iNOS pathways and suggest mechanisms by which core could affect HCV persistence and pathogenesis.