Congenital Erosive and Vesicular Dermatosis with Reticulated Scarring in a Newborn: An Innovative Treatment Using a Silicone Dressing

Abstract: Congenital erosive and vesicular dermatosis healing with reticulated supple scarring is a rare entity presenting in the newborn with crusted erosions and vesicles that heal relatively rapidly, forming unique reticulated scars. We report the case of a premature baby 31 weeks old. Diagnosis was confirmed by skin biopsies, and the clinical improvement was excellent, with complete healing observed within 7 weeks. This report highlights clinical and histopathologic features, and a new successful treatment approach using a silicone dressing.     

Further evidences on a new diagnostic approach for monitoring human Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi infection in Amazonian Brazil

This was a prospective study carried out during a period over 2 years (May/2006–September/2008) with a cohort of 1,099 individuals of both genders, aged 1 year old and older, from an endemic area of American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL) in Pará state, Brazil. The object was to analyze the prevalence and incidence of human Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi infection as well as the dynamics evolution of its clinical-immunological profiles prior identified: (1) asymptomatic infection (AI); (2) symptomatic infection (SI = AVL); (3) sub-clinical oligosymptomatic infection (SOI); (4) sub-clinical resistant infection (SRI) and; (5) indeterminate initial infection (III). The infection diagnosis was performed by using both the indirect fluorescent antibody test and leishmanin skin test with amastigotes and promastigotes antigens of L. (L.) i. chagasi, respectively. A total of 187 cases of infection were recorded in the prevalence (17%), 117 in the final incidence (6.9%), and 304 in the accumulated prevalence (26.7%), which provided the following distribution into the clinical-immunological profiles: AI, 51.6%; III, 22.4%; SRI, 20.1%; SOI, 4.3%; and SI (=AVL), 1.6%. The major finding regarding the dynamics evolution of infection was concerned to III profile, from which the cases of infection evolved to either the resistant profiles, SRI (21 cases, 30.8%) and AI (30 cases, 44.1%), or the susceptible SI (=AVL; 1 case, 1.5%); the latter 16 cases remained as III till the end of the study. These results provided the conclusion that this diagnostic approach may be useful for monitoring human L. (L.) i. chagasi infection in endemic area and preventing the high morbidity of severe AVL cases.     

Glycosaminoglycans and their synthetic mimetics inhibit RANTES-induced migration and invasion of human hepatoma cells

The CC-chemokine regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed, and presumably secreted (RANTES)/CCL5 mediates its biological activities through activation of G protein-coupled receptors, CCR1, CCR3, or CCR5, and binds to glycosaminoglycans. This study was undertaken to investigate whether this chemokine is involved in hepatoma cell migration or invasion and to modulate these effects in vitro by the use of glycosaminoglycan mimetics. We show that the human hepatoma Huh7 and Hep3B cells express RANTES/CCL5 G protein-coupled receptor CCR1 but not CCR3 nor CCR5. RANTES/CCL5 binding to these cells depends on CCR1 and glycosaminoglycans. Moreover, RANTES/CCL5 strongly stimulates the migration and the invasion of Huh7 cells and to a lesser extent that of Hep3B cells. RANTES/CCL5 also stimulates the tyrosine phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase and activates matrix metalloproteinase-9 in Huh7 hepatoma cells, resulting in increased invasion of these cells. The fact that RANTES/CCL5-induced migration and invasion of Huh7 cells are both strongly inhibited by anti-CCR1 antibodies and heparin, as well as by beta-d-xyloside treatment of the cells, suggests that CCR1 and glycosaminoglycans are involved in these events. We then show by surface plasmon resonance that synthetic glycosaminoglycan mimetics, OTR4120 or OTR4131, directly bind to RANTES/CCL5. The preincubation of the chemokine with each of these mimetics strongly inhibited RANTES-induced migration and invasion of Huh7 cells. Therefore, targeting the RANTES-glycosaminoglycan interaction could be a new therapeutic approach for human hepatocellular carcinoma.     

The effects of exercise training associated with low-level laser therapy on biomarkers of adipose tissue transdifferentiation in obese women

Investigations suggest the benefits of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) to improve noninvasive body contouring treatments, inflammation, insulin resistance and to reduce body fat. However, the mechanism for such potential effects in association with exercise training (ET) and possible implications in browning adiposity processes remains unclear. Forty-nine obese women were involved, aged between 20 and 40 years with a body mass index (BMI) of 30–40 kg/m². The volunteers were divided into Phototherapy (808 nm) and SHAM groups. Interventions consisted of exercise training and phototherapy applications post exercise for 4 months, with three sessions/week. Body composition, lipid profile, insulin resistance, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), WNT5 signaling, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21) were measured. Improvements in body mass, BMI, body fat mass, lean mass, visceral fat, waist circumference, insulin, HOMA-IR, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, and ANP in both groups were demonstrated. Only the Phototherapy group showed a reduction in interleukin-6 and an increase in WNT5 signaling. In addition, it was possible to observe a higher magnitude change for the fat mass, insulin, HOMA-IR, and FGF-21 variables in the Phototherapy group. In the present investigation, it was demonstrated that exercise training associated with LLLT promotes an improvement in body composition and inflammatory processes as previously demonstrated. The Phototherapy group especially presented positive modifications of WNT5 signaling, FGF-21, and ANP, possible biomarkers associated with browning adiposity processes. This suggests that this kind of intervention promotes results applicable in clinical practice to control obesity and related comorbidities.     

Circulating immune complexes in patients with gram negative septic shock

Summary In order to explain complement components abnormalities observed during septic shock, circulating immune complexes (C.I.C.) were searched for in sera from 34 patients with gram negative sepsis by two different methods: polyethylene glycol precipitation test based on physical properties of C.I.C. and C1q deviation test based on the property of radiolabelled C1q to react with C.I.C. Serum immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM) and complement components (C1q, C3, C4) levels were simultaneously determined. Seventeen patients with minimal haemodynamic abnormalities had normal or increased levels (except C4 at 62% of normal) and in eleven cases both tests for C.I.C. were simultaneously positive. Seventeen patients with severe septic shock had a decrease in IgG, IgM, C1q, C3 and C4 and none had both tests for C.I.C. simultaneously positive (P<10^–4). The disappearence of C.I.C. in patients with severe septic shock associated with evidence of complement activation suggests their involvement in the pathogenesis of septic shock in man.This work was supported by grants from Conseil Scientifique de l'Université Paris Val de Marne and Délégation Générale de la Recherche Scientifique et Technique, Contracts N° 7510954 and 7771396     

Post-autologous stem cell transplantation administration of rituximab improves the outcome of patients with aggressive B cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

The major cause of treatment failure following high-dose therapy with autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for aggressive B cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) is persistent disease or recurrence. We describe our experience with the administration of rituximab post-ASCT, either as maintenance therapy or for the treatment of relapsed disease in patients with aggressive B cell NHL. Fifty-six patients achieved complete remission post-transplant, and 19 of them received maintenance with rituximab. Maintenance with rituximab resulted in statistically significant superior outcome in terms of progression free (PFS; p = 0.002) and overall survival (OS; p = 0.011). The median PFS and OS of patients in the maintenance arm has not been reached yet, while the median PFS and OS of patients in the control arm were 29 and 42 months, respectively. Fifty-four patients had disease progression or relapsed post-ASCT, and 15 of them received rituximab in combination with chemo- and/or radiotherapy in order to achieve disease remission. Therapeutic administration of rituximab resulted in statistically significant prolongation of OS (p = 0.021). The median OS of patients treated with rituximab was 17 months, while median OS of patients in the control group was 10 months. We consider that the results of our study are promising but need to be verified within large randomized trials.     

Endothelial nitric oxide-dependent vasorelaxant effect of isotirumalin, a dihydroflavonol from Derris urucu, on the rat aorta

The present work aimed to investigate the vasorelaxant effect of isotirumalin, a dihydroflavonol isolated from Derris urucu (Leguminosae). The vasorelaxant effect of isotirumalin was investigated in the rat aorta, in the presence and in the absence of a functional endothelium. The production of nitric oxide (NO) induced by isotirumalin was measured simultaneously with its vasorelaxation using carbon microsensors. In endothelium-intact aortic rings, isotirumalin induced a concentration-dependent vasodilator effect the concentration required to produce 30% of relaxation (pIC??=4.84±0.24) that was abolished in endothelium-denuded aortic rings or in the presence of Nω-nitro-L-arginine-methyl-ester (L-NAME; 300 μM). In addition, isotirumalin (100 μM) induced a simultaneous and significant increase on NO production, which was blunted in the presence of L-NAME. The present results demonstrate that isotirumalin is a vasodilator in the rat aorta and act by a mechanism dependent on the presence of a functional endothelium and on NO production.