Dietary habits in Japanese patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis: Low intake of meat in psoriasis and high intake of vitamin A in psoriatic arthritis

Psoriasis is characterized by T‐helper 17 cell‐dominant abnormal immunity, and hyperproliferation and abnormal differentiation of epidermal keratinocytes. Some patients are associated with arthritis. Dietary habits can modulate the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Previous studies in Western countries showed higher body mass indices, higher intake of fat and lower intake of fish or vegetables in psoriatic patients compared with the reference groups. We evaluated dietary habits in adult Japanese psoriatic patients, using a validated brief‐type self‐administered dietary history questionnaire, and compared the results to those of age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls. The results in psoriatic patients with arthritis were compared with those in the patients without. Japanese psoriatic patients showed higher body mass indices, higher intake of fish/shellfish, pulses, sugar/sweeteners, vitamin B₁₂ and vitamin D, and lower intake of meat, compared with those of healthy controls. The logistic regression analysis showed that psoriasis was associated with high body mass index and low intake of meat. The intake of confection in patients with high Psoriasis Area and Severity Index was higher than that in those with low index. The intake of β‐carotene, vitamin A and green/yellow vegetables in psoriatic patients with arthritis were higher than those in the patients without. The dietary habits in Japanese psoriatic patients are rather different from those in Western patients. This is the first study showing the differences in dietary habits between psoriatic patients with arthritis and those without. Further studies should elucidate the relationships of these results with skin and joint lesions in psoriatic patients.     

Primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma occurring in an atopic dermatitis patient: a case report with review of the literature with emphasis on their association

Although the risk of malignant lymphoma in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) remains controversial, an increased risk of malignant T-cell lymphoma in patients with AD has been reported. Primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma (C-ALCL) is a relatively common distinct clinicopathological entity. However, occurrence of C-ALCL in patients with AD has been rarely reported. Herein, we describe the 5^th reported case of C-ALCL occurring in a patient with AD and review the clinicopathological features. A 30-year-old Japanese male with a long-standing history of AD presented with a gradually enlarged nodular lesion in the right abdominal wall, which had spontaneously regressed without therapy. Two years later, multiple nodular lesions appeared in his trunk, and swelling of multiple lymph nodes was also detected. Histopathological studies demonstrated diffuse proliferation of large-sized lymphocytes with large convoluted nuclei containing conspicuous nucleoli and relatively rich cytoplasm in the skin and lymph node. Immunohistochemically, these lymphocytes were positive for CD30, CD8, and MUM1, and negative for CD3, CD4, and ALK1. Accordingly, a diagnosis of primary C-ALCL was made. The patient died of disease after various courses of chemotherapy. Our clinicopathological review revealed that the prognosis of C-ALCL occurring in patients with AD is poor because two of 5 patients died of disease. Therefore, albeit extremely rare, AD patients with C-ALCL should be monitored closely, and additional clinicopathological studies are needed to clarify the pathogenesis of C-ALCL occurring in patients with AD.     

Medallion‐like dermal dendrocyte hamartoma: A rare congenital CD34‐positive dermal lesion clinically and pathologically overlapping with fibroblastic connective tissue nevus

Both medallion‐like dermal dendrocyte hamartoma and fibroblastic connective tissue nevus are rare benign dermal lesions composed of CD34‐positive spindle cells. Although regarded as different diseases, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between them due to their clinical and pathological similarities. We present a case of medallion‐like dermal dendrocyte hamartoma that could also be diagnosed as fibroblastic connective tissue nevus and propose the possibility of overlap in these diseases.     

Delta-like canonical Notch ligand 3 as a potential therapeutic target in malignancies: A brief overview

Delta-like canonical Notch ligand 3 (DLL3) is a member of the Delta/Serrate/Lag2 (DSL) Notch receptor ligand family and plays a crucial role in Notch signaling, which influences various cellular processes including differentiation, proliferation, survival, and apoptosis. DLL3 is expressed throughout the presomitic mesoderm and is localized to the rostral somatic compartments; mutations in DLL3 induce skeletal abnormalities such as spondylocostal dysostosis. Recently, DLL3 has attracted interest as a novel molecular target due to its high expression in neuroendocrine carcinoma of the lung. Moreover, a DLL3-targeting Ab-drug conjugate, rovalpituzumab tesirine (ROVA-T), has been developed as a new treatment with proven antitumor activity. However, the development of ROVA-T was suspended because of shorter overall survival compared to topotecan, the second-line standard treatment. Thus, several studies on the mechanism and function of DLL3 in several malignancies are underway to find a new strategy for targeting DLL3. In this review, we discuss the roles of DLL3 in various malignancies and the future perspectives of DLL3-related research, especially as a therapeutic target.     

Biomarker profiling of postmortem blood for diabetes mellitus and discussion of possible applications of metabolomics for forensic casework

International Journal of Legal Medicine - Acute metabolic disorders of diabetes mellitus (DM), such as diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state, and hypoglycemia, are...     

Risk factors of cognitive impairment in pediatric epilepsy patients with focal cortical dysplasia

Objective

The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors of cognitive impairment in pediatric epilepsy patients with focal cortical dysplasia (FCD).