Cutaneous variant of angiokeratoma corporis diffusum

A case of angiokeratoma corporis diffusum (ACD) involving the skin of a 22-year-old patient presenting with normal physical and mental development is reported. ACD presenting with skin lesions alone is a rare but specific clinical entity, which differs from hereditary sphingolipidoses such as Fabry's disease.     

Inhibition of the lectin-induced mitogenic response of thymocytes by glycolipids.

Exogenous gangliosides at concentrations found in serum inhibit the concanavalin A- (Con A) induced mitogenic response of mouse thymocytes. Of four gangliosides tested, the trisialoganglioside, GT1, was the most potent inhibitor. Ceramides, cerebrosides, and sialic acid were not inhibitory at any concentration tested. The inhibition by gangliosides was not due to interference with Con A binding as shown by direct binding studies with [3H]acetyl-Con A nor was it due to a nonspecific killing effect. Thymocytes exposed to a ganglioside concentration 5 times that required to inhibit mitogenesis were still capable of excluding trypan blue up to 44 hr after ganglioside addition. Furthermore, ganglioside inhibition could be reversed by washing the cells 4 hr after addition of the glycolipid. A productive interaction with Con A occurs in the presence of ganglioside as shown by a Con A-induced increase in carbohydrate metabolism. However, uridine and thymidine incorporation are inhibited by the presence of ganglioside. Complete inhibition could be achieved if the glycolipid were added as late as 24 to 28 hr after the Con A in a 48-hr mitogenic assay. The results are discussed in light of recent findings that elevated levels of gangliosides are found in in the sera of tumor-bearing animals, and it is suggested that gangliosides shed by tumor cells could be involved in the generalized immunosuppression observed in such animals.     

Cysticercosis of the oral cavity: an often misdiagnosed entity

We present a case report of a single lesion of cysticercosis cellulosae, a parasitic infection caused by the larval stage of Taenia solium (pork tapeworm), presenting as a soft tissue swelling of the lower lip. We stress the importance of knowledge about oral manifestations of parasitic infections.     

Double trouble: a case of von Recklinghausen's disease with coexistent lepromatous leprosy

Leprosy (or Hansen disease) is a tropical disease which affects the skin and nerves leading to deformities and disabilities. Von Recklinghausen's disease (neurofibromatosis 1) is a well-recognized genetic disorder with both cutaneous and systemic manifestations. Lesions of neurofibromatosis may be mistaken for nodules of lepromatous leprosy and vice versa. Occurrence of both von Recklinghausen's disease and lepromatous leprosy together is very rare. Since cutaneous nodules can also occur in neurofibromatosis, lepromatous leprosy can be easily missed. The presence of lepromatous leprosy in a patient with von Recklinghausen's disease is unique and poses certain diagnostic dilemmas which are discussed in this report.