Suppression of cytotoxic cellular reactions during antibody production to rhamnose determinants of group a streptococcal polysaccharide,cross-reacting with skin epithelial antigens

N. F. Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Moscow. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR S. V. Prozorovskii.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 110, No. 8, pp. 170–172, August, 1990.     

Can subjects with a positive allergen skin test be selected by a short questionnaire?

The objective was to evaluate a postal questionnaire screening procedure for selection of subjects with positive reactions to skin prick tests with common allergens. The project consisted of a screening, with subsequent skin prick test of two selected groups. The setting was the Glostrup Population Studies institute in Copenhagen, Denmark. Participants in the screening included 8000 subjects, aged 15–69 years. The subjects were randomly selected from the population of western Copenhagen County, Denmark. From the 6998 respondents (87.5%), 793 subjects were randomly selected (Random Group), and 788 subjects were chosen on the basis of their answers to the questionnaire (Symptom Group). Both groups were invited to take skin prick tests. Attendance rates were 75.5% (Random Group) and 80.6% (Symptom Group).
The main outcome measures were responses (yes or no) to the specific questions and the subjects' skin reaction (positive or negative). The association between symptoms and skin reactivity, adjusted for the effects of sex and age, was summarized by odds ratios. Symptoms on exposure to allergens were highly associated with positive skin reactivity. In the Symptom Group the percentage of subjects with at least one positive skin reaction was 57.7%, which was twice as much (28.4%) as in the Random Group. The results show that it was possible to select a group with high skin reactivity on the basis of the symptoms reported in the screening. Questions about exposure to allergens were the most appropriate for selection of this group.     

Non-linearity of skin resistance response to intraneural electrical stimulation of sudomotor nerves

Intraneural electrical stimuli (0.3 mA, 0.2 ms) were delivered via a tungsten micro-electrode inserted into a cutaneous fascicle in the median nerve at the wrist in 16 normal subjects, and the effects on the sweat glands within the innervation zone were recorded as changes of skin resistance. In order to examine the relationship between the skin resistance level and the amplitude of transient resistance responses, trains of high frequency stimulation were used to reduce the skin resistance level and then transient resistance responses were evoked by single stimuli at 0.1 Hz. Regional anaesthesia of the brachial plexus in the axilla eliminated spontaneous sympathetic activity and reflex effects. At high skin resistance levels response amplitudes to single stimuli were low but they increased successively to a maximum at intermediate levels and then decreased again at low resistance levels. Repeated stimulation sequences evoked qualitatively similar response curves but quantitatively both response amplitudes and skin resistance levels were slightly reduced upon repetition. We suggest that the changes of response amplitudes are due to variable resistivity of the corneal layer. The shifts of the response curves with repetition of stimulation may result from increased hydration of the corneum. It is concluded that the variability of response amplitudes to constant stimuli makes the amplitude of a skin resistance response unsuitable as an indicator of the strength of sympathetic sudomotor nerve traffic.     

Staphylococcal toxin-induced T cell proliferation in atopic eczema correlates with increased use of superantigen-reactive Vbeta-chains in cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen (CLA)-positive lymphocytes

Staphylococcal superantigens have been implicated in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD). This may occur through superantigenic activation of T lymphocytes and their subsequent induction of the skin homing receptor CLA on activated cells. We investigated the proliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 10 patients with an infective exacerbation of AD and six normal controls to the staphylococcal superantigens, staphylococcal enterotoxin A and B (SEA, SEB) and toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1), and the mitogens phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) and concanavalin A (Con A). We also assessed CLA and T cell receptor (TCR) Vbeta-chain expression by immunofluorescence and flow cytometry before and after stimulation. PBMC from AD patients showed two-fold increased proliferation to SEA and SEB (P < 0.01) compared with normals, whereas the response to mitogenic stimulation was identical. Analysis of (TCR) Vbeta-chain expression demonstrated increased use of superantigen-reactive Vbeta families in freshly isolated PBMC in AD patients compared with controls. This pattern of Vbeta-chain expression was only observed in the CLA+ but not the total population of T cells. Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between the enhanced PBMC proliferative response and increased expression of superantigen-reactive Vbeta families in atopic patients. These data support the concept that superantigens are important in the pathogenesis of this common condition, and also provide evidence that the increased use of certain Vbeta families in circulating, CLA+, skin homing lymphocytes is of functional significance.     

Alpers'' disease

Observations on skin reflectance were made on 309 endogamous Indian families, for constitutive (medial upper arm) and facultative skin colour (forehead) to investigate which of the two colours is under a rigid control of genetic action. An assessment of data by coefficient of correlation "r" show that facultative colour is inherited more strictly than the constitutive colour.
Received 4 July, accepted 3 October 1983     

Changes in adhesive interactions between keratinocytes during skin regeneration in rats

Institute of Cell Biochemistry and Physiology, Research and Production Center for Medical Biotechnology, Moscow. (Presented by Academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences D. S. Sarkisov.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 114, No. 7, pp. 104–106, July, 1992.     

Bloom''s syndrome with porokeratosis of Mibeili and multiple cancers of the skin, lung and colon

A 38-year-old Japanese male with Bloom's syndrome (BS) and porokeratosis of Mibelli (PM) developed multiple carcinomas of the skin and lung. There were multiple, spontaneous chromosomal aberrations and frequent sister chromatid exchanges (SCE). Cutaneous delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions were defective and serum IgM was decreased. The lung cancer was treated with radiation, which was effective but caused a severe pulmonary atelectasis and esophageal stricture. The patient expired one-and-a-half years later because of pneumonia. Autopsy disclosed an adenocarcinoma of the colon. The concurrent PM was considered responsible for the occurrence of multiple skin cancers.     

Split-thickness skin graft donor-site morbidity: A systematic literature review

The purpose of this systematic literature review is to critically evaluate split-thickness skin graft (STSG) donor-site morbidities. The search of peer-reviewed articles in three databases from January 2009 to July 2019 identified 4271 English-language publications reporting STSG donor-site clinical outcomes, complications, or quality of life. Of these studies, 77 met inclusion criteria for analysis. Mean time to donor-site epithelialization ranged from 4.7 to 35.0 days. Mean pain scores (0–10 scale) ranged from 1.24 to 6.38 on postoperative Day 3. Mean scar scores (0–13 scale) ranged from 0 to 10.9 at Year 1. One study reported 28% of patients had donor-site scar hypertrophy at 8 years. Infection rates were generally low but ranged from 0 to 56%. Less frequently reported outcomes included pruritus, wound exudation, and esthetic dissatisfaction. Donor-site wounds underwent days of wound care and were frequently associated with pain and scarring. Widespread variations were noted in STSG donor-site outcomes likely due to inconsistencies in the definition of outcomes and utilization of various assessment tools. Understanding the true burden of donor sites may drive innovative treatments that would reduce the use of STSGs and address the associated morbidities.     

How to perform high ultrasound examination of skin involvement among patients with systemic sclerosis – proposition of a unified protocol

IntroductionA fast and cheap method of skin assessment in systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an area of extensive research. Established in 1979, the Rodnan skin score is a palpation-based method used among clinicians. This method has some limitations, such as: examiner’s skills, subjective results, and no standardization. In the last few years researchers have been exploring ultrasound-based techniques as a possible tool for skin assessment among patients with SSc. The aim of the study is to develop a protocol of elastography-based skin imaging evaluation among patients with SSc.Material and methodsReview of the literature and own experience.ResultsProposition of elastography-based skin imaging protocol among patients with SSc.ConclusionsThe authors present a potential protocol of ultrasound-based examination of skin involvement among patients with SSc.