Pruritus in chronic liver disease: a questionnaire survey in 71 patients

No abstract available

Burn Injury in Children: A Single-center Analysis of 100 Patients in Japan

Burn, a common injury in daily life, is a potential risk factor for severe sequelae in people, particularly children. Preventing unexpected burn injuries is of the utmost importance. This study examined the current status of pediatric burns in our institute. One hundred children who received intensive therapy in Kyushu University Hospital were analyzed regarding the causes, sites, severity, treatments, and outcomes of burns between 2004 and 2021. The mean patient age was 2.4 years (range: 0-15), and 90% of patients were 6 years old or younger. The mean percent total body surface area was 12.7%. All patients had second- or third-degree burns. The most common cause was scalding (93%), and among them, hot water burns, and kettle burns were predominant in 49.5% and 24.7% of children, respectively. The seasonal fluctuations of occurrence were not remarkable. Basic fibroblast growth factor spray with wet dressing was used, but hypertrophic scars arose in 39 patients. The mean duration of hospitalization was 18.9 ± 18.2 days. This study revealed that more than 90% of pediatric burns were caused by hot liquids, thereby highlighting the importance of educational activities for parents to prevent and reduce pediatric burns because most scalding burns can be avoided with caution

Periostin Links Skin Inflammation to Melanoma Progression in Humans and Mice

It is widely accepted that chronic inflammation initiates and promotes carcinogenesis and tumor progression in various cell types. However, this paradigm has not been comprehensively investigated in melanoma. To investigate the effects of chronic inflammation on the progression of melanoma, we established a murine inflammatory skin model and investigated the relationship between skin inflammation and melanoma progression. In a murine model, B16F10 melanoma cells in inflamed skin grew significantly more rapidly than cells in control skin. The stromal expression of periostin was upregulated in inflamed skin, and significantly more CD163+ M2 macrophages were recruited to the melanomas in inflamed skin. We then immunohistologically examined the expression of stromal periostin and the infiltration of CD163+ M2 macrophages in human acral lentiginous melanomas (n = 94) and analyzed the statistical associations with clinicopathological variables. In human melanomas, high periostin expression and a large number of infiltrated M2 macrophages were significantly correlated with poor prognosis. Furthermore, we confirmed that periostin promotes the proliferation of murine and human melanoma cells in vitro. Our findings indicate that periostin and M2 macrophages play a critical role in melanoma progression and prognosis in both humans and mice, indicating that periostin is a potential target for treating progressive melanoma

Scratching Counteracts IL-13 Signaling by Upregulating the Decoy Receptor IL-13Rα2 in Keratinocytes

The vicious itch–scratch cycle is a cardinal feature of atopic dermatitis (AD), in which IL-13 signaling plays a dominant role. Keratinocytes express two receptors: The heterodimeric IL-4Rα/IL-13Rα1 and IL-13Rα2. The former one transduces a functional IL-13 signal, whereas the latter IL-13Rα2 works as a nonfunctional decoy receptor. To examine whether scratch injury affects the expression of IL-4Rα, IL-13Rα1, and IL-13Rα2, we scratched confluent keratinocyte sheets and examined the expression of three IL-13 receptors using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and immunofluorescence techniques. Scratch injuries significantly upregulated the expression of IL13RA2 in a scratch line number-dependent manner. Scratch-induced IL13RA2 upregulation was synergistically enhanced in the simultaneous presence of IL-13. In contrast, scratch injuries did not alter the expression of IL4R and IL13RA1, even in the presence of IL-13. Scratch-induced IL13RA2 expression was dependent on ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK signals. The expression of IL-13Rα2 protein was indeed augmented in the scratch edge area and was also overexpressed in lichenified lesional AD skin. IL-13 inhibited the expression of involucrin, an important epidermal terminal differentiation molecule. IL-13-mediated downregulation of involucrin was attenuated in IL-13Rα2-overexpressed keratinocytes, confirming the decoy function of IL-13Rα2. Our findings indicate that scratching upregulates the expression of the IL-13 decoy receptor IL-13Rα2 and counteracts IL-13 signaling