171 research outputs found
Depression and Anxiety in Patients with Bullous Pemphigoid : Impact and Management Challenges
Bullous pemphigoid is the most common autoimmune subepidermal blistering disease of the skin and mucous membranes. It is also associated with high mortality and poor prognosis due to advanced age of the patients and coexisting comorbidities. There is a dearth of data in the literature regarding depression and anxiety among those patients. The objective of this brief review is to discuss the intertwining relationship between depression and anxiety with bullous pemphigoid.Peer reviewe
Granuloma Annulare and Morphea : Correlation with Borrelia burgdorferi Infections and Chlamydia-related Bacteria
A retrospective study of 109 skin biopsies with granuloma annulare (GA) or morphea histology from patients with suspected tick bite was performed. Biopsies were tested for cutaneous Borrelia burgdorferi DNA using PCR. The same biopsies were analysed for tick-borne novel agents, Chlamydia-related bacteria (members of the Chlamydiales order), using a PCR-based method. Borrelia DNA was detected in 7/73 (9.6%) biopsies with GA and in 1/36 (2.8 %) biopsies with morphea, while Chlamydiales DNA was found in 53/73 (72.6%) biopsies with GA and 25/34 (73.4%) biopsies with morphea. All Borrelia DNA-positive GA samples were also positive for Chlamydiales DNA. The Chlamydiales sequences detected in GA were heterogeneous and contained Waddliaceae and Rhabdochlamydiaceae bacteria, which are also present in Ixodes ricinus ticks, while the Chlamydiales sequences detected in morphea closely resembled those found in healthy skin. In conclusion, tick-mediated infections can trigger GA in some cases, while correlation of either Borrelia or Chlamydiales with morphea is unlikely.Peer reviewe
Activation of NLRP3 Inflammasome in the Skin of Patients with Systemic and Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus
NLRP3 inflammasome is suggested to contribute to the complex pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus, but its role in cutaneous lupus erythematosus has not been addressed. This study investigated the expression of NLRP3 inflammasome components and levels of type I interferons in the skin of 20 patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Expression of NLRP1/3, adaptor protein ASC (apoptosis-associated speck-like protein), caspase-1, interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha), myxovirus resistance protein (MxA), and interferon-induced proteins 1 and 2 (IFIT 1/2) in the skin was assessed using reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR), western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Serum interferon-a protein levels from 12 patients were measured using digital enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA). Interleukin-1 beta expression was significantly upregulated in the lesional skin of patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus compared with their uninvolved skin. However, NLRP1/3, ASC and caspase-1 were not significantly upregulated compared with the skin of control persons. IFN-alpha and IFN-induced proteins MxA and IFIT1/2 were strongly expressed in cutaneous lupus erythematosus skin. Variability in the expression of NLRP3 inflammasome components among patients suggests heterogeneity of pathological pathways in cutaneous lupus erythematosus.Peer reviewe
The Stor-Sarvlaks manor park
Stor-Sarvlaks is an old manor house located on the south coast of Finland, about 80 kilometres east of Helsinki. The history of the estate covers 600 years in the possession of three noble families: Creutz, von Morian and von Born. The main building, a handsome baroque mansion, was completed in 1683, while the surrounding park and gardens were laid out during the 19th century. In the 1930’s, a major part of the garden was reshaped following the German formal garden style. The writers report the findings of their inventories in the park and garden of Stor-Sarvlaks in 2011. Over the past fifty years, the park and gardens have received relatively little maintenance. The main features of the formal front and back gardens remain, as do the long birch avenues towards the roadways north and east of the manor grounds. Even the main items of the 19th century landscape park still persist, though seriously threatened by overgrowth and collapse. A survey of vascular plant species in the maintained park area (approx. four hectares) revealed 167 taxa, of which 25 were trees, 30 shrubs and 112 herbs and grasses. The most noteworthy specimens were the rare silver maples, the imposing larches and other old trees, as well as the amazingly species-rich hedgerows in and around the front garden. The treatise concludes by discussing the infertility of early silver maple plantations in Finland
Correction: Hokynar, K. et al. Chlamydia-Like Organisms (CLOs) in Finnish Ixodes ricinus Ticks and Human Skin. Microorganisms 2016, 4, 28
The authors wish to make the following modification to this paper [...
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