The pigmented life of a redhead.

As a redhead I have had a personal interest in red hair, freckles and sunburns since childhood. An observation of a formaldehyde-induced fluorescence in human epidermal melanocytes initiated my scientific interest in these cells. Prota and Nicolaus demonstrated that oxidation products of cysteinyldopas are the main components of pheomelanin. Our identification of 5-S-cysteinyldopa as the source of formaldehyde-induced fluorescence of normal and pathological melanocytes started a series of investigations into this amino acid, enzymatic and non-enzymatic oxidation of catecholic compounds and the metabolism of thiols. All melanocytes with functioning tyrosinase produce cysteinyldopas and the levels of 5-S-cysteinyldopa in serum and urine are related to the size and pigment forming activity of the melanocyte population. The determination of 5-S-cysteinyldopa in serum or urine is a sensitive diagnostic method in the detection of melanoma metastasis. Some non-specific formation of cysteinyldopa is present in the body, as demonstrated by 5-S-cysteinyldopa in individuals with tyrosinase-negative albinism

Late neonatal lupus erythematosus onset in a child born of a mother with primary Sjögren's syndrome

Case report: An asymptomatic mother with primary Sjögren's syndrome and anti-SSA/Ro52, anti-SSA/Ro60, and anti-SSB/La autoantibodies is described who, at gestational week 23 during her first pregnancy, was diagnosed as having a male fetus with CHB due to third degree atrioventricular block. The boy from the second pregnancy developed skin eruptions which clinically and by biopsy were compatible with NLE at week 20+1 post partum. Conclusions: Our case of NLE, starting at week 20+1 of age, seems to be the latest reported clinical case of NLE. Development of CHB and NLE in two consecutive boy pregnancies is unusual

Late neonatal lupus erythematosus onset in a child born of a mother with primary Sjogren's syndrome

Background: The neonatal lupus syndrome can be present as congenital heart block (CHB) or as neonatal lupus erythematosus (NLE), both seldom passively acquired autoimmune diseases. CHB starts around week 20 of pregnancy and is a lifelong event, whereas NLE is self limiting and usually starts at the 6th week of the child's age - the maximum recorded up to week 20. Case report: An asymptomatic mother with primary Sjogren's syndrome and anti-SSA/Ro52, anti-SSA/Ro60, and anti-SSB/La autoantibodies is described who, at gestational week 23 during her first pregnancy, was diagnosed as having a male fetus with CHB due to third degree atrioventricular block. The boy from the second pregnancy developed skin eruptions which clinically and by biopsy were compatible with NLE at week 20+1 post partum. Conclusions: Our case of NLE, starting at week 20+1 of age, seems to be the latest reported clinical case of NLE. Development of CHB and NLE in two consecutive boy pregnancies is unusual

Costs and quality of life for psoriatic patients at different degrees of severity in southern Sweden - a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: Knowledge of the societal costs of psoriasis is limited. This study estimated the cost of care, psoriasis area and severity index (PASI), and quality of life in a defined patient population in Sweden. Methods: A prevalence-based prospective recruitment of patients visiting two Swedish dermatology clinics between September and December 2009 was performed, collecting resource utilization for health care contacts, treatment, travelling, and productivity loss during 1 month. Results: 164 patients were included. Mean total cost per patient-month was 994€. Main cost drivers were outpatient visits and light therapy (49%), biological drugs (20%) and productivity loss (22%). Total cost for topical treatment only (TT; 34%) was 369€, light therapy (LT; 24%) 1,274€, traditional systemic treatment (TST; 26%) 1,085€ and biological systemic treatment (BST; 16%) 1,709€ per patient-month. Main cost drivers were: outpatient visits (56%) in TT as well as for LT (78%), productivity loss (40%) in TST, and biological drugs (71%) among BST patients. There was no clear relationship between clinical (PASI) or subjective (DLQI) severity estimations and costs. Conclusions: The one-month cost-of-illness amounted to almost 1,000€/month, with great variations. Despite 1,190€ difference in drug cost for TST vs BST, total cost per month differed by 623€ because of offsets from improved productivity. A trend towards lower severity and reductions in outpatient and topical treatment costs was seen

Non-reproductive effects of follicle-stimulating hormone in young men

Objective: Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) receptor expression has been reported in many extra-gonadal tissues, raising the question of non-reproductive effects of FSH. Because of increasing usage of FSH in treatment of male infertility, deeper knowledge of possible harmful off-target effects of FSH is warranted. Methods: In total, 33 healthy young men (mean age 30 years) were included in the study. All received an s.c. injection of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist and n = 16 were randomized to 300 IU recombinant FSH (300 IE 3 times/week) for 5 weeks at first visit (V1) whereas n = 17 served as controls. Blood samples were taken at (V1), after 3 weeks (V2), and after 5 weeks (V3), when the study ended. At V2, all subjects received 1000 mg testosterone undecanoate i.m. A standard set of bio- and inflammatory markers were compared between the groups using the Mann–Whitney test adjusted for multiple testing. Results: As compared to controls, the FSH treated men had higher SHBG and albumin concentrations at V2 (p = 0.024 and 0.027, respectively), and lower levels of alanine aminotransferase (p = 0.026) and magnesium (p = 0.028) at V3. However, none of the results remained statistically significant after Bonferroni correction (p > 0.0011). Conclusions: FSH had no significant effects on non-reproductive organs when given in standard therapeutic doses to young men for 5 weeks. Therefore, the FSH treatment can be considered safe in otherwise healthy young men, constituting candidates for the infertility treatment with FSH

Impact of add-back FSH on human and mouse prostate following gonadotropin ablation by GnRH antagonist treatment

Objective: During androgen ablation in prostate cancer by the standard gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist treatment, only luteinizing hormone (LH) is permanently suppressed while circulating follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) rebounds. We explored direct prostatic effects of add-back FSH, after androgen ablation with GnRH antagonist, permanently suppressing both gonadotropins. Methods: The effects of recombinant human (rFSH) were examined in mice treated with vehicle (controls), GnRH antagonist degarelix (dgx), dgx + rFSH, dgx + flutamide, or dgx + rFSH + flutamide for 4 weeks. Prostates and testes size and expression of prostate-specific and/or androgen-responsive genes were measured. Additionally, 33 young men underwent dgx-treatment. Seventeen were supplemented with rFSH (weeks 1–5), and all with testosterone (weeks 4–5). Testosterone, gondotropins, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and inhibin B were measured. Results: In dgx and dgx + flutamide treated mice, prostate weight/body weight was 91% lower than in controls, but 41 and 11%, respectively, was regained by rFSH treatment (P = 0.02). The levels of seminal vesicle secretion 6, Pbsn, Nkx3.1, beta-microseminoprotein, and inhibin b were elevated in dgx + rFSH-treated animals compared with only dgx treated (all P < 0.05). In men, serum inhibin B rose after dgx treatment but was subsequently suppressed by testosterone. rFSH add-back had no effect on PSA levels. Conclusions: These data provide novel evidence for the direct effects of FSH on prostate sizand gene expression in chemically castrated mice. However, in chemically castrated men, FSH had no effect on PSA production. Whether FSH effects on the prostate in humans also require suppression of the residual adrenal-derived androgens and/or a longer period of rFSH stimulation, remains to be explored