An anatomically normal first web space is essential for optimal prehensile movements of the thumb and hand. A 28-year-old woman presented with severe scarring and contractures of the first web space of both hands, following a flame burn injury sustained 25 years prior to presentation. First web space contracture may occur secondary to severe injuries, burns (as observed in our patient), or congenital hand anomalies. A significant amount of additional skin is required to release a severe first web space contracture. Reconstruction of wide areas of contractures using only local flaps is challenging. Among other free flaps used in clinical practice, the thinned lateral arm free flap provides flexible vascularized tissue for reconstruction of the skin after severe first web space contracture release. Reconstruction using lateral arm free flaps facilitated thumb abduction and opposition (which were initially difficult) and improved hand function in our patient.

Purpose: Hand skin defects and following scar contractures are common injuries and sequelae of home or industrial accidents. Glabrous skin defects should be replaced with similar skin to achieve functional recovery and cosmesis. However, donor sites for full-thickness glabrous skin are insufficient. Methods: From 2008 to 2018, we performed graft surgeries from the hypothenar area to cover the palmar skin defects after postburn scar contracture release. All 62 patients were treated with full-thickness composite grafts including skin and subcutaneous tissue. Results: Follow-up periods ranged from 13 to 65 months. All glabrous composite grafts demonstrated good uptake rates, resembling the surrounding skin in appearance, texture, and color. Among the 62 patients, there were only three cases of partial graft loss. There were no reported complications such as significant color change, hypertrophic scar, or donor site complications. The grafted skin showed an average 5.8 mm static two-point discrimination in sensory recovery. Conclusion Our results indicate that use of glabrous full-thickness composite graft is a reliable method for hand palmar skin resurfacing. With low donor-site morbidity, the graft restores the functional and aesthetic properties of glabrous skin.

Reconstruction of subtotal maxillectomy defects with columella deficit is challenging. We report a unique case of facial reconstruction using a free radial forearm flap and a free preauricular flap for the maxillectomy and columella deficit. A 73-year-old woman was diagnosed with recurrent sebaceous carcinoma of the nose. We performed wide excision, including areas of the right cheek, nose, upper lip, maxilla, and columella. The resultant subtotal maxillectomy defect was reconstructed using a three-dimensional flap. First, a free radial forearm flap was transfered to resurface the nasal, oral, and external facial side. Second, a preauricular flap was positioned into the columella defect and anastomosed with the distal portion of the radial forearm flap pedicle. The two flaps survived, and the patient recovered uneventfully. We believe the radial forearm and preauricular double free flaps with the pedicle connection method were effective in reconstructing the present case of subtotal maxillectomy defect.

Primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma (C-ALCL) is rare among skin malignancies. C-ALCL usually manifests as reddish or violet nodules. Surgical excision or radiation therapy is generally considered as first-line therapy, but a clinically aggressive disease may require multiagent chemotherapy. Establishing a proper diagnosis of C-ALCL is challenging but should be made to avoid inappropriate treatment and its consequences. The authors report a case of medically resolved C-ALCL in an 81-year-old man presented with well-defined nodular lesions on the forehead.
Aged, 80 and over ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Forehead ; Humans ; Lymphoma, Large-Cell, Anaplastic ; Lymphoma, Primary Cutaneous Anaplastic Large Cell ; Lymphoma, T-Cell ; Skin ; Viola

Hemangioma is a benign vascular tumor that grows by endothelial cell hyperplasia. It occurs most frequently in the head and neck region. Nose reconstruction is tricky because of its unique threedimensional structure and different tissue components. We report a case of successful reconstruction of near-total nose defect using the paramedian forehead flap combined with a nasolabial flap, immediately after excision of nasal hemangioma. A 49-year-old male patient was presented with a huge mass at the nose. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging showed prominent vascular channels extending to the forehead and cheek. Complete resection of the mass was performed, which resulted in an eccentric defect. The right paramedian forehead flap and the left nasolabial flap were designed and transferred to the defect. Flap division was performed 1 month later. The patient is satisfied with the overall appearance and did not develop any functional deficit.

Background: The guidelines of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have been continuously updated, with extensive discussion on the effectiveness of the COVID-19 booster vaccines and antibody generation associated with the different types of vaccine. We investigated the effects of the third dose of the mRNA vaccine on antibody titer and the factors associated with antibody production in patients with RA who had previously received two doses of the ChAdOx1-S nCoV-19 vaccine. Methods: Between October 14, 2021 and June 17, 2022, two patient groups diagnosed with RA were recruited prospectively: one with two doses of ChAdOx1-S nCoV-19 and the second group with the additional third mRNA vaccine. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibody titers were determined through semiquantitative anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Antibody titers were compared in both groups considering clinical features and medications. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify the factors associated with antibody production. Also, we followed up the antibody titers of whom completed the 3rd mRNA vaccination. Results: Among 261 patients, all patients were over 60 years old except for 7 patients and the average age was 65 years; 153 had completed two doses of ChAdOx1-S nCoV-19, while 108 patients had also received the third mRNA vaccine. The positive rates of anti-SARS-CoV-2 anti-S1/receptor binding domain-specific antibody (titer > 0.8 U/mL) were 97% (149/153) and 99% (107/108) respectively. However, positive rates for high antibody titer (> 250 U/ mL) were found in only 31% (47/153) of group 1 but 94% (102/108) of group 2. Multivariate analysis revealed that corticosteroid use (odds ratio [OR], 0.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.16–0.75), older age (OR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.860–0.98), and male sex (OR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.07–0.74) were associated with a lower rate of high antibody titer acquisition after two doses of ChAdOx1-S nCoV-19. Waning of antibody titers was observed in only two of 46 patients who followed up twice after the third mRNA vaccine inoculation. Conclusion Our findings suggest that the third dose of the mRNA vaccine could be beneficial in RA patients with risk factors including older age, male sex, and corticosteroid use after two doses of ChAdOx1-S nCoV-19.

IL-32 acts as a pro-inflammatory cytokine by inducing the synthesis of inflammatory molecules as well as promoting the morphological changes involved in the transformation of monocytes into osteoclasts (OCs). Evaluation of the functions of IL-32 has mainly focused on its inflammatory properties, such as involvement in the pathogenesis of various autoimmune diseases. Recently, IL-32 was shown to be involved in bone metabolism, in which it promotes the differentiation and activation of OCs and plays a key role in bone resorption in inflammatory conditions. IL-32γ also regulates bone formation in conditions such as ankylosing spondylitis and osteoporosis. In this review, we summarize the results of recent studies on the role of IL-32γ in bone metabolism in inflammatory arthritis.
Arthritis* ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Bone Resorption ; Inflammation ; Metabolism* ; Monocytes ; Osteoblasts ; Osteoclasts ; Osteogenesis ; Osteoporosis ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing

Background/Aims: The recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been associated with changes in the epidemiology of not only infectious diseases but also several non-infectious conditions. This study investigated changes in the recorded incidence of various rheumatic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The number of patients for each disease from January 2016 to December 2020 was obtained from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database. We compared the incidence of nine rheumatic diseases (seropositive rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE], idiopathic inflammatory myositis [IIM], ankylosing spondylitis [AS], systemic sclerosis, Sjögren’s syndrome, Behçet’s disease [BD], polymyalgia rheumatica, and gout) and hypertensive diseases to control for changes in healthcare utilisation before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. The disease incidence before and after the COVID-19 outbreak was compared using the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) and quasi- Poisson analyses. Results: Compared with the predicted incidence in 2020 using the ARIMA model, the monthly incidence of SLE, BD, AS, and gout temporarily significantly decreased, whereas other rheumatic diseases and hypertensive diseases were within the 95% confidence interval (CI) of the predicted values in the first half of 2020. In age- and sex-adjusted quasi-Poisson regression analysis, the annual incidences of IIM (rate ratio [RR], 0.473; 95% CI, 0.307 to 0.697), SLE (RR, 0.845; 95% CI, 0.798 to 0.895), and BD (RR, 0.850; 95% CI, 0.796 to 0.906) were significantly decreased compared with those in the previous 4 years. Conclusions The recorded annual incidence of some rheumatic diseases, including IIM, SLE, and BD, decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background/Aims: Although non-proliferative lupus nephritis (LN) (class I, II or V) has been considered as a less severe type of LN, data on long-term renal prognosis are limited. We investigated the long-term outcomes and prognostic factors in non-proliferative LN. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients with systemic lupus erythematosus who were diagnosed with LN class I, II, V, or II + V by kidney biopsy from 1997 to 2021. A poor renal outcome was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Results: We included 71 patients with non-proliferative LN (class I = 4; class II = 17; class V = 48; class II+V = 2), and the overall rate of poor renal outcomes was 29.6% (21/71). The univariate analysis indicated that older age, low eGFR at 6 or 12 months, failure to reach complete remission at 6 months, and LN chronicity score > 4 or activity score > 6 were significantly associated with poor renal outcomes. The multivariate analysis revealed that low eGFR at 6 months (HR 0.971, 95% CI 0.949–0.991; p = 0.014) was significantly associated with poor renal outcomes. Conclusions Poor renal outcomes occurred in approximately 30% of patients with non-proliferative LN after long-term follow-up. More active management may be needed for non-proliferative LN, especially for patients with eGFR < 60 mL/ min/1.73 m2 at 6 months follow-up after LN diagnosis.

This study was conducted to determine whether CD4 T cell responses to citrullinated fibrinogen occur in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), especially in HLA-DR4-positive subjects. Whole peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of RA patients and control subjects were stimulated with citrullinated fibrinogen peptides, and T-cell production of proliferation and proinflammatory cytokines, such as interferon-gamma(IFN-gamma) and interleukin-17A (IL-17A), were measured. In addition, CD4 T cells from RA patients were stimulated with the citrullinated fibrinogen peptide, Fib-alpha R84Cit, identified as a DRB1*0401-restricted T cell epitope in HLA-DR4 transgenic mice, and the degree of T cell activation was examined similarly. No proliferative responses to the citrullinated fibrinogen peptides were observed in whole PBMCs or CD4 T cells from RA patients. Furthermore, no increased production of IFN-gamma or IL-17A was found in whole PBMCs or CD4 T cells stimulated with the citrullinated fibrinogen peptides, although these cells responded to recall antigen, a mixture of tetanus toxoid, purified protein derivative (PPD) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Candida albicans. The results of this study indicate that anti-citrulline immunity in RA patients may be mediated by fibrinogen because there is no evidence of CD4 T cell-mediated immune responses to citrullinated fibrinogen peptides.
Animals ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Candida albicans ; Cytokines ; Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte ; Fibrinogen ; HLA-DR4 Antigen ; Humans ; Interleukin-17 ; Mice ; Mice, Transgenic ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Peptides ; T-Lymphocytes ; Tetanus Toxoid