No abstract available.
Foot* ; Leg* ; Lichen Planus* ; Lichens*

No abstract available.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast*

No abstract available.
Cellulitis* ; Child* ; Eosinophils* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Immunoglobulin Light Chains* ; Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone*

Here, we report a case of Cowden syndrome with an unusual clinical course of late-onset oral papillomatosis and a novel germline PTEN mutation. Cowden syndrome is the most common phosphatase and tensin homolog hamartomatous tumor syndrome. It is characterized by multiple hamartomas in the gastrointestinal tract and mucocutaneous lesions such as trichilemmomas, oral papillomatosis, facial papules, and acral keratoses. Patients with Cowden syndrome have a higher risk of malignancies, especially breast, colon, and thyroid cancers. A 53-year-old female presented with cobblestone-like papillomatous papules on the lower gums that developed 1 year earlier. She had no other mucocutaneous lesions besides oral papillomatosis. Gastrointestinal endoscopy and colonoscopy revealed multiple hamartomas in the stomach and colon. The patient had a history of breast cancer and multinodular goiter diagnosed 4 and 5 years ago, respectively. She was diagnosed with Cowden syndrome and a novel PTEN mutation was confirmed by direct sequencing.
Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Colon ; Colonoscopy ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Gingiva ; Goiter ; Hamartoma ; Hamartoma Syndrome, Multiple* ; Humans ; Keratosis ; Middle Aged ; Papilloma ; Stomach ; Thyroid Gland

No abstract available.
Adalimumab* ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing*

BACKGROUND: We have previously reported that not only cGMP but also 8-Br-cGMP or 8-pCPT-cGMP, specific and potent stimulators of cGMP-dependent protein kinase (cGMP-PK), increased basal L-type calcium current (ICa) in rabbit ventricular myocytes. Our findings in rabbit ventricular myocytes were entirely different from the earlier findings in different species, suggesting that the activation of cGMP-PK is involved in the facilitation of ICa by cGMP. However, there is no direct evidence that cGMP-PK can stimulate ICa in rabbit ventricular myocytes. In this report, we focused on the direct effect of cGMP-PK an ICa in rabbit ventricular myocytes. METHODS AND RESULTS: We isolated single ventricular myocytes of rabbit hearts by using enzymatic dissociation. Regulation of ICa by cGMP-PK was investigated in rabbit ventricular myocytes using whole-cell voltage clamp method. ICa was elicited by a depolarizing pulse to +10 mV from a holding potential of -40 mV. Extracellular 8-(4-Chlorophenylthio)-guanosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-pCPT-cGMP), potent stimulator of cGMP-dependent protein kinase (cGMP-PK), increased basal ICa. cGMP-PK also increased basal ICa. The stimulation of basal ICa by cGMP-PK required both 8-Br-cGMP in low concentration and intracellular ATP to be present. The stimulation of basal ICa by cGMP-PK was blocked by heat inactivation of the cGMP-PK and by bath application of 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-guanosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphate, Rp-isomer (Rp-pCPT-cGMP), a phosphodiesterase-resistant cGMP-PK inhibitor. When ICa was increased by internal application of cGMP-PK, IBMX resulted in an additional stimulation of ICa. In the presence of cGMP-PK, already increased ICa was potentiated by bath application of isoprenaline or forskolin or intracellular application of cAMP. CONCLUSIONS: We present evidence that cGMP-PK stimulated basal ICa by a direct phosphorylation of L-type calcium channel or associated regulatory protein in rabbit ventricular myocytes.
1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine ; Adenosine Triphosphate ; Baths ; Calcium Channels, L-Type ; Calcium* ; Colforsin ; Heart ; Hot Temperature ; Isoproterenol ; Muscle Cells* ; Phosphorylation ; Protein Kinases*

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a metabolic sensor activated during metabolic stress and it regulates various enzymes and cellular processes to maintain metabolic homeostasis. We previously reported that activation of AMPK by glucose deprivation (GD) and leptin increases KATP currents by increasing the surface levels of KATP channel proteins in pancreatic beta-cells. Here, we show that the signaling mechanisms that mediate actin cytoskeleton remodeling are closely associated with AMPK-induced KATP channel trafficking. Using F-actin staining with Alexa 633-conjugated phalloidin, we observed that dense cortical actin filaments present in INS-1 cells cultured in 11 mM glucose were disrupted by GD or leptin treatment. These changes were blocked by inhibiting AMPK using compound C or siAMPK and mimicked by activating AMPK using AICAR, indicating that cytoskeletal remodeling induced by GD or leptin was mediated by AMPK signaling. AMPK activation led to the activation of Rac GTPase and the phosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chain (MRLC). AMPK-dependent actin remodeling induced by GD or leptin was abolished by the inhibition of Rac with a Rac inhibitor (NSC23766), siRac1 or siRac2, and by inhibition of myosin II with a myosin ATPase inhibitor (blebbistatin). Immunocytochemistry, surface biotinylation and electrophysiological analyses of KATP channel activity and membrane potentials revealed that AMPK-dependent KATP channel trafficking to the plasma membrane was also inhibited by NSC23766 or blebbistatin. Taken together, these results indicate that AMPK/Rac-dependent cytoskeletal remodeling associated with myosin II motor function promotes the translocation of KATP channels to the plasma membrane in pancreatic beta-cells.
AMP-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism ; Actins/*metabolism ; Animals ; Cell Line ; Glucose/metabolism ; Insulin-Secreting Cells/*metabolism ; KATP Channels/*metabolism ; Leptin/metabolism ; Myosin Type II/*metabolism ; Phosphorylation ; Rats ; *Signal Transduction ; rac GTP-Binding Proteins/*metabolism

Microsporum(M.) gypseum, a geophilic dermatophyte, causes dermatophytosis that is characterized by rapid development and resolution. M. gypseum infection is rare due to its low infectivity, and there have been no previous case reports of infection with this dermatophyte after scratch injury by a dog. Here, we report a case of annular, scaly, erythematous plaques on the right ankle of a 5-year-old female patient after being scratched on the leg by a dog. Histopathological examination showed fungal hyphae on the stratum corneum. M. gypseum was identified by tissue culture and polymerase chain reaction. She was treated with sertaconazole cream. In this case, M. gypseum may have been transferred to the scratched area from contaminated soil or from the claws of the dog.
Animals ; Ankle ; Arthrodermataceae ; Child, Preschool ; Dogs* ; Female ; Hoof and Claw ; Humans ; Hyphae ; Leg ; Microsporum* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Soil ; Tinea*

Pemphigoid gestationis, also known as herpes gestationis, is a rare blistering disease associated with pregnancy, caused by autoantibody to the basement membrane component. It occurs in the second or third trimester of pregnancy or directly after delivery, as erythematous, urticarial papules, and plaques on the whole body, which aggravate to vesicles and bullae with severe pruritus. Histopathologically, subepidermal blisters and eosinophilic spongiosis are shown, and linear deposition of C3 in the dermoepidermal junction is seen on direct immunofluorescence assay. We present the case of 35-year-old woman who was diagnosed with pemphigoid gestationis, with the involvement of the uncommon site of the face.
Adult ; Basement Membrane ; Blister ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Direct ; Humans ; Pemphigoid Gestationis* ; Pemphigoid, Bullous* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third ; Pruritus