Sera from 3028 patients attending a dermatological clinic were examined by the fluorescent treponemal antibody (FTA) test, the fluorescent antibody-absorbed (FTA-ABS) test, the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) test, and Kolmer's test. Eleven cases of late syphilis were found. Sera from 63 (2.08%) of the remaining 3017 patients showed non-specific results; these were found more freque...

Blistering skin diseases are a group of autoimmune disorders that are characterized by autoantibodies against structural proteins of the epidermis or the dermal-epidermal junction and clinically by blisters and erosions on skin and/or mucous membranes. Since clinical criteria and histopathological characteristics are not sufficient for diagnosis, direct immunofluorescence microscopy of a biopsy...

BACKGROUND Although rare, bullous pemphigoid (BP) is the most common autoimmune blistering disease. Recent studies have shown that patients with bullous pemphigoid are more likely to have neurological and psychiatric diseases, particularly prior to the diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid. OBJECTIVE The aims were: (i) to evaluate the demographic and clinical features of bullous pemphigoid from a d...

Toxic epidermal necrolysis is a rare but clinically well-described dermatological pathology. However, clinical pictures of this disorder in text books do not reflect its dynamic evolution. Usually, the desquamative post-bullous stage is represented, neglecting the initial bullous stage as well as the skin healing. With one clinical case, we provide a day-after-day illustration of the evolution ...

SIR, Epidermolysisbullosaacquisita (EBA) is an acquired auto-immune bullous disease of the skin and mucous membranes characterized by IgG autoantibodies to type VII collagen, the main constituent of the anchoring fibrils of the dermal– epidermal juction. Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) may be associated with autoimmunity to type VII collagen. Erythema gyratumrepens (EGR), an obligate paraneop...

In this article, we review some of the artifacts commonly observed in biopsies and the methods used to prevent their appearance. We describe the basic techniques for taking biopsies of melanocytic lesions, bullous diseases, and from special areas such as the scalp and nail region. We also provide a brief summary of the role of skin biopsy in the diagnosis of neurological diseases and prenatal d...

From the Department of Dermatology, University of Cincinnati. Reprint requests: Diya F. Mutasim, MD, Department of Dermatology, University of Cincinnati, PO Box 670592, Cincinnati, OH 452670592. E-mail: [email protected]. Copyright © 2001 by the American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. 0190-9622/2001/$35.00 + 0 16/2/117518 doi:10.1067/mjd.2001.117518 I mmunofluorescence has been used for 4 dec...

BACKGROUND Bullous pemphigoid is a subepidermal blistering disorder associated with tissue-bound and circulating autoantibodies directed mainly to the hemidesmosomal component collagen XVII. While recapitulating the main immunopathological features of the human disease, frank skin blistering does not develop in the absence of skin rubbing in experimental pemphigoid models that have been establi...

Background Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is an antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody- (ANCA-) associated small vessel vasculitis with multisystem involvement. It is characterized with asthma, eosinophilia, and renal and peripheral nervous system involvement. However, EGPA presenting with bullous skin eruption is an uncommon dermatological manifestation. We report a rare cas...