Abstract Introduction: In patients with autoimmune skin blistering diseases (ABDs), the diagnostic gold standard has classically been direct and indirect immunofluorescence (DIF and IIF), despite inherent technical problems of autofluorescence. Aim: We sought to overcome autofluorescence issues and compare the reliability of immunofluorescence versus immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining in the d...

INTRODUCTION We report a case of bilateral herpetic keratitis developing after rapid oral corticosteroid tapering in a patient with pemphigus foliaceus, which was followed by unilateral neurotrophic keratitis that was treated with amniotic membrane transplantation. CASE PRESENTATION A 71-year-old Korean man developed bilateral herpetic keratitis one week after rapid tapering of systemic corti...

Although HLA-A3 and A11 have been reported to be ligands for KIR3DL2, evidence for any in vivo relevance of this interaction is still missing. To explore the functional importance of KIR3DL2 allelic variation, we analyzed the autoimmune disease pemphigus foliaceus, previously associated (lower risk) with activating KIR genes. KIR3DL2*001 was increased in patients (odds ratio (OR) = 2.04; p = 0....

1. Good LM, Francis SO, High WA. Scrotal elephantiasis secondary to hidradenitis suppurativa. J Am Acad Dermatol 2011;64:993‐4. 2. Alikhan A, Lynch PJ, Eisen DB. Hidradenitis suppurativa: A comprehensive review. J Am Acad Dermatol 2009;60:539‐61. 3. van Rappard DC, Limpens J, Mekkes JR. The off‐label treatment of severe hidradenitis suppurativa with TNF‐α inhibitors: A systematic review. J Derm...

The KIR genes and their HLA class I ligands have thus far not been investigated in pemphigus foliaceus (PF) and related autoimmune diseases, such as pemphigus vulgaris. We genotyped 233 patients and 204 controls for KIR by PCR-SSP. HLA typing was performed by LABType SSO reagent kits. We estimated the odds ratio, 95% confidence interval and performed logistic regression analyses to test the hyp...

BACKGROUND Measuring the quality of life (QOL) is important in the evaluation of nonclinical aspects of diseases, for the discovery of functional and psychological limitations, and in choosing treatment in the initial phase of the disease. Pemphigus is a potentially fatal autoimmune bullous disease caused by autoantibodies against desmogleins (cadherin family proteins in desmosomes). Thus far, ...

After so many years of learning about the epidemiology, nature, diagnosis and management of the pemphigus group and other bullous dermatoses at University Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Zagreb University Hospital Center and School of Medicine, it was wonderful to discover – from the oral presentation entitled “Bullöse Dermatosen 2007” held by Prof. Michael Hertl in Graz (Austria) at...