The importance of cellular infiltrates in tissues has been investigated as a diagnostic tool, mechanism of pathogenesis, and prognostic indicator in certain human diseases. Eosinophils, in particular, have a distinct role in the development of cutaneous lesions in human autoimmune diseases. Identification of an eosinophilic infiltrate can aid the diagnosis of immunobullous disease in the early ...

The aim of our study was to analyse a significance of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha promoter gene polymorphisms in relation to the HLA-DR locus in genetic predisposition to pemphigus. TNF-alpha gene polymorphisms in position -238 and -308 were identified using a modified polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method in 53 patients with pemphigus (38 with pemphig...

This study was the first investigation of communities and infracommunities of parasites of Hemibrycon surinamensis. All the fish collected in a tributary of the Amazon river were parasitized by one or more parasite species. The Brillouin diversity index (HB) was 0.46 ± 0.28 and the mean species richness was 3.5 ± 1.2 parasites per host. A total of 14,734 parasites were collected, including Icht...

Toll like-receptors (TLRs) are pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that are involved in the recognition of the pathogens based on their conserved motifs, called pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). As the information on the TLR/s involved in the recognition of the parasitic ligand is limited, the objective of this study was to assess the expression profiles of six different TLRs (2,...

BACKGROUND There are no reported epidemiological data regarding autoimmune pemphigus in the Afro-Caribbean population. OBJECTIVES To present the epidemiology of autoimmune pemphigus on the island of Guadeloupe (French West Indies, 400,736 inhabitants, mostly black Caribbean of African European descent). MATERIALS AND METHODS Five-year prospective study. Inclusion of the incident cases when ...

Pemphigus foliaceus is a rare, superficial form of pemphigus. Due to acantholysis localised in the stratum corneum or within the upper spinous layer of the epidermis, patients suffer mainly from extensive sores, while blisters are rarely found. The antigen in this form of pemphigus is desmoglein 1. The basic therapy consists of corticosteroids and immunosuppression, but in doses lower than in c...