Zuska's disease

Cutaneous signs and symptoms in subareolar abscesses of the breast or lactiferous fistula (Zuska's disease, ZD) are common and frequent, but generally dermatologist ignore this clinical entity. An epithelial squamous metaplasia causes plugging and obstruction of the ducts is a pathogenetic event. Subsequent inflammatory reaction and infection produce local and general symptoms. Nipple retraction, recurrent episodes of erysipela and presence of painful nodules under the areola in a non-lactating woman are suspect. The presence of a milky draining sinus in the areola is characteristic. The diagnostic challenge is to differentiate these benign condition from a breast cancer. Treatment with antibiotics in the acute and chronic phase is mandatory, surgical removal of abscess and duct is sometimes resolutive. The authors describe a case of ZD in a pathologically obese woman treated with a long term penicillin schedule with no favorable effects.

Ofuji's papuloerythroderma. An association with early gastric cancer

A case of Ofuji's papuloerythroderma in an 88-old man, affected by early gastric cancer, is reported. The association noticed in our case with early visceral malignancy is the starting point for the consideration of pathological relationships, nosological and prognostic evaluations in regard to this rare dermatosis which is distinctive of elderly people, and underlines the importance of a long-term follow-up of these patients.

Epidermoid anal canal carcinoma metastatic to the skin. A clinical mimic of prostate adenocarcinoma metastases

BACKGROUND. Cancers of the anal canal are rare, but their frequency is constantly increasing. Only 10-20% of the patients develop a local recurrence and about 20% distant visceral metastases. OBJECTIVE. To report what we believe to be the first case of skin metastases of epidermoid anal canal carcinoma mimicking a typical clinical pattern of prostatic adenocarcinoma metastases.

Immunization of mice with antibiotic treated Escherichia coli

The hypothesis of a different immunogenicity between untreated and antibiotic-treated Escherichia coli was investigated in vivo. Groups of mice were injected weekly for eight weeks with formalin-killed E. coli ATCC 25922 either exposed or not to 0.1 x MIC of aztreonam. A group of mice injected with sterile saline only served as control. IgG production towards whole bacteria was clearly enhanced in the group immunized with antibiotic-treated E. coli as shown in ELISA assays. In the same group, the appearance of additional bands of reactivity in the region of major outer membrane proteins was observed in immunoblot experiments as well as an enhanced protection towards a challenge of 10 x LD50 of live E. coli. These findings seem to support the hypothesis that sub-MICs of antibiotics modify the bacterial surface influencing host-parasite relationships.

Linear pemphigus vulgaris after X-ray irradiation

The authors report the case of a 64-year-old female with a pemphigus vulgaris that relapsed on her left cheek following X-irradiation. The lesion developed not only on the irradiated area but also along a linear streak. Blaschko lines seem to represent the linear systematization pattern more likely to account for this unusual distribution.

Urticaria-like follicular mucinosis

Two middle-aged men with a cyclic eruption of transient urticarial papules of the face are described. Deposits of mucinous material were observed in cycstic spaces in their hair follicles. In direct immunofluorescence cells bearing IgE and C1q were found scattered in the dermis and were identified as mast-cells. Both patients experienced some relief of their disease in summer.