Multiple miliary osteoma cutis of the face represents a rare and frequently unrecognized complication of chronic inflammatory acne. Their differentiation from microcomedones and macrocomedones may be challenging. The case of a 46-year-old Asian woman who suffered from chronic inflammatory acne is described. She had multiple papular lesions of the cheeks that did not respond to various topical and systemic therapies including oral isotretinoin. Light microscopy studies as well as ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) scan investigations demonstrated the presence of multiple osteoma cutis. Needle microincisions followed by mechanical extirpation of the bony formation resulted in a considerable cosmetic improvement of her skin disease. Knowledge of this rare complication of acne is mandatory, as its treatment is different from that of retentional and inflammatory acne and frequently relies on surgical modalities. Our novel technique consisting of needle microincisions with curettage of the lesions is simple and safe, leading to good cosmetic results.

The subcellular localization of ERBIN in normal human skin is similar to that of Erb-B2 and varies with cell differentiation. Based on our findings and on the biological activities of Erb-B2, it is conceivable that disturbed expression or functioning of ERBIN and Erb-B2 is implicated in the development of the malignant phenotype of BCC.

A large body of experimental evidence suggests that plasminogen acti vators provide tumoral cells with efficient means to degrade extracellular matrix constituents and thereby facilitate their dissemination to distant sites. Melanocytic neoplasia encompass a spectrum of lesions exhibiting diverse clinical behavior that remain difficult to predict with current histopathological evaluations. Little information concerning the contribu tion of plasminogen activation in diagnostic specimens of human melanocytic tumors is presently available. We thus analyzed biopsy specimens of pigmented skin lesions by histológica! techniques that identify the cellular sites of synthesis of plasminogen activators and of their inhibitors and that localize the sites of plasminogen activators-catalyzed enzymatic activities. We found that urokinase-type plasminogen activators (uPA) and plasmin ogen activator inhibitor type 1 mRNAs accumulate in atypical nevocytes and in melanoma cells, but not in benign nevocytes. However, uPAcatalyzed proteolytic activity was detected exclusively in melanomas.These observations suggest that up-regulation of the uPA gene is an early feature of melanocyte transformation and that unbalanced enzyme/ inhibitor activity is associated with the malignant phenotype. By support ing a role for uPA in melanoma invasiveness, they provide a novel tool for the evaluation of atypia in nevi.

Background: Localized vulval childhood pemphigoid is a rare variant within the pemphigoid group. Although its prognosis seems favorable, the best therapeutic strategy remains unclear. Observation: We here describe the case of an 8-year-old girl presenting with a 5-year history of relapsing vulval pain and lesions suggestive of lichen sclerosus. Clinical features, light microscopy and direct immunofluorescence microscopy were consistent with vulval cicatricial pemphigoid, although the autoantigen(s) involved could not be characterized. Her disease responded to treatment with topical tacrolimus ointment 0.1% within 3 months without any evidence for disease activity, except for slight residual scarring. After 12 months, her treatment was stopped without relapse. Conclusion: This observation suggests that in this rare immune-mediated blistering disease topical tacrolimus is an interesting therapeutic option without the adverse effects associated with topical steroids.

Cutaneous lymphadenoma is a recently described tumor with a distinctive histological picture associating a basaloid epithelial proliferation and intraepithelial lymphocytes; it seems to represent a benign adnexal neoplasm of uncertain histogenesis. We documented 2 additional examples of cutaneous lymphadenoma with typical histological features; the contiguity of some tumor lobules with preexisting follicular structures was noted. In 1 case, a cutaneous osteoma was present below the tumor. On immunostainings, S-100 protein revealed numerous dendritic intraepithelial and stromal cells. The basaloid proliferation was positive for broad-spectrum keratin antibodies, but negative for KL1 antibody. In addition, several areas were positive for involucrin within tumor lobules. Our findings are consistent with a pilosebaceous origin of cutaneous lymphadenoma.