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H Nievergelt

Publications and source records attributed to H Nievergelt.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Infiltration of cytotoxic T cells in drug-induced cutaneous eruptions.

BACKGROUND: Previous in vitro data indicate that perforin containing drug-specific cytotoxic T cells are involved in cutaneous drug reactions. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the in situ expression of perforin and granzyme B together with the nature of the inflammatory infiltrate in acute drug-induced exanthem. Furthermore, expression of interleukin (IL)-12 and interferon (IFN)-gamma, which are known to stimulate cytotoxic T cells, was investigated. METHODS: Skin biopsy specimens were obtained from 10 patients with a generalized maculopapular exanthem and from nine controls with normal skin. Expression of CD3, CD4, CD8, CD56, CD1a, CD68, CD25, HLA-DR, CD54, perforin, granzyme B, IL-12 and IFNgamma was analysed using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: In contrast to the controls, the skin of patients with an exanthem was mainly infiltrated by T cells (CD4 > CD8) and showed a marked enhancement of perforin and granzyme B immunostaining. Double immunostaining revealed that perforin and granzyme B were expressed in both CD4+ and CD8+ cells, which were partly located at the dermoepidermal junction and in the epidermis. In addition, strong immunreactivity for IL-12 and IFNgamma was observed in the mononuclear cells infiltrate, indicating that these cytokines may be important in activation of these cytotoxic T cells. CONCLUSION: The increased numbers of perforin and granzyme B containing T cells infiltrating the dermoepidermal junction may contribute to the damage of epidermal cells, which is frequently observed as a typical feature of interface dermatitis in drug-induced exanthem. Our data provide further evidence that cytotoxic T cells play an essential role in cutaneous drug reactions.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Evidence for a role for IL-5 and eotaxin in activating and recruiting eosinophils in drug-induced cutaneous eruptions.

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous drug reactions may be associated with increased numbers of eosinophils in the blood and tissue. However, the factors leading to the generation of eosinophilia have not been fully delineated. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the in situ expression of IL-5, eotaxin, RANTES, monocyte chemoattractant protein 3, and IL-8 together with the appearance of eosinophils in acute cutaneous drug reactions. METHODS: Skin biopsy specimens were obtained from drug-induced maculopapular exanthems (n = 9), from normal skin of control subjects (n = 9), and from the skin of patients with psoriasis (n = 8). The in situ expression of IL-5, eotaxin, RANTES, monocyte chemoattractant protein 3, and IL-8 was analyzed by using immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, the corresponding numbers of eosinophils were determined in the blood and skin sections. RESULTS: Compared with normal skin and psoriatic skin, a significantly higher number of eosinophils was found both in the blood and tissue of patients with a drug-induced exanthem. In comparison with normal skin, immunoreactivity for IL-5 and all the chemokines was also significantly enhanced in drug-induced exanthem, whereas significant differences in psoriatic were only observed for IL-5 and eotaxin. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that IL-5 and eotaxin may particularly contribute to the activation and recruitment of eosinophils and thereby play an important pathogenic part in the development of skin inflammation in drug-induced maculopapular exanthems.

Chemokine CCL11↗
PubMed1997

Malignant atrophic papulosis.

We describe a 34-year-old woman presenting with a 1-year history of asymptomatic, atrophic papules disseminated mainly on the trunk. The clinical features were characteristic of malignant atrophic papulosis, and the histopathologic features were confirmatory. The etiology of this rare condition, described for the first time in 1941, remains unknown. Also the pathogenesis is still controversial. A vascular disorder has been postulated by most authors, primary inflammatory or thrombotic vascular changes as well as primary endothelial proliferation being often mentioned in the literature. In the present case, the biopsy specimen of a recent efflorescence showed these three alterations all together, making it impossible to identify conclusively the primary event. Thrombosis, being already noticed in such early lesions, is likely to be of pathogenic importance. Rheological therapy as described in the literature may therefore be the most appropriate. In the present case, the lesions came spontaneously to a standstill without drug therapy.

Adult↗