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Poor Dentition (poor + dentition)
Selected AbstractsA Japanese case of Kindler syndromeINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 4 2000Yasushi Suga MD A 25-year-old Japanese woman presented with contracture of the fingers and toes, and difficulty in opening her mouth. Her grandparents are first cousins, but none of the other members of the family are affected. Bulla formation started at birth on areas of the skin that received pressure, and in infancy and early childhood the lesions were limited only to the acral areas. She also had bilateral, incomplete syndactylies involving all web spaces ( Fig. 1a). The formation of blisters ceased after the age of 15 years, but a generalized progressive poikiloderma then appeared with accompanying cutaneous atrophy of the skin of the neck, trunk, and extremities ( Fig. 1b). The patient experienced mild photosensitivity of the face and neck. At age 18 years, surgical removal of the webbing of all her fingers was performed. Oral examination showed atrophy of the buccal mucosa, and an inability to fully open the mouth. The patient also suffered from poor dentition and easily bleeding gums, but had no symptoms of esophageal dysfunction. Figure 1. Clinical manifestations of the patient with Kindler syndrome. (a) Dorsal surface of the patient's hands. Note the marked cutaneous atrophy with a severely wrinkled appearance on the dorsal surface of the hands, as well as the proximal fusion of the fingers. (b) Lower left leg of the patient. Atrophic thinning of the skin and poikiloderma with reticular pigmentation are evident Histology of separate biopsy specimens, taken from the poikilodermatous pretibial and trunk skin, showed classical features of poikiloderma, namely epidermal atrophy with flattening of the rete ridges, vacuolization of basal keratinocytes, pigmentary incontinence, and mild dermal perivascularization ( Fig. 2a). Interestingly, dyskeratotic cells ( Fig. 2b) and eosinophilic rounded bodies (colloid bodies) ( Fig. 2c) were frequently found at the basal keratinocyte layer and in the upper dermis, respectively. Pigment was also present in the upper epidermis. Figure 2. Hematoxylin and eosin staining of a biopsy specimen taken from pretibial skin. (a) Epidermal atrophy with flattening of the rete ridges. Note the dyskeratotic cells (arrowheads) and vacuolar degeneration of the basal layer in the epidermis. Bar = 50 ,m. (b) Higher magnification of dyskeratotic cells (arrowheads). Bar = 10 ,m. (c) Higher magnification of colloid bodies (arrowheads) in the superficial dermis. Bar = 10 ,m To rule out the possibility of a congenital epidermolysis bullosa, ultrastructural and immunofluorescence studies were performed. Ultrastructural studies demonstrated the reduplication of the basal lamina with branching structures within the upper dermis and cleavage between the lamina densa and the cell membrane of the keratinocytes ( Fig. 3a). The numbers of associated anchoring fibrils did not seem to be reduced, and colloid bodies and dyskeratotic cells were detected. Immunofluorescence studies with the antibody against type VII collagen (LH 7 : 2) were subsequently carried out. The results showed extensive broad bands with intermittently discontinuous and reticular staining at the dermo-epidermal junction (DEJ) ( Fig. 3b), whereas a linear distribution is typically seen in healthy tissue (data not shown). Interestingly, direct immunofluorescence studies revealed intracellular accumulation of immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgM, IgA, and C3 in colloid bodies under the basement membrane ( Fig. 3c). Figure 3. Ultrastructural and immunohistochemical findings of the patient with Kindler syndrome. (a) Ultrastructural study of the dermo-epidermal junction. The branching structures of the lamina densa (arrowheads) were frequently seen. The asterisks show the cleavage in the lamina lucida. Bar = 1 ,m. (b) Immunohistochemical studies with the antibody to type VII collagen (LH 7 : 2). An extensive broad band with reticular patterns is evident. Bar = 50 ,m. E, epidermis; D, dermis. (c) Direct immunofluorescence study. Intracytoplasmic deposition of IgM in the basal keratinocytes is evident (arrowheads). Bar = 50 ,m. E, epidermis; D, dermis [source] Energy Regulation and Aging: Recent Findings and Their ImplicationsNUTRITION REVIEWS, Issue 4 2000Susan B. Roberts Ph.D. Old age is a time of vulnerability to unintentional weight loss, a factor that is associated with increased morbidity and premature death. Many possible causes of weight loss in old age have been suggested. The so-called anorexia of aging may play a particular role, by either reducing food intake directly or reducing food intake in response to such adverse factors as age-associated reductions in taste and smell, poor dentition, use of multiple prescription medicines, and depression. Recent studies also raise the question of whether a reduction in dietary variety may be important. These findings emphasize the need for regular monitoring of body weight to detect unintentional weight loss in older individuals and suggest testable ways to minimize the impact of the anorexia of aging on body weight through improved dietary management. [source] Scurvy: A cutaneous clinical diagnosisAUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 1 2003Roland TD Nguyen SUMMARY Two cases of scurvy diagnosed following presentation with a purpuric rash are presented. A 44-year-old man developed scurvy as a result of poor dietary intake of vitamin C. This occurred because of a number of factors. including poor dentition, diarrhoea, depression and benzodiazepine/narcotic dependence. A 69-year-old man with acute myeloid leukaemic transformation of myelodysplastic syndrome developed mucositis, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea as complications of chemotherapy. This led to poor dietary intake and consequently scurvy. Both cases demonstrated specific and diagnostic cutaneous manifestations of scurvy, particularly perifollicular purpura, ecchymoses and coiled corkscrew hairs. The diagnosis was supported by specific diet history. Ascorbic acid tolerance test was used as a simple laboratory method to confirm the clinical diagnosis. [source] Retrospective diagnosis of Kindler syndrome in a 37-year-old manCLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY, Issue 1 2006M. A. Thomson Summary Kindler syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by acral blisters in infancy and early childhood, followed by photosensitivity, progressive poikiloderma and cutaneous atrophy. Other features include webbing of the toes and fingers, palmoplantar hyperkeratosis, gingival fragility, poor dentition, and mucosal involvement in the form of urethral, anal and oesophageal stenosis. The recent finding of KIND1 mutations in Kindler syndrome facilitates early diagnosis, prophylactic measures and more precise definition of the phenotype. In the family described here, molecular diagnosis of Kindler syndrome in an infant with acral blisters led to the belated diagnosis in a severely affected relative whose condition had remained unidentified for 37 years. [source] |