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Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a group of genodermatoses characterized by generalized blisters from mutations in the genes encoding the basement membrane zone (BMZ) proteins.1 The infusion of allogeneic cells such as mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs), which have intact BMZ genes, is a promising treatment.

Background Eosinophilic annular erythema (EAE) has been proposed as a clinical entity to describe annular skin lesions associated with tissue eosinophilia. However, systematic investigations on the histopathology of EAE have not been performed, and useful histopathological findings for diagnosis of EAE remain unknown. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the clinicopathological features of EAE Methods We retrospectively studied 10 patients at our hospital during a 5-year span who clinically showed annular or figurate lesions and histopathologically exhibited eosinophilic infiltration in the dermis. Results Nine of the 10 cases had annular lesions with pigmentation on the interior side. Blood eosinophilia was found in only 1 patient. Histopathologically, basal melanosis was observed in 9 cases. Infiltration of eosinophils was confined to the dermis in 9 cases. Patients treated with systemic corticosteroid tended to show less recurrence than those treated with topical corticosteroid. Limitations The main limitation of our study is the small number of patients. Conclusion Skin biopsy should be performed when EAE is suspected, even in cases without blood eosinophilia. Basal melanosis and tissue eosinophilia confined to the dermis suggest the diagnosis of EAE. We recommend topical corticosteroids as the initial treatment for EAE. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Thymoma-associated multi-organ autoimmunity (TAMA) is defined as a disease of the liver, intestine, and skin, which histopathologically resembles graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).1,2 Several sporadic cases imply that cutaneous manifestations of TAMA are associated with a poor prognosis.2-5 However, it is difficult to examine the association because of the rarity of the disease. Herein we describe two cases of TAMA with cutaneous lesions and fatal courses, and review the literature with a focus on the prognosis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

A 5-month-old girl was referred to our department with extensive blistering and erosions on the whole body since birth. The proband was the third child of non-related parents and her father had had similar skin symptoms in childhood (Fig. 1A). She was born by elective Caesarean section after a 37-week gestation because of her mother's repeated Caesarean sections. She had a birth weight of 2608 g and a birth length of 47.0 cm. Clinical findings revealed flaccid blisters and erosions on the whole body with some of the blisters forming annular shapes (Fig. 1B-E). Thickening of the nails was observed (Fig. 1C). Her oral mucosa was intact. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed blister formation within the cytoplasm of the epidermal basal cells (Fig. 1F), leading us to diagnose epidermolysis bullosa simplex (EBS). The clumping of degenerated keratin fibres was not observed within epidermal keratinocytes (Fig. 1G). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.