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Background: The role of nutritional factors including trace elements has been reported in the pathogenesis of many autoimmune diseases., Objective: Regarding the relatively high prevalence of pemphigus vulgaris in Iran, we investigated the serum levels of zinc and copper as two important trace elements, together with the oxidative stress status in patients with pemphigus vulgaris., Materials and Methods: This case-control study was performed on 25 patients with newly diagnosed pemphigus vulgaris and 25 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects. Serum concentrations of zinc, copper, ceruloplasmin as well as copper/zinc ratio were determined for each subject. Oxidative stress was also measured using a novel assay of peroxidant-antioxidant balance (PAB)., Results: Mean serum concentrations of zinc and copper as well as copper/zinc ratio were significantly lower in patients (mean age: 47.2±16.2 years; male/female: 14/11) compared with the controls (mean age: 47.3±12.8 years; male/female: 14/11; P<0.001). In contrast, PAB values were significantly elevated in patients compared with controls (P<0.01). No significant difference in serum ceruloplasmin concentrations was observed between the groups (P>0.05)., Conclusion: Our findings indicate that low serum zinc and copper and increased oxidative stress may be associated with pemphigus vulgaris., (© 2011 The International Society of Dermatology.) more...

Background: Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is an aggressive malignancy which may occur in individuals infected with human T-cell lymphotropic virus type-I (HTLV-I). HTLV-I is endemic in Khorasan, with a frequency of 2.3% in the general population. As specific cutaneous manifestations of lymphoma may occur in a significant number of patients, we studied these manifestations in ATLL patients admitted to the Hematology and Dermatology Departments of Ghaem Hospital, Mashhad, Iran, during 1995-2004., Methods: In this descriptive study, demographic and clinical information was obtained from 23 patients suffering from ATLL with specific cutaneous lesions (atypical lymphocytes on histopathology of cutaneous lesions), and was analyzed statistically., Results: Of the 23 patients, 11 were male and 12 were female. The mean age was 48.17 +/- 14.1 years. The birth place in over 85% of cases was the north of Khorasan. The most common type of specific skin lesion was a maculopapular eruption (11 cases; 47.8%); papular lesions were seen in four cases (17.4%). Other lesions included plaques, ichthyosis-like lesions, erythroderma, tumors, papules, and nodular lesions. In most patients (56.5%), the skin lesions were generalized., Conclusion: The most common type of specific skin lesion in ATLL was maculopapular eruption, especially with a generalized distribution. Other types of specific skin lesion, in order of frequency, were papules, plaques, ichthyosis-like skin lesions, nodules, tumors, and erythroderma. more...