BRAF in PUVA Lentigines
Psoralen plus UVA (PUVA) lentigines have been shown to develop in about half of patients after long-term PUVA treatment and are related to the number of PUVA treatments and total UVA dose. To investigate the molecular alterations associated with these lesions, Lassacher and colleagues analyzed PUVA lentigines, dysplastic melanocytic nevi, and cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) from PUVA-treated patients. In 22 patients and 33 PUVA-associated pigmented and/or melanocytic lesions, a T1796A BRAF mutation in exon 15 was common in PUVA lentigines, and perhaps in PUVA-associated CMM, indicating that PUVA lentigines might be precursors of CMM. See page 1915
MC1R Polymorphisms and Melanoma
Stratigos and co-workers compared 123 melanoma patients and 155 control subjects from Greece to evaluate whether individuals with melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene variants have a greater risk of developing melanoma. MC1R polymorphisms were present in 59.4% of melanoma patients compared with 37.5% of controls, yielding an odds ratio of 2.43 for melanoma among MC1R carriers. Although the risk of melanoma was enhanced in individuals carrying multiple variant alleles, it was not influenced by skin phototype, skin color, or hair color. MC1R polymorphisms appear to be a predisposing factor for melanoma in this population with a relatively low incidence of the disease. See page 1842
Spectral Imaging of Edema
Stamatas and co-workers used spectral imaging to quantify histamine-induced edema in humans. Concentrations of oxy-hemoglobin, deoxy-hemoglobin, and water were calculated to construct concentration maps of molecules, an intensity map of an optical tissue-scattering parameter, and two-dimensional quantitative representations of the skin areas involved in erythema and edema, respectively. These maps characterized the wheal-and-flare reaction recognized almost a century ago, and their gray-level intensities were dependent on the applied histamine dose. Spectral imaging appears to be a valuable noninvasive tool to monitor the edema reaction in vivo or follow the efficacy of clinical treatments. (See figure
.) See page 1753
Striae: More than Cosmetic
Reduced collagen has been shown in both pelvic relaxation and striae. Salter and colleagues, comparing the prevalence of striae in women with and without pelvic relaxation, found that more than half the women with prolapse (54.7%) (n = 41) reported striae. Only 25% of the women in the non-prolapse group reported striae. The strong association between striae and the development of pelvic relaxation, which is unrelated to conventional risk factors such as age, weight, number of pregnancies, or postmenopausal status, confirms striae as a significant risk factor for the development of clinical prolapse. See page 1745
