A comprehensive understanding of atopic dermatitis (AD) pathogenesis is desired, especially in the current era of novel biologics and small molecule drugs. In recent years, new cytokines have emerged that may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of AD. Using the tape stripping (TS) method, this study analyzed the gene expression of IL-35 and IL-36α in lesional and nonlesional AD skin compared with healthy skin and their association with the clinical features of AD among the Polish population. Ten AD patients and seven healthy individuals were enrolled. The lesional skin of the AD patients showed significantly higher expression levels of IL-35 compared to healthy skin (p = 0.0001). The expression level of IL-36α was significantly higher in lesional AD skin than in nonlesional AD skin (p = 0.0039) and healthy skin (p = 0.0045). There was a significant negative correlation between AD severity and the expression level of IL-35 in both lesional (R = −0.66, p = 0.048) and nonlesional skin (R = −0.9, p = 0.0016). In summary, both IL-35 and IL-36α appear to play a role in the pathogenesis of AD. Furthermore, it might be speculated that IL-35 and IL-36α may be potential candidates for disease biomarkers. However, further studies are needed to verify these assumptions and comprehensively elucidate their importance in the pathogenesis of AD.

Introduction Interleukin 33 (IL-33) is considered significant in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD). Aim To determine the correlation between the serum levels of IL-33 and single nucleotide polymorphisms of its gene in the –9894 T/C (rs1929992) and –11877 C/T (rs10975519) loci and...

Background: Reports of primary cutaneous lymphomas (CLs) following COVID-19 vaccines are extremely rare. Nevertheless, clinicians should be aware of a potential association between these events. Here, we report a case of the development and rapid progression of mycosis fungoides (MF) with lymph node involvement after COVID-19 vaccination. Case presentation: A 75-year-old female developed disseminated plaques and patches shortly after receiving the first dose of the SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine. Within one month following the second dose of the mRNA vaccine, she additionally experienced rapid progression, leading to the development of tumors and inguinal lymphadenopathy. Blood and visceral involvement were excluded. The clinicopathological findings were consistent with the diagnosis of MF, and systemic methotrexate with topical treatment was implemented, resulting in remission of the lesions. Conclusions: The presented case of the development and rapid progression of MF after the SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine raises the question of the possible immunomodulatory or oncomodulatory effects of mRNA vaccines. It prompted us to conduct a review outlining the mechanisms potentially causing the mRNA vaccine-associated CLs. We have performed an extensive literature search to determine an explanation for the observed phenomenon. Accumulated evidence suggests a link between CL occurrence and immunization with an mRNA vaccine. The proposed hypothesis revolves around shared signaling pathways that are enhanced by SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines, thus driving the pathogenesis of MF. We want to raise clinicians’ attention to the rare side effects of COVID-19 vaccines and emphasize the need for thorough monitoring of patients with altered immunity in the course of various lymphoproliferative disorders.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) may alter the morphology of clinically positive allergic patch test reactions due to epidermal barrier dysfunction and a chronic inflammatory background, thereby complicating routine clinical interpretation. This prospective observational study aimed to evaluate the dermoscopic features of clinically positive allergic patch test reactions and compare their phenotypic expression in patients with and without concomitant AD. Consecutive patients undergoing routine patch testing were screened, and clinically positive reactions (1+, 2+, or 3+ according to ICDRG criteria) were subjected to dermoscopic assessment at scheduled readings. A total of 160 participants were included. Patch test reactions in patients with AD exhibited a consistent dermoscopic pattern, characterized by an increased frequency of perifollicular erythema, yellowish areas, and pigment residuals, whereas homogeneous erythema demonstrated limited discriminatory value in both pediatric and adult populations. Yellowish areas were additionally associated with greater AD severity. These findings suggest that AD may modify the phenotypic expression of clinically positive allergic patch test reactions, particularly when evaluated using dermoscopy. This non-invasive diagnostic tool may provide adjunctive morphological support for patch test interpretation, especially in equivocal cases.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is characterized by heterogeneous immune activation extending beyond clinically apparent lesions. Interleukin-19 (IL-19) has been implicated in cytokine-responsive keratinocyte activation, whereas interleukin-37 (IL-37) has endogenous anti-inflammatory functions. Their superficial epidermal expression patterns in lesional and clinically non-lesional AD skin have not been extensively characterized within the same cohort. To compare IL19 and IL37 mRNA expression in lesional and clinically non-lesional, lesion-adjacent AD skin with healthy control skin and to explore associations between transcript abundance and clinical characteristics. In this exploratory cross-sectional study, tape strip samples were collected from lesional and clinically non-lesional skin of 32 patients with AD and from corresponding skin of 35 healthy controls. IL19 expression did not differ significantly among healthy control, lesional, and clinically non-lesional AD skin in the overall cohort. In contrast, IL37 transcript abundance was significantly higher in lesional AD skin than in healthy control skin (p = 0.0002) and was also increased in clinically non-lesional skin (p = 0.0387). In severity-stratified analyses, lesional IL37 expression was increased in both moderate and severe-to-very severe AD, whereas lower lesional IL19 expression relative to healthy control skin was observed in severe-to-very severe AD (p = 0.0412). Lesional IL19 expression showed an inverse association with EASI severity category (p = 0.045), while lesional IL37 expression was positively associated with sleep-disturbance scores (p = 0.0203). The two transcripts showed distinct expression patterns in this cohort. Increased IL37 mRNA was compatible with, but did not establish, a compensatory response extending into lesion-adjacent clinically non-lesional skin. Overall IL19 upregulation was not detected, and lower lesional expression was observed in severe-to-very severe AD. However, these exploratory observations do not establish cytokine function or validate either transcript as a stand-alone biomarker.