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Throughout life, it is necessary to adapt to the Earth's environment in order to survive. A typical example of this is that the daily Earth cycle is different from the circadian rhythm in human beings; however, the ability to adapt to the Earth cycle has contributed to the development of human evolution. In addition, humans can consume and digest Earth-derived foods and use luxury materials for nutrition and enrichment of their lives, as an adaptation to the Earth's environment. Recent studies have shown that daily lifestyles are closely related to human health; however, less attention has been paid to the fact that obesity due to excessive energy intake, smoking, and alcohol consumption contributes to the development of inflammatory skin diseases. Gluten or wheat protein, smoking and alcohol, sleep disturbance, and obesity drive the helper T (Th)1/Th2/Th17 immune response, whereas dietary fiber and omega-3 fatty acids negatively regulate inflammatory cytokine production. In this review, we have focused on daily lifestyles and the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory skin diseases.

Occupational skin diseases are very common. Its clinical manifestation varies from erythema in a limited area (e.g. hand eczema in hair dressers) to anaphylaxy shock induced by insect bites. In 2007, the on line registration system for occupational skin diseases named "Occupational Skin Disease NAVI" [http://www.research12.jp/hifunavi/] was launched by Department of Dermatology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health to systematically gather clinical information of each case with occupational skin disease. Registered users can search similar clinical cases from this database by setting a keyword. Moreover, they can gather chemical information of more than 1,300 compounds and references on occupational skin diseases.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that involves various systemic organs and tissues and is characterized by scaly erythematous skin. Among the different types of psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is frequently reported, and occasionally develops into severe arthritis leading to joint dysfunction. There are various tools, especially questionnaires, to identify the presence of PsA in European and American populations; however, little is known about the utility of these tools in the Asian population. In this study, we investigated the utility of a representative tool, the psoriasis epidemiology screening tool (PEST) questionnaire, to identify PsA among Japanese patients with psoriasis. A total of 143 patients with psoriasis were enrolled in this study. Among them, 29 patients were diagnosed with PsA. The frequency of PsA was significantly increased in patients with PEST scores > 3, with a sensitivity of 93.1% and a specificity of 78.9%. Among the questions in the PEST questionnaire, "Have you ever had a swollen joint?" showed the highest frequency to answer "Yes" among patients with PsA. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that high PEST scores (> 3) was an independent variable in PsA patients. Taken together, our study suggests that the PEST questionnaire is a useful tool to identify PsA among Japanese patients with psoriasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humans are exposed to various external environmental factors. Food intake is one of the most influential factors impacting daily lifestyle. Among nutrients obtained from foods, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have various beneficial effects on inflammatory diseases. Furthermore, omega-3 PUFA metabolites, including resolvins, are known to demonstrate strong anti-inflammatory effects during allergic and inflammatory diseases; however, little is known regarding the actual impact of these metabolites on skin diseases. In this review, we focused on metabolites that have strong anti-inflammatory actions in various inflammatory diseases, as well as those that present antitumor actions in malignancies, in addition to the actual effect of omega-3 PUFA metabolites on various cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alopecia areata is a representative inflammatory skin disease that is associated with various environmental stimuli. While psychological stress is believed to be a major pathogenetic trigger in alopecia areata, infants and newborns also suffer from the disease, suggesting the possible presence of other environmental factors. Daily lifestyle is well known to be involved in various inflammatory diseases and influences the severity of inflammatory skin diseases. However, only a limited number of studies have summarized these influences on alopecia areata. In this review article, we summarize lifestyle factor-related influences on the pathogenesis of alopecia areata and focus on environmental factors, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, sleep, obesity, fatty acids, and gluten consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The skin is the outermost layer of the body and is exposed to many environmental stimuli, which cause various inflammatory immune responses in the skin. Among them, fungi are common microorganisms that colonize the skin and cause cutaneous fungal diseases such as candidiasis and dermatophytosis. The skin exerts inflammatory responses to eliminate these fungi through the cooperation of skin-component immune cells. IL-17 producing cells are representative immune cells that play a vital role in anti-fungal action in the skin by producing antimicrobial peptides and facilitating neutrophil infiltration. However, the actual impact of IL-17-producing cells in cutaneous fungal infections remains unclear. In this review, we focused on the role of IL-17-producing cells in a series of cutaneous fungal infections, the characteristics of skin infectious fungi, and the recognition of cell components that drive cutaneous immune cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 47-year-old Japanese man with epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA). The examination results described vesicles and flaccid blisters with an oedematous and erythematous base on his trunk and extremities. Results of both laboratory examination and skin biopsy are also discussed.

The article presents a 59-year-old female receiving tacrolimus for rheumatoid arthritis and a 58-year-old female who had been treated for rheumatoid arthritis, one noticed eczematous, pruritic papules and erythema on her trunk and extremities while other noticed scaly erythematous papules. It mentions that both underwent a lymphocyte stimulation test to determine the drug for positive reaction. It states that Patch testing with tacrolimus was done that showed negative results.

The article presents a case study of leukoderma following allergic contact dermatitis caused by the silicone component silprene-30A/B in swimming goggles. It highlights the case of a 9-year-old girl developed erythema and papules around both eyes over a six-month period, and then gradually developed periocular depigmentation. It also provides explanation of the condition and the factors that caused the allergy.

The author discusses protein Wnt5a as one of the molecules believed to be implicated in the pathogenesis of human psoriasis. The author states that the Wnt signalling pathways direct growth and morphogenesis during development and continues to regulate cell differentiation and proliferation in the whole adult life. Also discussed is the use of microarray analysis to compare the RNA expression profiles between the lesional and uninvolved skin of psoriasis.

The article presents a case study of a 70-year-old woman with erosive crusted plaques on her scalp. The lesions gradually enlarged in spite treatment with systemic antibiotics. The patient with 40 milligrams (ml) methylprednisolone daily and topical sulfadiazide silver cream. Topical clobetasol propionate ointment was applied which improved the pustular lesions and resulted to re-epithelization of the erosive skin.

Letters to the Editor are welcomed for publication (subject to editing). Letters must be signed by all authors, and must not exceed two pages of text including references. Letters should not duplicate material submitted or published in other journals. Prepublication proofs will not be provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the case of diagnosis of patient suffering from maculopapular type drug eruption caused by taking of pregabalin.

The article presents a case study of a 66-year-old female patient who suffered from tinea capitis due to Microsporum canis.