title: Dermal expression of laminin-332 and type IV collagen in humans with severe sepsis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An intact basement membrane at the dermal-epidermal junction is essential to the viability of the skin. The effect of sepsis on the basement membrane is unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  Skin biopsies were used to study basement membrane structure in severe sepsis (Day 1). Subsequent biopsies were taken on Day 8 and at 3 months in the survivors. Immunohistochemical staining was undertaken using laminin-223 and type IV collagen. Twenty patients with severe sepsis and four control subjects were included in the analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intensive care unit mortality was 4/20, and total 30-day mortality was 5/20. Exactly, 7/17 of patients with severe sepsis exhibited weak or absent laminin-332 expression and 11/15 exhibited weak or absent type IV collagen expression compared with 0/4 of control subjects on Day 1 in intact skin. The proportion of sepsis patients with weak or absent laminin-332 expression was 5/11 on Day 8 and fell to 1/7 at 3 months. The proportion of sepsis patients with weak or absent type IV collagen expression was 10/11 on Day 8 and 4/7 at 3 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that basement membrane formation may be compromised in patients with severe sepsis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.|Department of Surgery, Kainuu Central Hospital, Kajaani, Finland.|Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Intensive Care Medicine, Oulu University Hospital, University of Oulu, Medical Research Center Oulu, OUH, Finland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koskela
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Intensive Care Medicine, Oulu University Hospital, University of Oulu, Medical Research Center Oulu, OUH, Finland.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gäddnäs
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Kainuu Central Hospital, Kajaani, Finland.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Koivukangas
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oikarinen
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Intensive Care Medicine, Oulu University Hospital, University of Oulu, Medical Research Center Oulu, OUH, Finland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Laurila
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kallioinen
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Intensive Care Medicine, Oulu University Hospital, University of Oulu, Medical Research Center Oulu, OUH, Finland.
authors.forename: T I
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Ala-Kokko
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001485:Basement Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D024141:Collagen Type IV / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007797:Laminin / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018805:Sepsis / Q000378:metabolism*; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D024141:Collagen Type IV; D007797:Laminin