Dermatologica最新文献

Using immunohistochemical methods, we investigated the distribution of epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) on the normal eccrine gland, eccrine poroma and hidroacanthoma simplex. Granular membrane-associated reaction of EMA was detected on the outer cells of both the intraepidermal and the upper portion of intradermal eccrine ducts, as well as on the luminal surfaces and intercellular canaliculi of eccrine glands. Clear immunolabeling was also present in the tumor cells of eccrine poroma and hidroacanthoma simplex. Thus, it is suggested that the constituent cells of these tumors originate from the outer cells of the intraepidermal and/or the upper portion of the intradermal eccrine ducts. There was no immunolabeling for EMA on the tumor cells of seborrheic keratosis and basal cell carcinoma. Immunohistochemical staining for EMA is a useful tool for the diagnosis of skin appendage tumors.

A case of incontinentia pigmenti with extensive and progressive hyperkeratotic lesions at the age of 25 years is reported. The histology showed a keratoacanthoma-like picture and signs compatible with squamous cell carcinoma. To our knowledge this has not been previously reported.

A case of subcutaneous leiomyosarcoma developing in a skin affected by radiation dermatitis is presented. A 59-year-old patient had been suffering from radiation dermatitis induced by radiotherapy for a mediastinal tumor diagnosed at 24 years of age. Thirty-four years later, slow growing nodules developed in this lesion. Light and electron microscopic studies revealed that the tumor was a subcutaneous leiomyosarcoma. There is no previous report of a subcutaneous leiomyosarcoma developing in radiation dermatitis.

We report a 65-year-old patient who presented a rapid eruption of keratoses on sun-exposed areas and an explosive transformation into several squamous-cell carcinomas, occurring during the accelerated phase of a chronic granulocytic leukemia. Clinical findings resembled those usually described in xeroderma pigmentosum. The role of immunosuppression, chemotherapy and possible genetic predisposition is discussed.

We utilized a sebum-sensitive adhesive film, Sebutape, to visualize the pore patterns of women with and without acne with computerized image analysis. In normal young women, we found a positive correlation between the number of active sebaceous follicles and total sebum excretion. When seborrhea was intense, this correlation was however lost. The situation was more complex in acne. The severity of seborrhea was positively correlated with the mean sebum excretion of individual follicles but not with the number of active follicles.

This study was conducted in order to evaluate a possible protective role of seborrheic complexion and a history of acne on the development of basal cell epithelioma (BCE). For this purpose, 77 patients with this tumor were examined and asked to fill out a questionnaire. The questionnaire included demographic data and questions about skin type, eye and hair colors, sun exposure habits and a past history of acne. The nature, number and location of tumors, the texture of skin and acne scars were noted by a physician. A group of 93 age-, sex- and skin-color-matched patients served as controls. The results show a clear relationship between seborrheic features and a lower risk of developing BCE, after controlling for solar exposure using the Mantel-Haenszel summary measure. The same trend was found in patients with a history of acne. Whether ultraviolet light absorption by sebum, an anticancer activity of Propionibacterium acnes or other factors play a protective role against the development of BCE is as yet unclear.

We report a patient who developed erythematous indurated plaques with alopecia on the face and multiple well-demarcated infiltrated scaling lesions on the trunk and extremities. Skin biopsy showed a mucinous degeneration of the follicular outer root sheaths and sebaceous glands consistent with the diagnosis of follicular mucinosis. A histologic examination of a specimen from the left forearm showed microscopic changes of mycosis fungoides. The present case confirms the need of multiple skin biopsies in the evaluation of patients with follicular mucinosis.

Tissue growth may be controlled by negative feedback mechanisms. Recently, a pentapeptide, pyroGlu-Glu-Asp-Ser-GlyOH ('epidermal pentapeptide', EPP), which slows the growth of mouse epidermis in vivo and of mouse keratinocytes in vitro, was isolated from mouse epidermis. Since inhibitory molecules like EPP might be part of the feedback systems underlying hair growth control, we assessed the effect of synthesized EPP on the growth of hair follicles, using rodent in vivo and in vitro assays. We report for the first time that intraperitoneally injected EPP (30 nmol/animal/day over 6 days) significantly slows the growth of hair follicles in plucking-induced anagen skin of C57 B1-6 mice (as assessed by microscopic morphometry). Using an in vitro organ culture assay, EPP inhibits the incorporation of 3H-thymidine into mouse pelage anagen follicles. That this epidermal-derived peptide affects hair growth raises the possibility that hair growth may be regulated by an inhibition/disinhibition mechanism under participation of EPP-like molecules and that the epidermis may play a role in the control of hair growth.