Nihon Hifuka Gakkai zasshi. The Japanese journal of dermatology最新文献

The antigenicity of mite lipid was studied, taking atopic dermatitis as an allergic disease. Lipid was extracted from Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dp) and D. farinae (Df). It was tentatively designated a mite lipid antigen (Dp-L, Df-L), and then a patch test was performed. An extract from animal food (LC) and acetone were used as the controls. With only Dp-L, a positive reaction of more than one plus (+) of the ICDRG standard was noted in 3 out of 21 cases of AD. Histology of the above-mentioned positive cases revealed spongiosis and infiltration of small round cells in the upper dermis along with scattered eosinophiles. Leu 6 positive cells were noted frequently in the epidermis and dermis. The lipid components of Dp-L were made up mostly of phospholipid and triglycerides+, and lipoprotein was not contained. Judging from the findings above it appears necessary to study not only protein but also lipid in connection with the mite antigenicity++ in AD in the future.

HLA-DR+ T cell and NK cell subsets in peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients with AA were investigated. The percentages of HLA-DR+ T cell and NK cell subsets from a mild condition of patchy AA and an acute condition of alopecia totalis, for which hair regrowth occurred frequently with ease, were similar to those of the normal control. On the other hand, the percentages of HLA-DR+ Leu3a+ cells HLA-DR+ Leu2a+ cells and Leu7-Leu11+ cells from a severe condition of patchy AA and alopecia universalis, for which hair regrowth did not easily occur, were significantly higher than those of the normal control. The increase in the percentages of HLA-DR+ Leu3a+ cells, HLA-DR+ Leu2a+ cells and Leu7-Leu11+ cells from the severe condition of patchy AA and alopecia universalis was lessened and normalized by treatment with betamethasone. These findings suggest that the auto-immune disorders of HLA-DR+ T cell and NK cell may play important roles in disease activities related to severe patchy AA and alopecia universalis.

Adenosquamous carcinoma, which arose on the face of a 83-year-old woman was studied ultrastructurally and immunohistochemically. The tumor was composed of squamoid cells and mucinous cells including signet-ring cells. Electron microscopically, the tumor cells developed numerous microvilli on the cell surface, and had tonofilaments, well-developed rough endoplasmic reticulum and secretory granules of a mucinous type in the cytoplasm. The signet-ring cells had a large intracytoplasmic cavity containing fine fibrillar, mucin-like substance. Occasionally observed were intercellular masses, around which the tumor cells formed hemidesmosome-like and basal lamina-like structures. Immunohistochemical staining revealed foci of positive reaction for laminin surrounding the tumor cells. The tumor cells displayed positive stainings for stratified-epithelial keratins, but not for simple-epithelial keratins. From these findings, it was concluded that the present tumor might be a carcinoma of squamous cell origin, showing a mucinous metaplasia.

338 patients with psoriasis (male: 213, female: 125) who have been treated in our department from 1979 to 1988 answered a questionnaire concerning social and psychological effects of the disease. The mean age of onset was 33 years; 35 years for the male and 29 years for the female. Social and emotional morbidity was present for many patients despite the access to modern treatments. The worst feeling about having psoriasis was general appearance of the skin (41.7%), itching (19.5%), flaking of the skin (16.9%) and time-consuming or messy treatment programs (13.3%). A large percentage of patients avoided common social activities, for example, communal baths, swimming, and sports. Triggering factors of psoriasis were climate (60.3%), stress (46.9%), sleeping disturbance (34.6%), irregular life (32.2%), and low humidity (22.5%). 18.6% of patients were affected in choosing the occupation by having psoriasis. Many patients felt stigmatized as the disease is contagious or genetic. Most of the patients learned psoriasis through doctors, however, 75.7% of them wanted to get more informations. Finally, since only 26.3% of patients were satisfied with current therapeutics, dermatologists seem to be too self satisfied with present managements. It is important for us to understand what the patients are really suffering from and what the patients really want. And, it also is important to make efforts for a better understanding of psoriasis in society.

To elucidate the three-dimensional distribution and cell structure of human epidermal melanocytes in vivo, normal skin specimens were analyzed by a stereographic and stereometric method using computer. After brief fixation, dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA)-melanosome reaction method was performed. Specimens were then post-fixed with glutaraldehyde and osmium tetroxide, dehydrated, and embedded in Epon. Serial sections were obtained in an ultramicrotome and stained with toluidine blue. Epidermal melanocytes were stained dark brown by this method. From the serial two-dimensional figures of the melanocytes, three-dimensional images of their cell structures were reconstructed using a computer-stereography ++ system (Cosmozone 2SA, Nikon, Tokyo). Stereographicaly, the epidermal melanocytes were distributed unevenly on a waving epidermal basement membrane; some of them often gathered. The melanocytes showed spherical cell bodies extending several thin processes, whereas epidermal basal keratinocytes showed ellipsoidal cell bodies. By stereometry, the melanocytes had a significantly larger cytoplasm and a smaller nucleus in volumes compared with the basal keratinocytes. Our stereological method may prove to be important in determining three-dimensional features of normal or abnormal melanocytes.

The immunogenicity in patients with melanoma of three high molecular weight melanoma associated antigens (HMW.MAA) defined by murine monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) was investigated. For this end sera from patients with melanoma (stage I, IV) and normal individuals were tested by inhibition assay and sandwich assay using antiidiotypic MoAb to anti HMW.MAA MoAb. In inhibition assay, sera were tested for their ability to inhibit the binding of murine antiidiotypic MoAbs to biotin conjugated anti HMW.MAA MoAbs. Some of the sera from patients with melanoma significantly inhibited the binding of antiidiotypic MoAb to anti HMW.MAA MoAb in comparison with that from normal individuals. In sandwich assay, sera were tested for their ability to bind to precoated murine antiidiotypic MoAb and to biotin conjugated anti HMW.MAA MoAbs. Positive findings suggest the existence of anti HMW.MAA antibodies in sera were showed in several sera from the patients, which were less in frequency than that in inhibition assay. These results suggest that HMW.MAA could elicit the immune response in some melanoma patients and also suggest that the assay anti HMW.MAA MoAb in sera will help us to understand the prognosis of the patients and to evaluate the usefulness of treatment with antiidiotypic MoAb as vaccine therapy.

A patient, 21-year-old japanese man demonstrating many of the changes seen in the Rothmund-Thomson's syndrome is presented. In particular the hyperkeratosis palmo-plantar hyperkeratosis and warty hyperkeratosis on the hand and feet are prominent clinical features in this patient. The literatures describing hyperkeratosis in the Rothmund-Thomson's syndrome are reviewed and the clinical feature as well as diagnostic value of the hyperkeratosis is discussed.

We studied a role of plasminogen activator and plasmin in keratinocyte migration. First we examined the effects of various proteinase inhibitors on keratinocyte migration using wound healing model in cultured keratinocyte. Among the proteinase inhibitors tested, only an inhibitor of serine proteinases, camostat mesilate showed a concentration-dependent inhibition on the migration. Anti urokinase IgG was also able to suppress the migration. On the other hand exogenous plasminogen enhanced it. These results strongly suggest that PA/plasmin system is involved in keratinocyte migration.