Atopic disease is gradually increasing and the difficulty of treatment is an important problem in the world. In particular, it is well known that atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic relapsing inflammatory skin disease associated with an imbalance between T helper type 1 (Th1) and T helper type 2 (Th2) cells. In this study, we investigated the effects of acupuncture on an oxazolone induced skin allergic dermatitis animal model using male ICR mice. First, ICR mice were sensitized with oxazolone and then, at the challenge phase, acupuncture treatment was started. The experimental results showed that acupuncture treatment inhibited swelling of the ears and ear weight compared to non-acupuncture treatment. Acupuncture treatment inhibited the expression of serum cytokines (IL-2, IL-10, IFN- y ) compared to non-acupuncture treatment. In addition, acupuncture, inhibited the expression of ear tissue cytokines (IL-4, IFN- y, Ig-E) . These findings suggest that acupuncture treatment may inhibit skin allergic dermatitis in ICR mice.

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Previous studies have implicated advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in the pathogenesis of diabetes and its complications. However, metabolic pathways and the distribution of AGEs in various organs and tissues are still not clear. Pratically, only one report, a case of distribution of carboxy-methyl-lysine (CML) in a non-diabetic human, has been reported. Using two mouse anti-human antibodies for AGES, 6D12 and H12, 6D12 recognize Carboxymethl-lysine (CML) and H12 recognized Pyrraline. With a simple stain method, we examined the immunohistological distribution and localization of AGEs in various organs and tissues obtained form 50 diabetic autopsy cases (35 men and 15 women, 42 to 93 years of age, mean 72.1 years old) and 10 non-diabetic autopsy cases (6 men and 4 women, 0 to 77 years of age, mean 50.2 years old) . We valued the results as positive rates. Some organs and tissues showed high positive rates in both CML Pyrraline. In the non-diabetic autopsy cases, mostly pancreatic and renal tissues showed low positive rates of both CML and Pyrraline, but high positive rates in the diabetic autopsy cases. It was an interesting that, only in the pancreatic and renal tissues of the non-diabetic cases, the distribution of AGES had been inhibited. There fore, we discuss the existence of some functions that inhibit distribution of AGEs in the pancreas and the kidney in the non-diabetic human, and unknown metabolic pathways or receptors of AGES.

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A 44-year-old man complained of lumbago and was treated with on intramuscular analgetic injection by a doctor near his house. Because of a hematoma, which was recognized in the injection site, as well as a fever, further examinations were carried out, and finally disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and bone marrow necrosis were revealed. The patient received treatments of DIC as well as examinations to determine the causes of bone marrow necrosis. However, the causes were not determined because he died the 8th day after admission due to worsening general conditions. Autopsy findings revealed primary advanced gastric cancer in the antrum and multiple metastatic foci in the bone marrow. Histopathologic diagnosis showed poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma associated with signet-ring cell carcinoma. We report here not only an autopsy case of bone marrow necrosis, the cause of which was unknown until an autopsy, but also the review of the literature concerning bone marrow necrosis.

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A 31-year-old woman experiencad difficulty in climbing upstairs at the age of 16. Her symptom developed gradually, so she visited our hospital at the age of 18. At that time, mild to moderate muscle weakness was pbsreved in the anterior tibial and gastrocnemius muscle, respectively. Moderate muscle atrophy was obsersued in the gastrocnemius muscles, predomi-nantly on the right side. Her serum CK was 9000 U/I and electromyography showed a myogenic change in the gastroenemius muscles. Her muscle CT scan showed low density areas in the atrophic gastrocnemius muscles. A muscle biopsy from the left gastrocnemius muscle revealed a moderate variation of fiber-size and scattered necrotic and regenerating myof ibers. Her elder brother showed the same neurological symptom which indicated autosomal recessve Inheritance. The patient was diagnosed as having Miyoshi type distal muscular dystrphy. One year later, proximal muscle weakness and atrophy was noticed in her lower extremities. Subseguenthy Then, her symptoms continued leveling gradually, and muscle atrophy and weakness had spred by the age of 31. Recently dysferlin has been identified as a causative protein of Miyoshi type distal muscular dystrophy, as well as limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2B. Dysf elrin gene analysis in this case showed G to A point mutation at mucleotide No 6508 in exon 51, which resulted in the alteration of amino acid, je typtophan to stop colon. This mutation site was very close to the C-treminus. Nishida et al presented an interesting report in which a patient with Miyoshi type distal muscular dystrophy whose initial symptom was limited to the distal muscle at first, developed proximal muscle weakness and atrophy. Subseguenthy Nishida et al proposed a new clinical entity of “distal limb-girdle type muscular dystrophy”Therefore, this present case with mutation of the dysferlin gene was consistent with the clinical entity, “distal limb-girdle type muscular dystrophy”. At present the relationship between the characteristic mutation site in this case and the phenotype is not defined. Further accumulation of similar cases and the mutation analysisi of these cases will shed light on the mechanism of peculiar muscular involvement of these cases.

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