115 cases of lichen amyloidosus were found in a skin clinic in Taiwan during a pariod of 4 years. Lichen type occurred in 78 cases and 10 cases of macular type and 27 cases of biphasic type were seen. The great majority of the patients were middle-age males with a long duration of the disease over than 5 years. The extensive surfaces of the limbs were most commonly involved. Crystal violet staining is the most simple and reliable histochemical method to make a firm diagnosis. If the equipment available, fluorescent microscopic studies of thioflavin-T or Phorwhite BBU are useful for diagnosis. Immunoglobulin assay showed within normal limits in 12 cases of lichen amyloidosus. T and B cell ratio was normal in 8 cases but 15 out of 16 cases revealed positive immunofluorescence in either IgG, IgA, IgM or C3. Selectively, skin abrasion was carried out in 25 cases ; 6 cases had no reccurance after a three-year follow-up. Positive amyloid deposits were seen in the clinically normal looking skin about 10 cm from the lesion in 6 out of 12 cases with lichen amyloidosus. In secondary cutaneous amyloidoses, amyloid deposits could be seen in basal cell epithelioma, seborrheic keratosis, porokeratosis and Bowen's disease but in 20 leprosy patients, no amyloid was found in the skin biopsy materials.

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The skin lesions of the patients with malignant lymphoma were investigated cytologically. Supervital staining and electron-microscopical examination were performed. The results were as follows: Cell clusters, which were composed of monotonous, small, and slightly atypical cells, were observed in lymphosarcoma. Cell clusters, which were composed of monotonous, large, and atypical cells, were observed in reticulum cell sarcoma. In mycosis fungoides, atypical cells and inflammatory cell infiltrates appeared in clusters.

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The present work aims at elucidating the value of the skin window technique (SWT) concerning its specificity and its practical use in drug allergy. Twenty-three patients with presumed drug hypersensitivity were tested by the SWT, but the tests were not made until after subsidence of any eruption. The applications of the drug to the window site were done without any dilution. The cover slips were placed over abraded skin area with the suspected drug as antigens or saline controls. All slides were exchanged after 4 hours and 24 hours, and removed after 48 hours. They were stained with May-Grün-wald-Giemsa stain, and the differential cell count in 500 cells were made. Positive reactions, as noted by eosinophil counts of > 3 per cent, were seen at 14 of 18 test sites in 11 cases of definite drug hypersensitivity. However, negative reactions with 0 to 3 per cent eosinophils, were noted in all 5 cases of fixed drug eruption and in all 7 cases with equivocal drug hypersensitivity. Our results suggest the SWT to be of value in exanthematic drug allergy and of no help in detecting the antigenic drug of fixed drug eruption.

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The use of exfoliative cytology is the most feasible one as an aid in diagnosing malignant tumors, especially it is one of the most suitable diagnostic methods for cancers growing on the body surface such as skin cancer and oral cancer. It is not only applicable to malignant tumors in the oral region but also it can be applied to other diseases of the oral mucosa and it is the most reliable method as a supplementary method of histological examinations. The practicability of oral cytology has been described in connection with leukoplakia that must be taken note of as the precancerous lesion, as well as lichen (ruber) planus, papilloma, traumatic ulcers, denture fibroma, and median rhomboid glossitis. In addition, cytology has the advantage of collecting materials without much pain to the patient and can be repeated. so that it has wide applicability in the observation of the healing processes of the lesions, in the periodical examinations, as well as effects of radiation therapy, and anticancer chemotherapy, and in the observation of the postoperative course and in determining the presence or absence of recurrence. In addition, some comments have been made on the applicability of the cytochemical methods to the solution of the problems that still remain unclarified by morphological study. It has been known that some dermatologic conditions involve the oral mucosa and the cytology of them show multiple and specific findings. So that as the cytological criteria of each disease are established, cytology will play a more important role in the diagnosis of different skin diseases.

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Responses of basophilic and eosinophilic leucocytes in the skin window applied to skin reactions of PHA, PWM and LPS as well as to PPD were investigated with the following results: 1) At 8 and 24 hours after the intracutaneous injection of each mitogen, PHA, PWM and LPS, as well as of PPD, basophilic leucocytes were observed by the skin window technique, which indicated that each of the skin reactions with these mitogens may represent the delayed type of hypersensitivity as the PPD reaction does; 2) At 2, 8 and 24 hours after the intracutaneou injection of each mitogen and PPD, eosinophilic leucocytes were also observed by the skin window tachnique; 3) A comparative study on the response patterns of basophilic and eosinophilic leucocytes in the skin windows between each of the three mitogens and PPD revealed that the pattern by PHA, by PWM and by LPS resembled that by PPD in this order.

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As it is not so easy to differentiate the photoallergic reaction from the phototoxic reaction, we studied experimentally whether the skin window technique can be applied for this differentiation or not. The phototoxic contact dermatitis due to 8-MOP and the photoallergic contact dermatitis due to 3, 3′, 4′, 5-TCSA induced in guinea pigs were examined by the skin window technique and the following results were obtained ; 1) in the phototoxic reaction, at 3 hours, neutrophilic leukocytes appeared in great numbers. At 8 hours, mononuclear cells were slightly increased in percentage and neutrophilic leukocytes were decreased. At 16 and 24 hours, the percentage of neutrophilic leukocytes was again high. The percentage of neutrophilic leukocytes was higher than that of control animals. Neither basophilic nor eosino-philic leukocytes were observed. 2) in the photoallergic reaction, the pattern of the appearence of neutrophilic leukocytes and mononuclear cells showed no differences as compared with the phototoxic reaction. But a significant number of basophilic leukocytes were observed and their appearence was gradually increased in percentage with time laps. Eosinophilic leukocytes were also observed, but the percentage and time course of their appearence showed no definite pattern. Based upon the above results, it may be concluded that the photoallergic reaction can be differentiated from the phototoxic reaction by the appearence of basophilic leukocytes.

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Cytodiagnosis by the Parker ink method and electron-microscopic cytodiagnosis in herpetic diseases was studied. A total of 102 patients with herpetic diseases was examined by the Parker ink method. Thirty of thirty-eight patients with herpes simplex, 41 of 48 patients with herpes zoster and all 16 cases of varicella showed the charicteristic giant epithelial cell. A total 60 patients with herpetic diseases was examined by the electron-microscopic cytodiagnosis. 26 of 30 patients with herpes simplex, 11 of 12 patients with varicella and all 18 casas of herpes zoster showed particles of herpes virus.

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Two patients with dermatophytid were described. The first patient, a 7-year-old Japanese boy, was suffering from tinea capitis for a six week duration caused by Trichophyton mentagrophytes, and was accompanied with numerous follicular papules on the entire body and with tender indurated erythema on the lower part of the legs for a three day duration. Trichophytin skin test was positive. On treatment with systemic griseofulvin, erythema nodosum was resolved on the seventh day and follicular papules on the 14th day. The second patient, a 60-year-old Japanese man, was suffering from tinea barbae for a 20 day duration caused by T. rubrum. Trichophytin skin test was negative at the first consultation. However, it became positive 20 days later and follicular papules developed on the trunk and on the arms. The secondary eruption spontaneousely disappeared.

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Four cases of pityriasis rubra pilaris were reported. Case 1 was an 8year-old child with eruptions on elbows, knees, palms and soles. The other three cases were all adults with eruptions on the greater part of the body or generalized erythroderma. Fifty reported cases during the recent 10 years were discussed.

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A case of a 30-year-old woman, who complained to our clinic about painful ulcers on her legs, was diagnosed as systemic lupus erythematosus. Such a cutaneous manifestation of SLE is rare. The ulcers may be associated with cryoglobulinemia and cold agglutinins. The most likely cause of the ulceration was resultant infarction of the skin and subcutaneous tissue, due to the thrombosis of vessels from capillary to medium size. In the thrombosis, immune complexes were shown which consisted of IgM, IgG, β₁C, β₁E, and fibrinogen by a direct immunofluorescence method. These ulcers healed rapidly following steroid therapy.

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A case of kerion caused by Microsporum canis, which appeared in a 16-month-old girl, was reported. From the soil collected at the patients garden, M. gypseum, M. cookei and Trichophyton ajelloi were isolated by the hair-baiting method. From 1952 to November, 1976, 22 human cases of M. canis-infection were diagnosed at the Dermatology Clinic, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, and 217 animal cases (164 cats and 53 dogs) at the Veterinary Hospital, University of Tokyo. It was indicated that the human cases have been increasing in number especially since 1972 and while there was no prevailing increase in animals, M. canis-infections are always present in cats and dogs. In addition, clinical features of the human cases were presented in detail.

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In order to prove the combined effects of both suprarenal extract and antithrombin-like heparinoid contained in MOBILAT ointment, a statistical analysis method was studied by using the clinical data obtained by the double blind comparative studies on osteoarthritis treatment. The clinical study was carried out by the double blind technique in 4 groups, namely MOBILAT ointment, 1% suprarenal extract ointment, 0.2 % antithrombin-like heparinoid ointment, and the ointment base. The total points assessed in accordance with the standardized scoring criteria of every patient were analyzed using the model as follows,
χ=μ+α+β+αβ+ε
where
μ : a general mean,
α: a main effect of antithrombin-like heparinoid (factor A),
β : a main effect of suprarenal extract (factor B),
αβ : a interactional effect between factor A and B,
ε : errors.
The drug interactions in the ointment were tested by the statistical linear model when χ was 0, 1, 2 and 5 points. The results revealed significantly the drug interactions at the level of where α=0.10.

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1. Multicentric clinical trials on triamcinolone acetonide cream with new formulation were conducted at eleven medical institutions to assess its clinical efficacy in comparison to the old cream. The new cream formulation has several distinct features, e.g., (a) benzyl alcohol as a preservative instead of parabens, (b) increased water content, (c) new type emulsifier. In order to asertain the clinical efficacy of the new cream formulation the limited double-blind method was adopted.
2. In these clinical trials, a total of 129 patients were tested and analyzed ; 43 patients with the exudative type of eczematous dermatitis, 42 patients with the lichenified type of ec-zematous dermatitis and 44 patients with psoriasis vulgaris.
3. Analyses in the 95% significance level (p≤0.05) indicated no significant difference between the new and the old cream formulations in all types of dermatitis involved. However, it was suggested that the new cream formulation was clinically more effective than the old cream formulation particulary in psoriasis vulgaris and the exudative type of eczematous dermatitis from the results of drug preference.
4. The questionaire conducted with regard to the property of the new cream formulation in clinical use indicated that the new cream formulation was superior to the old cream in its' extension, refreshing feeling and vanishing on the lesion.
5. The study showed that triamcinolone acetonide new cream formulation is more useful than the old one.

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