[in Japanese]

View full abstract

In a 4-month-old boy, the onset of skin disease occurred at age 2 months. Vesicopustules erupted on the palms and soles. Crops of lesions erupted at two- and three-week intervals and persisted for fourteen days each time. No new lesions developed when he reached 2 years of age. Results of cultures of pustular lesions were negative for bacteria. Results of tests of scrapings were negative for fungi and scabiei. Histologically, the lesions showed intraepidermal pustules filled with neutrophilic polymorphonuclear leukocytes. The eruption was unresponsive to steroids.

View full abstract

In a 23-year-old girl, reticular erythema on the four extremities and small scars, white flecks, and petechia around both ankles occurred. Although the clinical appearances suggested livedo reticularis with summer ulcerations, as described by Feldaker et al (1955), the biopsy specimen revealed necrotizing vasculitis with nuclear debris in the deep dermis. The granular deposits of IgM, Clq, C4, C3c, and fibrinogen at the vascular walls were verified by a direct immunofluorescence technique. From these histological findings, periarteritis nodosa cutanea may be considered. We propose that necrotizing vasculitis might be present at the early stage of idiopathic livedo reticularis, and some overlapping and/or transition might occur between periarteritis nodosa cutanea and idiopathic livedo reticularis.

View full abstract

A 14-year-old Japanese girl with Bourneville-Pringle phacomatosis was seen in our clinic. She had two giant tumors on her lower back. The surface of tumors showed a shagreen patch-like appearance. The histology of the excised tumors showed hyperplasia of irregularly interlacing collagen bundles and hypertrophy of each collagen fiber in a markedly thickened dermis. The subcutaneous fat tissue and collagen fibers of the interlobular septa were considerably increased. The tumors were regarded as an atypical shagreen patch with an extensive proliferation.

View full abstract

We treated a 70-year-old man with malignant hemangioendothelioma on the left temporal area. Histopathologically, tumor cells were observed throughout the dermis. Many of the tumor cells seemed to be immature mesenchymal cells, but formed slit-like lumens, in some areas. Peroxidase-antiperoxidase staining using an antihemophilic factor antigen revealed a positive substance in some tumor cells. Electron-microscopically, the tumor cells had Weibel-Palade granules in the cytoplasm.

View full abstract

Four specimens from patients with extramammary Paget’s disease (two perineal, one vulvar and one axillary) were studied by means of subserial total sectioning. In all cases, the extent of histologically demonstrable disease was more or less greater than that of the visible lesion. Especially in a case of vulvar Paget’s disease, nests of tumor cells were detected far beyond the margin of the visible lesion. The outline of histologically detectable lesions was irregular and discontinuous in all cases. Microscopic examination also revealed widespread involvement of eccrine sweat ducts and the upper portion of hair follicles.

View full abstract

In a 50-year-old man with a history of trauma, a soft, slight tender tumor developed on the left 2nd toe. The tumor was verrucous and skin colored. Histological examination revealed numerous Meissner’s corpuscle-like structures in the papillary dermis and hypertrophic nerve fascicles in the mid dermis. From these findings, the diagnosis of amputation neuroma was made.

View full abstract

A 56-year-old man and a 52-year-old man, both of whom were heavy alcohol drinkers for over 20 years, had a typical dusky erythema on the hands and feet and also complained of diarrhea, paresthesia in the lower legs and hyperesthesia in the feet for over two years before onset of the eruptions. Both sensory and motor conduction velocities were decreased at the median or sural nerve. In addition, in the 56-year-old man cerebellar ataxia and speech disturbances were apparent. Laboratory examination revealed macrocytic, hyperchromic anemia in both men, a slightly decreased level of serum nicotinic acid and a low level of serum vitamin B₆ in the 52-year-old man. All of these disturbances were dramatically improved with the ingestion of nicotinic acid and vitamin B₆.

View full abstract

An immunofluorescence method using Crithidia luciliae was used to detect antibodies to double strand DNA in 131 patients including 48 with SLE. The findings were compared with data obtained using the PHA method. With the Crithidia luciliae method, the positive rate was 100% in cases of active SLE, 22.9%, in inactive SLE and 6.0% in other diseases. On the other hand, with the PHA method, the rate was 92.3% in cases of active SLE, 45.7% in inactive SLE and 44.6% in other diseases. The Crithidia luciliae method is thus more specific than the PHA method for the detection of double strand DNA. In the clinical course, titers of DNA antibodies detected by the Crithidia luciliae method decreased more rapidly than was seen with the PHA method.

View full abstract

Biopsies taken before and at 30 min., 3, 5 and 7 days after the dry ice press therapy from nevus Ota were examined by light microscopy. Dry ice was pressed for 7 seconds and this procedure was repeated. At 30 minutes after the procedure, no remarkable changes was observed both in the epidermis and in the dermis. At 3 days after the treatment, the dermal melanin-laden cells were round in shape and some were vacuolated. At 5 days after the treatment, the vacuolation and the decrease in number of the dermal melanin-laden cells were more remarkable. At 7 days after the treatment, all dermal melanin-laden cells were round in shape and located at the periphery of the dermal vessels. From these results, the mechanism of the dry ice press therapy seems to be as follows; first there is a degeneration of the dermal melanocytes as a result of the direct effect of freezing, the cell membrane breaks and the melanosomes dispersed in the dermis are partly taken up by monocytes and carried to the regional lymphnode. Some melanosomes travel to the outside in the crust when the tissue damage is relatively severe. The amount of the dermal melanin decreases after dry ice therapy.

View full abstract

In order to assess the current usage of non-steroid anti-inflammatory topical agents, questionaires were sent to 324 private physicians who were listed as dermatologists in Fukuoka prefecture. Sixty percent responded to the questionaires. Among them, 80 percent had experience of usage. The amount of usage of non-steroid agents was one-fifth to one-tenth of steroid agents; mainly used in herpes zoster, atopic dermatitis, eczema, or rosacea-like dermatitis. Eighty percent of the users felt that non-steroid agents were inferior to steroid agents in therapeutic effects, although 60 percent felt superiority of non-steroid agents in the aspect of side effects. In overall assessment, 70 percent felt inferiority of non-steroid agents. It can be concluded that physicians are waiting for the development of more powerful anti-inflammatory agents with less side effects.

View full abstract

[in Japanese]

View full abstract

[in Japanese]

View full abstract

[in Japanese]

View full abstract

[in Japanese]

View full abstract

[in Japanese]

View full abstract