A 56-year-old female patient had been suffering from pruritic annular erythema and pigmentation over her entire body for ten months. On the border of the erythema, several vesicles were recognized. A biopsy specimen revealed intraepidermal vesicles and eosinophilic spongiosis. An examination using the direct immunofluorescence method showed deposits of IgG in the intercellular space of the epidermis, and then the patient was diagnosed as herpetiform pemphigus. Treatment with oral tranilast, dapsone, and intramuscular sodium aurothiomalate were performed and thereafter her eruptions gradually improved. One month later, a cessation of the tranilast treatment was followed by a severe worsening of her eruptions. Tranilast was then restarted, and two weeks later her eruptions had again improved substantially. Three months later, she was free from lesions while still being administered tranilast, dapsone and aurothiomalate.

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A 52-year-old woman with psoriasis vulgaris, who had recurrent uveitis accompanied by fever and arthritis, is reported. Neither urethritis nor aphtha was observed. When the patient was treated with cyclosporin A, both uveitis and skin lesion markedly improved. As regarding the patient’s HLA typing, B27 was negative while B51 was positive, which suggests the presence of some genetic factor as the cause of Behçet’s disease.

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A four-year-old girl developed erythema, urticaria, severe edema (anasarca), fever, anuria and general fatigue following immunization with the Japanese B encephalitis vaccine. She demonstrated a positive scratch test reaction to the 10% Japanese B encephalitis vaccine, whereas 3 normal volunteers had negative responses. Therefore, it appears likely that her severe reaction was caused by the Japanese B encephalitis vaccine.

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A case of primary mucinous carcinoma of the skin is reported. A tumor measuring 10×9×5cm was found on the scalp of an 82-year-old female patient. The tumor was flesh-colored with telangiectasia and small blue spots and adhered to the periosteum. The cut surfaces showed lobulated structures with many cysts filled with red colloid material. A microscopic examination showed multiple mucinous lakes separated by fibrous septa. Islets of tumor cells were suspended in the mucinous lakes and arranged in irregular solid groups, occasionally showing duct-like structures. Mucinous material was PAS-and alucian blue (pH2.5)-positive. The tumor cells were stained with CEA and CAM5.2 in the immunohistochemical studies. Electron microscopic examination showed indented nuclei, secretary granules within the cytoplasm, and no decapitation secretion. MR images demonstrated the tumor structure accurately and were useful for the diagnosis.

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We report a case of the cartilaginous tumor which appeared on the dorsum of the left foot of a 53-year-old female. Histopathologically, the tumor was located in the dermis as a lobulated mass of hyaline cartilage with a basophilic matrix surrounded by loosely textured connective tissues. In addition, some foci of ossification were seen. No tumor recur has been observed one year after extirpation. The cutaneous cartilaginous tumor is a rare entity and so far only 14 cases have been reported in Japan.

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Total 8 cases of generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) were experienced at the Department of Dermatology, in Hirosaki University Hospital from 1971 to 1991. These 8 patients were classified into three groups according to their clinical features. The first group was characterized by recurrent pustular attacks without any psoriatic or psoriasis-like lesions. The second group demonstrated psoriatic lesions before the appearance of a pustular rash, while the third group was defined as having no particular features such as those characterized in either the first or second group. The first, second and third groups consisted of 2, 5 and 1 cases, respectively. The last case in the third group had previously shown seborrheic dermatitis before GPP appeared. In the acute phase, a lot of intensive pustulization was seen in the first and third groups when compared with that in the second group. An upper respiratory infection was thought to be the main cause for pustulization in the first and third groups. In the second group, however, treatments such as topical or systemic steroid therapy, as well as PUVA therapy, in addition to the presence of an upper respiratory infection were assumed to be causal factors.

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The effects of sunscreens on sunburn and delayed tanning elicited by repeated ultra-violet (UV) exposure has previously been mostly evaluated using animal models. In this study, however, we have evaluated the effects of sunscreens containing either titanium dioxide (TC) or urocanic acid (UC) and compared them with base cream (BC) on normal human skin. The sources of UV were either sunlight or artificial light to which the skin was repeatedly exposed at doses of 1/2 minimal erythema dose (MED) or 1 MED. Generally, skin is considered to be exposed to from half to one MED in normal daily life. The reactions of erythema and delayed tanning were periodically assessed both clinically and by using a chromometer. The reactions increased in intensity depending on the length and frequency of exposure in the control group. Although the reactions varied from individual to individual, TC and UC significantly inhibited the reactions compared to BC. The application of sunscreens which have at least a sun protection factor of 3 to 4 is thus recommended in daily life in order to minimize the harmful effects of sun exposure.

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Emedastine difumarate, a new antiallergic agent, has both an antihistaminic and inhibitory effect on histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells. In the present study, we examined the effects of emedastine on the chemotaxis of both guinea pig and human eosinophils which are considered to aggravate allergic inflammation. In addition, we compared the results those of ketotifen, azelastine and tranilast. At concentrations of 10^-8M or higher, either emedastine significantly inhibited leukotriene B₄- or platelet activating factor-induced chemotaxis of both the guinea pig and human eosinophils. Ketotifen and azelastine also showed significant inhibition at concentrations of 10^-6M or higher, while tranilast did not show any significant effect even at 10^-5M. These findings suggest that emedastine has a therapeutic effect on allergic diseases by inhibiting the infiltration of eosinophils into the inflammatory site.

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We statistically analyzed the age, sex, prognosis and therapeutic regimens of patients with pemphigus vulgaris (PV) (15 cases) and bullous pernphigoid (BP) (17 cases) at Saga Medical School from 1982 to 1992. The average observation periods were 40 months (4∼100 months) for PV and 43 months (2∼120 months) for BP. In general, the prognosis for BP was better than for PV. The prednisolone administration did not show the sufficient effects in treating PV and BP, while either DDS or tetracycline and nicotinamide, in combination with prednisolone, was occasionally useful in treating these diseases.

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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