Ultraviolet radiation may suppress immunologic reactions, affecting a variety of immuno-competent cells including epidermal Langerhans cell, keratinocyte, T cell, mast cell and vascular endothelial cell. Exposure to UV light inhibits contact sensitization to haptens applied not only to the irradiated skin area (local immunosuppression) but also to the non-irradiated distant skin when the exposure dose is relatively high and/or the application skin area is large (systemic immuno-suppression). In addition, hapten-specific tolerance develops, which is due to the generation of hapten-specific suppressor T cells. Similar phenomenon can be induced by UVR in delayed type hypersensitivity to microorganisms and tumor immunity. Down regulation of antigen presentation and production of immunosuppressive cytokines may be involved in these UV-induced immunosuppressions.

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Werner syndrome, Rothmund-Thomson syndrome and Bloom syndrome are characterized by premature ageing, cancer predisposition and chromosomal instability. These three syndromes have been proved to be caused by the abnormality of genes encoding RecQ family helicase. Helicase is an enzyme which unwinds the double-strand DNA. RecQ family helicase are important in the maintenance of genome integrity.
In Darier disease and Hailey-Hailey disease, acantholysis is observed histopathologically, and incomplete desmosome formation is shown by electron microscopic study. Recently, causative mutations in a gene, ATP2A2, which encodes the sarcoendoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺ ATPase type 2 (SERCA2) was found in Darier disease. In Hailey-Hailey disease, mutations in a gene ATP2C1, which encodes an ATP-powered Ca²⁺ pump, were found.
Desmosomes are not formed in keratinocytes cultured in media with low (≤0.1mM) Ca²⁺ concentrations, but formed rapidly upon the increase (>1mM) of Ca²⁺ concentration. It is supposed that the impairment of Ca²⁺pump is direct cause of the acantholysis observed in Darier and Hailey-Hailey diseases, but precise mechanism is not clear.
The transcription factor NF-κB regulates the expression of various cellular products and influences various events including immune and inflammatory responses, and apoptosis. The activity of NF-κB is controlled by interaction with other proteins, especially IκB family (inhibitors of NF-κB) . Two IκB kinases have been identified and NEMO (NF-κB essential modulator) is one of the components of IκB kinase complex. It was shown that most cases of incontinentia pigmenti were due to mutation of the gene for NEMO, and, as a consequence, NF-κB activation is defective in incontinentia pigmenti.

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A 65-year-old woman visited our hospital with a large ulcer in the inguinal area, and subcutaneous tumors on the buttocks and the extremities. 30 years ago, she had been giving herself hypodermic injections of diphenhydramine hydrochloride•calcium bromide to treat insomnia, for about 12 years. X-rays showed multiple various sized calcifications on the thigh. Serum calcium and phosphorus levels were normal. Histopathology with HE stains revealed calcium deposits in the lower dermis. Treatment by debridement and skin grafting was effective.

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An 86-year-old Japanese man with a 10-year history of vitiligo vulgaris,developed red papules over his whole body and blisters on the face and abdomen. Histopathological findings of a blister lesion showed subepidermal bulla with neutrophil and eosinophil infiltrations. Histopathology of a red papule revealed acanthosis of the epidermis with dermal neutrophil and eosinophil infiltrations. Direct immunofluorescence microscopy of blister lesions showed a linear deposit of IgG on the dermo-epidermal junction. By indirect immunofluorescence studies on split human skin using 1M NaCl, IgG antibodies in patient’s serum localized to the dermal side of the split. However, the patient’s serum did not react with 230, 180kD bullous pemphigoid antigen, 290kD epidermolysis bullous acquisita antigen and 200kD vesicular pemphigoid antigen by Western blot analyses of epidermal and dermal extracts, respectively.

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We describe a 69-year-old female patient with palmoplanter pustulosis in association with pyoderma gangrenosum. She had pustules of the palms and soles, hyperostosis of sternum, and two ulcers in the legs. Histopathological findings revealed a subcorneal pustule on the palm and dermal neutrophilic infiltration on the lower leg. Association of palmoplanter pustulosis and pyoderma gangrenosum has not been previously reported in the literature. Our case may suggest that some common etiologic factors may induce palmoplanter pustulosis and pyoderma gangrenosum simultaneously.

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We report a case of skin ulcer due to Gabexate Mesilate (FOY^®). A 56-year old woman under chemotherapy for metastatic bone cancer and skin cancer from right mammary carcinoma had acute myocardial infarction. She had been treated with FOY^® at a dose of 500 mg/day from her right median vein. A severe inflammation occurred on her right cubital fossa and the skin became necrotic. We treated her ulcer successfully by débridement, skin graft and Lipo PGE₁(Palux^®) infusion.

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Contact dermatitis is an inflammatory skin disease caused by external factors. The mechanism of contact dermatitis is classified into 7 categories : irritant dermatitis, photo-toxic dermatitis, allergic dermatitis, photo-allergic dermatitis, contact urticaria, systemic contact type dermatitis, contact dermatitis syndrome. Development of traffic facilities and distribution system brought new things around us from all over the world. As a result, we experience contact dermatitis caused by new materials or new allergens.
Furthermore, recent our life-styles change from past styles.
In this paper I will report cases caused by plant, cosmetic ingredient, daily use material, topical NSAIDs and latex gloves that were uncommon causative materials in the past.

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Histamine plays important roles in the periphery such as vascular permeability, smooth muscle contraction, gastric acid secretion and other functions, and in the CNS as a waking amine. In this talk, I presented two topis; the mechanism of non-sedation of the second generation H1 blockers and L-histidine decarboxylase (HDC) (a histamine forming enzyme) gene knockout (KO) mice. In the former, by PET (positron emission tomography) techniques that clarified the distribution of the histamine H1 receptors in the living human brain with [¹¹C] doxepin as a radioligand, the second generation H1 blockers are shown to be difficult in penetration through the blood brain barrier. In the latter, the penotypic analyses of HDC KO mice confirmed the roles assigned to histamine as described above, but also showed the involvement of the histamine systems in new functions such as angiogenesis, neutrophil and eosinophil recruits, bacterial exclusion, and others. The most remarkable findings are that the mast cells isolated from HDC-KO mice were fewer in number, smaller in size, and less dense in staining than those of wild-type mice, indicating that histamine is related to the proliferation and differentiation of mast cells.

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As the 21st century has just started, the field of electronic intelligence including computer technology has accomplished remarkable development. There are, however, still many people suffering from “hair” problems, regardless of age or sex. While the medical techniques have made a drastic progress, there is not a conclusive method to solve their problem as they wish. We thereby outline for a thorough study of epilation (electric epilation using insulated needle and lasic epilation), recent hair restoration (inpregnation applied vacuum) and hair transplant (Single hair transplantation) as well as explain thosetreatments that we practice in our clinic.

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Two hundred and four applicants were treated with the Light Sheer diode laser for hair removal in 2002. Satisfactory results were obtained by hair removal.
The side effects were epidermal damage, caused by burned hairs and by the irradiation to suntanned skin. Postinflammatory pigmentation disappeared within several months.

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