Histamine induces intense itch in lesional skin, which is sensitized for itch, of patients with atopic dermatitis. We investigated the efficacy of a regular dose of antihistamines for this intense itch. Histamine iontophoresis was perfomed before and three hours after application of hydrochloride-fexofenadine, -olopatadine, -cetirizine, or placebo in ten patients with atopic dermatitis. The suppression of histamine-induced reactions was compared among the applied drugs. The result was that all the antihistamines almost completely suppressed histamine-induced reactions. Taking into account that patients with atopic dermatitis actually complain of itch even three hours after application of antihistamines, this result suggests that non-histaminergic mechanisms also play an important role in pruritus of atopic dermatitis.

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A 17-year-old male had a red-brown macule on his lower leg, which presented at birth. At puberty, the lesion became nodular and verrucous. Histopathologically, dilated thin-walled capillaries were found in the papillary dermis underlying the hyperkeratotic epidermis. In the dermis, there were increased numbers of eccrine structures and capillaries. The diagnosis of eccrine angiomatous hamartoma (EAH) associated with angiokeratoma-like change was made.
Seventy-three cases of EAH reported in Japan were reviewed. We found 7 cases of EAH associated with angiokeratoma-like changes. In 5 of 7 cases, EAH first appeared as a small plaque that had grown into verrucous nodule. The courses of those cases suggested angiokeratoma-like changes may be a secondary change of angiomatous tissue in EAH.

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We report a case of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) both clinically and histologically resembling kérato-acanthome pluri-kystique pseudo-sébacé (Degos). A 66-year old man presented with a 50 × 35mm reddish tumor on the right side of lower lip. The lesion rapidly grew after it was noticed as a small reddish papule. Microscopic examination of the biopsy specimen revealed multiple tumor islands and keratinous cysts through the dermis. Although the characteristic findings required a differential diagnosis from kérato-acanthome pluri-kystique pseudo-sébacé (Degos), the tumor invasion to dermis allowed us to assess the lesion as SCC. Since radiation therapy treatment and chemotherapy failed to continuously suppress the tumor growth, the tumor was surgically removed. The histological features of the excised tissue coincided with the biopsy specimen. There was no evidence of local recurrence and metastatic lesion at 18 months follow-up examination.

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A 59-year-old female noticed a small periungual nodule on her right 1st finger 6 years ago. A physician performed cryotherapy, but this was not effective and the patient was referred to our department. A small nodule of about 4 mm in diameter with a normal surface color was noted on the lateral side near the proximal nail fold of the right 1st finger, and the nail under the lesion was depressed. Under conduction anesthesia, total resection was performed on the nail matrix under the ventral side of the posterior nail fold. A histopathological examination showed marked hyperkeratosis and acanthosis. Collagen bundles were oriented in the direction of the vertical axis of the lesion. Based on these findings, the nodule was diagnosed as acquired periungual fibrokeratoma. As of 2 years after surgery, no recurrence has been noted, and depression of the nail has improved.

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A 75-year-old man had noticed a subcutaneous tumor on his back two weeks earlier. The tumor was elastic and hard. We enucleated the tumor including the capsula. Histopathological examination showed spindled-shaped cytoplasm and large atypical nuclei. Anti-α-soomth muscle actin was positive on immunohistological examination. Pathological examination of this tumor identified it on subcutaneous type of leiomyosarcoma.

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The efficacy of air bags with seat belts as a vital, supplemental restraining device has been proven by their role in diminishing the rate of fatalities and severity of injury in motor vehicle crashes. Unfortunately, deployment of the airbag itself, especially without the seat belt, has caused some new problems. There are cases of injuries caused by the air bag itself. We report a 22-year-old female who sustained facial burns, cheek and nose, as the result of the activation of an air bag without a seat belt. Conservative treatment was performed and the wound healed with pigmentation. These injuries will be seen more frequently as more vehicles are equipped with air bags.

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In this study, we evaluated the clinical effects of a treatment using a topical anti fungus (group A: eight patients) and a topical anti fungus in addition to moxa therapy (group B: twenty-eight patients) for tinea unguium. None of the patients took any oral anti fungus.
The fungus was confirmed by light microscopy, and the nail opacity was compared before treatment and after twenty-four weeks treatment, we measured it against the ratio of turbid nail.
We did not obtain good results from group A. In group B, twenty-one cases (86%) showed improvement. We concluded that the moxa therapy once a week was on effective treatment for patients with tinea unguium.

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The optimal method and dosage for topical application of moisturizers (Hirudoid^®Soft and Hirudoid^®Lotion) were investigated. To this end, we examined the Finger-tip unit(FTU), moisturizing effects for artificial dry skin at varying dosages, moisturizing effects at varying frequencies of application, and the relationship of moisturizing effects to the timing of topical application after bathing. The results suggest that FTU serves as a convenient and reliable indicator of the optimal dosage of moisturizers, and that higher moisturizing effects may be obtained if the moisturizers are applied at dosages slightly higher than the seemingly appropriate dosage, at frequencies higher than usual and soon after bathing.

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