Proliferating activity of dermal fibroblasts in keloids and hypertrophic scars.

Monoclonal antibodies were used to demonstrate proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and Ki-67 antigen of dermal fibroblasts in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections of keloids, hypertrophic scars and normal skin. PCNA-stained fibroblasts were more pronounced than Ki-67, which showed only scanty Ki-67-positive fibroblasts. The mean density of dermal fibroblasts was significantly higher in keloids and hypertrophic scars than in normal skin (p < 0.

Oral florid papillomatosis and leukoplakia of the esophagus associated with keratoderma and showing transepidermal elimination.

A 37-year-old male presented with a cauliflower-like tumor in the right buccal mucosa, leukoplakia of the tongue and esophagus, and keratotic papules or plaques on the extremities including bilateral palms and soles, associated with borderline diabetes mellitus and a repeated history of infections. A multi-system keratinizing abnormality was suspected, although no distinct disease category has been found showing similar involvements.

Oral fluconazole treatment of fungating candidiasis in the keratitis, ichthyosis and deafness (KID) syndrome.

We report a patient with a congenital ichthyosiform eruption, sensorineural deafness, vascularizing keratitis and pannus formation, and hypotrichosis, who developed recalcitrant fungating candidal plaques on the skin. There was no family history of similar disease, or of consanguinity. The steroid sulphatase level in the keratin was within normal limits, and this finding excluded a diagnosis of X-linked recessive ichthyosis.

Proliferative activity of epidermal and dermal T lymphocytes in mycosis fungoides.

Background: Mycosis fungoides (MF) is histologically characterized by an accumulation of T lymphocytes (T cells) in both epidermis and dermis. However, the mechanism of the formation of Pautrier's microabscess or the maintenance of the epidermal T cells has not yet been clarified.

Objective: The rate of proliferation of these T cells was investigated.

High-dose tocopherol acetate therapy in epidermolysis bullosa siblings of the Cockayne-Touraine type.

We have employed a successful therapy for epidermolysis bullosa with high-dose oral tocopherol acetate. Two siblings with dominant dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa of the Cockayne-Touraine type were reported. Both siblings suffered from tense blisters and erosions healing with scars and transient milia on the extremities.

Proliferative activities in Spitz nevus compared with melanocytic nevus and malignant melanoma using expression of PCNA/cyclin and mitotic rate.

Proliferative activity in Spitz nevus (SN) was determined using proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) immunostaining and by assessing the mitotic rate. It was compared with that in compound melanocytic nevus (MN) and in malignant melanoma (MM). The PCNA index (number of positive cells/1,000 tumor cells) in SN was 72.

Age-related proliferative activity in dermal melanocytic naevi detected by PCNA/cyclin expression.

A monoclonal antibody was used to demonstrate proliferating cell nuclear antigen in routine, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections of dermal melanocytic naevi, including naevus naevocellularis partim lipomatodes, in different age-groups. The labelling indices of the melanocytic naevus cells were < 1% of those in the overlying epidermal basal cells, and showed a statistically significant decrease with ageing, and also in naevus naevocellularis partim lipomatodes, whereas the indices of the basal cells in the overlying interfollicular epidermis did not show any age-related changes.

Intestinal type alkaline phosphatase hyperphosphatasemia associated with liver cirrhosis.

Hyperphosphatasemia due to increased intestinal type serum alkaline phosphatase was noted in a 48-year-old male who had asymptomatic liver cirrhosis. The alkaline phosphatase activity in the serum was 828 U/l (our reference range in adults: 57-194 U/l), 94% of which was of the intestinal type as measured by an immunoprecipitation method. The intestinal component of alkaline phosphatase was separated into two major and some minor components using electrophoresis and isoelectrofocusing.

Expression and characterization of membrane co-factor protein (MCP) in human skin.

Membrane co-factor protein (MCP; CD46) is an integral membrane protein with molecular weight (MW) of the two species of 63 kD and 55 kD, and regulates autologous complement activation, with the activity of factor I cofactor. The quantity of each species is genetically regulated, and two codominantly inherited allelic variants account for the three phenotypic patterns. By immunohistochemical study, MCP was found both in the intercellular spaces of the epidermis and on the endothelial cells in the dermis of normal human skin in vivo.

Delayed neuronal death is induced without postischemic hyperexcitability: continuous multiple-unit recording from ischemic CA1 neurons.

It has been proposed that neuronal hyperexcitability during postischemic chronic stage mediates delayed neuronal death in the hippocampal CA1 region. In the present study, multiple-unit spike discharges were continuously recorded from hippocampal CA1 neurons of the awake Mongolian gerbil for 5 days after 5 min of ischemia. Before ischemia, CA1 neurons showed burst-like spike discharges (so-called complex spikes).

Diffuse neonatal hemangiomatosis with a giant cutaneous hemangioma on the axilla.

A case of diffuse neonatal hemangiomatosis is described. At birth, a giant tumor, 10 cm in diameter and 6 cm in height, was present on the left axilla and associated with thrombocytopenia. Numerous cherry-red papules were present on the skin and buccal mucosa.

Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita in identical twins.

Identical twin sisters developed generalized erythema and bullae on skin and mucous membranes at 18 and 19 years of age. Atrophic scars and milia were formed later. Indirect immunofluorescence (IF) study of the separated skin by incubation in 1.

Detection of in situ mitotic activity of dendritic epidermal T-cells by BrdU labeling.

We analyzed mitotic dendritic epidermal T-cells (DETC) in the epidermis of C3H/He (Thy-1.2+) mice, using double immunoenzymatic labeling. Ear skin was incubated with 100 microM bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) for 5 hr and then either directly studied or cultured for an additional 12 hr in BrdU-free medium.

Mal de Meleda-like palmoplantar keratoderma.

A 38-year-old Japanese man was seen for severe palmoplantar keratoderma, extending to the dorsal aspects with red rims. He had had spontaneous amputations of the toes and surgical amputation of the right lower leg because of squamous cell carcinoma of the right sole. The clinical symptoms suggested those of mal de Meleda, except for the absence of consanguinity and of granular layers in the epidermis.

Characterization of decay-accelerating factor (DAF) in human skin.

Decay-accelerating factor (DAF) is a 70-kD membrane glycoprotein that regulates autologous complement activation, by preventing assembly of alternative or classical C3/C5 convertases, and has been shown to have a wide tissue distribution. In this study, DAF antigen has been demonstrated at the intercellular spaces of normal human epidermis with monoclonal antibody against DAF using the peroxidase-anti-peroxidase method. The amount of DAF was greater at the granular layer than the basal cell layer as judged by intensity of the staining.

Critical levels of extracellular glutamate mediating gerbil hippocampal delayed neuronal death during hypothermia: brain microdialysis study.

When the brain temperature was lowered by 2 degrees C from normothermic temperature, a protective effect on postischemic neuronal death was exhibited and levels of extracellular glutamate were attenuated to about half of those at normothermic brain temperature in the gerbil hippocampus. Hypothermia has been reported to confer a protective effect on ischemia-induced delayed neuronal death. The present study was carried out to quantify this protective effect of hypothermia on the degree of alteration in extracellular release of glutamate during ischemia and the final histopathological outcome in the hippocampus.

Characterization of homologous restriction factor (HRF20) in human skin and leucocytes.

Homologous restriction factor with a molecular weight of 20 kD (HRF20) is a membrane protein that inhibits assembly of the membrane attack complex of homologous complement. Distribution of HRF20 in normal human skin was studied. The plasma membrane of keratinocytes was stained, and the intensity of the staining pattern was higher in the basal cell layer than in the granular layer.

Differential effects of fasciculus retroflexus lesions on serotonin, glutamate and gamma-aminobutyrate content and choline acetyltransferase activity in the interpeduncular nucleus.

After placing bilateral electrolytic lesions in the fasciculus retroflexus (FR) of the rat, the endogenous content of serotonin, glutamate and gamma-aminobutyrate (GABA) as well as choline acetyltransferase activity (ChAT) were measured in the interpeduncular nucleus (IPN) at the 7th, 28th and 120th survival days. Confirming earlier results, an almost total depletion of ChAT was obtained in the IPN following complete FR lesions at any survival day studied. In such cases, the following changes were observed; 1) the serotonin level increased consistently and roughly doubled at the 120th survival day, suggesting heterotypic sprouting of serotonergic fibers and/or enhanced serotonin synthesis in the serotonergic neurons in the IPN, 2) the glutamate level decreased by approximately one-half, while the activity of high affinity uptake of glutamate remained unaltered, at the 7th survival day, suggesting a lowered glutamate formation coupled with lowered glucose utilization in the IPN, and 3) the GABA level decreased at a slower rate and reached one-third of the control at the 120th survival day, for which either transsynaptic degeneration of GABA neurons in the IPN or a suppressed metabolic rate in the GABA shunt following the lowered glutamate formation is a possible explanation.

The innermost cell layer of the outer root sheath is positive with Ki-67.

The expression of a cell proliferation-associated human nuclear antigen was immunohistochemically studied in human anagen hair and hair follicles using the monoclonal antibody Ki-67. The reaction of Ki-67 in mature anagen hair follicles was observed in the hair matrix cells and outer root sheath (ORS) cells. Nuclear staining was seen in a small number of matrix cells and in some ORS cells; this finding corresponded to the thymidine or bromodeoxyuridine labeling studies previously reported.

Gerbil hippocampal extracellular glutamate and neuronal activity after transient ischemia.

In order to elucidate the role of glutamate in the pathogenesis of delayed neuronal death, we analyzed changes in extracellular levels of glutamate induced by transient ischemia in the Mongolian gerbil hippocampus by a new brain microdialysis method combined with an enzymatic cycling technique. We also studied the effect of this change in glutamate on CA1 spontaneous neuronal discharges. The level of glutamate significantly increased during the 5 min of ischemia and during the first 5 min of recirculation.

The relationship between solar keratoses and squamous cell carcinomas among Japanese.

Between 1976 and 1988, 135 patients with solar keratosis (SK) and 53 patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) on the sun-exposed skin, but without apparent preceding diseases such as burn scars, chronic radiodermatitis, chronic arsenic poisoning, or xeroderma pigmentosum, were encountered. Sixteen of the SCC patients also had SK on other areas of sun-exposed skin. There were 31 SCC patients also showing SK (SK-SCC) and 22 SCC not showing SK (DN-SCC) within the same histologic sections.

Acantholytic variant of seborrheic keratosis.

From among 524 histologic specimens of seborrheic keratosis (SK), 29 showed acantholysis, not related to pemphigus, Darier's disease, actinic keratosis or acantholytic squamous cell carcinoma. Acantholysis was found in 24 (23.3%) of the irritated type of SK, almost exclusively in the squamous cell nests showing dyskeratosis and spongiosis between and around squamous eddies or horn cysts.

A new enzymatic cycling technique for glutamate determination in brain microdialysates.

A quantitative analysis of glutamate in brain dialysate was made by using an enzymatic cycling technique. This method made it possible to measure the concentration of glutamate in dialysate collected at 30-s intervals. Dialysates were collected from Mongolian gerbil hippocampus before, during, and after two 90-s ischemic insults at an interval of 5 min.