Case of follicular mucinosis: Nestin-expression in mucin-producing cells

A 29-year-old Japanese man had an asymptomatic, solitary, indurated, erythematous plaque measuring 30 mm × 30 mm on his jaw that had been present for a month. The skin lesion had follicular hyperkeratosis, and lacked hair. A skin biopsy specimen showed a dense perifollicular infiltration composed of lymphocytes, with an admixture of eosinophils in the full thickness of the dermis. The hair follicles and sebaceous glands had reticular epithelial degeneration by mucoid material of the outer root sheath and sebaceous epithelium. The mucoid material stained with Alcian blue at pH 2.5. The clinical and histological features were consistent with the diagnosis of follicular mucinosis. On immunohistochemistry, the outer root sheath cells with reticular epithelial degeneration were nestin-positive and keratin 15-negative. These results suggest that the outer root sheath cells with reticular epithelial degeneration come from the nestin-positive, multipotent, hair follicle stem cells.     

毛囊黏蛋白病

报告1例毛囊黏蛋白病。患者男,33岁。全身泛发红斑伴瘙痒13年余,加重近半年,并出现眉毛脱落。皮损组织病理检查示：真皮毛囊周围炎性细胞浸润。阿新蓝染色阳性,毛囊内可见黏蛋白沉积。诊断为毛囊黏蛋白病。     

斑秃的外用药物治疗

外用药物在斑秃治疗中具有重要作用,本文就外用糖皮质激素、致敏剂二苯基环丙烯酮和斯夸酸二丁酯、蒽林、米诺地尔、比马前列素、维A酸、贝沙罗汀、卡泊三醇、辣椒碱、壬二酸、大蒜凝胶和洋葱汁治疗斑秃的在斑秃中的应用进行综述。     

The histopathology of alopecia areata in vertical and horizontal sections

Alopecia areata (AA) is a relatively common disease affecting 1.7% of Americans by the age of 50 years. The diagnosis is usually made on clinical grounds. In some cases the diagnosis is elusive and biopsies are necessary. In other cases biopsies are useful from a prognostic point of view to determine whether there are enough follicles left for possible future regrowth. In view of the active research being conducted into AA, biopsies provide valuable material for further investigation. The diagnosis of AA is improved by the use of horizontal sections in addition to or instead of vertical sections of scalp biopsies. The histopathologic features favoring the diagnosis of AA include peribulbar and intrabulbar mononuclear infiltrates, degenerative changes in the hair matrix, decreased numbers of terminal anagen follicles, increased numbers of terminal catagen and telogen follicles, an increased number of follicular stelae, an increased number of miniaturized vellus hair follicles, and pigment incontinence of hair bulbs and follicular stelae. Follicular counts with horizontal sections are particularly helpful in making the diagnosis of AA when the biopsy has been taken between acute episodes and the characteristic peribulbar inflammatory infiltrate is absent.     

Investigative guidelines for alopecia areata

The reported efficacy of various treatments for alopecia is difficult to compare based on a general lack of consideration in case reports/series and clinical trials of the spontaneous regrowth or baseline prognostic factors seen in alopecia areata and a general lack of quantification of hair growth. This report will give both the investigator and clinician guidelines for clinical trial design that will take into account variables known to effect efficacy results such as baseline severity, pattern, and duration of hair loss, age of the subject, and concomitant conditions that may impact on potential regrowth. Reliable methods of assessment of efficacy and response criteria that will enable direct comparison of results between agents will also be discussed.     

Circumscribed alopecia areata incognita

The characteristic lesion of alopecia areata is a smooth bald patch on the scalp. When there is no bald surface it is called alopecia areata incognita. To date, all cases of alopecia areata reported as so‐called ‘incognito’ have shown a diffuse involvement of the scalp as in acute telogen effluvium. Recently, we have observed two patients who showed localised hair thinning of the scalp without bald spots. Histopathologically, the lesions were typical of alopecia areata with peribulbar lymphocytic infiltrates. The response to corticosteroid treatment and its clinical course were also compatible with alopecia areata.     

光疗法在斑秃中的应用

近年来,光疗治疗斑秃取得较好疗效。本文对PUVA疗法、长波紫外线A1、308nm单频准分子光和准分子激光、红外线,低能量激光疗法及点阵二氧化碳激光在斑秃治疗中的应用进行综述。     

Clinical presentations of alopecia areata

Alopecia areata (AA) may can occur on any hair-bearing region. Patients can develop patchy nonscarring hair loss or extensive loss of all body hair. Hair loss may fluctuate. Some patients experience recurrent hair loss followed by hair regrowth, whereas others may only develop a single patch of hair loss, never to see the disease again. Still others experience extensive loss of body hair. The heterogeneity of clinical presentations has led investigators conducting clinical therapeutic trials to typically group patients into three major groups, those with extensive scalp hair loss [alopecia totalis (AT)], extensive body hair loss [alopecia universalis (AU)], or patchy disease (AA). Treatment outcomes have been correlated with disease duration and extent. Recently, guidelines were established for selecting and assessing subjects for both clinical and laboratory studies of AA, thereby facilitating collaboration, comparison of data, and the sharing of patient-derived tissue. For reporting purposes the terms AT and AU, though still used are defined very narrowly. AT is 100% terminal scalp hair loss without any body hair loss and AU is 100% terminal scalp hair and body loss. AT/AU is the term now recommended to define the presence of AT with variable amounts of body hair loss. In this report the term AA will be used broadly to encompass the many presentations of this disease. Development of AA may occur with changes in other ectodermal-derived structures such as fingernails and toenails. Some investigators have also suggested that other ectodermal-derived appendages as sebaceous glands and sweat glands may be affected in patients experiencing AA. Whether or not function of these glands is truly impaired remains to be confirmed. Many patients who develop patchy or extensive AA complain of changes in cutaneous sensation, that is, burning, itching, tingling, with the development of their disease. Similar symptoms may occur with hair regrowth. The potential involvement of the nervous system in AA has led to morphologic investigations of the peripheral nervous system as well as analysis of circulating neuropeptide levels. In this article the clinical presentations of AA are reviewed. The guidelines for conducting treatment studies of AA are presented and observations on changes in cutaneous innervation are introduced. Throughout the text, unless otherwise noted, AA will be used in a general way to denote the spectrum of this disease.     

'Follicular Swiss cheese' pattern--another histopathologic clue to alopecia areata

Yellow dots are the most useful dermoscopic criterion in the clinical diagnosis of alopecia areata and correspond histopathologically with dilated follicular infundibula. They are found in about 95% of alopecia areata cases and help to differentiate alopecia areata from trichotillomania, telogen effluvium and from scarring alopecias. Histopathology of alopecia areata differs with disease activity and dermatopathologist, therefore, heavily depends on other diagnostic features. Objective of the study was to determine the frequency of dilated follicular infundibula, peribulbar lymphocytic infiltrate, inflammatory infiltrates of lymphocytes and eosinophils within fibrous streamers and a shift to catagen/telogen follicles in alopecia areata. Histopathologic features of 56 specimens of 33 patients were correlated with clinical findings and alopecia areata subtype. Results: 57% of all biopsies showed dilated follicular infundibula, regardless of horizontal or vertical sectioning of the slides. Dilated follicular infundibula showed a maximum occurrence of 66% in the recovery stage of alopecia areata and were seen in 33% of alopecia areata incognita. In conclusion, dilated follicular infundibula, reminiscent of a Swiss cheese in horizontally sectioned slides, is an exceedingly useful criterion in the histopathologic diagnosis of alopecia areata and are of great help in the daily routine to recognize alopecia areata.     

以弥漫性秃发为首发表现的亲毛囊性蕈样肉芽肿一例

亲毛囊性蕈样肉芽肿属于蕈样肉芽肿的一种亚型，侵袭性较强，预后差，早期诊断尤为重要。本文报道一例免疫组化联合TCR基因重排确诊的以弥漫性秃发为首发表现亲毛囊性蕈样肉芽肿一例。     

痣周围性斑秃一例

患者女,20岁,因左枕部脱发2个月,颈部脱发1个月于2008年7月7日就诊.患者2个月前发现左枕部一脱发斑,中间一黑色丘疹,曾于当地医院行头皮内注射(具体不详)后无好转.1个月前发现颈部一脱发斑,脱发斑中间有一增生物,无疼痛、瘙痒.     

Bitemporal alopecia areata

Alopecia areata has various clinical presentations, some of which have recognised prognostic significance. We report five cases of bitemporal alopecia areata, with involvement of the frontal hairline, the therapeutic approach for each case and possible differential diagnoses to also consider.     

Narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy for alopecia areata

Although narrowband ultraviolet B (NB UVB) phototherapy is a well-established treatment in many dermatosis, there is little evidence of efficacy of this method for alopecia areata (AA) treatment in the literature. We undertook a retrospective review of the 25 AA patients treated with NB UVB. Intramuscular triamcinolone acetonide injections per month were used as concomitant treatment in some patients who did not have any contraindication. Eight patients (32%) received monthly intramuscular corticosteroid injections. Four (22.2%) and two (20%) patients achieved excellent response in extensive patchy hair loss patients and entire scalp hair loss patients, respectively. Four of six patients who achieved excellent response also received monthly intramuscular corticosteroid injections. When patients receiving systemic corticosteroid injections were compared with patients given only NB UVB with respect to the treatment responses, a statistically significant difference was seen in patients who achieved excellent response. NB UVB is not an effective treatment with only 20% excellent treatment responses in patients with severe AA, most of whom were also treated with systemic corticosteroids.     

Systemic treatment for alopecia areata

Of the world population, 1.7% is suffering from alopecia areata at some point in their lives. The exact etiology of this disease is still unknown, and the course of the disease is unpredictable. Effective treatments, especially for severe multifocal alopecia areata, alopecia areata totalis, and alopecia areata universalis, are lacking. The present article will discuss side effects and relapse rates of different systemic agents for treatment of severe and rapid progressive alopecia areata.     

Coexistence of giant blue nevus of the scalp with hair loss and alopecia areata

A 43-year-old Japanese man presented with a 13-year history of a grayish macule measuring 7 cm in diameter with sparse hairs on the vertex. Histopathological examination demonstrated two types of melanocytes, spindle-shaped and ovoid cells, with abundant melanin aggregated around the upper part of the pilosebaceous apparatus. Fibrous, thick collagen bundles were also seen surrounding the upper part of the small hair follicles. There was no infiltration of melanocytes or lymphocytes in the lower dermis or adipose tissue. Based on these findings, a diagnosis of blue nevus, cellular type, was made. Giant cellular blue nevi on the scalp are rare, and 11 cases reported in the published work have shown characteristic features such as hair loss and cranial invasion of nevus cells. It should be noted that melanocytes of giant blue nevi have a high potential to damage other organs such as underlying bone and hair follicles. The patient also showed a typical lesion of alopecia areata on the left temporal which was successfully treated with topical corticosteroid.     

136例儿童斑秃发病相关因素分析

目的:了解影响斑秃发病的相关因素。方法:对广州市妇女儿童医疗中心皮肤科收治的136例儿童斑秃临床资料作回顾性分析,包括年龄、性别、既往病史、家族史,首次出现斑秃的年龄,脱发严重程度评分以及实验室结果。结果:136例患儿平均首次发病年龄为(4.66±3.12)岁,85例(62.5%)首次出现斑秃的年龄小于6岁。136例患儿中75例为轻症斑秃,平均发病年龄(4.76±2.02)岁,61例为重症斑秃,平均发病年龄(2.81±2.42)岁。26例(19.12%)患儿患有注意缺陷多动障碍,53例(39%)患有过敏性疾病及9例(6.62%)患有自身免疫性疾病。16例(11.76%)有斑秃家族史,27例(20.59%)有自身免疫性疾病家族史。结论:儿童斑秃可能与遗传、精神心理、自身免疫和变态反应有关。