A Case of Herpes Zoster Associated with Colitis

A 58-year-old Japanese woman who had herpes zoster in association with colitis was successfully treated with intravenously administrated acyclovir. Vesicular lesions with red haloes ranged from the left side of her buttock to the left extremity, corresponding to the L4 to S2 dermatomes. Her colitis was considered to have been induced by varicella-zoster virus, based on the facts that the clinical courses were correlated and that the innervation of the affected site of the colon corresponded to an infected dermatome (S2).     

Iatrogenic benign lymphoplasia induced by allergic contact dermatitis from squaric acid dibutylester: immunohistologic study of cellular infiltrates

We report of a 62-year-old male patient with a dull red itchy nodule on the induction area of allergic contact dermatitis to squaric acid dibutylester. Which had been used for the therapy of alopecia universalis. The excised biopsy specimen showed dense infiltration of lymphoid cells in the dermis and subcutaneous tissue, associated with the formation of lymphoid follicles, Immunohistologic analysis of the infiltrates indicated mixed proliferation of T- and B-cells. A biopsy specimen from the challenge area showed spongiosis in the epidermis and lymphoid cell infiltration in the upper dermis, while the infiltrates consisted mainly of T-cells. The following points are discussed: (i) the lesion had an iatrogenic origin and the causative agent was quite evident: (ii) the route of allergen application was only through the epidermis and not directly in the dermis; (iii) lymphoid cell infiltrates of the induction and challenge areas were different.     

Experimental study of the potential for contact sensitization and cross-reaction of imidazole antifungals

We examined the potential for contact sensitization of miconazole nitrate and croconazole hydrochloride and the cross-reaction between them in guinea pigs by the maximization test of Magnusson and Kligman. Contact sensitivity was induced by croconazole hydrochloride in 5 out of 7 animals which, after being injected with 5% croconazole hydrochloride, underwent a closed patch with 25% croconazole hydrochloride. Contact sensitivity was not induced by miconazole nitrate. The 5 animals sensitized to croconazole hydrochloride were tested with 8 other imidazole antifungals and positive reactions were observed to oxiconazole nitrate in 2 of the 5 animals. This response may be a cross-reaction.     

A Japanese Case of Neu-Laxova Syndrome

A 5-day-old Japanese female with Neu-Laxova syndrome was presented. The patient had severe edema throughout the body, desquamation, and erosion of the skin. She also exhibited microcephaly, exophthalmos, and rocker-bottom feet. Histologic examinations of a cutaneous specimen showed atrophy of the dermis and absence of the sebaceous glands. These represent embryonic abnormalities. Even though there was no hypoplasia of the cerebellum and lungs or hydramnios, we evaluated this patient as the first Japanese case of this sporadic disease. With intensive care, including dermatological treatment, the patient survived for 134 days.     

Polysialogangliosides Expressed by Amelanotic Melanoma: A Possible Explanation for the Poor Response to Anti-monosialoganglioside Antibody 202 in a Patient with Melanoma

A 52-year-old Japanese woman developed numerous amelanotic metastatic melanomas on the skin and in various organs three years after a surgical operation for primary melanoma on the right axilla. The patient was treated with monosialoganglioside specific monoclonal antibody 202; however, no apparent clinical effects were observed. Ganglioside analysis of a metastatic tumor demonstrated that it expressed GM3, GM2, GD3, GD2, and polysialogangliosides. Since polysialogangliosides rarely appear in melanomas, their expression may explain the patient's poor response to MAb 202. The relationship between ganglioside composition and the effect of anti-ganglioside monoclonal antibody is discussed.     

Association of apolipoprotein allele ε2 with psoriasis vulgaris in Japanese population

Received: 7 October 1996     

CUTANEOUS OXYGEN TENSION MEASUREMENTS IN PATIENTS WITH VARIOUS PERIPHERAL CIRCULATORY DISTURBANCES OF THE SKIN

Cutaneous oxygen tension (cutaneous pO₂) was measured in 59 healthy controls and 58 patients with peripheral circulatory disturbances including 18 with progressive systemic sclerosis, 5 with stasis dermatitis with ulcer, 22 with arteriosclerosis obliterans, and 13 with thromboangiitis obliterans. In the control group, the mean value ± SD of cutaneous pO₂ was 82 ± 10 mmHg on the forearm, 79 ± 10 mmHg on the subclavicular region, 81 + 11 mmHg on the leg, 75 ± 11 mmHg on the dorsum of the hand and 70 ± 9 mmHg on the dorsum of the foot. There was an inverse correlation between cutaneous pO₂ values on the forearm and increase in age, and a significant correlation between cutaneous pO₂ values on the forearm and femoral arterial oxygen tension (PaO₂). In all of the patient groups, cutaneous pO₂ measured at affected sites was significantly lower than in the control group. These cutaneous pO₂ values reflect the amount of O₂ available for diffusion to the skin surface; thus cutaneous pO₂ measurement is useful as a quantitative evaluation of cutaneous circulation.     

Altered depression-related behavior and neurochemical changes in serotonergic neurons in mutant R406W human tau transgenic mice

Mutant R406W human tau was originally identified in frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17) and causes a hereditary tauopathy that clinically resembles Alzheimer's disease (AD). In the current study, we examined the performance of R406W transgenic (Tg) mice in the forced swimming test, a test with high predictivity of antidepressant efficacy in human depression, and found an enhancement of the immobility time. In contrast, the motor function and anxiety-related emotional response of R406W Tg mice were normal. Furthermore, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), fluvoxamine (100 mg/kg, p.o.), significantly reduced this enhancement of the immobility time, whereas a noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, desipramine, had no effect. In an in vivo microdialysis study, R406W Tg mice exhibited a significantly decreased extracellular 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) level in the frontal cortex and also exhibited a tendency toward a decreased extracellular 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) level. Moreover, fluvoxamine, which reduced the enhancement of the immobility time, significantly increased the extracellular 5-HT level in R406W Tg mice. These results suggest that R406W Tg mice exhibit changes in depression-related behavior involving serotonergic neurons and provide an animal model for investigating AD with depression.