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66 psoriatics, 34 normal adults, 10 normal juveniles, and smaller groups of patients afflicted either with seborrheic dermatitis-rosacea or atopic dermatitis were examined for the threshold of capillary petechia formation on clinically normal forearm skin in response to repeated tape stripping. A definitely lowered petechial threshold was found in psoriatics (mean of 9 vs. 19 tape strips) and also in persons with the seborrheicrosacea complex. Normal juveniles and patients with atopic dermatitis had an increased threshold. The possible relation of these data are pointed out to recent findings of ultrastructural abnormalities of psoriatic papillary capillaries, and an altered capillary response is suggested as a sine qua non precondition for the development of psoriasis. The petechial threshold test is recommended as a simple adjunct diagnostic tool.

The histological changes induced by 1 month’s applications of various corticosteroids to normal forearm skin were studied. Marked epidermal atrophy was present at 1 month with the more potent steroids, but the dermal changes were minimal or absent. The methods outlined in this study could serve as a useful model for assessing the unwanted atrophogenic action of potent corticosteroid preparations.

7 clinically uninvolved as well as 8 involved (6 moderately, 2 markedly) back or forearm skin specimens from 12 patients with systemic scleroderma were subjected to quantitative evaluation and to qualitative analysis of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) by one-dimensional and two-dimensional cellulose acetate electrophoresis. Skin specimens from the back, clinically uninvolved but histologically demonstrating the initial change, revealed increased amounts of hyaluronidase, chondroitinase-resistant GAG of varying electrophoretic mobilities, and one of them was chemically confirmed to be heparan sulfate variant, whereas involved skin specimens showed hardly this increase.

Thermal induced sweating has been studied in the tattooed and non-tattooed forearm skin of a human volunteer. The sweating was continuously recorded using an electrolytic water vapour analyzer. Both the maximal and mean rates were observed to be reduced by approximately 50% in the tattooed areas.

Trichophyton simii produced kerion on the intact forearm skin due to a laboratory accident within 5 days of contact. Early institution of griseofulvin resolved the condition in 15 days with no recurrence during 38 months of follow-up.