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Focuses on the case report of multiple minute digitate hyperkeratoses that scattered on the trunks and limbs. Classification of the filiform hyperkeratosis; Analysis on the hispathological features of the disease; Types of disease.

A letter to the editor is presented regarding the case study of a 77-year-old man who was presented with erythemas on his body after using the shampoo with sodium N-methyl-N-(1-oxododecyl)-beta-alaninate, an anionic surfactant which induced his allergic contact dermatitis.

The article presents a case study of a 82-year-old Japanese female with a granulomatous nodule on the nail of the third digit of her right foot. Her histopathological examination of a biopsy specimen from the granulomatous nodule showed a proliferation of tumour cells into the deep dermis. She was undergone for sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy and amputation and diagnosed with subungual melanoma.

A letter to the editor is presented related to Kimura's disease with prurigo lesions treated with systemic indomethacin.

The article discusses the study examining the increase in expression of chemoattractant receptor-homologous molecule expressed on Th2 cells (CRTH2) on eosinophils in diseases related to skin allergy. The study reveals that CRTH2 expression on eosinophils increases significantly in patients with atopic dermatitis, chronic urticaria, and prurigo nodularis. It further indicates the low CRTH2 levels of eosinophils in some patients with atopic dermatitis.

The article presents a case study of two Japanese patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) and multiple nodules on their faces. The first patient was a 68-year-old. The patient's histological examination of a biopsy specimen taken from a nodule revealed proliferation of mature sebaceous glands around the dilated follicles. Meanwhile, the second patient was 58-year-old man. The finding showed that the patient's nodules had appeared and enlarged after he had started haemodialysis.

The article presents the case of 48-year-old Japanese woman with white asymptomatic oral plaques that she had since her youth. Several dermatologists and dentists and had been diagnosed with lichen planus or candidiasis, but could obtain no successful treatment. Mutation analysis by direct sequencing using the proband's genomic DNA revealed a novel heterozygous missense mutation

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article about a diagnosis of nodular cystic fat necrosis in a 51-year-old woman with uveitis and facial nerve palsy associated with sacrcodosis (Heerfordt's syndrome).

A letter to the editor which describes the case of a 40-year-old man with aplastic anemia who showed persistent hyperpigmentation at sites injected with stem cell factor is presented.

A letter to the editor which describes a case of psoriasiform eruption induced by α1-adrenergic blocker, urapidil, in a 67-year-old man who had a 7-year-history of scaly erythema on his trunk and extremities is presented.

A letter to the editor on Pacinian neuroma affecting volar aspects of digits is presented.

A letter to the editor on psoriasis under haemodialysis is presented.

Presents a letter to the editor about erythrodermic drug eruption due to roxatidine acetate hydrochloride.

Studies acute pigmentation due to minocycline therapy in patients with atopic dermatitis. Features of adult type of atpoic dermatitis observed in patients; Appearance of pigmentation in patients who were prescribed minocycline therapy; Explanation for pigmentation in patients after minocycline therapy.

Focuses on the determination of immediate-type reaction to the epitope of beta-lactam antibiotics by the quick patch test. Ability of the testing method in detecting the drugs responsible for hypersensitivity and resultant anaphylaxis; Patient's experience of anaphylaxis caused by antibiotics; Convenience of the quick patch test in detecting immediate hypersensitivity and antigenic epitopes identification.

The article presents a case study of a 78 years old who had a past history of an operation for superficial bladder cancer and consulted for severe itchy generalized erythema. Topics discussed include discontinuation of intravesical instillation of mitomycin C in patient on consulting, physical examination of cystitis or eruption at genital area of the patient and negative drug induced lymphocyte stimulation tests for drugs instilled in the patient.

Presents a letter to the editor on the occurrence of uveitis in patients with generalized pustular psoriasis.

Para-phenylenediamine (PPD) is known to be a common sensitizer of allergic contact dermatitis and contact urticaria. To clarify the mechanism of contact hypersensitivity (CHS) to PPD, we established a mouse model of PPD-induced CHS. BALB/c mice were immunized for 3 consecutive days by painting topically a 2·5% PPD solution on their shaved abdominal skin. On days 5, 7 or 9 after the initial application, the mice were challenged by applications of a 2·5% PPD solution. Maximal ear swelling was determined at 24 h but another statistically significant and smaller ear swelling was observed 1 h after challenge with PPD in a hapten-specific manner. Adoptive cell transfer experiments demonstrated that the ear swelling of the adoptive cell transferred mice displayed an early response at 6 h and a late response from 12 h to 24 h when the recipient mice were challenged immediately after transfer. Both MoAbs and complement treatment of the transferred cells demonstrated that the phenotype of the early response cells which elicited a response at 6 h after challenge was Thy1[sup +], B220[sup +], αβ TCR[sup ], γδ TCR[sup ], CD3[sup ], CD4[sup ], CD5[sup +] and CD8[sup ]. The in vitro treatment of effector cells with MoAbs against not only αβ TCR but also γδ TCR, together with complement, was found to diminish substantially the late response, elicited 12–24 h after challenge. γδ T cells reconstituted the ability of αβ T cells to transfer 24 h CHS responsiveness. The phenotype of the γδ T cells that assist CHS effector αβ T cells was CD3[sup +], CD4[sup ] and CD8[sup +] and these regulatory γδ T cells were neither Ag-specific nor MHC-restricted. Furthermore, γδ T cells from normal spleen could also assist αβ T cells in adoptive transfer of the 24 h CHS response in a non-MHC-restricted manner. RT-PCR demonstrated that αβ T cells strongly ex... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a response to a letter to the editor about the quantitative analysis of sweating in Sjogren's syndrome.

Background Lichen planus (LP) is a common skin disorder of unknown aetiology that affects the skin, mucous membranes and nails. Although metal allergies have been implicated in the development of oral LP (OLP), the contribution of these allergies to nail LP (NLP) has yet to be studied in detail. Objective To elucidate the link between metal allergy and NLP. Methods We retrospectively analysed 115 LP patients with respect to the contribution of metals to either NLP or OLP. We also attempted to detect the specific metals involved in these nail lesions. Results Of the 79 patients that received a metal patch test (PT), 24 (30%) were positive for at least one of the metal compounds tested. Notably, the prevalence of positive reactions to metals in the NLP patients was significantly higher as compared with the OLP patients (59% vs. 27%, P < 0.05). Among the 10 PT-positive patients with NLP, improvement of the skin lesions was seen in six of the patients after removal of dental materials containing causative metals or systemic disodium cromoglycate therapy. On the other hand, only 3 of 16 PT-positive patients with OLP exhibited improvement after the removal of dental materials. Causative metals in the dental fillings/braces were detected in the involved nail tissues. Conclusion This study suggests that metal allergies are more closely associated with NLP vs. OLP, and that deposited metals in the nail apparatus contribute to the development of lichenoid tissue reactions in the nail bed and matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented which discusses a study on the use of signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) decoy oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) ointment to ten adult patients suffering from atopic dermatitis (AD).

A letter to the editor is presented regarding the occurrence of baldness in a 20-year-old woman who is diagnosed with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome, a rare autoimmune systemic disorder.

The article describes the case of a 70-year-old with histiocytoid sweet syndrome (HSS) associated with relapsing polychondritis. Topics discussed include the patient's presentation with multiple annular erythematous plaques on his trunk and upper limbs, hgh titre of anti-type II collagen antibodies in the patient's serum, and HSS as a rare variant of Sweet's syndrome.

The article presents a case study of a 35-year-old man presented with anhidrosis, blurred vision in his right eye and fever. Topics discussed include pulmonary and ocular sarcoidosis diagnosed with dysfunction of swallowing with a reduced gag reflex, improvement in blurred vision and swallowing from treatment with methylprednisolone pulse therapy and oral prednisolone, and sarcoidosis affecting various nervous systems and is diagnosed as neurosarcoidosis.

The patient in this manuscript has given written informed consent to publication of his case details. PTs on unaffected skin were negative in all seven cases tested, while PTs on affected skin were 52.6% (10/19) positive. Repeated intake of tonic water can worsen the extent of eruptions but they rarely progress to severe eruptions such as toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) and generalized bullous fixed eruption (GBFE).4,5 Stevens-Johnson syndrome is a life-threatening cutaneous hypersensitivity reaction, typically to a medication. [Extracted from the article]

The article reports on a case of necrotizing fasciitis (NF) caused by Escherichia coli and an association with pyogenic spondylitis (PS) in a 65-year-old woman. Topics covered include symptos experienced by the patient, surgical debridement and intravenous administration of meropenem hydrate and clindamycin phosphate and the role of Staphylococcus in PS.

Summary Congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis is a rare autosomal recessive hereditary disorder that is characterized by having both sensory neuropathy and anhidrosis. A 6-year-old Japanese boy presented with recurrent fever, lack of sweating, occult bone fractures and impaired pain sensation without mental retardation. Genetic analyses revealed compound heterozygous mutations in the NTRK1 gene that encodes TrkA, which is a receptor for nerve growth factor. While there were no apparent changes in the patient's dermal eccrine glands, the quantitative sudomotor axon reflex test with acetylcholine chloride revealed a complete loss of both the axon reflex-mediated and the directly activated sweat responses. On the other hand, the histamine prick test induced a normal weal response surrounded by a flare phenomenon. Notably, the patient felt both an itch sensation after histamine and a burning sensation after topical capsaicin application. Consistent with these findings, PGP9.5+ nerve fibre innervation of the papillary dermis was observed, although the fibres were completely absent around the eccrine glands. These findings suggest that there was a partial preservation of the nerve endings that express the H1 receptor and/or TRPV1 in the upper dermis, even though there were mutations of the NTRK1 gene in this case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Basophils are blood leukocytes constituting less than 1% of leukocytes. They share morphological and functional similarities with mast cells, but recent studies indicate that basophils play non-redundant roles via the release of several cytokines and lipid mediators, as well as functioning as antigen presenting cells. However, basophil infiltration into the tissues in human skin diseases remains to be addressed. Methods: The infiltration of basophils in 24 skin diseases (136 samples) was immunohistochemically analyzed using basophil-specific BB1 antibody. In addition, activation of blood basophils was examined by assessing CD203c expression with flow cytometry. Results: Basophils were detected in skin lesions of atopic dermatitis, prurigo, urticaria, bullous pemphigoid, drug eruptions, eosinophilic pustular folliculitis, insect bites, scabies, Henoch-Schönlein purpura and dermatomyositis. While cell densities in urticaria, bullous pemphigoid and eosinophilic pustular folliculitis were prominent, much lower numbers of basophils were seen in lesional skin of atopic dermatitis. Basophils were entirely absent in psoriasis vulgaris, mastocytosis, tumoral lesions, systemic sclerosis, and systemic lupus erythematosus. Levels of CD203c expression on blood basophils from prurigo and urticaria patients were higher than those from healthy donors. Conclusions: Basophils infiltrate into skin lesions more commonly than previously thought, and thus they may play important roles in a variety of inflammatory skin diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Silencing of genes using small interfering RNA (siRNA) is a recently developed strategy to regulate the synthesis of target molecules. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) is a nuclear transcription factor that mediates Th2-type immunity. Methods: To elucidate the therapeutic potential of using siRNA to inhibit STAT6 in allergic reactions, we determined the nucleotide sequences of siRNA specific for STAT6. Results: The selected sequences of STAT6 siRNA specifically inhibited the generation of STAT6 synthesis in dermal fibroblasts and eotaxin (CCL11) production in response to IL-4/TNF-α in vitro. Local administration of STAT6 siRNA in vivo alleviated contact hypersensitivity responses to chemical haptens. This was accompanied by reduced local production of IL-4, IL-13, eotaxin (CCL11), TARC (CCL17) and MDC (CCL22). Similarly, consecutive intranasal instillation of STAT6 siRNA markedly inhibited inflammatory cellular infiltration of mucosal tissues in allergic rhinitis responses in association with reduced IL-4 and IL-5 production from regional lymph node cells. Immediate responses, such as sneezing and nasal rubbing behaviors, were also improved by STAT6 siRNA. Conclusions: Local administration of STAT6 siRNA is thus a promising therapeutic strategy for both Th2-mediated cutaneous diseases and allergic rhinitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Airborne contact dermatitis to cedar pollen is a recently identified disease that generally affects individuals with cedar pollinosis of the nasal and/or ocular symptoms, as well as some patients with atopic dermatitis. Objective To elucidate the pathological mechanisms of cedar pollen dermatitis. Methods We established a mouse model of cedar pollen dermatitis by epicutaneous sensitization with Japanese cedar pollen antigen (Ag). Results Histologically, there was marked dermal cellular infiltrate, including eosinophils and mast cells, with epidermal thickening. The induction of dermatitis was accompanied by production of cedar pollen-specific IgE. In the lesional skin, IL-13, IL-18, eotaxin/chemokine (C-C motif) ligand (CCL) 11, regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted/CCL5, macrophage-derived chemokine/CCL22 and thymus and activation-regulated chemokine/CCL17, but not IL-4 and IFN-γ, were produced. Mast cell-deficient WBB6F1-W/Wv mice failed to develop cedar pollen dermatitis, although regional lymph node cells proliferated in response to Cryptomeria japonica (Cry j) 1 and Cry j2 Ags in vitro. Surprisingly, the induction of dermatitis was independent of STAT6/IgE. In contrast, mice deficient in CRTH2, a receptor for prostaglandin D2 (PGD2), showed diminished inflammation. Consistent with this, ramatroban, a CRTH2 antagonist, significantly inhibited inflammatory cell infiltration. Conclusion These data suggest that PGD2–CRTH2 signalling contributes to inflammation in cedar pollen dermatitis, and unlike cedar pollinosis of the nasal mucosa, STAT6 is not a therapeutic target for treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article about eosinophil disorders, which appeared in the previous issue.

Background: Skin eosinophilia is a common feature of allergic skin diseases, but it is unclear how epidermal and dermal eosinophil infiltration is controlled. To investigate regulation of localization of eosinophils in skin, we examined the regulatory mechanisms of expression of eosinophil-specific chemoattractants in dermal fibroblasts and epidermal keratinocytes. Methods: We analyzed production of eotaxin, eotaxin-2, eotaxin-3 and galectin-9 by dermal fibroblasts and epidermal keratinocytes in response to several stimuli in vitro. Results: Dermal fibroblasts produced eotaxin and eotaxin-3 in response to stimulation by interleukin (IL)-4 and/or tumor necrosis factor- α. Similarly, IL-4 stimulated epidermal keratinocytes to secrete eotaxin-3. However, we did not detect eotaxin mRNA expression or protein secretion by keratinocytes stimulated in vitro. Interferon (IFN)- γ induced galectin-9 expression on dermal fibroblasts. Conversely, expression of galectin-9 on epidermal keratinocytes was dose-dependently inhibited by IFN- γ. The immunohistochemical assays revealed that dermal fibroblasts (but not epidermal keratinocytes) in the lesional skin of psoriasis vulgaris (a Th1-polarized disease) express significant levels of galectin-9. Conclusion: Eotaxin-3 contributes to dermal and epidermal eosinophil infiltration in Th2-polarized skin inflammation in which IL-4 is produced. In contrast, IFN- γ-dominated inflammation appears to mediate eosinophil extravasation into the dermis and eosinophil adhesion to dermal fibroblasts via galectin-9 in association with decreased chemoattractant activity of epidermal galectin-9. The present results reveal a novel mechanism of dermal eosinophilia in IFN- γ-mediated skin inflammation, and reflect concerted chemoattractant production involving dermal and/or epidermal eosinophilia during changes in the local cytokine profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on a case of bullous pemphigoid (BP) associated with infiltration and activation of basophils seen in a 32-year-old Japanese woman. The patient presented with a six-month history of rashes on her body, trunk and extremities. Other topics discussed include results of physical and laboratory tests obtained from the patient as well as the management of the disease.