BACKGROUND: Fixed drug eruptions(FDE) are a cutaneous reaction characterized by one or more circumscribed lesions that recur at the same site in response to a given medication. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to find the clinical and histopathological characteristics of FDE and to compare early FDE with late FDE histopathologically. METHOD: We clinically investigated 54 cases of FDE that visited the department of dermatology at the Kyunghee medical center from January 1993 to December 1996. Among them, 31 patients had skin biopsies and were evaluated histopathologically on the basis of duration. RESULTS: The results were summarized as follows: 1. Development of FDE did not show any difference according to sex and was evenly distributed over all the ages. 2. The latent periods of FDE were diverse in appearance from 30 minutes to 10 days, but mostly, the skin lesions erupted within 4S hours. 3. The most common skin lesions were erythematous macules. 4. Distribution of the lesions came out as solitary: 20.4%, multiple: 79.6%. S3.7% of the multiple lesions were localized to a part of body, and 16.3% were distributed over the whole body. 5. The areas in which the eruptions developed were (in descending order): upper extremity(37.0%), hand(31.5%), trunk(24.1%), face(24.1%). 6. In most cases(68.6%), the size and the number of lesions were greater in recurrente, rather than in first attacks. 7. The histopathological findings commonly showed perivascular mononuclear cell(MNC) infiltration (100%), pigmentary incontinence(77.4%), basal hydrophic degeneration(71.0%), eosinophil infiltration in dermis(61.3%), etc. 8. The epidermal histopathological findings such as spongiosis, exocytosis of MNC, basal hydrophic degeneration, keratinocyte necrosis and subepidermal vesicles could be seen more frequently in early lesions than in late ones. CONCLUSION: In our study, we were able to obtain meaningful results based on data from the combination of clinical and histopathological investigations. This study may give help to understand the characteristics of fixed drug eruptions and to plan future studies.
Biopsy ; Dermatology ; Drug Eruptions* ; Eosinophils ; Exocytosis ; Humans ; Keratinocytes ; Necrosis ; Skin

Prurigo pigmentosa is a chronic pruritic inflammatory dermaoss characterized by erythematous papules in a reticulated pattern that resolve leaving a reticulated, mottled hyperpigmentation. Most cases have been reported from Japan. Two cases of prurigo pigmentosa have been reported in Korean women. We experienced a casc of prurigo pigmentosa in a Korean man of 20 years of age. Histopathological findings of reddish papule showed exocytosis, sponsiosis, intraepidermal vesicles, hydropic degeneration of basal cells in the epidermis, and hyphohistiocytic infiltration in the upper dermis. Direct irnmunofluorescence was negetive. Therapy with dapsone, 50 mg given daily, resulted in a rerinable regression of the reddish papules. The daily dose of clapsone was reduced to 25mg; however, no new reddish, pruritic papules have appeared.
Dapsone ; Dermis ; Epidermis ; Exocytosis ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Japan ; Prurigo*

No abstract available.
Exocytosis/physiology* ; Pancreas/secretion ; Pancreas/physiology* ; Pancreas/cytology*

No abstract available.
Animal ; Calcium Signaling/physiology* ; Exocytosis/physiology ; Pancreas/physiology* ; Pancreas/cytology

The eukaryotic cell is compartmentalized by a series of vesicular organelles which constitute the endocytic and exocytic transport pathways. Each vesicular compartment has distinct sets of membrane proteins, structures and functions. Despite continuous vesicular transport, each vesicular compartment maintains its structure and function by use of retention and retrieval signal for its own resident proteins. Proteins in transit along the endocytic and exocytic pathway are transported without admixing with cytoplasmic constituents by successive steps of budding from the donor vesicles, formation of intermediate transport vesicles, transport, targeting to and fusion with acceptor vesicles. Specificity and fidelity of the vesicular transport are conferred by vesicular membrane proteins and small molecular weight GTP-binding proteins of the Rab subfamily. Proteins for export are packaged into specific vesicles for their final destinations. Insertion into and retrieval from the plasma membrane of transport proteins in response to cellular stimulus are a new paradigm of cellular regulatory mechanism. Secretion of neurotransmitters, hormones and enzymes by exocytosis involves a complex set of cytosolic proteins, G-proteins, proteins on the secretory granule membrane and plasma membrane. Much progress has been recently made in identifying proteins and factors involved in the exocytosis. But the molecular interactions among identified proteins and regulatory factors are unknown and remain to be elucidated. Finally our chemiosmotic hypothesis which involves the H+ electrochemical gradient across the secretory granule membrane generated by an ATP-dependent electrogenic H(+)-ATPase as the potential driving force for fusion and release of granule contents will be discussed.
Biological Transport ; *Exocytosis ; Human ; Organelles/*metabolism ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Prurigo pigmentosa is a chronic inflammatory dermatosis characterized by reticulated erythematous papules, hyperpigmentation with severe pruritus and usually occurs in young femals around their twenties. Most cases have been reported from Japan, but only twelve cases have been reported in Korea. Histopathologic findings of erythematous papules shows spongiosis, exocytosis, liquefaction degeneration of the basal cell, perivascular lymphohistiocytic infiltration in the dermis and finally dermal fibrosis and deposit of dermal melanophages in hyperpigmented lesions. We report three cases of prurigo pigmentosa which showed various histopathologic features of early, fully-developed and late stage, respectively.
Dermis ; Exocytosis ; Fibrosis ; Hyperpigmentation ; Japan ; Korea ; Prurigo* ; Pruritus ; Skin Diseases

Exocytosis in various secretory cells is regulated by Ca2+ signaling. In this minireview, I will introduce our recent approach, which we have termed comparative biology of exocytosis, to the study of Ca2+-dependent secretion in such cells. In this approach, we quantify and compare the secretory process in different cell types (neurons, endocrine cells, and exocrine cells, with the same techniques. This approach benefits from the fact that the biochemistry and ultrastructure of these cells are relatively well characterized and it is expected to be particularly revealing because of the marked differences in the properties of exocytosis thought to exist among different secretory cells. The first part of this article deals with the mechanism by which Ca2+ signaling regulates exocytosis in exocrine cells, and the second part deals more generally with the diversity in the kinetics of the exocytotic machinery among different types of cells and secretory vesicles.
Biochemistry ; Biology ; Endocrine Cells ; Exocytosis* ; Kinetics ; Secretory Pathway ; Secretory Vesicles

BACKGROUND: The differential diagnosis of psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis can be difficult when both conditions are localized to the scalp without the involvement of other skin sites. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the histopathological differences between psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis on the scalp and identify favorable criteria for their differential diagnosis. METHODS: We evaluated 15 cases of psoriasis and 20 cases of seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp that had been clinicopathologically diagnosed. Skin biopsy sections stained with H&E were examined. Additional immunohistochemistry was performed, including Ki-67, keratin 10, caspase-5, and GLUT-1. RESULTS: On histopathological examination, mounds of parakeratosis with neutrophils, spongiform micropustules of Kogoj, and clubbed and evenly elongated rete ridges were significantly more frequently observed in psoriasis. Follicular plugging, shoulder parakeratosis and prominent lymphocytic exocytosis were significantly more common in seborrheic dermatitis. Moreover, significantly higher mitotic figures were observed in psoriatic lesions than in seborrheic dermatitis. Immunohistochemistry did not show any difference between psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis. CONCLUSION: Histopathological features favoring psoriasis include mounds of parakeratosis with neutrophils, spongiform micropustules of Kogoj, clubbed and evenly elongated rete ridges, and increased mitotic figures (≥6/high-powered field). Features indicating seborrheic dermatitis are follicular plugging, shoulder parakeratosis and prominent lymphocytic exocytosis. Immunohistochemistry was not helpful in differentiating psoriasis from seborrheic dermatitis.
Biopsy ; Dermatitis, Seborrheic* ; Diagnosis, Differential* ; Exocytosis ; Immunohistochemistry ; Keratin-10 ; Neutrophils ; Parakeratosis ; Psoriasis* ; Scalp* ; Shoulder ; Skin

Prurigo pigmentosa is a chror ic pruritic inflammatory dermatosis characterized by erythematous papules in a reticulated pattern that resolve leaving a reticulated, mottled hyperpigmentation and rapidly response to dapsone therapy. Most cases that have been reported are from Japan. We report two cases of prurigo pigmentosa in a 21 year-old female and a 23-year-old female. Histopathologic findings of erythematous papules showed exocytosis, spongiosis, liquefaction degeneration of basal cell layer and perivascular lymphohistiocytic infiltration on the upper dermis. We treated them with dapsone, 100mg daily, which resulted in a remarkable regression of the ery thematous papules and improvenien of pruritus.
Dapsone ; Dermis ; Exocytosis ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Japan ; Prurigo* ; Pruritus ; Skin Diseases ; Young Adult

Eczematid-like purpura of Doucas and Kapetanakis is a type of pigmented purpuric dermatoses. It is clinically characterized by pruritic seasonal eruptions occurring in the spring and summer, and histopathologically characterized by spongiosis and parakeratosis in the epidermis and by the lymphocyte-mediated leakage of erythrocytes from capillaries in the papillary dermis. We report a case of eczematid-like purpura of Doucas and Kapetanakis that showed clinical improvement with narrowband UVB (NB-UVB). The patient was a 66-year-old man with pruritic, well-demarcated scaly purpuric patches on his feet that appeared 2 months prior. A histopathological study showed mild superficial perivascular lymphocytic infiltration, focal spongiosis with exocytosis, and erythrocyte leakage. We initiated treatment with an oral antihistamine, ascorbic acid, and a topical steroid, but the lesion was aggravated. We therefore treated the patient with NB-UVB for 6 months, and the lesions regressed progressively with residual postinflammatory hyperpigmentation.
Aged ; Ascorbic Acid ; Capillaries ; Dermis ; Epidermis ; Erythrocytes ; Exocytosis ; Foot ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Parakeratosis ; Purpura* ; Seasons ; Skin Diseases