BACKGROUND: Actinic granuloma is an annular inflammatory reaction that develops in skin that has had long-term sun-exposure. OBJECTIVES: The purposes of this study were aimed to characterize the clinical and histopathologic features of actinic granuloma. METHODS: Examinations were performed on eight patients with actinic granuloma regarding the age, sex, duration, clinical morphology, distribution, associated diseases, and treatment and course. Histo-pathologic studies of ten specimens obtained from eight patients were performed with special stains, such as Verhoeff-van Gieson, Gomori-Methenamin silver and alcian blue.
Actins* ; Alcian Blue ; Coloring Agents ; Granuloma* ; Humans ; Silver ; Skin

We report a case of an uncommon cutaneous neoplasm of nerve sheath myxoma in a 25-year-old woman who had a papule on the left cheek of her face. The histologic findings of the lesion showed that lobulated tumors were composed of spindle shaped and stellate tumor cells in an abundant matrix of mucosubstances. The electron microscopic findings showed numerous cytoplasmic myelin figures, and interdigitating long cytoplasmic processes. 5-100 protein was not discovered and alcian blue and PAS stain showed positive. After surgical excision of tumor, the patient did not have any evidence of disease for one year.
Adult ; Alcian Blue ; Cheek ; Cytoplasm ; Female ; Humans ; Myelin Sheath ; Neurothekeoma*

We report a case of multiple cutaneous focal mucinosis in a 22 year-old male, who presented with multiple, asymptomatic, nodular lesions on the left upper trunk and left arm which had persisted for about one year. They were 2 to 17 mm in size, firm, yellowish, dome-shaped elevated, slightly movable papules or nodules which were distributed over the area of the left C3-7 and TI-3 sensory dermatomes. The histopathologic findings showed homogeneous mucinous material in the upper dermis. The material was confirmed to be hyaluronic add by, alcian blue stain. Some of the lesions showed improvement with intmlesional injection of triamcinolone acetonide. Such an entity, to the best of our knowledge, has not yet been reported.
Alcian Blue ; Arm ; Dermis ; Humans ; Male ; Mucinoses* ; Mucins ; Triamcinolone Acetonide

A 17-year-old male had a coin sized, follicular plaque on the glabella for 3 months. Histopathologic examination revealed reticular degeneration in the pilosebaceous follicles and amorphous homogenous materials between the degenerated cells. Alcian blue and toluidine blue stained the material as blue and metachromatically purple, respectively. The material was subsequently confirmed as acid mucopolysaccharide. Two months after the initial visit, the lesion showed a tendancy to heal spontaneously. According to the data obtained, the case was considered as an acute benign form of follicular mucinosis.
Adolescent ; Alcian Blue ; Humans ; Male ; Mucinosis, Follicular* ; Numismatics ; Tolonium Chloride

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Intestinal metaplasia (IM) has been regarded as a premalignant condition. This study evaluated the role of the transforming factor CDX2 according to the severity and type of IM. METHODS: This analysis was performed on 383 subjects with IM in the antrum and/or body, with diagnoses that were categorized as controls, dysplasias, and gastric cancers. The IM grades were classified into four groups as negative, mild, moderate or severe using the updated Sydney scoring system. The IM subtypes were categorized as type I, type II, and type III using high iron diamine and alcian blue (pH 2.5) staining. The CDX2 expression in the IM foci was evaluated using immunohistochemistry in specimens from the antrum and/or body. RESULTS: CDX2 expression increased according to IM severity (p=0.001) but was not associated with the IM subtype (p=0.881) in the antrum specimens. Similarly, CDX2 expression increased according to the IM grade (p=0.001) but was not associated with the IM subtype (p=0.755) in the body specimens. CDX2 expression was also increased according to baseline disease in the antrum, especially dysplastic and GC group (p=0.003), but not in the body (p=0.582). However, status of Helicobacter pylori infection was not associated with CDX2 expression in the antrum (p=0.692) and body (p=0.271). CONCLUSIONS: These results show that CDX2 expression is associated with the IM grade regardless of the IM subtype and that it was more frequent in the dysplasia group. These results suggest that CDX2 expression might play an important role in the progression of IM in various environments that can affect neoplastic change.
Alcian Blue ; Helicobacter pylori ; Immunohistochemistry ; Iron ; Metaplasia ; Stomach Neoplasms

BACKGROUND: The various manifestations of intrinsic cutaneous aging may reflect the age-related changes of dermal ground aubstances, the important components of the dermis. OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to observe whether there is any age-relsted change, quantitatively and qualitatively, in dermal glycosaminoglycan(GAG) METHODS: The Senescence-A.ccelerated-Mice(SAM) strain "Prone" to develop senescence(P/8), aged 4 days(P-Y a group, n=5) and 4 months old (P-0 group, n=5) were used, with SAM strain Resistance to senescence (R/1), aged 4 montha old (R-0 group, n=5). The whole skin of SAM was incubated in 0.1 sodium phosphate buffer(NaPB), 2M guanidine-HC1, and 4M guanidine-HCl, sequencially, for the extractiop of GAG. The amount of GAG was measured by using alcian blue and by methylene blue metachrometic assay. Uronic acid(UA) was estimate l employing carbazole reaction. Extracted skin protein profiles were analyed by SDS-PAGE. RESULTS: 1. The total contents of GAG per wet weight of skin, as measured uairq, alcian blue, was highter in R-0 group than R-Y and P-Y group, which is statistically significant. 2. The methylene blue metaehromatic assay yielded highter absorbance values in 2M guanidine-HCl extract than NaPB ext:racts. 3. The total contents of UA decreased with aging in R strains, buttriking increase was noted in the P strain. 4. On SDS-PAGE, the protein profiles of NaPB extracts showed similarity to serum protein. 125 kDa protein band was noted only in guanidine-HCl extracts. 37.40kDa protein bands were appeared in 2M, 4M guanicline-HCl extract of R-0 group. But. there was no significant difference in both strains. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that macromolecules, such as GAG, is one of the target molecules of the cutaneous eging process, and these change muy be related to the age-related changes of dermal water content.
Aging* ; Alcian Blue ; Animals ; Dermis ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Epidermolysis Bullosa Acquisita ; Humans ; Infant ; Methylene Blue ; Mice* ; Pemphigoid, Bullous ; Skin* ; Sodium

BACKGROUND: The various manifestations of intrinsic cutaneous aging may reflect the age-related changes of dermal ground aubstances, the important components of the dermis. OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to observe whether there is any age-relsted change, quantitatively and qualitatively, in dermal glycosaminoglycan(GAG) METHODS: The Senescence-A.ccelerated-Mice(SAM) strain "Prone" to develop senescence(P/8), aged 4 days(P-Y a group, n=5) and 4 months old (P-0 group, n=5) were used, with SAM strain Resistance to senescence (R/1), aged 4 montha old (R-0 group, n=5). The whole skin of SAM was incubated in 0.1 sodium phosphate buffer(NaPB), 2M guanidine-HC1, and 4M guanidine-HCl, sequencially, for the extractiop of GAG. The amount of GAG was measured by using alcian blue and by methylene blue metachrometic assay. Uronic acid(UA) was estimate l employing carbazole reaction. Extracted skin protein profiles were analyed by SDS-PAGE. RESULTS: 1. The total contents of GAG per wet weight of skin, as measured uairq, alcian blue, was highter in R-0 group than R-Y and P-Y group, which is statistically significant. 2. The methylene blue metaehromatic assay yielded highter absorbance values in 2M guanidine-HCl extract than NaPB ext:racts. 3. The total contents of UA decreased with aging in R strains, buttriking increase was noted in the P strain. 4. On SDS-PAGE, the protein profiles of NaPB extracts showed similarity to serum protein. 125 kDa protein band was noted only in guanidine-HCl extracts. 37.40kDa protein bands were appeared in 2M, 4M guanicline-HCl extract of R-0 group. But. there was no significant difference in both strains. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that macromolecules, such as GAG, is one of the target molecules of the cutaneous eging process, and these change muy be related to the age-related changes of dermal water content.
Aging* ; Alcian Blue ; Animals ; Dermis ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Epidermolysis Bullosa Acquisita ; Humans ; Infant ; Methylene Blue ; Mice* ; Pemphigoid, Bullous ; Skin* ; Sodium

STUDY DESIGN: Thirty-two postmenopausal female patients, with the facet angle less than 40 degrees, were selected for this study. All patients underwent spinal surgery. Displacement group, diagnosed by the displacement of facet joint above 2mm was noted in 15 patients. Control group had 17 patients and was defined when the displacement of facet joint was less than 2mm. OBJECTIVES: Our study evaluated the expression of estrogen receptor and degenerative change depending on the displacement of facet joints. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW : Despite the fact that degenerative spondylolisthesis is more common in female than in male, a few attempts have been made to evaluate estrogen as one of the predisposing factors for displacement of facet joint. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After harvesting the articular cartilage of facet joint, the expression of estrogen receptors was evaluated with immunohistochemical staining, and the degenerative change of the articular cartilage with hematoxylin-eosin and alcian blue staining. RESULTS: All facets showed a positive correlation between the estrogen receptor scores and histological-histochemical scores(r=0.78, p<0.05). The average score of the estrogen receptors was 9.1+/-0.4SEM in displacement group, and 5.0+/-0.6SEM in control group(p<0.05). The histological-histochemical grading of cartilage lesion was 12.4+/-0.6SEM in displacement group, 8.0+/-0.3SEM in control group(p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS : This study suggest that a high expression of estrogen receptors, which affected the severity of degenerative changes in facet articular cartilage, might be one of the predisposing factors for the displacement of facet joint.
Alcian Blue ; Cartilage ; Cartilage, Articular ; Causality ; Estrogens* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Receptors, Estrogen ; Spondylolisthesis ; Zygapophyseal Joint*

A case of myxoma of the breast was reported. A 25-year-old woman showed a lump in the left breast which was suddenly enlarged after the delivery of a baby. A tumor measuring 73.53cm was located in the upper outer quadrant of the breast. Fine needle aspiration cytology revealed scattered benign spindle shaped mesenchymal cells with abundant myxoid material. On excision, the tumor was partly solid, partly cystic and multilocular. Each nodule consisted of an abundant mucoid material with a few spindle or stellate mesenchymal cells. Pleomorphism and mitosis were absent. The mesenchymal cells showed immunoreactivities for S-100 protein, smooth muscle actin, and CD34. The myxoid stroma was positively stained with alcian blue and mucicarmine. These findings suggest that constituent cells derive from totipotential primitive mesenchymal cells.
Actins ; Adult ; Alcian Blue ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Breast* ; Female ; Humans ; Mitosis ; Muscle, Smooth ; Myxoma* ; S100 Proteins

Cardiac myxoma is the most common primary tumor of the heart. Although skin symptoms in patients with cardiac myxoma are common, cutaneous manifestations of cardiac myxoma are usually nonspecific. So only very rarely have the cutaneous signs been clue to the correct diagnosis. We present a 44-year-old-man with a history of episodes of migratory acral erythematous maculopapular lesions on his right hand and foot including the palm and sole, who also had episodes of myalgia in his right side upper and lower extremities. Histological examination revealed an embolus within the vessels in the dermis. Alcian blue staining was positive, consistent with a diagnosis of myxomatous embolus. Two-dimensional echocardiogram revealed a 4 (3cm-sized mobile mass in the left atrium. A diagnosis of left atrial myxoma was strongly suspected and the tumor was excised by open-heart surgery. No more cutaneous lesions or other symptoms of systemic embolism have appeared to date.
Alcian Blue ; Dermis ; Diagnosis ; Embolism ; Foot ; Hand ; Heart ; Heart Atria ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Myalgia ; Myxoma* ; Skin