Oak moss is a lichen extract obtained from Evernia prunastri and Pseudovernia furfuracea. It is the potent,ial allergen in contact dermatitis to perfumes. Sensitivity to oak moss has been atributed mainly to atranorin, evernic acid, usnic acid and fumarprotocetraric acid. We report a 44-year-old female patient presenting with features of contact dermatitis due to oak moss in perfumes. Patch test results revealed positive reactions to fragrance mix, oak moss, atranorin and evernic acid.
Adult ; Dermatitis, Contact* ; Female ; Humans ; Lichens ; Patch Tests

Increased melanin pigmentation following ultraviolet irradiat.ion is due to increasing tyrosinase activity and multiplicatian of functioning melanocytes. After UV-irradiation, the size of melanocytes increases, and melanocyte dendrites elongatc, and branch. In this experiment, we induced the activation of melanocyts in the epidermis of C57BL black mice by ultraviolet-B(UVB) irradiation and observcd ihe effect of azelaic acid and retinoic acid on the UVB activated epidermal melanocytes. Sixty C57BL black mice were irradiated by UVB 100mJ/cm daily for 10 days, and then azeiaic acid and retinoic acid were topically applied daily for 7 weeks. For the estimation of morphologic change of epidermal melanocytes, light microscopic observation with split DOPA stain was performed at the end of the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th week of topical application. The results are summerized as follows : 1. The number, size and circumference of DOPA-positive epidermal melanocytes were significantly decreased in 20% azelaic acid applied group and 30% azelaic acid and 0.05% retinoic acid applied group. 2. In 20% azelaic;i.cid and 0.05% retinoic acid applied group, the number, size and circumference of DOPA-positive epidermal melanocytes were nore significantly decreased than in 20% azelaic acid applied group. In summary, the present study suggets that azelaic acid act as a depigmenting agent on epidermal melanocyte; and such depigmenting effect of azelaic acid was increased by addition of retinoic acid.
Animals ; Dendrites ; Dihydroxyphenylalanine ; Epidermis ; Melanins ; Melanocytes* ; Mice* ; Monophenol Monooxygenase ; Pigmentation ; Tretinoin*

We report a patient with a cutis laxa-like, generalized PXE without systemic involvement. A 28-year-old woman had loose, pendulous skin of the neck, axillae, thighs, trunk and body folds which resulted in a prematurely aged appearance. She had no family history of related diseases. Histological examination showed considerable accumulations of swollen and irregularly clumped fibers in the middle and lower dermis and von Kossa s stain revealed calcium deposits along the altered elastic fibers.
Adult ; Axilla ; Calcium ; Dermis ; Elastic Tissue ; Female ; Humans ; Neck ; Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum* ; Skin ; Thigh

We report a patient with a cutis laxa-like, generalized PXE without systemic involvement. A 28-year-old woman had loose, pendulous skin of the neck, axillae, thighs, trunk and body folds which resulted in a prematurely aged appearance. She had no family history of related diseases. Histological examination showed considerable accumulations of swollen and irregularly clumped fibers in the middle and lower dermis and von Kossa s stain revealed calcium deposits along the altered elastic fibers.
Adult ; Axilla ; Calcium ; Dermis ; Elastic Tissue ; Female ; Humans ; Neck ; Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum* ; Skin ; Thigh

Aplasia cutis congenita is an anomaly characterized by absence of localized areas of the integument. The most common type of aplasia cutis congenita is a circular or oval, sharply outlined ulcer 1 to 3cm in diameter on the vertex of the scalp at the level of the posterior fontanel. Two cases of aplasia cutis congenita are presented. The first case was in a male newborn infant with a localized defect on his scalp. The second case was also in a male newborn infant who had extensive symmetrical involvement of his heels. No similar conditions and associating other congenital anomalies were found in the family members of reported cases.
Cranial Fontanelles ; Ectodermal Dysplasia* ; Heel ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Scalp ; Ulcer

Porokeratosis is a familial, chronic, progressive disorder which demonstrates a characteristic clinical and histologic picture. Since Mibelli described three cases in 1893, several clinical variants have been identified, all of which are delineated by a diagnostic histopathologic pattern. We reported a case of atypical linear porokeratosis that had three types of skin lesions. One was the plaque type, as originally described by Mibelli. And others were atypical lesions, as papules and verrucoid hyperkeratotic plaques.
Porokeratosis ; Skin

We observed the clinical and histopathologic characteristics of acquired, bilateral nevus of Ota-like macules in each 80 and 23 patients. The results were as follows: 1. All patients were female and the peak age of onset was third decade with an a,verage age of 27.4 years. 2. The colors of lesions were slate, brown, dark brown, and blue black in order of freguency. 3. The lesions were most comrnonly observed in the malar area and alae nasi. 4. Three patients had family history of acquired, bilateral nevus of Ota-like :macules. 5. Histopathologically pigment-bearing cells, bipolar or irregular in shape, were found mostly in the upper- and mid-portion of the dermis. The melanocytes showed weakly positive dopa reaction. 6. In electron microscopic observation, these pigrnent-bearing cells contained many singly dispersed melanosomes in stage 3 and 4 of melanization and wece surrounded by an extracellular sheath.
Age of Onset ; Dermis ; Dihydroxyphenylalanine ; Female ; Humans ; Melanocytes ; Melanosomes ; Nevus of Ota* ; Nevus*

Linear porokeratosis is a rare variant of porokeratosis and usually occurs in childhood. A 37-year-old female is presented with linear porokeratosis on the posterior aspeet of the right lower extremity exhibiting the classical histopathologic criteria of the disease. Treatment with an oral etretinate resulted in a remission of the lesions.
Acitretin ; Adult ; Etretinate ; Female ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Porokeratosis*

Hepatitis B virus is of growing clinical importance. This virus not only produces acute and chronic liver disease but also produces a variety of dermatologic syndromes. A 77-year-old man with erythematous urticarial-like papulonodules had a chronic active hepatitis. And microscopic findings were compatible with allergic vasculitis. We reported a case of allergic vasculitis associated with chronic active hepatitis and reviewed literatures briefly.
Aged ; Hepatitis B virus ; Hepatitis, Chronic* ; Humans ; Liver Diseases ; Vasculitis*

She describe herein two cases of eccrine spiradenoma. One is an indolent and the other is painful or tender multiple small nodules distributed in a zosteriform pattern. Histopathologically, the encapsulated lobules of the tumor are composed of two types of cells, intensely staining cells and pale staining cells, usually arranged in whorls, cords, and pseudoglands. In the second case, enzyme histochemical staining and electron microscopic examination have been done and are compared with other cases in the literature.