Capillary aneurysm is classically described as a dark papule and the outstanding clinical feature of this tumor is an appearance simulating a malignant melanoma. In the absence of histopathologic or compelling clinical evidence that the lesion is malignant, the treatment of a black melanoma-like nodule should consist of total but conservative excision. Subsequent biopsy should then indicate whether or not more radical surgery is required. We report a 14-year-old female with capillary aneurysm. She was in good health except for a black colored mottled nodule on her right thigh. Although the clinical resemblance to melanoma was observed, the microscopic view of the biopsy specimen from the center of the lesion revealed that dilated vascular channels lined by a single layer of endothelium, and some of them were surrounded by fibrous tissues in a concentric layer with thrombus. In our case, the nodule was removed with liquid nitrogen.
Adolescent ; Aneurysm* ; Biopsy ; Capillaries* ; Endothelium ; Female ; Humans ; Melanoma* ; Nitrogen ; Thigh ; Thrombosis

Waldenstr m's macroglobulinemia(WM) is a disorder of malignant proliferation of plasmacyoid lymphocytes and monoclonal immunoglobulin M. The renal complications of WM are less common and severe than that of multiple myeloma. We present a case of WM which involved the kidney as massive proteinuria, hematuria and renal failure. A biopy specimen of the kidney reveals the intraglomerular hyaline thrombi of immunoglobulin M paraprotein. Three cycles of plasmapheresis and systemic chemotherapy with chlorambucil and prednisolone show improvement in his renal manifestations. We suppose the glomerulonephritis caused by hyaline thrombi in WM may be reversible, at least in its early stage.

Despite the various responses of human skin to female sex hormones, cellular and subcellular targets and the mechanisms of action of estrogen and progesterone in human skin are not well understood. The detection of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) in the skin is of great importance to understand the effect of estrogen and progesterone. In primary cultures of human keratinocytes, expression of ER and PR was monitored by immunocytochemistry and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Paraffin embedded skin tissues were stained with monoclonal antibodies to human ER and PR by immunohistochemistry. Cultured human keratinocytes expressed cytoplasmic PR protein and PR mRNA transcripts. By contrast, ER was detected only at the mRNA level. Suprabasal keratinocytes from samples of pruritic urticarial papules, plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP) and psoriasis were stained positively only for PR, while those from samples of erythema nodosum were negative for both ER and PR. Lesional epidermis of PUPPP showed positive PR immunoreactivity, while nonlesional epidermis did not. No other cells in the normal human skin were stained with ER and PR. The present study suggests that by expressing PR human keratinocytes act as targets for progesterone action.
Adolescence ; Adult ; Aged ; Cells, Cultured ; Female ; Gene Expression ; Human ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Infant ; Keratinocytes/metabolism* ; Keratinocytes/cytology ; Male ; Middle Age ; Receptors, Estrogen/genetics ; Receptors, Estrogen/biosynthesis ; Receptors, Progesterone/genetics* ; Receptors, Progesterone/biosynthesis ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sequence Analysis, DNA/methods ; Skin/pathology ; Skin/metabolism ; Skin Diseases/metabolism

The olfactory system can detect many odorants with high sensitivity and selectivity based on the expression of nearly a thousand types of olfactory receptors (ORs) in olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). These ORs have a dynamic odorant detection range and contribute to signal encoding processes in the olfactory bulb (OB). To harness the capabilities of the olfactory system and develop a biomimetic sensor, stable culture and maintenance of ORNs are required. However, in vitro monolayer culture models have several key limitations: i) short available period of cultured neurons, ii) low cultural efficiency, and iii) long-term storage challenges. This study aims to develop a technique: i) to support the spheroid culture of primary ORN precursors facilitating stable maintenance and long-term storage, and ii) to demonstrate the viability of ORN spheroid culture in developing an olfactory system mimetic bioelectronic nose. Recombinant protein (REP; TGPG[VGRGD(VGVPG)₆]₂₀WPC) was used to form the ORN spheroids. Spheroid formation enabled preservation of primary cultured ORNs without a significant decrease in viability or the expression of stemness markers for ten days. Physiological characteristics of the ORNs were verified by monitoring intracellular calcium concentration upon odorant mixture stimulation; response upon odorant stimulation were observed at least for ten days in these cultivated ORNs differentiated from spheroids. Coupling ORNs with multi electrode array (MEA) enabled the detection and discrimination of odorants by analyzing the electrical signal patterns generated following odorant stimulation. Taken together, the ORN spheroid culture process is a promising technique for the development of a bioelectronic nose and high-throughput odorant screening device.
Biomimetics ; Calcium ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Electrodes ; In Vitro Techniques ; Mass Screening ; Neurons ; Nose* ; Odors ; Olfactory Bulb ; Olfactory Receptor Neurons*