BACKGROUND: The extracellular matrix constitutes the dermis supporting an overlying epidermal lining. A small portion of the cell component includes fibroblasts and mast cells, a large amount of fibrous tissue as struct ural proteins, intra-and extracellular adhesive molecules, and extracellular macromolecules, glyccsarninoglycan(GAG) and proteoglycan make up the dermal connective tissue. GAGs, polysacchavide chains secreted by fibroblasts, are the main macromolecules of the extracellular matrix. GAG chains occupy large amounts of extracellular space and form hydrated gels. The various manifestations observed during the cutaneous intrinsic aging process reflect the age-related changes of dermal connective tissue. OBJECTIVE: This study was directed to observe the age-related changes of GAG in human abdominal skin without the influences of photoaeging. MaTERIALS AND METHODS: The subjects involved in this study were grouped according to the age span of 10 years. A minimum of 3 skin samples were included in each age group. After permission, three to five grams of skin samples without known underlying skin diseases were obtained from the pat,ients who were subjected to open abdominal surgery under general anesthesia. GAGs were extracted and purified by repeated cetylpyridium chloride-ethanol precipitation from each skin sample. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of GAGs was carried out with the action of specific GAG degradirig enzymes. RESULTS: The amount of GAGs per gram skin tissue decreased slowly until the 4th decade and thereafter. A statistically- significant reduction in the amount of GAGs was noted between the age groups of under 10 and that of 51-60. This pattern of decline was similar with tte change of the hyaluronic acid content in gram skin tissue. The content of chondroitin sulfate and heparan sulfate also decreased as a function of ageing. The compositional ratio of GAGs showed no age related changes. The water content measured by acetone dehydration was reduced to a significant level up to the age group of over 30 years. CONCLUSION: These results imply that the wrinkling and laxity of skin during the chronological ageing process reflect the age-related reduction of GAGs and the water content of the skin.
Acetone ; Adhesives ; Aging ; Anesthesia, General ; Cellular Structures ; Cetylpyridinium ; Chondroitin Sulfates ; Connective Tissue ; Dehydration ; Dermis ; Extracellular Matrix ; Extracellular Space ; Fibroblasts ; Gels ; Heparitin Sulfate ; Humans* ; Hyaluronic Acid ; Mast Cells ; Proteoglycans ; Skin Diseases ; Skin* ; Water

No abstract available.
Beauty ; Burns ; Cicatrix

Pulsatilla koreana is a member of the buttercup familly(Ranuculaceae) which contains the unsaturated lactone, protoanemonin(C3H4O2), formed after injury to the plant by the breakdown of the glycoside ranunculin. It has been prescribed as a herbal medicine or a folk medicine for antipyretic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, astringent and hemostatic effects in Korea. A 20 year-old famale patient presented with confluent vesicobullae on the erythematous base with a burning sensation on her upper back. This was caused by contact with crushed Pulsatilla koreana, a folk medicine for the treatment of left facial nerve palsy, that had occurred 10 days before her visit. A provocation patch test with Pulsatilla koreana upon a heathy male volunteers upper back showed strong positive reactions with the stalk and leaf in fresh and frozen stat.e and after thaw ing resptively. However no reaction was seen when the folk medicine was used in a dried form or with the root in any state. This case indicates that misadvice and ignorant folk remedies could cause misfortunate results to innocent people.
Burns ; Dermatitis, Irritant* ; Facial Nerve ; Herbal Medicine ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Medicine, Traditional ; Paralysis ; Patch Tests ; Plants ; Pulsatilla* ; Sensation ; Volunteers ; Young Adult

We report two cases of rare, and clinically atypical metastatic breast carcinoma; zosterifo pattern, and cicatrirical pattern. A 51-year-old female had zosteriform eruption in the right chest and arm, which was diagnosed as an inflammatory, and telangiectatic type breast carcinoma I. skin biopsy. Another patient, a 71-year-old female,. had a retraction of nipple and breast, al erythematous nodular plaques like a surgical scar with distant metastasis to the counterlateral inguinal lymph node. A skin biopsy disclosed nodular type lymphatic dissemination of brea.,: carcinoma. In both patients, cutaneous lesions were the first signs of breast cancer with a gra-r prognosis.
Aged ; Arm ; Biopsy ; Breast Neoplasms ; Breast* ; Cicatrix ; Female ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Nipples ; Prognosis ; Skin ; Thorax

BACKGROUND: Cytokines such as TNF-a, and IL-1, 6, 8 are thought to mediate many host responses in patients with sepsis through the release of many kinds of inflammatory mediators. Vibrio vulnificus is a virulent, halophilic, marine, and Gram-negative bacterium causing wound infections or primary sepsis with fulminant course. It has been known to produce many exocellular factors, such as cytolysin and exozymes, which are possible causes of shock and tissue damage. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to investigate the changes of cytokines(TNF-a, Il-l p, and IL-6) after intravenous administration of V. vulnificus cytolysin which have known to be a major virulent factor for elucidating pathogenesis of septic shock. METHODS: After administration of V. vulnificus cytolysin(20 hemolytic units) and physiologic saline through a mouse tail vein, we obtained blood samples from the heart according to a time course(0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 240, and 360 minutes). We measured serum concentrations of circulating TNF- a, IL-1 p, and IL-6 using commercially available immunoassay kits. RESULTS: The serum concentration of TNF- a peaked at 60 min (1894 pg/ml, as compared with 829 pg/ml after saline administration), began to decrease at 90 min and fell to baseline at 360min. Concentration of IL-6 rose significantly at 90 min(>3,839 pg/ml) and began to decrease at 120 min, whereas the level of IL-1 0 increased slightly and the peaked around 90min(117 pg/ml) after the cytolysin injection. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the host response to cytolysin is associated with a brief pulse of circulating cytokines in the early stage of sepsis caused by V. vulnipcus infection.
Administration, Intravenous ; Animals ; Cytokines* ; Heart ; Humans ; Immunoassay ; Interleukin-1 ; Interleukin-6* ; Mice* ; Perforin* ; Sepsis ; Shock ; Shock, Septic ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha* ; Veins ; Vibrio vulnificus* ; Vibrio* ; Wound Infection

BACKGROUND: Although several kinds of treatment methods(destructive therapy, immunotherapy, etc) for plane warts have been attempted but there have been no entirely satisfactory treatments, because the plane wants are seen to recur frequently. OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed to evaluate the combination therapy of griseofulvin and immunotherapy(dinitrochlorobenzene=DNCB, diphenylcycloprope none=DPCP) on plane warts. METHOD: Sixteen patients(age range, 9 to 41; mean age, 21.8 years) with VPJ were treated with the combination therapy with griseofulvin(500mg/day) and single contact immunotherapy(DNCB or DPCP).
Dinitrochlorobenzene ; Griseofulvin* ; Immunotherapy ; Warts*

No Abstract Available.
Melanoma* ; Stomach*

No Abstract Available.
Cytokines* ; Perforin* ; Shwartzman Phenomenon* ; Vibrio vulnificus* ; Vibrio*

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