BACKGROUND: The presence of mast cells often in increased numbers, has been noted in various cutaneous disorders. Recent studies suggest that mast cells are of primary importance in these conditions and their presence does not merely represent a second event. Previous reports of mast cell enumeration in normal and pathologic tissues have revealed inconsistent results, reflecting technical difficulties in quantitation. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study is to develop a new approach for quantifying mast cell in tissue section that is accurate, reproducible and avoids problems caused by the variation in distribution of these cells in the tissue. METHODS: Mast. cells were quantitated in eight cases of mastocytosis and in the flank and back skin of three normal human controls in toluidine blue stain using a computerized image analysis system. RESULTS: Macular and nodular mastocytosis patients had from twenty-fold to nearly a 100-fold greater mast cell content than was observed in normal skin. CONCLUSION: Image analysis in conjunction with toluidine blue stain offers a single and accurate method for mast cell quantification. This technique also provides a practical and important new diagnostic tool for establishing the presence of increased lesional skin mast cells in patients with mastocytosis.
Humans ; Mast Cells* ; Mastocytosis ; Skin ; Tolonium Chloride

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

We evaluated the availability of toluidine blue stain in body fluids, such as peritoneal and pleural fluid and urine. Nine hundreds specimens, i.e., 400 pleural and 400 peritoneal fluids and 100 urine samples, respectively, from Jan. 1995 to May 1996 were included. We obtained the result of high sensitivity and high specificity in toluidine blue stained body fluid in comparison with Papanicolaou stained result. Additionally, we found the diagnostically important crystals in chylothorax and some urine samples, which can not be seen in routine Papanicolaou stain. We thought the toluidine blue stain in body fluid is one of very useful diagnostic methods.
Ascitic Fluid ; Body Fluids ; Chylothorax ; Proteinuria* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tolonium Chloride

PURPOSE: To confirm the adhesion and matrix formation of chondrocytes which were cultured on chitosan beads and to elucidate the difference between the porous chitosan beads and non-porous chitsan beads as scaffold for chondrocytes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Chondrocytes isolated from rabbit articular cartilage were cultured in vitro on porous and non-porous chitosan bead for 2 weeks. Histochemical (H&E stain, Toluidin blue stain) and scanning electromicroscopic approaches were used to compare the differences between two groups. RESULTS: In both groups, adhesion and proliferation of chondrocytes were observed on scanning electron microscopy. which were more active in the porous chitosan bead group. On histochemical staining with toluidine blue, the porous chitosan bead group showed stronger metachromasia than that of the non-porous chitosan bead. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that both chitosan beads could work as an effective scaffold for culturing chondrocytes, and that porous chitosan bead may be a better scaffold than non-porous chitosan bead because of cavities in former bead.
Cartilage, Articular ; Chitosan* ; Chondrocytes* ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Tolonium Chloride

This study was performed in order to evaluate the accuracy and the usefulness of the cytology of crush preparation in central nervous system(CNS) lesions. Forty four intraoperative biopsies were performed at the time of craniotomy including 34 benign and 10 malignant lesions. Crush preparations were prepared from tiny tissue fragments of craiotomy products. All cases were stained with toluidine blue. Intraoperative diagnoses made on cytologic examination were compared with the final paraffin section diagnoses. Comparison between the results of the cytologic and histologic findings revealed an overall diagnostic accuracy of 88.6%. This study attests to the diagnostic accuracy of cytologic examination in CNS lesions. The detailed cytologic features are described and important criteria for the cytodiagnosis of CNS lesions are discussed.
Biopsy ; Central Nervous System* ; Craniotomy ; Cytodiagnosis ; Diagnosis ; Paraffin ; Tolonium Chloride

We evaluated the availability of toluidine blue stain in body fluids, such as peritoneal and pleural fluid and urine. Nine hundreds specimens, i.e., 400 pleural and 400 peritoneal fluids and 100 urine samples, respectively, from Jan. 1995 to May 1996 were included. We obtained the result of high sensitivity and high specificity in toluidine blue stained body fluid in comparison with Papanicolaou stained result. Additionally, we found the diagnostically important crystals in chylothorax and some urine samples, which can not be seen in routine Papanicolaou stain. We thought the toluidine blue stain in body fluid is one of very useful diagnostic methods.
Ascitic Fluid ; Body Fluids* ; Chylothorax ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tolonium Chloride*

To assess the influence of diabetes mellitus on the healing of segmental defect of rat, a defect measuring 5mm was made at right sciatic nerve in thirty-three adult female Wistar rats(control group:17, diabetic group:16). To induce diabetes in rats, Streptozotocin(50mg/kg body weight) was injected into tail vein after dissolution in saline solution. Both proximal and distal nerve ends were connected with 9mm long silicone tube, and the tube was filled with 10µl collagen(Vitrogen 100) solution. Two and 4 weeks after the operation, electromyographic study(latency period and amplitude) and histologic examination(the number of myelinated axon, non-neuronal cell, and vessel at mid-chamber level, the mid-chamber cross-sectional area) after toluidine blue staining were carried out. From the results, we concluded that diabetes mellitus retarded the healing process of segmental defect of sciatic nerve in rat. And we might suggest that if we meet this situation in clinical practice, we have to consider some supportive measures to overcome the bad effect of diabetes mellitus on the healing of nerve defect.
Adult ; Animals ; Axons ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Female ; Humans ; Myelin Sheath ; Rats ; Sciatic Nerve ; Silicon ; Silicones ; Sodium Chloride ; Tail ; Tolonium Chloride ; Veins

We report a case of pretibial myxedema with hypothyroidism in a 52-year-old woman. She suffered from primary hypothyroidism for a period of 17 years. She was treated with a daily dose of sodium levothyroxine 0.2 mg intermittently. She had erythematous ftesh colored, hard and thickened plaque. on the left pretibial area for onr year. The histopathologic findings showed considerable amount of muci in the upper and mid dermis. Toluidine blue and alcian blue stain demonstrated an extensive deposition of dermal mucin. We treated her with a topical steroid and oral sodium levothyrcxire.
Alcian Blue ; Dermis ; Female ; Humans ; Hypothyroidism* ; Middle Aged ; Mucins ; Myxedema* ; Sodium ; Thyroxine ; Tolonium Chloride

Urticaria pigmentosa is a manifestation of mastocytosis characterized by persistent pigmented cutaneous lesions of various size that tend to urticate upon mechanical or chemical irritation, The disease is most common in ehildren and skin lesions after appear within 1 or 2 months of birth. Urticaria pigmentosa in children begins with disseminated eruption (buIlou type) or with a solitary tumor or nodule(solitary type). One case. of solitary type and one case of bullous type are reported in this paper. The one case is a solitary type of urticaria pigmentosa in 1 1/2 years old male who had dark brownish pigmented nodule(2.5 1cm) on right hack since 1 year ago. Tie other is a bullous type of urticaria pigmentousa in 6 months old male who had generalizcd. bulla, hemorragic bulla with crust & millium since 4 months ago. Dignosis was confirmed by histologic findings in which showed infiltration of mast cells in upper nr entire dermis arui rnetachromatic granules in mast cell on toluidine blue stain. Literature were reviewed briefly.
Child ; Dermis ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Mast Cells ; Mastocytosis ; Parturition ; Skin ; Tolonium Chloride ; Urticaria Pigmentosa* ; Urticaria*

Traditionally the mast cell has been known to he a cell component dwells in annective tissue. But oocasional epithelial mast cells were presented both in light microscopic and electron microscapic examinations. This study was undertaken to evaluate the presence of mast ceil in epidermis of diseased skin. A total of 93 biopsy specimes obtained from the skin lesions of patients with various dermatological conditions were examined with light microacope after toluidine blue stain. The results are as follows: 1. Mast cells were shown in the epidermis of 2 patients with chronic eczema and one patient with pustular psoriasis. 2. Most of the epidermal mast cells were located in ar nearby the basal ceII layer. 3. Epidrmal mast cells have an oval or round nucleus and variable amounts of granulesin the cytoplasm. Some of the cells have a halo-like clear zone around them.
Biopsy ; Cellular Structures ; Cytoplasm ; Eczema ; Epidermis ; Humans ; Lichens* ; Mast Cells ; Psoriasis ; Skin* ; Tolonium Chloride