No abstract available.
Interleukin-1*

BACKGROUND: Interleukin(IL)-8 is a potent chemotactic factor for neutrophils which was induced by tumor necrosis factor-a and IL-1. Serum IL-8 level was known to be associated with the poor prognosis of tuberculosis and IL-8 mRNA was increased in the tissue of erythema nodosum leprosum. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to investigate whether the serum IL-8 levels of leprosy patients are different from those of controls and whether the severity of the leprosy is associated with the serum IL-8 level. METHODS: Twenty eight patients with leprosy and fourteen healthy adults were used in this study. Serum IL-8 levels were detected by enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in the serum IL-8 levels between the twenty eight leprosy patients and the fourteen healthy control serums (29.99±53.14 vs 2.52±7.53) nor was the detection rate between the groups (9/28 vs 1/14) significant. There were also no statistically significant differences between the serum IL-8 concentrations of the patients with high bacterial indexes and the patients with low bacterial indexes (30.22±63.64 vs 29.73±41.14). CONCLUSION: Serum levels and the detection rate of IL-8 in the leprosy patients were not different from the control group and the severity of the disease was not associated with the IL-8 levels.
Adult ; Erythema Nodosum ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Interleukin-1 ; Interleukin-8* ; Leprosy* ; Necrosis ; Neutrophils ; Prognosis ; RNA, Messenger ; Tuberculosis

A 14-year-old female patient was seen with a nodular lesion on her left shoulder which developed one month after BCG vaccination. Physical examination revealed a thumb tip sized, irregular surfaced, erythematous scar-like plaque on the left shoulder, and a 2.5cm diameter, movable, subcutaneous nodule without surface change on the left axilla. Histopathologic examination of the plaque on the left shoulder and axillary nodule showed tubercles composed of mononuclear cells, epithelioid cells and giant cells of the Langhans type in the dermis. Caseation necrosis within the typical tubercles was noted. Prominent resolution of the lesion was observed 4 months after oral medication with isoniazid and ethambutol. The subcutaneous axillary nodule which developed after BCG vaccination was thought to be an unusual manifestation of skin tuberculosis.
Adolescent ; Axilla ; Dermis ; Epithelioid Cells ; Ethambutol ; Female ; Giant Cells ; Humans ; Isoniazid ; Mycobacterium bovis* ; Necrosis ; Physical Examination ; Shoulder ; Skin* ; Thumb ; Tuberculosis, Cutaneous* ; Vaccination*

Stratum corneum lipids, which are enriched in sphingolipids, free fatty acids, and cholesterol, are required for epidermal barrier function. When the epidermal permeability barrier is perturbed, the transepidermal water loss returns to normal by 24-48 hours in parallel with the reappearance of stratum corneum lipids, derived from secreted lamellar bodis and accelerated lipid synthesis. Recent evidence shows that topical application of individual lipids interferes with barrier recovery while complete mixtures of cholesterol, fatty acids, and ceramides facilitate recovery after barrier disrupton. Metabolic imbalances and perturbed barrier function can be either the cause or the consequences of the pathobiology of scaling disease. Many skin diseases relating cornification and dryness are indeed related to abnormality of one or several combinations of lipids. Recently the cytokines which have changed during barrier recovery seem to be important in understanding of epidermal lipid homeostasis as well as barrier recovery.
Ceramides ; Cholesterol ; Cytokines ; Fatty Acids ; Fatty Acids, Nonesterified ; Homeostasis* ; Permeability ; Skin Diseases ; Sphingolipids ; Water

No abstract available.
Carcinoma*

A 61-year-old male was presented with oozing crusted erythematous skin lesions on the ex-tensor site of the right forearm, the extensor site of the left forearm, left calf, right shin, and the right portion of the buttock. He was diagnosed as having multiple pagetoid Bowen's disease by H&E staining, special staining and by an electron microscopic examination. He was treated with a topical application of 5-flurouracil cream and cryosurgery. The skin lesions were mostly healed after 7 months. We herein report a case of multiple pagetoid Bowen's disease on the sun-protected area that may be caused by arsenic ingestion.
Arsenic ; Bowen's Disease* ; Buttocks ; Cryosurgery ; Eating ; Forearm ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Skin

No abstract available.
Nose* ; Osteotomy*

We report a case of type III hyperlipoproteinemia associated with xanthoma eruptivum. Xanthoma tuberosum, and xanthoma striatum palmare whose clinical symptoms have been improved by the treatment of gemfibrozil. A 31-year-old male patient visited our clinic for evaluation of multiple yellowish nodules on the elbows, multiple yellowish plaques on the buttocks and linear yellowish plaques along with the palmar creases on both palms. The blood chemistry showed an elevation of cholesterol and triglyceride. Lipoprotein electrophoresis showed broad betazone and plasma standing test showed turbid plasma. Lipoprotein ultracentrifugation showed that the ratio of VLDL cholesterol and plasma triglyceride was 0.38. According to the above findings, we diagnosed this patient as type III hyperlipoproteinemia. After 4 months of treatment with diet and gemfibrozil, the serum level of cholesterol and triglyceride were reduced to normal range. The skin lesions of both palms showed marked improvement but the skin lesions on elbows and buttocks were not much improved.
Adult ; Buttocks ; Chemistry ; Cholesterol ; Cholesterol, VLDL ; Diet ; Elbow ; Electrophoresis ; Gemfibrozil ; Humans ; Hyperlipoproteinemia Type III* ; Lipoproteins ; Male ; Plasma ; Reference Values ; Skin ; Triglycerides ; Ultracentrifugation ; Xanthomatosis*

Although the effect of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation on immune response was reported to supress cellular immune response, the exact mechanism was not elucidated. As recent development in cytokine research progress, it is well-known that immune response is regulated by cytokines and especially cellular immune response is induced by interferon (IFN)-r and interleukin (IL)-12 which is mainly produced from lymphocytes and macrophages respectively. Therefore our purpose was to elucidate the UV effect on cellular immune response and its mechanism. We have investigated the changes of host resistance by injection of Listeria monocytogenes which is an intracellular parasite after UVB irradiation in C57BL/6 mice which is known to have relatively strong cellular immune response. In addition we also have investigated the changes in the production of IFN-r from lymphocytes and the production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a and IL-12 from macrophages in mice by UVB irradiation. The increase of mouse spleen index and susceptibility of iisteria monocytogenes infection was correlated with the decreased production of IFN-r, TNF-a and IL-12, which was known to induce the suppression of cellular imrnune response.
Animals ; Cytokines* ; Immunity, Cellular ; Interferons ; Interleukin-12 ; Interleukins ; Listeria monocytogenes* ; Listeria* ; Lymphocytes ; Macrophages ; Mice ; Parasites ; Spleen ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

BACKGROUND: Although the precise pathogenesis of the Behçet's disease is not yet undertween the severity of Behçet's disease and the serum cytokine level. development of cytokine research has made it possible to find out if there is an association between the severity of Behçet's syndrome and the serum cytokine level. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to elucidate whether the immunopathological mechanism is associated with the serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-1β (I1,1β) which are predominantly produced by monocytes/macrophages, and mterleukm-6 (IL-6). METHOD: Sixty seven patients of Behçet's disease and ten healthy adults as a control group were studied. Serum TNF and IL-6 levels were detected by enzyme immunoassay and serum IL-lβ levels by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in the serum levels of TNF, IL-1β, TL-6 compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that the immunopathological reactions of the Behçet's disease are not associated with a monocyte/macrophage dependent mechanism, possibly due to other immunocompetent cells.
Adult ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Interleukin-6* ; Methods ; Necrosis* ; Radioimmunoassay ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha