Nozomi Nohara

Follicular Mucinosis: Response to Indomethacin

A patient with follicular mucinosis was treated topically and orally with indomethacin. He had generalized plaques and grouped follicular papules but no signs of cutaneous lymphoma. The skin lesions responded favorably to topical application. Oral administration produced a dramatic improvement. No recurrence has been seen for 5 years after stopping the treatment.

Cutaneous mucinosis associated with SLE--a case provoked by PUVA.

A patient with SLE which was complicated by a characteristic cutaneous mucinosis is reported. The skin lesions were composed of intradermal soft nodules, purple‐red plaques, and alopecia of the scalp. Acid mucopolysaccharides accumulated in each lesion. PUVA provoked an infiltrated skin lesion in which acid mucopolysacchraides were deposited in the dermis. Deposition of immunoglobulins and complements were also observed at the dermo‐epidermal junction and on the vascular walls. Some immunological processes which may stimulate the synthesis of acid mucopolysaccharides in the dermis were suggested.

Persistence of foam cells in rabbit xanthoma after normalization of serum cholesterol level

SummaryXanthoma was produced in diet-induced hypercholesterolemic rabbits by intradermal dextran sulfate injections. The serum cholesterol level returned to the normal range at about 10 weeks after ending the cholesterol diet. Gross observations after cessation of the cholesterol diet revealed a decrease in xanthomatous infiltrations. However, the dense foam cell infiltrations and cholesterol accumulations showed no signs of regression at even 9 months after ending the cholesterol diet. Signs of foam cell migration into the blood stream were not observed. The peristence of the xanthoma may be due to a lack of acceptors, such as high-density lipoproteins, that remove the cholesterol from the foam cells. During our 9-month observation period, some foam cells were degenerated and a few were fused with each other to transform into Touton-type giant cells. Nonfoamy histiocytes were infiltrated around these degenerating foam cells. The histiocytes may have transformed into foam cells by incorporating the lipids of the degenerated foam cells.

AN EXPERIMENTAL MODEL OF XANTHOMA BY INTRADERMAL DEXTRAN SULFATE INJECTION

Large molecular weight sodium dextran sulfate (SDS) injection into the dermis of both normolipemic rabbits and hypercholesterolemic rabbits induced infiltration of histiocytes and foam cells. Sudan III staining showed that the histiocytes and foam cells of hypercholesterolemic rabbits accumulated lipids similarly to xanthoma foam cells. The accumulated lipids increased as the injection was repeated at the same site. However, the lipid accumulation was minimal in the histiocytes of normolipemic rabbits. As determined by quantitative analysis of lipid composition in the lesions of hypercholesterolemic rabbits, cholesterol esters remarkably increased concomitantly with injection frequency. Free cholesterol accumulation was less pronounced than cholesterol ester. In normolipemic rabbit dermis, accumulation of free cholesterol was insignificant and cholesterol esters did not accumulate progressively with repeated SDS injections. Apparently the foam cells of hypercholesterolemic rabbits actively incorporated serum low density lipoproteins (LDL) and cholesterol was esterified in the foam cells. On the other hand, LDL were minimally incorporated into histiocytes in the normolipemic state. The intradermal SDS injection is a beneficial experimental model for further investigations on the mechanisms of lipid accumulation and the intracytoplasmic lipid metabolism of xanthoma foam cells.

A semiquantitative measurement of anti-nuclear antibody using immuno-microfluorimetry

Summary1.Using microfluorimetry, the strength of fluorescence was measured on fluoresceinated anti-nuclear antibody of SLE sera. The indirect “Sandwich” method was applied using human peripheral lymphocytes as substrates tissue.2.The results of using three FITC-labelled anti-human IgG conjugates of different types were compared with each other.3.More specific and more consistent results were obtained with conjugates with a lower F/P ratio and lower antibody and protein concentration than those in the case of conjugates with a higher F/P molar ratio and higher antibody and protein concentration.4.The immuno-microfluorimetric technique is very useful for the objective determination of the results of fluorescence microscopy and for the comparison of conjugates of different qualities.Zusammenfassung1.Mit Hilfe der Immun-Mikrofluorimetrie wurde die Fluorescenz-Stärke der antinukleären Antikörper bei SLE-Seren gemessen. Es wurde die indirekte Immun-Fluorescenz-Methode angewandt, und menschliche periphere Lymphocyten als Antigene benutzt.2.Es werden die Resultate aus der Anwendung von drei verschiedenen FITC-markierten anti-human IgG-Konjugaten miteinander verglichen.3.Die spezifischeren und beständigeren Resultate wurden mit Konjugaten der niedrigeren F/P mol-Relation und der niedrigeren Antikörper- und Eiweiß-Konzentration erlangt, nicht mit den Konjugaten der höheren F/P mol-Relation und der höheren Antikörper- und Eiweiß-Konzentration.4.Diese immunfluorimetrische Technik ist geeignet, die Untersuchungsergebnisse, objektiv unter dem Fluorescenz-Mikroskop zu beurteilen und Konjugate unterschiedlicher Qualität miteinander zu vergleichen.

Process of foam cell formation in diet-induced hypercholesterolemic rabbit and the Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic rabbit.

Xanthoma was induced by intradermal dextran sulfate (DS) injections into diet‐induced hypercholesterolemic rabbits (HCR) and a Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic (WHHL) rabbit. The number of infiltrating foam cells and the accumulation of cholesteryl esters, especially cholesteryl oleate, were more remarkable in a HCR with extremely high serum cholesterol level (1,176 mg/100 ml) than in the WHHL rabbit (serum cholesterol level of 327 mg/100 ml), but the number of infiltrating foam cells and the accumulation of cholesteryl esters were similar in a HCR with a serum cholesterol level of about 300 mg/100 ml and the WHHL rabbit. Apparently, the infiltration of foam cells and their accumulations of cholesteryl esters were correlated with serum total cholesterol level. Cholesterol esterification was stimulated and cholesterol synthesis was suppressed in the histiocyte infiltrating dermis incubated with very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), intermediate density lipoprotein (IDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) from either the HCR or WHHL rabbit. But supplements of the LDL from normolipemic rabbits (NLR) did not strongly stimulate cholesterol esterification and scarcely suppressed cholesterol synthesis. This suggests that the lipoproteins of the HCR and WHHL rabbit are more easily taken up by dermal histiocytes than the LDL of the NLR. Among the separate lipoprotein classes of the two distinct types of hypercholesterolemic rabbits, there were no significant differences in cholesterol esterification stimulation or cholesterol synthesis suppression.

PROLIDASE ACTIVITY DURING HEALING OF SKIN BURNS IN RATS

The activity of prolidase (Imidodipeptidase, EC 3.4.3.7.) in burned rat skin was assayed. A few days after burning, the prolidase activity in burned skin was higher than that in controls. The results showed that prolidase activity increased during wound healing.

Acid Cholesterol Esterase Activity in the Foam Cells Isolated from Rabbit Experimental Xanthoma Tissues

Acid cholesterol esterase (ACE) activity was assayed in the 10,000×g pellet from infiltrating cells isolated from experimental rabbit xanthoma tissues. Skin specimens were obtained from sites of intradermal dextran sulfate injections on a normolipemic rabbit (NLR) and a diet‐induced hypercholesterolemic rabbit (HCR). Most infiltrating cells were histiocytes or foam cells. Histiocytes from the NLR did not accumulate cholesteryl esters after the injections. Accumulation of cholesteryl esters in the xanthoma tissues of the HCR increased after repeating the injections at the same site. The ACE activity was greater in the cholesteryl ester‐accumulated foam cells than in histiocytes. The enzyme activity in the foam cells decreased during the developmental course of cholesteryl ester accumulation. These findings indicate that lysosomal ACE is activated and hydrolyzes the internalized cholesteryl esters of serum lipoprotein origin in the histiocytes which are transforming into foam cells. However, the enzyme activity decreases when too much of the cholesteryl esters has accumulated in the foam cells.

HYALURONIC ACID SYNTHETASE ACTIVITY IN LICHEN MYXEDEMATOSUS SKIN

Hyaluronic acid synthetase (HAS) activity of lyophilized skin from a 49‐year‐old Japanese man with lichen myxedematosus was assayed. The HAS activity was very high in both diseased and normal appearing skin.

IMMUNE DEPOSITS IN THE SKIN OF REVERSED PASSIVE ARTHUS REACTION. THE EFFECTS OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CORTICOSTEROID

The effects of corticosteroid administration on the immune deposits in the skin of reversed passive Arthus reaction (RPAR) using horseradish peroxidase as antigen were studied. Immune deposits were seen on vascular walls, on collagen fibers, at the dermo‐epidermal junction, at perifollicular regions, on mononuclear cells and in PMN‐leukocytes. By corticosteroid administration the amount of these immune deposits was most obviously reduced within the first 30 minutes after the induction of the RPAR. At 1, 4, 8, 24 and 48 hours after induction of the reaction there were no significant differences in the amount and the extent of the immune deposits on the vascular walls, on the collagen fibers and on the mononuclear cells, between the sections treated by corticosteroid and those of non‐treated specimens. The infiltration of PMN‐leukocytes and their uptake of immune complexes were maximum at 4 hours after the injection and the number of these infiltrated PMN‐leukocytes and the amount of immune complexes which were taken by them were slightly reduced by corticosteroid administration.