Takehito Kozuka

An open study of vitamin D3 treatment in psoriasis vulgaris.

Active forms of vitamin D3, 1α‐hydroxyvitamin D3 and 1α, 25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3, were administered in an open‐design study to 40 patients with psoriasis vulgaris in three ways: (i)to 17 patients 1α, hydroxyvitamin D3 was given orally at a dose of 1.0μ/day for 6 months, (2) to four patients 1α, 25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3 was given orally at a dose of 0.5μ/day for 6 months, and (3)19 patients were given 1α, 25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3, was applied topically at a concentration of 0.5μ/g of base for 8 weeks. Improvement was observed at the end of the individual study periods in 13 (76%) patients in Group I with a mean period of treatment (±SD) of 2.7 ± 0.6 months, in one patient in Group 2 at 3 months after the start of treatment, and in 16 (84%) patients in Group 3 when the chemical was applied for 3.3 ± 1.2 weeks. No side‐effects were observed in any of these trials. These data suggest that psoriasis may respond to active metabolites of vitamin D3 and that abnormalities in vitamin D metabolism or in responsiveness of the skin cells to active metabolites of vitamin D may be involved in the pathogenesis of this skin disease.

Topical administration of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 for proriasis: Report of five cases

SummaryThe effects of topical administration of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, as 0.1 and 0.5 μg per g base, and control base applied to contralateral skin lesions in five patients with persistant psoriasis were compared. In all five, definite and in some cases remarkable improvement of the lesions was seen when 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 at concentration of 0.5 μg per g base was applied for two to five weeks. No local or systemic toxicity was detected in any patient. Although the mechanism of the improvement is yet to be elucidated, these results show the possible effectiveness of topical 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 on psoriatic skin lesions.

Brilliant Lake Red R as a cause of pigmented contact dermatitis

Twenty‐three patients suffering from pigmented contact dermatitis caused by cosmetics containing Brilliant Lake Red R were observed. Commercial samples of Brilliant Lake Red R proved to contain many ethyl acetate extractable impurities; 1‐phenylazo‐2‐naphthol and azobenzene were isolated and identified.

Expression of Epstein-Barr virus in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma including mycosis fungoides.

Cutaneous T‐Cell lymphoma (CTCL) is a non‐Hodgkins lymphoma of unknown pathogenesis. Mycosis fungoides (MF) is a clinically determined subset of CTCL with intensive infiltration of lymphoma cells into the epidermis. To determine whether Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) is associated with these lymphoma cells, we performed mRNA in situ hybridization in 5 cases of CTCL and 7 cases of MF using an RNA probe transcribed from BamHI W fragment of EBV genome. These transcripts were detected in the majority of lymphoma cells in all cases examined. We also detected intensive hybridization signals on epidermal squamous cells contiguous to strong infiltration with lymphoma cells into the subcutaneous connective tissue. Similarly, positive signals were detected using the probes transcribed from the sequences of EBV‐encoded small nonpolyadenylated RNAs‐1 (EBER1) and EBV‐determined nuclear antigen‐2 (EBNA2). The EBNA2 latent membrane protein‐1 (LMP1) and BZLF1 product (ZEBRA) were also detected by immunofluorescence staining using monoclonal antibodies. Further in the same experiment, we detected immunofluorescence of epidermal cells. EBV DNA was detected in all cases tested by DNA in situ hybridization. Moreover, we also identified the signals on epidermal cells via this technique. Polymerase chain reaction revealed amplified EBV DNA for most cases tested. Double staining with immunohistochemistry and RNA in situ hybridization showed that T‐cell marker‐positive cells, but not EBV‐carrying B‐cells, exhibited signals for the EB viral RNA. These findings suggest that EBV is involved in the neoplastic transformation of CTCL and MF.

Effect of 1α-hydroxycholecalciferol on psoriasis vulgaris: a pilot study

SummaryWe carried out a clinical trial of 1α-hydroxycholecalciferol [1α(OH)D3] at a dose of 1.0 μg a day on 7 patients with psoriasis vulgaris. These patients had been treated by topical applications of corticosteroids before this study without improvement, and during the clinical trial, treatment of topical corticosteroids was continued on 6 of the 7 patients. Four of 7 patients showed complete remission and marked improvement and 2 additional patients showed minimal improvement of their skin lesions during and after the treatment with 1α(OH)D3. No adverse reactions were noted during the treatment period. The mechanism of the phenomenon we observed has yet to be elucidated. Controlled trials of large numbers of patients with psoriasis vulgaris treated with 1α(OH)D3 are under way.

Treatment of psoriasis vulgaris by oral administration of 1α-hydroxyvitamin D3—Open-design study

SummaryIn an open-design study 1α-hydroxyvitamin D3 was administered orally to 17 patiens with psoriasis vulgaris at a dose of 1.0 μg/day for 6 months. More than moderate improvement was observed in 13 (76 %) of the 17 patients from 2.7±0.6 months (mean±SD) after the start of treatment. No side effects of the treatment were observed. The mechanism of the effect of 1α-hydroxyvitamin D3 requires study, but these data suggest that its oral administration is effective for treatment of psoriasis vulgaris.

Prenatal diagnosis of Cockayne syndrome using assay of colony-forming ability in ultraviolet light irradiated cells.

The analysis of colony‐forming ability after ultraviolet light exposure is described with amniotic fluid cells from a pregnancy at risk for Cockayne syndrome. The amniotic fluid cells were considerably more sensitive to ultraviolet light than normal amniotic fluid cells and skin fibroblasts from normal donors. It took about 5 weeks from amniocentesis to identify the affected fetus by this colony assay. The diagnosis was confirmed in fibroblast cultures from both skin and lung of the aborted fetus.

Lymphedema due to chronic penile strangulation: a case report.

A 62‐year‐old man was admitted with swelling of the penis caused by long term use of a penis enlarging ring. For the previous 20 years, he had noticed small pruritic nodules on his penis. He had no micturitional or ejaculatory impairment.

Treatment of Psoriasis Vulgaris with Oral 1α,25‐Dihydroxyvitamin D3

Psoriasis is a common inflammatory skin disease, but its pathogenesis is unknown. This paper presents 2 cases of psoriasis vulgaris in which the skin lesions were improved for 3 months and more after the start of oral treatment with 1α,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3 at a dose of 0.5 μg/day. The circulating levels of calcium, inorganic phosphate, 25‐hydroxyvitamin D, 1α,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D, parathyroid hormone and calcitonin were within normal ranges before and after the start of treatment. These findings suggest that 1α,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3 has a beneficial effect on psoriatic skin lesions. It probably has a direct effect on enhancing epidermal cell differentiation.

DNA REPAIR AND CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF 96 XERODERMA PIGMENTOSUM PATIENTS IN JAPAN

ABSTRACT Ninety six xeroderma pigmentosum patients in Japan were examined for DNA repair capacities of their cells and clinical characteristics. A half of the patients were children under 10 years old, most of them having very low repair capacities. There were two older patients, 45 and 64, who showed very mild symptom but whose cells showed low amount of unscheduled DNA synthesis. One of them was identified to belong to a new complementation group, F. There were many group A patients and no group B, C., or E patients. Apparently the development of clinical symptoms were related to the repair capacities of the cells with possible exception of above two patients, although the host-cell reactivation experiment on the group F cells revealed considerably higher repair capacity.