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A Quantitative Study on the Heisaaer’s Corpuscles in Patients with leprosy aod Healtky Control

Beoa Jia Seong, ll.D., Xi Baa Sea, I.D. and hag Kyu Park, H.D. Deyartnat of Derrtology. College of Hedicina. Ckuagaaa llational Daiversity. Dsejeon. Korea

This study vas undertaken to coafim the waotitative differeace of Heieaaer’s oodles by age ia aoal control aad ptieate with leproay. Ibe *ia specimes were obtaiaad froa tbe rlmr Paa ktween the dtk aad 5tb fiPpr of 55 cases consistiag of 37 cadavers as norm1 coatrol aad 31 pstiats vitb leprosy. 1. I&e stitrstial differences ia tke density between seses of norm1

cases ia each daada of life. 2. Tbe deasity of lleiasaar’s corpuscles in nomel control decreased

ia limar tread eitb we. 3. Tbe specWas fras tL yatieats ritb leprosy skoved a sukstaatially

lower density ef kiseaer’s corw3cles as cowwed to tke noraal caeas is the sue asa Krllups.

4. lie sigaificaat differeaoes in density beteeea the patients vitb le~taua aad tukrculoid leprosy. and duration of disease under ard over 6 aoaths.

STUDY ON SKIN ELASTICITY BY DERMAFLEX A - EVALUATION OF AGING SKIN -

TETSURO SUGAI

Department Of Dermatoloqy, Osaka Kaisei Hospital, Osaka

The Dermaflex A (Cortex Technology, Denmark) is a tool for measuring ski" elasticity in viva based on repeated applica- tions of suction.

Four each of healthy male and female volunteers were chosen in a young group (19 to 23 years in age) and elderly group (60 to 80 years in age).

Resul.tS obteined are as follows: 1) About the distensibility, the elderly group is signifi-

cantly higher than the young group (p<O.Ol). 2) About the elasticity, significant differences are found

between two each of four groups, and the order of elasticity is young female, young male, elderly female and elderly male group from the higher.

It is considered, thus, that the elasticity is the most reliable index of skin aging as well as dermatoheliosis.

HAIASSEZIA FURFUR LIPASK (2): iTS SOLUBILIZATION AND THE WFECTS OF PH, ACTIVATOR AND INHIBITOR ON CELL GRWTH.

TNMSHI YOSHIIKB’. YUPING RAN’, z, and HIDEOKI OGAWA’ Departwnts of Dermatology, Juntando Univ. School of Hedicine, Tokyo’. and Uest China University of Ned&l Sciences. China’.

!falassezia furfur lipase activity was detected chiefly in the insoluble fractions of the organisms. Slall amounts of lipase activities mere solubilized by sodium dodecyl sulfate (6.2% of total activity). sodium deoxycholate (8.3%) and zmlase (5.6%). Cells grew best at $I 5.0 which is optimal for lipsse activity. Cell growth was inhibited by a lipase inhibitor, diisofluorophosphate (DPP). at a concentration of 10m3H where the growth of Candida albicans was not suppressed at all. On the other hand, the addition of a lipase activator. sodium taurocholate (STC), into the culture medium activated cell growth in a dose dependent mnner, and induced hyphae which is supposedly pathogenic. This stodgy suggests that the lipase of the yeasts of dfurfw is localized chiefly whithin the glucan-rich wall and/or membrane systems and that the lipese plays an important role, not only in cell growth, but also in relation to pathogenecity.

ANALYSIS OF VIRAL REPLICATION IN HIV-1 INFECTED PERIPHERAL BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS.

SHUICHIRO KIMURA. SHUHEI SHIMAO, AND TAKASHI KURIMURA#. DePartment of Dermatolorrv. Tottori Univ. School of Medicine. Yonago, Department of Pathology Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka#

Intracellular events vere analyzed in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) after infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). PBMC were obtained from one specified donor (donor A) throughout the experiments except for the preparation of the virus stocks. Progeny virus yield, expression of IIIV antigen is), production of viral plus strand RNA, pZ4 antigen in culture fluid and cytopathic effect were used as the indicators of intracellular events. Four HIV isolates from AIDS patients (CDCN) exhibited fairly heterogeneous characteristics in each of indicators. Since it wns conceivable that one virus stock was consisted of mixed population of HIV, four virus stocks were passaged once in PBMC from donor A. HIV in this new virus stock crew faster and gave higher virus yield than before passage ai the result of selection of virus which could grow well in donor A. This phenomenon could also be one of the mecha- nisms which induce the onset of AIDS.

INCREASED COLLAGENASE GENE EXPRESSION IN CUTIS LAXA FIBROBLASTS

ATSUSHI HATAMOCHI, TAMIKO WADA AND HIROAKI UEKI Department of Dermatology, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki

Collagenase gene expression was analyzed in three dermal fibroblast strains from patients with cutis laxa by RNA hybridizations with human cDNA probes for collagenase. No qualitative difference between the control and cutis laxa &A transcripts was detected by Northern blot analysis. However, increased levels of collagenase mRNA were disclosed in all cutis laxa cell strains by dot blot hybridization. Collagenase activity in fibroblast culture supernatants was then measured using FITC-labeled type I collagen, according to the method of Ohsawa et al. (Biomedical Research 5(2): 177-186, 1984). Increased collagenolytic activity in cutis laxa fibroblast culture supernatants was also found. These data suggest that, in addition to abnormality of elastin metabolism, increased collagenase activity, which may lead to abnormal collagen metabolism, is also present in the ski" tissue in cutis laxa.

MOLECULAR BASIS OF TYROSINASE-NEGATIVE ALBINISM: A SINGLE BASE MUTATION IN THE TYROSINASE GENE CAUSING THE ARGININE TO GLUTAMINE SUBSTITUTION AT POSITION 59.

Y. TOMITA, J. MATSUNAGA, A. TAKEDA*, S. SHIBAHARA*, AND H. TAGAMI. Dept. of Dermatology and Dept. of Applied Physiology*, Tohoku University School of Medicine. Sendai

Recently, we have show" a single base insertion in the tyrosinase gene of two patients with tyrosinase-negative oculocutaneous albinism COCA) that introduces a nonsense mu- tation (Biochem Biophys Res Commun 164:990, 1989). In this report, we demonstrate a new mutation in the tyrosinase gene of the other OCA patient, which is a G to A transition at residue 312, leading to the substitution of glutamine for arginine at position 59. The family members of the patient are phenotypically normal, but are shown to be heterozygote carri- ers. Functional analysis of the mutated gene suggests that tyrosinase containing glutamine 59 is catalytically inactive. We therefore propose that the albino phenotype of this patient is a consequence of the point mutation at residue 312 of the tyrosinase gene.