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Biomedical subjects

H Tagami

Publications and source records attributed to H Tagami.

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Juvenile generalized pustular psoriasis in a pair of monozygotic twins presenting strikingly similar clinical courses.

We describe an exceptionally rare case of juvenile generalized pustular psoriasis noted in monozygotic twins who, after developing the disease on the same day (the 48th day after birth) continued to show strikingly similar clinical features of generalized pustular psoriasis for 7 years. Not even therapeutic intervention by tonsillectomy performed at age 4 years on one of the twins, which was expected to have some beneficial effect, could decrease the number of attacks or pustulation compared with the counterpart.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1991

Structural organization of the pigment cell-specific gene located at the brown locus in mouse. Its promoter activity and alternatively spliced transcript.

The pigment cell-specific gene, located at the brown (b) locus in mouse, has been cloned and characterized. Its gene product is required for the formation of black melanin rather than brown, although its exact function remains to be elucidated. We thus tentatively named it b-locus protein in this report. The b-locus protein gene is about 18 kilobase pairs long and organized into 8 exons and 7 introns. Functional analysis of its promoter region suggests that the nucleotide residues -38/154 is sufficient to direct the pigment cell-specific transcription in melanoma whole cell extracts. On the other hand, we were unable to detect its transcripts in HeLa whole cell extracts. Sequence comparison with the promoter region of the tyrosinase gene, another pigment cell-specific gene, reveals that two elements of the b-locus protein gene (-33/-24 and 18/28) are also conserved in the tyrosinase gene at equivalent positions, suggesting that these two elements may be involved in their pigment cell-specific transcription. Furthermore, we have cloned a cDNA, pMT3, coding for an isoform of b-locus protein from a cDNA library of mouse B16 melanoma cells. Sequence analysis of pMT3 reveals a deletion of 103 base pairs, which corresponds to the 5'-end of the exon 8 of the b-locus protein gene, indicating that pMT3 represents a mRNA species generated by alternative splicing. Since this deletion changes the reading frame and eliminates the transmembrane domain of b-locus protein, the pMT3-type mRNA may code for a soluble isoform. Such an isoform, consisting of 553 amino acids, differs only in its carboxyl terminus and is larger than b-locus protein by 16 amino acids. Using transient expression assays, we confirmed that such an isoform is able to react with anti-b-locus protein monoclonal antibody, TMH-1, suggesting that a b-locus protein isoform may have some function in pigmentation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

In vitro comparison of water-holding capacity of the superficial and deeper layers of the stratum corneum.

We measured the electrical conductance at 3.5 MHz of a sheet of normal stratum corneum (SC) mounted with either the upper surface or the lower surface downward in simulated in vivo conditions. In this way, we assessed the water-binding capacity of the upper and lower portions of the horny layer. Measurements were made with the SC model in environments of various relative humidities. Between 30% and 90% relative humidity, the conductance of the upper surface was always significantly higher than that of the lower surface. In contrast no significant difference was observed in transepidermal water loss (TEWL) with the SC sheet placed upwards or downwards. After exposure to lipid extraction with acetone/ether, a significant decrease in conductance and increase in TEWL occurred, particularly in the upper surface. The amount of extractable amino acids was much higher from the middle layer than from the outer layers of the SC, and was lowest from the deepest part of SC. These results, indicating a lower efficiency of the lower surface of the SC for water-binding than the desquamating upper surface, suggest that newly formed immature SC does not have the water-holding capacity of the mid portion of the SC, which is probably the layer with the greatest water holding capacity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Interaction between human neutrophils and corneocytes: corneocyte-induced respiratory burst of neutrophils assessed by chemiluminescence.

In an in vitro study to examine whether corneocytes stimulate neutrophils to cause a respiratory burst, we found that stratum corneum (SC) homogenates obtained from the sole of healthy individuals induced a substantial respiratory burst in human neutrophils when assessed by lucigenin-dependent chemiluminescence (CL) in the presence of the fresh human serum. Electron microscopically, the interaction between corneocytes and neutrophils was shown as distinctive deformation of the neutrophils adhering to the surface of the corneocytes that suggested a specific binding between SC and neutrophils. In contrast, in the heat-inactivated serum-supplemented system, the peak intensity of SC-induced CL was significantly decreased, being only slightly higher than that noted in the SC-free background. To circumvent the time-consuming preparation of the SC homogenates, we measured CL with a sheet of SC obtained by stripping with adhesive cellophane tape. In this case we used plasma because the complement was easily activated by cellophane tape itself when serum was used. To evaluate the influence of the location of horny tissue in the SC on CL in neutrophils, we used SC sheets stripped with cellophane tape from various levels of the SC. However, there was no significant difference in CL responses between SC sheets obtained by 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, or 15 strippings. Our findings suggest that when SC comes in contact with serum, it is opsonized by C3b, and such SC causes a respiratory burst of neutrophils following their specific binding on the surface of corneocytes.

Cell Communication↗
PubMed1991

The monoclonal antibodies TMH-1 and TMH-2 specifically bind to a protein encoded at the murine b-locus, not to the authentic tyrosinase encoded at the c-locus.

Three hybridomas, TMH-1, TMH-2, and TMH-3, were previously reported by Tomita et al to produce monoclonal antibodies against murine and human T4-tyrosinase localized in melanosome for the formation of melanin pigment. However, TMH antibodies were unable to react with K1735 cells transfected with the authentic tyrosinase-cDNA construct, but did react with those transfected with the pMT4-cDNA construct. The cDNA pMT4 was initially cloned as a putative tyrosinase cDNA by Shibahara et al, but it is now known to encode mouse brown (b) locus protein, which was named "tyrosinase-related protein" by Jackson or "b protein" by Hearing and Jimenez. Furthermore, TMH antibodies recognize hair bulbs of C57BL/6J-c2J/c2J mouse (B/B, c/c) lacking tyrosinase activity, but do not recognize hair bulbs of b-locus mutated DBA/2 mouse (b/b, C/C), which have authentic tyrosinase. Considering these observations, we conclude that TMH antibodies specifically recognize the protein encoded at b-locus.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Acral pseudolymphomatous angiokeratoma of children (APACHE): a case report and immunohistological study.

Acral pseudolymphomatous angiokeratoma of children (APACHE) is a new clinical entity that is characterized by angiomatous papules on the extremities. We report a case APACHE in a 14-year-old Japanese girl with asymptomatic red and violaceous papules and nodules on the ring finger of the left hand. Histological and immunohistochemical studies of our patient indicated that APACHE is a pseudolymphoma rather than an angiokeratoma.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Determination of released CD4 and CD8 antigens in the suction-blister fluid and horny-tissue extract in patients with psoriasis.

The amounts of soluble CD4 and CD8 antigens were measured in suction-blister fluid and extracts of horny tissue in patients with psoriasis. The levels of soluble CD4 and CD8 in the suction-blister fluid of lesional skin in psoriasis was significantly higher than from normal skin and the uninvolved skin in psoriasis. Levels of soluble CD4 and CD8 in the extracts of horny tissue in psoriasis were significantly higher than those from non-psoriatic skin.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Linear cutaneous neurilemmomas on the forehead.

A 35-year-old woman had had pruritic linearly arranged papules on the right side of her forehead for 17 years. A biopsy specimen from one of the papules showed the histopathological appearance of an intradermal plexiform neurilemmoma. No other features of systemic neurofibromatosis or neurilemmomatosis were detected. Neurilemmoma usually occurs as a solitary lesion in the subcutis and there are only few reports of such localized multiple intradermal neurilemmomas associated with neither neurofibromatosis nor neurilemmomatosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Dry skin of newborn infants: functional analysis of the stratum corneum.

Our clinical observations disclosed that most newborn infants showed scaling on at least some parts of the body. To clarify the mechanism for such xerosis, we performed measurements of high-frequency conductance (Gx), which assesses the skin surface hydration and evaporative water loss from the skin. The skin of newborns showed surprisingly lower Gx values and evaporative water loss than those of adults or 1- to 6-month-old infants in a warm environment. These findings may be explained partly by low eccrine activity, which has been reported as characteristic of newborn skin. However, defective stratum corneum function, such as reduced water-holding capacity as demonstrated by the in vivo water sorption-desorption test, also seems to be responsible for the development of dry skin in newborns.

Child↗
PubMed1991

Jacquet erosive diaper dermatitis in a young girl with urinary incontinence.

We report a case of Jacquet erosive diaper dermatitis (dermatitis syphiloides posterosiva) in a 9-year-old girl suffering from urinary incontinence due to an ectopic opening of a left double ureter into the vaginal vestibule. The toilet paper that she used as an absorbent was thought to be one of the factors causing the eruption. The lesions cleared with topical application of a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory ointment and zinc oxide ointment, in conjunction with the use of sanitary napkins.

Child↗
PubMed1991

Generalized eruptive histiocytoma: a report of a variant case showing the presence of dermal indeterminate cells.

We describe a 14-year-old Japanese girl with a variant of generalized eruptive histiocytoma. She presented with the characteristic features of classical generalized eruptive histiocytoma but with the following minor differences. Clinically, some of the papular eruptions tended to coalesce to form plaques. Histoligically, some of the histiocytic cells were S-100 protein- and OKT-6-positive; these were thought to be indeterminate cells because they lacked Birbeck granules. In addition, PAS-positive cells were few and there were some intermingled lymphocytes and a few eosinophils.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Tyrosinemia II: report of an incomplete case and studies on the hyperkeratotic stratum corneum.

We report a case of tyrosinemia II in a 20-year-old man who had painful palmoplantar hyperkeratotic lesions and corneal erosion. His serum tyrosine level was more than 10 times above normal. Though dietary control failed to eliminate the skin lesions, etretinate cleared them temporarily and grafted skin from the buttock did not become hyperkeratotic during the observation period of 1 1/2 years. Amino acid analysis in the hyperkeratotic stratum corneum disclosed a moderate increase not only in soluble tyrosine but also in other amino acid contents. Turnover time of the hyperkeratotic stratum corneum was greatly elongated as compared with that of the grafted site.

Adult↗