Retrospective cohort study on combination therapy with the histamine H2-receptor antagonist lafutidine for antihistamine-resistant chronic urticaria.

We conducted a retrospective cohort study evaluating the efficacy and usefulness of the addition of lafutidine, a novel histamine H2-receptor antagonist, in treatment of patients with idiopathic chronic urticaria whose disease was not well controlled with histamine H1-receptor antagonists. Based on the assessment of global improvement, moderate or better improvement was achieved in 39 of 46 patients (85%) after 1-3 weeks of additional administration of lafutidine and 35 patients (76%) after 3 months. No incidence of drug-related adverse reactions was reported in any patient. Lafutidine was rated as useful or better in 34 patients (74%) after 3 months of treatment. The usefulness of the drug was not affected by differences in background factors, such as disease duration, previous treatment duration and the number of concomitant H1-receptor antagonists. Lafutidine appears to be a promising addition to histamine H1-receptor antagonist therapy for the treatment of chronic urticaria resistant to treatment with H1-receptor antagonists alone.

A case of syringomatous adenoma of the nipple.

Syringomatous adenoma of the nipple (SAN) is an extremely rare disease originating in the adnexal gland; it was first reported by Rosen in 1983 [Am J Surg Pathol 1983;7:739-745]. Since then, 34 cases have been reported worldwide. We present the case of a 51-year-old man with SAN, in whom local excision of the tumor was performed. Histologically, the tumor consisted of tubules, ductules and epithelial cell strands, and most of the proliferating ducts presented with a characteristic teardrop or comma-shaped appearance.

Linear Basal cell carcinoma: a case report.

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) presents with diverse clinical features, and several morphologic and histologic variants of BCC have been reported [Sexton et al.: J Am Acad Dermatol 1990;23:1118-1126]. Linear BCC was first described as a new clinical subtype in 1985 by Lewis [Int J Dematol 1985;24:124-125]. Here, we present a case of linear BCC that we recently encountered in an elderly Japanese patient, and review other cases reported in Japan.

[Analysis of 25 cases of microsporum canis infection encountered at a dermatology clinic in Kumamoto during a recent 3-year period].

Twenty-five cases of dermatophytoses caused by Microsporum canis were encountered during a 3-year period (January 2008-December 2010). Their diagnosis was based on detection of fungal elements by direct microscopy and identification of M. canis by fungal culture. There were 17 women and 8 men ; they ranged in age from 4 to 85 years (mean, 34.6). The affected site was the head (n=5), face (n=8), neck (n=5), arm (n=8), leg (n=5), and trunk (n=5) ; exposed sites were those most often affected. A lone eruption was seen in 13 and multiple eruptions in 12 patients. The disease type was tinea corporis in 21 patients, tinea capitis in 5, and a combination of tinea corporis and tinea capitis in one. The disease showed familial onset in 10 patients (5 pairs), including 2 sibling pairs, 2 mother-child pairs, and 1 grandmother-granddaughter pair. Twenty-four patients had a history of contact with animals, and animals kept at home may have served as the infection source (cats in 23 patients and a dog in one). Hairbrush culture of the pets was positive in 9 patients. The patients with a lone eruption were treated with topical antifungal agents, while those with multiple eruptions of tinea capitis and tinea corporis were treated with oral itraconazole or terbinafine hydrochloride for 2-14 weeks, combined with topical antifungal therapy. Although reports of dermatophytoses caused by M. canis have been decreasing, our experience indicates the necessity of considering possible transmission of this disease from pets such as cats.