Halo nevi and the Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome. Manifestations of vitiligo

A 10-year-old boy with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome had loss of pigment cells in the skin, the halo nevi, the retina, and probably the leptomeninges. The amount of inflammation that accompanied destruction of pigment cells varied greatly and seemed to determine whether the patient had symptoms from his vitiligo. This patient exhibited symptoms associated with loss of pigment cells in his skin and leptomeninges, but not from the destruction of the pigment cells in his eyes. We suggest that vitiligo is a disease that can be manifested in any tissue containing pigment cells and has a variable clinical expression.

Collagenase levels in a new model of experimental herpetic interstitial keratitis

A reproducible model of severe herpetic interstitial keratitis was developed by injecting live herpes simplex virus type 2 intrastromally into the corneas of presensitized rabbits. Herpes-infected corneas showed significantly more stromal infiltration and vascularization, iritis, conjunctivitis, and epithelial disease than the control corneas injected with cell supernatant without virus. Levels of total collagenase detected in the culture media of the herpes-infected corneas were high and were similar to those observed previously in alkali-burned rabbit corneas. Unlike alkali-burned corneas, the herpes-infected corneas showed much more of the enzyme in the latent form during the first two days of culture.

Interstitial deletion of chromosome 13 and associated congenital anomalies

An interstitial deletion of chromosome 13 with breakpoints at 13q22 and 13q32 is presented. The clinical findings associated with this deletion are discussed in relation to the correlations of specific chromosomal bands with constellations of congenital defects as described by Niebuhr and Ottosen (1973), Niebuhr (1977). Lewandowski and Yunis (1975), and Noel et al. (1976).