The sebum excretion rate, sebaceous count and the chemical composition of the sebum have been determined in 10 young men without or with minimal acne vulgaris and 20 young men with gross acne vulgaris. No significant relation between the sebum excretion rate and the presence of acne was found. Significant differences were found in the triglyceride and the aliphatic alcohol wax ester contents of sebum from the 2 groups. The results are discussed in relation to current ideas on the pathogenesis of acne.VARIOUS aspects of sebaceous gland function have been studied in subjects with and without acne vulgaris in an endeavour to provide some basis for understanding the pathogenesis of acne. Measures of the rate of lipid excretion, of the chemical composition of the lipid and of specific biocliemical activity have been made at different skin sites in a variety of subjects. Acne vulgaris is severe in late adolescence and occurs in certain well recognized areas of the skin. The sebaceous glands of these areas have relatively high rates of lipid excretion and their potential biochemical activity differs from the range of activity of sebaceous glands elsewhere (Milne, 1969). The incidence of acne vulgaris is high in the Caucasoid male population. Some females with acne in this population group show exacerbations related to menstruation.In order to reduce the number of factors affecting sebaceous gland function the present study has been hmited to the sebaceous glands of the mid-forehead in males (Scotsmen) aged 15 to 20 years. The density of lipid-excreting orifices, the rate of^ lipid excretion and the chemical composition of the lipid excreted have been determined in each subject. INVESTIGATIONSubjects.-Two groups of men in the age range 15 to 20 years have been studied. One group consisted of' 9 subjects completely free from acne vulgaris and one subject aged 17 years with a total of 3 comedones in the acne areas. None had any previous history of acne. The second group was composed of 20 subjects with gross acne vulgaris consisting of comedones, papules, pustules, and in some cases, cysts, involving most acne areas. The mid-forehead was free from acne at the time of investigation. None of these acne patients had taken tetracycline derivatives or received x-ray or u.v. radiation treatment during the 3 months preceding investigation. All subjects were at rest in a room temperature of 20-25° C. while sebum studios were made.Methods.-The sebum excretion rate and the sebaceous count were determined by the method of Strauss and Pochi (1961). Sebum was collected over a known period of 2 to 3 hr. from an area (12-5 cm.2) of the mid-forchcad of each subject and the amount estimated by direct weighing of the lipid. The sebum excretion rate was expressed as mg. per 10 cm.2 per 3 hi-, and this is the luiit used throughout this paper.

We report the pathology of benign and malignant skin lesions from 13 renal allograft recipients. The 59 lesions included 18 squamous carcinomas, 16 verrucous keratoses, 19 warts with varying dysplasia, three plaque lesions resembling those found in epidermodysplasia verruciformis, two non-specific keratoses and one basal cell carcinoma. We delineate criteria for histological assessment of the presence of human papilloma virus (HPV) and use the term verrucous keratosis for lesions in which there is a putative viral contribution. Our findings emphasize the lack of correlation between clinical and histological assessment of the lesions. We note the variable and significant dysplasia within otherwise typical viral warts and the architectural features suggestive of HPV presence in the dysplastic lesions and in in situ and invasive squamous carcinomas. Parallel virological studies have revealed the presence of HPV 5/8 in over 60% of the invasive and in situ carcinomas probed. These HPV types have previously been isolated from squamous carcinomas of epidermodysplasia verruciformis, a condition whose defective cell-mediated immunity may be compared with that of the immunosuppression in our patients.

Conventional histology and immunoperoxidase staining for fibrin, immunoglobulins, and complement components were used to look for evidence of cutaneous vasculitis and immune complex deposition in Sweet's syndrome. These features were not identified in any of the 15 cases studied. The lack of any vasculitis emphasises the distinctive character of Sweet's syndrome when compared with certain spontaneous and experimentally induced inflammatory skin lesions, and may imply a similarly distinctive pathogenesis.

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