Six cases of pityriasis rosea with atypical morphology and distribution of the eruption are reported. The eruption did not show a typical ‘Christmas-tree’ arrangement, confined to the trunk and proximal parts of the extremities. However, the histology of the eruption revealed dyskeratotic cells in the epidermis and extravasated erythrocytes in the dermis, which were recently reported as rather characteristic findings of this disease. Prodromal symptoms, course and response to therapy were compatible with pityriasis rosea. Histological examination is important and helpful for the diagnosis of atypical cases.

Five patients with Behçet's disease were satisfactorily treated with colchicine. Oral aphthosis, erythema nodosum-like lesions and genital erosions improved greatly within a month as did laboratory findings. We believe colchicine to be the first choice in the management of the cutaneous and ocular lesions of Behçet's disease.

In Japan, two cases of familial lichen amyloidosis were found in a mother and her son, who had a history of cutaneous amyloidosis in 11 adults of three family generations. HLA types in both patients were rather common ones among Japanese people. Topical application of dimethyl sulfoxide was effective in the mother but not in the son. Familial cutaneous amyloidosis (FCA) is a rare disease in Japan although nonfamilial-type is not uncommon. Possible parameters of FCA are discussed. The author recommends using "FCA" without "primary" as the name of the disease.

Topical psoralen plus UV-A irradiation (topical PUVA) was re-evaluated with regard to the timing of UV-A exposure. Symmetrical lesions of fifteen patients with psoriasis were treated with topical PUVA. One side was exposed to UV-A 2 h after topical application of I% 8-methoxypsoralen (2-h interval therapy), while the other side was exposed to the same dose of UV-A within 5 min of the topical application (non-interval therapy). Both regimens were effective. The non-interval therapy was preferred in one case, the 2-hour interval was preferred in three cases, and there was no clear difference in the other eleven cases. There was less tendency to burning with the non-interval therapy, and our study suggests that this is a useful regimen in the out-patient treatment of psoriasis.

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