01629nas a2200265   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001000055653001500065653001100080653001400091653001100105653001200116653000900128653001500137653000900152100001300161700001400174700001900188245004000207300001200247490000700259520108300266022001401349       1990                            d  c1990 Mar10aAdult10aCell Count10aFemale10aGranuloma10aHumans10aleprosy10aMale10aMast Cells10aSkin1 aCree I A1 aCoghill G1 aSwanson Beck J00aMast cells in leprosy skin lesions.  a196-2000 v433 a<p>The variability of mast cell density within and between leprosy skin lesions was examined as a basis for future studies, and whether the number of mast cells in the lesion was determined by local or systemic factors was evaluated. The mast cell density in the granuloma, skin appendages, and intervening dermis was assessed by counting mast cells in glycol methacylate sections stained with Giemsa stain and relating these counts to area measurements obtained by planimetry. In biopsy specimens taken from the edge of established lesions the density of mast cells within the granulomata was considerably higher than that in the intervening dermis and was comparable with that found in the appendages. No major differences in mast cell density were found between unaffected skin and the centre or edge of individual lesions. Mast cell densities in biopsy specimens from the edge of different lesions on the same patient were also similar, suggesting that the mast cell density within the granulomata is independent of the site of the lesion and is determined systemically.</p>  a0021-9746