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KMID : 0377519810060040451
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Chung-Ang Journal of Medicine
1981 Volume.6 No. 4 p.451 ~ p.466
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A Study on the Epidermal Melanocytes in Korean Fetuses
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Lee Hoon
Chang Chin-Yo
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Abstract
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The author has observed the embryonic development of the epidermal melanocytes and counted the. numbers of the cells with combined skin-splitting DOPA, paraffin DOPA and silver impregnation. techniques in the 45 Korean fetuses ranging from second to tenth fetal month. The following conclusions were drawn from the study. 1. Epidermal melanocytes of the fetal skin appeared firstly at the forhead in the early stage of third month. The primary melanocytes were ovoid or fusiform in shape with a few short dendritic processes. Such cells being scarce in number appeared usually in the basal cell layer of the epidermis and showed faintly positive DOPA-reaction. An additional feature at this early stage was the dermal location of the melanocytes, but it was seldom noticed in the subsequent fetal months. 2. The DOPA-reaction of the melanocytes became more pronounced in the fourth and subsequent fetal months and a few melanocytes appeared even in the stratum spinosum of the epidermis. 3. In the fifth month a few secondary branches began to arise from the main dendritic process, thus the melanocytes got progressively the matured form. 4. Typical melanocytes with the shape of stellate or spider were often seen in the sixth month and more frequently thereafter. 5. The accumulation of the melanin in the keratinocytes of the basal cell layer was firstly seen in the fifth month. The melanin began to aggregate in the supranuclear cytoplasm of the epithelial cells- and then gradually spread to the basal cytoplasm. This process was intensified through the subsequent fetal life. 6. The numbers of melanocytes in the head and neck, trunk and extremities increased significantly with advancing fetal age to ninth month, but no significant regional differences were noticed.
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