Multiple dermatofibromas are rare and some case reports show this disease has been related to generalized defective immune function: autoimmune disease and altered immunity, such as AIDS and systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE), can be treated with immunosuppressive agents. But there are no specific reports of this disease developing in healthy people. We describe a case of multiple dermatofibromas in a 38-year-old healthy man who showed no abnormality of the immune function.
Adult* ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Histiocytoma, Benign Fibrous* ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents

Wet cement can cause caustic ulcers due to its alkalinity. Besides caustic ulcers frequently called cement burn, allergic and irritant contact dermatitides are common in cement workers. Alkalinity of calcium hydroxide in wet cement combined with the effect of pressure and occlusion against skin may result in cement burn. We report two cases of cement burn due to their occupational exposures.
Burns* ; Calcium Hydroxide ; Dermatitis, Contact ; Occupational Exposure ; Occupations ; Skin ; Ulcer

Congenital self-healing reticulohistiocytosis (CSHRH) is a rare Langerhans cell disorder usually showing spontaneous resolution within 3-4 months. By electron microscopy, the identification of Birbeck granules and laminated dense bodies in the infiltrated cells is mandatory for the diagnosis of CSHRH. However, in some reported cases, Birbeck granules could not be demonstrated and only cytoplasmic dense bodies were seen. If the lesion is more advanced, Birbeck granules are transformed to lysosomes, i.e., 'unique phagosomes', in which they are degraded. A 2-month-old Korean girl presented with congenital, numerous red-brown pigmented papules on the left side of trunk and upper extremity without systemic symptoms. A biopsy specimen demonstrated papillary dermis containing epidermotropic infiltrates of histiocytes with abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm. Some had kidney-shaped nuclei and PAS-positive cytoplasmic inclusions. Immunohistochemically, infiltrating cells expressed S-100 protein and ultrastructurally, no Birbeck granules but many dense laminated bodies and unique phagosomes were found. It was ten months since the skin lesions developed that they have started resolving.
Biopsy ; Cytoplasm ; Dermis ; Diagnosis ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Histiocytes ; Humans ; Inclusion Bodies ; Infant ; Lysosomes ; Microscopy, Electron ; Phagosomes ; S100 Proteins ; Skin ; Upper Extremity

Tinea capitis in adults, especially healthy, is known to be rare but a significant increase in case has recently been observed. Trichophyton rubrum is an anthropophilic, the commonest dermatophyte affecting man but rarely involves the scalp and hair. We describe a 63-year-old healthy woman with tinea capitis due to T. rubrum who has clinical improvement after oral terbinafine therapy.
Adult* ; Arthrodermataceae ; Female ; Hair ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Scalp ; Tinea Capitis* ; Tinea* ; Trichophyton*

Unilateral nevoid telangiectasia(UNT) is a rare disorder and is characterized by superficial telangiectatic lesions distributed along the dermatomes unilaterally and usually on the upper part of the body. It has been said to be related to increased estrogen receptors in the involved skin. The lesions may be congenital or acquired.Acquired cases are typically associated with physiologic conditions such as pregnancy, puberty, hormonal therapy or cirrhosis, but the condition is also described in alcoholism without cirrhosis, carcinoma metastatic to the liver, and in hepatitis C. We present two cases of UNT in a 26-year-old man with heavy alcoholism and in a puberta1 16-year-old girl.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Alcoholism ; Female ; Fibrosis ; Hepatitis C ; Humans ; Liver ; Pregnancy ; Puberty ; Receptors, Estrogen ; Skin ; Telangiectasis*

BACKGROUND: Pilomatricoma is a rare benign follicular tumor in Asians OBJECTIVE: purpose of this study was to assess the clinical and histopathological features of the tumor. METHODS: The hospital charts and slides of 13 patients with pilomatricoma over a 12-year period at Ewha Womans University Tongdaemun Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: The age of patients ranged from 5 to 76 years with a mean of 21.5 years. The maleto-female ratio was 1:3.3. Seventy-seven percent of the tumors were located on the upper and lower extremities, followed by the face and neck. Most tumors appeared as a pea-sized hard movable skin-colored nodule. At histopathologic level, the most common morphological stage was the early regressive stage (stage 3), followed by late regressive (stage 4), fully developed (stage 2), and early (stage 1) stages. Foreign body giant cells, calci6cation, ossification were seen in 69.2%, 84.6%, and 7.7%, respectively; giant cells and inflammatory infiltrate were mostly seen in stage 3 tumors, calcification in stage 3 and 4 tumors, and ossification, only in the sole stage 4 tumor. Anetodermic changes of overlying dermis were seen in 2 cases (15.4%). CONCLUSION: The various histopathologic features of pilomatricoma can be explained by its chronological, morphological stages.Most pilomatricomas present for longer than 6 months are already in stage 3, and one can expect the histopathological features accordingly.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Dermis ; Female ; Giant Cells ; Giant Cells, Foreign-Body ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Neck ; Pilomatrixoma* ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND: Recent reports suggest that Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) may play an important role in such a wide spectrum of human neoplasia. Recently, peripheral T cell lymphomas and particularly, angiocentric lymphomas (ACL), increasingly are reported to be associated with EBV.Nasal-type and nasal T/NK cell lymphoma (TNKL) have recently been reported to comprise most of ACLs. The prognosis of these tumors has been extremely poor. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate EBV association in primary or secondary cutaneous T-cell lymphoproliferative disorders and to identify any prognostic association. METHODS: Thirty six patients with primary or secondary cutaneous T-cell lymphoproliferative (CTCL) disorders were examined to evaluate the presence of Epstein-Barr virus using in situ hybridization for EBV-encoded RNA (EBER). RESULTS: EBER was detected in tumor cells in one third of the total cases (13/36); 4/4 secondary skin lymphoma from nasal TNKL, 8/8 primary cutaneous nasal type TNKLs and 1/5 mycosis fungoides (MF).EBER was not detected in the following disease: 6 cases of anaplastic large cell lymphomas (ALCL) including 2 cases of probable NK-like T cell lineage, 3 lymphomatoid papulosis, 2 CD56 (-) T cell ACLs and 7 subcutaneous panniculitic T-cell lymphomas (SPTL) by Revised European-American Lymphoma (REAL) classification and recent concept of further classification into NK-cell lineage. One case of T-cell pseudolymphoma as a negative control was also negative in EBER. CONCLUSION: High incidence of EBV was observed in primary or secondary CTCLs in Koreans, with predilection for nasal and nasal type TNKL. In MFs, an erythrodermic MF with fatal outcome was associated with EBV and the EBV detection might reflect worse prognosis in MFs as seen in an aggressive course of nasal and nasal type TNKLs.
Cell Lineage ; Classification ; Fatal Outcome ; Herpesvirus 4, Human* ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization ; Incidence ; Lymphoma ; Lymphoma, Large-Cell, Anaplastic ; Lymphoma, T-Cell ; Lymphoma, T-Cell, Peripheral ; Lymphomatoid Papulosis ; Lymphoproliferative Disorders* ; Mycosis Fungoides ; Prognosis ; Pseudolymphoma ; RNA* ; Skin ; T-Lymphocytes*

BACKGROUND: Mixed tumor of the skin or chondroid syringoma is a benign neoplasm characterized by histological features of a mixture of epithelial and mesenchymal components. It is a rare and benign appendageal tumor, found mostly on the head and neck, and present as an asymptomatic, firm, subcutaneous nodule. There have only been a few reported cases in Korea. OBJECTIVES: This study was aimed to characterize the clinical and histopathlological features of mixed tumor of the skin. METHODS: We reviewed the clinical data and histologic slides of seven patients who have been diagnosed with mixed tumor of the skin by histopathological examination. RESULTS: There were six male patients and only one female. Age of onset of mixed tumor of the skin varied from 26 to 65 years. A11 patients had the lesion on the head: perioral area (3 cases), nose (2 cases), cheek (1 case), and temple area (1 case). Each tumor was a solitary, asymptomatic, and firm, about 0.5-1.5 cm sized, subcutaneous nodule. Histopathologically, all 7 cases presented apocrine differentiation. Two cases showed follicular differentiation, and 2 cases showed sebaceous differentiation. Every tumor showed myxoid stroma except two with typical chondroid matrix. Adipose metaplasia of the matrix was present in 2 cases. In 3 cases, the so-called hyaline cells were rich in the stroma. CONCLUSION: Mixed tumor of the skin was most commonly seen as an asymptomatic, firm subcutaneous nodule on the head. Tumors showing apocrine differentiation were more common than that of eccrine differentiation, All 7 cases presented apocrine differentiation. Follicular and sebaceous differentiation might occur in apocrine type of mixed tumors of the skin. The stroma of mixed tumor of the skin might be myxoid, chondroid, or adipose.
Adenoma, Pleomorphic ; Age of Onset ; Cheek ; Female ; Head ; Humans ; Hyalin ; Korea ; Male ; Metaplasia ; Neck ; Nose ; Skin*

BACKGROUND: Accessory tragi contain a central core of cartilage, which is the most important pathological factor, but often are misdiagnosed as soft fibroma/hair follicle nevi if sections cannot show a central core of cartilage. OBJECTIVES: The purposes of this study were aimed at comparing transverse sections with vertical sections and demonstrating the value of transverse sections about histological diagnosis for accessory tragus. METHODS: We studied 14 cases of patients with accessory tragi. All cases were totally excised and all 16 biopsy specimens (bilateral in 2 cases) were obtained. We classified these biopsy specimens into two groups regarding the removal of cartilage.All specimens were vertical or transverse seiral sectioned and we compared these histologic findings with established histologic diagnostic criteria which Satoh et al. reported. RESULTS: On the specimens of group 1 in which there was cartilage, subcutaneous prominent connective tissue framework whirling around cartilage could be observed on all transverse sections, but was not always present on vertical sections. Prominent connective tissue framework and pilosebaceous units with circular arrangement of eccrine glands were simultaneously in the center of transverse sections regardless of the presence of cartilage. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, transverse sections showed all diagnostic histologic important features for accessory tragus: presence of central cartilage, prominent subcutaneous connective tissue framework, and various degree of pilosebaceous unit, especially with circular arrangement of eccrine glands. So transverse sectioning could be a useful method for accurate histological diagnosis of accessory tragi regardless of the removal of cartilage when doing excisional biopsy.
Biopsy ; Cartilage ; Connective Tissue ; Diagnosis ; Eccrine Glands ; Humans ; Nevus

BACKGROUND: Interferon alpha-2a has already been shown to be effective in clinical use of virus-originated diseases such as hairy cell leukemia, condyloma acuminatum, and AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma. The use of recombinant alpha-interferon may allow common warts to be treated relatively atraumatically and with less incidence of recurrence. OBJECTIVE: We tried to determine the safety and effectiveness of intralesional injections of recombinant alpha-2a interferon in the treatment of patients with common warts. METHODS: A single wart on each patient was weekly injected with 0.75 to 1.5×10(5) IU/25mm2 of interferon for 8 weeks, and the response to treatment was followed up-to 6 months. RESULTS: Clearing of the treated wart at the end of treatment occurred in 5(71%) out of 7 patients and the rest showed no improvement. With evaluation for relapses up-to 6 months after treatment, warts relapsed in 2(40%) out of 5 patients. Therefore, 3(43%) out of 7 patients were completely free of warts 6 months after treatment. CONCLUSION: Intralesional recombinant interferon alpha-2a has a limited therapeutic effect, but may be considered as a therapeutic modality of recalcitrant verruca or when it can be anticipated that destructive techniques or blistering agents will not be tolerated.
Blister ; Humans ; Incidence ; Injections, Intralesional ; Interferon-alpha ; Interferons* ; Leukemia, Hairy Cell ; Recurrence ; Sarcoma, Kaposi ; Warts*