A 26-year-old man presented with a 7-month history of hyperkeratotic skin lesions on both elbows and heels. He also had marked subungal hyperkeratosis and splinter hemorrhage on the finger and toe nails. A biopsy specimen from the elbow revealed lichenoid re-actions with areas of epidermal atrophy with alternating acanthosis and foci of parakeratosis. We made a diagnosis of keratosis lichenoides chronica based on the characteristic clinicopathologic findings. We have treated the patient with etretinate, but only the skin lesions on the elbows and heels responded to treatment.
Acitretin ; Adult ; Atrophy ; Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; Elbow ; Etretinate ; Fingers ; Heel ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Keratosis* ; Nails, Malformed* ; Parakeratosis ; Skin ; Toes

No abstract available.
Candida* ; Granuloma*

No abstract available.
Doxorubicin* ; Membrane Potentials* ; Membranes* ; Papillary Muscles*

BACKGROUND: Urticaria pigmentosa(UP) is primarily a disease of children. There have been no clinical studies of UP in Korea. OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to find the clinical characteristics of UP in Korean child-hood patients. METHOD: Twenty-nine cases of urticaria pigmentosa confirmed clinically and histopathologically were analyzed. RESULTS: The maculopapular type was the most common with the usual age of onset before the age of 6 months, and the lesions tended to be distributed in the central portion of the body. Darier sign was positive in 92% of the patients(24/26). No systemic involvements were detected in any of the patients with minimal associated symptoms. Seven patients of the maculopapular type and one patient of the multiple nodular type followed up for more than 2 years showed a tendency to improve or clear by the age of 6 years. CONCLUSION: Neonatal or infantile-onset patients of UP in Korean pediatric population were considered to have a benign clinical course and to require no aggressive therapy.
Age of Onset ; Child* ; Clinical Study* ; Humans ; Korea ; Methods ; Urticaria Pigmentosa* ; Urticaria*

BACKGROUND: There is a long-standing controversy whether melanocytes in vitiligo of more than 1 year duration are actually lost or still present. Resolving this matter is essential in understanding the underlying pathology and for the development of the treatment. On previous immunohistochemical and ultrastructural studies of vitiligo lesions, damage of melanocyte and keratinocyte in early lesions were reported and complete absence of melanocyte in long standing lesions were known. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the existence of the differences in pathologic changes in melanocytes according to the duration of the lesion. METHODS: We investigated the vitiliginous skin samples from 31 patients with early(less than 1 year duration) vitiligo and 30 patients with long standing(l to 5 years duration) vitiligo under the electron microscopy. RESULTS: Multiple degenerative changes in melanocytes were observed in the early and long standing lesions. In long standing lesions, degeneration of melanocytes including pyknotic, in-dented nuclei, vacuolated cytoplasms and blunted dendrites were more pronounced than early lesions. Even in long standing lesions, definite or presumptive melanocytes were observed in 16(53.3%) of 30 cases. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the melanocytes of vitiligo lesions were damaged and that the percentage of degenerative changes increase in accordance with the duration of the lesion. However, in long standing lesions as well as in early lesions, some residual melanocytes can be observed ultrastructurally.
Cytoplasm ; Dendrites ; Humans ; Keratinocytes ; Melanocytes ; Microscopy, Electron ; Pathology ; Skin ; Vitiligo*

No abstract available.
Immunoglobulins* ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary*

No abstract available.
Diagnosis* ; DNA* ; Ichthyosis* ; Xeroderma Pigmentosum*

PURPOSE: ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is a potent coronary vasodilator with a rapid onset of action and a very short half-life. Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy with intravenous ATP has not yet been sufficiently proven in the diagnosis, follow-up, and risk stratification of coronary artery disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety, feasibility and diagnostic accuracy of pharmacologic stress thallium-201 myocardial SPECT using an intravenous ATP infusion in patients with suspected coronary artery disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thalliurn-201 myocardial SPECT in 319 patients with suspected coronary artery disease were performed after the infusion of ATP (0.08 mg/kg/min for 6 rnin). The adverse effects were carefully monitored. Coronary angiography was also performed within 3 weeks. RESULTS: Although 76.5% of the patients had sorne adverse effects, they were transient, mild, and well tolerated. In all patients, the ATP infusion protocol was completed and only 2 patients required aminophylline. The adverse effects were dyspnea in 63%, headache in 31%, flushing in 21%, chest pain in 14% and abdominal discomfort in 5% of the patients. The sensitivity and specificity were 80% and 90% respectively. CONCLUSION: Thallium-201 myocardial SPECT after 6 min-infusion of ATP at a rate of 0.08 mg/kg/min is safe and has a diagnostic value in detecting coronary artery disease.
Adenosine Triphosphate* ; Aminophylline ; Chest Pain ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Diagnosis* ; Dyspnea ; Flushing ; Follow-Up Studies ; Half-Life ; Headache ; Humans ; Infusions, Intravenous* ; Perfusion Imaging ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

BACKGROUND: Sore throat is one of the most common complications of intubation. There are many factors that affect the incidence of sore throat and the succinylcholine-induced myalgia. Our study is to reveal the influences of these factors on the postoperative sore throat and the succinylcholine-induced myalgia. METHODS: One thousand and seven patients in ASA class I or II undergoing elective surgery under general anesthesia were studied, except patients undergoing brain surgery, open heart surgery, operation in oro-, naso-pharynx and larynx, and uncooperated psychiatric. We checked age, sex, patient controlled analgesia and nasogastric tube, size and kind of tube, operation position, duration of intubation and anesthetic agent. At 24~38 hours after operation, the patients were questioned about pre- and postoperative sore throat, or myalgia. RESULTS: Sore throat after endotracheal intubation developed more frequently in woman (32.8%) than man (25.9%). The older the patients, the lower the incidence of sore throat (p<0.05). The longer the anesthesia duration, the lower the incidence of sore throat (p<0.05). Succinylcholine, patient controlled analgesia, nasogastric tube, endotracheal tube, operation position, maintenance anesthetic agents and the amount of smoking did not affect the incidence of sore throat. The incidence of succinylcholine-induced myalgia was lower in elderly or patients who were administered nondepolarizing muscle relaxant. CONCLUSIONS: The incidences of sore throat and myalgia were 29% and 15%, respectively. There were significant differences in incidence of sore throat and myalgia depending on the gender, age, duration of operation, but the controllable factors which reduce the incidence of sore throat were not found. Nondepolarizing muscle relaxants could reduce the occurrence of postoperative myalgia.
Aged ; Analgesia, Patient-Controlled ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General ; Anesthetics ; Brain ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Intubation* ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Larynx ; Myalgia ; Pharyngitis* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Succinylcholine ; Thoracic Surgery

No abstract available.
Cardiac Catheterization* ; Cardiac Catheters* ; Cardiovascular Diseases* ; Child* ; Cineangiography* ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Humans