Irritant contact, dermati is causes significant disability to numerous consumers and individuals in industry. Irritant contact dermatitis accounts for more than half of contact dermatitis in the general population and this is highest in industrialized countries. The incidence of irritant contact dermatitis is difficult to evaluate because of majority of these patients never seek medical advice for their problem. Only a fev, typical characteristics for an irritant contact dermatitis can be stated. The diagnosis is generally made on the basis of the clinical picture. Several non-invasive bioengineering methods for quantifying and obtaining information that is not detectable clinically have been developed in recent decades. Recently rnany reports on experimental irritant contact de matitis using these new non-invasive bioengineering methods have been published. Irritancy test rported by many authors have been performed using various exposure methods and evaluated by several clinical scoring systems. It is not surprising therefore that there is nowadays a multitude of irritancy testing methods, which hampers the interpretation of results from different laboratories. This article reviews the various irritancy testing methods and patch test procedures t,hat affect the skin react,ion in exper mental irritant cont,act dermatitis.
Bioengineering ; Dermatitis ; Dermatitis, Contact* ; Developed Countries ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Patch Tests ; Skin Tests* ; Skin*

Irritant contact, dermati is causes significant disability to numerous consumers and individuals in industry. Irritant contact dermatitis accounts for more than half of contact dermatitis in the general population and this is highest in industrialized countries. The incidence of irritant contact dermatitis is difficult to evaluate because of majority of these patients never seek medical advice for their problem. Only a fev, typical characteristics for an irritant contact dermatitis can be stated. The diagnosis is generally made on the basis of the clinical picture. Several non-invasive bioengineering methods for quantifying and obtaining information that is not detectable clinically have been developed in recent decades. Recently rnany reports on experimental irritant contact de matitis using these new non-invasive bioengineering methods have been published. Irritancy test rported by many authors have been performed using various exposure methods and evaluated by several clinical scoring systems. It is not surprising therefore that there is nowadays a multitude of irritancy testing methods, which hampers the interpretation of results from different laboratories. This article reviews the various irritancy testing methods and patch test procedures t,hat affect the skin react,ion in exper mental irritant cont,act dermatitis.
Bioengineering ; Dermatitis ; Dermatitis, Contact* ; Developed Countries ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Patch Tests ; Skin Tests* ; Skin*

Previously we reported the result of topical immunotherapy of warts with I -chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene(DNCB) solution using two different methods. In this study, we treated the warts with DNCB ointment and compared the therapeutic result with previous study. In addition, in order to evaluate the possible rnechanlarn of DNCB-induced wart regression by histologic rnethod, 5 regressing warts were biopsied and we observed the histopathologic findings. Thirty-six patients with various warts which were resistant to the conventional measures were treated by challeng application with 100mg% or 10mg% DNCB ointment directly on several randomly selected wart lesions after sensitization. with l?000mcg of DNCR in solution on normal skin of upper arm. In 5 pat:ients showing regression of warts, one wart lesion which was not challenged with DNCR was biopsied. The results are summarized as follows; 1. We treated the 36 patients having various warts with DNCB ointment and 25 patients (69.4%) were cured. Most(72%) of the eured warts began to regress within one month. 2. We cornpared the therapeutic result in this study with the results in theprevious study in which we used DNCB solution with two different methods, Comparing the results obtained by the R different methods, we found no statistically different cure rate, however the present method might be more convement because the ointment can be maintained longer without any change of the ingredient concentration and can be applied more easily than the solution. 3. On histologic examination, we observed moderate to severe patchy perivasce
Arm ; Dinitrochlorobenzene* ; Humans ; Immunotherapy* ; Skin ; Warts*

We studied the age of onset, occupation, inducing or aggravating factors, distribution of skin lesions in 153 patients and recall antigen test in 15 patients of seborrheic dermatitis. The results were as follows : l. Seborrhic dermatitis occurred most frequently at the third decade and the number of patients was 1(0.7%) in the first decade, 41(26.8%) in the second decade, 58(37.9 %) in the third decade, 29(l9.0%) in the fourth decade, 12(7.8%) in the fifth decade, 5(3.3%) in the sixth decade, 4(2.6%) in the seventh decade, and 3(1.9%) in the eighth decade 2. There was family history of seborrheic dermatitis in 40 patients(26.1%) 3. Of the occupations, 48 patients(31.4%) were clerks or office workers, 42 patients (27.5%) were housewives, 23 patients(15.0%) were laborers or factory workers, ll patients(7.2%) were students, 9 patients(5.9%) were managers, and 6 patients(3.9%) were drivers. 4. Inducing or aggravating factors were emotional stress in 75 patrents(49.0%), seasonal change in 53 patients(34.6%), sunlight in 23 patients(15.0%), foods in 15 patients(9.8%), upper respiratory tract infection in 14 patients(9.2%), menstruation in 9 patients(5.9%), and drinking of slcohol in 9 patients(5.9%). 5. I,esions occurred on the scalp in 128 patients(83.7%), on the face in 115 patients (75.2,l6), on the neck in 42 patients(27.5%), on the trunk in 29 patients(19.096), on the intertriginous areas in 12 patients(7.8%), and on the extremities in 6 patients(3.996), 6. The intensity and rate of delayed hypersensitivity reaction in 15 patients of seborrhic dermatitis(1.62+/-0.92mm, 28.67+26.4596) were not significantly decreased than those of control group(1.99+1.08mm, 39.23+/-22.34%) (p>0.05). Anergy and hypoergy were found in 10 patients(6796) with seborrheic dermatitis in contrast to 6 persons(4096) in control group.
Age of Onset ; Dermatitis ; Dermatitis, Seborrheic* ; Drinking ; Extremities ; Female ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity, Delayed ; Menstruation ; Neck ; Occupations ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; Scalp ; Seasons ; Skin ; Stress, Psychological ; Sunlight

Many authors asserted that the incidence of sexually transmitted disease, especially syphilis, increased recently. We examined the annual reactive rate of VDRL test in 23,886 persons who took a medical check-up for employment from March, 1978 to August, 1981 and the snnual rate of condyloma acuminatum among 91,334 dermatologic outpatients from 1976 to 1980 to estimate the recent trend in sexually transmitted disease. The overall reactive rate of VDRL test was 1.40% and the annual reactive rate is l.85% in 1978, 1.31% in 1979, 0.92% in 1980 and 4.87% in 1981. The biologic false positive rate of VDRL test was 17.5% among 126 patients in whom TPHA test was done, using TPHA test as standard. The overall rate of condyloma acuminatum patients was 0.16% and the annual rate was 0.13% in 1976, 0.21% in 1977, 0.16% in 1978, 0.15% in 1979 and 0.17% in 1980.
Employment ; Humans ; Incidence ; Outpatients ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases ; Syphilis*

We presented two cases of bullous dermatoses in childhood. The first case was a 13-year-old boy who had numerous tense bullae on the scalp, both forearms and dorsa of hands, trunk and both thighs in symmetrical distribution, but he had not any oral lesion. On histologic examination, subepidermal bullae containing many neutrophils and only a few eosinophils were demonstrated. The lesions began to subside prornptly since 2 days after ornl administration of prednisolone and there was no evidence of recurrence during the follow-up studies of 4 months. The second case was a 14-year-old boy who had erythematous macules, vesicles, bullae and crusts scattered irregularly on almost entire body surface and had some oral lesions. Histologically erythematous macular lesions revealed many microabscesses composed almost entirely oi neutrophils on the tip of dermal papillae but vesicular lesions showed intraepidermal bulla containing numerous eosinophils exclusively. His skin lesions were well suppressed by DDS but reappeared one or two days after cessation of DDS. We thought these two cases were not the typical cases of bullous pemphigoid or dermatitis herpetiforrnis. We did not perform immunologic studies, so we cannot assure that these two cases were belong to either bullous pemphigoid or dermatitis herpetiformis and the so-called benign chronic bullous dermatosis of childhood.
Adolescent ; Dermatitis ; Dermatitis Herpetiformis ; Eosinophils ; Follow-Up Studies ; Forearm ; Hand ; Humans ; Male ; Neutrophils ; Pemphigoid, Bullous ; Prednisolone ; Recurrence ; Scalp ; Skin ; Skin Diseases ; Skin Diseases, Vesiculobullous* ; Thigh ; Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation

Recurrent melanocytic nevus forms after incomplete removal of a melanocytic nevus and is chatacterized by somewhat proliferation of atypical melanocytes at the dermoepidermal junction and epidermis or recurrent junctional activity. A 73-yeat-old man had a pigmented lesion on the volar aspect of the right heel, which was excised 20 years ago. Five years thereafter, the pigmented lesion recurred in the previous operation scar and had been excised again. But pigmented lesion reappeared in the scar as an irregular patch of variegated pigmentation of browm, gray and black. Histopathologic findings showed fibrosis in the dermis and proliferation of normal and atypical rnelanocytes in the overlying epiderrnis.
Cicatrix ; Dermis ; Epidermis ; Fibrosis ; Heel ; Melanocytes ; Nevus, Pigmented* ; Pigmentation

BACKGROUND: There are some variables including chamber size in irritant patch test responses. Several non-invasive bidengineering methods for quantifying and obtaining information have been developed in recent decades. OBJECTIVE: Our study was done to compare the effect of chamber size and the volume effect on the irritation potential of 1% SLS solution. METHODS: Patches with 1% sodium lauryl sulfate(SLS) solution were applied to the volar forearm of 14 healthy volunteers for 24 h. Finn chambers with 8mm(20ul), 12mm(60pl), 18mm(80ul, 200ul) inner diameters were used. Visual score and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) were measured at 30 min after removal of the patches, and every 24 h up to 4 days. RESULTS: The results are summarized as follows. 1. Visual scores were 0.18+0.32(8mm), 0.75+0.33(12mm) and 0.64+0.41(18mm) at 24 h after removal of 1% SLS and were 0.11+0.29, 0.50+0.34 and 0.25+0.26 on 4 days after removal. They were inereased 30 min and 24 h after removal and decreased towards normal 4 days after removal. By chamber size, the skin response with the large Finn chamber(12mm) increased more significantly than with the small Finn chamber(8mm). However, there were no significant differences in skin response between large and extralarge Finn chambers(18mm). 2. TEWL values were 11.86+4.09, 23.05+6.1l and 22.24+7.54g/m/h at 30 min after removal and were 9.37+2.30, 1..49+3.08 and 14.56+5.00g/m/h on 4 days after removal. They were increased 30 min after removal and decreased towards normal 4 days after removal. By chamber size, their results were the same as visual scores. 3. By visual score and TEWL, the skin response with 200pl of 1% SLS increased more significantly than 80pl in the extralarge Finn chamber. CONCLUSION: The small Finn chamber may be too small to elicit sufficient cutaneous irritation for evaluation. The large Finn chamber having larger test areas may be suitable to yield positive reactions to certain irritants. Also, the quantity of test solution per mm skin may be of importance for the skin response.
Forearm ; Healthy Volunteers ; Irritants ; Patch Tests ; Skin ; Sodium

Solitary circumscribed neuroma is a benign nerve sheath tumor of unknown etiology. Clinically, it appears as a long-standing, solitary, asymptomatic, skin-colored papule or papulonodule. It has been found predominantly on the face in both sexes, mostly in middle age. A 53-year-old female patient visited our department because of a nodule on the side of the distal interphalangeal joint of the left second finger. A biopsy specimen showed a well-circumscribed, partially encapsulated tumor composed of interlacing fascicles of spindle cells. Neither pleomorphism nor mitosis was found. Immunohistochemical stainings for vimentin, neuron specific enolase (NSE) and epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) were positive, but negative for S-100 protein and smooth muscle actin (SMA). We herein report an uncommon case of solitary circumscribed neuroma.
Actins ; Biopsy ; Female ; Fingers ; Humans ; Joints ; Middle Aged ; Mitosis ; Mucin-1 ; Muscle, Smooth ; Neuroma* ; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase ; S100 Proteins ; Vimentin

We presented a case of perifolliculitis capitis abscedens et suffodiens associated with acne conglobata in 40-year-old rnale. He had a sausage-shaped plaque containing many fistular tracts on right temnporal area and cicatrizing alopecia on occiput. On the middle portion of upper back he had a adult fist-sized plaque containing many fistular tracts. Histopathologically epidermis showed mild byperkeratosis and keratotic plugging and in the dermis most hair follicles were destroyed and replacel by fibrous tissue but there were moderxte cellular infiltration composed of neutrophils, lymphocytes a.nd hist.iocytes around the remained hair follicles. On serum electrophoresis alpha,-globulin was elevated and gamna globulin was the upper liviit of nornal variation. Skin tests with murnps vaccine, dinitrochloro benzene (DNCB) and old tuberculin disclosed the evidence of de reased c "ll-mediated immunity(CMI). All th se findings suggest thzt immune rriechanisni r,-ay be concerned ivith the pathogenesis in this case. He wa.s treated with th internal administration of antibiotic and corticosteroid and with surgical opening and curettage of fistular tracts
Acne Vulgaris ; Adult ; Alopecia ; Benzene ; Curettage ; Dermis ; Electrophoresis ; Epidermis ; Hair Follicle ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; Neutrophils ; Skin Tests ; Tuberculin