Pyoderma gangrenosum is a painful, chronic, ulcerating skin disease associated with a wide variety of disorders, including Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and Behcet's disease. Etiology of pyoderma gangrenosum is unknown but the lesions frequently appear at points of trauma and it is related with pathergy. We report a case of post-traumatic pyoderma gangrenosum occurring in ulcerative colitis with a review of the literature.
Colitis, Ulcerative ; Crohn Disease ; Pyoderma ; Pyoderma Gangrenosum ; Skin Diseases ; Ulcer

BACKGROUND: Acute diffuse alopecia areata (AA) was described as a unique AA which mimics anagen effluvium, or in which the initial hair loss is diffuse and followed by total denudation of scalp within several weeks or months. In spite of its peculiar clinical feature, there was neither further characterization nor known effective treatment for this form of AA. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the characteristic clinical findings of acute diffuse AA and confirm the effect of high dose methyl prednisolone therapy. METHODS: The medical records of 13 patients with acute diffuse AA between January 2002 and April 2006 at the Department of Dermatology, Chungnam National University Hospital were reviewed. All patients were treated with high dose methylprednisolone therapy. RESULTS: Of the 13 patients who completed the study, 8 patients (61.5%) were male and 5 patients (38.5%) were female. The mean age was 29.6 years old. The progress of hair loss stopped 2.4 weeks on average after initial treatment and newly emerging hairs were recognized 4.1 weeks on average after initial treatment. 84.6% (11/13) of patients showed terminal hair growth, and 46.2% (6/13) of patients completely responded to this therapy. CONCLUSION: Acute diffuse alopecia areata can occur in male as well as in female patients. High dose methylprednisolone therapy appears to be effective in patients with rapidly progressing acute diffuse alopecia areata to prevent the progression of the disease.
Alopecia Areata* ; Alopecia* ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Dermatology ; Female ; Hair ; Humans ; Male ; Medical Records ; Methylprednisolone ; Prednisolone ; Scalp

This study was conducted to evaluate the influence of the C-factor on the bond strength of a 6th generation self-etching system by measuring the microtensile bond strength of four types of restorations classified by different C-factors with an identical depth of dentin. Eighty human molars were divided into four experimental groups, each of which had a C-factor of 0.25, 2, 3 or 4. Each group was then further divided into four subgroups based on the adhesive and composite resin used. The adhesives used for this study were AQ Bond Plus (Sun Medical, Japan) and Xeno III (DENTSPLY, Germany). And composite resins used were Fantasista (Sun Medical, Japan) and Ceram-X mono (DENTSPLY, Germany). The results were then analyzed using one-way ANOVA, a Tukey's test, and a Pearson's correlation test and were as follows. 1. There was no significant difference among C-factor groups with the exception of groups of Xeno III and Ceram-X mono (p < 0.05). 2. There was no significant difference between any of the adhesives and composite resins in groups with C-factor 0.25, 2 and 4. 3. There was no correlation between the change in C-factor and microtensile bond strength in the Fantasista groups. It was concluded that the C-factor of cavities does not have a significant effect on the microtensile bond strength of the restorations when cavities of the same depth of dentin are restored using composite resin in conjunction with the 6th generation self-etching system.
Adhesives ; Composite Resins ; Dentin ; Dentin-Bonding Agents ; Humans ; Molar

BACKGROUND: As single donor platelets (SDP) has been increasingly used, the quality of SDP, especially apheresis-induced platelet activation, has become a major issue. This study evaluated the activation of SDP platelets prepared with three different cell separators that are currently being used at the Korean Red Cross. METHODS: CD62p, CD63 and CD42 were measured in 35 units of SDP prepared with Amicus (Baxter, Deerfield, IL, USA), MCS+ (Haemonetics, Braintree, MA, USA), or Trima (Gambro BCT, Lakewood, USA) using flow cytometry. RESULTS: Expression of CD62p gradually increased with storage time, but no difference in expression was noted between cell separators. Expression of CD63 also increased with storage time and platelets prepared with the Amicus displayed significantly higher CD63 expression 72 and 120 hours after collection compared to those prepared with MCS+ and Trima. Expression of CD42b tended to decrease with storage time, but this was only significant for Amicus 120 hours after collection. No difference in CD42b expression was noted between cell separators. CONCLUSIONS: Platelet activation increased with storage time, and platelet activation was more pronounced in the platelets prepared with the Amicus. However, because in vitro results of platelet activation does not necessarily reflect in vivo platelet function and survival, additional studies are needed to clarify clinical effectiveness of activated platelets.
Blood Platelets* ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Platelet Activation* ; Plateletpheresis* ; Red Cross ; Tissue Donors

Nail psoriasis is a common finding in psoriatic patients and is associated with substantial adverse effects on the patient's quality of life. Although several treatment options are available, nail psoriasis tends to be persistent and refractory to therapy. Pulse dye laser (PDL) has been demonstrated to be effective for plaque-type psoriasis, but there are no reports on nail psoriasis being successfully treated with PDL in the Korean literature. We here report on a 46-year-old woman presenting with nail psoriasis recalcitrant to conventional treatment modalities, showing pitting, nail bed discoloration, and crumbling. We successfully treated the symptoms with 595 nm PDL, supporting the hypothesis that PDL may be a safe and effective therapeutic option in patients with recalcitrant nail psoriasis.
Female ; Humans ; Lasers, Dye* ; Middle Aged ; Psoriasis* ; Quality of Life

Jessner's lymphocytic infiltration of the skin (JLIS) is a well-known but poorly understood disorder. Some doubt still exists about whether it is a distinct disease or a variant of lupus erythematosus or, less commonly, polymorphous light eruption, cutaneous lymphoid hyperplasia. An effective therapy is still unavailable for JLIS. We report a patient with JLIS which was successfully treated with dapsone and intermittent systemic glucocorticoid therapy.
Dapsone ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Light ; Skin

BACKGROUND: Telogen effluvium (TE) is a form of nonscarring alopecia, characterized by diffuse scalp hair thinning in response to some form of physiologic stress. It is commonly described in women subsequent to childbirth. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of TE after childbirth. METHODS: Medical records from January 2006 to June 2007 of 240 postpartum patients from our obstetric department were reviewed. Telephone interviews with TE patients were conducted to investigate the initial occurrence time, restoration time, and treatment history. RESULTS: Prevalence of TE according to parity is higher in multiparas than primiparas (p=0.026). In addition, the prevalence of TE after a cesarean section delivery is higher than that after non-surgical delivery (p=0.014). Prevalence of TE with respect to weight gain is higher in the groups displaying agreater increase in weight (p=0.014). Finally, prevalence of TE according to gestational age is higher in groups giving birth after 38 weeks gestational age (p=0.015). CONCLUSION: Prevalence of telogen effluvium may be associated with multiparity, cesarean section, marked weight gain, and high gestational age.
Alopecia ; Cesarean Section ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Hair ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Medical Records ; Parity ; Parturition ; Postpartum Period ; Pregnancy ; Prevalence ; Scalp ; Weight Gain

BACKGROUND: Diphencyclopropenone (DPCP) has recently been reported to be a potent contact sensitizer in the treatment of alopecia areata. However, the concentration for sensitization and optimal treatment method has not been standardized. In addition, highly variable results of DPCP use have been reported to date. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was to find the optimal concentration for sensitization and to evaluate efficacy, prognostic factors and side effects of DPCP in the treatment of AA. METHODS: A total of 33 healthy people were enrolled in an open-label clinical trial to ascertain the concentration of DPCP needed for sensitization. The patients were sensitized with 0.1%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5% of DPCP on a 2 cm2 area of each extremity (both arms and legs). We also reviewed the medical records of 48 alopecia areata patients who had been treated with DPCP. We evaluated both therapeutic efficacy and prognostic factors influencing the therapeutic effect of DPCP immunotherapy. RESULTS: Sensitization of 1.0% DPCP in 91% of patients. This concentration showed a higher sensitization rate than 0.5% DPCP, but a lower irritation rate than 1.5% DPCP. 56.3% (27/48) of patients showed terminal hair growth and 33.3% (16/48) completely responded with a cosmetically-acceptable result. The prognostic factor which influenced the result of therapy was the extent of alopecia areata. CONCLUSION: Topical DPCP treatment for alopecia is quite effective and well-tolerated. This therapy also provides safe therapeutic benefits if it is carried out with the correct sensitization concentration and treatment procedure.
Alopecia Areata* ; Alopecia* ; Arm ; Extremities ; Hair ; Humans ; Immunotherapy ; Medical Records

Liposarcomas are one of the most common soft-tissue sarcomas in adults. They usually arise in the deep soft tissues, and patients present with large painless masses. Four major types of liposarcomas are generally recognized and have epidemiologic and prognostic differences: atypical lipomatous neoplasm/well-differentiated; myxoid/round- cell; dedifferentiated; pleomorphic variants. Myxoid liposarcoma is the second most common type of liposarcoma, representing 30~40% of all liposarcomas in the extremities. We report a case of myxoid liposarcoma in a 78-year-old man who presented with an asymptomatic, firm, deep-seated mass in the lateral aspect of his left upper arm.
Adult ; Aged ; Arm ; Extremities ; Humans ; Liposarcoma ; Liposarcoma, Myxoid ; Sarcoma

Juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) is a fibrohistiocytic proliferative disorder predominant in infancy and childhood. It is a benign and transient skin lesion that usually appears in the cephalic area. Recently, the concurrent finding of neurofibromatosis (NF), juvenile chronic myelogenous leukemia (JCML), and JXG has been repeatedly reported. Especially, the family history of NF may represent a risk factor for the development of JCML in patients with NF and in patients with NF and JXG. So, a finding of JXG and NF in infants should alert the physician to a possible development of JCML. We report a case of JXG developed in a neurofibromatosis child with family history.
Child ; Humans ; Infant ; Leukemia, Myelomonocytic, Juvenile ; Neurofibromatoses ; Risk Factors ; Skin ; Xanthogranuloma, Juvenile