Pincer nail is a rare disease with severe pain on the distal nail bed by soft tissue ischemia. We report a case of ea 60-year-old woman who showed a hereditary form of pincer nail with some bulging appearing on her fingers. She was treated with a nail grinding method 3 times weekly, and her pain disappeared within a week without recurrence. We recommend nail grinding as a good method for treatment of pincer nail.
Female ; Fingers ; Humans ; Ischemia ; Middle Aged ; Rare Diseases ; Recurrence

BACKGROUND: Evaluation of the cell proliferation activity of neoplasm is useful in making a diagnosis and prognosis. Immunohistochemical staining using MIB1 monoclonal antibodies has recently been demonstrated to assess tumor cell proliferation activity easily, because it can be performed on paraffin-embedded specimens and is available in a retrospective study. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study to investigate (a) the use of Ki-67 antibodies in distinguising between benign melanocytic nevus and malignant melanoma, and (b) the correlation between the Ki-67 labelling index(positive number per 100cells) and histological parameters such as the Breslow index, Clarks level, mitotic rate(mitoses per 100cells) in malignant melanoma. METHOD: A total of 37 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded melanocytic skin lesions(benign melanocytic nevus 21; malignant melanoma 16) were stained with MIB1 using the one hour method. The values of the Ki-67 labelling index were measured in all the lesions. For each case of malignant melanoma, the Breslow index, Clarks level and mitotic rate were quantitatively evaluated. RESULT: The Ki-67 labelling index averaged 2.6 +1.4 in benign melanocytic nevus and 22.4+ 6.2 in malignant melanoma. In malignant melanoma, the values of the Ki-67 labelling index were significantly correlated with Breslow index(r=0.764), Clark's level(r=0.885) and mitotic rate(r=0.754). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that Ki-67 may be a useful tool in distinguising between benign melanocytic nevus and malignant melanoma. According as Ki-67 labelling index correlates with well-established prognostic parameters(Breslow index, Clark's level, mitotic rate), it may therefore carry additional prognostic value for patients with malignant melanoma.
Antibodies ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Cell Proliferation ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Ki-67 Antigen* ; Melanoma ; Nevus, Pigmented ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Skin*

Papular xanthoma is a newly classified type of normolipemic xanthoma that resembles juvenile xanthogranuloma and xanthoma disseminatum. Papular xanthoma is asymptomatic multiple yellowish papules with granulomatous lesion composed of foam cells and few giant cells, with scarce inflammatory cell infiltration. We report a case of papular xanthoma in a 3-year-old girl who showed typical clinical manifestation. She had multiple discrete, 0.2 to 0.5cm sized elevated dome-shaped yellowish papules on the trunk and face for 2years. Histopathologic findings showed granulomatous changes mainly composed of foam cells and few histiocytes, in the dermis.
Child, Preschool ; Dermis ; Female ; Foam Cells ; Giant Cells ; Histiocytes ; Histiocytosis, Non-Langerhans-Cell ; Humans ; Xanthogranuloma, Juvenile ; Xanthomatosis*

BACKGROUND: There had been some reports of resistant white hair remaining in the alopecic patch area or regenerating white hair prior to emergence of black hair on the patients with alopecia areata. But relatively few studies pointed out this subject yet. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the histopathologic property of white and marginal hair follicles in alopecia areata patients using immunohistochemical markers. METHODS: Eight patients with alopecia areata who had white hair on his scalp were selected, then obtained biopsy samples from white hair follicles, and marginal black hair follicles respectively. Immunohistochemical staining had been done with CD4, CD8, Mel-5, c-kit antibodies on both groups. Then, two different observers counted perifollicular infiltrated cells and the data scored with SAS program for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The results were as follows 1. Decreased ratio of CD4 lymphocyte to CDS lymphocytes were observed on the white hair area (CD4: CD8=1.85: 1, 53.85%) (CD4: CD8=1.16: 1, 85.71%) but statistically not significant differences were seen and the ratio between them proved to be in the regeneration stage alopecia areata. 2. Significantly lower levels(P<0.05) of Mel-5/c-kit positive ratio of melanocyte observed on white hair area(c-kit: Mel-5 = 3.84: 1, 26.01%) compared with marginal hair area(c-kit: Mel-5 = 1.74: 1, 57.33%), furthermore decreased ratio of Mel-5(+) cells(black: white = 2.17: 1, 46.14%), but increased ratio of c-kit (+) cells(black: white = 1: 1, 99.16%) were observed on the white hair area: more Mel-5(-), c-kit(+) cells(precursor melanocyte) were observed on the outer root sheath of white hair area. CONCLUSION: Consequently, we propose that the regenerating white hair area contained much more precursor type melanocytes and it is related to the whitish nature of regenerating hair.
Alopecia Areata* ; Alopecia* ; Antibodies ; Biopsy ; Hair Follicle ; Hair* ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; Melanocytes ; Regeneration ; Scalp

We, here in, report a case of tinea corporis which shows tinea imbricata-like clinical appearance. A 19-year-old man was presented with a 40-day history of annular patches with polycyclic rings on the right forearm. KOH staining, culture, PAPD PCR revealed this lesion as tinea corporis by Trichophyton rubrum showing tinea imbricata-like clinical appearance.
Forearm ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Tinea* ; Trichophyton ; Young Adult

We report a case of a tick bite by Haemaphysalis longicornis Neumann. The tick was found on the left knee of a 75-year-old male and captured alive. We observed its process of laying eggs and becoming larvae after human blood sucking. Our data include the size and weight of the female tick (8.2 X 6.2mm, 138mg) after blood sucking, preoviposition period(4 day), oviposition period(21 day), number of eggs(1486) and size of unfed larva(0.40-0.44 x 0.58-0.60 mm). It had a 2n number of 22 chromosomes which showed chromosomal pattern of bisexual clones but its life cycle, especially oviposition to hatching period, showed that of pathenogenetic clones. This is the first Korean report of a tick bite by Haemaphysalis longicornis Neumann and the laboratory observation of the causative tick laying eggs and becoming larvae.
Aged ; Bisexuality ; Clone Cells ; Eggs ; Female ; Humans ; Knee ; Larva ; Life Cycle Stages ; Male ; Oviposition ; Ovum ; Tick Bites* ; Ticks*