The cause of pemphigus vulgaris is autoimmune. The serum containes antibodies against the intercellular substance of stratified epithelium, as demonstrated by means of immunofluorescent staining. Therefore antigen-antibody reaction takes place in the intercellalar spaces of squamous epithelium and leads to acantholysis. The association of pemphigus with malignant conditions was frequently reported. Thus there is now increasing evidence of an association between malignaney and the production of pemphigus antibodies by a tumor itaelf. By the evidence that pemphigus is autoimmune disease, it is used to treat with corticosteroid and immunosuppressive drugs, such as methotrexate. Very high doses of corticosteroid appear to he necesaary for an adequate control of the disease. Even though large doae repersents an effective treatment of pemphigus vulgaris, side effects from thia form of therapy have heen quite significant. Two cases of pemphigus vulgaris are reported. .First patient, a 33 year-old housewife, with flaccid bullae and rupture to form erosions of 3 months duration especialIy on buccal mueosa and genitlia. Second patient, a 66 year-old female, with above skin lesions of 6 months duration on buccal mucosa and whole body. Clinically and histopathologically their eruptions were consistent with pemphigus vulgaris. Large initial dose of predniaolone was employed in these treatment. These patients were improved with treatment prednisolone. Prednisolone therapy gave rise to a large numbar of side effects of varying degrees of severity, such as iatrogenic diabetea mellitus, oral candidiasis, hypokalemia, and pychosis etc. At admission 57days, first case complained of lower abdominal pain and tenderness. At this point it was found clinically that the mass on vaginal vault is present. Punch biopsy was p rformed and confirmed epidermoid carcinoma poorly differentiated (stage V). Cystoscopy showed tumor mass of cervix with extension to bladder posterior wall. We advised. External radiation therapy for carcinoma for about 5 weeks (5,000 Rads) but hopeless she was discharged. Second. Patient was much improved without recurrence. Side effects of prednisolone were also controlled.
Abdominal Pain ; Acantholysis ; Adult ; Aged ; Antibodies ; Antigen-Antibody Reactions ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Biopsy ; Candidiasis, Oral ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cervix Uteri ; Cystoscopy ; Epithelium ; Female ; Humans ; Hypokalemia ; Methotrexate ; Mouth Mucosa ; Pemphigus* ; Prednisolone ; Recurrence ; Rupture ; Skin ; Urinary Bladder

Pretibial myxedema is a rare condition whieh may occur following the active or treated hyperthyroidism. The preeise cause of pretibial myxedema is not known, but it is now established the Long Acting Thyroid Stimulator(LATS) is 7S-gammaglobulin, that it is present in the serum of 80% of patients with hyperthyroidism and that its activity is as being an autoantibody against a thyroid antigen, retroorbital tissues and in the skin. A 28-year old pregnant housewife was well until age 24 when she developed hyperthyroidism with swelling of the thyroid gland, exopbthalmos and clubbing of the fingers. She was treated with subtotal thyroidectomy 2 years ago at other clinic. The skin lesions revealed circumscribed, firm, and elevated nodules with excess hair growth on shin and dorsum of feet since their onset of one and half years to visit to our hospital. The hiatologic findings showed considerable amounts of mucin especially in the midportion of the dermis. The leaions were improved by the local application of 0.01% Fluocinolone acetonide(Synalar') ointment with occlusive dressing technique.
Adult ; Dermis ; Fingers ; Foot ; Hair ; Humans ; Hyperthyroidism ; Mucins ; Myxedema* ; Occlusive Dressings ; Skin ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroidectomy

We herein report two cases of systemic contact dermatitis probably due to inhalation of mercury. The first case is a 13 year-old boy who developed generalized erythema and dyspnea following the use of a coin-bleaching solution of unknown ingredient in his room. And the second case is a 10 year-old boy who developed generalized scarlatiniform eruptions on his trunk and flexural aspect of his extremities after hreaking a clinical thermometer. The typical clinical feature, the inverted triangular shaped erythema on flexural aspect of inner thigh, were appeared in both patients. On patch testing, they showed positive reactions to mercury and other mercury compounds.
Adolescent ; Child ; Dermatitis, Contact ; Dyspnea ; Erythema ; Exanthema* ; Extremities ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Male ; Mercury Compounds ; Patch Tests ; Thermometers ; Thigh

Dermatitis Herpetiformis rarely in childhood, and certain features of the disease in children differ from its manifestations in adults. Juvenile dermatitis herpetiformis appears not to be the same disease as the typical dermatitis herpetiformis of adults. Juvenile dermatitis herpetiformis has been described as a predomimantly bullous disease, but rarely papulovesicular eruptions. This bullous eruption in children must be considered in the several entities such as bullous pemphigoid and erythema multiforme. Juvenile bullous dermatitis herpetiformis has not responded routinely to sulfapyridine and sulfone therapy. A 15-month-old child whose skin lesions fulfilled clinical, histologic, and therapeutic criteria for Juvenile dermatitis hepetiformis is reported. The skin lesions showed bullous eruptions and also complained of severe itching sensation different from bullous Juvenile dermatitis herpetiformis.
Adult ; Child ; Dermatitis Herpetiformis* ; Dermatitis* ; Erythema Multiforme ; Humans ; Infant ; Pemphigoid, Bullous ; Pruritus ; Sensation ; Skin ; Sulfapyridine

To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of ERCP in pancreatobiliary disease, the authors analysed the 1,244 cases of ERCP. The success rate of ERCP was 91.5%. The diagnostic accuracy of ERCP was 93.6% and complications occurred in 2.1%. Complications included pancreatitis,cholangitis and drug reactions. Among the biliary tract disease diagnosed, by ERCP, biliary tract stone was the most common finding. Compared with operative diagnosis of biliary tract stones,the sensitivity of ERCP diagnosis was 92.7% while that of sonographic diagnosis was 81.4%. The specificity of ERCP diagnosis was 94.4% while that of sonagraphic diagnosis was 80.9%. ln the diagnosis of common bile duct stones, ERCP was more accurrate than sonographic diagnosis. The results show that ERCP was a safe and effective diagnostic tool in the assessment of pancreatobiliary tract disease.
Biliary Tract ; Biliary Tract Diseases ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde* ; Common Bile Duct ; Diagnosis ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Ultrasonography

To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of ERCP in pancreatobiliary disease, the authors analysed the 1,244 cases of ERCP. The success rate of ERCP was 91.5%. The diagnostic accuracy of ERCP was 93.6% and complications occurred in 2.1%. Complications included pancreatitis,cholangitis and drug reactions. Among the biliary tract disease diagnosed, by ERCP, biliary tract stone was the most common finding. Compared with operative diagnosis of biliary tract stones,the sensitivity of ERCP diagnosis was 92.7% while that of sonographic diagnosis was 81.4%. The specificity of ERCP diagnosis was 94.4% while that of sonagraphic diagnosis was 80.9%. ln the diagnosis of common bile duct stones, ERCP was more accurrate than sonographic diagnosis. The results show that ERCP was a safe and effective diagnostic tool in the assessment of pancreatobiliary tract disease.
Biliary Tract ; Biliary Tract Diseases ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde* ; Common Bile Duct ; Diagnosis ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Ultrasonography

The usefulness of microscopic examination of pure bile directly collected from the biliary tract during endoscopic retrograde cholangiography and without hormonal stimulation was evaluated in 86 patients. Cholesterol monohydrate crystal and/or calcium bilirubinate granule were observed in the bile of 64% of GB stones, 88% of CBD stones and l00% of IHD stones. But only 4% of non stone control group were positive crystals examinations. According to this results, microscopic examinations:of bile samples collected during endoscopic retrograde cholangiography exhibited a sensitivity and a specificity for cholelithiasis recognition of 82.3% and 95.8%, respectively, with a positive and negative predictive value of 98.1% and 67.6%, respectively. We conclude that microscopic bile examinations of bile samples collected during ERC is useful to investigate in patients with suspected cholelithiasis.
Bile* ; Biliary Tract ; Bilirubin ; Cholangiography* ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Cholelithiasis ; Cholesterol ; Gallstones ; Humans ; Sensitivity and Specificity

In 1933 Shope described an infectious papilloma of wild cattontail rabbits. Shope rabbit papilloma is a virus-induced epidermal neopIasm indigenous to western cottontail rabbits and readily transmissible to domestic rabbits by inocuiation with an cell-free extract of wild cottontail papilloma. Shope papilloma induced in the domestic rabbits may spoataneously, remain benign, or progress to carcinoma. Kidd et al. (1936) noted that the regression is not correlated with the titer of virus neutralizing antibody. The possibility that papilloma regression is brought about by a mechanism anaIogous to that operating in allograft rejection was suggested by kidd et al. (1938) with the view of the histological resemblance between papilloma regression and rejection of allografted tissue. That regression is mediated by an immune mechanism is strongly indicated by the findings of Evans et al.(1962) that the proportion of rabbits showing regression is substantially increased by vaccination of rabbits with their own papilloma tissue or with papilloma tissue from another rabbits. McMichael (1967) demonstrated that suppression of regression was achieved by use of large doses of corticosteroid. The effect of 5-fluorouracil on human warts was mentioned as being effective by Goldman et al. (1963). In Korea resinous extract from Paulownia coreana has long been used empirically in the treatment of human warts. In this investigation effects of dexamethasone administration on the development and the spontaneous regression of Shope papillomas in domestic rabbits were studied. At the same time, observations were made to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of topical application of 5% 5-fluorouracil ointment and resinous extract from Paulownia coreana on Shope papilloma in the domestic rabbit. The results are summarized as follows: l. Administration of dexamethasone significantly reduced the spontaneous regression of Shope papillomas in domestic rabbits by 12 weeks after virus inoculation. 2. Topical application of 5% 5-fluorouracil ointment on Shope papillomas cured the tumors by 4 weeks of drug application. However, similar treament with resinous extract from Paulownia coreana was without any demonstrable effects. 3. Marked losses of body weights became manifest in dexamethasone treated rabbits. 4. Reinoculation of Shope papilloma virus into 2 rabbits whose papillomas had regressed 3 months ago failed to produce papillomas.
Allografts ; Antibodies, Neutralizing ; Body Weight ; Cottontail rabbit papillomavirus ; Dexamethasone* ; Fluorouracil ; Humans ; Korea ; Papilloma* ; Rabbits ; Tumor Virus Infections ; Vaccination ; Warts

The vermilion border of the lips has a modifed epithelium, which is much more likely to develop allergic contact sensitivity reactions than oral mucosa. Allergens in contact with both the oral mucosa and the lips oftens produce only cheilitis. Allergic contact cheilitis may result from topical medicaments, dentifrices, cosmetics, foods, plants or metals. We present six cases of allergic contact cheilitis confirmed by patch test. The toot4paste was incriminated in 2 cases, the lipstick in 3 cases and the bubble gum in one rase as producing chelitis respectively.
Allergens ; Cheilitis* ; Dentifrices ; Dermatitis, Contact ; Epithelium ; Gingiva ; Lip ; Metals ; Mouth Mucosa ; Patch Tests

Despite significant advances in the diagnosis and treatment of various malignancies, the management of esophageal cancer remains one of the least responsive malignancies, Unfortunately complete excision of the tumor is impossible, because expandable anatomic structures are involved early when the diagnosis is made. (continue...)
Diagnosis ; Esophageal Neoplasms* ; Esophagus