Recently, the importance of interferons as immune modulators has been recognized. Measurement of serum or tissue levels give only a partial picture of interferon activity, since antiviral effects persist after levels become undetectable. Neverthless, serum levels correlate reasonably well with clinical effects. Authors have analyzed the serum interferon levels in 12 patients with varicelIa and 25 with herpes zoster and the results are compared with healthy normal control. The results are as follows. The mean value of serum interferon levels showed no significant difference between patients group with varicella and with herpes zoster (8. 4+8, 5units/ml) and normal healthy control group (6. 2+7. 2 units/ml), 2, The mean value of serum interferon levels showed no significant difference between patients group with varicella (9. 2+7. 8 unit/ml) and normal healthy control group. 3 The mean value of serum interferon levels showed no significant difference between patients group with herpes zoster (8. I+9. 0 units/ml) and normal healthy control group. 4 The mean value of serum interferon levels showed no significant difference between patients group of varicella and those of herpes zoster.
Chickenpox ; Herpes Zoster ; Herpesvirus 3, Human* ; Humans ; Interferons*

Epidermolysis bullosa dystrophica(EBD) is a rare, hereditary and chronic mechanobullous disease characterized by blistering and erosions of the skin in response to even minor trauma. A 5-year old girl visited with a complaint of continuous vesicobullous skin eruptions since birth. On examination, bullae, vesicles, atrophic scars, crusts and ero:ions were scattered on whole body. Loss of finger and toe nails, partial syndactyly of all toe webs and milia on dorsa of feet were noticed. We present a case of EBD that seems to be a recessive type considering the absence of family history with histopathologic and electron microscopic findings.
Blister ; Child, Preschool ; Cicatrix ; Epidermolysis Bullosa Dystrophica* ; Epidermolysis Bullosa* ; Female ; Fingers ; Foot ; Humans ; Parturition ; Skin ; Syndactyly ; Toes

A 45-year-old woman had a bean-sized, asymptomatic, soft nodule on the right buttock for 4 years. Histopafhologic evaluation revealed acanthosis and a central core of adipose tissue with thin papillary and reticular dermis containing eccrine glands. Staining with alcian blue showed a slight increase of mucopolysaccharides in the reticular dermis. We made the diagnosis of pedunculated lipofibroma as a solitary form of nevus lipomatosus superficialis.
Adipose Tissue ; Alcian Blue ; Buttocks ; Dermis ; Diagnosis ; Eccrine Glands ; Female ; Glycosaminoglycans ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Nevus

The epidermis, which is composed mainly of keratinocyt;es, undergoes continual proliferation and differentiation, To study keratinocyte differentiation, it is necessary to separate the keratinocytes at their sucessive stages of maturation. We separate the keratinocytes by layers by using Percoll and obtain the relatively pure fractions of basal cells, spinous cells, and granular cells, 76. 8%, 67. 2%, 30%. respectively.
Epidermis ; Humans* ; Keratinocytes

We present a case of epidermodysplasia verruciformis a.ssociated with Bowen's disease. Patient was 33 year-old male and his skin lesions showed diffuse flat papules on face and neck, many brownish papules on trunk and papillomatous tumors also appeared un scalp and post auricular area, Skin biopsy findings from the flat papular lesion showed histopathologic features of verruca plana and from the papillomatous lesion showed the feature of Bowen's disease. Electron microscopic finding from the flat papular lesion showed marked aggregates of viral particles around the nuclei of epidermal keratinocytes.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Bowen's Disease* ; Epidermodysplasia Verruciformis* ; Humans ; Keratinocytes ; Male ; Neck ; Scalp ; Skin ; United Nations ; Virion ; Warts

Authors experienced a 13-day-old boy who had suffered from walnut sized hard erythematous nodules on left axilla, anterior and posterior aspect of the neck which began to develop 9 days after birth. Histopathologic findings revealed subcutaneous fat necrosis and needle-shaped cleft in several fat cells. The skin lesions spontaneously resolved at 2 months of age. The clinical pattern, the skin manifestations, and the histologic appearance of the lesions were diagnostic of subcutaneous fat necrosis of newborn.
Adipocytes ; Axilla ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Juglans ; Male ; Neck ; Necrosis* ; Parturition ; Skin ; Skin Manifestations ; Subcutaneous Fat*

We report a case of Lymphomatoid granulomatosis in a 54-year-old woman. She presented with a two months history of a tender nodule located on the left for earm associated with fever and pulmonary symptoma aggravated against various treatments. She died 92 days of admission because of respiratory failure. Diagnosis was based on the clinical features and histopathologic findings of the skin lesion.
Diagnosis ; Female ; Fever ; Humans ; Lymphomatoid Granulomatosis* ; Middle Aged ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Skin

We observed three patients who showed widespread macular ashy-colored eruptions. They fit clinically and histopathologically with the typical erythema dyschromicum perstans (ashy dermatosis). Erythoma dyschromicum perstans is a peculiar pigmented condition of unknown etiology characterized by persistent ashy-gray colored macule, refractory to any modality. All of them have similar skin lesions which are multiple, variable sized oval-shaped, ash-colored macular eruption on the trunk and extremities. Histologic findings of 2 patients reveal the characteristic feature of focal hydropic degeneration of the basal cell layer of the epidermis, perivascular infiltrates of lymphocytes and histiocytes and melanin-laden macrophages in the corium, however, merely pigmentary incontinence into the corium in 1 patient. Literatures are briefly reviewed.
Dermis ; Epidermis ; Erythema* ; Extremities ; Histiocytes ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; Macrophages ; Skin

Fox-Fordyce disease is a chronic pruritic papular eiruption, usually appearing in women and presenting a strict localization to the areas bearing apocrine sweat glands. More than 90g, of the cases were seen in women, the majority being in the age group of 13 to 35 years. The present report deals with unusual case of 14-year-old boy who developed Fox-Fordyce disease 6 years ago. To our knowledge, it is extremely rare case in Korea.
Adolescent ; Female ; Fox-Fordyce Disease* ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Sweat Glands

We describe herein a 3 family members with phytophotodermatitis. After fig (juice) was applied to skin for the purpose of treating psoriasis in a 30 year-old woman and applied incidentally in her mother and 3 year-old daughter, vesicobullous eruptions developed immediately after sun-exposure, predominantly in the sun-exposed area. ln histopathology, the epidermis shows intraepidermal separation with necrosis and reepithelization on basal layer and marked spongiosis. We treated with systemic steroid, wet dressing with burow solution etc, so she healed without sequela after 2 weeks.
Adult ; Bandages ; Child, Preschool ; Epidermis ; Female ; Ficusin ; Humans ; Mothers ; Necrosis ; Nuclear Family ; Psoriasis ; Skin