The ability of nicotinic acid and its substitutes to increase cutaneous blood flow has been measured by laser Doppler flowmeter in 30 healthy human volunteers. We applied nicotinarnide, nicotinic acid ethyl ester, nicotinic acid methyl ester, hexyl nicozinate each in an acqeous solution at a concentration of 10 mM/liter for 10 minutes occlusion on the forearm. The change of blood flow was serially checked at 5 to 10 minutes intervals for one hour. The study results were as follows : l. The relative maximum cutaneous blood flow response was in following order nicotinic acid methyl ester(100%), nicotinic acid ethyl ester(98%), hexyl nicotinate (84%) and nicotinic acid(63%). However, there was no statistically significant difference(p>0.05) between each drug. There was statististically significant difference between nicotinamide and all other nicotinic acid substitutes(p<0.05). 2. The time required to reach maximum blood flow response was 6.7 minutes for hexyl nicotinste, 10 minutes for nicotinic acid ethyl ester, 12.5 minutes for nicotinic acid methyl ester and 20 minutes for nicotinic acid. However, there was statistically significant difference between hexyl nicotinate and nicotinic acid only(p<0.05). 3. Significant decrease of cutaneous blood flow was observed one hour after the removal of the patches in all drugs.
Flowmeters ; Forearm ; Healthy Volunteers ; Niacin* ; Niacinamide

Contact Dermatitis due to cosmetics is also common in Korea. as in other developed countries. However. detection of the causative antigens is in a difficult situation due to many reasons. We have routinely patch tested with Japanese cosmetic series patch test allergens, Types 17 and 18 in addition to Hollister standard battery and patients own cosmetics to 4Q cases of suspected cosmetic contact dermatitis who have visited our Environmental and Occupational Clinic during the past one year. The study result was as follows. Total 55% ositive reaction related to cosmetics was observed in 4p patch tested patients. 2 The most frequently observed antigens were hydroxycitronellal, benzyl saliylate and cinnamic alcohol.
Allergens ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Dermatitis, Contact* ; Developed Countries ; Humans ; Korea ; Patch Tests*

Thin-layer (uni-dimensional and bi-dimensional) chrornatography studies were performed on 60 brownish stockings from 12 companies in Korea to search for Disperse Yellow 3 and Disperse Orange 3, which are known as common sensitizers in textiles. The results were as follows : 1) Mixture of various-colored dyes were being used to reveal the brownish hue in the stockings. 2) TLC demonstrated the presence of Disperse Yellow 3 in 53 stocking. 3) TLC demonstrated the presence of Disperse Orange 3 in 3 stockings, Although lack or more sophisticsted tests such as spectroseopic, infra red or nuclear spectra identification. These results suggest a strong clue to the presence of Disperse Yellow 3 and Disperse Orange 3 in the commercial stocking now being used in Korea.
Chromatography* ; Citrus sinensis* ; Coloring Agents ; Korea ; Textiles

Resorcin is widely being used in the fields of the therapeutics, cosmetics, industry, but allergic contact dermatitis is an infrequent adverse reaction. We have experienced a case of allergic contact dermatitis to resorcin. A 59-year-old male with Kaposi's sarcoma on the right foot developed linear erythematous vesicular eruption along the marking areas 4 days after application of Castellanis paint, used as a skin marking solution for radiation therapy. He showed patch test positive reaction to Castellani's paint as well as its individual components, resorcin and phenol.
Dermatitis, Allergic Contact* ; Dermatitis, Contact ; Foot ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Paint ; Patch Tests ; Phenol ; Sarcoma, Kaposi ; Skin*

Demacre', a new topical steroid cream containing 0.025% beclomethasone dipropionate, was used in several kinds of dermatoses. Total 35 patients including ll cases of contact dermatitis, 5 of atopic dermatitis, 3 of hand eczema, 3 of seborrheic dermatitis, 2 of neurodermatitis, 2 of nummular eczema, 2 of autosensitization dermatitis, 1 of chronic eczema, 3 of psoriasis, 1 of insect bite, 1 of miliaria rubra, and 1 of intertrigo were treated by Demacre'. Among these patients, we observed excellent effects in 4 patients (11%), good effects in 22 patients (63%), and fair effects in 3 patients (9%). Namely, among these 35 patients, 26 patients (74%) revealed excellent to good therapeutic effects on their skin conditions with Demacre'. No untoward side effects were noted in all subjects treated with Demacre.
Beclomethasone ; Dermatitis ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Dermatitis, Contact ; Dermatitis, Seborrheic ; Eczema ; Hand ; Humans ; Insect Bites and Stings ; Intertrigo ; Miliaria ; Neurodermatitis ; Psoriasis ; Skin ; Skin Diseases*

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (Osler-Weber-Rendu disease) is a familial disease that is characterized by delicate, ectatic vessels in the skin, mucous membrane and viscera. These patients have a generalized vascular derangement including pulmonary A-V fistula and angiomatosis. Episodes of hemorrhage in cornbination with a familial history and cutaneous telangiectasia are diagnostic. We preaented a typical case of hereditary hemorrhagic telangieetasia in a 3-year-old female who had. two episodes of hemoptysis and compatible telangiectatic skin lesion. Her pulmonary and hepatic angiornas were also proved by pulmonary and aortic angiography.
Angiography ; Angiomatosis ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Fistula ; Hemoptysis ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Mucous Membrane ; Skin ; Telangiectasia, Hereditary Hemorrhagic* ; Telangiectasis ; Viscera

BACKGROUND: It is well known that neuronal degeneration can occur after a brief deprivation of energy source. To investigate whether glial astrocyte can induce a phenomenon of delayed cell death after transient energy loss and to see how different are the effects of nifedipine, lidocaine, carnosine and hypothermia on delayed toxicity in astrocyte. METHODS: Human astrocytoma cells (U1242MG) were used in this study. To assess the astrocyte survival during post-ischemic period after transient histotoxic hypoxia, 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl]-2,5, diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) test was used. Compared to MTT test, tryphan blue test was also used to demonstrate membrane damage of affected cells. Studies on intracellular calcium dynamics during ischemic and post-ischemic period were carried out with fluo-3 and flow cytometry system. RESULTS: The percentage survival of astrocyte during post-ischemic period was decreasing with time. Calcium channel blocker nifedipine, sodium and calcium channel blocker lidocaine and free radical scavenger carnosine could not prevent post-ischemic cell damage. But, hypothermia was only an effective method in ameliorating post-ischemic cell death. Intracellular calcium increase during ischemia and post-ischemia was dependent on extracellular calcium influx. CONCLUSIONS: Only hypothermia was effective in reducing astrocyte death during post-ischemia after transient energy depletion. Intracellular calcium alterations during post-ischemia was from extracellular space.
Anoxia* ; Astrocytes* ; Astrocytoma ; Calcium ; Calcium Channels ; Carnosine ; Cell Death ; Extracellular Space ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Hypothermia* ; Ischemia ; Lidocaine ; Membranes ; Neurons ; Nifedipine ; Sodium

This study was undertaken to observe the difference of patch test and prick test positive reactions in three groups, 20 atopic dermatitis patients, 20 chronic urticaria patients, and 20 normal controls, Twenty commercial antigens (ToriiCo.) and twenty three frozen and boiled antigens of fishes and shellfishes were used as test materials. The results were as follows: 1. No positive reaction was observed in all sixty subjects in patch test. 2 In prick test, difference in reactivity was observed among atopic dermatitis (14. 7%), chronic urticaria (8.7%), and normal control(1. 5%) 3. There was significant difference in reactivity between Torii and frozen antigens in atopic dermatitis group, but no significance in chronic urticaria and control groups. 4. Boiling altered the reactivity in tested materials in all three groups of subjects singificantly. 5. Patients with past or family history of allergic diseases showed double fold higher reactivity tban patients without any history.
Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Fishes ; Humans ; Patch Tests ; Shellfish* ; Urticaria*

Nickel is widely known as a common source of contact dermatitis and nickel sensitivity amounts to nearly 10 percent of allergic contact dermatitis patients. Common sources of nickel dermatitis are well known as necklaces, watches, rings, hooks, earrings and spectacle frames. Recently, we have seen five cases of nickel dermatitis the suspected sources of which were metal spectacle frames. The interim patch test result in our occupational and environmental clinic suggests that the metal spectacle frame is one of the most common sources of nickel dermatitis. Out of 84 medical students 27 wore metal spectacle frames. We have done a dimethylglyoxime spot test to the metal spectacle frames and got a positive result in 12 out of 27(44.4%). We conclude that metal spectacle frame seems to be one of the dominant causes of nickel dermatitis and it will be an increasing problem in our society.
Dermatitis ; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact ; Dermatitis, Contact* ; Ear ; Humans ; Nickel ; Patch Tests ; Students, Medical

54-year-old male patient with acute lymphocytic leukemia was consulted to our department. He had had a few painful erythematous necrotic plaques on the chest, which suggested initslly vasculitis or pyoderma. On histological examination, characterisitic histological findings of non-septated large hyphae were observed in the dermis and subcutaneoustissue, Although organism was not isolated on Sabouraud agar media containing cycloheximide, the diagnosis of cutaneous mucormycosis was made by the characteristic histological nattlre. He died after 2 weeks with amphotericin B intravenous injections so that additional fungus culture was not performed.
Agar ; Amphotericin B ; Cycloheximide ; Dermis ; Diagnosis ; Fungi ; Humans ; Hyphae ; Injections, Intravenous ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mucormycosis* ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma* ; Pyoderma ; Thorax ; Vasculitis