A few cases of a dermatosis characterized by "music box spine" keratotic papules limited to the palms and soles have been reported. There have been several names for this dermatosis The Most commonly incorporated term is porokeratosis, but Osman et at suggested the name "spiny keratoderma of palms and soles" because the clinical, histologic and electron microscopic features of this lesion are distinct from porokeratosis. We report a case of spiny keratoderma on the digit showing a single lesion, as a variant of the classic spiny keratoderma of palms and soles.
Porokeratosis ; Skin Diseases

BACKGROUND: Periungual warts are a therapeutic challenge. Many studies have revealed that intralesional interferon α-2b therapy and pulsed dye laser therapy have numerous advantages over other modalities of theratment. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine if combination therapy with intralesional interferon α-2b and pulsed dye laser might offer an effective treatment for periungual warts. METHODS: Thirty-three patients were randomly assigned to one of three study groups. In group A, the patients received both intralesional interferon α-2b treatment and pulsed dye laser(PDL) therapy (n=13). Group B patients were treated wit intralesional interferon α-2b alone (n=10) and group C was done with PDL therapy only (n=10). RESULTS: The clearance rate was 92.3% for the patients treated with the combination therapy of intralesional interferon α-2b treatment and pulsed dye laser (PDL) therapy. It was 50% for the patients with the intralesional interferon α-2b treatment alone, and 0% for the group with the PDL therpy only. No significant side effects were observed. At 6 months after cessation of the therapy, total 2 cases (one from group A and the other from group B) were recurred. CONCLUSION: The combination therapy with intralesional interferon α-2b treatment and pulsed dye laser therapy was highly effective for the treatment of recalcitrant periungual warts.
Humans ; Interferons* ; Lasers, Dye* ; Warts*

A few cases of reticulate acropigmentary disorders have been reported in Korea. Most of them were reticulate acropigmentation of Kitamura, but not acropigmentation symmetrica of Dohi. A 21 year-old male patient diagnosed as acropigmentation symmetrica of Dohi had been previously treated with various treatment methods unsuccessfully. Re-treatment with the Q-switched alexandrite laser(755 nm, 100nsec) showed a temporary improvement but a relapse of the lesion was experienced again. We describe a case of acropigmentation symmetrica of hi treated with the Q-switched alexandrite laser.
Humans ; Korea ; Lasers, Solid-State* ; Male ; Recurrence

No abstract available.

The scalp hair is composed of one hundred thousand of hairs. Each hair goes through the three phases of the hair cycle, which causes the hair to turn from an anagen hair into a catagen hair, then into a telogen hair, and finally into a new anagen hair. The number of hairs is maintained at a relatively constant level because each hair has its own hair cycle. The hair of Koreans is relatively thicker than that of Caucasians and Africans but its growth rate and density are lower. There are various factors that influence hair growth such as hormones, nutritional status, and drugs. However, androgen is most important among these factors and, particularly, androgenetic alopecia is caused by androgen and genetic factors. Because excessive dihydrotestosterone produced by 5alpha-reductase is of the greatest importance in androgenetic alopecia, finasteride or dutasteride, which inhibits the action of 5alpha-reductase, is effective in treating androgenetic alopecia. Also, minoxidil is widely used as it promotes hair growth. Furthermore, there are various types of hair diseases and specialized examination is required for differential diagnosis.
Alopecia ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Azasteroids ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Dihydrotestosterone ; Dutasteride ; Finasteride ; Hair ; Hair Diseases ; Humans ; Minoxidil ; Nutritional Status ; Scalp

Sjogren-Larsson syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive neurocutaneous disorder due to a deficiency of the fatty aldehyde dehydrogenase. It consists of ichthyosis, spastic di- or quardriplegia and mental retardation. We report a case of a 9-year-old boy who was suspected to have Sjogren-Larsson syndrome. He had congenital ichthyosis, spastic diplegia and mental retardation. In addition, there was macular degeneration on the fundus. His neurological symptoms were improved after selective posterior rhizotomy and rehabilitation therapy. However, the dermatological problem did not subside with conservative treatment.
Aldehyde Dehydrogenase ; Cerebral Palsy ; Child ; Humans ; Ichthyosis ; Intellectual Disability ; Macular Degeneration ; Male ; Muscle Spasticity ; Neurocutaneous Syndromes ; Rehabilitation ; Rhizotomy ; Sjogren-Larsson Syndrome*

Few cases of ichthyosis bullosa of Siemens(IBS) have been reported since 1939, as a distinct entity from bullous congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma(BCIE). IBS can be differentiated from BCIE by the absence of congenital erythroderma and a different distribution of involved skin area. It's characteristic features include blistering, superficial erosion or moulting of the outer skin. Histological features are tonofilaments aggregation confined to the granular and upper spinous layer of the epidermis. However, in BCIE these findings are present in the whole suprabasal compartment. The original reports of Siemens and cases from other authors showed an autosomal dominant inheritance. Our patient developed IBS sporadically without a familial background.
Blister ; Dermatitis, Exfoliative ; Epidermis ; Humans ; Ichthyosis Bullosa of Siemens* ; Ichthyosis* ; Intermediate Filaments ; Molting ; Skin ; Wills

BACKGROUND: The endothelial expresson and upregulation of ICAM-1 and epidermal keratinocyte expression of ICAM-1 are well documented in psoriasis. ICAM-1 mediates the adhesion and trafficking of circulating activated skin-seeking CD45RO+ memory CD4+ T lymphocytes from the vessel into the dermis and epidermis of psoriatic skin by binding to its ligand LFA-1(lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1) expressed on lymphocyte membranes. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of ICAM-1 in vascular endothelium and keratinocyte of psoriatic skin and the difference of ICAM-1 expression between early and fully developed psoriatic lesions. METHODS: We have studied the expression of ICAM-1 in twelve psoriatic patients who had not been treated for psoriatic lesions for 1 month and three normal human skin samples by immunohistochemical staining using monoclonal antibody against ICAM-1. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical staining revealed anti-ICAM-1 antibody positively stained only in the subpapillary endothelial cells of normal skin. But in all psoriatic lesions studied, anti- ICAM-1 antibody was stained positively in the endothelium of papillary and subpapillary plexus, and in fully developed psoriatic lesions, anti-ICAM-1 antibody was stained focally in epidermal keratinocytes. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that ICAM-1 expression on papillary microvessels and keratinocytes may play an important role in the transendothelial and transepidermal migration of lymphocytes from the vessel into the dermis and epidermis of psoriatic skin.
Dermis ; Endothelial Cells ; Endothelium ; Endothelium, Vascular* ; Epidermis ; Humans ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 ; Keratinocytes* ; Lymphocytes ; Membranes ; Memory ; Microvessels ; Psoriasis ; Skin* ; T-Lymphocytes ; Up-Regulation

Once splinter hemorrhage can be considered as a pathognomonic sign of subacute bacterial endocarditis. But it can also be associated with a variety of systemic disorders that increase capillary fragility or primary nail bed involvement in dermatologic disorders. The cause of splinter hemorrhage can usually be established by careful history and physical examination. We report a case of 33-year-old man with splinter hemorrhages, who had polycythemia vera.
Adult ; Capillary Fragility ; Endocarditis, Subacute Bacterial ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Physical Examination ; Polycythemia Vera* ; Polycythemia*

PURPOSE: To evaluate how much the indocyanine green (ICG) influence cultured human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells(ARPE-19; ATCC No. CRL-2302). METHODS: Human RPE cells were incubated with media and various concentration of ICG. Their viability upon different ICG concentration and exposure time were examined by MTT assay. Also, the amount of ICG to be influxed onto the cells was estimated with the flow cytometry and the confocal laser scanning microscopy. RESULTS: The viability examined by MTT assay decreased upon different ICG concentration and exposure time. Also, they were effected in the condition of very low dose of ICG (0.00016%, 0.0008%). The amount of ICG to be influxed onto cells increased upon its concentration and time to be exposed. CONCLUSIONS: In the exposure of RPE cells to ICG, it accumulated in the cells and their viability decrease. These results should be taken into account when ICG is used for macular hole surgery.
Epithelial Cells* ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Indocyanine Green* ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Retinal Perforations ; Retinal Pigment Epithelium ; Retinaldehyde*