BACKGROUND: Ultraviolet light induces sunburn, aging of the skin, disorders of pigment and even promotes skin cancers. Melanin is known to have a protecting role in the skin by blocking ultraviolet light. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate UVA blocking effect of epidermal melanin and to compare UVA blocking effect among different anatomical sites. METHODS: From 20 vitiligo patients who had undergone an epidermal graft, we obtained epidermis of normal and vitiliginous skin and measured transmitted UVA energy density. RESULTS: The vitiliginous epidermis, devoid of melanin, blocked lower amount of UVA energy than the normal epidermis. 11.6% of irradiated UVA energy was blocked by epidermal melanin. No significant differences were observed in UVA blocking effect among different anatomical sites in normal and vitiliginous epidermis. CONCLUSION: Epidermal melanin has some UVA blocking effect. No significant differences were found in UVA blocking effect among different anatomical sites despite the differences in the density of melanin pigment among different sites of the body.
Aging ; Epidermis ; Humans ; Melanins* ; Skin ; Skin Neoplasms ; Sunburn ; Transplants ; Ultraviolet Rays ; Vitiligo*

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*

Malignant histiocytosis is a rare, usually fatal malignant neoplasm of reticuloendothelial systems. The disease is associated with fever, malaise, weight loss, hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, pancytopenia, jaundice, and purpura. A 44-year-old female patient is described who had multiple, purple crusted nodules and plaques in the skin. In the laboratory study, pancytopenia was noted on the peripheral blood. In addition many atypical histiocytes were seen on the bone marrow aspiration. A lesional biopsy showed nodular infiltrations of atypical histiocytes in the dermis and some erythrophagocytosis was seen. Immunohistochemically, the histiocytes were weakly stained for lysozyme and α-l-antichymotrypsin, but were unstained for S-100 protein, cytokeratin, CEA(carcinoembryonic antigen), pan T/B marker CD30(ki-1), UCHL-1 LCA(leukocyte common antigen), and α-l-antitrypsin.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Bone Marrow ; Dermis ; Female ; Fever ; Histiocytes ; Histiocytic Sarcoma* ; Humans ; Jaundice ; Keratins ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Mononuclear Phagocyte System ; Muramidase ; Pancytopenia ; Purpura ; S100 Proteins ; Skin ; Weight Loss

No abstract available.
Depression*

No abstract available.
Hepatitis B Surface Antigens* ; Humans ; Prevalence*

No abstract available.
Family Practice* ; Humans ; Primary Health Care*

No abstract available.
Macrophages, Peritoneal* ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitric Oxide Synthase* ; Shock* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

No abstract available.
Cognition*

No abstract available.
Ciprofloxacin* ; Methicillin Resistance* ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus*

We report two cases of primary cutaneous cryptococcosis that is a very rare disease. One patient was a 45 year-old female, who had had an erythematous hard nodule on dorsum of right wrist for ten months, The other patient was a 53-year-old male, who had had itching and burning erythematous rashes on left auricle for ten months. Histopathologic examination showed typical spores with capsules, Other physical examination and laboratory findings were within nomal limit. Our patients were successfully treated with excision and combination of amphotericin B and 5-fluoro-cytosine.
Amphotericin B ; Burns ; Capsules ; Cryptococcosis* ; Exanthema ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Physical Examination ; Pruritus ; Rare Diseases ; Spores ; Wrist