BACKGROUND: It is the Year of Rabbit in 1999 in Korea, so rabbit becomes an popular pet animal. At the same time, there seems to be an important increase in dermatophytoses in human as a result of frequent contact with rabbits in early 1999 in Taegu, Korea. OBJECTIVE: The purpose is to investigate the clinical and mycological features of rabbits and human, and their correlation. METHODS: Twenty-one cases with dermatophytoses, transmitted from infected rabbits, were evaluated from January to March, 1999. Mycological study were carried out from the lesions of rabbits and human. RESULTS: Trichophyton (T.) mentagrophytes, granulosum-asteroides form, were isolated from all the lesions of rabbits and human as an causative dermatophyte. The infected rabbits aged 8~12 weeks. The lesions showed 1.0?4.0 cm-sized, inflamed alopecia covered with whitish-gray crusts. Predominant sites were face, neck, abdomen, and legs. Human infections showed a high incidence of teens (76.2%), and female predominance (2 times), and mainly being tinea faciale and tinea corporis. The lesions were 0.5 ~ 4.0 cm-sized ring-shaped scaly patches with intense inflammation, averaging 4.5 in number per capita. The presumed incubation period was about 2 weeks. Experimental rabbit inoculation test with isolates of rabbits and human resulted in the same typical tinea lesions about 15~20 days after inoculation. It took almost 4 weeks for treatment of both rabbits and human infections. CONCLUSION: Zoophilic T. mentagrophytes, as an etiological source and/or reservoir in rabbits, can be frequently transmitted to human. In the epidemiologic respects, prevention of spread of dennatophytes from rabbits or other pet animals is the most important.
Abdomen ; Adolescent ; Alopecia ; Animals ; Arthrodermataceae ; Daegu ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Inflammation ; Korea ; Leg ; Neck ; Rabbits* ; Tinea ; Trichophyton*

Hepatoblastoma is a rare malignant liver tumor found in children. Its biological characteristics and prognostic factors have not been well known. We investigated 29 cases of hepatoblastoma, registered in university hospitals in Seoul from 1984 to 1996. By the immunohistochemical method, p53, Waf-1 (p21), bcl-2, heat shock protein 70 (hsp70), c-jun, transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) expressions were studied. Those data were compared with clinico-pathologic features; age, sex, tumor size, tumor stage and histologic subtypes. Expression of p53 and bcl-2 were each observed separately in single cases. Expression of c-jun was more frequently noted in patients at higher stages. Expression of TGF-alpha decreased in the order of pure fetal, mixed, embryonal and small cell anaplastic subtypes. Cumulative survival rate was lower in females than in males and in patients with a higher tumor stage. According to histologic subtypes, survival rates decreased in the order of pure fetal, mixed, embryonal and small cell anaplastic subtypes. Survival rate was lower in patients with c-jun expression. Group of TGF-alpha labelling index under 19 showed a lower survival rate than that over 19. In conclusion, we found that tumor associated proteins, c-jun and TGF-alpha, are closely related to the prognosis of hepatoblastoma but p53 and bcl-2 may not be related to it.
Child ; Female ; Hepatoblastoma* ; Hospitals, University ; HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins ; Humans ; Liver ; Male ; Population Characteristics ; Prognosis ; Seoul ; Survival Rate ; Transforming Growth Factor alpha

Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa is a rare, chronic non-inflammatory bullous disease, which easily forms bullae by minor mechanical trauma or spontaneously, is inherited either in an autosomal dominant or autosomal recessive fashion. We report herein two cases which presented with bullae, erosions and ulcers on extremities, buttock, chest, abdomen and face and loss of all nail since birth in two sisters. Bulla occured bencath the basal lamina histopathologically, anchoring fibrils were almost absent on electron miaoscopy in both cases. The two sisters represented dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa considering the absence of family history inheritcd in an autosomal dominant fashion and the clinical, histological and electronmicroscopic findings.
Abdomen ; Basement Membrane ; Buttocks ; Epidermolysis Bullosa Dystrophica* ; Extremities ; Humans ; Parturition ; Siblings* ; Thorax ; Ulcer

Secondary cutaneous cryptococcosis may occur earlier than other manifestations of disseminated cryptococcosis. A 68-year-old woman presented with multiple ulcerative lesions on the right calf of 2 weeks duration. She had been treated with antibiotics, but the lesions spread rapidly. The initial clinical impression was necrotizing fasciitis, but routine KOH mounting from the ulcerative lesions showed numerous budding yeast cells with peripheral clear zones and further investigations including a skin biopsy, tissue cultures and India ink preparations allowed a rapid and definitive diagnosis of cutaneous cryptococcosis. Studies for other evidence of infection elsewhere revealed an asymptomatic pulmonary lesion. We report a case of secondary cutaneous cryptococcosis clinically mimicking necrotizing fasciitis that occured before other manifestations of disseminated cryptococcosis.
Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Biopsy ; Cryptococcosis* ; Diagnosis ; Fasciitis, Necrotizing* ; Female ; Humans ; India ; Ink ; Saccharomycetales ; Skin ; Ulcer

Nevus sebaceus is a common hamartoma that has a variety of appendage tumors. We report a case of nevus sebaceus with multiple appendage tumors on the scalp of a 43-year-old male. The exudative inflamed patches were admixed with darkly pigmented small nodules which had developed secondarily within a 4.0 × 1.5cm lesion 2 years previously. Histologically, on serial sectioning, there were various types of basal cell carcinoma, syringocystadenoma papilliferum, tubular apocrine adenoma and sebaceous adenoma. Some parts of a biopsy specimen, showed a tumor of the follicular infundibulum-like epidermal changes. There were also calcium depositions in the stroma and apocrine tumors, There was no relapse at 1-year follow-up after surgical treatment.
Adenoma ; Adult ; Biopsy ; Calcium ; Carcinoma, Basal Cell ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hamartoma ; Humans ; Male ; Nevus* ; Recurrence ; Scalp

Cutaneous metastasis from renal cell carcinoma is not unusual, occurring in 3 to 7%, although it may be overlooked. We report a case of metastatic renal cell carcinoma in a 74-year-old man who was presented with a 1.5 x 1.5 x 0.5 cm-sized nodule on the right zygoma for 3 months. A skin biopsy demonstrated the typical clear cell adenocarcinoma with PAS(+) granules in the cytoplasm and honeycombed or glandular configuration, compatible with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Kidney ultrasonogram and abdomina1 CT scanning showed a large cystic mass on the upper pole of the left kidney. Furthermore radiologic studies revealed multiple metastatic lesions in the lung, liver and brain. He died 4 months later.
Adenocarcinoma, Clear Cell ; Aged ; Biopsy ; Brain ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell* ; Cytoplasm ; Humans ; Kidney ; Liver ; Lung ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Skin ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ultrasonography ; Zygoma*

A 28-year-old man presented with a 6.0 * 5.0 cm sized ulcer on the anterior chest and widespread copper-red colored maculopapular eruptions. There was no past or family history of syphilis sign or STS. He had been taken imposition of hands twice to treat chronic hepatitis about 4 months prior to presentation. Thereby, the ulcerative lesion on the anterior chest developed as a result of erosive trauma through contact with infected fingernails. The clinical features and serologic tests as well as biopsy findings were consistent with syphilis. Spirochetes were observed under the dark field examination of the anterior chest lesion. On Warthin-Starry staining, spirochetes were identified in the epidermal area of the papular lesion. We report a case of unusual transmission of syphilis.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Hand* ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; Humans ; Nails ; Serologic Tests ; Spirochaetales ; Syphilis* ; Thorax ; Ulcer

No abstract available.
Epidermal Cyst ; Pilomatrixoma

A 41-year-old woman was presented with dusky-red colored, multiple subcutaneous infiltrative plaques of varing size(3-15cm in diameter) on both lower legs, the right ankle and the left antecubital area for about 6 months. Although she complained of sensory disturbance on the skin lesions which led to suspect lepromatous leprosy, there was no evidence of leprosy. Skin biopsy specimens showed dense small and medium-sized atypical lymphoid cell infiltrates in the subcutis, with a mixed septal and lobular pattern and a few scattered hemophagocytic cells. Angioinvasion and angiodestruction were seen in the focal area of deep dermis. Immunohistochemistry displayed positive reactions to LCA, CD3 and UCHL-1, but negative to CD20 and CD30. EBV antigen on the tissue was positive. The clinicopathologic features were consistent with subcutaneous panniculitic T-cell lymphoma.
Adult ; Ankle ; Biopsy ; Dermis ; Female ; Herpesvirus 4, Human ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Leg ; Leprosy ; Leprosy, Lepromatous ; Lymphocytes ; Lymphoma, T-Cell* ; Skin ; T-Lymphocytes*

A 27-year-old man presented with a 6-month history of a dark-reddish nodule on the dorsal aspect of the right fifth finger. The lesion was a smooth-surfaced asymptomatic polypoid feature, measuring 0.4x0.9x0.5cm. Past and personal history were unremarkable. The excisional biopsy specimen showed numerous nests of spindle cells with some epithelioid cells in the entire dermis. The junctional activity was not present. On immunohistochemical staining, nest cells were strong positive for S-100 protein, but weak positive for HMB-45. No relapse was noted during a period of 6-month follow-up.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Dermis ; Epithelioid Cells ; Fingers* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Nevus, Epithelioid and Spindle Cell* ; Recurrence ; S100 Proteins