No abstract available.
Adult ; Hidradenitis ; Humans

No abstract available.
Acupuncture ; Sarcoidosis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We investigated the risk factors for short-term recurrence and analyzed the correlation between subjective clinical symtoms and objective radiological findings in patients with achalasia undergoing pneumatic balloon dilatation. METHODS: Twenty patients who were treated by pneumatic balloon dilatation were enrolled. We compared prospectively various indices before and after the treatment as follows: 1) Eckardt symptom score and dysphagia grade, 2) The ratio of the maximal width in mid-esophageal lumen to the minimal width in distal esophagus around lower esophageal sphincter, and 3) the percentage of maximum activity retained in the esophagus at 30 seconds and T in esophageal scan two days after the treatment. RESULTS: 1) Clinical indices and radiologic indices significantly improved after pneumatic dilatation. 2) There was no significant correlation between the clinical indices and the radiologic indices before and after the treatment. 3) The difference percentage of clinical indices did not show significant correlation with the difference percentage of the radiologic indices. 4) Compared to the group above 20% in the difference percentage of 30 second residual fraction, the one below 20% had a four-fold risk in short-term recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical symptoms and radiologic indices significantly improve after pneumatic dilatation but have no significant correlation to each other. The group below 20% in the difference percentage of 30 second residual fraction has a high risk of recurrence and may need careful examination and early repeated pneumatic dilation.
Adolescent ; Adult ; *Balloon Dilatation ; Data Interpretation, Statistical ; Esophageal Achalasia/diagnosis/*radiography/*therapy ; Esophageal Sphincter, Lower/physiopathology ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Risk Factors ; Severity of Illness Index ; Time Factors

A 32-yr-old male diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome underwent an unmanipulated, unrelated, HLA matched, peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. The patient and donor were both blood type O, CcDEe. Twelve weeks post-transplantation, he developed acute autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA). He was transfused multiple times with washed O red cells. High-dose steroid therapy was initiated and he underwent splenectomy; however, AIHA was refractory to therapy. The patient was further treated with combined treatment modalities including immunosuppressive therapy with mycophenolate mofetil and cyclosporine and three cycles of plasma exchange, and AIHA responded to treatment. This is the third case of AIHA complicating hematopoietic stem cell transplantation reported in Korea. Since AIHA is relatively common after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, accurate and timely diagnosis of the disease and treatment strategies with multiple modalities are necessary.
Adult ; Anemia, Hemolytic, Autoimmune/*diagnosis/drug therapy/etiology ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Cyclosporine/therapeutic use ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/*adverse effects ; Humans ; Male ; Mycophenolic Acid/analogs & derivatives/therapeutic use ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes/complications/diagnosis/therapy ; Plasma Exchange

Background: The skin barrier is made of the outermost layers of skin and is responsible for preventing cutaneous water loss. Skin barrier function is easily affected by external environmental factors, such as temperature and relative humidity, especially in areas with four distinct seasons, such as Busan, Korea. Objective: This study was conducted to analyze the seasonal variation in skin barrier function on the face and to determine whether it is affected by thermo-hygrostat conditioning. Methods: Ten healthy female volunteers aged 28 to 34 years were enrolled in this study. Each subject was put into a thermo-hygrostat–controlled room maintained at a temperature of 22.4°C to 23.8°C with a relative humidity of 50.2% to 52.0%. Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and stratum corneum hydration (SCH) were measured before and after a 20-minute session in the room. Measurements were taken once in the middle of each season. Results: Regardless of thermo-hygrostat conditioning, TEWL and SCH values changed significantly between all four seasons (both p＜0.001). With thermo-hygrostat conditioning, 1 of 6 ΔTEWL and 4 of 6 ΔSCH values showed significant seasonal differences in post-hoc analysis. Difference of TEWL and SCH obtained before and after thermo-hygrostat conditioning was significant only in summer (TEWL, p=0.009; SCH, p=0.002). Conclusion Skin barrier function differed significantly between seasons, regardless of thermo-hygrostat conditioning. Thermo-hygrostat conditioning significantly affected TEWL and SCH only during summer. However, with Busan’s excessively humid summer, even a short period of thermo-hygrostat conditioning could increase the precision of skin barrier function measurement.

Objectives: With the surge in the elderly population, a growing interest in the prevention and treatment of geriatric diseases has been observed, along with awareness of the severity of problems associated with dementia, a cognitive impairment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between chewing ability and cognitive function among elderly people residing in a rural area. Methods: A total of 162 elderly individuals, aged between 65 and 97 years, were surveyed. Trained examiners conducted interviews and assessments of chewing ability, on the basis of the number of remaining teeth, denture status, masticatory performance evaluating gum, ShadeEye-NCC measuring overall change in color of the gum (ΔE), and T-Scan® III analyzing distribution of occlusion patterns. Cognitive function was assessed using the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination-Dementia Screening (MMSE-DS) tool. Results: Participants with a low score in the MMSE-DS were found to have distinguishably lower denture need, smaller number of remaining teeth, and lesser color change in the masticatory performance evaluating gum. In the cognitive impairment group, a tendency of having unilateral and anterior occlusion led to occlusal discomfort and chewing difficulties. Conclusions The study highlights important associations between chewing ability and cognitive function. The finding corroborates that tooth loss may be a predictive risk factor for cognitive impairment.

Background: The skin barrier is made of the outermost layers of skin and is responsible for preventing cutaneous water loss. Skin barrier function is easily affected by external environmental factors, such as temperature and relative humidity, especially in areas with four distinct seasons, such as Busan, Korea. Objective: This study was conducted to analyze the seasonal variation in skin barrier function on the face and to determine whether it is affected by thermo-hygrostat conditioning. Methods: Ten healthy female volunteers aged 28 to 34 years were enrolled in this study. Each subject was put into a thermo-hygrostat–controlled room maintained at a temperature of 22.4°C to 23.8°C with a relative humidity of 50.2% to 52.0%. Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and stratum corneum hydration (SCH) were measured before and after a 20-minute session in the room. Measurements were taken once in the middle of each season. Results: Regardless of thermo-hygrostat conditioning, TEWL and SCH values changed significantly between all four seasons (both p＜0.001). With thermo-hygrostat conditioning, 1 of 6 ΔTEWL and 4 of 6 ΔSCH values showed significant seasonal differences in post-hoc analysis. Difference of TEWL and SCH obtained before and after thermo-hygrostat conditioning was significant only in summer (TEWL, p=0.009; SCH, p=0.002). Conclusion Skin barrier function differed significantly between seasons, regardless of thermo-hygrostat conditioning. Thermo-hygrostat conditioning significantly affected TEWL and SCH only during summer. However, with Busan’s excessively humid summer, even a short period of thermo-hygrostat conditioning could increase the precision of skin barrier function measurement.

Background: Vulvar dermatoses are common, but numerous obstacles impede their adequate clinical investigation. Many outpatient patients with vulvar dermatoses had inappropriate behavioral habits to manage their diseases. Objective: This study was performed to investigate the clinical aspects of vulvar dermatoses and to evaluate the proper management for vulvar eczema and pruritus vulvae. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical records from female patients presenting with vulvar dermatoses in a tertiary hospital and analyzed the age, clinical manifestation, diagnosis, and further evaluated treatment and clinical course of vulvar eczema and pruritus vulvae. Results: A total of 163 patients were reviewed in this study. The most frequent type of skin manifestation was macule/patch, with itching as the most common symptom. Lichen simplex chronicus (35, 21.5%) was the most common dermatosis, followed by lichen sclerosus et atrophicus (21, 12.9%) and Behcet’s disease (18, 11.0%). In addition, 57 patients (35.0%) suffered from acute/chronic vulvar eczema or pruritus vulvae and over half of them had been misdiagnosed as fungal infection or had mistreated themselves with multiple self-products. These patients mostly showed good response to hygiene management plus low potency topical corticosteroids. Conclusion In this study, we identified clinically common vulvar dermatoses in a cohort of women visiting our dermatology clinic. We found that patients with vulvar eczema or pruritus vulvae suffered from misdiagnosis and inappropriate self-management sustained patients’ problems. They could be effectively controlled by education of hygiene management with/without steroids. Further prospective investigation with a larger group of patients would provide better understanding of the characteristics of vulvar dermatoses.

Objectives: With the surge in the elderly population, a growing interest in the prevention and treatment of geriatric diseases has been observed, along with awareness of the severity of problems associated with dementia, a cognitive impairment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between chewing ability and cognitive function among elderly people residing in a rural area. Methods: A total of 162 elderly individuals, aged between 65 and 97 years, were surveyed. Trained examiners conducted interviews and assessments of chewing ability, on the basis of the number of remaining teeth, denture status, masticatory performance evaluating gum, ShadeEye-NCC measuring overall change in color of the gum (ΔE), and T-Scan® III analyzing distribution of occlusion patterns. Cognitive function was assessed using the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination-Dementia Screening (MMSE-DS) tool. Results: Participants with a low score in the MMSE-DS were found to have distinguishably lower denture need, smaller number of remaining teeth, and lesser color change in the masticatory performance evaluating gum. In the cognitive impairment group, a tendency of having unilateral and anterior occlusion led to occlusal discomfort and chewing difficulties. Conclusions The study highlights important associations between chewing ability and cognitive function. The finding corroborates that tooth loss may be a predictive risk factor for cognitive impairment.

An 80-year-old woman presented with a yellowish to erythematous plaque that persisted on her left temple for several years. Histopathologic examination revealed a large area of atypical squamous cell infiltration into the epidermis and dermis and a small area of neoplastic basaloid and clear cell proliferation with nuclear atypia in the central portion of the lesion. Immunohistochemical staining was positive and negative for epithelial membrane antigen and cytokeratin 7, respectively, in both the squamous cell and central clear cell infiltration areas. The patient was diagnosed with sebaceous carcinoma associated with squamous cell carcinoma in situ and underwent surgical excision. There have been several reports of sebaceous carcinoma with coinciding tumors in the same lesion, including nevus sebaceous and actinic keratosis. Here, we report a case of sebaceous carcinoma with coexisting squamous cell carcinoma in situ in a patient with a previous history of actinic keratosis in the temple area.