A 25 year old woman who presented a severely pruritic eruption of 1 month's duration on the lateral surface of her left shin is described. The histopathologic examination revealed dense cellularity consisting of hemosiderin laden macrophages and multinucleated giant cells of both the Touton type-like and the foreign body type, associated with many blood vessels, suggesting hemosiderotic histiocytoma. Given the additional finding of foamy cytoplasm, this case could be called xanthomatized hemosiderotic histiocytoma
Blood Vessels ; Cytoplasm ; Female ; Foreign Bodies ; Giant Cells ; Hemosiderin ; Histiocytoma* ; Histiocytoma, Benign Fibrous ; Humans ; Macrophages

BACKGROUND: The proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA), one of the markers for proliferating cells, has been detected in solid human neoplasms. Psoriasis is a benign hyperproliferative disorder of the skin. OBJECTIVE: This study has been made to investigate if PCNA can be detected in the psoriatic epidermis. METHODS: Specimens from 10 patients with psoriasis were stained for PCNA using the one hour immunoalkaline phosphatase technique. RESULTS: The psoriatic epidermis showed positive nuclear staining in 20%-61% (mean, 45.7%) of keratinocytes. CONCLUSION: PCNA seems to be involved in the mechanism of increased epidermal cell proliferation in psoriatic lesions.
Cell Proliferation ; Epidermis* ; Humans ; Keratinocytes ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen* ; Psoriasis ; Skin

Pigmented Bowen's disease (PBD) is a rare variant of Bowen's disease(BD). Most of the reported cases showed pigmented patches or thin plaques. Thus its clinical manifestations may simulated other various pigmented skin lesions. We experienced 2 cases of PBD in patients with multiple BD developed after taking Korean proprietary pills (KPP, "Hwan-Yak"), which were suspected to contain certain amount of arsenics. Both patients also showed arsenical keratosis on their palms and soles. The darker pigmentation of the PBL led us to differentiated them from melanoma.
Bowen's Disease* ; Humans ; Keratosis ; Melanoma ; Pigmentation ; Skin

BACKGROUND: There have been many articles about the chemical peeling of Caucasian skin, but there have been few reports about postpeel results among Oriental people. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this report is to evaluate the effects of chemical skin peeling on the facial skin of Korean individuals over a two year period and compare these results with those relating to Caucasian skin. METHOD: Using 15 to 50 per cent trichloroacetic acid (TCA), we have peeled 121 pationts with fine wrinking, irregular pigmentary deposits, superficial acne scars, and melasma, and observed them for 2 years. RESULTS: In contrast to melasma, fine wrinkling and irregular pigmentary deposits responded efficiently to TCA peeling. About 70 per cent of the patients showed satisfactory clinical results one year after treatment while 50 per cent of them did so two years after treatment. Postpeel hyperpigmentation and erythema lasted for 3.15 months and 6 weeks, respectively, on average. CONCLUSION: If we select a fair-skinned woman in her fifties, even though she is an Oriental. TCA peeling can treat the fine wrinkling or irregular pigmentary deposits to a satisfactory degree.
Acne Vulgaris ; Cicatrix ; Erythema ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Melanosis ; Methods ; Skin ; Trichloroacetic Acid*

A genetic and clinical study was done on 20 index cases and their families who had lived in Chonnam province, visited Chonnam University Hospital from 1968 through 1983, and were diagnosed as peudoxanthoma elasticum based on clinical and histopathological findings. In Chonnam province, pseudoxanthoma elsticum occurred in a incidence of more thar, one per 125,000. The male to female ratio was 1: 1.25 (8: 10) with only the cases of familial occurrence although the sex ratio was 1: l. 85 (7: 13) among 20 index cases. Among 8 index cases showing familial occurrence, 6 showed autosomal recessive inheritance with 5 Type 1 and 1 Type 2 whereas 2 showed the autosomal dominant inheritance with both of thern Type 2 (Pope), pointing out the genetic heterogeneity in pseudoxanthorna elsticum. The age of patients ranged from 12 to 42 years old at the time of their first visit to our hospital, but the age that the patients first recognized the disease onset ranged from 9 to 22 years old. The duration of t he disease was also variable ranging from 11/2 to 30 years. The angioid streaks were observed in 38g of the cases whose disease duration ranged from 11/2 to 20 years. The sites of skin lesions were the neck, axillae and groin in the order of frequency.
Adult ; Angioid Streaks ; Axilla ; Classification ; Female ; Genetic Heterogeneity ; Groin ; Humans ; Incidence ; Jeollanam-do ; Male ; Neck ; Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum* ; Sex Ratio ; Skin ; Wills ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: The wall of ovarian dermoid cysts shows various kinds of morphologic patterns. Some of them resemble the features of epidermal and epidermal appendageal tumors. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to classify the morphologic features of the wall of ovarian dermoid cyst from the dermatohistopathologic viewpoint. METHODS: H&E stained slides of 203 ovarian dermoid cysts were reviewed RESULTS: Thirteen different patterns of morphologic features were found. They included features of organoid nevus, sebaceous hyperplasia, steatocystoma multiplex, epidermoid cyst, nevus comedonicus, epidermal nevus, apocrine hidrocystoma, syringoma and trichilemmal cyst. CONCLUSION: Various epidermal and epidermal appendageal tumors may be associated with ovarian dermoid cyst.
Dermoid Cyst* ; Epidermal Cyst ; Female ; Hidrocystoma ; Hyperplasia ; Nevus ; Organoids ; Ovary ; Skin* ; Steatocystoma Multiplex ; Syringoma

It is well known that leprosy bacilli have a special affinity for peripheral nerves, especially Schwann cells but also including perineurial cells and endothelial cells of endoneurial blood vessels. The Schwann cells, after invasion by and saturation with multiplied M. leprae, are destroyed and segmental demyelination and Wallerian degeneration follow. This condition, then is known to be the main neural pathogenosis in early leprosy. It is rarely observed that the progressive paralysis occurs in arrested leprosy patients under adequate treatment. Therefore, the authors performed a histopathologic study of 80 peripheral nerves obtained from the autopsies of 10 old lepromatous leprosy patients including two active cases whose disease durations ranged from 6 to 49 years. The authors arbitrarily divided all the histopathologic findings into 5 grades on the basis of 1) difference in pathological findings in relation to disease duration and bacterial index, and 2) the coexistence of various lesions within the same nerve trunk. As the disease progresses the destroyed nerve fibers are replaced by fibrous and granulation tissue while the perineurial reaction increases. The cellular reaction is minimal in the low grades. There is a slightly early increased vasculature probably due to M. leprae and later a more pronounced increase with large vessels indicating the presence of the granulation process. There is minimum to moderate interfascicular reaction throughout every grade, ie. increased cellularity, vessel wall thickening and increased numbers of vessels with fibrosis. Acid-fast bacilli were demonstrated only in the active cases. The coexistence of different fascicular lesions within the same nerve trunk of peripheral nerve and of femoral nerves mear the spinal cord indicates the presence of some perineurial inhibitory effect which, while promoting the centripetal spread of, prevents the transfascicular spread of M. leprae for some time.
Autopsy ; Blood Vessels ; Demyelinating Diseases ; Endothelial Cells ; Femoral Nerve ; Fibrosis ; Granulation Tissue ; Humans ; Leprosy* ; Leprosy, Lepromatous ; Nerve Fibers ; Paralysis ; Peripheral Nerves* ; Schwann Cells ; Spinal Cord ; Wallerian Degeneration

We herein described a female newborn baby who, on the day of birth, exhibited widespread discrete reddish purple colored, round and slightly hyperkeratotic papules measuring about 4 mm in size, the biopsy specimen of which showed the histologic findings of histiocytosis X. The skin lesions resolved spontaneously within a week. The following diseases were discussed as possible diagnoses; histiocytosis X, generalized eruptive histiocytoma, juvenile xanthogranuloma, congenital self-healing reticulohistiocytosis and xanthoma disseminaturn. Since the current case didn't fit well any of them, we proposed a new descriptive term for this : Histiocytoma Papulosa Benigna Congenita.
Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Histiocytoma* ; Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Parturition ; Skin ; Xanthogranuloma, Juvenile ; Xanthomatosis

Zoophiilc dermatophytes are basically animal pathogens, but all can cause dermatophytoses in man. Accordingly animals with dermatophytes are an important source of human dermatophytoses, since zoophilic dermatophytes are frequently transmitted directly or indirectly from domestic or wild animals to man through the use of the se animal as pets, or through contact in rural araes. With the recent increased incidence of zoophilic dermatophytoses worldwide,it is consided to be an important public health problem in view of its epidemiologie aspect i.e. its simultaneous occurence in families or groups. To this time, Microsporum canis in cats has only been sporadically reported throughout the country in the late 1970s and very little is additionally known of the zoopbilic species in animal populations and reservoir or host animals in Korea. Therefore, the authors performed a mycological study by culturing hair and skin lesions of 100 dornestic and 64 zoo animals fortnightly for the purgose of isolating zoophilic derrnatophytes and thereby recognizing the reservoir animals. We also performed an experimental derrnatophyte inoculation in human, mice and rabbits by using Microsporum canis, Trichopyton mentagrophyte vagranulare and Microsporum gypseum isolated from animals and patients lesions from Jan. l980 through Jun. 1981, for the comparison of pathogenicity of these dermatophytes species on human and animals and also for the comparison of pathogenicity of strains isolated from patients lesions and animals and thereby considered different from each other. Microsporum canis was isolated from 11 cats. Trichophyton mentagrophyte var granulare from 3 cats, and Microsporum gypseum from 2 Korean racoon dogs.
Animals ; Animals, Wild ; Animals, Zoo ; Arthrodermataceae* ; Cats ; Dogs ; Hair ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Mice ; Microsporum ; Public Health ; Rabbits ; Skin ; Tinea ; Trichophyton ; Virulence*

A case of Ramsay Hunt syndrome, though more often seen at the ENT clinic because of the patients' concern with symptoms in the ear, was seen and treated at the Dermatologic Clinic of Chosun University. A 29 year old male patient presented earache, pinhead to rice sized erythematous vesicular eruption on the external auditory canal, auricle and superior auricular area, and facial paralysis, all involving the right side of the face, duration of which were 7 days, 5 days and 1 day respectiveIy. High doses of prednisolone alone made it possible to remit the otalgia, control the vesicular eruption and resolute the facial paralysis almost completely within 18 days in the order of their appearance, indicating that this is one of the more easily treated diseases for dermatologists, The 22 cases of this syndrome reported in Korean literature were reviewed and the conceptual development of its pathogenesis and definition was described.
Adult ; Ear ; Ear Canal ; Earache ; Facial Paralysis ; Herpes Zoster Oticus* ; Humans ; Male ; Prednisolone