Serologic tests for syphilis, including the qualitative and quantitative VDRL test and TPHA test, were carried out on 18, 151 healthy young men, who took a medical check-up for the overseas employment at Kyunghee University Hospital from April, 1978 to February, 1979. The syphilitics who revealed TPHA reactive, were given a questionare that dealt with three items. The results are summarized as follows. 1) The reactive rate of VDRL test was 3. 1% among 18, 151 healthy young men, 2) The biologic false positive rate of VDRL test was 7. 7% among the 520 men in whom TPHA test was carried out, using TPHA as standard. 3) The reactive rate of TPHA test was 2. 7% among 18, 109 men. On 42 men the TPHA test was not carried out. 4) With regard to the VDRL quantitative test, the reactive rate of the group with a titration of 1: 4 or lower was 85,2% out of 480 syphilitics. 5) In 480 syphilitics, 45. 8% (220) had a history of venereal 72.3%(347) had no general knowledge of syphilis, and 86. 2% (414) was unaware of his syphilitic infection.
Employment* ; Humans ; Male ; Prevalence* ; Serologic Tests ; Syphilis*

The authors experienced a case of typical pellagra in 45-year old male. He has been a heavy alcoholic history about 30 years duratian. Well-marginated erythematous created scaly patches, hyperpigmentation and fissures developed on both forearms and both ear lobes, both periorbicular areas, and Casals and klace on the aa0erior neck repeatedly. The skin leaions were aggravated in summers, improving a little in winters from 3 years ago. The psychoneurotic symptoms, neurologic disturbances, and GI troubles accompanied the skin lesions. Diagnosis was made by the characteristic clinical findings. He was treated with nicotinamide and vitamin B complex, and most of symptoms improved much. Authors reported the case and reviewed the literatures.
Alcoholics ; Diagnosis ; Ear ; Forearm ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neck ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Niacinamide ; Pellagra* ; Skin ; Vitamin B Complex

We examined cerebrospinal fluids of 338 patients with syphilis who underwent the routine physical examinations or visited out-patient skin clinic at Kyunghee University hospital from January, 1978 to December, 1979. They were diagnosed as syphilis only with serological tests such as VDRL and TPHA tests. The patients did not have any neurologic symptoms associated with syphilis or any other clinical syphilitic syrnptoms. They did not have any history of receiving antisyphilitic treatment. The VDRL test, cell count, protein value, sugar and chloride levels in cerebr-ospinal fluid were tested in these patients. The results were as follows. 1) CSF VDRL reactive rate was 2. 1% among 388 patients with syphilis. 2) CSF celI count was not less than 5/mm in 2 patients (28. 6%) among the 7 patients with syphilis, who showed the positive reactivity of CSF VDRL, and in 13 patients (3. 9%) among the 331 patients with syphilis who did not show the positive reactivity of CSF VDRL. 3) CSF protein level was more thnn 45ml/dl in 3 patients (42. 9%) among the 7 patients with syphilis who showed the positive reactivity of CSF VDRL anct ig, 65 patients (19. 6%) among the 331 patients with syphilis who did not show the positive reactivity of CSF VDRL. 4) Both CSF sugar and chloride levels were within norrnal limits in all of the 7 patients who showed the positive reactivity of CSF VDRL.
Cell Count ; Cerebrospinal Fluid* ; Humans ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Outpatients ; Physical Examination ; Serologic Tests ; Skin ; Syphilis*

Vitiligo is an acquired, disfiguring skin disease characterized by the loss of melanin, which results in depigmented areas of the skin. It affects at least 1% of the world's population. In countries where people are dark skinned, vitiligo is a major health problem. The pathogenesis of vitiligo has not been fully elucidated, but three possible origins, autoimmune, neurohumoral and self destruction of melanocyte, have been described. The clinical manifestations of vitiligo are well described in many reports. However in Korea, a few studies on the clinical features of vitiligo have been performed. Authors studied 217 Korean cases of vitiligo who had been visited at the Department of Dermatology, Kyung Hee University Hospital during the last 1 year (1978.4.1~1979.3.31). (countinued..)
Dermatology ; Korea ; Melanins ; Melanocytes ; Skin ; Skin Diseases ; Vitiligo*

The basic pathophysiology of vitiligo is still obscure. Most researchers emphasized that poasible immunologic role is very important in pathophysiology of vitiligo. Also the type of vitiligo is classified by various type baaed on clinical manifestations. These facts promoted us to analyse the immunologic state in each type of vitiligo in order to verify whether there is present any immunologic alteration in this permatosis or any differences of immune state in each type of vitiligo. The following immune cells were analysed, T cell, B cell, and T cell subsets such as helper T cell and suppresaor T cell. Vitiligo vulgaris in our study showed alteration of immune cell such as low level of T cell and helper T cell.
B-Lymphocytes* ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets* ; Vitiligo*

Acropustulosis of infancy is an uncommon, but not rare syndrome established as a new disease entity by Kahn and Rywlin(1976), which is characterized by recurrent, intensely pruritic vesicopustules on the distal extremities. We'd like to report a case of acropustulosis of infancy. Our patient was 19 month old girl who had been suffering from her skin disease since the age of 12 months. Intensely pruritic, 1 to 2 mm vesicopustules erupted on the palms, soles and the ventral aspects of the fingers. There were no bacteria, fungus and parasites(Sarcoptes scabiei) on the pustular lesions. Histopathologically, biopsy specimen of the left sole revealed large, well circumscribed intraepidermal pustule which was filled wth polymorphonuclear leukocytes. We confirmed our case as typical case of acropustulosis of infancy by it's characteristic clinical features and histopathologic findings. Severity of the skin lesions seems closely related to the dosage of dapsone. The eruptions were unresponsive to topical steroid, antibiotics and antihistaminics. But we observed that dapsone has dose dependent relationship with acropustulosis of infancy.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacteria ; Biopsy ; Dapsone ; Extremities ; Female ; Fingers ; Fungi ; Humans ; Infant ; Neutrophils ; Skin ; Skin Diseases

Perineurial cells, which normally surround the nerve fascicles within a nerve, can be distinguished from Schwann cells by their immunoreactivity for epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) and lack of reactivity for S-100 protein. Perineurioma is a form of benign peripheral nerve sheath tumor (PNST) almost exclusively composed of perineurial cells. It is often difficult to differentiate this tumor from the other benign PNSTs or ectopic meningioma by histology alone. Immunohistochemical and electron microscopic studies are helpful for differential diagnosis. We recently experienced a case of soft tissue perineurioma in a 14-year-old girl. This tumor was presented as a 5.6 cm sized subcutaneous movable mass in the elbow. The well encapsulated soft tissue tumor consisted of spindle cells which have whorling and storiform patterns within the collagenous stroma. The spindle cells were stained positive for EMA but negative for S-100 protein, chromogranin, neuron-specific enolase or Leu-7. Ultrastructurally, they possessed long cytoplasmic processes with incomplete basal lamina, primitive intercellular junction and occasional pinocytotic vesicles.
Adolescent ; Basement Membrane ; Collagen ; Cytoplasm ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Elbow ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Intercellular Junctions ; Meningioma ; Microscopy, Electron ; Mucin-1 ; Nerve Sheath Neoplasms* ; Peripheral Nerves ; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase ; S100 Proteins ; Schwann Cells

Erythrasma is a chronic, superficial bacterial skin infection involving the body folds and toewebs, and sametimes it may be generalized. The causative organism of this disease is Corynebacterium minutissimum. But, in Korea, there are few reported case about this common condition. We experienced a case of erythrasma on 39-year-old male who have had well defined, brownish fine scaly patches on both crural areas for 15 years. We had treated this patient with topical antifungal agent for 1 month under impression of tinea cruris, But skin lesion was not improved. So, we reexamined the lesion and diagnosed it as genitocrural form of erythrasma with it's clinical appearance, red fluorescence under Wood's light. And we treated it with oral erythromycin.
Adult ; Corynebacterium ; Erythrasma* ; Erythromycin ; Fluorescence ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Skin ; Tinea

A typical case of gelinerazed cutalineous lichen amyloidosus is reported. A 62-year-old female had had brownish papular lesions on the lower legs, hands, and shoulders for about 8 years. Three years later, the papular lesions extended through the whole body surface. She complained of severe itching and tingling sensation. Physical findings were confined to the skin. The skin lesions were diffusely distributed. The size of the lesion was from pin-head to rice, The color was dark brownish. The papules were over generalized skin except for the face, palms, and sole.. Diagnosis was made by the characteristic clinical manifestations and histopathologic findings of the skin. However, the specimens of the liver and rectal biopsies did not show amyloid deposits. Based on these findings, authors concluded that this is a case of generalized cutaneous lichen amvloidosus and this is the second case in the literature in Korea. Even though the subjective symptom such as itching is getting decrease, the clinical course of this disease could not be aliernated by classical and conventional therapeutic regimens.
Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Hand ; Humans ; Korea ; Leg ; Lichens* ; Liver ; Middle Aged ; Plaque, Amyloid ; Pruritus ; Sensation ; Shoulder ; Skin

Neurilemmoma reprsents a benign nerve sheath tumor derived from Schwann cells. Lesions almost always are solitary, although multiple lesions may occur in association with multiple neurofibromatosis. We report a case of multiple neurilemmomas not in asaociation with neurofibromatosis. The patient was a 28-year-old male who had multiple tender nodules along the course of peripheral nerves on the palmar aspect of the right hand. A local excision of all lesions was performed and the microscopic diagnosis of neurilernmoma was established.
Adult ; Diagnosis ; Hand ; Humans ; Male ; Neurilemmoma* ; Neurofibromatoses ; Peripheral Nerves ; Schwann Cells