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*

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

Vitiligo is a common acquired Thypornelanotic disease but the pathogenesis is still unknown and also the traatment is still unsatisfactory. The introduction in 1947 of psoralen therapy in vitiligo by El Mofty announced a new era in the treatment of this cosmetically disfiguring disease. Many investigators have developed therapeutic regimens for both topical and systemic poralen using various ligbt sources. The erythema action spectrum in UVA range of psoralen were defined, which consequently enabled the development of a more accurate regimen, namely psoralen and UVA(FUVA, exposure. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of topical PUVA therapy in patients with vitiligo and to compare the result of PUVA therapy according to the age, sex, type of disease, total exposure dose, duration of disease nd involved site. Twenty one patients selected in the Department of Dermatology of Kyung hee University Hospital with various clinical types of vitiligo were treated with 03% 8-MOP ointment followed by exposure to longwave ultraviolet energy. Clinical response was graded as follows: Grade 0: No repigmentation Grade 1; Up to 25% repigmentaton Grade 2; 25% to 50% repigmentation Grade 3; 50% to 90% repigmentation Grade 4; Greater than 90% repigmentation A responsive case wss defined as a case with greater than 25% repigmentation. A effective case was defined as a case with greater than 50;o repigmentation.
Dermatology ; Erythema ; Ficusin ; Humans ; Methoxsalen* ; Photochemotherapy* ; PUVA Therapy ; Research Personnel ; Ultraviolet Rays* ; Vitiligo*

Dyschromatosis symmetrica hereditaria is one of the pigmentary disorders of the skin which has been reported mainly from Japan. It appeara to be determined by an autosomal dominant gene. Clinical characteristics of the disease are reticulate or mottled pigmentation with areas of depigmentation on the backs of the hands and feet and sometimes on the arms and legs without any subjective symptoms which develop during infancy or early childhood. We described five individual members with dyschromatosis symmetrica hereditaria in two families, one family had three individuals in three generations and the other family had two individuals in two generations. Literatures were briefly reviewed.
Arm ; Family Characteristics ; Foot ; Genes, Dominant ; Hand ; Humans ; Japan ; Leg ; Pigmentation ; Skin

We observed three patients who showed widespread macular ashy-colored eruptions. They fit clinically and histopathologically with the typical erythema dyschromicum perstans (ashy dermatosis). Erythoma dyschromicum perstans is a peculiar pigmented condition of unknown etiology characterized by persistent ashy-gray colored macule, refractory to any modality. All of them have similar skin lesions which are multiple, variable sized oval-shaped, ash-colored macular eruption on the trunk and extremities. Histologic findings of 2 patients reveal the characteristic feature of focal hydropic degeneration of the basal cell layer of the epidermis, perivascular infiltrates of lymphocytes and histiocytes and melanin-laden macrophages in the corium, however, merely pigmentary incontinence into the corium in 1 patient. Literatures are briefly reviewed.
Dermis ; Epidermis ; Erythema* ; Extremities ; Histiocytes ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; Macrophages ; Skin