BACKGROUND: Prick test, a kind of skin test, is most frequently used in clinical procedure because of its simplicity and safety of application and better correlation with clinical history history as well as specificity and highty reproducibility. OBJECTIVE: Studies into the result and clinical significance of the pinprick test with relationship to food allergens as the contributing factor of urticaria. METHODS: We have examined the skin test with extracts of 45 food allergens(Bencard Ltd. In England) in three groups. 10 acute urticaria patients. 30 chronic urticaria patients, and normal controls. RESULTS: Of the 40 patients with urticaria, 23(57.5%) revealed positive reaction to one or more food allergens in comparison with 9(45.0%) of the control, ad there was no statistically significant difference(p>0.05). Positive reaction to food allergens in 15 food correlates was 11(73.3%), Which was higher than 11(44.4%) in 25 patients with no relation to food. and there was a statisticals difference (p>0.05). Food allergen groups which showed frequent positive reaction were fishes(35.0%), shell fishes(30.0%), cereals(27.5%), fruit(20.0%), vegetabies(17.5%), egg & milk(10.0%), and meats(7.5%) in that order. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that food allergen test might not be useful in evaluation the contributing factor of urticaria.
Allergens* ; Humans ; Ovum ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Skin Tests ; Urticaria*

Pulsatilla koreana is a member of the buttercup familly(Ranuculaceae) which contains the unsaturated lactone, protoanemonin(C3H4O2), formed after injury to the plant by the breakdown of the glycoside ranunculin. It has been prescribed as a herbal medicine or a folk medicine for antipyretic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, astringent and hemostatic effects in Korea. A 20 year-old famale patient presented with confluent vesicobullae on the erythematous base with a burning sensation on her upper back. This was caused by contact with crushed Pulsatilla koreana, a folk medicine for the treatment of left facial nerve palsy, that had occurred 10 days before her visit. A provocation patch test with Pulsatilla koreana upon a heathy male volunteers upper back showed strong positive reactions with the stalk and leaf in fresh and frozen stat.e and after thaw ing resptively. However no reaction was seen when the folk medicine was used in a dried form or with the root in any state. This case indicates that misadvice and ignorant folk remedies could cause misfortunate results to innocent people.
Burns ; Dermatitis, Irritant* ; Facial Nerve ; Herbal Medicine ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Medicine, Traditional ; Paralysis ; Patch Tests ; Plants ; Pulsatilla* ; Sensation ; Volunteers ; Young Adult

Lymphangiectasis(=acquirecl lymphangioma) ate dilated lymph caillaris and may be due to the obstruction of the lymphatic circulation from surgery, irradiation, chronic recurrent infection or trauma. The patient was a 5 years old girl who developed a straw-colcre, asymptomatic grouped vesicular mass resembling frog spawn measuring 9 cm in diameter the left axilla and arm, 2 months after the total excision of a previous lymphangiectatic mass. She had a history of previous open heart surgery at 2 years of age. Histopathologic findings showed large, irregularly shaped cysticalation lined by a single layer of endothelium in the superficial dermis. Immunohistochemical stainig showed vimentin positive and negative results in Factor VIII and HLA-DR antigen which was compatible with a lymphatic vessel.
Arm ; Axilla ; Child, Preschool ; Dermis ; Endothelium ; Factor VIII ; Female ; Heart* ; HLA-DR Antigens ; Humans ; Lymphangioma* ; Lymphatic Vessels ; Thoracic Surgery* ; Vimentin

No abstract available.
Humans ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

This study was performed to investigate clinical and histopathologic features of steroid acne, which was induced by systemic administration and topical application of corticosteroids. Thirty five cases of steroid acne visited to Department of Dermatology, Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital from September, 1g79 to June, 1984 were analyzed, and the results obtained can be summarized as follows: 1. The peak age of the subjects was third decade(42.9%) with an average age of 30. 1 years, and male to female ratio was l.9: 1,2. The skin lesions had unique clinical features that showed many, uniform sized, erythematous papules and pust;ules. 3 The predilection sites of steroid acne induced by systemic steroid therapy were anterior chest(93.1%), back(44,8%), neck(31.0%), shoulder(31.0%) and face (20.7%) 4 Among thirty five cases of steroid acne, twenty cases were induced by parenteral adrninistration of dexamethasone disodium phosphate(group A), nine cases by oral administration of prednisolone(group B), and six cases by topical application of three kinds of steroid creams(group C). 5. The mean induction time after starting steroid in group A(ll. 3 days) was shorter than those in group B and C(18.9 days and l4.8 days respective)y). The mean total dosage of used steroid in group A was 191. 3mg of dexamethasone disodium phosphate and that in group B was 515. 7mg of prednisolone. On histopathologic findings of twenty two skin biopsy specimens of the three groups, perivascular inflammatory reaction was the most common finding followed by intra-and peri-follicular inflammatory reaction, dermal vascular dilatation, necrosis of follicular epithelium, comedo, intraand periollicular abscess and rupture of follicle.
Abscess ; Acne Vulgaris* ; Administration, Oral ; Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Biopsy ; Dermatology ; Dexamethasone ; Dilatation ; Epithelium ; Female ; Heart ; Humans ; Male ; Necrosis ; Prednisolone ; Rupture ; Skin

BACKGROUND: Cytokines such as TNF-a, and IL-1, 6, 8 are thought to mediate many host responses in patients with sepsis through the release of many kinds of inflammatory mediators. Vibrio vulnificus is a virulent, halophilic, marine, and Gram-negative bacterium causing wound infections or primary sepsis with fulminant course. It has been known to produce many exocellular factors, such as cytolysin and exozymes, which are possible causes of shock and tissue damage. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to investigate the changes of cytokines(TNF-a, Il-l p, and IL-6) after intravenous administration of V. vulnificus cytolysin which have known to be a major virulent factor for elucidating pathogenesis of septic shock. METHODS: After administration of V. vulnificus cytolysin(20 hemolytic units) and physiologic saline through a mouse tail vein, we obtained blood samples from the heart according to a time course(0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 240, and 360 minutes). We measured serum concentrations of circulating TNF- a, IL-1 p, and IL-6 using commercially available immunoassay kits. RESULTS: The serum concentration of TNF- a peaked at 60 min (1894 pg/ml, as compared with 829 pg/ml after saline administration), began to decrease at 90 min and fell to baseline at 360min. Concentration of IL-6 rose significantly at 90 min(>3,839 pg/ml) and began to decrease at 120 min, whereas the level of IL-1 0 increased slightly and the peaked around 90min(117 pg/ml) after the cytolysin injection. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the host response to cytolysin is associated with a brief pulse of circulating cytokines in the early stage of sepsis caused by V. vulnipcus infection.
Administration, Intravenous ; Animals ; Cytokines* ; Heart ; Humans ; Immunoassay ; Interleukin-1 ; Interleukin-6* ; Mice* ; Perforin* ; Sepsis ; Shock ; Shock, Septic ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha* ; Veins ; Vibrio vulnificus* ; Vibrio* ; Wound Infection

Reduction of displaced diaphyseal fractures of the radius and ulna in adult must be nearly anatomical for restoration of mormal function. Most of the fractures require operative management, and various methods of open reduction and internal fixation have been recommended. Because we believe that anatomical reduction followed by rigid internal fixation provides the most satisfactory results for these injuries, dynamic compression plating method is frequently used in our hos pi tal. We studied 52 diaphyseal fractures of the forearm bone in 33 patients treated at the S.R.C.H. from May 1980 to December 1985. Of the 33 patients, 20 had fractures of the radius and ulna; 6, fractures of the radius only; and 7, fractures of the ulna only. The fractures of both bones were treated with plate and screws in 19 patients. In another one, the ulna was treated with plate and screws and the radius was treated by screw fixation only. The results were as follows: l. Of the 52 fractures, 51(98.1%) were united after the initial operation within 23 weeks. 2. The average time for radiological union of the fracture, excluding those complicated by infection or non-union, was 11.1 weeks for 24 radii and 10.9 weeks for 25 ulnae. 3. Only one patient(3.0%) was complicated by infection and only one(1.9%) non-union of radius occurred. 4. The functional results were excellent or satisfactory in 25 patients(83.3%). 5. We have found that in adults the auto compression plating is a successful method for the diaphyseal fractures of the forearm.
Adult ; Diaphyses ; Forearm ; Humans ; Methods ; Radius ; Retrospective Studies ; Ulna

No abstract available.
Blood Cell Count* ; Blood Cells* ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma* ; Prognosis* ; Remission Induction*

Diaper dermatitis is an infant dermatosis associated with the wearing of diapers, Despite of its high frequency in clinical pediatrics the clinical characteristics are not well described in the korean literatvre. We investigated the clinical and mycological characteritics of diaper dermatitis in 50 serial patients. Clinically diaper dermatitis was classified. into five categories,irritant contact derniatitis(ID), candidiasis(CD). combined rash of ID and CD(CR.), intertrigo, and miliari. Of 50 patients with diaper dermatitis, 18 had ID; 16, CI3; 10, CR; 5, intertrigo, and 1, miliaria, The mean age of patients with ID (11.8 months) was higher than that of patients with CD (4.0 months). Candida albicans(C. albicans) w is isolated from 25 patients with diaper dermatitis. The rate of positive cultures by clinical diagnosis was 130% in CD, 11.1% in ID, 60, 0% in CR, and 20.0% in intertrigo. C. albicons was isolated from 23 patients(82.1%) of patients with clinically suspected Ci") and 2 of 22 patients without the characteristic erythematous papulesThe presence of eryhematous papules was the most characteristic clinical feature of infection, Other candida species isolated from cut,aneous lesions were C. tropicalsis, C.'. parapsiolosis, and C. stellatoidea.
Candida ; Candidiasis ; Dermatitis* ; Diagnosis ; Exanthema ; Humans ; Infant ; Intertrigo ; Miliaria ; Pediatrics ; Skin Diseases

Cooper at al and Mills et al asserted that the essential pathologic finding of pyogenic granuloma (PG) is a unique lobular organization of capillaries. This pathologic pattern is present not only in conventional cutaneous PG, oral-nasal PG but also rarely in intradermal PG, subcutaneous PG and intravenous PG. A 32-year-old man presented with a two-day history of an asymptomatic, movable, pea-sized nodule on his left forearm. Excision biopsy revealed a pink, oval, cyst-like nodule within the vein of the subcutaneous tissue of the medio-lateral aspect of the forearm. Histopathologic finding of the nodule showed rnultiple lobules of capillaries and the lumens of the capillaries were lined by normal endothelial cells. The nodule was connected with the venous wall by a thin stalk. Each lobule was separated and surrounded by fibrous stroma. There was no evidence of thrombi.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Capillaries ; Endothelial Cells ; Forearm ; Granuloma, Pyogenic* ; Humans ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; Veins