Xanthelasma palpebrum is the most common type of xanthoma that develops mainly on the inner epicanthus of upper eyelids with symmetrical distribution. The lesion tends to be permanent, progressive and cosmetically disfiguring. The recommended treatment has been surgical excision, local treatment with chemicals, and carbon dioxide laser. All of the mentioned treatment have some disadvantages including scarring, pigmentary change and need for local anesthesia. We describe the treatment of xanthelasma palpebrum with the pulsed dye laser which coagulates the hyperpermeable vessels so that the lipid leakage could be blocked and prevent recurrence and further progression.
Anesthesia, Local ; Cicatrix ; Eyelids ; Lasers, Dye* ; Lasers, Gas ; Recurrence ; Xanthomatosis

Norovirus (NV) has caused large outbreaks of gastroenteritis in schools. Studies of NV epidemiology in schools related to NV outbreaks have been frequently reported. However, reports of that in schools without outbreaks are not found. Presently, NV molecular epidemiology surveillance was carried out in asymptomatic food handlers working at nonoutbreak elementary schools in Incheon, Korea, in March, April and December, 2009. NV prevalence was examined by real-time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) and the positive products were re-evaluated by conventional RT-PCR for sequencing. Fecal samples (n = 776) were collected from 776 food handlers in 60 schools. NV was detected in 26 of them (3.4%). Of these, 17 (65%) were positive for NV GII and 10 (38%) were positive for NV GI. Of the 26 samples, 19 were positive by conventional RT-PCR. Sequencing of these 19 strains revealed GII/4 (n = 5), GI/6 (n = 3), GI/14 (n = 2), GII/8 (n = 2), GI/2 (n = 2), GI/10 (n = 1), GII/1 (n = 1), GII/3 (n = 1), GII/7 (n = 1), and GII/16 (n = 1). In this survey, the food handler population unrelated to NV outbreaks was found to normally contain asymptomatic carriers of NV. The excretion of NV from asymptomatic food handlers should be an infection source of NV outbreaks.
Adult ; Caliciviridae Infections/*epidemiology/genetics ; Feces/virology ; Female ; Food Handling ; Gastroenteritis/*epidemiology/genetics ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Norovirus/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Prevalence ; RNA, Viral/analysis ; Republic of Korea ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Schools ; Sequence Analysis, RNA

A case of primary carcinoid tumor of the liver with striking central fibrous scar in a 61-year-old male is reported. Tumor cells contained electron dense secretory granules with an average diameter 150~200 nm which demonstrated positive immunohistochemical reaction for neuron-specific enolase, synaptophysin and chromogranin. The stellate central scar was observed in various hepatic tumors including focal nodular hyperplasia, fibrolamellar carcinoma, or sclerosing hepatocellular carcinoma, but have not been reported in carcinoid tumor.
Carcinoid Tumor* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Cicatrix ; Focal Nodular Hyperplasia ; Humans ; Liver ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase ; Secretory Vesicles ; Strikes, Employee ; Synaptophysin

Venous thrombosis and thromboembolism appear to occur more often in patient with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The cause of thrombotic complications in IBD is generally considered to be associated with hypercoagulable conditions. Its prevalence rate ranges from 1% to 8% in clinical studies and rises to 39% in autopsy, but the renal vein thrombosis is very rare complication in ulcerative colitis patient. A 24-year-old man presented with intermittent abdominal pain and hematochezia for 6 months and recently developed pitting edema for few weeks. He was diagnosed as severe ulcerative colitis involving whole colon combined with thrombosis in both renal veins by colonoscopy and computed tomography scan of abdomen. We used steroid for the treatment of ulcerative colitis and both intravenous lower molecular weight heparin and warfarin for renal vein thrombosis. His symptoms were improved after treatment and maintained with mesalazine and warfarin. Follow-up abdominal CT scan showed complete resolution of both renal vein thrombosis. Currently he has been followed up for 2 years with oral mesalazine.
Anticoagulants/therapeutic use ; Colitis, Ulcerative/complications/*diagnosis/pathology ; Colonoscopy ; Heparin/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Protein S/metabolism ; *Renal Veins ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Venous Thrombosis/complications/*diagnosis/radiography ; Warfarin/therapeutic use ; Young Adult

A 4-month-old boy diagnosed with acute myocarditis was treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Follow-up echocardiography eight hours after ECMO revealed intracardiac thrombosis involving all four heart chambers. Because of the high risk of systemic embolization due to a pedunculated thrombus of the aortic valve, we performed an emergency thrombectomy. After the operation, the patient had a minor neurologic sequela of left upper arm hypertonia, which had almost disappeared at the last outpatient clinic two months later. He was diagnosed with a major mutation in MTHFR (methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase), which is related to thrombosis.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Aortic Valve ; Arm ; Echocardiography ; Emergencies ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2) ; Myocarditis ; Oxygen* ; Thrombectomy ; Thrombosis*

OBJECTIVE: To translate the English version of the London Chest Activity of Daily Living scale (LCADL) into a Korean version and to determine the reliability and validity of the Korean version in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: The English version of LCADL was translated into Korean and back-translated into English. Subsequently, the back-translated version was reviewed and compared with the original, and thus the final K-LCADL was obtained. To evaluate the validation of the K-LCADL, patients simultaneously completed a pulmonary function test, a 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), and questionnaires, including the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale, the Korean version of the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (K-SGRQ), the Korean version of the COPD Assessment Test (K-CAT), and the Korean version of the EuroQoL-5 Dimensions (K-EQ-5D). To assess test-retest reliability, the K-LCADL was again administered to the same patients within 2 weeks from initial assessment. RESULTS: A total of 94 patients participated in the present study. The total K-LCADL score was positively correlated with the K-SGRQ (r=0.802, p < 0.001), the mMRC dyspnea scale (r=0.603, p < 0.001), and the K-CAT score (r=0.714, p < 0.001), and negatively correlated with the K-EQ-5D (r=−0.764, p < 0.001), 6MWT (r=−0.635, p < 0.001), forced expiratory volume in one second 1 (r=−0.416, p=0.002), and forced vital capacity (r=−0.397, p=0.023). Intraclass correlation coefficient of the K-LCADL was 0.951 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The K-LCADL is a reliable and valid questionnaire for evaluating limitation of activities of daily living in patients with COPD.
Activities of Daily Living ; Dyspnea ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive* ; Reproducibility of Results ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Thorax* ; Vital Capacity

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is potentially nephrotoxic in chronic hepatitis B patients. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients treated using transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) are at an increased risk of renal injury. The aim of this study was to determine whether TDF is associated with more renal adverse events than entecavir (ETV) in HCC patients treated with TACE. METHODS: In this retrospective single-center study, we selected 53 HCC patients who were treated with TDF from January 2012 to July 2013 and had their first TACE procedure in the same period. These patients were matched by age and sex to patients treated with ETV. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics, including HCC factors, and nephrotoxic drug use, between the two groups. The median follow-up period was 17.0 and 20.0 months for the TDF and ETV groups, respectively. There was no difference during the follow-up period between the TDF and ETV groups in the increase in creatinine over 0.5 mg/dL (17.0% and 17.0%, P=1.00, respectively) and the decrease in eGFR over 25% (43.4% and 41.5%, P=0.84, respectively). Multivariate analysis revealed that Child-Pugh class over B (hazard ratio [HR], 7.30; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.79–19.10; P<0.01) was associated with increase in creatinine, and Child-Pugh class over B (HR, 82.74; 95% CI 12.31–555.83; P<0.01) and Barcelona-Clinic Liver Cancer stage over B (HR, 14.93; 95% CI 1.60–139.51; P=0.02) were associated with decrease in eGFR. CONCLUSIONS: TDF has comparable safety to that of ETV for HCC patients undergoing TACE.
Antiviral Agents ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Creatinine ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; Humans ; Kidney Diseases ; Liver Neoplasms ; Multivariate Analysis ; Retrospective Studies ; Tenofovir

Eosinophilic pustular folliculitis is a rare skin disease and characterized with recurrent sterile pustules, peripheral eosinophilia. The pathogenesis of this disease is not clear yet, but immunologic factors are assumed to be important. The treatment of this skin disorder includes systemic glucocorticoids, dapsone, NSAIDs etc. We herein report a case of eosinophilic pustular folliculitis treated with dapsone for promoting futher research of this rare disease.

Acitretin, the principal and free acid metabolite of etretinate, is used to treat patients with several types of psoriasis. The common side effects encountered with acitretin therapy are cheilitis, conjunctivitis, xerosis, dryness of the nasal mucosa with minor nosebleeds, pruritis, and desquamation of the palms and soles. Granulation tissue is a well recognized side effect of oral acitretin. This reaction is characterized by ulceration, hemorrhagic crusting and excess granulation tissue. It occurs between the third and 12th weeks of therapy, most commonly affects the hands and feet. We present a case of multiple granulation tissues associated with acitretin therapy.

BACKGROUND: The skin over the nose is not relatively less mobile for primary closure of nasal defects. In addition to skin grafts and secondary intention healing, there are various local flap techniques available for the reconstruction of nasal defects. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness and the cosmetic consequences of various local flap techniques in reconstructing nasal defects. METHODS: Between December 2002 and April 2004, 18 patients were treated with a local flap technique for the reconstruction of a nasal skin defect following Mohs micrographic surgery. The post-operative result of each case was rated with serial clinical photographs and medical records by two independent physicians. RESULTS: The nasal skin defects were reconstructed with various local flaps, such as the nasolabial interpolation flap, bilobed flap, glabellar flap, median forehead flap, and subcutaneous island pedicle flap. The cosmetic and functional results of the nasal reconstructions were judged to be generally satisfactory, excluding a trapdoor deformity in one patient, and eyebrow distortion and cancer recurrence in another patient. The cosmetic results of the cases reconstructed with a subcutaneous island pedicle flap were favorable in color and texture of the flaps, and incision scar formation, compared to the other techniques used. CONCLUSION: There are various local flap techniques which can be used in the reconstruction of nasal defects, and each of them has its own merits and drawbacks. The reconstructive plan should be customized to the patient considering not only the size, depth and location of the defect but also the medical history of the patient, the patients expectations, and the surgeons experience. Reconstruction with a subcutaneous island pedicle flap has been found to be one of the most effective methods, and allows the surgeon to spend a relatively short time in reconstructing defects of the upper and lower part of the nose. Furthermore, it has many advantages over the skin graft and other local flap techniques, especially with the aesthetic result.
Cicatrix ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Eyebrows ; Forehead ; Humans ; Intention ; Medical Records ; Mohs Surgery ; Nose ; Recurrence ; Skin ; Transplants