Many investigators have attempted to elucidate the basic pathogenic mechanisms of atopic dermatitis through clinical and laboratory investigations and have no longer attached to the etiological significance to IgE which is known to be a mediator of the so-called atopic diseases. In recent years, many authors have reported some abnormalities not onIy in the humoral but also in cellular immune status of patients with atopic dermatitis. although such findings are more or less controversial. (countinued..)
Dermatitis* ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Research Personnel

Progressive cribriform and zosteriform hyperpigmentation (PCZH) is a distinctive clinical entity first described by Rower et al. in 1978. It is characterized by a single area of uniformly tan cribriform macular pigmentation in a zosteriform distriggtjpp with no preceding history of skin rash, injury or inflammation. It begins well after birth with gradual extension and is not associatad with any other cutaneous or internal abnormalities. Histologically, there is a mild increase in melanin pigment in the basal cell layer and complete absence of nevus cells. Recently, we observed clinical and histological featurea of 5 cases of PCZH. The age at onset ranged from 4 to 35 years. The lesions were unilaterally distributed on face, neck, chest, or abdomen. Histologically there was a mild increase in melanin pigment in the basal cell layer. PCZH must be differentiated from Beckers hairy nevus which begins with a unilateral lesion of irregularly macular pigmentation but occasionally it may be multiple or bilateral. In early stage, overgrowth of hairs may be absent but after a few years it is usually present. PCZH is characterized by uniformly tan cribriform pigmentation in zosteriform distribution, which is unilateral and does not cross the midline of the body. Overgrowth of hairs is absent even after a few years. So the lesions of Beckers hairy nevus previously reported, which were unilateral and did not cross the midline of the body and did not show overgrowth of hairs even after a few years, must be called progressive cribriform and zosteriforrn hyperpigmentation.
Abdomen ; Exanthema ; Hair ; Hyperpigmentation ; Inflammation ; Melanins ; Neck ; Nevus ; Parturition ; Pigmentation ; Thorax ; Triacetoneamine-N-Oxyl

We report herein two cases of leukemia cutis. One case is a 54-year-old woman who came to our department with complaints of a solitary ulcerating nodule on her left leg that had been present for 2 months since prior to her visit. Through histopathological studies, the diagnosis of myelocytic leukemia cutis was made before the final diagnosis of acute myelocytic leukemia was made by hematological studies. When combined chemotherapy was finished, she was in a partial remission state and the nodule disappeared after 1 month of chemotherapy. The other case is a 77-year-old man having multiple infiltrative nodules on the right forearm and right thigh for 1 month prior his visit. He was diagnosed as having leukemia cutis for his skin lesions histopathologically. This was redefined as chronic myelomonocytic leukemia of the myelodysplastic syndrome with blastic transfor- mation by hematological examination. He developed septicemia and died 3 weeks after the dermato- logical diagnosis.
Aged ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Forearm ; Humans ; Leg ; Leukemia* ; Leukemia, Myeloid ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; Leukemia, Myelomonocytic, Chronic ; Logic ; Middle Aged ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes ; Sepsis ; Skin ; Thigh ; Ulcer

Herein we report a case of subungual osteochondroma in a male patient. Although there have been several reports about cases of subungual exostosis in Korea, a case of subungual osteochondroma had not been reported until now. Osteochcndromas are clearly different disease entities from exastosis in that they have diagnostic hyaline cartilaginous caps instead of the fibrocartilages in subungual exostosis. Additioaally, subungual osteochondroma is a very rare type having an incidence rate of less than 1% among all osteochondromas. Our patient was an 18-year-old male with a solitary woody mass on his right great toe that was painfuL A surgical excisional biopsy following a nail plate avulsion showed the characteristic hyaline cattilaginous caps enclosing bony trabecula connected with the inferior cortical bone.
Adolescent ; Biopsy ; Exostoses ; Humans ; Hyalin ; Incidence ; Korea ; Male ; Osteochondroma* ; Toes

We report a case of 21-year-old patient who has had dome-shaped nodules 1 cm in diameter on the right shoulder for one year. Histopathologic findings showed central dilated cystic hair follicles and many abortive hair follicles branching from the follicles and multiple immature follicles. Skin lesions were surgically excised.
Hair Follicle ; Humans ; Shoulder ; Skin ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Although there are varied etiological factors in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, recent data where viral hepatitis is more frequently found in psoriasis patients than in the normal population, suggests the possibility that some kinds of viral antigens may participate as causative factors of psoriasis. Hepatitis C virus(HCV) in particular, which has been proven to be associated with many dermatoses such as porphyria cutanea tarda, lichen planus and vasculitis, is currently suspected as a possible pathogen in psoriasis. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of viral hepatitis infection among psoriasis patients in Korea where it is known to be endemic. Additionally, we analysed the relationship between the clinical severity of psoriasis and viral hepatitis according to the serotypes. METHODS: In this study, we looked for the presence of HCV, HBV, HAV, HDV and HEV infection in 65 enrolled psoriasis patients and 98 non-psoriatic patients by enzyme immunoasay, recombinant immunoblotting, radioimmunoassay and reverse transcription polymerase chain reactions. RESULTS: 1. We found a higher prevalence of viral hepatitis in the psoriasis group(70.8%) than the control group(45.9%). 2. 10.7% of patients were shown to be infected with HCV in the psoriasis group, in comparison with 2% in the control group. Also 52.7% of psoriatic patients were positive to HBV markers as HBcAb and HBsAg in comparison with 38.8% in the control group. 3. There was a statistically significant correlative relationship between the clinical severity of psoriasis and the presence of viral hepatitis. 4. We could establish a significant association among higher titers of ALT, positivity of HBcAb and HBsAg, and HCV hepatitis in psoriatic patients. CONCLUSION: Psoriatic patients had a higher prevalence of viral hepatitis than normal controls. Also psoriatic patients with viral hepatitis showed relatively different clinical features and labaratory results in comparison with those without it.
Antigens, Viral ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Hepatitis C ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Immunoblotting ; Korea ; Lichen Planus ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Porphyria Cutanea Tarda ; Prevalence ; Psoriasis* ; Radioimmunoassay ; Reverse Transcription ; Skin Diseases ; Vasculitis

We herein report a case of Spitz nevus which occurred in a 6-year-old girl with acute lymphocytic leukemia. The lesion was a well delimited, symmetric, 1.0 * 1.0cm sized, dome-shaped light pinkish nodule with a shiny surface on her forehead. The histopathological findings of the excisional biopsy specimen revealed mild epidermal hyperplasia ; numerous uniform nests of spindle cells and epitheloid cells with sparce pigmentation along the dermoepidermal junction; colloid body-like eosinophilic globules ; multinucleated giant nevus cells in the epidermis and edema in the upper dermis. Since the complete excision of her lesion was accomplished, there have been no new lesions over the past year.
Biopsy ; Child ; Colloids ; Dermis ; Edema ; Eosinophils ; Epidermis ; Female ; Forehead ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Nevus ; Nevus, Epithelioid and Spindle Cell* ; Pigmentation ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma*

Dermabrasion involves the removal of the epidermis and the upper dermis by means of a motor-driven rotary abrasive instrument or a brush using ethyl chloride or dichlorotetrafluoroethane(Freon) as the evaporative refrigerant-anesthetic. Kurtin(1952) developed this refrigeration-abrasion method and named it skin planing. The technique of skin planing was introduced to Korea in early 1960s and it was extensively used for corrective surgery of scar induced by small pox until early 1970s. The indication for dermabrasion includes correction of scars, prophylaxis and correction of aging of the skin, removal of congenital nevoid anomalies, malignant and benign skin tumors, tattoos and others. The authors dermabased the cutaneous lesions of xeroderma pigmentosum, angiofibroma (adenoma sebaseum), nevus sebaceus of Jadassohn, epidermal verrucous nevus and linear porokeratosis, using Stryker' pneumatic powered dermabrader, with successful results. The technique of dermabrasion and the literature were briefly reviewed.
Aging ; Angiofibroma ; Cicatrix ; Dermabrasion* ; Dermis ; Epidermis ; Ethyl Chloride ; Korea ; Nevus, Sebaceous of Jadassohn ; Porokeratosis ; Skin ; Skin Diseases* ; Xeroderma Pigmentosum

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*

We report a case of tuberculosis verrucosa cutis in a 34-year-old male patient who presented with asymptomatic verrucous plaque over the right buttock, right inner thigh and right inguinal area. The Mantoux test revealed a strong positive reaction. The histologic picture consists of hyperkeratosis, acanthosis and papillomatosis overlying an inflammatory infiltrate in the upper dermis. Tuberculoid granulomas without caseation necrosis are seen in the dermis. Tubercle hacilli were not demonstrated. The patient was treated with INAH, Rifampicin and Ethambutol for 6 months. To date, the skin lesions have markedly improved.
Adult ; Buttocks ; Dermis ; Ethambutol ; Granuloma ; Humans ; Male ; Necrosis ; Papilloma ; Rifampin ; Skin ; Thigh ; Tuberculosis*