The present study was carried out to investigate the HHsAg in the normal skin, dis- eased skin and skin specimens of window period of HBsAg positive patients in their serum with normal liver function. This study was done by immunoperoxidase techniques using the monoclonal antibody to hepatitis E3 surface antigen and by electron microscopy. Immunoperoxidase staining was dane on twenty specimeris of normal skin Group .D twenty specimens of diseased skin (15 cases of dermographism, 2 cases of purpura, 1 case of follicuht,is and 1 cases of morbilliform eruption) (Ciroup II ) and three specimens of normal skin af window period (Group III ) of HBsAp positive patients in their serum. Twelve cases of Group I, eleven cases of Group IL (1(J cases of dremographism and 1 rase of purpura) and two cases of Group II were stained positively for HBsAg. Positive sites were keratinocyte of epidermis, sweat gland, blood vessel and hair follicle. Electron microscopy failed to reveal viral particle, The above resuts suggest the possibility of transmission of viral hepatitis B thraugh the skin and skin appendages.
Antigens, Surface ; Blood Vessels ; Epidermis ; Hair Follicle ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Keratinocytes ; Liver ; Microscopy, Electron ; Purpura ; Skin* ; Sweat Glands ; Virion

Fibrous hamartoma of infancy (FHI) is an uncommon, benign, solitary intradermal or subcutaneous tumor. It occurs typically in the axillary or shoulder region. The histopathologic examination of affected lesion shows the characteristic elements: dense fibrous tissue, adipose tissue, and primitive mesenchymal tissues. A 15 month-old girl had the multiple, asymptomatic, discrete, and skin-colored tumors that scattered on the scalp. These were present at birth. We report a rare case of FHI occurred on the scalp with multiple and congenital characteristics.
Adipose Tissue ; Female ; Hamartoma* ; Humans ; Parturition ; Scalp ; Shoulder

Tinea incognito is a dermatophytic infection induced by immunosuppressive agents that lacks the classic features of a typical fungal infection. Although the treatment of tinea incognito is simple and relatively easy, its clinical manifestation varies and can masquerade as various skin disorders, causing misdiagnosis and thus preventing prompt and appropriate treatment. Here, we report an interesting case of tinea incognito occurring after topical steroid administration in an immunosuppressed patient with dermatitis artefacta. A 40-year-old female patient who had been taking systemic glucocorticoid for 4 years for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy presented with itching multiple erythematous erosive lesions on the face and upper chest for 2 months. Initial biopsy produced nonspecific findings. The skin lesion was aggravated and became polycyclic and erythematous; after azathioprine was added, her chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy became aggravated. A second biopsy confirmed hyphae in the cornified layer. Complete remission was achieved after admonishing oral terbinafine and topical amorolfine.
Adult ; Azathioprine ; Biopsy ; Dermatitis ; Diagnostic Errors ; Female ; Humans ; Hyphae ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Polyneuropathies ; Pruritus ; Skin ; Thorax ; Tinea*

No abstract available.
Mongolian Spot* ; Nevus, Blue*

Plexiform schwannoma is a relatively rare, benign peripheral nerve sheath tumor that can be located either in the deep soft tissues or in the dermis or subcutaneous tissue. This tumor may occur singly or as multiple lesions and may be localized to one anatomic site or diffusely distributed. Plexiform schwannoma should be differentiated with plexiform neurofibroma or other plexiform malignant tumors. We describe a case of a 6-year-old patient with multiple cutaneous plexiform schwannomas who had no other stigmata of neurofibromatosis 1 or family history suggesting a genetic disorder. The histopathological study revealed a tumor composed of multiple intradermal or subcutaneous interlacing and interconnecting fascicles and nodules that vary in size and shape. Characteristic Antoni A type cellular tissue showing frequent nuclear palisading and Verocay bodies were observed within well circumscribed elongated nodules.
Child ; Christianity ; Dermis ; Humans ; Neurilemmoma* ; Neurofibroma, Plexiform ; Neurofibromatosis 1 ; Peripheral Nerves ; Subcutaneous Tissue

To reduce cardio-cerebro-vascular and renal morbidity and mortality, the current guidelines on the treatment of hypertension recommend evaluating and managing total cardiovascular risks of the patient with hypertension, not just focused on reducing blood pressure itself. In this point of view, the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) are considered to be ideal drugs in the treatment of hypertension, because the angiotensin II plays a pivotal role in every stage of cardiovascular disease continuum. Many studies have shown that the ARBs were not only effective in lowering blood pressure, but also had another role in reducing morbidity and mortality of heart failure, myocardial infarction, stroke, diabetic nephropathy, chronic kidney disease, and the recurrence of atrial fibrillation, so called beyond blood pressure lowering effects or pleiotropic effects. However, these favorable effects of ARBs are counter-balanced by some debating issues, myocardial infarction paradox or cancer risk. Furthermore, the issue whether ARBs could replace the role of ACEIs in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases is not resolved yet. Because there have been no randomized studies proving the ARBs are better than ACEIs in terms of cardiovascular morbidity or mortality, the current status of the role of ARBs are an reasonable alternative of ACEIs. In this review, the current issues and status of ARBs will be discussed.
Angiotensin II ; Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists ; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors ; Angiotensins ; Atrial Fibrillation ; Blood Pressure ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Diabetic Nephropathies ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Myocardial Infarction ; Receptors, Angiotensin ; Recurrence ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; Stroke

BACKGROUND: Recently, inireaing numbers of chemotherapeutic agens are being used to treat cancer patients. Mucocutaeous complications are commonly sen in association with the administration of these medicaticins. OBJECTIVE: We conducted a study in cancer chemotherapy patient so determine the suspected chemotherapeutic agents ancl frequency of various mucocutaneous side effects in these patients. METHODS: The study involved 140 patients admitted from Decerrae 1993 to September 1994 for cancer chemot herapy at Korea University Guro Hospital. RESULTS: The mucocutaneous side effects during chemotherapy were alopecia(55%), hyperpig mentation(32.9%), stomatitis(20%), phlebitis(12.9%), flushing(8.6%) descending order. Visual grade II, IV alopecia patients were most common, but as the chemot retpy cycle increased so, the severer the alopecia. Although the onset of the alopecia were variake many patients experienced alopcia within 17 to 24 days after the start of chemotherapy. Serpeitie supravenous fluorouracil hyperpigmentation were commor,(17.9%), Diffuse and longitudinal or horizontal band like nail pigmentation were observed, and, pigmented macules were also observei, epecially on the palms and digits. Stomatitis usually developed within 10 days after the start of chemotherapy and it persist ed for about 7 days and the most of the lesions were resolved spor Laeously. Other clinical manifestations accompanied with chmotherapy were tinea infection(16.4%), acne(7.1%), oral thrush (7%), white nail band(4.3%), pruritus(2.9%) in descending order. CONCLUSION: So, physiciars need to be aware of the widely divergnal cutaneous reactions which may occur with the use of antiancer medications.
Alopecia ; Candidiasis, Oral ; Drug Therapy* ; Fluorouracil ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Korea ; Pigmentation ; Stomatitis ; Tinea

This report concerns a rare malignant smooth muscle neoplasm of the skin and the subcutaneous tissue, which was examined immunohistochemically and ultrastructurally. It occured in a 48-year-old female patient who had suffered from painful nodules on the left shoulder. The nodules were removed and diagnosed as a benign fibrohistiocytic tumor. One year after local excision, multiple nodules were detected by physical examination at the previous operation site. Grossly, thirteen well-defined small nodules had spread in the dermis and the subcutaneous tissue, of which nine were located from lower dermis to the subcutaneous tissue and four were in the subcutaneous tissue. Histologically, each nodule consisted mainly of epithelioid tumor cells having eosinophilic or clear plump cytoplasm and round to oval nuclei with small nucleoli, and some peripheral spindle tumor cells. The tumor cells were negative for PAS reaction with and without diastase digestion or alcian blue. Immunohistochemically, tumor cells were positive for smooth muscle actin and vimentin. Ultrastructurally, the tumor cells showed actin filaments and dense bodies in cytoplasm. This case was diagnosed as an epithelioid leiomyosarcoma of the skin and the subcutaneous tissue with local metastasis one year after local excision.
Actin Cytoskeleton ; Actins ; Alcian Blue ; Amylases ; Cytoplasm ; Dermis ; Digestion ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Humans ; Leiomyosarcoma* ; Middle Aged ; Muscle, Smooth ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Periodic Acid-Schiff Reaction ; Physical Examination ; Shoulder ; Skin* ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; Vimentin

This study was done for the evaluation of correlation among skin test reactivity, total serum IgE and RAST level in 202 atopic disease patients, who weie composed of 165 patients with allergic rhinitis, 22 patients with bronchial asthma, 11 patients with urticaria and 4 patients with atopic dermetitis. The results were as follows: 1. The sex ratio of male to female of 202 pat,ients with atopic disease was 1.3:1(114:88) and patients with age grciup of 2nd and 3rd decades occupied 64.9%. 2. The positive reactivity of the skin scratch test in general was 62.9%. The positive ratio was highest in 2nd and 3rd decades, 76.5% and 63.8% respectirely. The positive ratio was decreased as the age of patients increased. 3. The individual allergens which showed higher positive reaction in skin scratch test were D. farinae, house dust, cat hair, cockroach and Trichophyton ii descending order. In group allergens, the house dust groups consisted 45.5% of positiv. reaction of total number of the positive allergens. The positive ratio of aeroallergen was 84.5% whereas that of foods was only 11.5%. 4. The positive ratio of house dust group was 45.0% of total patients. 5. 41.1% of patients showed positive reactivity to two or more allegens while 21.8% was positive to single allergen. The most frequent combinations were 2 to 4 allergens(95.2%). 6. The mean of total serum IgE level in 63 patients who were poitiie skin scratch test was 470.5 IU/ml. 81.0% of these patients showed high serum IgE level. 7. As the positive reactivity of skin scratch test was increased, the mean level of total serum IgE was elevated(r=0.919). 8. A highly significant correlation was existed between the mear size of D. farinae scratch test reactions and the level of specific IgE to D. farinae(r=0.977).
Allergens ; Animals ; Asthma ; Cats ; Cockroaches ; Dust ; Female ; Hair ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E* ; Male ; Rhinitis ; Sex Ratio ; Skin Tests ; Skin* ; Trichophyton ; Urticaria

PURPOSE: This study was to examine the effects of self-foot reflexology on stress, fatigue and blood circulation in premenopausal middle-aged women. METHODS: A quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group, pretest-posttest design was used. Participants were 59 premenopausal, middle-aged women in their 40s and 60s living in G city: 30 in the experiment group and 29 in the control group. Data were collected from May to August 2008. Self-foot reflexology was performed three times a week for 6 weeks for 40 min at each session. RESULTS: The results showed that self-foot reflexology was effective in reducing perceived stress and fatigue and helped blood circulation in premenopausal middle-aged women. CONCLUSION: Self-foot reflexology may be an effective nursing intervention in reducing perceived stress and fatigue and in improving blood circulation.
Adult ; Blood Pressure/*physiology ; Demography ; Fatigue/*therapy ; Female ; Foot ; Humans ; Massage/*methods ; Middle Aged ; Patient Education as Topic ; *Premenopause/physiology/psychology ; Stress, Psychological/*therapy