Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare aggressive primary skin cancer which mostly occurs in the elderly on sun-exposed skin. It usually presents as a solitary dome-shaped red or purple nodule on the head, neck and extremities. The mortality rate is higher than the rate for malignant melanoma because its local recurrence is common. Agent Orange, an herbicide widely used as a defoliant in the Vietnam War, contains dioxin contaminants and can cause several dermatoses and skin cancers. We report a case of multiple Merkel cell carcinoma in a 65-year-old male with lesions on the head and neck, who had been exposed to Agent Orange during Vietnam War.
2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic Acid ; 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Merkel Cell ; Citrus sinensis ; Extremities ; Head ; Humans ; Male ; Melanoma ; Neck ; Recurrence ; Skin ; Skin Diseases ; Skin Neoplasms ; Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin ; Veterans ; Vietnam

Porokeratosis is a genodermatosis that is characterized by abnormal epidermal keratinization with the histologic finding of a cornoid lamella. Linear porokeratosis is an uncommon variant that presents a characteristic linear nevoid distribution along the Blaschko's lines and linear porokeratosis has the highest potential for malignant degeneration of all the porokeratoses. Many treatment modalities have been used, but the treatment outcomes are variable and the treatments are poorly standardized. We report here on a case of linear porokeratosis in a 48-year-old female who showed localized, linear, brownish macules with a well-demarcated hyperkeratotic border on the left lower abdomen and back.
Abdomen ; Female ; Humans ; Keratins ; Middle Aged ; Porokeratosis

We report a case of rosacea-like tinea faciei in a 62-year-old female. The lesions were manifested by 2.0x2.0 cm and 2.0x2.0 cm-sized, two, pruritic, well-demarcated, erythematous macules on the nose and left ala nasi. Histopathologic examination of the skin lesion showed chronic dermal inflammation with presence of fungal hyphae in the honey layer of the epidermis. Fungal culture of the biopsy specimen grew out typical white cottony colonies of Trichophyton rubrum. The patient was treated with 250 mg of terbinafine daily for 1 month and topical lanoconazole application. Skin lesions improved one month after the treatment, and recurrence has not been observed.
Biopsy ; Epidermis ; European Continental Ancestry Group ; Female ; Honey ; Humans ; Hyphae ; Imidazoles ; Inflammation ; Middle Aged ; Naphthalenes ; Nose ; Recurrence ; Skin ; Tinea ; Trichophyton

The reconstruction of hypopharynx after ablation of carcinoma is quite challengeable to plastic surgeons and requires the recovery of anatomic continuity and its own function such as swallowing and speech. Various surgical methods have been evolved through the years from local flap to microvascular free flap. The latter, obviously has improved the surgical outcome playing a main role in reconstruction of hypopharynx and universally been divided into visceral free transfer and fasciocutaneous free flap. Though lots of surgical options are reported depending on the shape and size of defect, patient's desires or surgeon's empirical background, no general agreement about the reconstruction of hypopharynx exists because the advantage of the one flap can be a disadvantage of the other and vice versa. The fasciocutaneous free flaps were used for reconstruction of hypopharynx in 18 patients, radial forearm free flap for 14 and anterolateral thigh perforator flap for 4 patients, respectively and indicated following that the first is the patients have partial defect that retain the remnant mucosa more than 50% of hypopharyngeal circumference. the second indication is the patient with previous abdominal operation and the third is the patient with risk of long ischemic time of transferred bowel. the last cases is the elderly patient with other comorbid condition even though the remnant mucosa are less than 50% of hypopharyngeal circumference. We have designed the flap to have a sufficient lumen of neohypopharyngeal diameter more than 4cm and the cephalic margin of hypopharynx be wider than caudal one, like a funnel shape, to eliminate the size discrepancy between the pharyngeal and esophageal lumen. The small triangular flap extension was designed in the caudal margin to prevent the distal enteric anastomosis site from the stricture, making the circumference of distal margin to be enlarged. In this paper, we contemplate our speculation for use of fasciocutaneous free flap for reconstruction of hypopharynx with surgical finesse to get a fine surgical outcome.
Aged ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Deglutition ; Forearm* ; Free Tissue Flaps* ; Humans ; Hypopharynx ; Mucous Membrane ; Perforator Flap ; Thigh*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and radiographic results of cementless total hip arthroplasty (THA) with subtrochanteric transverse shortening osteotomy in patients with high hip dislocation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighteen patients with high hip dislocation who underwent cementless THA combined with a subtrochanteric transverse shortening osteotomy, plate or cable fixation and bone graft on the osteotomy site between 2001 and 2012 were evaluated in this study. The mean duration of follow-up was 5.2 (2-8.3) years. We evaluated Harris hip score, limping, limb length discrepancy as a clinical parameter and osteolysis, loosening and union of the osteotomy site as a radiographic parameter. RESULTS: Harris hip scores at the final follow-up showed improvement of limping and limb length discrepancy in all cases. And, with the exception of two cases of infection, there were no loosening and osteolysis. All cases showed union of the osteotomy site. There were two cases of infection and one case of dislocation as a complication. Infection occurred in two patients who underwent reoperation and one patient developed sciatic nerve palsy. CONCLUSION: Cementless THA with subtrochanteric transverse shortening osteotomy showed relatively satisfactory clinical and radiologic results. However, the incidence of complications, such as infection, is relatively high, therefore, careful attention is needed.
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip* ; Dislocations ; Extremities ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hip ; Hip Dislocation* ; Hip Dislocation, Congenital ; Humans ; Incidence ; Osteolysis ; Osteotomy* ; Reoperation ; Sciatic Neuropathy ; Transplants

Nocardiosis is an uncommon, potentially life-threatening infectious disease caused by several species of the genus Nocardia, which are Gram-positive branched bacilli. Most infections enter through the respiratory tract and then disseminate systemically but rarely has a primary infection occurred resulting from direct inoculation. Isolation of Nocardia from clinical specimens and identification of species is difficult and require a specialized microbiologist. We report a case of primary cutaneous nocardiosis caused by N. brasiliensis in a 68-year-old man who was diagnosed by bacterial culture and 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing. The skin lesions improved with trimethoprim- sulfamethoxazole antibiotic therapy for 6 months.
Aged ; Communicable Diseases ; Humans ; Nocardia ; Nocardia Infections ; Respiratory System ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; Skin ; Sulfamethoxazole

Background: The Korean Red Cross has conducted serologic tests for C, c, E, e antigens and found 18 D-- donors.In this study, we performed RHCE genotyping to identify the molecular characteristics of the serologic D-- blood type in Korean blood donors. Methods: We performed RHCE-specific PCR-based electrophoresis to check the amplification pattern of each exon.Sanger sequencing was conducted to find the variants in the nucleotide sequence. We determined the RHCE genotype based on the electrophoresis and Sanger sequencing results. Results: Total eight out of 18 D-- donors were participated in this research. In the PCR-based electrophoresis tests, RHCE exons 3, 4, and 6 were not amplified in samples #4, #6, and #8. Also, sample #2 showed an abnormal band pattern of RHCE exon 9. The Sanger sequencing results showed that the nucleotide sequences of the RHCE exons 5, 7, and 8 in samples #4, #6 and #8 corresponded to the nucleotide sequences of RHD exons 5, 7, and 8, respectively, suggesting the possibility of a RHCE-RHD(3-8)-RHCE hybrid allele. The nucleotide sequences of RHCE exons 7 and 8 in sample #2 were the same as the nucleotide sequences of RHD exons 7 and 8, respectively.In samples #1, #3, #5, and #7, no specific variants known to cause D-- phenotype were found. Conclusion RHCE genes partially replaced by the RHD genes were found in four out of eight participants and three of them were identified as ?RHCE*02N.07, which is known as the RHCE null allele. A further study with complete RHCE sequencing could be helpful for an understanding of the molecular mechanisms of samples in which no significant variants were identified.

Background: This study was aimed to identify the safety signals of metoclopramide in Korea Adverse Event Reporting System (KAERS) database by proportionality analysis methods. Methods: The study was conducted using Korea Institute of Drug Safety and Risk Management-Korea Adverse Event Reporting System Database (KIDS-KD) reported from January 2013 to December 2017 through KAERS. Signals of metoclopramide that satisfied the data-mining indices of proportional reporting ratio (PRR), reporting odds ratio (ROR) and information component (IC) were defined. The detected signals were checked whether they included in drug labels in the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Micromedex® . Results: A total number of drug AE reports associated with all drugs of data in this study was 2,665,429. Among them, the number of AE reports associated with metoclopramide was 22,583. Forty-two meaningful signals of metoclopramide were detected that satisfied with the criteria of data-mining indicies. Especially neurological signals including extrapyramidal reactions, represented in the safety letter of regulatory agencies were identified in this study. Conclusion Neurological signals of metoclopramide including extrapyramidal reactions were detected. It is believed that this search for signals can contribute to ensuring safety in the use of metoclopramide.

Multiple primary malignant neoplasms (MPMN) are defined by the presence of multiple primary cancers of multicentric origin and/or different tissues. The incidence of MPMN is less than 1% in Korea and recently seems to be increased due to early detection of cancer and prolonged survival of cancer patients. Previous investigations suggest that non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) may be associated with chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The pathogenesis of this association is thought to be due to chronic antigenic stimulation, the presence of HBsAg, and immunosuppressive therapy. We report a case of synchronous NHL and HCC in a 54-year-old man which is thought to be associated with hepatitis B virus infection. Pathological examination and immunohistochemical study of neck lymph node and liver mass biopsies showed diffuse large cell lymphoma and HCC, respectively. He was treated initially with EPOCH (etoposide, vincristine, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide and prednisolone) chemotherapy for NHL and transarterial chemoembolization with doxorubicin, mitomycin-c, lipiodol, and gelfoam for HCC.
Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Cyclophosphamide ; Doxorubicin ; Drug Therapy ; Early Detection of Cancer ; Ethiodized Oil ; Gelatin Sponge, Absorbable ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Hepatitis B virus ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Liver ; Liver Diseases ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin* ; Middle Aged ; Mitomycin ; Neck ; Vincristine

As per guidelines for treating dyslipidemia, the recommended low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level in extremely high-risk patients, including those with coronary artery diseases is <55 mg/dL. Although this recommendation has been adopted in the guidelines for dyslipidemia in various countries, there is limited evidence of its efficacy in reducing cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), especially among East Asian patients. This study aimed to investigate whether an LDL-C value below 55 mg/dL is associated with decreased risk of CVDs. Methods: Seven clinical trials including 50,970 patients that compared intensive lipidlowering therapy with less therapy or placebo in patients who had >6 months of follow-up, those with a sample size of ≥150 were selected as the final literature for analysis. Risk ratios (RR) using random effects were represented with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the reliability of the results. Results: An LDL-C level of <55 mg/dL was related to significantly reduced events of major CVDs (RR: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.80-0.98) and myocardial infarction (RR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.73-0.90) and a reduced risk of ischemic stroke (RR 0.79; 95% CI 0.69-0.89, mean follow-up=2 years). However, an LDL-C level below 55 mg/dL did not reduce the incidence of CVD in intensive therapy in East Asian patients. Conclusions: A goal LDL-C value below 55 mg/dL was identified to be related to a decreased risk of developing CVD. However, the relation to LDL-C below 55 mg/dL with a decreased risk of CVD was not observed in East Asian patients.