Afloqualone is a centrally acting muscle relaxant and has been used in therapy for musculotensive diseases. A 35-year-old female had been taking afloqulaone for a left hemifacial spasm for one month. The patient visited our hospital with erythematous papules and patches on the sun exposed area. A photopatch test with afloqualone ointment with the concentration of 0.1%, 1%, 5% turned out negative. An oral provocation test was also done and it showed a positive result with a decrease of MED to UVA (10 J/cm²).
Adult ; Dermatitis, Phototoxic* ; Female ; Hemifacial Spasm ; Humans ; Solar System

No Abstract Available.

No abstract available.
Brain Mapping* ; Evoked Potentials, Visual* ; Schizophrenia*

Postictal sequential serum prolactin concentrations were observed in 28 patients with various type of seizures who were hospitalized at Keimyung University Hospital. Of 28 epileptic patients, 18 male and 10 female, age ranged from 18 years to 79 years (mean 42 years), 15 with generalized seizures, 13 with focal seizures (5 with simple partial seizures and 8 with partial seizures with generalization). Symptomatic epilepsy and epileptic patients with factors which may affect serum prolactin concentrations were excluded in this study. Serum prolactin concentrations were measure at 15, 30 and 60 minutes after convulsion and 24 hours after convulsion for the base line serum prolactin level. Patients with generalized seizsures and significant elevation of serum prolactin concentrations at 15, 30 and 60 minutes after ictus (Table 1). Same results were obtained in patients with simple partial seizures at 30 minutes and 60 minutes after ictus, and 15 minutes and 30 minutes after ictus in patients with partial seizures with secondary generalization (Table 2 and 3). Level of serum prolactin concentrations were higher in patients with generalized seizure than the other type of seizures. Therefore, measuring serum prolactin level could help differentiate postictal state and other causes of mental change, and also differentiative various type of seizures.
Epilepsies, Partial ; Epilepsy ; Female ; Generalization (Psychology) ; Humans ; Male ; Prolactin* ; Seizures*

Human epidermal cells were obtained from suction blisters of 14 healthy individuals, and were cultured for 24-96 hours st a concentration of 1x 10(7)/ml, 5 x 10(6)/ml, 1 x 10(6)/ml, 5 x 10(5)/ml. Cells were also cultured with or without stimulants such as phorbol myristic acetate(PMA), muramyl dipeptide(MDP), and endotoxin. Then, cell-free supernatants of cultured epidermal cells were tested for ETAF by a thymocyte prolifera.tiom assay. The results were as follows : 1, The highest activity of ETAF was produced by fresh epidermal cells(EC) at a concentration of 1 x10(7)ml. Its highest 3H-TdR was 4928+/-2480cpm. The highest activity of ETAF was produced by cultured EC at a concentration of 5 x10(6)/ml. Its highest 3H-TdR was 13983+/-8045 cpm. 2. The highest activity of ETAF was produced by fresh EC with n culture time of 24 hours. Its highest 3H-TdR was 5357+/-3760cpm. The highest activity of ETAF was produced by cultured EC with a culture time of 72 hours. Its highest 3H-TdR was 11905+/-5327cpm. 3. The highest activity of ETAF was produced by both fresh and cultured EC at a titer of 1: 8 dilution of cell-free supernatants. 1ts highest 3H-TdR was 4928 +/-2480cpm in the fresh EC, and 11905+/-5327cpm in the cultured EC. 4. Alhen fresh EC was stimulated with PMA, MDP and endotoxin, higher activity of ETAF was found in the group stimulated with PMA or MDP compared with its control group. But lower activity of ETAF was found in the group stimulated with endotoxin compared with its control group. The 3H-TdR was 6000+/-1936 cpm in the group stimulated with PMA, 6945+/-3182 cpm in the group stimulated with MDP, and 36943+/-36861cpm in the group stimulated with endotoxin.
Blister ; Humans* ; Suction ; Thymocytes

Benign symmetric lipomat,osis is a rare disease of undetermined cause characterized by symmetric deposits of adipose tissue o:n the neck, upper trunk and abdomen. We report three cases of kienign symmetric lipomatosis, one of which is associated with alcoholic liver disease and the patient complained of a diffieulties in neck motion, All of them are about sixty year old men with history of frequent alcohol consumption. In histopathologic findings, the reticular dermis was completcly replaced by mature fat cells and there was a slight increase in vascular and fibrous elements.
Abdomen ; Adipocytes ; Adipose Tissue ; Alcohol Drinking ; Dermis ; Humans ; Lipomatosis* ; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic ; Male ; Neck ; Rare Diseases

Latency within the nervous system is a characteristic feature of herpesviridae infection. It is reactivated by triggering factors such as UV exposure, stress, and trauma. Simultaneous reactivation of herpes simplex and herpes zoster is uncommon, however, an observation provably explained by differences in the trigerring mechanism. Concurrent reactivation of herpes simplex virus (HSV) and varicella zoster virus (VZV) is occasionally encountered in immunosuppressed patients; on the other hand, it is rarely reported in immunocompetent individuals. We present the case of an immunocompetent 8-yr-old female patient with concurrent reactivation of HSV on the face and VZV on the right L2 dermatome.
Buttocks/pathology/virology ; Child ; Face ; Female ; Herpes Simplex/complications/diagnosis/pathology/*virology ; Herpes Zoster/complications/diagnosis/pathology/*virology ; Herpesvirus 3, Human/*physiology ; Humans ; Immunocompetence ; Simplexvirus/*physiology ; Thigh/pathology/virology ; *Virus Activation

BACKGROUND: The main function of melanocyte is known to protect the skin from hazardous sunlight. But, some investigators have claimed lately that melanocytes are also related to the immunologic role in the epidermis because these cells produce IL-1 activity and IL-1beta convertase activity, in vitro. OBJECTIVE: Our purposes were to investigate the effects of rIFN-gammaon the proliferation of melanocytes, melanin content, and the expression of HLA-DR antigen on melanocytes after a rIFN-gammaexposure. MEHTODS: The number of melanocytes, the melanin content, and the expression of HLA-DR antigen were evaluated on cultured human melanocytes according to a time sequence and various concentrations of rIFN-gamma. RESULTS: Antiproliferative activity on melanocytes was dependent on the exposure time and the concentration of rIFN-gamma. According to the exposure time and the concentration of rIFN-gamma, melanogenic acivity was inhibitd or stimulated. Normal melanocytes didn't express HLA-DR antigen, but when normal melanocytes were exposed to rIFN-gamma, the expression of HLA-DR antigen increased in a time-and concentration-dependent fashion. After the removal of rIFN - gammafrom the culture media, the expression of HLA-DR antigen on melanocytes also disappeared. CONCLUSION: In our study, melanocytes seem to be related to the immunologic role in the epidermis because these cells expressed HLA-DR antigen after rIFN-gammaexposure and we think that study could help to investigate between melanocytes and immunologic mechanisms in various inflammatory skin diseases.
Culture Media ; Epidermis ; HLA-DR Antigens* ; Humans* ; Interleukin-1 ; Melanins ; Melanocytes ; Research Personnel ; Skin ; Skin Diseases ; Sunlight

The authors investigated the antiproliferative effect and expression of HLA-DR an- tigen by recombinant gamma-interferon (r-IFN-y) on cultured human keratinocytes (KC). The results were as follows, 1. From 10l.J/ml of r-1FN-p exposure, the proliferation of KC decreased in a concentration dependent fashion. But there was little difference of antiproliferative effect above 30U/ml of r-IFN-y exposure. 2. The expression of HLA-DR antigen on KC increased in a concentration and time dependent fashion of r-IFN-p exposure. E3ut t,here was little difference of HLA-DR antigen expression on KC above 30tJ/ml and most of HLA-DR antigen were expressed within 48hr. 3. The opt,imal condition for HLA-DR antigen induction on KC by r-IFN-p was likely t,hat HLA-DR KC was observed at 48hr under the our exposure of 30U/ml of r-IFN p. 4. After 4hr exposure of 30U/ml of r-IFN-p, KC expresed HLA-BR. antigen, reaching a maximum intensity at 3 days. At, 7 days, the loss of HI A-DR KC showed over 90% of maximum intensity.
HLA-DR Antigens* ; Humans* ; Interferon-gamma ; Interferons* ; Keratinocytes*

In humans, the major stimulus for cutaneous pigmentation is ultraviolet radiation. Little is known about the mechanism underlying this response, in part, because of the complexity of the interactions involving the whole epidermis. The present stucy was undertake to evaluate the effects of a single exposure of UVB on cultured normal melanocytes. Melanocytes were exposed to UVB from 5.1 mJ/cm to 203 mJ/cm. The results were as follows : 1. The main morphologic changes in UVB-exposed groups w re larger sized cells, more blunted dendrites, and shorter dendrites than in the control group. These cells increased sized according to the increased doses of VVB, but above 101.5 mJ/cm, the melanocytes shrunk and were destroyed. 2. From 20.3 mJ/cm of UVB, the proliferation of melanocyte was decreased, Especially, there was statistical!y significant difference above 50.8 mJ/cm (p<0.05, p<0.01). 3. The antiproliferativo effect increased with the passage of tirie after UVB exposure. So, cell count could not be done in 101.5 mJ/cm and 203 mJ/cm on the third day, and in 50.8 mJ/cm, 101.5 m J/cm and 203 mJ/cm on the seventh day. 4. Statistically the melanin content per well was significantl dicreased to 11-28% of each control group with dose above 50.8 mJ/cm (p<0.05, p<0.01). The melanin content per cell was increased to 107-128% of each control group when doses were below 20.3 mJ/cm and decreased to 49-79% of each control group when above 0.8 mJ/cm on the third day, but there was no statistically significant difference. In summary, when melarocytes were exposed to UVB, morphclogic changes progressed to cell differentiation. The results also suggested that a low or dose of UVB has an antiproliferative arid mild melanogenic effect, and a higher dose of UVB has a direct cytotoxic effect.
Cell Count ; Cell Differentiation ; Dendrites ; Epidermis ; Humans ; Melanins ; Melanocytes* ; Pigmentation