No abstract available.
Child* ; Granular Cell Tumor* ; Humans

BACKGROUND: Oral isotretinoin is an effective treatment modality for acne, but this agent may cause dryness of the skin and mucous membrane. Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) has been known to improve skin moisture and reduce transepidermal water loss (TEWL). It is also known to have anti-inflammatory effects and to inhibit 5-alpha reductase. OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of GLA in the prevention of xerosis and improvement of acne lesions after concomitant administration of isotretinoin. METHODS: In this prospective study, 102 Korean acne patients were enrolled and randomized to receive isotretinoin either with or without GLA for 12 weeks. Comparing evaluations included skin hydration, TEWL, visual analogue scale (VAS) score for dryness of the lips and skin, number of acne lesions such as comedos, papules, and pustules, Korean acne grading system (KAGS) grade, and patient satisfaction regarding treatment. RESULTS: The decrease of skin hydration and increase of the TEWL of the lips and cheek were less definite in the experimental group than those of the control group. VAS score for dryness of the lips and skin was significantly lower in the experimental group compared with the control group. The number of acne lesions decreased in both groups; only the numbers of papules were different between the two groups. The decrease of the KAGS grade was more definite in the experimental group than that in the control group. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that GLA could be used effectively for the improvement of acne lesions as well as for the prevention of xerosis.
Acne Vulgaris* ; Cheek ; gamma-Linolenic Acid* ; Humans ; Isotretinoin* ; Lip ; Mucous Membrane ; Oxidoreductases ; Patient Satisfaction ; Prospective Studies ; Skin

Depigmented halos surrounding cutaneous lesions have been the common description of many diseases, including benign melanocytic nevus, acquired blue nevi, malignant melanoma and neurofibromatosis. To the best of our knowledge, a halo around seborrheic keratosis has not been reported in the Korean dermatologic literature, and only two cases have been described abroad. Though vitiligo is known to be frequently associated with this halo phenomenon, the exact etiopathogenesis of vitiligo and the halo phenomenon is still unknown. Herein, we report on a case of halo seborrheic keratosis in a patient with vitiligo.
Humans ; Keratosis, Seborrheic ; Melanoma ; Neurofibromatoses ; Nevus, Blue ; Nevus, Pigmented ; Vitiligo

Kikuchi disease, also called histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis, is an uncommon, idiopathic and generally self-limited disease, characterized by cervical lymphadenopathy. It can present systemic symptoms and signs, but ocular involvement is unusual. We report a 35-year-old woman who presented sudden decreased visual acuity and a swollen lymph node on the left side of her neck. On laboratory findings, there were no evidences of infection, autoimmune disease and systemic vasculitis. She was diagnosed with Kikuchi disease and bilateral retinal vasculitis by histologic analysis of lymph node, fundoscopy and fluorescein angiography.
Adult ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Female ; Fluorescein Angiography ; Histiocytic Necrotizing Lymphadenitis ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Neck ; Retinal Vasculitis ; Retinaldehyde ; Systemic Vasculitis ; Visual Acuity

Trichoepithelioma (TE) is a benign lesion that arises from hair follicles. Solitary TE occurs mainly on the face in young adults. Various previous reports have described the localization of this disorder, but there have been no reported cases with presentation on the toe. Histopathologically, TE shares characteristic features with basal cell carcinoma (BCC), so immunohistochemical stains are required for the differential diagnosis. Therefore, we report the first case of TE occurring on the toe, confirmed with immunohistochemial differentiation.
Carcinoma, Basal Cell ; Coloring Agents ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Hair Follicle ; Humans ; Toes* ; Young Adult

Kikuchi's disease (KD), histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis, is a rare self-limited lymphadenopathy, which usually affects young women. KD has been reported to precede, coexist with or follow the diagnosis of other entities, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), adult-onset Still's disease, Hashimoto's disease, and viral infections. In a few cases, KD is associated with cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE), without systemic involvement. Herein, we report the first Korean case of KD associated with lupus erythematous profundus in a 9-year-old boy.
Child ; Female ; Hashimoto Disease ; Histiocytic Necrotizing Lymphadenitis ; Humans ; Lupus Erythematosus, Cutaneous ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Panniculitis, Lupus Erythematosus ; Still's Disease, Adult-Onset

Dermatomyositis (DM) is an idiopathic inflammatory process characterized by proximal muscle weakness and cutaneous lesions, such as the Gottron's sign, heliotrope rash, and erythematous photosensitive rash. Administration of systemic agents for the treatment of underlying systemic diseases leads to remission of the cutaneous lesions in many cases. However, cutaneous lesions may remain refractory to treatment. Pimecrolimus is a calcineurin inhibitor with combined anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activity. It has high affinity to the skin and low permeation potential, even in patients with acute skin inflammation and in those undergoing post-topical corticosteroid therapy. We herein report two DM patients whose cutaneous lesions were refractory to conventional treatment but showed dramatic response to topical pimecrolimus. The clinical outcomes suggest that topical pimecrolimus may be a good therapeutic alternative for the management of the cutaneous lesions of DM.
Calcineurin ; Dermatomyositis ; Exanthema ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Muscle Weakness ; Skin ; Tacrolimus

BACKGROUND: Mycobacterial identification in active pulmonary tuberculosis (APTB) is confirmative, even though successful rates using self-expectorated sputum are limited. Sputum specimens collected by hypertonic saline nebulization showed higher bacteriologic diagnostic sensitivities over those of self-expectoration, mostly studied in smear-negative or sputum-scarce patients. The efficacy of induced sputum was rarely assessed in real clinical settings. METHODS: A prospective randomized case-control study was performed in one hospital. The subjects highly suspicious of APTB were asked to provide 3 pairs of sputum specimens in 3 consecutive days. The first pairs of the specimens were obtained either by self-expectoration (ES) from the next day of the visit or sputum induction with 7% saline nebulization in clinic (SI), and the other specimens were collected in the same way. The samples were tested in microscopy, culture, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The outcomes of the bacteriological diagnosis were compared. RESULTS: Seventy six patients were assigned to either ES (38 subjects, median age of 51, 65.8% male) or SI (38 subjects, median age of 55, 52.6% male). APTB was clinically confirmed in 51 patients (70.8%), 27 in ES and 24 in SI. Among the APTB, more adequate specimens were collected from SI (41/65, 63.1%) than ES (34/80, 42.5%) (p=0.01). Bacteriological confirmation was achieved in 14 (58.3%) patients in SI, and 13 (48.1%) in ES (p=0.46). In the same-day bacteriological diagnosis with microscopy and PCR, there were positive results for 9 patients (37.5%) in SI and 7 patients (25.9%) in ES (p=0.37). CONCLUSION: Sputum induction improves sputum specimen adequacy. It may be useful for the same-day bacteriological diagnosis with microscopic examination and PCR.
Case-Control Studies ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Microscopy ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prospective Studies ; Saline Solution, Hypertonic ; Sputum* ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary*

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) caused by the SFTS virus (SFTSV), a novel Phlebovirus, is endemic to South Korea, central and northeastern China, and western Japan. SFTS poses a threat to public health because of its high mortality and secondary transmission. Ticks and domestic animals are hosts for SFTSV in endemic areas. There is no specific treatment for SFTS, and avoiding tick bites is the best way to prevent infection. Early therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is a rescue therapy in patients with rapidly progressive SFTS. Here, we present a patient with SFTS who was improving on TPE but died suddenly due to acute lung injury after TPE.