BACKGROUND: Melasma is an acquired, symmetrical hypermelanosis that occurs on sun-exposed areas of the skin. It has significant emotional and psychological effects on those affected with the condition. Melasma Quality of Life Scale (MELASQOL) is a specific questionnaire to identify the most impaired areas of melasma patient's life. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose of this study is to investigate the changing of MELASQOL after the treatment of melasma. METHODS: A total of 27 volunteers with melasma were enrolled in this 8-week treatment study. The patients were instructed to apply an arbutin-containing cream, once a day for 8 weeks. The assessment of outcomes included the colorimetric value (L*) and MELASQOL score. RESULTS: The arbutin-containing cream group increased more in the colorimetric values (L*) after the 8-week treatment (p<0.01). The MELASQOL score was decreased (p=0.02). No significant adverse reactions were observed. CONCLUSION: The treatment of melasma improves the QOL of melasma patients.
Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Melanosis ; Quality of Life ; Skin ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.
Dermatitis, Seborrheic* ; Lice Infestations*

No abstract available.
Dermatitis, Seborrheic* ; Lice Infestations*

Lymphocytes can produce various kinds of cytokines which are responsible for the development of the infectious and allergic inflammation. We focused on the role of the lymphocyte in the pathogenesis of the nasal polyp. This study was designed to evaluate the functional differences of the lymphocytes between allergic and non-allergic polyp. Lymphocytes were obtained from peripheral blood and tissues of polyp in 12 patients with non-allergic polyp, 7 patients with allergic polyp and 5 normal subjects as control. Cytokines were measured with ELISA from each group of lymphocytes after stimulation with Concanavalin A (Con A). We compared the production of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and interferon (IFN)-gamma between the non-allergic and allergic groups. The levels of IL-4 and IL-6 from polyp tissue lymphocytes were higher in allergic group, while those of IL-2 and IFN-gamma were higher in non-allergic group. The levels of IL-4, IL-6 and TNF-alpha from peripheral blood lymphocytes were higher in allergic group, and IFN-gamma was higher in non-allergic group. These results suggest that cytokine productivity of the polyp tissue lymphocytes appear to be parallel to that of the peripheral blood lymphocytes in each group and shows distinct pattern of ytokine production between two groups.
Concanavalin A ; Cytokines ; Efficiency ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Inflammation ; Interferons ; Interleukin-2 ; Interleukin-4 ; Interleukin-6 ; Interleukins ; Lymphocytes* ; Nasal Polyps* ; Polyps ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

An annular pancreas is a rare congenital variant of the pancreatic anatomy, which may cause symptoms of gastric outlet obstruction and recurrent pancreatitis, and is often hard to diagnose before operation. The case of an annular pancreas with intermittent abdominal pain in a 38-year-old alcoholic man is described. A duodenal obstruction with consecutive ulcers was the clinical manifestation in this patient. The annular pancreas was diagnosed by using hypertonic duodenography followed by pancreatic angiography. The duodenoscopy revealed stenosis of the pancreas. A duodeno-duodenostomy relieved the symptoms. The patient had an uneventful recovery following a operation.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult* ; Alcoholics ; Angiography ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Duodenal Obstruction ; Duodenoscopy ; Gastric Outlet Obstruction ; Humans ; Pancreas* ; Pancreatitis ; Ulcer

PURPOSE: Adequate lymph node analysis is critical for appropriate staging in colorectal cancer. The aim of this study is to determine whether 12 or more nodes recovered in stage III rectal cancer results in improved oncologic outcomes. METHODS: Two hundred and forty-eight patients with stage III rectal cancer from 1995 through 2004 were reviewed. They were categorized into 2 subgroups by the number of nodes retrieved (<12 and > or =12), and oncologic outcomes in terms of 5-year overall and disease-free survival were analyzed for all patients, patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) N1 disease (N=145), and those with AJCC N2 (N=103). RESULTS: Five-year overall and disease-free survival was 79.0% and 58.4%, respectively. There was no significant difference in clincopathologic features between <12 retrieval group and > or =12 group. Although there was significant difference in overall survival and disease-free survival between the number (<12 and > or =12) of lymph nodes removed in N2 disease (P=0.043; P=0.022) in univariate analysis, the total number of lymph nodes retrieved was not a prognostic factor affecting survival in multivariate analysis. The N2 stage and lateral margin involvement were prognostic factors affecting survival in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: This study showed that the total number of lymph nodes analyzed for stage III rectal cancer is not a prognostic factor on overall or disease-free survival in multivariate analysis.
Colorectal Neoplasms ; Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Joints ; Lymph Nodes ; Multivariate Analysis ; Rectal Neoplasms

No abstract available.
Anal Canal* ; Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber Syndrome*

We report a case of a 67-year-old man presenting with a 2-week history of erythematous zosteriform indurated confluent nodules and plaques on the right chest which was affected by a herpes zoster infection one month ago. The previous history revealed an adenocarcinoma with malignant pleural effusion on the right lung (stage IV, T4N1M1) 3 months ago. Histopathologic findings showed tumor cells infiltrated throughout the dermis, forming focal glandular structures. We think that the case was the isotopic response in the form of an occurrence of a new skin disorder at the site of another unrelated and already healed skin disease. Many cases of isotopic response have been reported in Korean literature such as lichen planus, granuloma annulare, benign fibrous histiocytoma and reactive perforating collagenosis occurring on the healed site of herpes zoster infection. This is the first report of cutaneous metastatic carcinoma as an isotopic response in Korea.
Adenocarcinoma ; Aged ; Dermis ; Granuloma Annulare ; Herpes Zoster ; Histiocytoma, Benign Fibrous ; Humans ; Lichen Planus ; Lung ; Pleural Effusion, Malignant ; Skin ; Skin Diseases ; Thorax

BACKGROUND: Pityriasis rosea is a common, acute self-limiting papulosquamous disorder in which many studies suggest viral causative factors in its pathogenesis. Recently, the link between pityriasis rosea and the reactivation of human herpes virus-6 (HHV-6) and HHV-7 infection has been suggested. This evidence suggests that targetting HHV-6 or HHV-7 may be an effective treatment for pityriasis rosea. OBJECTIVE: We treated pityriasis rosea patients with oral famciclovir to investigate the effect of oral famciclovir in pityriasis rosea. METHODS: A case group of seventeen patients with pityriasis rosea were treated with oral famciclovir (250 mg 3 times daily for 7 days). Clinical evaluation at 0, 1 & 2 weeks was undertaken. A skin biopsy and polymerase chain reaction analysis of HHV-6 from a skin specimen were performed. We analyzed 19 patients with pityriasis rosea who were treated with topical steroid and oral antihistamines retrospectively and considered them as the control group. RESULTS: On the 7th day after oral famciclovir treatment was started, pityriasis rosea had regressed completely in 3 patients (17.6%) and had regressed partially in 9 patients (52.9%). On the 14th day, 12 patients (70.6%) had achieved more than partial regression. On the 7th day, systemic symptoms had improved in all 9 patients. Clearance of skin lesions was achieved in average 7.57 days in patients who had regressed completely after 14 days' treatment. Histological examination of patients was compatible with pityriasis rosea and polymerase chain reaction analysis of HHV-6 was negative in all 8 patients. Compared with the control group, the treatment for patients in the case group seemed to have better effects, but statistical analysis failed to show any significant differences between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Famciclovir was not effective in the treatment of pityriasis rosea, but further investigation is needed.
Biopsy ; Herpesvirus 6, Human ; Herpesvirus 7, Human ; Histamine Antagonists ; Humans ; Pityriasis Rosea* ; Pityriasis* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Retrospective Studies ; Skin ; Skin Diseases, Papulosquamous

BACKGROUND: To perform the successful dendritic cell-based cancer immunotherapy one of the main issues to be solved is the source of antigen for DC pulsing. Limitations occur by using auto-tumor lysate due to the difficulties obtaining enough tumor tissue(s) quantitatively as well as qualitatively. In this study the possibility of allogeneic tumor cell lysate as a DC pulsing antigen has been tested in mouse melanoma pulmonary metastasis model. METHODS: B16F10 melanoma cells (1x10(5)/mouse) were inoculated intravenously into the C57BL/6 mouse. Therapeutic DCs were cultured from the bone marrow myeloid lineage cells with GM-CSF and IL-4 (1,000 U/ml each) for 7 days and pulsed with lysate of either autologous B16F10 (B-DC), allogeneic K1735 (C3H/He origin; K-DC) or CloneM3 (DBA2 origin; C-DC) melanoma cells for 18 hrs. Pulsed-DCs (1x10(6)/mouse)[CGP1] were injected i.p. twice with one week interval starting from the day 1 after tumor cell inoculation. RESULTS: Without observable toxicity, allogeneic tumor cell lysate pulsed-DC induced the significantly better anti-tumor response (tumor scale: 2.7+/-0.3, 0.7+/-0.3 and 0.3+/-0.2 for saline, B-DC and C-DC treated group, respectively). Along with increased tumor specific lymphocyte proliferations, induction of IFN-gamma secretion against both auto- and allo-tumor cell lysates was observed from the DC treated mice. (w/B16F10-lysate: 44.97+/-10.31, 1787.94+/-131.18, 1257.15+/-48.27, w/CloneM3 lysate: 0, 1591.13+/-1.83, 1460.47+/-86.05 pg/ml for saline, B-DC and C-DC treated group, respectively) Natural killer cell activity was also increased in the mice treated with tumor cell lysate pulsed-DC (8.9+/-[CGP2]0.1, 11.6+/-0.8 and 12.6+/-0.7% specific NK activity for saline, B-DC and C-DC treated group, respectively). CONCLUSION: Conclusively, promising data were obtained that allogeneic-tumor cell lysate can be used as a tumor antigen for DC-based cancer immunotherapy.
Animals ; Bone Marrow ; Dendritic Cells* ; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor ; Immunotherapy ; Interleukin-4 ; Killer Cells, Natural ; Lymphocytes ; Melanoma* ; Mice ; Neoplasm Metastasis*