BACKGROUND: There are no serologic markers that accurately reflect the severity of atopic dermatitis (AD), many different scoring systems used in clinical practice and for research purposes have been developed for assessing the severity of AD. OBJECTIVE: The goal of the present study was to evaluate the correlations between severity scoring systems of AD and clinical assessments of physicians and patients. METHODS: We graded the severity of 418 AD patients, applying the SCORing of Atopic Dermtaitis (SCORAD), Objective SCORAD (oSCORAD), Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI), Three Item Severity score, Rajka and Langeland score. Also, we evaluated the Physician's Global Assessment (PGA) and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) of pruritus and sleep loss. RESULTS: here was significant positive correlation between oSCORAD and EASI and oSCORAD showed a good correlation with the other severity scoring systems. oSCORAD was highly correlated with PGA and VAS of pruritus and sleep loss. oSCORAD demonstrated the greatest correlation with body surface area, showing a linear relation. CONCLUSION: oSCORAD can assess the severity of AD with reflecting clinical assessments of physicians and patients and disease extent.
Body Surface Area ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Eczema ; Humans ; Prostaglandins A ; Pruritus

Quantification of quality of life (QOL) related to disease severity is important in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), because the assessment provides additional information to the traditional objective clinical scoring systems. To document the impact of AD on QOL for both children and adults as well as to quantify the relationship with disease severity, QOL assessments were performed over a 6-month period on 415 patients with AD. A questionnaire derived from the Infants' Dermatitis Quality of Life Index (IDQOL), the Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI) and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) was used to determine the QOL for 71 infants, 197 children and 147 adults, respectively. To measure AD severity, both the Rajka & Langeland scoring system and the Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index were used. The mean scores were as follows: 7.7 +/- 5.5 for IDQOL, 6.6 +/- 6.3 for CDLQI, and 10.7 +/- 7.9 for DLQI. In conclusion, these QOL scores are correlated with AD severity scores as estimated by the Rajka & Langeland severity score and the SCORAD. The outcome of the QOL instruments in this study demonstrates that atopic dermatitis of both children and adults affects their QOL.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Dermatitis, Atopic/pathology/*psychology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Quality of Life ; Questionnaires ; *Severity of Illness Index ; Young Adult

Quantification of quality of life (QOL) related to disease severity is important in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), because the assessment provides additional information to the traditional objective clinical scoring systems. To document the impact of AD on QOL for both children and adults as well as to quantify the relationship with disease severity, QOL assessments were performed over a 6-month period on 415 patients with AD. A questionnaire derived from the Infants' Dermatitis Quality of Life Index (IDQOL), the Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI) and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) was used to determine the QOL for 71 infants, 197 children and 147 adults, respectively. To measure AD severity, both the Rajka & Langeland scoring system and the Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index were used. The mean scores were as follows: 7.7 +/- 5.5 for IDQOL, 6.6 +/- 6.3 for CDLQI, and 10.7 +/- 7.9 for DLQI. In conclusion, these QOL scores are correlated with AD severity scores as estimated by the Rajka & Langeland severity score and the SCORAD. The outcome of the QOL instruments in this study demonstrates that atopic dermatitis of both children and adults affects their QOL.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Dermatitis, Atopic/pathology/*psychology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Quality of Life ; Questionnaires ; *Severity of Illness Index ; Young Adult

In order to verify exact dose distributions in the state-of-the-art radiation techniques, a newly designed three-dimensional dosimeter and technique has been took strongly into consideration. The main purpose of our study is to verify the optimized parameters of polymer gel as a real volumetric dosimeter in terms of the various study of MRI. We prepared a gel dosimeter by combing 8% of gelatin, 8% of MAA, and 10 mM of THPC. We used a Co-60 gamma-ray teletherapy unit and delivered doses of 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 Gy to each polymer gel with a solid phantom. We used a fast spin-echo pulse to acquire the characterized T2 time of MRI. The signal noise ratio (SNR) of the head & neck coil was a relatively lower sensitivity than the body coil; therefore the dose uncertainty of head & neck coil would be lower than body coil's. But the dose uncertainty and resolution of the head & neck coil were superior to the body coil in this study. The TR time between 1,500 ms and 2,000 ms showed no significant difference in the dose resolution, but TR of 1,500 ms showed less dose uncertainty. For the slice thickness of 2.5 mm, less dose uncertainty of TE times was at 4 Gy, as well, it was the lowest result over 4 Gy at TE of 12 ms. The dose uncertainty was not critical up to 6 Gy, but the best dose resolution was obtained at 20 ms up to 8 Gy. The dose resolution shows the lowest value was over 20 ms and was an excellent result in the number of excitation (NEX) of three. The NEX of two was the highest dose resolution. We concluded that the better result of slice thickness versus NEX was related to the NEX increment and thin slice thickness.
Animals ; Comb and Wattles ; Gelatin ; Head ; Neck ; Noise ; Organophosphorus Compounds ; Polymers ; Uncertainty

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, relapsing inflammatory skin disease with genetic and environmental backgrounds. While the prevalence of AD is increasing, many patients lack accurate information and understanding about AD. OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to investigate the understanding of AD among Korean AD patients. METHODS: We developed a survey instrument to assess patient understanding of AD. Surveys were conducted over a 6-month period (from May 2010 to October 2010) among 415 patients with AD who visited 10 dermatology clinics at a university teaching hospital affiliated with the Korean Atopic Dermatitis Association. RESULTS: We identified points of understanding in Korean AD patients, such as knowledge and attitudes about AD, awareness of AD treatment, reliability of health care providers and information sources, and acting with AD treatment. As the results of this survey, it was confirmed that the patients' understanding of the cause and prognosis of AD was relatively inadequate, and it could be seen that the perception of the negative attitude toward the medical treatment of AD and inconveniences caused by AD was high. However, the results of the survey on the perception about the medical treatment methods of AD showed that they perceived medical doctors' treatment and prescriptions to have the best curative value, and as the criteria for choosing the treatment methods for AD, they chose the curative value rather than safety and cost. With regard to the information source for AD, they evaluated the treatment postscript on the internet sites and reliability of news media more highly than other information sources, and they responded that the main channel through which they obtain information related to AD was the medical doctors' explanations. CONCLUSION: We conducted the first systematic questionnaire survey to assess the understanding of AD among Korean AD patients. The results of this survey indicate that in the education and promotion on AD patients, additional education with regard to the cause and prognosis of AD is needed, and it is considered that efforts should be made to reduce the negative perception of AD through smooth communication with the medical team. In education and promotion related to AD, treatment postscripts on news media and the internet sites should also be addressed. Ultimately, the patients' self-discipline capabilities should be reinforced through proper education and development of programs related to AD.
Dermatitis, Atopic ; Dermatology ; Health Personnel ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Internet ; Prescriptions ; Prevalence ; Prognosis ; Skin Diseases ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Dermatological diseases can occur with atopic dermatitis. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to analyze diseases associated with atopic dermatitis in Koreans. METHODS: From November, 2007, to May, 2008, 948 patients with atopic dermatitis who visited the department of dermatology at 19 hospitals were evaluated for associated diseases. RESULTS: Of 948 patients, 53.8% (510) had symptoms associated with other dermatological diseases. In order of frequency, diseases associated with atopic dermatitis included acne, hand/foot eczema, seborrheic dermatitis, urticaria, warts, and recurrent herpes simplex. The number of associated diseases did not change significantly with the severity of atopic dermatitis. However, the incidence of hand/foot eczema and eczema herpeticum correlated significantly with the severity of atopic dermatitis. CONCLUSION: There is a distinct pattern of diseases associated with atopic dermatitis in Koreans.
Acne Vulgaris ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Dermatitis, Seborrheic ; Dermatology ; Eczema ; Herpes Simplex ; Humans ; Incidence ; Kaposi Varicelliform Eruption ; Methylmethacrylates ; Polystyrenes ; Urticaria ; Warts

Silmazine(R) cream is an antibiotic agent widely used in burn therapy. It consists of Propylene glycol, Stearyl alcohol, Isopropyl Myristate, Sorbitan mono-oleate, Methyl-p-hydroxybenzoate, Polyoxyl 40 stearate and varseline. A 24-year- old female presented with well-demarcated erythematous papules and vesicles with an itching sensation on the dorsal area of her right hand. She had applied Silmazine(R) cream on the dorsal area of her right handfor 4 days and the skin lesion became aggravated. A patch test with Silmazine(R) cream 'as is' showed a positive reaction and propylene glycol and stearyl alcohol, ingredients in Silmazine(R) cream, revealed a positive reaction. These two agents are known as weak sensitizers that can produce allergic contact dermatitis. There are some reports of allergic contact dermatitis from propylene glycol and stearyl alcohol used topically. As far as we know, there are no reports of allergic contact dermatitis from propylene glycol and stearyl alcohol in the Silmazine(R) cream (Silver sulfadiazine) that is commonly used as topical antibiotic medication for burns. We report this rare case of allergic contact dermatitis from propylene glycol and stearyl alcohol in Silmazine(R) cream (Silver sulfadiazine).
2-Propanol ; Alkenes ; Burns ; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact ; Fatty Alcohols ; Female ; Hand ; Humans ; Myristates ; Myristic Acid ; Patch Tests ; Propylene Glycol ; Pruritus ; Sensation ; Skin

Diffuse neurofibroma is an uncommon subtype of neurofibroma that occurs principally in children and young adults. It is most common in the head and neck region and appears clinically as a plaque-like elevation of the skin. A 3-year-old girl presented to our hospital with a complaint of skin-colored elevated plaques with hair on her lower back since birth. An ultrasonogram showed several 5~10 mm sized subcutaneous hypoechoic nodules with increased vascularity. The histopathologic examination revealed ill-defined, uncapsulated infiltrative, spindle shaped cells within the dermis and subcutaneous tissue. Immunohistochemical examination with antibodies to S-100 protein showed positive. We report a rare case of diffuse neurofibroma with hair.
Antibodies ; Child ; Dermis ; Hair ; Head ; Humans ; Neck ; Neurofibroma ; Parturition ; Preschool Child ; S100 Proteins ; Skin ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; Young Adult

Systemic CD30 positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), a subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), developes in the internal organs and invades the skin. There have been many cases of primary cutaneous CD30 positive T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder, but reports of systemic ALCL have been rare. We describe herein CD30 positive ALK negative systemic ALCL in a 90-year-old woman with multiple masses and nodules on the skin, lung and liver, as well as enlargement of the hilar and abdominal lymph nodes, of 3 months duration. She died of sudden aggravation of the general condition after 7 days.
Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; Liver ; Lung ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphoma, Large-Cell, Anaplastic ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin ; Lymphoproliferative Disorders ; Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; Skin ; T-Lymphocytes

Dematomyositis is an idiopathic inflammatory myopathy characterized by specific skin manifestations and progressive symmetric proximal muscle weakness. Importantly, dermatomyositis is occasionally associated with the internal malignant tumor, which is clearly correlated with poor prognosis. We report two cases of dermatomyositis, showing characteristic skin lesions, that associated with small cell lung cancer in a 64-year old man and gallbladder cancer in a 54-year old man, respectively. On laboratory findings muscle enzymes and liver function markers were elevated prominently. We tried to treat these patients with systemic corticosteroid and chemotherapy. The patient with small cell lung cancer died of SAH due to head trauma and in the case of the patient with gallbladder cancer, the symptoms of the muscle weakness and the skin lesions are getting better and worse repeatedly fluctuating and regular periodic follow up is required.
Craniocerebral Trauma ; Dermatomyositis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gallbladder Neoplasms ; Humans ; Liver ; Muscle Weakness ; Muscles ; Myositis ; Prognosis ; Skin ; Skin Manifestations ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma