A case of nevus sebceous of Jadassohn, which has developed on the frontal hair-line of scalp of 31 male patient since birth and associated with syrignocystadenoma papilliperum and basal cell carcinoma on excisional biopsy, showing soft yellowish 3.2*4com sized flat verucous plaque is reported.
Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Basal Cell* ; Humans ; Male ; Nevus* ; Parturition ; Scalp

Angiosarcoma is rare disease not only in Korea but throughout the world; it is all the more so on the skin. We made an observation on a case of angiosarcoma on the scalp of a 57 year-old man. Noteworthy in this case are: (1) the patient was suffered from a head trauma 6 years prior to onset of the disease, (2) the progress of the disease showed an extreme rapidity accompanied by severe headache intolerable by any medication, (3) no effect was resulted from X-ray irradiation, and (4) the patient survived for 7 months with the disease.
Craniocerebral Trauma ; Headache ; Hemangiosarcoma* ; Humans ; Korea ; Middle Aged ; Rare Diseases ; Scalp ; Skin

BACKGROUND: Chicken pox and herpes zoster are caused by the varicella-zoster virus(VZV). To investigate the epiderniologial relationship between clinical isolates of VZV, it is essential to distinguish different isolate. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to classify the VZV strains according to R5 tandem direct reiterations(TDR) copy numbers and Pst I endonuclease cleavage site mutation, and to analyze the distribution pattern of VZV strains isolated in Korea. METHODS: Strains of VZV were isolated from 61 patients with herpes zoster who had not been immunized with a live vaccine of VZV. Copy numbers of R5 TDR which was located in variable region IV were measured by PCR. The presence of a Pst I cleavage site in a middle portion of the long unique region of VZV genome was analyzed by PCR thereafter restriction enzyme digestion(PCR-RFLP). RESULTS: VZV strains isolated in Korea contained one to three copy numbers of R5 TDR. Of 61 isolates, 43(70%) comtained 2 copies of R5 TDR, while 11(18%) isolates contained only one copy and 7(12%) isolat s contained 3 copies. About 16% of the strains examined did not have a PstI cleavage site, although the majority of strains retained this site. VZV strains could be classified into 6 strains on the basis of the copy number of R5 TDR and PstI cleavage site, in which the strain with 2 copies of R5 TDR and PstI cleavage site positive was the most frequent type (36 out of 61 isolates) in Korea. Four batches of live attenuated vaccine(Biken) that is now used in Korea showed 2 copy numbers of R5 TDR and PstI site negative. CONCLUSION: The copy number of R5 TDR and the presence of PstI cleavage site seems to be a reliable marker for dicrimination of VZV strains in Korea. This discrimination can be used to study the molecular epiclemiology of VZV and as a criterion for identification of vaccine-related isolates.
Chickenpox* ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Genome ; Herpes Zoster* ; Humans ; Korea* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid*

The authors have used a B-mode real-time sector scanner and a 10-MHz probe for measurement of the skin thickness at 21 different sites in healthy Koreans. Subjects consisted of 35 adults(17 males, 18 females) who were divided into three age groups .' young(20 39 years, 12 subjects), middle-aged(40 59 years, 13 subjects), and old(over 60 years, 10 subjects). The results were as follows. 1, The measurements of the skin thickness in examined sites varied from 1.99 to 4.59 milimeters . flexor aspect of the upper arm, dorsum of the hand, extensor aspect of the forearm and flexor aspect of the forearm were thinner, and heel, upper back, metatarsus were thicker than other sites. 2, The skin thickness in males was generally thicker than that in females '. cheek, extensor aspect of the thigh were highly significantly thicker (p<0.01), and chest, upper back, lower back, flexor aspect of the upper arm and extensor aspect of the lower leg were significantly thicker(p< 0.05) in males than in females, 3. The skin was thickest in the old age groups.
Arm ; Cheek ; Female ; Forearm ; Hand ; Heel ; Humans ; Leg ; Male ; Metatarsus ; Skin* ; Thigh ; Thorax ; Ultrasonography*

BACKGROUND: Generalized immune activation occurs early in the course of many infectious disease. Laboratory investigations have shown that immune activation can be quantified by the measurement of soluble immune activation products in serum. Soluble CD25, CD8, and CD4 are major immune activation products. Soluble CD8 and CD4 are indices of CD8+ T cell and CD4+T cell activity, respectively. OBJECTIVE: We estimated the concentrations of these molecules in patients with leprosy. METHODS: The study population consisted of 31 patients with tuberculoid leprosy and 71 patients with lepromatous leprosy(32 cases of M. leprae negative patients and 39 cases of M. leprae positive patients). Serum samples and clinical and laboratory data were collected form each patient and control. The levels of serum soluble CD25, CD8, and CD4 were measured by sandwich enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: The levels of serum soluble CD25 were significantly raised in leprosy patients as compared to control and did not vary signficantly between tuberculoid and lepromatous leprosy. The soluble CD8 levels in the serum of patients with leprosy did not differ from the levels of the control. The levels of serum soluble CD4 were significantly decreased in the patients with lepromatous leprosy, but not in the patients with tuberculoid leprosy. However, there was no significant correlation between CD25, CD8, and cD4 and bacterial indices in patients with lepromatous leprosy. CONCLUSIONs: There data suggest that non-specific immune activation occurs the spectrum in leprosy, while CD4+ T cell activity is significantly decreased in patients with lepromatous leprosy.
Communicable Diseases ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Leprosy* ; Leprosy, Lepromatous ; Leprosy, Tuberculoid

Acquired port-wine stain is rare. It mimics a congenital port-wine stain morphologically but the pattern of onset is acquired after birth. It represents a progressive ectasia of vessels located in the superficial vascular plexus. The exact mechanism is unknown but some reported cases have occurred after trauma. We herein report five cases of acquired port-wine stains and they were idiopathic in nature.
Dilatation, Pathologic ; Parturition ; Port-Wine Stain*

BACKGROUND: Seborrheic dermatitis is a very common chronic inflammatory disease. Previous studies suggested that, Pityrosporum, lipophilic fungi, may play an important role in the pathogenesis of the disease. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the disease clinically and mycologically for better understanding of the pathogenesis. METHODS: Two hundred and one new patient.s with seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp and 67 norrnal subjects were obs!,rved clinically by the dermatologist and studied stat,istically by questionnaires. A mycologic study of Pityrosporum was also performed by direct smear. RESULTS: Among a total of 201 patients wit,h seborrheic dermatitis, 72.6% had pityriasis sicca, 10.5% had pityr iasis steartoides and 16.9% had inflammatory seborrheic dermatitis. On clinical grading by the Kligman.. scale, grade III(slightly scaling) was the most common in the patients and 52.6% of the norma. subjects were below grade II (no scaling). Spores of Pityrosporum were observed in 76.7% of the patients and 91.5% of the normal subjects. The incidence of Pityrosporum was lower particularly in t,he patients with inflammatory seborrheic dermatitis t,han in other pa~tients groups. CONCLUSION: According to the results of the study, it, is difficult to conclude that Pityrosporum is a main causative ager t of seborrheic dermatitis. In addition, it is thought t.hat further studies of the role of Pityrosporum in seborrheic dermatitis are needed.
Dermatitis, Seborrheic* ; Fungi ; Humans ; Incidence ; Malassezia* ; Pityriasis ; Scalp* ; Spores ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Seborrheic dermatitis is a very common chronic inflammatory disease. Previous studies suggested that, Pityrosporum, lipophilic fungi, may play an important role in the pathogenesis of the disease. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the disease clinically and mycologically for better understanding of the pathogenesis. METHODS: Two hundred and one new patient.s with seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp and 67 norrnal subjects were obs!,rved clinically by the dermatologist and studied stat,istically by questionnaires. A mycologic study of Pityrosporum was also performed by direct smear. RESULTS: Among a total of 201 patients wit,h seborrheic dermatitis, 72.6% had pityriasis sicca, 10.5% had pityr iasis steartoides and 16.9% had inflammatory seborrheic dermatitis. On clinical grading by the Kligman.. scale, grade III(slightly scaling) was the most common in the patients and 52.6% of the norma. subjects were below grade II (no scaling). Spores of Pityrosporum were observed in 76.7% of the patients and 91.5% of the normal subjects. The incidence of Pityrosporum was lower particularly in t,he patients with inflammatory seborrheic dermatitis t,han in other pa~tients groups. CONCLUSION: According to the results of the study, it, is difficult to conclude that Pityrosporum is a main causative ager t of seborrheic dermatitis. In addition, it is thought t.hat further studies of the role of Pityrosporum in seborrheic dermatitis are needed.
Dermatitis, Seborrheic* ; Fungi ; Humans ; Incidence ; Malassezia* ; Pityriasis ; Scalp* ; Spores ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Generalized immune aetivation occurs early in the course of many infectious diseases. Clinical investigations have known that immune activation can be qiantified by the measurement of soluble immune activation products, neopterin and elastase-a-antitypsm in serum. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess macrophage and neutrophil activation in patient with leprosy by measurement of neopterin and elhstase-a-antitrypin. METHODS: The study population consisted of 31 patients with subculoid leprosy and 71 patients with lepromatous leprosy (39 cases of M. leprae positive patients and 32 cases of M. leprce negative patients). Serum samples and clinical and laboratory data were collected form each patient and control. The levels of serum neopterin and elastase-a-antitrypsin were masured by a sandwich enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: The serum neopterin levels were significantly raised in patients with leprosy and significantly higher in lepromatous leprosy than tuberculoid leprosy. The sejum elastase-a-antitrypsin levels were significantly increased in pat,ients with leprosy, but did not vary significantly between tuberculoid and lepramatous leprosy. There was also no significant correlation between the neopterin and elastase-a-antitrypsin levels and bacterial index in patients with lepromatous prosy. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that non-specific activation of macrophages and neutrophiles occurs in leprosy and high titers of ineopterin and elastase-a-antitrypsin alore, in the absenee of a functioning T cell response, do not appee,r to confer resistance against Mycobacterium leprae.
Communicable Diseases ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Leprosy ; Leprosy, Lepromatous ; Leprosy, Tuberculoid ; Macrophages ; Mycobacterium leprae ; Neopterin* ; Neutrophil Activation ; Neutrophils ; Pancreatic Elastase* ; Syphilis ; Treponema pallidum

BACKGROUND: Generalized immune aetivation occurs early in the course of many infectious diseases. Clinical investigations have known that immune activation can be qiantified by the measurement of soluble immune activation products, neopterin and elastase-a-antitypsm in serum. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess macrophage and neutrophil activation in patient with leprosy by measurement of neopterin and elhstase-a-antitrypin. METHODS: The study population consisted of 31 patients with subculoid leprosy and 71 patients with lepromatous leprosy (39 cases of M. leprae positive patients and 32 cases of M. leprce negative patients). Serum samples and clinical and laboratory data were collected form each patient and control. The levels of serum neopterin and elastase-a-antitrypsin were masured by a sandwich enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: The serum neopterin levels were significantly raised in patients with leprosy and significantly higher in lepromatous leprosy than tuberculoid leprosy. The sejum elastase-a-antitrypsin levels were significantly increased in pat,ients with leprosy, but did not vary significantly between tuberculoid and lepramatous leprosy. There was also no significant correlation between the neopterin and elastase-a-antitrypsin levels and bacterial index in patients with lepromatous prosy. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that non-specific activation of macrophages and neutrophiles occurs in leprosy and high titers of ineopterin and elastase-a-antitrypsin alore, in the absenee of a functioning T cell response, do not appee,r to confer resistance against Mycobacterium leprae.
Communicable Diseases ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Leprosy ; Leprosy, Lepromatous ; Leprosy, Tuberculoid ; Macrophages ; Mycobacterium leprae ; Neopterin* ; Neutrophil Activation ; Neutrophils ; Pancreatic Elastase* ; Syphilis ; Treponema pallidum