The authors investigated the incidence of stratum corneum and upper epidermal cytoplasmic antibodies with 30 untreated and 20 treated psoriasis sera, and normal human sera using normal human skins of 5 different sites and psoriatic lesion by the method of indirect immunofluorescence in order to evaluate immunologic responses i n psoreasis. The results are summarized as follows . I) The positivity of stratum corneum antibodies in untreated psoriasis sera(78.7%) was si, nificantly higher than that in normal sera(64.0%). The incidence of stratum corneum antibodies in untreated psoriasis sera was found to be the highest in the arm, followed by the scalp, leg, abdomen, and face as substrate. 2) The positivity of stratum corneum antibodies in psoriasis and normal human sera was significantly higher when tested with the psoriatic lesion as substrate than norma! skin as substrate, 3) The titer of stratum corneum antibodies in 5 sera using human skin obtained from 5 different sites on the body as substrate are the highest in the arm, and leg, and(in decreasing order of frequency) the scalp, abdomen, and face. 4) The positivity of upper epidermal cytoplhsmic antibodies in normal human sera (40.7%) was significa.ntly higher than that in untreated psoriasis sera(21.3%). 5) Ir.. the majority of cases, upper epidermal cytoplasmic antibodies coexisted with straturn corneum antibodies in the sera of patients with psoriasis and in the sera of normal humans.
Abdomen ; Antibodies* ; Arm ; Cytoplasm* ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect ; Humans ; Humans* ; Incidence* ; Leg ; Psoriasis* ; Scalp ; Skin

A case of a clinical syndrome of selective hereditary complete IgA deficiency with partial T-lymphocyte inactivation is reported. A 14 year old boy was admitted with chjef complaint of persistent wide shallow ulcerated non-vesicular patches on the skin folds of whole body, chronic upper respiatory infections and gastointestinal upsets. General appearance showed us as if the undemourished or malabsorption status had been accompanied. The duration of illness was about 10 years under the incorrect or mistaken diagnosis and skin lesions have incompletely responded to the treatment. Peripheral T-lymphocyte determination was carried out by the method of Wybran to be tumed out active T-cell 14%, total T-cell 48%. Tuberculin test showed negative with 5 TU. Immunoglobulin values were respectively as follows: IgG 325 mg%, IgM 60 mg%, and IgA trace. And we diagnosed this case as selective IgA defiency with partial T-lymphocyte inactivation. We started the immunochemotherapy with tuberculo-protein complex, Tubercin-3 and antibictics for 2 months. After 2 months with above regimen. the skin lesions were markedly improved. T-cell count also retumed to the normal limit(active 35%, total 59%) and levels of TgG and IgM raised(IgG 617.5 mg%, IgM 75mg%), but IgA still showed trace amount, Tuberculin test tumed out positive.
Adolescent ; Dermatitis* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; IgA Deficiency* ; Immunoglobulin A* ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulin M ; Immunoglobulins ; Lymphocytes* ; Male ; Skin ; T-Lymphocytes ; Tuberculin Test ; Ulcer

The clinical and histopathologic study of 26 cases with tsutsugamushi disease seen at the Department of Derrnatology, Kosin Medical Center, Pusan, Korea from October 1986 to December 1988 was performed. The results were summarized as follows : 1. Age distribution was from 12 to 73 years and male to female ratio was 1: 1.2 (1P, males 14 females). 2. The disease occurred from September to December in a year. The peak incidence was in October (61.5%). 3. Major clinical manifestations were as follows : Chill, fever and headache (100 %), maculopapular eruption (90.2%), eschar (88.5%) and myalgia (84.6%). 4. Eschars were distributed on the abdomen (34.8%), chest (30.4%), leg (7.4%) and ot.her sites. 5. Histopathologic findings of the erythernatous macules in 24 patients showed epiderrnal changes including exocytosis of rnononuclear cells (66.7%), liquefaction degeneration of basal cells (54.2%), spongiosis (33.3%) and epidermal cell necrosis (29.2%). Dermal changes revealed vascular dilatation and perivascular infiltration of rnononuclear cells (100%), extravasated RBC (50%), and edema of papillary dermis (45.8%). Epidermal changes around the eschar were liquefaction degeneration of basal cells (52.2%), spongiosis (43.5%) and exocytosis of mononuclear cells (30.4%). Dermal changes included vascular dilatation and perivascular mononuclear cell infiltration (100%), vessel wall necrosis (73.9%), ederna of papillary dermis (65.2%) and endothelial cell swelling (65.2%).
Abdomen ; Age Distribution ; Busan ; Dermis ; Dilatation ; Edema ; Endothelial Cells ; Exocytosis ; Female ; Fever ; Headache ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Leg ; Male ; Myalgia ; Necrosis ; Scrub Typhus* ; Thorax

Annular elastolytic giant cell granuloma(AEGC(3) has been called as atypical necrcibiosis lipoidica, Mieschers granuloma of the face and scalp, and actinic granu- Joma and needs differen(iation from granuloma annulare, elastosis perforans serpiginosa and nerrobiosis lipoidica. We report a case of AECCG occurring in a 53-year-old male. The patient. had an annular erythematous plaque measuring 4 cm in diameter with serpiginous raised edges and slightly atrophic centers on the right forearm for 5 years. The histopathologic finding showed patchy dermal infiltration of lymphocytes, histiocytes, and multinucleated giant cells engulfing elastic fibers. The. skin lesion cleared after intrader mal injection cf cortieosteroids.
Actins ; Elastic Tissue ; Forearm ; Giant Cells* ; Granuloma ; Granuloma Annulare ; Granuloma, Giant Cell* ; Histiocytes ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Scalp ; Skin

No abstract available.
Adenosine Triphosphatases* ; Animals ; Langerhans Cells* ; Mice* ; Oxygen*

A new balloon dissector, a modification of a Foley catheter, was devised and it can be used either as a dissector or a tissue expander. Since most operating time was spent in balloon manipulation (inflation/deflation), the duct for saline injection was made to be wider than the Foley catheter. As a result, the balloon could be inflated faster than before. In order to reduce the scar at the donor site, harvest of the sural nerve using endoscopic technique is currently applied, but utilization of this method is technically difficult and requires a long operating time. For these reasons, new our method of using a balloon dissector was devised. The balloon dissector can also be used for immediate intraoperative tissue expansion for the reconstruction of small skin defects without distortion. We have found that the advantages of using the new balloon dissector include a reduction in operating time, preservation of the perforating vessels, and primary closure with less tension. In addition, this simple and inexpensive instrument is cost-beneficial to patients.
Catheters ; Cicatrix ; Humans ; Skin ; Sural Nerve ; Tissue Donors ; Tissue Expansion ; Tissue Expansion Devices

The antiarrhythmic effect of oral amiodarone was evaluated by 24-hr Holter monitoring in 12 patients with frequent and/or complex ventricular ectopy. Amiodarone was administered as following schedule; 600mg a day for the 1st week, 400mg a day for the 2nd week and 200mg a day, 5 days a week from the 3rd week. In 9 patients, the frequency of VPC decreased significantly or the grade of VPC changed to the more benign grade, so we considered them as "Effective Group" (75%). In 7 patients, both the frequency and the grade of VPC improved, so we considered them as "Excellent Group" (58%). No significant side effect was observed during investigation. We concluded that amiodarone is very effective antiarrhythmic drug and has no serious side effect during a short-term observation.
Amiodarone* ; Appointments and Schedules ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac* ; Electrocardiography, Ambulatory ; Humans

BACKGROUND: CD44 is a family of glycoproteins involved in cell to cell and cell to matrix interactions. Overexpression of CD44v6(variant exon 6) form has been reported in several malignant tumors such as stomach cancer, uterine cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer and keratinocytic skin tumors, such as, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. However, CD44 expression in cutaneous T cell lymphoma has not been investigated thoroughly. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to examine whether there is any difference in the expression of CD44s & CD44v6 between mycosis fungoides(MF), angiocentric T cell lymphoma, subcutaneous panniculitic T cell lymphoma, Ki lymphoma and unspecified peripheral T cell lymphoma. We also evaluated the statistical significance between the expression of CD44v6 and systemic involvement of the diseases. METHODS: Routine paraffin sections of formalin-fixed 33 tissues (11 MF, 8 angiocentric T cell lymphoma, 5 subcutaneous panniculitic T cell lymphoma, 2 Ki lymphoma, 1 unspecified peripheral T cell lymphoma, 2 psoriasis, 2 lichen planus, 2 erythema nodosum) were labeled with anti-CD44 monoclonal antibody using a avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex. Normal skin served as the negative control. RESULTS: 1. Eccrine glands, hair follicles and the epidermis, except the cornified layer, showed positive staining for CD44s. In inflammatory skin diseases, it showed positive staining for CD44s, however CD44v4/5 and CD44v6 stainings were negative. 2. All(4 out of 4) of the tumor stages of MF showed positive CD44s staining, and 3 out of 4 showed positive CD44v6 staining(p=0.024). However, none of them expressed CD44v4/5. 3. All 8 cases of angiocentric T cell lymphoma were positively stained for CD44s, but not for CD44v4/5. In contrast to other peripheral T cell lymphoma, CD44v6 was expressed in 3 out of 8 cases of angiocentric T cell lymphoma. In subcutaneous T cell lymphoma, only the CD44s was expressed, and Ki lymphoma was positively stained for CD44s and negatively stained for CD44v4/5 and CD44v6. 4. In CD44v6 positive angiocentric T cell lymphoma (3 out of 8) and CD44v6 positive tumor stages of MF (3 out of 4), 5 out of 6 patients had systemic involvement suggesting a statistical significance between CD44v6 expression and patient's systemic involvement(p=0.015). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that CD44v6 may serve as a useful prognostic marker in the tumor stage of mycosis fungoides and angiocentric T cell lymphomas.
Breast Neoplasms ; Carcinoma, Basal Cell ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Eccrine Glands ; Epidermis ; Erythema ; Exons ; Glycoproteins ; Hair Follicle ; Humans ; Lichen Planus ; Lymphoma ; Lymphoma, T-Cell ; Lymphoma, T-Cell, Cutaneous* ; Lymphoma, T-Cell, Peripheral ; Mycosis Fungoides ; Paraffin ; Psoriasis ; Skin ; Skin Diseases ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that in vitro exposure to ultraviolet B(UVB) radiation resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of natural killer activity(NK activity) of normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cella(PBMC), and that in vivo exposure to snlight also induced NK activity suppression. The precise meehanism of the UV-regulation on the riat iral killer system(NK system) is not established. Objective & METHOD: The purpose of this study is to examine whether the addition of interleukin-2(IL-2) and/or free oxygen radical scavengers, superoxide dismutas(SOD) or sodium azide(SA), is effective in reducing the UVJ3-induced suppression of NK activity of FBMC. RESULTS: The results are as follows 1. The suppressive effect of UVB radiat,ion on NK activity could successfully be prevented in the presence of SOD(100 and 1,000U/ml) during the radiation. 2. SA( LO and 10 M/ml) did not prevent the suppression of NK activity. 3. IL-2(100U/ml) markedly enhanced the NK activity of nonirradiated PBMC, but had no effect on irradiated PBMC. 4. Combination treatment with both IL-2 and free radical scavengers on UVB-irradiated PBMC resulted in no additive or synergistic effect on the prevention of the suppression of NK activity compared with a single treatment with either IL-2 or free radical scavengers. CONCLUSION: In the presserit study, we found that SOD providec a protective effect on NK activity during the UVB radiation and we suggest that superoxide anion(O ) might play a major role in the UV-regulatory mechanisms of the NK system.
Free Radical Scavengers ; Humans* ; Interleukin-2* ; Oxygen ; Sodium ; Superoxides

A 47-year-old male patient presented us with erythematous, telangiectatic, purpuric or hyperpigmented patqhes, recurrent painful ulceration and ivory white atrophic scars on the lower portions of his legs, ankles and dorsal surfaces of both feet exacerbating on every summer for 5 years. The histopathalogical findings of an atrophic patch showed endothelial proliforetiion, partial occlusion of the dermal capillaries and fibrinoid material) on the superficial blood vessels, This patient was treated with aspirin and dipyriclamole for 4 months, and the skin lesions were improved significantly.
Ankle ; Aspirin ; Blood Vessels ; Capillaries ; Cicatrix ; Foot ; Humans ; Leg ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Skin ; Ulcer ; Vasculitis*