BACKGROUND: It has been known that androgenetic alopecia in both male and female is due to the role of the androgen hormone in the hair follicle, but the level of the androgen hormone in the plasma is controversial in relation with the development of the alopecia. OBJECTIVE: We have tried the clarify if there is any or no difference in the plasma levels of the hormones between the normal female and the patient with alopecia, because the range of the plasma DHEA-S and total testosterone in the normal female is very wide. METHODS: Plasma levels if the hormones were examined in 22 patients with female androgenetic alopecia and 20 normal females. RESULTS: 1. In DHEA-S, 21(95.5%) aut of 22 female androgenetic alopecia patients were in the normal range while 20(100%) of the 20 normal females were all within the normal range. However the mean value of the hormone(88.89+101.41 g/dl) in the patient group was significantly higher than that(82.18+44.03 g/dl) of the normal group(p<0.05). 2. In total testosterone, 17(94.4%) out of the 18 patents were in the normal range while 20 (100%) of 20 normal females were all within the normal range. However the mean value of the hormone(0.22+0.20ng/ml) in the patient group was significantly higher than that(0.08+0.09ng/ml) of the normal group(p<0.05). 3. As for distribution of DIEA S according to the age, the value of the patient group was higher than that of the normal group in all age groups studied. In the distribution of total testosterone according to age, there was no difference between the normal and the patient in the twenties. After the twenties, the testosterone levels were higher in the patients than the normal females. CONCLUSION: There were significant differences in mean values of plasma DHEA-S and total testosterone between the patients and the normal females although individuals in both groups were largely wit,hin normal range of the hormones.
Alopecia* ; Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate* ; Dehydroepiandrosterone* ; Female* ; Hair Follicle ; Humans ; Male ; Plasma* ; Reference Values ; Testosterone*

Malassezia intertrigo is a very rare clinical entity in which the clinical lesions occur in intertroginous areas as erythematous scaling macules and direct microscopic examinatons of scales reveal only large numbers of yeast forms of Malassezia organism. A 59-year-old man, developed brown, finely scaling macular lesions on the inguinal areas. Direct microscopy and culture of the scalings taken from the lesional areas of the patient revealed only oval forms of Malassezia organism.
Humans ; Intertrigo* ; Malassezia* ; Microscopy ; Middle Aged ; Weights and Measures ; Yeasts

Microsporum ferrugineum was the most common cause of tinea captis in Korea until the middle of the 1970s, but this organism has been only rarely isolated from the scalp ringworm during recent years. We report, three cases of tinea capitis occurring in a 2-year-old male, a 10 year-old female and a 5-year-old male. From all three patients, Microsporum ferrugineum was isolated.
Child ; Child, Preschool ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Microsporum* ; Scalp ; Tinea Capitis* ; Tinea*

No Abstract Available.
Adenoma*

Deep palmoplantar warts (Myrmecia) are frequently tender papules or plaques caused by HPV-1. Myrmecia are usually misdiagnosed as paronychia or digital mucous cysts. They occur not only on the palms and soles but also on the lateral aspects and tips of the fingers and toes. We report a rare case of deep palmoplantar wart occurring on proximal nail fold, unusual site of right 5th finger in an 11-year-old girl.
Child ; Female ; Fingers ; Humans ; Paronychia ; Toes ; Warts*

A 12-year-old boy showed a slatecolored scaly patch on h; ight face for 2 months. Histopathologic findings showed basal vacuolations and dermal me arphages with only scanty lymphoid cells in the fat tissue layer. Besides the facial lesion, lesions of edematous localized erythema were noted on his right if and left buttock with similar mi rocopical findings. 6 months later the facial lesion was aggravated like a cellulitis, of which thc bevpsy findings were consistent with mycosis fungoides. The patient received chemotherapy aftei the diagonsis for one month before his termination. Because of the rarity of mycosis fungoides in childhood age and its un common cutaneous lesions, the case is reported.
Buttocks ; Cellulitis ; Child ; Dronabinol ; Drug Therapy ; Erythema ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; Male ; Mycosis Fungoides* ; United Nations

BACKGROUND: Capsaicin has been shown to have different biologic and toxic effects, depending on non-neuronal cells and several transformed cells, however no study has been reported from cultured human skin fibroblast. OBJECTIVE: Present study was aimed to evaluate the cytotoxicity and its mechanism of capsacin on the cultured human skin fibroblast. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Normal neonatal human fibroblasts were used, and changes of cell survival were measured by MTT assay after the cells were pre-treated with growth factors, receptor antagonist, antioxidants, calcium modulators were pre-treated or co-treated with capsaicin. RESULTS: Suvival of fibroblast was significantly increased by treatment with EGF (10ng/ml), bFGF (10ng/ml), capsazepine (10M) but inhibited by cycloheximide (1g/ml). When 200 M capsaicin was added to fibroblasts, chromatin condensations were observed at 12 hours and cell survival rate was reduced to 25-50% at 24 hours. Vanilloid receptor antagonists, capsazepine and ruthenium red, did not prevent the toxic effect of capsaicin, and 10M capsazepine paradoxically rather enhanced the cytotoxicity. In contrast to bFGF (10ng/ml), EGF (10, 100ng/ml) enhanced the cytotoxicity of capsaicin. Neuropeptides, substance P (1, 10nM) and CGRP (1, 10nM), and a structural analogue to capsaicin, tyrosine (0.3-1.2mM) did not affect the cytotoxicity. However, antioxidants such as trolox (100M) and ascorbic acid (0.1, 0.3 mM) reduced the capsaicin cytotoxicity. Of calcium modulating agents, nifedifine, a Ca2+ channel blocker (10, 20M) and cyclopiazonic acid, a Ca2+-ATPase inhibitor in ER (10M) did not influence the cytotoxicity, however BAPTA/AM (10M) as a chelater for cytoplasmic free calcium ion (10M) significantly decreased capsaicin cytotoxicity. Unlike cycloheximide, z-VAD-FMK, a protein synthesis inhibitor and a non-specific caspase inhibitor, prevented the capsaicin cytotoxicity. The DNA ladder and TUNEL positive cells were observed among the capsaicin treated fibroblasts and Western blot revealed caspase-3 activity. CONCLUSION: The capsaicin-induced cytotoxicity on human skin fibroblasts is likely to suggest the mechanism of an apoptotic pathway, which can possibly be prevented by antioxidants.
Antioxidants ; Ascorbic Acid ; Blotting, Western ; Calcium ; Capsaicin* ; Caspase 3 ; Cell Survival ; Chromatin ; Cycloheximide ; Cytoplasm ; DNA ; Epidermal Growth Factor ; Fibroblasts* ; Humans* ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Neuropeptides ; Ruthenium Red ; Skin* ; Substance P ; Tyrosine

Median raphe canal is an uncommon disease and represents a defect abnormality of the male genitalia. It occurs along the ventral median raphe from the glans penis to the anus. Histologically the canal is lined by stratified squamous epithelium which dose not communicate with the urethra. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice. Recently we observed a 25-year-old male patient who had had a median raphe canal located in the ventral aspect of penis.
Adult ; Anal Canal ; Epithelium ; Genitalia, Male ; Humans ; Male ; Penis* ; Urethra

No abstract available.
Granuloma, Foreign-Body* ; Mesotherapy*

No abstract available.
Iron* ; Skin Pigmentation*