BACKGROUND: There are reviews with regard to the treatment of pigmented nevi present on the palms, soles, and genitalia. One advocated that pigmented nevi on thesa locations should be prophylactically removed to avoid their tuture development into malignant melanoma, while the other believes that this is not practicable. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine the incidence rates and clinical characteristics and to discuss the management of pigrnented nevi, developed on these areas of the Korean men. METHOD: We examined 1,537 Korean men, between 19 and 21 rears old, to evaluate the pigmented nevi on their palms, soles, and genitalia. RESULTS: Atleast 1 pigmented nevus appeared in 314(20.4%) men on the palms, 189(12.3%) on the soles, and 117(7.6%) on the genitalia. The sizes(mean diameter) of nevi on genitalia, soles, and palms were 4.5mm, 3.1mm, and 2.3mm respectively. The color of the nevi was darkest on the penile shaft(4.3 point) and then glans penis(3.9 points), soles(3.2 points), palms(2.5 points) in decreasing orders of the points. Most of the nevi was consistent with type 1 by Levers clinical classification and their incidence were 357 on palms, 211 on soles, and 128 on genitalia. Among the 21 nevi of type 2, 13 nevi appeared on the soles, and noine of type 3 and type 5 were found. The distribution of the nevi on the palms was of a rather uniform and scattered pattern, whereas, on the soles, they were distinctly concentrated in the midfoot. Tkie nevi on the glans penis appeared larger and more irregular in outline than those on the penile shaft. CONCLUSION: The plantar nevi were larger, darker, and had greater incidence of elevated type compared with the palmar nevi. From this observation, particular attenticn should be paid to the presence of pigmented nevi on the soles.
Classification ; Genitalia* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Melanoma ; Nevus* ; Nevus, Pigmented ; Penis

Thyroglossal duct cysts result from failure to obliterate the embryonic throglossal duct. When these cysts drain through the skin, they produce thyroglossal duct fistulas, which re often infected. We report two cases of thyroglossal duct fistula in an 8-year-old boaid a 41-year-old man who had a infected cystic mass and sirius on the anterior midline neck, respeticely. The cyst which is lined by a columnar epithelium was identified microscopically in a surgically n se ted specimen.
Adult ; Child ; Epithelium ; Fistula* ; Humans ; Neck ; Skin ; Thyroglossal Cyst

No abstract available.

A 53-year-old woman developed a psinful erythematous papular skin eruption around the biting site by a tick on the left lower abdomen. A excision biopsy specimen from the skin lesion showed perivsscular infiltration of inflammatory cells composed mainly of neutrophiles, lymphocytes, and a few eosinophiles and histiocytes throughout the dermis. Some of the vessels were dilated with protruding and proliferated endothelial cells. The tick was identified as an adult female of Ixodes nipponensis by the scanning electron microscopic examination.
Abdomen ; Adult ; Biopsy ; Dermis ; Endothelial Cells ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Histiocytes ; Humans ; Ixodes* ; Lymphocytes ; Middle Aged ; Neutrophils ; Skin ; Tick Bites* ; Ticks*

The pubic louse, Pthirus pubis is a blood-sucking ectoparasite adapted to hold onto pubic, axillary and body hairs. It is usually confined to the pubic and inguinal region. However, it may also rarely involve the scalp and eyelashes. We report two cases of phthiriasis occurring on unusual sites, the first case occurring on the scalp of a 5 month-old male infant, and the second case on the eyelashes of a 49-year-old fe-male.
Eyelashes ; Hair ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phthiraptera ; Scalp

Avascular necrosis of the femoral head is the most common disease for which total hip arthroplasty is being performed in Korea. In order to develop a femoral stem having a proper fit to Korean femur, it is essential to study the change in the shape of the proximal endosteal canal of the femur resulting from disuse caused by pain avascular necrosis of the femoral head. The size and shape of the proximal femur were measured with 3-dimensional images reconstructed from the CT data of 116 femurs in 58 patients who had suffered from avascular necrosis of the femoral head. Among them, there were 30 patients who had suffered from unilateral involvement of avascular necrosis of the femoral head. The comparative study was made on the shape of the proximal endosteal canal of the femur between the normal and the diseased femurs. The shape of proximal endosteal canal of femur in avascular necrosis didn't show statistically significant difference from that of the normal femur. Therefore, the femoral stem designed from the data of normal femurs can be usually applied to the avascular necrosis without problem in obtaining the maximal fit between the stem and the endosteal canal. The canal flare index was greater and the proportion of champagne-flute type was higher in Korean than in Westerner. The shape of the endosteal canal of isthmus was nearly circular in Korean in contrast to anteroposteriorly ovoid in Westerner. The distribution of sagittal canal flare index which was newly defined in this study was entirely different from that of preexisting canal flare index in coronal plane. It will be necessary to study further in the future.
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip ; Femur ; Head ; Humans ; Korea ; Necrosis

A 17-year-old male was presented withfpruritic grouped erythematous papules on the face, chest, upper back, both axillae, and genital area. The histologic picture of a benign papilloma and spongiosis around the acrosyringium were prominent findings. The term acrosyringeal epidermal nevus is proposed for this histological picture, and some explanations for its pathogenesis are suggested.
Adolescent ; Axilla ; Humans ; Male ; Nevus* ; Papilloma ; Thorax

BACKGROUND: It has been known that the polymerase chain reaction(PCR) test of clinical specimens including blood, sputum, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid collected from patients with systemic fungal infection is a highly sensitive diagnostic method. Recently, the PCR test was applied to the diagnosis of onychomycosis. OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed to explore whether the PCR test would be a more sensitive diagnostic tool than the KOH smear, fungus culture and KONCPA(KOH+Nail Clipping+ PAS(periodic acid-Schiff) stain) test in diagnosing the onychomycosis. METHODS: Using 50 nail samples from 50 patients with onychomycosis, the result of the PCR test was compared with those of the KOH smear, fungus culture and KONCPA test. RESULTS: The results were as follows: 1. The positive rates for detecting the causative fungi from the KOH smear, fungus culture, KONCPA test and PCR test were 64.0%, 46.0%, 90.0%, and 100.0% respectively. 2. The fungus culture identified the causative fungi from 23 samples, of which 21(91.2%) were T. rubrum, 1(4.4%) Candida sp. and 1(4.4%) C. albicans. KONCPA test yielded higher positivity by detecting the pathogenic fungi in 45 samples: dermatophytes 35(77.8%), mixed infections of dermatophytes and Candida sp. 6(13.3%), molds 2(4.4%) and unclassified 2(4.4%). The PCR test yielded the highest positivity by detecting the pathogenic fungi in all samples ; T. rubrum 44(88.0%) and unclassified 6(12.0%). 3. Compared with the results of fungus culture and KONCPA test, that of PCR test showed some differences. The case of Candida sp. in fungus culture was identified as T. rubrum in PCR ; the case of C. albicans in fungus culture as unclassified in the PCR. Five cases of mixed infection and 2 cases of mold infection in the KONCPA test were diagnosed as T. rubrum infection in the PCR test. CONCLUSION: The PCR test is useful in diagnosing the onychomycosis because of its highest positive rate in detecting the causative fungi compared with fungus culture and the KONCPA test. Furthermore, a more accurate diagnostic method such as the PCR test will be necessary in case Candida sp. or mold is cultured from the infected nail specimen.
Arthrodermataceae ; Candida ; Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Coinfection ; Diagnosis ; Fungi* ; Humans ; Onychomycosis* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Sputum

Infectious endocarditis is associated with five cutaneous findings: subungal hemorrhages, Roth spots, Osler's nodes, the Janeway lesion and petechiae, which are infrequently reported in the current antibiotic era. The Janeway lesion, first described by Edward Janeway in 1899, is an erythematous or hemorrhagic, non-tender macule or nodule several centimeters in diameter occurring on the palms or soles. We report a case of a Janeway lesion in a 30-year-old woman, who had pruritic nontender macules with fever of unkown origin. Our case demonstrates the importance of careful skin examination in systemic diseases such as infectious endocarditis. The findings of the Janeway lesion in this woman were important in securing the early clinical diagnosis of infectious endocarditis.
Adult ; Diagnosis ; Endocarditis* ; Female ; Fever ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Purpura ; Skin

Delusions of parasitosis is a type of monosymptomatic hypochondrial psychosis and is defined as the fixed belief that one is infested with living organisms, in t.he abscence of any objective evidence that such infestation exists. A 43 year-old woman had a 2-month history of generalized pruritus and skin ulceration on the buttock representing dermatitis artefacta. She also complained of seeing small black insects crawling on her whole body skin, especially on the pubic area without evidence of cutaneous invasion by the parasites. She had no evidence of other medical diseases. She was treated with oral pimozide, starting with 1mg/day to 3mg/day. In two weeks, clinical symptoms and false belief that she is infested with parasites subsided.
Adult ; Buttocks ; Delusions* ; Dermatitis ; Female ; Humans ; Insects ; Parasites ; Pimozide* ; Pruritus ; Psychotic Disorders ; Skin ; Skin Ulcer