Seborrheic keratosis is a common benign epidermal tumor histologically composed of basaloid and squamous cells. It mainly occurs on the face, scalp, and trunk, and presents clinically as a well-circumscribed, brownish to black papule, nodule, or plaque. Trichoblastoma is a relatively rare benign, slow-growing tumor showing differentiation toward the primitive hair follicle. It clinically manifests as a solitary, skin to erythematous colored, well-circumscribed dermal nodule located predominantly on the head and neck with a predilection for the scalp. Histologically, a well-demarcated mass of follicular germinative cells that show various degrees of differentiation, arranged in lobules, sheets, and nests, is located in the dermis or subcutaneous fat layer. We report the case of a 28-year-old female patient with a solitary, 2.0x4.0-cm black plaque with a 0.7-cm skin-colored nodule on the scalp. Histologically, the entire black plaque had prominent hyperkeratosis, acanthosis, and papillomatosis with horn cysts. The central nodule showed well-circumscribed, various-sized dermal tumor lobules without a connection to the overlying epidermis. The lobular aggregation was composed of numerous basaloid epithelial nests and multiple primitive papillary structures with distinct peripheral palisading of nuclei. According to these findings, the scalp lesion was diagnosed as a composite tumor associating trichoblastoma and seborrheic keratosis.
Adult ; Animals ; Dermis ; Epidermis ; Female ; Hair Follicle ; Head ; Horns ; Humans ; Keratosis, Seborrheic* ; Neck ; Papilloma ; Scalp ; Skin ; Subcutaneous Fat

Seborrheic keratosis is a common benign epidermal tumor histologically composed of basaloid and squamous cells. It mainly occurs on the face, scalp, and trunk, and presents clinically as a well-circumscribed, brownish to black papule, nodule, or plaque. Trichoblastoma is a relatively rare benign, slow-growing tumor showing differentiation toward the primitive hair follicle. It clinically manifests as a solitary, skin to erythematous colored, well-circumscribed dermal nodule located predominantly on the head and neck with a predilection for the scalp. Histologically, a well-demarcated mass of follicular germinative cells that show various degrees of differentiation, arranged in lobules, sheets, and nests, is located in the dermis or subcutaneous fat layer. We report the case of a 28-year-old female patient with a solitary, 2.0x4.0-cm black plaque with a 0.7-cm skin-colored nodule on the scalp. Histologically, the entire black plaque had prominent hyperkeratosis, acanthosis, and papillomatosis with horn cysts. The central nodule showed well-circumscribed, various-sized dermal tumor lobules without a connection to the overlying epidermis. The lobular aggregation was composed of numerous basaloid epithelial nests and multiple primitive papillary structures with distinct peripheral palisading of nuclei. According to these findings, the scalp lesion was diagnosed as a composite tumor associating trichoblastoma and seborrheic keratosis.
Adult ; Animals ; Dermis ; Epidermis ; Female ; Hair Follicle ; Head ; Horns ; Humans ; Keratosis, Seborrheic* ; Neck ; Papilloma ; Scalp ; Skin ; Subcutaneous Fat

Cutaneous endometriosis is defined by the presence of endometrial glands and/or stroma in skin and represents less than 1% of all ectopic endometrium. Cutaneous endometriosis is classified as primary and secondary. Primary cutaneous endometriosis appears without a prior surgical history and secondary cutaneous endometriosis mostly occurs at surgical scar tissue after abdominal operations. The most widely accepted pathogenesis of secondary endometriosis is the iatrogenic implantation of endometrial cells after surgery, such as laparoscopic procedures. However, the pathogenesis of primary endometriosis is still unknown. Umbilical endometriosis is composed only 0.4% to 4.0% of all endometriosis, however, umbilicus is the most common site of primary cutaneous endometriosis. A 38-year-old women presented with solitary 2.5×2.0-cm-sized purple to brown colored painful nodule on the umbilicus since 2 years ago. The patient had no history of surgical procedures. The skin lesion became swollen with spontaneous bleeding during menstruation. The skin lesion was diagnosed as a keloid at private hospital and has been treated with lesional injection of steroid for several times but there was no improvement. Imaging studies showed an enhancing umbilical mass without connection to internal organs. Biopsy specimen showed the several dilated glandular structures in dermis. They were surrounded by endometrial-type stroma and perivascular infiltration of lymphocytes. The patient was diagnosed as primary cutaneous endometriosis and skin lesion was removed by complete wide excision without recurrence. We report an interesting and rare case of primary umbilical endometriosis mistaken for a keloid and review the literatures.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Cicatrix ; Dermis ; Endometriosis* ; Endometrium ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Hospitals, Private ; Humans ; Keloid ; Lymphocytes ; Menstruation ; Recurrence ; Skin ; Umbilicus*

Cystic lymphangioma is a true, benign, congenital multicystic tumor arising from sequestrations of embryonic lymphatic tissue. Most often it occurs at birth or during the early years of life, is found most commonly in the neck, and its distribution coincides with that of the primitive lymph sacs. A 23-year-woman presented with a soft palpable mass on her chest wall. Physical and ultrasound examination revealed a well-circumscribed, mobile, nontender, soft subcutaneous mass on the right posterior chest wall beneath the latissimus dorsi muscle. A skin biopsy of the mass showed endothelium-lined lymphatic vessels and a loose, lace-like fibrous tissue stroma. The specimen was stained with D2-40 showing positive staining of lymphatics. These histopathological findings confirmed the diagnosis of a cystic lymphangioma. We report a rare case of a cystic lymphangioma on the chest wall in a 23-year-old woman.
Adult* ; Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphangioma, Cystic* ; Lymphatic Vessels ; Lymphoid Tissue ; Neck ; Parturition ; Skin ; Superficial Back Muscles ; Thoracic Wall* ; Thorax* ; Ultrasonography ; Young Adult

Telogen effluvium is categorized in nonscarring alopecia, which shows scalp hair thinning and shedding diffusely resulting from inducing factors such as physiological stressful events and several acute or chronic diseases. It usually appears in female patients following parturition, as well as after febrile disease, major surgery, emotional stress, abrupt diet, chronic illness, or the taking of certain medication pills. Two patients who both recalled an operational history of hair transplantation visited our department with their frontal and both temporal hair loss. Physical examination of the both patients showed localized but diffuse hair loss, especially in the frontal and temporal scalp. Histopathological examination of biopsy specimen taken from their temporal scalp revealed normal follicular density and increased numbers of telogen hair follicles without any inflammatory cell infiltration around follicles. These clinical and histopathological findings were consistent with telogen effluvium. Both of them were reassured and placed on close follow-up without any treatment. From these cases, we demonstrate that localized telogen effluvium could be a cause of hair loss after hair transplantation.
Alopecia ; Biopsy ; Chronic Disease ; Diet ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hair Follicle ; Hair* ; Humans ; Parturition ; Physical Examination ; Scalp ; Stress, Physiological ; Stress, Psychological

No abstract available.

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND: Management of atopic dermatitis (AD) involves the regular use of emollients together with topical steroids or calcineurin inhibitors for acute flares. However, the long-term use of oral medications in young children may have certain limitations. Wet wrap dressing (WWD) is an interesting alternative therapy for the short-term control of severe or refractory flares, thus avoiding the use of systemic treatments. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the efficacy between WWD and topical steroid agents and to control and estimate the utility of WWD in pediatric AD. METHODS: A total of 40 patients with mild-to-severe AD (eczema area and severity index of ≥3) aged <13 years were included in this study. Twenty patients were treated with WWD using two layers of cotton bandages or garments (Tubifast™), and the remaining were applied with topical steroid agents without cotton bandages. Improvement in severity of atopic dermatitis was evaluated using the eczema area and severity index (EASI). Improvement in skin barrier dysfunction was evaluated by measuring the transepidermal water loss (TEWL). We compared the two groups after 1 week of treatment using analysis of covariance and t-test. Furthermore, we surveyed the study groups using a questionnaire to estimate the utility of WWD and its adverse effects as well as to evaluate subjective outcomes of WWD. RESULTS: There were significant reductions in the mean EASI (−6.3, 95% confidence interval [CI]: −7.5 to −5.1, p=0.013) and TEWL (−26.7, 95% CI: −31.2 to −22.3, p=0.002) after 1 week of WWD treatment compared with the mean EASI (−4.0, 95% CI: −5.2 to −2.9) and TEWL (−15.4, 95% CI: −19.8 to −10.9) of the control group. Results of patient self-assessment and scores in the visual analogue scale (VAS) for pruritus were improved in both groups, but the differences were not statistically significant. Usefulness of WWD as an alternative therapy for the conventional therapy was satisfactory. CONCLUSION: This study is meaningful in that it estimates both the subjective and objective efficacy of WWD. In view of these findings, WWD showed superior therapeutic effects than conventional steroid application in the treatment of AD in children, with good compliance of patients and parent-caregivers.
Bandages ; Calcineurin Inhibitors ; Child ; Clothing ; Compliance ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Eczema ; Emollients ; Humans ; Pruritus ; Self-Assessment ; Skin ; Steroids ; Therapeutic Uses ; Water

The mu opioid receptor (MOR) has been regarded as the main site of interaction with analgesics in major clinical use, particularly morphine. The repressor element-1 silencing transcription factor (REST) functions as a transcriptional repressor of neuronal genes in non-neuronal cells. However, it is expressed in certain mature neurons, suggesting that it may have complex and novel roles. In addition, the interactions between MOR and REST and their functions remain unclear. In this study, we examined the effects of morphine on the expression of REST mRNA and protein in human neuroblastoma NMB cells to investigate the roles of REST induced by MOR activation in neuronal cells. To determine the effects of morphine on REST expression, we performed RT-PCR, real-time quantitative RT-PCR, western blot analysis and radioligand binding assays in NMB cells. By RT-PCR and real-time quantitative RT-PCR, the expression of REST was found to be unchanged by either the MOR agonist morphine or the MOR specific antagonist CTOP. By western blot, morphine was shown to significantly inhibit the expression of REST, but this suppression was completely blocked by treatment with CTOP. In the radioligand binding assay, the overexpression of REST led to an increased opioid ligand binding activity of endogenous MOR in the NMB cells. These results together suggest that morphine inhibits the expression of REST in human neuroblastoma cells through a post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism mediated through MOR.
Analgesics ; Blotting, Western ; Humans ; Morphine ; Neuroblastoma ; Neurons ; Receptors, Opioid, mu ; RNA, Messenger ; Somatostatin ; Transcription Factors

PURPOSE: In order to improve the proper use of radiotherapy and breast-conserving treatment (BCT) in the management of breast cancer, current status of breast cancer treatment in Korea was surveyed nationwide and the use of BCT were evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients characteristics and treatment pattern of 1048 breast cancer patients from 27 institutions diagnosed between January, 1998 and June, 1998 were analyzed. The incidence of receiving BCT was analyzed according to the stage, age, geography, type of hospital, and the availability of radiotherapy facility. RESULTS: Radical mastectomy was performed in 64.8% of total patients and 26% of patients received breast- conserving surgery (BCS). The proportions of patients receiving BCT were 47.5% in stage 0, 54.4% in stage I, and 20.3% in stage II. Some of the patients (6.6% of stage I, 10.1% of stage II and 66.7% of stage III) not received radiotherapy after BCS. Only 45% of stage III patients received post-operative radiotherapy after radical mastectomy. The proportion of patients receiving BCT was different according to the geography and availability of radiotherapy facilities. CONCLUSION: Radiotherapy was not fully used in the management of breast cancer, even in the patients received breast-conserving surgery. The proportion of the patients who received BCT was lower than the report of western countries. To improve the application of proper management of breast cancer, every efforts such as a training of physicians, public education, and improving accessibility of radiotherapy facilities should be done. The factors predicting receipt of BCT were accessibility of radiotherapy facility and geography. Also, periodic survey like current research is warranted.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Education ; Geography ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea* ; Mastectomy, Radical ; Mastectomy, Segmental ; Radiotherapy