A few cases of a dermatosis characterized by "music box spine" keratotic papules limited to the palms and soles have been reported. There have been several names for this dermatosis The Most commonly incorporated term is porokeratosis, but Osman et at suggested the name "spiny keratoderma of palms and soles" because the clinical, histologic and electron microscopic features of this lesion are distinct from porokeratosis. We report a case of spiny keratoderma on the digit showing a single lesion, as a variant of the classic spiny keratoderma of palms and soles.
Porokeratosis ; Skin Diseases

No abstract available.
Bone Diseases* ; Diagnosis, Differential* ; Humans ; Low Back Pain* ; Spine* ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

No abstract available.
Dermatitis, Seborrheic* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Nose* ; Stents*

We report a case of herpes zoster with generalized varicelliform eruption. A 56-year-old male presented with rice-sized erythematous grouped ruptured or crusted vesicles with a band-like distribution on the left chest and back and generalized rice-to-pea-sized erythematous vesicles on his whole body. Histologic examination revealed ballooning degeneration and multi-nucleated giant cells in the epidermis and leukocytoclastic vasculitis in the dermis.
Dermis ; Epidermis ; Giant Cells ; Herpes Zoster* ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Thorax ; Vasculitis

BACKGROUND: Bentonite clay, which is a major component of mud pack, has been used for various purposes in cosmetics. Glycolic acid is known to be effective in the treatment of acne. Al-though those products are used widely, information on the mode of action and effects on the skin are little and controversial till now. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether bentonite alone, or bentonite with glycolic acid in mixed formulation affect the stratum corneum leading to alteration on cutaneous barrier function and whether those products alter the lipid lamellae and desmosomes of corneocytes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mud pack-type ointment of bentonite, bentonite and 5% glycolic acid formulation, bentonite and 10% glycolic acid formulation were applied on the volar fore-arm of the five healthy men and flank skin of five 6-8 week old hairless mice. Transepidermal water loss and capacitance were measured. Electron microscopic examination after ruthenium tetroxide postfixation was performed on the flank skin of the mice. RESULTS: Transepidermal water loss(TEWL) increased immediately and normalized 4 to 6 hours later after removal of vapor permeable membrane in both mouse and human. Capacitance did not show any evidence of change in the water content of the stratum corneum. Electron microscopic examination revealed that lipid lamellae and desmosome of corneocytes were not de-graded, but lamellar body secretion and partially electron-lucent material was-increased in 10% glycolic acid and bentonite mixture-treated area. CONCLUSION: Barrier function of stratum corneum is not disturbed by bentonite and glycolic acid formulations at the concentration used. Barrier structures are not disrupted, but lamellar body secretion and partially electron-lucent material was increased by bentonite and glycolic acid formulations at higher concentration.
Acne Vulgaris ; Animals ; Bentonite* ; Desmosomes ; Humans ; Male ; Membranes ; Mice ; Mice, Hairless ; Mud Therapy ; Ruthenium ; Skin ; Water

No abstract available.
Diagnosis* ; Pyloric Stenosis, Hypertrophic*

BACKGROUND: In our previous report, we observed the increaseed epidermal glucose concentrations and decreased hexokinase actiuities of diabetic patients which were ciimpared to those of normal individuals. And we considered that, there were some derrangement of lipid metabolism and glycolysis of diabetic epidermis. OBJECTIVES: This study wns planed to prove the above possible changes of lipid metabolism and glycolysis of diabetic epidermis. METHODS: The epidermal enzymatic activties of glucose-6-phophate dehydrogenase(G6PDH), phosphofructokinase(PFK), 1-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase(GOPDH) and b-hydroxybutyryl CoA dehydrogenase(HBDH) were assayed in the skin samples obtained friom diabetic patients and normal individuals by the fluorometric: method. RESULTS: Teh epidermal PFK activities of diabetic patients were decreased(3.49+1.35(mmole/hr/kg dry weight)) compared to that of normal individuals(5.00+0.56(mmcle/hr/kg dry weight))(p<0.05). The epidermal HBDH activities of diabetic patients were decreised(0.28+0.10(mole/hr/kg dry weight)) compared to that of normal individuals(0.49+0.20(mole/hr/kg dry weight)(p<0.01). The mean epidermal G6PDH activity of diabetic patients was decreasec. compased to that of normal individuals, but there was no statisical significance. The mean epidermal 3OPDH activittes of diabetic patients and normal individual; showed no significant difference. CONCLUSION: We consider that the decreased epidermal HBDH actiities of diabetic patients can decrease keton body formatiori, and the abnormal glycolysis can exist in the diabetic epidermis because the decreased enzymatic activities of diabetic epidermal PFK may decrease the velocity of glycolysis.
Diabetes Mellitus ; Epidermis ; Glucose ; Glycolysis ; Hexokinase ; Humans ; Lipid Metabolism ; Skin

Primary Cutaneous Neuroendocrine Carcinoma(CNEC : or Merkel Cell Tumor) usually occurs as a solitary tumor in middle aged to elderly individuals. This tumor may occur on any layer of the skin but the most frequent location is in the dermis. Electron microscopic studies reveal that the tumor cell contains round, dense core granules similar to epidermal Merkel cell and other cells of the neural crest derived APUD system. We describe the clinical, histological, electron microscopic, immunohistochemical observation of a case of primary CNEC in a 66-year-old female and discuss the theories regarding the histogenesis of this unusual tumor.
Aged ; Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine* ; Dermis ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Neural Crest ; Skin

A 55-year-old Korean female patient who presented with longitudinal black pigmentation affecting the right thumbnail is described. Direct microscopic examination of nail tissue in 15% potassium hydroxide and cultures on Sabourauds glucose agar revealed Candida species. Cardida species as a cause of longitudinal melanonychia has, to our knowledge, been described only once in the literature. Our case may be the second one.
Agar ; Candida* ; Female ; Glucose ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Pigmentation ; Potassium