A 2-month-old female infant presented with a bluish-black, flat, hairy patch, 1.2cm in diameter, on the posterior aspect of her neck since birth. Histologic sections from the lesion showed numerous diffusely scattered dermal melanocytes throughout the dermis. The histopathologic and clinical findings were not fully oonsistent with any other known dermal melanocytosis. The diagnosis of “hairy blue nevus” was proposed for this unique lesion.
Dermis ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Melanocytes ; Neck ; Nevus, Blue* ; Parturition

Giardiasis is one of the most common causes of infectious diarrhea and it has a worldwide distribution. Although it is a relatively common disorder, histologically confirmed Giardiasis is a rare occurrence and there have been no previous reports in Korea. A 34-year-old man presented with a 2-year history of epigastric discomfort and left flank pain. On stool examination, many cystic forms of Giardia lamblia were noted. In biopsy specimens of the small intestine, there was moderate chronic inflammatory cell infiltration and several trophozoites of Giardia were observed in the intervillous space and luminal surface. The trophozoites were pear shaped symmetrical organisms with two nuclei, and measured 9~10 micrometer in length.
Male ; Humans ; Biopsy

No abstract available.
DNA* ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium*

No abstract available.
DNA* ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium*

BACKGROUND: A novel technique for the repair of tears of the upper subscapularis tendon—intraarticular knotless fixation—has been introduced recently. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and structural outcomes of arthroscopic intraarticular knotless fixation for the treatment of upper subscapularis tendon tears. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical and radiological outcomes of 27 patients who underwent arthroscopic intraarticular knotless fixation for upper subscapularis tendon tears. Finally, a total of 10 patients who could participate in at least a 6 month follow-up of magnetic resonance imaging evaluation and in a least 1-year follow-up on an outpatient basis were enrolled in our study. The mean age at the time of operation was 60.7 years, and the mean duration of follow-up was 14.7 months. Two patients had concomitant tears of the supraspinatus tendon and 8 patients had concomitant tears of the supraspinatus and the infraspinatus tendons. RESULTS: The clinical and radiological outcomes improved after the patients had undertaken arthroscopic intraarticular knotless fixation. The mean visual analogue scale score for pain during motion improved from 6.7 preoperatively to 1.4 at the final follow-up (p<0.001). The mean Constant score improved from 59.3 preoperatively to 79.6 at the final follow-up, and the mean the University of California at Los Angeles score, from 21.7 to 30.2, respectively (p<0.001 and p<0.001). The upper subscapularis tendon tear was healed in every patient except one (90%), for the patient had suffered from a postoperative trauma that resulted in a retear. CONCLUSIONS: We found that arthroscopic intraarticular knotless fixation gives good clinical and structural outcomes for the repair of upper subscapularis tendon tears. Arthroscopic intraarticular knotless fixation provided such a reliable and efficient restoration of the subscapularis tendon footprint that we anticipate it will become a widely-used procedure for upper subscapularis tendon tears.
Arthroscopy ; California ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Outpatients ; Retrospective Studies ; Shoulder ; Tears* ; Tendons* ; Treatment Outcome

No abstract available.
Bone Marrow* ; Microwaves* ; Plastics*

No abstract available.
Amniotic Fluid* ; Female

BACKGROUND: Cases of patients presenting side effects after illegal therapeutic attempts by non-medical personnel have been increasing and the patterns of attempts and related side effects become complicated. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the causes and characteristics of illegal therapeutic attempts and its' side effects performed by non-medical personnel. METHODS: Between April 1, 2008 and April 30, 2008, a total of 120 case reports of patients who developed side effects after illegal therapeutic attempts by non-medical personnel were collected from the members of the Korean dermatological association and analyzed. RESULTS: Clinical diagnoses, suggested to have before receiving illegal therapeutic attempts, revealed that 44 (36.6%) patients presented various pigmentary disorders, such as acquired melanocytic nevi and melasma, 22 (18.3%) wanted to have tattooing for permanent make up, skin aging in 16 (13.3%) cases, and acne in 10 (8.3%). Illegal therapeutic attempts performed included tattooing for permanent make up in 22 (18.3%) cases, peelings 19 (15.8%), laser therapies 18 (15.0%), and filler injection 12 (10.0%). The various clinical diagnoses of the patients with side effects were suggested, such as contact dermatitis in 34 (25.6%) cases, scarring in 33 (24.8%), post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation 20 (15.0%), secondary infection 19 (14.3%), and acne or acneiform eruption 9 (6.8%). CONCLUSION: In this report, we demonstrated patterns of illegal therapeutic attempts by non-medical personnel and its' side effects. We suggest that more effort should be followed by dermatologists to inform patients the risks of the illegal therapeutic attempts by non-medical personnel and to increase public health awareness.
Acne Vulgaris ; Acneiform Eruptions ; Cicatrix ; Coinfection ; Cosmetics ; Dermatitis, Contact ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Laser Therapy ; Melanosis ; Nevus, Pigmented ; Public Health ; Skin Aging ; Tattooing

11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 (11β-HSD1) catalyzes the conversion of inactive cortisone into active cortisol, which has pleiotropic roles in various biological conditions, such as immunological and metabolic homeostasis. Cortisol is mainly produced in the adrenal gland, but can be locally regenerated in the liver, fat, and muscle. Its diverse actions are primarily mediated by binding to the glucocorticoid receptor. SW982, a human synovial cell line, expresses 11β-HSD type 1, but not type 2, that catalyzes the conversion of cortisone to cortisol. In this study, therefore, we investigated the control of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory responses by prereceptor regulation-mediated maintenance of cortisol levels. Preliminarily, cell seeding density and incubation period were optimized for analyzing the catalytic activity of SW982. Additionally, cellular 11β-HSD1 still remained active irrespective of monolayer or spheroid culture conditions. Inflammatory stimulants, such as interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α, and LPS, did not affect the catalytic activity of 11β-HSD1, although a high dose of LPS significantly decreased its activity. Additionally, autocrine effects of cortisol on inflammatory responses were investigated in LPS-stimulated SW982 cells. LPS upregulated pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-6 and IL-1β, in SW982 cells, while cortisol production, catalyzed by cellular 11β-HSD1, downregulated LPS-stimulated cytokines. Furthermore, suppression of NFκB activation-mediated pro-inflammatory responses by cortisol was revealed. In conclusion, the activity of cellular 11β-HSD1 was closely correlated with suppression of LPS-induced inflammation. Therefore, these results partly support the notion that prereceptor regulation of locally regenerated cortisol could be taken into consideration for treatment of inflammation-associated diseases, including arthritis.
Adrenal Glands ; Arthritis ; Cell Line* ; Cortisone ; Cytokines ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-6 ; Interleukins ; Liver ; Oxidoreductases* ; Receptors, Glucocorticoid ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

No abstract available.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium*