BACKGROUND: In tinea pedis, the response of treatment and prognosis are different according to clinical types. Positivity in KOH mount and causative agent in culture are also different. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to evaluate the clinical characteristics and mycologic findings of tinea pedis according to the clinical type. METHODS: A clinical and mycological study was conducted with 97 cases of tinea pedis among out patients examined for 7 months from June 1994 to December 1994 at Yeungnam University Hospital and Catholic Skin Clizic, Taegu, Korea. RESULTS: 1. Age distribution showed patients in their fourth decade to be most common. The ratio of male to female was 1.2: 1. The distribution of patients by clinical type was interdigital type, interdigital combined with hyperkeratotic type, interdigital combined with vesicular type, hyperkeratotic type, and hyperkeratotic combined with vesicular type, in descending order. One to five years was the most comrrion duration of tinea pedis. Duration of tinea pedis was the shortest in the vesicular type, otherwis was longer in hyperkeratotic type. Rate of family history of tinea pedis was 54.6%. The larger the size of family was, the higher the positivity in family history. The rate of coexistent dermatiophytosis with tinea pedis was 39.1%, and tinea unguium was the most common one. 2. The isolated dermatophytis were T. rubrum, 90.7%, T. mentagrophytes, 7.2%, and T. rubrum rnixed with T. mentagrophytes, 2.1%. T. rubrum showed an even distribution in all clinical types of tinea pedis whereas T. mentanophytes was isolated only in the interdigital type, vesicular type, and interdigital combined with vesicular type. T. rubrum mixed with T. mentagrophytes was isolated in the interdigital combine with vesicular type. Distribution of dermatophytes was relatively even arnong the age groups. T. rubrum showed a relatively even distribution in duration of tinea pedis, but T. mentagrophytes was isolated in tinea pedis with shorter duration.
Age Distribution ; Arthrodermataceae ; Daegu ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Onychomycosis ; Outpatients ; Prognosis ; Skin ; Tinea Pedis* ; Tinea*

Angiosarcoma is a rare malignant vascular tumor of endothelial cell origin, Cutaneous angiosarcoma usually occurs on the scalp and face of the elderly and most frequently in the sixth and seventh decade. We presented a case of angicisarcoma in a 70 year old woman. The patient had a well-demarcated, 3 x 3cm sized, dark brownish-colored, ulcerative nodule on the vertex with hemorrhagic bulla on the right. temporal scalp. Histopathologic examination of the nodule showed a well differentiated tumor with irregular anastomosing scular channels lined by atypical endothelial cells in the dermis and subcutaneous fat. Immunohistochenlical study for factorVlll-related antigen was partially positive in tumor channels. She was treated by wide surgical excision but she expired 5 months after discharge from the hospital.
Aged ; Dermis ; Endothelial Cells ; Female ; Hemangiosarcoma* ; Humans ; Scalp ; Subcutaneous Fat ; Ulcer

Lichenoid drug eruption is lichenoid skin eruptions caused by certain drugs and compounds, and can be identical or similiar to lichen planus. A 75-year-old woman who had taken antituberculosis medication(INH, ethambutol, rifampin) for 4 months developed pruritic generalized erythematous papular eruptions on the trunk and extremities, alopecia and nail dystropy. Histopathologic findings were hyperkeratosis, hypergranulosis, hyc rophic degenaration of basal layer, band like lymphohistiocytic infiltration in the upper dermis and perivascular lymphohistiocytic infiltration in the deep dermis. She was treated with systemic corticosteroid, and then skin lesion were slightly improved. After termination of antituberculosis medication, skin lesions were markedly improved with residual hyperpigmentation. Alopecia and nail dystrophy were also improved.
Aged ; Alopecia ; Dermis ; Drug Eruptions* ; Ethambutol ; Extremities ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Lichen Planus ; Skin

PURPOSE: Most of invasive Haemophilus influenzae diseases occur in children under 5 years of age, and are due almost exclusively to type b strain. Although antibodies to several surface antigens of H. influenzae play a role in conferring immunity, antibody to the type b capsular polysaccharide appeared to have the most important protective functions. However, the antibody response to vaccines or natural infections are quite differ according to the ages and ethnic groups. This study was performed to investigate the need of Hib vaccination and its appropriate time in Korean infants. METHODS: Three hundred and forty-five Korean infants and children who were relatively well without history of Hib vaccination or infection were enrolled in the study. All subjects did not receive blood transfusion or blood products and also had no any immunological abnormalities. Anti-PRP IgG was measured in the sera of subjects using ELISA. PRP-albumin was used as a coating antigen. RESULTS: Geometric mean titer (GMT) of anti-PRP IgG in the sera of neonates was 0.594 g/ml and was gradually decreased to 0.186 g/ml and 0.111 g/ml at 2 and 3 months of age, respectively. Ant-PRP IgG was significantly low after 3 months of age, and was gradually increased after 10 months of age. Anti-PRP IgG level p> or = 0.15 g/ml was observed in 70.8% (17/24) in neonatal group, 41.6% (10/24) and 18.7% (3/16) in 2 and 3 months of age. Only 8.7% (10/115) showed anti-Hib IgG levels of p> or = 1.0 g/ml, which has been considered as a level of longterm protection, was observed in 37.5% (9/24) in neonates, 12.5% (3/24) in 2 months of age and less then 10% thereafter. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that congenital passive immunity can be obtained enough in Korean infants and was rapidly decreased during the period of 3 months after birth. Hib vaccination will be recommended at early infancy (2 months of age) to provide appropriate antibodies in Korean children.
Antibodies ; Antibody Formation ; Antigens, Surface ; Blood Transfusion ; Child* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Ethnic Groups ; Haemophilus influenzae ; Haemophilus influenzae type b ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G* ; Infant* ; Infant, Newborn ; Influenza, Human* ; Parturition* ; Vaccination ; Vaccines

Th17 cells promote inflammatory reactions, whereas regulatory T (Treg) cells inhibit them. Thus, the Th17/Treg cell balance is critically important in inflammatory diseases. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this balance are unclear. Here, we demonstrate that casein kinase 2 (CK2) is a critical determinant of the Th17/Treg cell balance. Both the inhibition of CK2 with a specific pharmacological inhibitor, CX-4945, and its small hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated knockdown suppressed Th17 cell differentiation but reciprocally induced Treg cell differentiation in vitro. Moreover, CX-4945 ameliorated the symptoms of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and reduced Th17 cell infiltration into the central nervous system. Mechanistically, CX-4945 inhibited the IL-6/STAT3 and Akt/mTOR signaling pathways. Thus, CK2 has a crucial role in regulating the Th17/Treg balance.
Casein Kinase II* ; Casein Kinases* ; Caseins* ; Central Nervous System ; Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental ; In Vitro Techniques ; RNA, Small Interfering ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory* ; Th17 Cells

Many previous studies have shown reduced glucose uptake in the ischemic brain. In contrast, in a permanent unilateral common carotid artery occlusion (UCCAO) mouse model, our pilot experiments using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) revealed that a subset of mice exhibited conspicuously high uptake of glucose in the ipsilateral hemisphere at 1 week post-occlusion (asymmetric group), whereas other mice showed symmetric uptake in both hemispheres (symmetric group). Thus, we aimed to understand the discrepancy between the two groups. Cerebral blood flow and histological/metabolic changes were analyzed using laser Doppler flowmetry and immunohistochemistry/Western blotting, respectively. Contrary to the increased glucose uptake observed in the ischemic cerebral hemisphere on FDG PET (p<0.001), cerebral blood flow tended to be lower in the asymmetric group than in the symmetric group (right to left ratio [%], 36.4±21.8 vs. 58.0±24.8, p=0.059). Neuronal death was observed only in the ischemic hemisphere of the asymmetric group. In contrast, astrocytes were more activated in the asymmetric group than in the symmetric group (p<0.05). Glucose transporter-1, and monocarboxylate transporter-1 were also upregulated in the asymmetric group, compared with the symmetric group (p<0.05, respectively). These results suggest that the increased FDG uptake was associated with relatively severe ischemia, and glucose transporter-1 upregulation and astrocyte activation. Glucose metabolism may thus be a compensatory mechanism in the moderately severe ischemic brain.