BACKGROUND: The proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA), one of the markers for proliferating cells, has been detected in solid human neoplasms. Psoriasis is a benign hyperproliferative disorder of the skin. OBJECTIVE: This study has been made to investigate if PCNA can be detected in the psoriatic epidermis. METHODS: Specimens from 10 patients with psoriasis were stained for PCNA using the one hour immunoalkaline phosphatase technique. RESULTS: The psoriatic epidermis showed positive nuclear staining in 20%-61% (mean, 45.7%) of keratinocytes. CONCLUSION: PCNA seems to be involved in the mechanism of increased epidermal cell proliferation in psoriatic lesions.
Cell Proliferation ; Epidermis* ; Humans ; Keratinocytes ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen* ; Psoriasis ; Skin

A 25 year old woman who presented a severely pruritic eruption of 1 month's duration on the lateral surface of her left shin is described. The histopathologic examination revealed dense cellularity consisting of hemosiderin laden macrophages and multinucleated giant cells of both the Touton type-like and the foreign body type, associated with many blood vessels, suggesting hemosiderotic histiocytoma. Given the additional finding of foamy cytoplasm, this case could be called xanthomatized hemosiderotic histiocytoma
Blood Vessels ; Cytoplasm ; Female ; Foreign Bodies ; Giant Cells ; Hemosiderin ; Histiocytoma* ; Histiocytoma, Benign Fibrous ; Humans ; Macrophages

We herein described a female newborn baby who, on the day of birth, exhibited widespread discrete reddish purple colored, round and slightly hyperkeratotic papules measuring about 4 mm in size, the biopsy specimen of which showed the histologic findings of histiocytosis X. The skin lesions resolved spontaneously within a week. The following diseases were discussed as possible diagnoses; histiocytosis X, generalized eruptive histiocytoma, juvenile xanthogranuloma, congenital self-healing reticulohistiocytosis and xanthoma disseminaturn. Since the current case didn't fit well any of them, we proposed a new descriptive term for this : Histiocytoma Papulosa Benigna Congenita.
Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Histiocytoma* ; Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Parturition ; Skin ; Xanthogranuloma, Juvenile ; Xanthomatosis

BACKGROUND: There have been many articles about the chemical peeling of Caucasian skin, but there have been few reports about postpeel results among Oriental people. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this report is to evaluate the effects of chemical skin peeling on the facial skin of Korean individuals over a two year period and compare these results with those relating to Caucasian skin. METHOD: Using 15 to 50 per cent trichloroacetic acid (TCA), we have peeled 121 pationts with fine wrinking, irregular pigmentary deposits, superficial acne scars, and melasma, and observed them for 2 years. RESULTS: In contrast to melasma, fine wrinkling and irregular pigmentary deposits responded efficiently to TCA peeling. About 70 per cent of the patients showed satisfactory clinical results one year after treatment while 50 per cent of them did so two years after treatment. Postpeel hyperpigmentation and erythema lasted for 3.15 months and 6 weeks, respectively, on average. CONCLUSION: If we select a fair-skinned woman in her fifties, even though she is an Oriental. TCA peeling can treat the fine wrinkling or irregular pigmentary deposits to a satisfactory degree.
Acne Vulgaris ; Cicatrix ; Erythema ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Melanosis ; Methods ; Skin ; Trichloroacetic Acid*

A genetic and clinical study was done on 20 index cases and their families who had lived in Chonnam province, visited Chonnam University Hospital from 1968 through 1983, and were diagnosed as peudoxanthoma elasticum based on clinical and histopathological findings. In Chonnam province, pseudoxanthoma elsticum occurred in a incidence of more thar, one per 125,000. The male to female ratio was 1: 1.25 (8: 10) with only the cases of familial occurrence although the sex ratio was 1: l. 85 (7: 13) among 20 index cases. Among 8 index cases showing familial occurrence, 6 showed autosomal recessive inheritance with 5 Type 1 and 1 Type 2 whereas 2 showed the autosomal dominant inheritance with both of thern Type 2 (Pope), pointing out the genetic heterogeneity in pseudoxanthorna elsticum. The age of patients ranged from 12 to 42 years old at the time of their first visit to our hospital, but the age that the patients first recognized the disease onset ranged from 9 to 22 years old. The duration of t he disease was also variable ranging from 11/2 to 30 years. The angioid streaks were observed in 38g of the cases whose disease duration ranged from 11/2 to 20 years. The sites of skin lesions were the neck, axillae and groin in the order of frequency.
Adult ; Angioid Streaks ; Axilla ; Classification ; Female ; Genetic Heterogeneity ; Groin ; Humans ; Incidence ; Jeollanam-do ; Male ; Neck ; Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum* ; Sex Ratio ; Skin ; Wills ; Young Adult

It is well known that leprosy bacilli have a special affinity for peripheral nerves, especially Schwann cells but also including perineurial cells and endothelial cells of endoneurial blood vessels. The Schwann cells, after invasion by and saturation with multiplied M. leprae, are destroyed and segmental demyelination and Wallerian degeneration follow. This condition, then is known to be the main neural pathogenosis in early leprosy. It is rarely observed that the progressive paralysis occurs in arrested leprosy patients under adequate treatment. Therefore, the authors performed a histopathologic study of 80 peripheral nerves obtained from the autopsies of 10 old lepromatous leprosy patients including two active cases whose disease durations ranged from 6 to 49 years. The authors arbitrarily divided all the histopathologic findings into 5 grades on the basis of 1) difference in pathological findings in relation to disease duration and bacterial index, and 2) the coexistence of various lesions within the same nerve trunk. As the disease progresses the destroyed nerve fibers are replaced by fibrous and granulation tissue while the perineurial reaction increases. The cellular reaction is minimal in the low grades. There is a slightly early increased vasculature probably due to M. leprae and later a more pronounced increase with large vessels indicating the presence of the granulation process. There is minimum to moderate interfascicular reaction throughout every grade, ie. increased cellularity, vessel wall thickening and increased numbers of vessels with fibrosis. Acid-fast bacilli were demonstrated only in the active cases. The coexistence of different fascicular lesions within the same nerve trunk of peripheral nerve and of femoral nerves mear the spinal cord indicates the presence of some perineurial inhibitory effect which, while promoting the centripetal spread of, prevents the transfascicular spread of M. leprae for some time.
Autopsy ; Blood Vessels ; Demyelinating Diseases ; Endothelial Cells ; Femoral Nerve ; Fibrosis ; Granulation Tissue ; Humans ; Leprosy* ; Leprosy, Lepromatous ; Nerve Fibers ; Paralysis ; Peripheral Nerves* ; Schwann Cells ; Spinal Cord ; Wallerian Degeneration

BACKGROUND: The wall of ovarian dermoid cysts shows various kinds of morphologic patterns. Some of them resemble the features of epidermal and epidermal appendageal tumors. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to classify the morphologic features of the wall of ovarian dermoid cyst from the dermatohistopathologic viewpoint. METHODS: H&E stained slides of 203 ovarian dermoid cysts were reviewed RESULTS: Thirteen different patterns of morphologic features were found. They included features of organoid nevus, sebaceous hyperplasia, steatocystoma multiplex, epidermoid cyst, nevus comedonicus, epidermal nevus, apocrine hidrocystoma, syringoma and trichilemmal cyst. CONCLUSION: Various epidermal and epidermal appendageal tumors may be associated with ovarian dermoid cyst.
Dermoid Cyst* ; Epidermal Cyst ; Female ; Hidrocystoma ; Hyperplasia ; Nevus ; Organoids ; Ovary ; Skin* ; Steatocystoma Multiplex ; Syringoma

Zoophiilc dermatophytes are basically animal pathogens, but all can cause dermatophytoses in man. Accordingly animals with dermatophytes are an important source of human dermatophytoses, since zoophilic dermatophytes are frequently transmitted directly or indirectly from domestic or wild animals to man through the use of the se animal as pets, or through contact in rural araes. With the recent increased incidence of zoophilic dermatophytoses worldwide,it is consided to be an important public health problem in view of its epidemiologie aspect i.e. its simultaneous occurence in families or groups. To this time, Microsporum canis in cats has only been sporadically reported throughout the country in the late 1970s and very little is additionally known of the zoopbilic species in animal populations and reservoir or host animals in Korea. Therefore, the authors performed a mycological study by culturing hair and skin lesions of 100 dornestic and 64 zoo animals fortnightly for the purgose of isolating zoophilic derrnatophytes and thereby recognizing the reservoir animals. We also performed an experimental derrnatophyte inoculation in human, mice and rabbits by using Microsporum canis, Trichopyton mentagrophyte vagranulare and Microsporum gypseum isolated from animals and patients lesions from Jan. l980 through Jun. 1981, for the comparison of pathogenicity of these dermatophytes species on human and animals and also for the comparison of pathogenicity of strains isolated from patients lesions and animals and thereby considered different from each other. Microsporum canis was isolated from 11 cats. Trichophyton mentagrophyte var granulare from 3 cats, and Microsporum gypseum from 2 Korean racoon dogs.
Animals ; Animals, Wild ; Animals, Zoo ; Arthrodermataceae* ; Cats ; Dogs ; Hair ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Mice ; Microsporum ; Public Health ; Rabbits ; Skin ; Tinea ; Trichophyton ; Virulence*

In a large proportion of patients with chronic urticaria, at present, the definite tiology can't be found. There have been occasional attempts to identify the aIIergic causes uaing allergic skin tests, only ta suggest the Candicla albicans and. some food yeasts ae probabIe causes. Thia atady was designed to investgate how often patients with chronic urticaria from Chonnam Province react positively to skin tests with extracts of 42 common. allergene in the standard group Al-13 produced by Bencard Ltd. in England. The authora alao surveyed the clinical characteristics of 63 patients with chronic urtimria of more than 3 months duration, who bad visited the skin clinic of Chosun Univeresity HcepitaI from May. 1977 throug 3. Apr. 1979. The results were summarized as follows; 1. Among 63 patients, the maIe to female ratio was 1: l.2, and the peak incidence was in the 20s and 30s. 2, In regard to the duration of chroic urticaria, the highst frequency waa below one year duration. 3. Among 60s of the pa,tients who experienced seasonal changes, 32.4% had suffered aggravation during the winter. 4. The most common diseases combined with chronic urticaria were allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis, occuring in 9.5% of all subjects. 5. Of thase examined, 69.8% showed positive reactions to the prick test with the peak incidence in the 20s and 30s. 6. Among 42 allergens used far the prick test, 28 allergens turned out to be possibly casal agents, the rnost frequent group of allergens involved were grain du sts (27.1%), animal hairs(21.8%) and moulds(16.5%) in that order of frequency and occupying over 65% of the total positive reactions. And the most frequently involved specific allergens were hay dust, mixed grain dust straw dust and tree in that order of frequency. Moreover, 90 of the involved allergens were inhalants. 7. In teen-agers, the reactions to grain dusts, animal ha.irs, rnoulds and pollens were the rnost frequent while reactions to food allergens were most frequent in the 20s, and cotton and house dust are most frequently involved in tbe 40s. 8. Multiple sensitivity was not:d in a majority of cases and the most frequent combination was 2 to 5 allergens. 9. The rnost common abnormal hematologic finding in chronic urticaria was eosinophilia.
Allergens ; Animals ; Edible Grain ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Dust ; England ; Eosinophilia ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Jeollanam-do ; Pollen ; Rhinitis ; Seasons ; Skin ; Skin Tests ; Urticaria* ; Yeasts

Papulonecrotic tuberculid (PNT) and Pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta (PLEVA) have been in controversy in their pathogeneses and entity itselves. Authors reviewed litera,tures of the two dermatoses with observation of nine casea of PNT from 1979 to 1981 and evaluated whether PNT could be also classified as PLEVA. The results were a,s follows: 1. By the review of literatures PNT and PLEVA showed great similarities in their clinical aspects including shape of cutaneous lesions, course, favorite age and subjecive symptoms. Histopathological overlappings were also found. 2. Of the nine cases of PNT authors observed, seven cases were histopathologically PLEVA and four cases could be thought PLEVA also clinically. But way six cases were treated by anti-tuberculous drugs. 3. The incidence of other tuberculous signs and results of tuberculin skin tests were all significant in the nine cases above. With the above observations it seems that PNT is one of the causes of PLEVA and thus could be a kind of PLEVA.
Child* ; Dermatitis* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Pityriasis Lichenoides ; Skin Diseases ; Skin Tests ; Tuberculin ; Tuberculosis, Cutaneous