Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disease of unknown etiology. A range of factors including tuberculous infection, beryllium exposure, and cold climate have been implicated in the pathogenesis of the condition. A 45-year-old woman presented with a 4-month history of an asymptomatic eyelid swelling and multiple erythematous papules on the neck. Histological examination of the neck, orbital soft tissue, and lacrimal gland was consistent with sarcoidosis. Ziehl−Neelsen stains and polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) for tuberculosis on the skin biopsy specimens were negative. However, the orbital soft tissue specimen was positive for non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) PCR. The patient was finally diagnosed with sarcoidosis associated with NTM. Treatment with systemic steroid and hydroxychloroquine was started, resulting in an improvement of skin lesions. We herein report a case of sarcoidosis associated with NTM infection with review of the literature, as only little is known regarding the role of mycobacteria in sarcoidosis.

Background: Vulvar pruritus is a common complaint among women presenting to dermatologists. However, few studies have analyzed the dermatologic conditions that cause it. Objective: This retrospective study aims to evaluate the clinical features and causes of pruritic skin lesions of the female external genitalia. Methods: This study included 161 female patients with vulvar pruritus between 2008 and 2018 at CHA Bundang Medical Center. Data were collected by reviewing the electronic medical records retrospectively. The age, diagnosis, and histopathologic findings of the patients were reviewed. Results: The patients’ mean age was 49 years. On physical examination, 71.4% of patients (n=115) had definite skin lesions, and 28.6% (n=46) had ‘vulvar pruritus without skin rash’. The most common diagnostic category, confirmed by skin biopsy, was inflammatory dermatoses (53.4%, n=86), including lichen sclerosus et atrophicus, lichen simplex chronicus, nonatopic eczema, atopic eczema, and psoriasis. Moreover, 7.5% of patients (n=12) were diagnosed with infectious diseases, including candidiasis, herpes simplex virus, syphilis, and scabies; 5.6% (n=9) were diagnosed with neoplastic diseases, including vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia, squamous cell carcinoma, extramammary Paget’s disease, and Bowen’s disease. Conclusion The causes of vulvar itch are vast, and often, multiple causes coexist simultaneously. Therefore, it requires a systemic approach to establish the correct diagnosis. Dermatologists should actively participate in the diagnosis and treatment.

Background: Vulvar pruritus is a common complaint among women presenting to dermatologists. However, few studies have analyzed the dermatologic conditions that cause it. Objective: This retrospective study aims to evaluate the clinical features and causes of pruritic skin lesions of the female external genitalia. Methods: This study included 161 female patients with vulvar pruritus between 2008 and 2018 at CHA Bundang Medical Center. Data were collected by reviewing the electronic medical records retrospectively. The age, diagnosis, and histopathologic findings of the patients were reviewed. Results: The patients’ mean age was 49 years. On physical examination, 71.4% of patients (n=115) had definite skin lesions, and 28.6% (n=46) had ‘vulvar pruritus without skin rash’. The most common diagnostic category, confirmed by skin biopsy, was inflammatory dermatoses (53.4%, n=86), including lichen sclerosus et atrophicus, lichen simplex chronicus, nonatopic eczema, atopic eczema, and psoriasis. Moreover, 7.5% of patients (n=12) were diagnosed with infectious diseases, including candidiasis, herpes simplex virus, syphilis, and scabies; 5.6% (n=9) were diagnosed with neoplastic diseases, including vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia, squamous cell carcinoma, extramammary Paget’s disease, and Bowen’s disease. Conclusion The causes of vulvar itch are vast, and often, multiple causes coexist simultaneously. Therefore, it requires a systemic approach to establish the correct diagnosis. Dermatologists should actively participate in the diagnosis and treatment.

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic T17 cell-driven immune-mediated inflammatory disease. However, patients with psoriasis may have elevated total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels, which is a hallmark of Th2 inflammation.In previous case reports, psoriasis patients with elevated total serum IgE levels did not respond well to treatment or had exacerbated eczema lesions. Objective: We sought to investigate the clinical characteristics of psoriasis patients with elevated total serum IgE levels. Methods: This is a retrospective chart review of 130 patients with psoriasis who were tested for total serum IgE levels from November 1, 2009, to October 31, 2019. We compared the demographics, clinical characteristics, disease severity, and treatment regimen for each elevated IgE group (＞214 U/mL) and normal IgE group (≤214 U/mL). Results: Among 130 patients with psoriasis, 41 (31.5%) had elevated total serum IgE levels. Elevated total serum IgE levels were positively associated with the severity of disease; psoriasis lesions including those on the scalp, hands, feet, and flexures, which are difficult to treat, were observed to be significantly higher in patients with elevated total serum IgE levels. There was no correlation between age, sex, disease duration, or presence of pruritus and total serum IgE levels. Conclusion This study identified the clinical characteristics of psoriasis patients with elevated total serum IgE levels in Korea.

This study aimed to assess the effects of different dialysate bicarbonate concentrations in correcting acid-base imbalance in 53 stable hemodialysis patients in a university-hemodialysis unit. Three different bicarbonate concentrations were assigned, i.e. 25 mEq/L in 10, 30 mEq/L in 30, and 35 mEq/L in 13 patients. Blood gas analyses from arterial line blood samples before and after dialysis in the mid-week were performed for the determination of pH and serum bicarbonate concentration ([HCO3-]). The mean values of predialysis arterial [HCO3-] were mildly acidotic in all 3 groups, but not significantly different among them, whereas those of post-dialysis arterial [HCO3-] were alkalotic, especially in the group of 35 mEq/L as compared with the other two groups. The mean blood pH was not significantly different among the 3 groups. As expected, there was a positive correlation between pre-dialysis pH and post-dialysis pH (r=0.45, p=0.001), and pre-dialysis [HCO3-] and post-dialysis [HCO3-] (r=0.58, p=0.000), but with a negative correlation between pre-dialysis [HCO3-] and the increment of intradialytic [HCO3-] following hemodialysis (r=-0.46, p=0.001). In conclusion, this study shows that the impact of conventional dialysate bicarbonate concentrations ranging from 25 to 35 mEq/L is not quite different on the mild degree of predialysis acidemia, but the degree of postdialysis alkalemia is more prominent in higher bicarbonate concentrations. Base supply by hemodialysis alone does not seem to be the main factor to determine the predialysis acidosis in end-stage renal disease patients on chronic maintenance hemodialysis.
Acid-Base Imbalance ; Acidosis* ; Alkalosis* ; Blood Gas Analysis ; Dialysis ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Renal Dialysis* ; Vascular Access Devices

No abstract available.
Pyoderma Gangrenosum* ; Pyoderma* ; Ulcer*

Sarcoidosis is a chronic multi-organ disorder of unknown etiology, characterized by the development of non-caseating granulomas. Scar sarcoidosis is a cutaneous manifestation of sarcoidosis that originates in old cutaneous scars. Sarcoidosis may develop in scars that occur after surgery, vaccination, cosmetic tattoos, and herpes zoster infection. Upper eyelid blepharoplasty is the most popular aesthetic facial surgery performed in the Asian population. Despite the large number of blepharoplasty procedures performed over the last century, relatively few reports have described scar sarcoidosis involving a blepharoplasty scar. We report a rare case of sarcoidosis that originated in a post-blepharoplasty scar, together with a literature review. Scar sarcoidosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis in patients who present with post-blepharoplasty changes in an old scar.

PURPOSE: With growing interest in early imaging, the aim of our study was to define the most practical modality for routine clinical use for the diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis (APN). We compared the sensitivity of enhanced computerized tomography (CT), dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scintigraphy, and Doppler ultrasonography (DUS) by using clinical findings as the standard of reference. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 207 APN patients (191 women, 16 men; mean age, 49.4 years; range, 17-88 years) were enrolled in this study. All the patients underwent imaging modalities during hospitalization. SPECT images were obtained 4 hours after injection of (99m)Tc-DMSA. Transverse and coronary CT images were obtained before and after injection of the contrast agent. DUS was performed in the longitudinal, transverse, and coronal planes. All the images were read independently by a single radiologist and a nuclear medicine specialist. The sensitivity of each modality for detecting APN was compared. RESULTS: CT showed significantly superior sensitivity compared with that of DUS (81.0% vs. 33.3%, respectively, n=147). DMSA scintigraphy also showed significantly superior sensitivity compared with that of DUS (74.7% vs. 33.3%, respectively, n=150). Compared with DMSA scintigraphy, CT showed superior sensitivity, but the difference was not statistically significant (81.0% vs. 74.8%, respectively, n=147, p=0.163). CONCLUSIONS: For cases of clinically suspected APN, CT and DMSA scintigraphy appear to be equally sensitive and reliable for detecting APN, although CT is more practical in various fields. DUS was significantly less sensitive.
Diagnostic Imaging ; Female ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Nuclear Medicine ; Pyelonephritis ; Specialization ; Succimer ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon ; Ultrasonography, Doppler

In hyponatremic patients, the assessment of extracellular fluid volume plays an essential step in diagnosing the etiology of hyponatremia and deciding how to manage it. Although various laboratory tests and diagnostic procedures have been developed for differential diagnosis of hyponatremia, there still are limits to the evaluation of the status of extracellular fluid volume due to the data that overlaps each other, leading to the difficulty in diagnosing between euvolemia and hypovolemia. Also, there is no consensus about how to guide the type and amount of fluid therapy despite many formulas including Adrogue-Madias and Barsoum-Levine formulas have been suggested. Hereby, we are reporting two hyponatremic patients (102 and 105 mEq/L) admitted simultaneously with indistinct volume status on initial clinical and laboratory examinations, but were clarified as euvolemic hyponatremia (syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion) in one and hypovolemic hyponatremia in the other case after sequential intravenous saline (2 L over 24 hrs) and oral water (20 mL/kg) loading tests. When serum sodium values calculated by the above-mentioned two formulas were compared with actually measured ones during saline loading test in these cases, the Barsoum-Levine formula revealed almost no discrepancy between both the values while the Adrogue-Madias formula underestimated the measured value.
Consensus ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Extracellular Fluid ; Fluid Therapy ; Humans ; Hyponatremia ; Hypovolemia ; Inappropriate ADH Syndrome ; Sodium ; Water