Erythema multiforme is an acute self-limited, usually mild, and often relapsing mucocutaneous syndrome. This disease is usually related to acute infections, most often a recurrent herpes simplex viral infection or other infectious agents such as Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection has been reported to be a cause of bullous erythema multiforme in children and Stevens-Johnson syndrome in young adults. To our knowledge, there has been no report of typical erythema multiforme associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in adults. We report a case of erythema multiforme associated with acute infection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in a 30-year-old woman.
Adult ; Child ; Erythema ; Erythema Multiforme ; Female ; Herpes Simplex ; Humans ; Methylmethacrylates ; Mycoplasma ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma ; Polystyrenes ; Stevens-Johnson Syndrome ; Young Adult

Epidermoid cysts are uncommon intracranial tumors. As one of the extradural types of epidermoid cysts, intradiploic epidermoid cysts are even rarer tumors and occur in any part of the skull. We herein report a rare case of a giant intradiploic epidermoid cyst of the occipital bone. A 57-year-old woman presented with a 1-year history of localized headache in the occipital area. CT and MRI showed an extradural mass measuring 50×70 mm in the occipital bone with bony destruction. The patient underwent surgical resection. The tumor was completely removed with its capsule. There was no extension to the intradural space. The pathological report confirmed that the tumor was an epidermoid cyst. Follow-up MRI 24 months after the operation showed no recurrence. The headache was well controlled without any medications. We report a rare case of intradiploic epidermoid cyst with clinical and radiologic features and surgical treatment. It is important to consider this diagnosis for a patient with persistent regional headache with or without a growing scalp mass.

Epidermoid cysts are uncommon intracranial tumors. As one of the extradural types of epidermoid cysts, intradiploic epidermoid cysts are even rarer tumors and occur in any part of the skull. We herein report a rare case of a giant intradiploic epidermoid cyst of the occipital bone. A 57-year-old woman presented with a 1-year history of localized headache in the occipital area. CT and MRI showed an extradural mass measuring 50×70 mm in the occipital bone with bony destruction. The patient underwent surgical resection. The tumor was completely removed with its capsule. There was no extension to the intradural space. The pathological report confirmed that the tumor was an epidermoid cyst. Follow-up MRI 24 months after the operation showed no recurrence. The headache was well controlled without any medications. We report a rare case of intradiploic epidermoid cyst with clinical and radiologic features and surgical treatment. It is important to consider this diagnosis for a patient with persistent regional headache with or without a growing scalp mass.

With society's increasing interest in weight control and body weight, we investigated the association between psychological factors and body image misperception in different age groups of adult Korean women with a normal weight. On a total of 4,600 women from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2009, a self-report questionnaire was used to assess body weight perception and 3 psychological factors: self-rated health status, stress recognition, and depressed mood. Through logistic regression analysis, a poor self-rated health status (P = 0.001) and a higher recognition of stress (P = 0.001) were significantly associated with body image misperception and this significance remained after controlling for several sociodemographic (Model 1: adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.31-2.00), health behavior and psychological factors (Model 2: aOR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.29-1.96; Model 3: aOR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.01-1.84). Especially, highly stressed middle-aged (50-64 yr) women were more likely to have body image misperception (Model 2: aOR, 2.85; 95% CI, 1.30-6.26). However, the correlation between depressed mood and self-reported body weight was inconsistent between different age groups. In conclusion, self-rated health status and a high recognition rate of severe stress were related to body weight misperception which could suggest tailored intervention to adult women especially women in younger age or low self-rated health status or a high recognition rate of severe stress.
Adult ; Age Distribution ; Aged ; Aging/psychology ; Body Dysmorphic Disorders/*epidemiology/*psychology ; Body Image/*psychology ; *Body Weight ; Comorbidity ; Depression/*epidemiology/*psychology ; Female ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Psychology ; Reference Values ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Self Report ; Women's Health/statistics & numerical data ; Young Adult

Dermal melanocytosis, which is histologically characterized by the presence of dermal melanocytes, is most commonly found in Asians and other darkskinned people. It is observed in various congenital conditions such as the nevus of Ota, the nevus of Ito, the Mongolian spot and the blue nevus, and typically appears at birth or in early childhood. However, several cases that have appeared in adult life have been reported as acquired dermal melanocytosis. Herein, we report a unique case of acquired dermal melanocytosis diffusely affecting the left side of the chest of a 45-year old female. Additionally, a review of Korean literature regarding reported cases of unusual acquired dermal melanocytosis will be presented.
Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Female ; Humans ; Melanocytes ; Mongolian Spot ; Nevus ; Nevus of Ota ; Nevus, Blue ; Parturition ; Thorax

BACKGROUND: Serine protease promotes desquamatation of the stratum corneum and this is controlled by serine protease inhibitors (SPI). After disruption of the skin barrier, signals for barrier recovery are started with the activation of cytokines and a migration of calcium ions. On the other hand, the protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) pathway is initiated as a negative signal. As the pH of the stratum corneum become neutral, activated serine protease and PAR-2 inhibit the secretion of lamellar bodies and the formation of the lamellar structure. OBJECTIVE: We wanted to screen noble synthetic peptides and identify the efficacy of a selected peptide, Palmitic acid-Lysine Threonine Threonine Lysine Serine (Pal-KTTKS), on PAR-2 in vitro and in vivo, and a clinical study was performed. METHODS: in vitro:Changes of the intracellular calcium ion concentration were measured in cultured HaCaT cells by fluorescence imaging according to treatment with sample peptides and trypsin. in vivo animal study:The efficacy of 2% Pal-KTTKS cream as a selected noble peptide was evaluated in an oxazolone-induced atopic dermatitis animal model. Clinical study:A total of twenty three atopic dermatitis patients applied 2.5% Pal-KTTKS peptide-containing cream on the one side of their extremities and pseudo-ceramide containing moisturizer on the other side of the extremities as a control twice a day for 4 weeks. Clinical improvement was evaluated by the Eczema Area Severity Index (EASI) score, a subject questionnaire and comparison of photographs. RESULTS: Suppression of the intracellular calcium concentration via PAR-2 inhibition was noted in the Pal-KTTKS peptide treated cultured HaCaT cells. In the oxazolone-induced atopic dermatitis hairless mice model, 2% Pal-KTTKS peptide containing lotion was more effective than vehicle lotion only. In the atopic dermatitis patients, the sites treated with 2.5% Pal-KTTKS peptide-containing cream showed better improvement for the EASI score, the subject questionnaire and the clinical photographs as compared to that of the control sites. There were no remarkable side effects related to the treatment. CONCLUSION: A PAR-2 inhibitor-containing topical agent would be an effective and safe modality for treating atopic dermatitis.
Animals ; Calcium ; Cytokines ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Eczema ; Extremities ; Hand ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Ions ; Lysine ; Mice ; Mice, Hairless ; Models, Animal ; Oligopeptides ; Optical Imaging ; Peptides ; Serine ; Serine Proteases ; Serine Proteinase Inhibitors ; Skin ; Threonine ; Trypsin ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVES: A citation analysis of biomedical and health sciences journals was conducted based on their enlistment in journal databases to identify the factors contributing to the citation metrics. METHODS: Among the 1,219 academic journals managed by the National Center for Medical Information and Knowledge at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 556 journals were included for analysis as of July 2016. The characteristics of the journals include history years, publication media, language, open-access policy as well as the status enlisted in international and domestic databases, such as Science Citation Index (SCI), Scopus, Medline, PubMed Central, Embase, and Korea Citation Index (KCI). Six bibliometric measures were collected from SCI, Scopus, and KCI as of 2015, the most recent disclosure year. Analyses of group differences and influential factors were conducted using t-tests, Mann-Whitney tests, and multiple regression. RESULTS: Journal characteristics, such as history years, publication media, and open-access policy, were not significant factors influencing global or domestical citation of the journals. However, global citations were higher for SCI and Medline enlisted journals than for their counterparts. Among KCI journals, the KCI impact factors of journals published in English only were lower. CONCLUSIONS: Efforts by journals to be enlisted in international databases, especially in SCI and Medline, are critical to enhance their global circulation. However, articles published in English only hinder the use of domestic researchers. Different strategies are required for enhancing international and domestic readerships.
Access to Information ; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Disclosure ; Journal Impact Factor ; Korea* ; Medical Subject Headings ; Publications ; Regression Analysis ; Republic of Korea

Atrophoderma of Pasini and Pierini is a form of dermal atrophy that manifests as either single or multiple, sharply demarcated, hyperpigmented, non-indurated patches. These patches are marked by a slight depression of the skin, with an abrupt edge (i.e., the "cliff-drop" borders), usually located on the backs of adolescents or young adults. The pathophysiology of the disease is unknown, but some authors have suggested a role of Borrelia burgdorferi infection. A 35-year-old woman visited our department because of asymptomatic, hypopigmented, depressed patches on her chest and back lasting for three months. Laboratory evaluations were normal, except for positive serum antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi. Histologic examination revealed a significantly decreased thickness of the dermis. The patient underwent treatment with oral doxycycline 200 mg/day for six weeks, after which the depth of depression was improved. Herein, we report a case of atrophoderma of Pasini and Pierini, associated with Borrelia burgdorferi infection, successfully treated with oral doxycycline.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Antibodies ; Atrophy ; Borrelia ; Borrelia burgdorferi ; Depression ; Dermis ; Doxycycline ; Female ; Humans ; Skin ; Thorax ; Young Adult

In this study, we aimed to synthesize PAMAMG3 derivatives (PAMAMG3-KRRR and PAMAMG3-HKRRR), using KRRR peptides as a nuclear localization signal and introduced histidine residues into the KRRR-grafted PAMAMG3 for delivering a therapeutic, carcinoma cell-selective apoptosis gene, apoptin into human primary glioma (GBL-14) cells and human dermal fibroblasts. We examined their cytotoxicity and gene expression using luciferase activity and enhanced green fluorescent protein PAMAMG3 derivatives in both cell lines. We treated cells with PAMAMG3 derivative/apoptin complexes and investigated their intracellular distribution using confocal microscopy. The PAMAMG3-KRRR and PAMAMG3-HKRRR dendrimers were found to escape from endolysosomes into the cytosol. The JC-1 assay, glutathione levels, and Annexin V staining results showed that apoptin triggered cell death in GBL-14 cells. Overall, these findings indicated that the PAMAMG3-HKRRR/apoptin complex is a potential candidate for an effective nonviral gene delivery system for brain tumor therapy in vitro.

In this study, we aimed to synthesize PAMAMG3 derivatives (PAMAMG3-KRRR and PAMAMG3-HKRRR), using KRRR peptides as a nuclear localization signal and introduced histidine residues into the KRRR-grafted PAMAMG3 for delivering a therapeutic, carcinoma cell-selective apoptosis gene, apoptin into human primary glioma (GBL-14) cells and human dermal fibroblasts. We examined their cytotoxicity and gene expression using luciferase activity and enhanced green fluorescent protein PAMAMG3 derivatives in both cell lines. We treated cells with PAMAMG3 derivative/apoptin complexes and investigated their intracellular distribution using confocal microscopy. The PAMAMG3-KRRR and PAMAMG3-HKRRR dendrimers were found to escape from endolysosomes into the cytosol. The JC-1 assay, glutathione levels, and Annexin V staining results showed that apoptin triggered cell death in GBL-14 cells. Overall, these findings indicated that the PAMAMG3-HKRRR/apoptin complex is a potential candidate for an effective nonviral gene delivery system for brain tumor therapy in vitro.